Blog Archives
Legends of the Family Dyer
David W. Thompson Author Interview
His Father’s Blood follows John and Ada as they navigate their relationship, their family, and their curse. What was the inspiration for the setup to this thrilling novel?
Moll Dyer is a real historic personage, but there is scant official record of her life due to a courthouse fire. There is a local road named after her, and a boulder on display at the county courthouse where it is said she died. There’s also one colonial period letter describing her countenance unfavorably. Despite this, there are as many oral traditions about her life (and death) as there are local families. With book one, I tried to give Moll some peace and a new angle to her story.
In Book 2- His Father’s Blood, I expounded on her tale. As many of the legends associated with Moll included a son, and none covered exactly what happened to him, his was also a tale that begged to be told. As the local native tribes began leaving the area at this same time, it was easy to imagine that John’s ancestor would have followed them…especially as his mother was more at home with them than her own people. I based some of their adventures on the style of tales from the mountains they fled to.
John and Ada are both intriguing characters that are even more interesting when they are with each other. What were some obstacles you felt were important to develop their characters?
Their loyalty had to be rock solid to allow the belief and trust in one another under extraordinary circumstances. Their devotion for one another needed to be absolute to overcome all that was thrown against them and all of the naysayers plotting against them. With such nobility of character, introducing human foibles was essential to make them well rounded and believable.
You continue to develop the Dyer family’s curse in this book. What was something new that you wanted to introduce in this book that was different from the first book in the series?
A theme in both is personal sacrifice and the concept that love conquers all. In book 1, Moll is kept ignorant of her powers and was only briefly exposed to the healing aspects of it. John was exposed to the darkness early in life and fought against it. Moll gave her life in sacrifice to save her son, but in my opinion, John’s price was greater. Moll never knew romantic love and I wanted to explore what might happen if a romantic interest was present. Ada certainly provided that. Moll’s love for her son drove the plot of Sister Witch, but John and Ada’s love was the driving force in His Father’s Blood.
This is book 2 in the Legend of Family Dyer series. When will book 3 be available and where will the story take readers?
I’ve completed the rough draft for Book 3 and hope to have it released early next year. It is set in contemporary times and of course follows Moll’s descendants. Although her name is forgotten by them, she hasn’t forgotten them.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
![His Father's Blood (Legends of the Family Dyer Book 2) by [Thompson, David W.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51HtxhWKnWL._SY346_.jpg)
Homesteading on Devil’s Peak, skin-walking shaman John Dyer must fight to save his bloodline. Can the Dyers stand against the horrific desires of a centuries old demon? Can their faith in each other overcome the evil pitted against them?
This historically accurate epic follows John- scion of the Dyer family, and the great-great grandson of the venerable Moll Dyer– in his quest for a new life, and a place to settle down and call home.
The fates conspire against the Dyers, and only their sorely tested faith in each other can overcome the evil set in place against them.
Who the Heroes and Villains Truly Are….
J.I. Rogers Author Interview
The Korpes File follows a technician born into the underclass of his world when he is marked by the ruling class as a threat due to his genetic make-up and is forced to fight back. What was the inspiration for the idea at the core of this exciting novel?
This is a complicated question to answer because the inspiration came in stages over the course of thirty years.
I was an artist long before I became an author. Concepts for the world of Tamyrh started showing up in illustrations while I was still in high school in the early-80s.
In 2012, a friend approached me to brainstorm on a game he was designing. I suggested that he let me do some world-building for him, and I wrote two pieces of flash fiction to go with the maps I’d designed. The game was shelved (unfortunately), and my work was returned to me, but that burst of writing led me to dig Tamyrh out of my portfolio case and look at it again. That was it; my objective became “write something that I would want to read,” and books one through five were plotted by the following summer.
