Character Guest Post: Lisa Carson of Lance Charnes' ZRADA #characterday

 

Today is character guest post day! We have Lisa Carson from Lance Charnes' new action adventure novel, ZRADA. Enjoy!

Yeah, writing. Not my favorite.

Guess I should start with the name. “Lisa Carson” isn’t my real name. It’s the one on the passport I travel on the most. My real name is Lara Tarasenko. “Lara” is a nickname. I don’t like my real first name – it’s too girly. When I was in the Toronto Police Service, I married Ron Carson, another cop. I didn’t use his name when I wore his ring, but I figured the dumb son of a bitch owed me something for being a crappy husband, so I borrowed his last name for the passport Rodievsky got me after I started working for him.

I can’t remember ever not wanting to be a cop. Pops was a cop in Ukraine back when it was still the Soviet Union, then worked security for oil companies when he and Mom moved to Alberta in the ‘70s. When he was home, I’d follow him around and bug him with questions. Sometimes he’d take me on patrol in the oil fields near home. I was so proud when I swore into TPS – I’d nailed my dream job.

But the guy cops treated women cops like total shit when they weren’t grabbing our asses. That didn’t stop even after I married Ron. I was already in good shape from hockey and rugby and farm work when I joined the service, and I started doing this insane workout to get strong enough to hold my own with the guys. They got the message after I decked a few of them when they groped me or said stupid shit.

What, bad language? Poor you. Get used to it. This is how cops talk. I’m keeping it clean for you.

I wore the badge for thirteen years. I’d have liked to stay longer. I was a detective in Organized Crime Enforcement, going after this Russian mafiya pakhan called Gennady Rodievsky. We tried to bust him, but a bent superintendent warned him and he got away. TPS blamed me based on nothing real and turfed me out. I was the crooked cop, the snitch. Then I found out Pops owed Rodievsky a shit-ton of money and hadn’t been paying it back. Knowing what happened to people like Pops, I made a deal with Rodievsky to take over the debt. Now I’m kinda his personal troubleshooter. He takes money off my tab when I do jobs for him. I doubt I’ll ever get free of him, but at least Pops won’t get his head cut off.

Allyson found me a year later. She owns the DeWitt Agency. They “fill needs” for rich people and organizations. I get to go to some pretty dope places and it’s not all dealing with Russian shitbags. My last couple of big projects were about crimes involving art. Allyson partnered me with this guy Matt, who’s an ex-con who worked in a crooked gallery in L.A. It was kinda rough between us to start, but we worked it out mostly. I learned a lot.

What else? This thing in Ukraine. I finally got to see “the old country.” It was nothing like what Mom and Pops told me growing up. The places I went were kinda shitholes, and I was busy most of the time. You’ll see why if you read the book. But the countryside reminded me of growing up on the prairie. That was weird for me – I was thinking about things I normally never bother with.

That’s enough. I gotta go – Allyson’s calling.

Title: ZRADA
Author: Lance Charnes
Publisher: Wombat Group Media
Pages: 335
Genre: Action / Adventure / Thriller

Two priceless paintings. Two million euros. A civil war. What could go wrong?

The DeWitt Agency assigned disgraced ex-cop Carson a simple job: carry two briefcases of cash to swap for two artworks stolen from a German museum. Except nothing’s simple in the Donbass, the breakaway Ukrainian region overrun by militias, warlords, and bandits.

After a brutal zrada – betrayal – Carson finds herself alone and hunted forty miles behind the front lines with half the money, one of the paintings, and a huge target hung on her back. The militia behind the exchange thinks she blew up their deal and wants the money and her hide. Her co-workers were in on the double-cross. And the Agency can’t send help into the hottest war in Europe.

Carson’s never been one to wait to be rescued. She hires Galina – a tough local with a harrowing past and a taste for revenge – to help her cut through every checkpoint, freelance army, crooked cop, and firefight between her and the West. But the road to safety is long and poorly paved. A vengeful militia commander, a Russian special-forces operator with an agenda, and her own ex-colleagues have Carson in their crosshairs.

Carson’s life is now worth less than a suitcase of money or paint on a plank…but if they want to take it from her, she’s going to make them pay.

