by Gail Z. Martin
BookLifeNow asked me about the story behind the first chapter of Ice Forged, so here we go!
Ice Forged begins with a murder. Blaine McFadden murders his father for molesting his sister. Ian McFadden has had it coming for a long time. He’s an abusive bully who beat his sons, killed their mother, and believes he’s entitled to anything he wants from anyone. After years of enduring his father’s abuse, Blaine is finally pushed too far. Ian McFadden dies.
We step into the middle of this family drama at its climax. Blaine expects to die for his crime. He figures his death is a small price to pay for his sister’s safety and for an end to his father’s abuse. He doesn’t count on mercy from the king, who decrees exile instead of execution. Now, instead of a quick death, Blaine is shipped out to a notorious prison colony in an arctic wasteland, where death isn’t to be feared—it’s to be courted.
I chose to begin the book at this point because it shows us who Blaine McFadden is. We see what he’s willing to give up, what he values above all else, and just what he’s made of. By stepping into Blaine’s story at this point, we also see his homeland, creating a contrast between the world from which he came and the world into which he is being thrust. And when the world that sent Blaine into exile comes crashing down as a result of a devastating war and a doomsday magical strike, the fate of civilization depends a man it threw away.
Gail Z. Martin’s newest book, Ice Forged: Book One in the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), launched in January 2013. Gail is also the author of the Chronicles of the Necromancer series (Solaris Books) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (Orbit Books). For more about Gail’s books and short stories, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com. Be sure to “like” Gail’s Winter Kingdoms Facebook page, follow her on Twitter @GailZMartin, and join her for frequent discussions on Goodreads.
Read an excerpt from Ice Forged here: https://a.pgtb.me/JvGzTt