Dystopian themes in science fiction are popular, and I wanted to create something that depicted both the protagonists and antagonists as living in the shadows and light between good and evil. To have a worthy, three-dimensional hero, you must have an equally worthy, three-dimensional adversary. Each one has to have reasons behind what they do, and regardless of how they start out they each have to have the potential to redeem or to condemn themselves. Thus, my series is about life, people, flawed, challenged, and hopefully tangible enough to touch. Ultimately, the reader’s sympathies will decide who the heroes and villains truly are….
Nash Korpes is an interesting character that, I felt, continued to develop as the story progressed. What were some themes you wanted to capture while writing his character?
First, thank you for the compliment. If I’m going to be honest, I didn’t start off with a theme for Nash apart from the fact that he was taken from his family in the Diaspora at an early age, and that he was isolated because of his ‘gifts’ and heritage. I wrote a few short scenes of interaction and dialogue and then let his personality emerge organically as the plot points presented themselves. I’m still learning things about him. At heart, he’s a good man, he tries his best, but like everyone, he falls down, gets dirty, and can make terrible decisions that have lasting ramifications. By the end of book one, I felt he was a non-angsty, relatable protagonist for everyone who’s ever felt like they were on the outside looking in due to their ethnicity, a disability, or their socio-economic background.
This book is a gritty thriller and action-packed adventure to the very end. What were some sources of inspiration for the detailed world in this book?
I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled widely and lived abroad in my early years, and those experiences can’t help but factor into my world’s design unconsciously.
As I mentioned earlier, I consciously began world-building Tamyrh back in high school; I’m an artist, so creating maps, designing the aliens, and doing concept art was fun. The toxic jungle, “The Seep”, as well as the ancient history of Tamyrh were invented then, but, I didn’t officially begin adding in the hard-science behind my world until 2012. Since then, I’ve been compiling research to give my world a sense of dimension and reality.
Now, I have an entire Pinterest account dedicated to ‘novel inspirations’ – it includes flora, fauna, visuals for the racial groups, cluster city concepts, diaspora inspiration, articles on real-world developments in science and physics, and cutting-edge technological advancements. They do say that a picture is worth a thousand words.
On an associated note, I’m planning to release a limited edition character sketchbook in 2020 – Patreon funded. A bestiary and world atlas are also in the works.
This is book one in the 942 Series, when will book two be available and where will the story pick up in that book?
I’m finishing up book two right now, and I plan to release it in December. The story picks up with Nash and Davis, roughly two months after the end of book one. A collection of short stories from the series will be published in October.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Pinterest
For those that love classic “Star Trek” and modern “Battlestar Galactica”, “The Korpes File” taps a fresh vein of science fiction gold.
“As if being born Diasporan wasn’t enough, Technician Nash Korpeshas the bad luck to match his Tyran ancestors in form and manner. Thesetraits, though highly prized by the special projects division at Korlune Military Research and Development, mark him as a specter from theirwarlike past. With only his intellect to save his sanity, he wages aprivate war against the entire socioeconomic status quo and uncovers anemesis that threatens them all.”
Religion, Legends and Magic
Emma Plant Author Interview
For the Devil Has Come with Great Wrath provides a glimpse of the havoc the Devil can wreak when he comes for the End of Days and in search of a young Office Manager. What served as your inspiration while you were writing this novel?
The very first inspiration was a sort of vision, about 10 years ago. I saw a woman standing in a room surrounded by old wood and stones. She was close to a canopy bed and she was carrying a big, heavy, woolen blanket towards a window. I felt her sorrow, she was sad about somebody, she tremendously missed a person. Ten years after I was sitting in my beautiful sunroom in Northern BC, sipping tea and staring at the dark woods outside, the trees turning red, brown and orange, the crab apples filling the air with their sweet smell. I stared for maybe 5 minutes, after which I felt an extreme urge to write. I took my laptop and hastily started recording the events that would lead to “For the Devil Has Come with Great Wrath”. I started writing in September. I had the entire story in my head, but I was busy with my daily activities, so I decided to set up a plan: I had to write at least 3,000 words a day, making up for those days in which I did not have time to write. That year the winter was particularly harsh, I felt I was held captive, and writing was the only escape from the daily -30°C, from the roads covered in ice and snow, from the long hours of darkness. I wrote almost every day, not having to think once about how the story would evolve: the adventures just flew out of me, in a sort of “channeling”. In February my first book was finished, but 6 more were already brewing in my head, including the sequels of this first book. It was only at that point that I decided to walk the next mile, and treat it as a professional work. I contacted the BC Editors Association and was smitten by their reactions to my little story. After contacting the BC Editors Association, I decided to go on a solo trip through British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alberta. Every evening I would check my emails and find those of authorities in the field that loved my work and were looking forward to read the entire story. This incredible experience spurred me to publish the novel.