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/3iOUP2o

Kobo  → http://store.kobobooks.com/Search?Query=9781733398923

 

Lance Charnes has been an Air Force intelligence officer, information technology manager, computer-game artist, set designer, and Jeopardy! contestant, and is now an emergency management specialist. He’s had training in architectural rendering, terrorist incident response, and maritime archaeology, though not all at the same time. His Facebook author page features spies, archaeology, and art crime.

Lance is the author of the DeWitt Agency Files series of international art-crime novels (The Collection, Stealing Ghosts, and Chasing Clay), the international thriller Doha 12, and the near-future thriller South. All are available in trade paperback and digital editions.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | GOODREADS | FACEBOOK

Interview with Historical Fiction Author Neil Patterson #interview #blogtour

Neil Patterson was born 15 miles East of London near the River Thames. As a child he played on the tidal mudflats which, since Roman Times, had been a depository for man’s detritus . Neil was fascinated by the many items that he found whilst mudlarking, old coins, bottles and buttons. He found pieces of clay pipes that Londoners used to smoke Tobacco, which was introduced to Britain in the 16 century. The fragments of clay pipes fired Neil’s enthusiasm for History.

Late into his teens Neil began to keep a diary and has carried this practice throughout his adult life. He has also written many short stories and poetry but not until he stopped working, in his late fifties, has Neil found time to dedicate to his writing.

Neil ‘s Uncle lived in Australia and from early childhood he dreamt of living down under, he says he was born in England with an Australian heart. He followed his heart migrating to Australia 40 years ago. Neil now works full time as a writer and lives in Murrays Beach with his wife Jann and their border Collie, Harry the dog.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: http://www.alfienorrington.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/search/top?q=author%20neil%20patterson

 

About the Book

Alfie Norrington was born into poverty in London’s East End in the first minute of the twentieth century. His life was a battle. From the Brick Lane markets where young Alfie pilfered and pickpocketed, to the trenches of Flanders, Alfie fought every step of the way.

Almost killed by a trench bomb he battled to recover and while in a military hospital Alfie made a promise that dramatically change’s his life. A true East End hero, Alfie begins his journey away from poverty armed with a robust moral compass and an open heart.

Becoming Alfie is the first in the Alfie Norrington series. It follows the life of a man who positively influenced thousands of people. The world needs more individuals like Alfie Norrington, that give much more than they take.

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/31smrod

Can you tell us what your new book is about?

Born into poverty on a winter’s night in 1900, Alfie Norrington spent his early years fighting to survive on the streets of London’s East End. As a child he became competent pickpocket and an accomplished thief as he descends’ into stealing to survive. Fortunately, his older brother Jack notices his behaviours and begins guiding and supporting Alfie, encouraging him to grow as a person and thrive. Alfie develops his values which drives him to fight for King and country in the war to end all wars.

Through the death and desolation of the Western Front trenches, to horrific bloody bomb sites in East London, young Alfie discovers love, life and loss. This prepares Alfie for the many and varied experiences which lay ahead.

Becoming Alfie is the first novel in the Alfie Norrington series and follows Alfies life from childhood to manhood.

Can you tell us a little about your main and supporting characters?

The main Character, Alfie Norrington, is the youngest of five children. His early years were marred by the behaviours of his alcoholic and violent father. His family are close, the love of which Alfie thrives on (apart from his father). Alfie develops an robust set of values and a healthy moral compass through his experiences and family support

Your book is set in London.  Can you tell us why you chose this location in particular?

I was born and lived near the part of London that Alfie calls home. I know it well and know the local history therefore it was easy for me to recreate the streets and characters of the location

How long did it take you to write your book?

The first draft took 4 months. It was just over 100K words. The whole process including the manuscript assessment, the editing, various re-writes was an eight month exercise in total.

What has been the most pivotal point of your writing life?

Having the confidence in my writing ability to show my work to others. Once I had overcome that barrier, that insecurity the words and stories began to flow, as if I had removed a large boulder which was holding back my creativity.

What kind of advice would you give other Historical Fiction authors?

Don’t feel constrained by the genre. Your work identifies you, your stories, your style, the characters you create, identify you, not the genre. The Genre is purely a literary category to fit you into. Resist the constraints of that genre, burst out within it.

