Gregory Alan Burhoe

Gregory Alan Burhoe (born June 29, in 1979 Liverpool, Nova Scotia) is a Canadian writer of fantasy fiction. His first published short story was The Yellow Stone in 2005. He is currently harvesting a deal for his epic fantasy novel, Everdream. His writing has been described as 'literary pulp fiction’. However, his short stories often exhibit greater diversity. Often it validates a deep, personal interest in mythology and a search for wisdom. Burhoe also shows a love for duality, especially between good and evil.

Biography
Early life

Burhoe grew up on the coast of Nova Scotia, a writer and visual artist from a long line of artists. His father, B. A. Burhoe, had published a number of critically appraised short stories in the 1970s, including Ornithantropus (the only one featured in both 'best science fiction short story' book collections that year.)

He grew up with virtually everyone, friends and family alike, urging him to become a cartoonist; it was his most frequent hobby. But he grew more interested in the characters and worlds which entered his head, and simply cartooning or illustrating them was not enough. Acting them out came as a greater thrill, but after a taste of theatre he grew disinterested in acting. For a time Burhoe considered stand-up comedy and moved to Toronto, Ontario to inspect that career option.

All along there had been another outlet for creative expression; writing fantasy. This he had started as a child, in illustrating his own comic books (drawn with little stick men, coloured with Crayola crayons.) As a teenager, he had began writing short stories. By the time he was eighteen he had piles of rough drafts for over a dozen novels on his bedroom floor. He could not write fast enough; the words just leapt into his head faster than what his hands could keep up with. But with entry into the trials and frustrations of the adult world, Burhoe felt that he lacked the time and energy needed to write a successful novel. But when he found the time he cultivated it, and although displeased with his initial attempt he felt inspiration nearing him as he had in the past. Why he had failed in his first attempt is that he had forgotten to follow his heart, and so the tale became as thin and as stale as 'yesterday's croissant', and he had thrown it aside. Now he would start anew, aware of how his writing communicated to a general readership, but at the same time following his artistic instincts. The result was Everdream.

Writing career

Everdream is an epic three-part fantasy novel of a staggering 448,382 word count. Indeed, the novel's size extended Burhoe's original size concept (fortunately it breaks down into separate books.) Its world is unique, because its Physical World exists alongside Faeryland, and between them are Realms -- bizarre passages which link between them, which few can find and fewer could manage. Not all Realms are the same, as some are beautiful and pleasant and others are dark and cruel. A young antagonist, modest despite his inherent powers, is fated to challenge forces which threaten to control and pervert all which is natural. Arming himself with a band of unforgettable characters, he sets out to face dangers greater than any this young dreamer has ever dreamed possible. What makes Everdream come alive is not its plotline, but its writing and characters.

For his first published novel, Burhoe chose to write a story which was not too 'out there', as was typical with his previous unpublished works. But imagination seeps in through every other aspect; through imagery, characterization and sub-plots. It stands at 71 chapters, and a Character Glossary of two hundred names. The book is enriched with a well-structured history.

Burhoe is currently considering agents to represent the project before a major American publishing house.

Writing style

He typically describes his novel writing style as 'literary pulp fiction'. Not that he was ever really a fan of pulp fiction (it was before his time, for one thing.) His early inspirations were books such as "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens and "Animal Farm" by George Orwell, but in his childhood was more profoundly touched by films such as "Labyrinth" and "The Dark Crystal". In his youth he began reading Dragonlance, and proceeded to read stories from writers such as McCaffrey and Le Guin. Only in recent years has he returned to reading Dickens, and to reading long-cherished fantasy classics such as "The Lord of the Rings" by J. R. R, Tolkien. If any writing has affected him directly, it would be moments in the prose of Shakespeare or in the poems of Poe. For the most part his writing is story-based, and that has been inspired through many wells of experience in his life.

He is known for his poetic flow and choice of words. Most important to Burhoe is how his characters and settings grip the reader. He carefully spends a couple rich pages intriguing us with imaginative background and scenery, and then suddenly the characters are alive and begin speaking as if in a real conversation. Perhaps his best talent is how he balances realism with tall tale in his fantasy world.

By his own admission Burhoe is not a 'writer's writer', but a 'reader's writer'; he writes not for craft but for a love of the imagination. Words, he says, are the vessel through which one can deliver the cargo of the imagination.

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