My upbringing also definitely influenced my story-telling. Both my parents are attached to traditions, religion, legends and magic. My mother made sure that I would not forget about my roots, the Valley, the village “on top of the lake” (Summus Lacus), our religion. My father enhanced everything with magic and mystery.
This book is a genre-crossing novel with elements of fantasy, christian, and supernatural as well. Did you start writing with this in mind, or did this happen organically as you were writing?
The story was absolutely not planned. I just decided to start writing it without even knowing how it would evolve. I did not prepare an outline, I did not fill my walls with sticky notes, I did not have pages and pages of comments. I do have a little notebook, containing information regarding, for example, how old the characters are, if they are allergic to something, when their birthdays are, when they met each other. Nothing about the story itself. It was as if I was writing events that really happened, and the intention was just to make sure those occurrences could be remembered by future generations. My editor, Janet Southcott from Viridian Earth Contract, called my novel a “New Age fantasy”.
Your book has some fantastical creatures, but what I enjoyed was how your characters worked in harmony with one another. What were some themes you wanted to capture while creating your characters?
I didn’t necessarily plan to capture any theme related to collaboration and compassion, so it definitely happened naturally. I do like the idea of different beings cooperating and developing these strong emotions and this genuine attachment for one another. In the beginning, the characters happen to come together for a higher cause; they are sort of forced to cooperate. In fact, we sometimes read that Emma doesn’t really appreciate the sternness of Ella, but, like a daughter-mother relationship, she respects the opinions and directions of a more experienced female. If we consider the novel from this point of view, it seems that the characters always approach a new “companion” with reservation, doubts and distrust. Of course, this is also caused by the events happening in the Valley, but don’t we often all react like this during our first meeting with somebody? It’s only after a few shared experiences that we manage to open up to the person in front of us. This is exactly what happens to Emma, Ella, Abela, and all the characters in the book. It is more obvious for Emma, because she is the one recollecting the events, we don’t really know what the other characters think of her, their first impression on her, but we can figure it out by reading about their behaviours and interactions with Emma through her own words. At the same time we can see how the characters evolve within their experiences: their core is the same, but their values change. There are no emotional barriers anymore; there is no time for counterproductive drama. The transition to peasant life also intensifies these values, all of a sudden the reader realizes that without technology and commodities, the characters have to communicate more, they have to cooperate and develop skills they weren’t even aware they had. Also, it is clear that by being the fellowship so diverse, each of the characters bring a different set of assets, which is shared between the members, increasing their knowledge and understanding.
This is book one in a trilogy. Where will book three pick up and when will it be available?
Book #2 and #3 are already in the process of being created, I just need the time to sit down and write them both. Book #2 will start with the main characters leaving the witch’s house and migrating to a more secure place: the gnomes’ kingdom beyond the mountains. The rest of the novel will bring more adventures and many unexpected twists. The common threads will still be the millennial fight between good and evil, love, friendship, occult, strength and hope with the Apocalypse permeating and hanging over everything like Damocles’ sword. Book #3 will incorporate also the final countdown until the last battle between good and evil, the one that will decide on the faith of humanity and Earth.