 

Interview with Christian Nonfiction Author Milton Brasher-Cunningham #interview #blogtour @miltybc

Milton Brasher-Cunningham was born in Texas, grew up in Africa, and has spent the last thirty years in New England and North Carolina. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and has worked as a high school English teacher, a professional chef, a trainer for Apple, and is now an editor. He is the author of three books, Keeping the Feast: Metaphors for the Meal, This Must Be the Place: Reflections on Home, and his latest, The Color of Together.

He loves the Boston Red Sox, his mini schnauzers, handmade music, and feeding people. He lives in Guilford, Connecticut, with Ginger, his wife, and their three Schnauzers. He writes regularly at donteatalone.com.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: https://www.torchflamebooks.com/milton-brasher-cunningham

Blog: www.donteatalone.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/miltybc

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/milton.brashercunningham

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5863259.Milton_Brasher_Cunningham

About the Book

The Color of Together begins with the primary colors of life–grief, grace, and gratitude–and enlarges the palette to talk about the work of art that is

our life together in these days. The idea for the book began with understanding that grief is not something we get over or work through, but something we learn to move around in–something that colors our lives. Grace is the other given. Gratitude is the response to both that offers the possibility of both healing and hope.

PRAISE

“Locating ourselves in the adventure of life requires reliable tools for exploration. Milton Brasher-Cunningham gives us finely-tuned metaphorical gyroscopes to navigate our way with God, others and even ourselves. The Color of Together will help us find our place again and again along the way.”  ~ Rev. Dr. George A. Mason, President, Faith Commons, Dallas, Texas.

“In his beautiful new book, Milton Brasher-Cunningham shares arresting thoughts on grief, grace, and gratitude. He claims that we are all shaped by our sorrows and generously tells his own stories of loss. All the while, he leads us toward hope. The Color of Together is both poetic and instructive, relatable and deeply philosophical. It awakened my heart to read this book; I hope it will do the same for you.” –Jennifer Grant, author of A Little Blue Bottle

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/30Urxsj

 Barnes & Noble → https://bit.ly/3jZ8OD6

Can you tell us what your book is about?

This book started as a grief book. When my father died in the summer of 2013, I experienced grief in a way I had never known. I understood, experientially, what I had only known from a distance as I walked with others through the loss of their parents. My first impulse was to call those friends whose fathers had died before mine and say, “I’m sorry. I had no idea this is how it felt. I meant well; I just had no idea.”

I began looking for words to describe what I was feeling. I read voraciously any account I could find of someone’s journey with grief. I didn’t need them to articulate stages—I had learned those in pastoral care classes—neither did I need a plan on how to get through the grief. Somehow, that didn’t make sense. I somehow knew grief wasn't something I was going to get through. As one fatherless friend said, grief is something we learn to move around in. What I needed were stories. Personal accounts. I needed voices to sing the ancient melody I could feel aching in my heart. Though what I was feeling was new to me, the books I read and the conversations I had made me realized none of it was new. I could see I was walking a well-traveled road. The realization was both comforting and disquieting. On the one hand, I was not alone; on the other, I was not unique. If I was going to give voice to my experience, I didn't want to come across as Christopher Columbus, claiming to discover a land that was already populated. I was not discovering anything. I was exploring: seeing what I had not seen.

I don’t remember how long it was after Dad died that I had a conversation with a friend and was trying to articulate what was I was feeling and learning. “The biggest thing I’ve realized,” I said, “is that grief is a primary color. It’s not something other than life. It is a core element.” I had begun to see that I had known grief most all of my life because I had known loss and change on a consistent basis; what I had not known was what it felt like for my father to die, and with him all those things done and undone that were a part of what it meant to be family.

“That means grief is not black,” my friend replied. “Primary colors are red, blue, and yellow.”

His words sent me on a journey researching not only color as a metaphor, but also other ways to talk about our shared experiences of life and loss. The book ended up with four main metaphors—color, music, punctuation, and food—all of which are things that matter to me.

What kind of message is your book trying to tell your readers?

