Photo: Percival Constantine: A Masterful Author Bringing Heroes, Action, and Adventure to Life
Inside the Mind Behind Chaos Caretakers and Vanguard
Percival Constantine discusses his passion for storytelling, balancing writing with teaching, exploring diverse cultures, crafting compelling characters, lessons on indie publishing, and his love for superheroes in this in-depth interview.
Percival Constantine is a name synonymous with thrilling storytelling and imaginative worlds that captivate readers across genres. With a flair for blending superhero escapades, gripping action, and deeply personal narratives, his works have garnered widespread admiration and loyalty from fans of every stripe. Whether delving into series like “Vanguard” or co-creating the wildly inventive “Chaos Caretakers,” Constantine demonstrates an uncanny ability to balance breathtaking adventure with compelling character depth.
His roots in the Chicagoland area and love for superhero comics, action films, and TV shows have evidently shaped his artistic voice, infusing his narratives with nostalgia and relentless energy that resonate universally. Constantine’s journey, from penning stories in childhood notebooks to becoming a published author, editor, and a force within both traditional and self-publishing circles, exemplifies the power of perseverance and the creative spirit. He has also proven the viability of independent publishing, fusing commercial success with deeply personal artistic freedom, and exploring new avenues through platforms such as Substack and Patreon.
Today, residing in southern Japan, Constantine juggles the dynamic roles of writer, literature and film instructor, husband, and father, continuously producing memorable works that are both entertaining and thought-provoking. His distinctive perspective, enhanced by his global experiences and sharpened by his academic accolades, defines his unique storytelling approach—not only with vibrant characters and intricate plotlines but through a refreshing cultural sensibility.
In this interview, Constantine shares insights into his creative process, from crafting characters to exploring themes with intensity and imagination. He also provides invaluable advice for writers embarking on their own literary journeys, warning against pitfalls and encouraging focus on honing the craft of storytelling. Join us in celebrating the remarkable talents of Percival Constantine, a true craftsman of words whose stories inspire, delight, and remind us of the magic within the written word.
Percival Constantine is a visionary storyteller whose passion, creativity, and diverse experiences breathe life into unforgettable adventures.
What inspired you to become a writer and what motivates you to continue creating stories?
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved coming up with stories. As a child, I would come up with stories and act them out using action figures. And as I grew, the desire to play with toys diminished, but the desire to create stories remained. So I just traded the toys for words. I’d take the notebooks my parents bought me for schoolwork and instead of using them for school, I’d just fill them up with my own stories.
As for what motivates me, it’s really still just that desire to keep creating. I’ve taken time off from writing, but inevitably the characters and the stories come to me and want to get out onto the page.
How do you balance your work as a writer with your role as a teacher of literature, writing, and film?
Plus being a husband and a father to two young kids. It’s a definite challenge and there are times when the balance is out of whack. I’m getting to a point now where my lecture preparations are pretty much set, so that frees up some more time. But otherwise, I just try to cleave out moments of time whenever possible. I’ve learned to be a little less precious about dedicated writing time and space and will settle for whatever I can get. A few minutes and a few hundred words may not be as good as a few hours and a few thousand words, but it’s still better than nothing.
Can you tell us about your experience working in publishing and how it has influenced your writing style?
Most of my experience has been in self-publishing. When I finished my first novel, I was interested in pursuing a traditional publishing deal — this was 2006, so pre-Kindle. I queried a bunch of agents, but didn’t get any takers. So I decided to self-publish, which before Kindle meant just print-on-demand. Armed with a university copy of Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, I immersed myself in tutorials to figure out how to put the whole thing together.
As time went on, I started learning more about the indie publishing world and tried different tactics like writing to market, rapid release, paid advertising, all of it with varying degrees of success. Also began working with some small press publishers on occasion.
Nowadays, I have two main focuses. One is more commercial work that I’m releasing through a small press publisher. The other is more personal work that I do on my own, taking advantage of serial platforms like Substack, Patreon, and Royal Road.
Your work spans multiple genres, including superheroes, what draws you to these particular genres?
I’ve loved superheroes ever since I saw the Christopher Reeve Superman film on VHS back in the 80s. Devoured TV shows like Batman: The Animated Series, X-Men, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Power Rangers, and eventually became a voracious comic book reader. I like the idea of people fighting to make the world a better place, even if that means they have to go against authority to accomplish that goal.
How do you develop your characters and plotlines, do you have any specific techniques or rituals?
Not really. I haven’t yet hit on a specific technique or ritual that really works every time. Sometimes I’ll have a story in mind, other times it’ll be a specific character or character. Sometimes it’ll just be a genre I’m interested in exploring.
What is the most challenging part of writing a series, such as the Chaos Caretakers or Vanguard, and how do you keep track of the story arcs?
Chaos Caretakers was easy — I had a great collaborator who helped me out a lot, plus it was just a trilogy, so not so sprawling. The only real challenge there was a terrible publisher. But with Vanguard or my other series, the story-arcs are big enough that they’re fairly easy to keep track of. It’s the smaller things, like different character descriptors. AI tools have made it easier to upload my past work and ask what color a character’s eyes are or something like that.
How do you think your experiences living in southern Japan have influenced your writing and worldview?
It’s given me a different cultural perspective and also given me the chance to learn about different types of history, which has factored into my writing. Also opened my eyes more to things like stereotypes, which has made me more conscious about that stuff in my own work. It’s led to me taking greater care in those aspects.
What advice would you give to fellow authors who are just starting out and looking to establish themselves in the writing community?
I’d first off warn them that there are a lot of grifters out there. Vanity publishers, marketing scams, and self-professed gurus whose only real success is in bilking authors through overpriced courses or “masterminds” that tell you information you can find for free. You don’t have to master every social media platform. The writing comes first. Get into a habit, finish your work, and backlog some if possible. Then start to worry about publishing and marketing.
