I like Vin Diesel, too. Thought of sending him a copy of my first book...just for fun.
1. I read the first release of Gardens of the Moon years ago. It took me a while to rise to Erikson's level -- he demands a LOT of his readers -- but the pay-off is huge. Nobody ends a book like him. Then I got all my friends hooked, too. LOVE Karsa! You might also be thinking of HIS historian and mine. They serve different purposes, do different jobs, though. And then there's his use and treatment of the military, which I gather was partially inspired by Glen Cook (I LOVE the Black Company,too). Given the times we live in, I really thought the military element was crucial, so, yes, I'd say that impacted me.
2. Actually, parts of Spirk's story date back to 1985, when I mostly wrote satirical short stories for friends. I put off writing a novel for decades because a) I was acting, and b) helping raise my son! Also, and this will make some readers laugh, I wasn't sure what constituted a paragraph. I mean, when it ended and the next began. Finally, I just said "Screw it! I'm an English teacher! It starts and ends whenever I say." Of course, there's more to it than that, but you can't let fear of embarrassment prevent you from writing. In terms of general writing, I've been doing it forever: first short stories, then plays (being an actor), then screenplays (in the misguided belief I could make money), then dialogue for computer games, sentiments for greeting cards, stand up comedy material...and then Steel, Blood & Fire. In part, I did it on a dare. But my dad died at 52, so I also felt a need to get on with this dream if I was going to do it at all. That also speaks to my overall pace of a book a year. I want to tell my stories before MINE is told. I would everyone to do the same, 'cause that clock is ticking, folks!
Regarding Vykers specifically, as I think I mentioned elsewhere, I grew up watching Toshiro Mifune's Yojimbo character, Eastwood's Man with No Name, Bruce Lee's work, etc., and that, along with everything I read, just gave me an abiding love for the BAD good guys.