I started off trying to write a book on grief—on loss—and ended up discovering that grief is one of the main things that connects us to one another. The only way we live with all we have lost is to carry the load together.

Who influenced you to write your book?

Anne Lamott, Frederick Buechner, Madeleine L’Engle, Annie Dillard, John Berger

Which author(s) do you admire?

Along with those I said have influenced me I would also mention David Whyte, Rebecca Solnit, and Pádraig ÓTuama.

Have you suffered from writer’s block and what do you do to get back on track?

I have had times when it was hard to write, but somewhere along the way I picked up the thought that rather than seeing those times as blocks to think of them as times when things were ripening, or even just laying fallow. My vegetable garden can’t produce constantly. There is a cycle of growth. A process. If I keep reading and jotting down what I can, it will grow into something.

If we were to meet for lunch to talk books, where would we go?

I would meet you in Durham, North Carolina—my favorite place on the planet—and we would have a long lunch because we would walk and talk between several of my favorite coffee shops, restaurants, and bars. And then you would move to Durham.

What do you like to do for fun?

The thing I love to do most for fun is cook for other people. Though it is hard work, my favorite way to spend a day is fixing a fancy dinner for a table full of friends.

Can you tell us about your family?

Family is a powerful word for me. Both my parents are dead now and my brother is the only other member of my family of origin. He is married and has two grown sons who are also married and have kids. I have been married to Ginger, my wife, for over thirty years. My mother-in-law Rachel lives with us. Ginger and I never felt called to have children of our own, and we have been blessed with a large chosen family: our former foster daughter and her wife, godchildren, and friends whose presence has grown beyond friendship. I could talk about what family means to me as long as you have time to listen.

What kind of advice would you give other non-fiction authors?

Two things. First, read a great deal. Don’t just read about writing, or about the subject you want to write about. Read anyone who writes well. Get used to what good sentences sound like and feel like and your writing will pick some of that up as well. Second, write when you can. The day when you will have all the time and space you need to write well never shows up on the calendar. Learn to write in traffic. By that, I mean learn to write in the middle of the life you are living and the promises you are already keeping, even if that is twenty minutes a day. The minutes add up.

 

Interview with Epic Fantasy Author Dylan Doose #interview #blogtour @dylan_doose

Dylan Doose is the author of the ongoing dark fantasy series, Sword & Sorcery. He also pens the new weird western series, Red Harvest. His debut novel received honorable mention in Library Journal’s Indie Ebook Awards and was a Shelf Unbound Magazine Notable 100.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: https://www.dylandooseauthor.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dylan_Doose

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dylandooseauthor

About the Books

Title: FIRE AND SWORD (Book 1)
Author: Dylan Doose
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 366
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Dark Fantasy

“An epic tale…”—Library Journal

A broken nation in need of a savior.

Ravaged by plague, decimated by dark magic, infiltrated by a foreign evil seeking to dominate from within, Brynth is on the eve of its dissolution. When all the good men are dead and gone, who is to answer the call and defy what is wicked for what is right?

A Twisted Tale of Three Unlikely Heroes.

Heretic monk turned Sorcerer, Aldous Weaver. Infamous crusader turned fugitive, Kendrick the Cold. Aristocrat, rogue, monster hunter, and legend in his own mind, Theron Ward.

Three men condemned to die for their crimes find in each other both the will and the means to survive. A dark brotherhood with Sword and Sorcery is forged, and all monsters meek and mighty do fear the three.

“Gritty, fast-paced and compelling!”

Honorable mention in Library Journal’s Indie Ebook Awards and a Shelf Unbound Magazine Notable 100!

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011H0JWCI

Title: CATACOMBS OF TIME (Book 2)
Author: Dylan Doose
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 120
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Dark Fantasy

“Dylan Doose is a master.”—Amazon reviewer

It’s going to be a long and bloody night.

The clock is ticking and Dr. De’Brouillard has a date. Dinner is at the Graves and a contract to cure one of the cursed is sitting on the plate. But when an old and dear friend reaches out from murky shadow for a helping hand, will the Doctor take it, risking all if he ends up being late?

New heroes join the fray. Are they friend or foe?

Dr. Gaige De’Brouillard believes science, not magic, conquers all. Even death is just an equation to be solved.

