Monthly Archives: September 2013

A Hero for the End of the World

By Gail Z. Martin

Who do you want to have your back when the world ends?

When I first came up with the concept for my Ascendant Kingdoms Saga and its first book, Ice Forged, I envisioned a post-apocalyptic medieval world, one in which not only the land and buildings had been devastated by war, but also one in which the magic upon which people depended no longer worked.

With the death of the king and nobles, the kingdom of Donderath is in chaos.  The war that raged with neighboring Meroven led to a disastrous doomsday magic strike by mages on both sides.  Fire rains from the sky, and magic fails.

Heroes, I believe, are made not born.  Blaine McFadden was born the eldest son of Lord Ian McFadden.  Ian is violently abusive, a man who beats his sons and forces himself on his daughter.  Ice Forged begins when Blaine decides someone has to do something about Ian and takes matters into his own hands, killing Ian when he discovers what his father has done to Blaine’s sister, Mari.  Blaine fully expects to die for his crime, and accepts his fate.  But when the king shows mercy and sends Blaine into exile, Blaine has to survive a brutal prison colony at the top of the world.

By the time the Great Fire destroys Donderath, Blaine has served his time and been released from the prison as a “colonist”—still a prisoner in Edgeland, but no longer within prison walls.  He’s created a new life for himself, married and been widowed, and created a “family” of close friends who protect each other.  Then the ships stop coming from home and magic fails.  Several plot twists and turns later, Blaine realizes that he may be the only one who can restore the magic, and he has to choose whether to stay in the new home he has made for himself, or go back to the kingdom that exiled him.

What would you do?  I liked the idea of working with a not-perfect hero, someone who is unrepentant about his crime.  Yet at every step, Blaine’s actions develop the skills you’d want in a hero for the end of the world.  His abusive childhood prepared him to survive the prison’s brutality.  Prison also honed his fighting skills.  Among the dispossessed, Blaine’s education and well-to-do upbringing enabled him to emerge as a leader of the colonists.  His ability to draw a team together and inspire loyalty serves him well when he makes the decision to return. Living a bare-necessities existence in a harsh environment toughened him up for a post-apocalyptic environment.  And the deep loyalty that drove Blaine to commit murder compels him to do what he can to restore his ruined homeland.

Creating the world of the Ascendant Kingdoms has been a lot of fun.  But it’s been even more fun to allow the world to shape the character and supply just the right man for the job when the end of the world is nigh.

The Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek Event includes book giveaways, free excerpts and readings, all-new guest blog posts and author Q&A on 21 awesome partner sites around the globe.  For a full list of where to go to get the goodies, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

Gail Z. Martin is the author of Ice Forged in her new The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), plus The Chronicles of The Necromancer series (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven & Dark Lady’s Chosen ) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (The Sworn  and The Dread).  She is also the author of two series on ebook short stories: The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures and the Deadly Curiosities Series.  Her books are available in bookstores worldwide and on Kindle, Kobo and Nook. Find her online at www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What’s New with Chronicles of the Necromancer author Gail Z. Martin

Solaris author Gail Z. Martin (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven, Dark Lady’s Chosen) stops by to catch us up on what she’s been doing lately.

Q:  Last year, you had a short story in our “Magic” anthology.  Folks who were expecting an epic fantasy tale may have been surprised by your contribution!

A:  I created my Deadly Curiosities world for the anthologies in which I was asked to participate.  So far, the stories have spanned about 500 years, from the 1500s to present day.  So when Solaris asked me to write a story for the “Magic” anthology and I wrote a modern-day Deadly Curiosities short piece of fiction.

Q:  What’s the concept behind your Deadly Curiosities world?

A:  In a nutshell: Cassidy Kincaide owns Trifles & Folly, an antique/curio store and high-end pawn shop in Charleston, South Carolina that is more than what it seems.  Dangerous magical and supernatural items sometimes find their way into mortal hands or onto the market, and Cassidy is part of a shadowy Alliance of mortals and mages whose job it is to take those deadly curiosities out of circulation.

Q:  Until now, you’ve focused on epic fantasy.  Why the change?

A:  It’s not really a change, it’s an addition.  I love the world I created for my world of the Winter Kingdom like The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven and Dark Lady’s Chosen.  But it’s fun to do something different, and writing something new adds some creative juice.  I’m having a blast!

Q:  What’s going on with your Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek Online Event?

A:  The Hawthorn Moon was a festival in The Summoner that was a very important event, on the summer solstice.  When The Blood King was about to come out, I did the preview on June 21, and it has become a tradition ever since that on and around June 21 I offer a first look at the cover of my new book, plus excerpts, guest blog posts, Q&A, character interviews, book giveaways, readings, podcasts and more!  You can find all the details for this year’s big event at www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com.

Q:  You’ve got something going on Twitter during the event that is rather unique, don’t you?