Author Links: Website | Twitter | GoodReads
![For the Devil Has Come with Great Wrath by [Plant, Emma]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51sVghWFV1L.jpg)
When the Devil puts his price tag on your head, you know you have to call upon some very special friends to help you stay alive. Welcome to the world of Emma. Thrown from relative obscurity into a time of being hunted, our young protagonist must transition from modern day to peasant life with difficult choices and a need to adapt. Life on the run takes trust and belief in the power of others, on a vastly changing stage. Emma Plant’s first novel throws the reader into a place where reality is no longer three dimensional. Descriptions of fairies, witches, gnomes and demons paint a picture for anyone who may wish a glimpse beyond the veil. Her characters live in the reader’s imagination beyond the final page, with the promise of a sequel, and potential trilogy in the offing. This new-age fantasy story will appeal to young adults through to senior years and is a page-turner from start to finish.
For The Difficult People Who Sometimes Never Know
Sarah Elliston Author Interview
Lessons from a Difficult Person: How to Deal with People Like Us is a guide for people who find themselves dealing with people they find difficult. Why was this an important book for you to write?
As a recovering difficult person, I find myself aching for the people who didn’t say anything to me as I gaffed, who avoided me rather than take the time to help me see how annoying I was. I wrote the book for all of us who avoid difficult people, to help them actually have conversations with them. And I wrote it for the difficult people who sometimes never know how they are perceived by others and feel lonelier and angrier and distanced from others.
I understand that you are a successful workshop leader and trainer. What is one common misconception you find that people have about ‘difficult people’?
One common misconception people have about difficult people is that their behavior is purposefully hurtful; deliberately unkind.
I enjoyed the personal stories you shared. Was this always going to be a guide book, do you think this could have easily been a memoir?
I wanted to help people understand how difficult people are unaware of their impact on others and to do that I had to use my own life stories. It could have been a memoir but my passion is helping difficult people discover that they can change and the only people who tell them would be the readers. Thus, I included the exercises and practice processes for having a conversation.
What do you hope readers take away from your book?
I hope readers will look at difficult people differently and look for ways to help. I hope readers will see that difficult behavior is a habit, and it can be changed.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am currently working on a book with more stories about my life in terms of how I changed, with the focus on how difficult people can change; either a reader or a friend of a reader.
Author Links: Facebook | Twitter | Website
The funny thing is that Sarah Elliston never realized she was “a difficult person,” –someone who harangued people until she got her way, threw snip fits and temper tantrums, talked over her bosses and pointed out what she thought were their misconceptions. In her family, where she felt bullied, the only way she knew how to get someone’s attention and approval was to voice her opinion–and loudly! Without standing her ground, how could she do what she thought was best for herself and everyone else around her. She wasn’t intentionally mean-spirited. She was just trying to do what she thought was RIGHT!
Until a kind, but firm, boss woke her up! With great compassion, and strength, her boss pointed out that her actions had consequences. That in being “difficult,” she was not only disrupting the office camaraderie and production, but impeding her own professional advancement.
That’s the beginning of Sarah’s transformation– when she started on the journey to leave behind the difficult person, and become the woman who teaches others how to deal with difficult people. Sarah “Sam” Elliston is now bringing forth her vital manual on how to awaken the challenging personality, and change both the relationship and the environment with her new book Dealing with Difficult People; Lessons Learned from a Difficult Person.
Today, Elliston is a highly successful workshop leader and trainer, who offers wisdom learned the hard way–and through rigorous study and certification in many areas of professional training that aid her in her work — Values Realization, Parent Effectiveness Training and Reality Therapy. She is a faculty member of the William Glasser Institute. Glasser is an internationally recognized psychiatrist and developer of Reality Therapy, a method of psychotherapy that teaches people they have a choice in how they choose to behave.
Beyond the Physical Realm
J. Elizaga Author Interview
Penchant Revealed follows Miles as he discovers his superhuman anomaly after he protects his wife from a paranormal attack. What was the inspiration for the setup to this thrilling novel?
