Blood of Iron follows a desperate king trying to save his kingdom who seeks to use an ancient blood-powered weapon to defeat his enemies, forcing his children to choose between loyalty and conscience. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

This is a very good first question. I always wanted to write my very own sword and sorcery story, where good and evil are not very clearly defined, and each character has a motive for his or her actions. Working on this story, I was paradoxically inspired by vampire movies, particularly by the first Blade movie with actor Wesley Snipes in the title role. The idea of using blood as an awakening catalyst, was inspired by a scene of a final battle where Blade faced a Blood god called La Magra, a powerful vampire entity summoned by an evil vampire Deacon Frost through a blood ritual that involved the sacrifice of vampire elders and use of Blade’s own blood. And while the inspiration came from a vampire movie, I think I managed to create a good story involving blood and dark magic.

While the king sees salvation for his kingdom, his children, Prince Hares and Princess Alesta, begin questioning the morality of his plans. How do the characters’ relationships challenge their assumptions about loyalty, authority, and the responsibilities they owe to one another?

King Herman the Ironfist, crown prince Hares and his sister, Princess Alesta are the three very important characters in the story. The King, facing a massive invasion of his lands by an enemy coalition, cares about his children, his dynasty and his kingdom. His motive is a mix of desperation, mixed with desire to crush his enemies once and for all. For him, awakening the ancient super weapon named Sanger is a necessity, and the sacrifice of one thousand men to have it, makes him fully believe that the end justifies the means. In contrast, Prince Hares and Princess Alesta have less influence and power than their father, and while Hares is a warrior and Alesta is a scholar, both of them have a strong sense of justice and morals. In their minds, there are lines powerful people should not cross if it means the deaths of innocents. That makes them people with a strong moral compass, who would rather seek an alternative solution.

What interested you about exploring the conflict between loyalty to family, loyalty to one’s country, and loyalty to personal principles?

All fiction takes its inspiration from real historical events. I read many interesting books about powerful people forced by fate, destiny and circumstances to make very hard choices. In some cases, life, just like war, is a game of chess, where players are willing to sacrifice pawns and then even more powerful and important figures to win the game. An ordinary person with little or no power or influence can do little, but a person who has the power to command men, economies and armies sometimes is faced with hard choices he or she has to make. As far as the loyalty to family and loyalty to one’s country, it is often a Catch 22, because love for the family must save the family, while love for the country can save millions. In regard to personal principles, I think that every good person has them, and will only be willing to compromise them to save the people he loves.

Do you envision returning to Tarkonia or expanding the world of Blood of Iron through future stories?

To be honest, the thought had crossed my mind in regard to the Kingdom of Tarkonia and the world I built around it to create this particular story. I believe that there is a lot of food for thought, and there might be a possibility to do just that. In order to expand the world of Blood of Iron, I would have to rethink a few things in regard to the events I presented in Blood of Iron, and create a time frame where another expanded the story will take place. Since Tarkonia is just one of the countries that has an important role to play, other countries and dominions must be created, explored, and given their own history, motives and conflict outcomes. The story is definitely worth thinking about, but for now, I will put it on a shelf, until I get inspired again to expand this unique world. I will probably draw a map of the realm, give it life and work on the people who inhabit it. There is much to think about, and I will patiently wait for an inspiration to write a new novella.

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