🧙‍♂️🤖D.M. Rook Interview from Hounds of Orion | Cool guy recs |

You like mechs and explosions? This week, we hear from D.M. Rook from Hounds of Orion, the best mech story I’ve ever read, and give you some awesome recs.

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Interview with D.M Rook from Hounds of Orion

Hounds of Orion by D.M. Rook is a gritty, action-packed military sci-fi epic that throws you right into the chaos. Like mechs? This is THE mech story. Logan, a battle-hardened mech pilot, fights not just enemies but his own internal battles, driven by loyalty and raw determination. Then there’s Cam, a noble with potential for greatness, forced into a life he has no say in. Logan takes him under his wing, and their dynamic adds amazing depth to the story, balancing out the intense mech combat with some great character moments. If you’re into dark military sci-fi with complex relationships and relentless action, this is a must-read. Did I say awesome mechs? Link here.

Hello DMRook! Thanks for agreeing to the interview. I’ve been loving Hounds of Orion, with the blend of worldbuilding and character development. I’d love to know how Hounds of Orion came to be. Can you tell me about how you planned out the story? How did you come across Royal Road and what prompted you to try your hand at writing a story, especially one about mechs? It’s definitely pushing mech’s into a new direction that I love to see. Do you have any thoughts on the Royal Road community, and would you recommend it for other aspiring authors?

Hey Saga! Thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk about my story. I’m so glad you’re enjoying it so far and hope you continue to do so as we go along. As for how Hounds of Orion came about, that’s a really good question. One I actually forgot the answer to XD. I’d been a storyteller for years when I was a GM for my buddies as we played TTRPGs. But, I was also lazy and barely opened a GMs guide, Player’s handbook, bestiary, etc. Most of our Campaigns I ended up making up on the spot. One day my partner had read something I’d written for a game night and highly suggested I give writing a try. The rest is history. Hounds is just one of the many daydreams I’ve put to paper since then, it’s just that this one currently holds my attention right now.

As for Royal Road, I was honestly just looking for a way to get my story out there for people to read. I liked the fact I could just submit it as a chapter by chapter basis and not have to wait to write a whole book before someone read it. So far as I go along with creating this story, the feedback from the community has been great. I’m not really one to interact with it much outside of sarcastic posts or shilling out my story, but nearly everyone I’ve met within the community has been kind and welcoming. I truly feel like I’ve found a community of kindred spirits here and would absolutely recommend it to new authors, as long as you can stand some in-depth critiques.

One part of your story I’ve really loved is the characters. All of your characters stand out so much, from Cam to Logan, to Aurora, Marcus, etc. The whole cast is great. There are clear themes of duty, choice, identity, and power being played with here. How do you go about crafting your characters? How do the themes that you’re working influence your character development? Do you have any personal beliefs or experiences that influence your characters and themes? What character do you find easiest to write, and most difficult?

Characters are tricky to describe. A lot of times I pull inspiration from people I met in the past or from popular tropes in the media. But I never really stop to consider the themes of the characters or stories that I’m writing. I just start with an outline of what I think sounds cool and then run with it. If my characters seem more realistic or human, I think it’s because I write them with a certain humanity. There’s no cookie cutter ideals for them to embody, or main themes I want to make sure come across. To me they’re just humans interacting with each other like humans would do so. Sure some are good and some are bad for the sake of the plot, but if I could, I’d honestly try to write them as gray as I possibly could. To me, the coolest characters are the ones either doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, or the wrong thing for the right reasons.

I’d say the easiest character to write for me would either be Cameron or Logan. Sarcasm and swearing come naturally to me, so sometimes it feels more like I’m texting than writing dialogue lol. As for the hardest? I’d say any female character but that’s only because I want to write a genuinely real persona and not a caricature. I want them to have their own agency and motivations. I try my best to give them dialogue and actions in a way that seems natural and make them feel real. Sometimes I feel like I get it right, and other times it feels impossible to. But at the end of the day I can only do my best.

Alright, I need to ask about Mechs. These mechs are seriously cool, and I love all the action scenes with them! I can’t wait to see how they evolve as the story continues. What inspired you to write a story centered around mechs? Your take on how people operate them is so unique, without giving any spoilers, I love that there's a price to pay. Could you share a bit about what went into crafting the mechanics of how they work, especially for the higher-level models? Were there any other mech stories or inspirations you had in mind while developing this? How do your mechs work? I love fantastical elements but I’d love to know more of the nitty gritty.

Oh hell yes! I was hoping you'd ask about this. So, for the longest time I’ve been into the mecha genre. Code Geass, Gundam, Robotech, you name it. I also love audiobooks. I work alot at my day job and don’t often get a chance to sit down and read like I’d like to, so audiobooks bridge that gap and let my mind run free. BUT there’s very few (imo) good mech stories out there. At least stories that remind me of those very shows I mentioned. So, after trying and failing to find one I felt fit with me, I decided to say screw it and write my own. I had a couple other works in progress at the time, but this one just stuck with me and well… here we are!