I originally outlined a simple possession/horror story but it did not feel exciting or unique. Plus, I did not want yet another story showcasing an evil subject getting away with things. By chance, I watched a rerun of Ancient Aliens which speculated that alien DNA had been incorporated into human DNA. Suddenly, the idea that if nature finds a way, and alien DNA had been suppressed in human DNA, that it would manifest eventually– that is why there are seers who can see beyond the physical realm, or ghost whisperers who could speak with spirits–came to me, my Eureka moment I suppose.
Miles Penchant is an intriguing character that, I felt, continued to develop as the story progressed. What were some obstacles that you felt were important to the development of his character?
I wanted to introduce a superhero/superhuman who does not rely on any machines or lab-introduced enhancements, who was not aware of his power, and who has a biological weakness. You see his character change as the story unfolds.
This book is filled with some fantastic paranormal and ancient alien sci-fi. What balance did you want to strike between realism and the supernatural?
On the setting, I picked a tropical and sunny location on the planet (near the equator) to show that evil exists everywhere, not just in dark and dreary locations. The characters have regular jobs and the usual differences. On the character of Lucifer, he was initially the standard evil being who possesses people on Earth. But religious texts mention that Lucifer was defeated in a battle and imprisoned for a million years. So how can he possess people on Earth if he’s imprisoned somewhere? In developing his character, I had to answer questions on where he came from and what turned him into the ultimate evil against humans.
Also, I incorporated real science elements in the story. For example, there is a chapter that alludes or pays homage to nuclear fission. 🙂
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am in the midst of finishing a new short story inspired by the story of Joseph Merrick, known as the Elephant Man, hopefully ready by winter. After that, I return to Miles Penchant and the continuation of his story. Now with the knowledge that he has superhuman abilities, what does he do with that power?
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Smashwords
![Penchant Revealed by [Elizaga, J.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51gWZE0R6UL.jpg)
Miles Penchant keeps a secret from his wife. But even he isn’t sure what his secret is, until he defends his wife from a paranormal attacker and a band of otherworldly beings discover who he really is. This short story reveals the beginning of Miles Penchant’s fate, entwined with ancient aliens and archangels.
He’s Risking His Life
Ken Cressman Author Interview
Intrepid continues to follow Justin Thorn as he struggles to make his way back to Earth on a damaged ship while fighting many of space’s deadly hazards. What were some themes you felt you had to carry over from Pegasus and what were some things you wanted to do differently in this book?
I wanted to expand the universe in which the story takes place by sending the crew to Mars this time instead of the moon. In Pegasus they could at least see Earth, but now they’re millions of miles from home in a crippled ship, so the perils are much greater. It increases the level of danger and makes the stakes so much higher. We’d already established in the first book that there is a scientific outpost on Mars and that Thorn’s former girlfriend is a scientist there. What would he do if he found out that she was in danger? How far would he go to try and save her? Not only is she in danger, he’s risking his life and his beloved ship to try and rescue her.
There is a rich backstory in this book, wars and dissolution have rearranged much of old Earth. How did you set about developing the backstory for this book?
Many stories set in the future feature a world that’s bleak and depressing, with people struggling to survive in a world that’s falling apart. Often the world has become a kind of a junkyard. I wanted to create a future that’s more hopeful. Even though there have been series of conflicts that brought us to this point, it’s a world where life has become much simpler. With large cities gone and the population significantly smaller, Earth has begun to repair itself, and the air and water have become less polluted. I feel it’s a more hopeful vision of the future, but not because technology has saved us, but because we’ve let nature take its course.
When developing a series, readers often know that the main character is immune from deadly danger. How did you solve this problem in your book to keep the tension high?
I knew that in order to make the danger feel real, some of the characters had to perish. I didn’t want the reader to get too comfortable with anyone because at any moment any character could be gone. Thorn himself is put in real danger several times, and I think there’s always the possibility that he could die as well, and someone else could take over as pilot and captain of his ship.
Will you continue the Justin Thorn series with a third and possibly fourth book? If so where do you want those books to take Justin?