Malory “Butcher” Dahmer knows that life is but a dream, no wickedness, no sorcery too strange or obscene.

An Academic and a Gangster make for an interesting team.

Don’t miss the dark fantasy that reviewers are calling ‘visceral,’ ‘fantastic,’ and ‘intriguing’—get your copy of Catacombs of Time today!

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017WUOWPY

 

Title: THE PYRES (Book 3)
Author: Dylan Doose
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 317
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Dark Fantasy

Monsters. Magic. Epic Battles.

The mountains and valleys of Romaria echo with the calamitous sounds of civil war. A New Order challenges old gods and on the festival night of the Pyres, the tides of destruction are fully unleashed.

When the great white city of Brasov turns black with ash, when the sky goes red and the moon hangs like a dark void above, who will stand against the darkness?

A Twisted Tale of Three Unlikely Heroes.

Heretic monk turned Sorcerer, Aldous Weaver. Infamous crusader turned fugitive, Kendrick the Cold. Aristocrat, rogue, monster hunter, and legend in his own mind, Theron Ward.

Three men condemned to die for their crimes find in each other both the will and the means to survive. A dark brotherhood with Sword and Sorcery is forged, and all monsters meek and mighty do fear the three.

Don’t miss the next thrilling instalment in the dark fantasy that reviewers are calling ‘gritty, fast-paced and compelling’—get your copy of The Pyres today!

“Grim, gritty, and good!” —Amazon Reviewer

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J6C0VE2

Title: ICE AND STONE (Book 4)
Author: Dylan Doose
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 136
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Dark Fantasy

“Dark and excellent!”—Amazon Reviewer

Raise the sails! Blow the horns! It’s raiding season!

After a storm, Therick—raider from the frozen north—lands on the wrong foreign shores. With axe in hand and violence in mind, he and his warriors seek out villages to pillage and plunder.

But when a timeless evil rises, Therick is forced into a battle not his own, a battle of gods and monsters…a battle he cannot win.

New heroes join the fray. Are they friend or foe?

Therick, son of ice, born with a serpent’s eye and a reptilian will to stay alive.

Eona, daughter of stone, huntress of the great jungle.

Will they unite, or fight as the world around them crumbles?

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XJQP93D

Title: AS THEY BURN (Book 5)
Author: Dylyan Doose
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 334
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Dark Fantasy

“Addicted!”—Amazon Reviewer

Darkness Returns to Brynth.

The shadow of a great invasion comes from the North, threatening to bring with it an oppressive new way of life, the way of the axe. A city recently saved now lies twisted and forever altered by a secret society within.

Caught between these two wicked forces, the innocent citizens of Brynth need a savior…or three.

A Twisted Tale of Three Unlikely Heroes.

Heretic monk turned Sorcerer, Aldous Weaver. Infamous crusader turned fugitive, Kendrick the Cold. Aristocrat, rogue, monster hunter, and legend in his own mind, Theron Ward.

Three men condemned to die for their crimes find in each other both the will and the means to survive. A dark brotherhood with Sword and Sorcery is forged, and all monsters meek and mighty do fear the three.

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077CCP1RS

 

Title: BLACK SUN MOON (Book 6)
Author: Dylan Doose
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 296
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Dark Fantasy

In the beginning there was madness and there was death.

A string of occult murders leads veteran holy-man-with-a-big-sword, Cullum Shrike, to Wardbrook, a treacherous place of pagan practices, corrupt leaders, and sinister sorcery.

Cullum must purge his beliefs as he is forced to face the evil within, for when all light dies, only darkness can kill a shadow.

New heroes join the fray. Are they friend or foe?

Cullum Shrike, warrior priest of the holy Order of Seekers. Haunted by the ghosts of his failures, he clings to his faith even as treachery and insidious betrayal are revealed.

Nyva, the witch, is bound to the black house on the hill. She is stronger than she could imagine, she just needs someone to unlock her latent power.

An unlikely pair, but a pair they do make and when the dancing starts, they might just bring the house down.

Don’t miss this thrilling—and terrifying—stand-alone full-length novel in the dark and gritty Sword and Sorcery series!