My mechs come in two categories, and to those of you reading this that haven’t read the story yet, I sincerely hope this draws your attention. Anyways, the two categories are simple; Threaded and Unthreaded. Unthreaded mechs, also known as squires are piloted in the same way you’d expect a mech to be piloted. They are slow, weak, but abundant throughout the galaxy. Threaded mech’s on the other hand are known as A.R.M.S. (Armored Robotic Mechanized Skeleton) units. These are piloted… well imagine a mix between G-Gundam and Warhammer 40k. The pilot's body is the controller of the unit. They’re uplinked to the mechs frame and share a “co-pilot” of sorts in the form of a virtual intelligence. What the pilot does, the mech imitates. Now in my universe, there was a bill signed into law that limited firearms of any kind from being attached to these mechs in order to cut back on collateral damage. Not to say you can’t find any out there, but they are certainly rare. Instead, A.R.M.S. units fight with melee weapons. Think of any ancient warrior from history or even mythology. Picture how they would fight and the weapons they would wield. I guarantee you that there’s an A.R.M.S. unit somewhere in the galaxy that fits that description.

The worldbuilding in Hounds of Orion is one of its standout elements, especially with the political intrigue and space opera vibes. What went into crafting this world, with Earth at the center and all the different factions at play? Does worldbuilding drive a lot of your development process, and how do you balance the big power structures and political dynamics with the personal stories of your characters? Also, with mechs being such a powerful force in the world, is it challenging to blend them into the political landscape? What are some of the key power dynamics you’re aiming to explore in your writing?

Amazing questions! Let’s see if I can line them out in a way that makes sense;

I wanted there to be a separation of Earth and the rest of the universe. To me, I feel like it’s easier to get sucked into the story if you’re first presented with something familiar to you that you can wrap your head around, then I can bring in the weird stuff. But ultimately I needed an excuse as to why mercenaries are so prevalent in the first place.

To me, the world is its own character. It has flaws, attractive features, and it’s own motivations for why it does what it does. I feel like I put a lot more of my time into shaping the universe than I do the characters, which helps out in the long run. The setting itself is just as interesting as the people that inhabit it. NOW I can just have a cool backdrop and plant a few characters down so they can just… do things. And then we go from there.

Mechs aren’t hard to blend with politics. You just treat them like you would any other resource. I think especially when we start getting into the details of the different classes later on, you’ll see that it’s more so the pilots who are the political pawns and not necessarily the mechs themselves.

Power dynamics? Um… I’m gonna be honest man, I haven't really thought about it. I wish I could be a true student of the craft and get into the details of dynamics and themes and all of that. But at the end of the day, I’m just some salty vet that likes giant robots and explosions.

This is going to be a bit of rapid fire. When I first came across Hounds of Orion, I knew it was going to be a hit. What does your writing process look like? Are you more of a pantser, letting the story unfold as you go, or are you an architect with everything plotted out ahead of time? I honestly can’t tell because you’ve surprised me more than once with where chapters start and end. Do you have the full story plotted out or just key points? And do you have an idea of the total length you’re aiming for with Hounds of Orion?

Alright! Rapid fire answers for rapid fire questions, let’s get it!

My writing process is all over the place. Sometimes I can bang out 5k words in a single sitting, other times I have to leave it alone for a week or so till I watch something or listen to something and my brain starts working again.

Definitely a pantser. There’s no fun in it if you have it all planned out beforehand. Most of the time I know about as much as y’all do as to where the story is going haha.

I have the key points covered of what I want to happen, but the path getting there is definitely up in the air for me.

Right now, we’re looking at 7 books for the series. If I haven’t died of imposter syndrome or high cholesterol by the end I could be convinced to do more.

Rook, you’ve got such an aggressive and dynamic writing style, and I’m sure your influences are just as fascinating. Could you give us five recommendations for media, whether it’s books, movies, shows, or games,that have inspired or stuck with you? I’d love to hear about the stories or worlds that have left a mark on you, especially anything that fans of Hounds of Orion would enjoy.

Is that what my style is? Well if you think so. Here’s some recommendations that either gave me the concept of Hounds of Orion or one of the many facets of it (i.e. Fights, plots, design, etc.)

Mobile Fighter G Gundam: For helping with the mech piloting design… minus the spandex

Armored Souls By Xavier P. Hunter: For being the series that made me realize a mech book could be done and done incredibly well

Assasinorum Kingmaker: Another book, this one set in the 40k universe that gave me the inspiration for Ketris and the other noble planets

Cyberpunk 2077: For being the inspiration of mercs and shifty companies in the universe

Beartooth: Really the only band you can listen to while writing fight scenes in my opinion

Seriously, if you haven’t checked out Hounds of Orion, you’re missing out. Check it out here.

Thanks to Rook!

More Interviews coming! Big ones 👀

🧙‍♂️Saga Scribe