This book was originally intended to be the third in the series. In the second one, Thorn was to come into possession of something that a lot of people want and are trying to acquire. It was supposed to be one long chase as Thorn tries to figure out why these people want this thing and how to stop them. Unfortunately, I didn’t what that thing was, so I decided to do the third book instead. It wasn’t until I was halfway through Intrepid that I realized what the object was that everyone was after, so the next book continues the story that’s set up in this one. And the third book then sets up a fourth.
Author Links: Amazon | Twitter | GoodReads
![Intrepid (Justin Thorn Book 2) by [Cressman, Ken]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51KmvYzrgCL._SY346_.jpg)
All contact with the scientific outpost on Mars has been lost. The Federal Space Administration is sending the spaceship Intrepid on a desperate rescue mission, and they’ve commandeered Captain Justin Thorn’s ship Pegasus to use as a shuttle to the surface. But when they arrive on Mars, things go horribly wrong and the ship is severly damaged. Now millions of miles from home, the survivors must find a way to get themselves and their crippled ship back to Earth before their food and time run out.
My Breaking Point
Robert Crown Author Interview
Suffering Ends When Awakening Begins is the story of your dark childhood and how you overcame tough obstacles with the power of positive understanding and purposeful thought. Why was this an important book for you to write?
As I wrote in the Chapter “Facing Timeless Truth” this event pushed me to my breaking point after all these years. I did not care if I lived or died any longer I was ready to leave this world. The thought of writing a book ignited a spark within and brought me back to life. A reason to live, a reason to give, so others would not have to suffer as much as I did.
What’s more, my intention and the only reason for writing Suffering Ends When Awakening Begins was that when the world reads my story, it will give people hope, faith, and courage to overcome the challenges they face in their own life. I went through a variety and numerous intense traumatic events in my life. I know all too well what it means to suffer. If people read what I went through, realize I made it through to the other side, and now that I’m thriving living a life I choose, they will also know they can do the same.
Knowing that sharing my story has improved the quality of someone’s life, brings me a tremendous amount of joy, happiness, and purpose. This is my passion, my purpose, my reason for being born into this world.
This was a very emotional novel, and I felt you held nothing back. What did you feel was important to get right in your retelling of events?
I have a profound understanding of what it means to suffer immensely. If exposing the intimate details of my life will help people avoid what I went through, so they can improve the quality of their life, I’m all in. I firmly believe this is why I came into this world. To give faith, hope, and courage to millions of people in the world.
People need to know they are not alone, despite what happened in their past. They need to love themselves, know they matter to other people in their life and to this world. Everybody is worthy of living this life, they are also worthy to be empowered, go within, and discover who they truly are.
Life happens, but it happens for a reason. When we are able to discover this reason, tune in with our higher-selves, this is when our life will change for the better, forever. When this happens, it’s so magical, liberating, and empowering. There’s no going back.
My experiences are my teacher. Since I have been through numerous, and various amounts of trauma, I learned a tremendous amount which no university, no book, no one, can teach you about. This allowed me to put it all together. Although it took me a while and it wasn’t easy, I finally figured out how to overcome hardship, adversity, and suffering and live a life that thrives. Better late than never.
From my experiences and studying spirituality for thirty years my understanding is out of the box. This allows me to view the suffering one goes through in life as an opportunity or is intended for us to awaken to who we truly are. This is the purpose of life for humanity. To awaken that we are multidimensional beings living in this third-dimensional world. Once we have a profound understanding of this, awaken to the powers, abilities, and divinity within, our suffering will end.
I believe it’s important to be the best we can be, to accept ourselves for who we are regardless of what has happened to us in our past. The past no longer matters only the present moment matters.
It’s more than just okay to be who we really are, it’s the purpose of life. I’ve been through hell and back a few times, but regardless of what I’ve been through, regardless of what people may think of me, or even what I have thought of myself in the past, I love and accept myself as I am. I love and accept others as they are too. This is an essential step in being able to change.
I just want others to realize that no matter what they go through in their life, they matter. People can enjoy a life which thrives if only they learn to control and use their thoughts intentionally to create the experience they want.
