Inside the Book:
Title: Hazard of Shadows
Author:Mike Phillips
Publisher: Caliburn Press
Pages: 280
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Ecopy/Paperback
The Secret Life of Goblins
Thank you for joining me for this
guest post. My name is Mike Phillips and my new book is Hazard of Shadows, the sequel to The World Below. For those
of you who aren’t familiar with my work, especially the Goblin King Series, it
might seem strange to have what is traditionally thought of as monsters to be
the heroes of my books. After all, goblins have always been viewed as the most
evil and despicable of creatures in myth and folklore. I thought it would be
interesting to turn things around and see what developed. The result was this
wondrous and crazy urban fantasy series. So for this post, it’s the secret life
of goblins.
Throughout history, goblins are
portrayed as wicked creatures, not as powerful and evil as demons, but
certainly no one you want to meet in a dark alley. They are usually looked upon
as the worst of the monsters that hide under the bed or go bump in the night. They
are blamed for everything from the breakdown of machinery to the disappearance
of small children. Goblins make mischief and mayhem wherever they go. With all
that to work with, creating a world where these rotten creatures are the heroes
was an interesting process.
First of all, I had to come up
with some kind of moral code. If goblins are nothing more than bloodthirsty
animals, they aren’t going to make many friends. So, I went for tough,
sometimes even brutal, but misunderstood. They might do bad things, but often
they do it for the right reasons. Think of a very short version of Robin Hood
and you won’t be far from my thinking. Goblins are loyal to their friends, even
if what their friends are doing is wrong. They lead tough lives, so they
realize that if they help someone out in the present, they might need the same
support sometime in the future. Goblins never leave a friend in trouble.
The goblin social structure is
loose, due mostly to the fact that goblins are never safe in a world where they
have such bad reputations. They are often organized into crews. This involves
associations for protection, but more importantly, personal gain. Once part of
a crew, a goblin commits his or her life to the success of the group ventures,
but once completed, is free to move on. They do, however, tend to stick with
the same crew, even if they don’t get along particularly well with the others. Changes
in status and position within a crew are common. All goblins fancy themselves
the leader of their crew, which often causes arguments, but these disagreements
are generally nothing a good, old fashioned knock-down drag-out fight can’t
solve.
The goblins in my stories are a
little taller than knee high. They are lithe and well-muscled but not bulky.
They are more like gymnasts than football players. The goblins look like
oversized toads with long noses and floppy ears –so they’re kind of cute in an
ugly sort of way. Living on the fringes of human society, they have taken up
the habit of clothes, often dressing in light clothing with lots of pockets to
hide things of value. In public, they often take the guise of stray cats, an
illusion that allows them access to all of human society with little
interference.
Goblins have many talents. Much
like their human counterparts, they often focus on one area of expertise. One
might be a good fighter or especially adept at food court dumpster diving, where
another might be really good at breaking into liquor stores. All goblins have a
good amount of magic, especially illusion and concealment, but only a few serve
as the storehouse for the ancient goblin wisdom. Pranking and theft are
considered the most honored of goblin talents, honed to perfection over many
lifetimes of humans.
Writing about goblins was a lot
fun. They make colorful characters. I look forward to future books, number
three is already in the works, and developing my goblin heroes even more. Thank
you for joining me on this guest post. I hope you check out Hazard of Shadows and the first book in
the Goblin King Series, The World Below.
You can always catch up with me at on the web at www.mikephillipsfantasy.com.
Take care, MP
Meet the Author
Mike Phillips grew up on a small farm in West Michigan, living much the way people did at the turn of the century. Whether it was growing fruits and vegetables or raising livestock, Mike learned the value of hard work and responsibility at a young age.
While his friends spent their summers watching reruns of bad sitcoms, Mike’s father gave him a very special gift. He turned off the television. With what was affectionately referred to as “the idiot box” no longer a distraction, Mike was left to discover the fantastic worlds that only exist in books. When not tending sheep, gardening, building furniture, chopping wood, or just goofing off, Mike spent his time reading.
With all that hard work at home, Mike was always eager to go to school. He excelled as a student and went on to pursue a career in the sciences. Working as a Safety Engineer in the Insurance Industry, Mike soon became bored with the corporate grind. Writing engaged him like nothing else. After a few novels and numerous short stories, he thought getting published would be a pretty neat idea. And so, here it goes…