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JCX9SSL

 

Title: EMBERS ON THE WIND (Book 7
Author: Dylan Doose
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 384
Genre: Epic Fantasy / Sword and Sorcery / Dark Fantasy

The Contract: Get to the Tower, Kill the Beast.

Simple enough? The problem is Theron, Aldous, and Kendrick are no longer in a world they know and between them and the tower are a few hundred miles of woods and waters infested with beasts and monsters.

With a mutant and a dead man as their only guides, the three will have to rely on their trust for each other more than ever to get through.

A Twisted Tale of Three Unlikely Heroes

Heretic monk turned sorcerer, Aldous Weaver. Infamous crusader turned fugitive, Kendrick the Cold. Aristocrat, rogue, monster hunter, and legend in his own mind, Theron Ward.

Three men condemned to die for their crimes find in each other both the will and the means to survive. A dark brotherhood with Sword and Sorcery is forged, and all monsters meek and mighty do fear the three.

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D8KCFR

 

Can you tell us what your series is about?

Here’s a quick blurb for each of the books:

Fire and Sword: Monsters. Magic. Epic battles. A broken nation in need of a savior—ravaged by plague, decimated by dark magic. Three reluctant heroes will rise to save the beleaguered land. But will they be enough? “An epic tale…” — Library Journal

Catacombs of Time: When Dr. Gaige De’Brouillard is called upon by the Lord Regent to cure a curse and save one of the damned, he must battle for his career, his faith in science, and even his life. "A gripping read in a beautifully dark world."—Amazon Reviewer Bungo

The Pyres: Monsters. Magic. Epic Battles. When the great white city of Brasov turns black with ash, when the sky goes red and the moon hangs like a dark void above, who will stand against the darkness? Three reluctant heroes return: Aldous Weaver, Theron Ward, and Kendrick the Cold.

Ice and Stone: After a storm, Therick—raider from the frozen north—lands on the wrong foreign shores. With axe in hand and violence in mind, he and his warriors seek out villages to pillage and plunder. But when a timeless evil rises, Therick is forced into a battle not his own, a battle of gods and monsters…a battle he cannot win.

As They Burn: Darkness Returns to Brynth. The shadow of a great invasion comes from the North, threatening to bring with it an oppressive new way of life, the way of the axe. A city recently saved now lies twisted and forever altered by a secret society within. Caught between these two wicked forces, the innocent citizens of Brynth need a savior…or three. 

Black Sun Moon: In the beginning there was madness and there was death. A string of occult murders leads veteran holy-man-with-a-big-sword Cullum Shrike to Wardbrook, a treacherous place of pagan practices, corrupt leaders, and sinister sorcery. As the clock ticks and evil closes in, will he survive? 

Embers on the Wind: The Contract: Get to the Tower, Kill the Beast. Simple enough? The problem is Theron, Aldous, and Kendrick are no longer in a world they know and between them and the tower are a few hundred miles of woods and waters infested with beasts and monsters. With a mutant and a dead man as their only guides, the three will have to rely on their trust for each other more than ever to get through.

Can you tell us a little about your main and supporting characters?

The books center on three main characters: Heretic monk turned sorcerer, Aldous Weaver. Infamous crusader turned fugitive, Kendrick the Cold. Aristocrat, rogue, monster hunter, and legend in his own mind, Theron Ward.

Three men condemned to die for their crimes find in each other both the will and the means to survive. A dark brotherhood with Sword and Sorcery is forged, and all monsters meek and mighty do fear the three.

Supporting characters include Therick, son of ice, born with a serpent’s eye and a reptilian will to stay alive. Eona, daughter of stone, huntress of the great jungle. Academic, Dr. Gaige De’Brouillard, and gangster, Malory “Butcher” Dahmer. Cullum Shrike, warrior priest of the holy Order of Seekers. Nyva, the witch, bound to the black house on the hill. 

How long did it take you to write your book?

Each book is unique. In general, including professional editing and copy editing, a book takes eight to twelve months, start to finish.

What has been the most pivotal point of your writing life?

There have been many. One was receiving an honorable mention from Library Journal for my first book, Fire and Sword.

What kind of advice would you give other fantasy authors?

Take your time. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.