A:  I love talking to readers on Twitter!  So on June 21, I’ll be picking 7 people at random to receive a free signed copy of some of my books.  Then tell your friends, because from 6/22-28, for every new 200 people who follow me @GailZMartin, I’ll do another drawing for a book, up to 20 books.

Q:  You’re also really active on Goodreads.  What do you like about that site?

A:  Goodreads lets me hang out with readers who might not be in places where I’m going to do a signing or a convention and have a conversation.  I host a different topic every month on something writing or fantasy related, and we have a good time talking about it.  I also enjoy posting the books I’ve recently read. During my Hawthorn Moon event, I’ll be giving away copies of one of my books, so find me at Goodreads.com/GailZMartin!

Q:  You’ve got some short stories on ebook set in the Deadly Curiosities world in time periods before the “Magic” story.  What can readers expect?

A:  I’ve been bringing out new direct-to-ebook short stories, one every month, to Kindle, Kobo and Nook.  Some tell the story of Jonmarc Vahanian (from my Chronicles of the Necromancer series) before his role in The Summoner.  The others are set at different time periods in my Deadly Curiosities world, where Sorren, the immortal behind the Alliance, works with a variety of mortal partners to keep the world safe from dangerous magical items.  It’s a lot of fun, and for the equivalent of 0.99 USD, it’s a cheap thrill, so please check it out!

Q:  Where else can readers find you?

A:  I love social media, because it gives me the chance to get to know readers all around the world.  So in addition to Twitter and Goodreads, I’m on Facebook as WinterKingdoms, on Shelfari, and on Pinterest, where I post photos from some of the sci-fi conventions I attend, plus other things that catch my fancy, like abandoned amusement parks. I blog at DisquietingVisions.com, and host the GhostInTheMachinePodcast.com with fun author readings and interviews.  All the details are at www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com!

The Hawthorn Moon Sneak Peek Event includes book giveaways, free excerpts and readings, all-new guest blog posts and author Q&A on 21 awesome partner sites around the globe.  For a full list of where to go to get the goodies, visit www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

Gail Z. Martin is the author of Ice Forged in her new The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga (Orbit Books), plus The Chronicles of The Necromancer series (The Summoner, The Blood King, Dark Haven & Dark Lady’s Chosen ) and The Fallen Kings Cycle (The Sworn  and The Dread).  She is also the author of two series on ebook short stories: The Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures and the Deadly Curiosities Series. Find her online at www.AscendantKingdoms.com.

 

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The World Below

by Mike Phillips

Hello and thank you for joining us today. I was asked to talk a little about the world I’ve created in my new book, The World Below. One of the more unique and interesting parts of the book are the goblins. Writing about goblins was a lot of fun, and so I thought I’d share with you a little about what makes a goblin tick.

Goblins live on the fringes of human society. They make their homes in junk yards, abandoned buildings, sewer systems, and anywhere else people try to avoid. Once they find a likely spot, the get to work. Goblins are clever with tools and machinery. They will use and repurpose anything they can get their hands on, so many of their dwellings look like they were designed by frat-boys. Not always the best of neighbors, goblins have to take security seriously. They construct elaborate pitfalls like collapsing tunnels, pongee pits, and mechanical traps to keep themselves safe from enemies.

The structure of goblin society is feudal. They organize in crews, bound by familial ties or friendship. These associations are loosely formed, and if a goblin wants to go it alone, no one holds a grudge. A crew may have two or three leaders at a time. It is not unusual for goblins to disagree, so sometimes they have no real leader at all. Though they fight with each other like crazy, but they are deeply loyal in times of trouble and would do anything for the other members of their crew. No female goblins appear in The World Below, but this mystery will be investigated further in the Chronicles of the Goblin King: Book Three.

Like their human counterparts, each goblin has a unique personality. They live in what they call crews, a sort of family, a lot like college dorm-mates. Each goblin has a special skill. One might be a bully (a most desirable skill in the goblin world). Another might be crafty at making traps. Some use sorcery or poison. Others are good at machinery. Some just eat a lot (another desirable skill). Goblins, in general, have a loose sense of morality. If it doesn’t hurt another member of the crew, with the obvious exception of fighting, then it’s usually okay. Fighting is always acceptable behavior, though if an enemy is around, a goblin is expected to stop fighting the other crew member and start fighting the enemy. Common sense rules like that are the cornerstone of goblin society.

People have been asking how to make friends with goblins. They are monsters, after all. First of all, don’t look like a victim. They are predators. If you run they will chase you down. The secret to making friends with goblins is not to treat them like animals. They won’t be trained and can’t be suckered. Think of them as that particularly feisty aunt that always speaks her mind. So if you want to make a goblin your friend, it’s best to start with an act of kindness. Goblins have hard lives and even a small act of kindness means a lot to them. In the book, Mitch Hardy does a favor for a goblin without even knowing it. In turn, the goblin rescues Mitch from a pan dimensional, man-eating garbage dumpster. Friends like that are hard to find!

Thanks again for joining us today. I hope you like The World Below. Please visit me at mikephillipsfantasy.com. Take care, Mike Phillips

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