What do you find is one reason many people have for keeping themselves down? And how can they overcome it?
That’s easy. It’s the belief systems we hold onto, whether learned or programmed into us while we were young. Anyone can overcome any challenge in life. All they need to do is learn how to think properly.
Most people today live their life by default, instead of by intention. Meaning they let their thoughts run wild throughout the day. When you learn how to harness your thoughts, like placing reins around a horse, then you direct them to where you want to go, you can create the reality, the life you choose to have for yourself.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My next book is going into detail on how to overcome hardship, adversity, and suffering. Along with practical solutions on how to change old belief systems and negative thought patterns so you can thrive in your life.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
![Suffering Ends When Awakening Begins by [Crown, Robert]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/517ASFNXk0L.jpg)
How Does a Child’s Life Change When His Mother Tries to Murder Him? It’s one of the most profound betrayals imaginable, and it can follow the victim into adulthood, into all he does with his life, tainting his sense of self and his relationships with others. How does a man’s life change when he discovers that with his thoughts, his imagination, and his ability to listen to his higher self, he has the power to overcome the devastating events of his past and build a new life and a family?
This is The Inspiring True Story of Robert Crown’s amazing journey out of the darkness of his childhood and into a world brightly illuminated by the power of positive understanding and purposeful thought. It’s the story of rejecting the victimhood he once embraced and finding the answers that allowed him to embrace the power to create a new life using universal spiritual laws.
The Last Conflict
Dylan Madeley Author Interview
The Masked Queens Lament finds Althea still trying to expand her empire from the shadows but is forced to come out of hiding to ensure victory. What did you want to accomplish in this last novel that was different from the first two books in the trilogy?
Beyond wrapping up every plotline I had hatched in a manner that I felt the characters deserved, I had a few other things to address. One was to sufficiently show how awful war is even when necessary–a point I’m not sure I drove home thoroughly enough in the previous book of the series. Another was to show human stories from every part of the world that I wanted to focus on, because Alathea’s empire is definitely not a realm of pure evil, and she’s not leading some horde of orcs or goblins. Nor was I going to allow Derek and Chandra to be completely responsible for saving everyone when some people have the opportunity to choose, albeit not easily nor simply, to decide differently. I also enjoyed giving text time to characters who may have been barely used in the previous books or whose motivations had not been adequately explored.
The world building in this novel continues to be superb. What were some sources of inspiration that guided you as you continued to build the world throughout the trilogy?
I’ve done a bit of travel in my life, visiting some of Europe/the UK’s castles and memorably the church structures of Lalibela, Ethiopia, carved directly from the rock with minimal brick and repairs needed after centuries of wear and some seismic activity. I follow aesthetic blogs and also try to learn a bit about the cultures that inspired aesthetics and also first names. The rest is having the map drawn up and trying to define each place in the context of the geography I’ve already given it. I once also got some advice about the realities of having a mountain range rather close to a coastline, as it looks in the southwest of Kensrik. If you’d like to know what I mean, consider the geography of places like Chile or New Zealand. I was inspired to make this mountainous edge of the continent seismically active and mentioned “mountains which belch fire”, the possibility of it raining ash, and the potential sulfurous odor.
When a trilogy comes to an end many readers expect an epic showdown, and you deliver on this point masterfully. How did you envision the final chapters playing out and what changed while writing?
The main challenge was not what the final showdowns would be, because I set most of them up in the previous books and just needed to follow through. A key challenge for me was making sure the last conflict with Derek against enemy forces was not just a repeat of the end of the previous book. In the first draft, it basically was the same, in the shadows of the old Wancyek castle, but once more with feeling! During the second-last revision cycle of The Masked Queen’s Lament, the further I went along in the draft, the more completely I rewrote what was there. By the penultimate chapters I was barely looking at the source material because of how wildly the final draft needed to diverge. Keeping in mind, the whole trilogy was written in first draft before the first book in the series was even finalized. I also needed to propagate every change that needed to come as a result of that. It just had to feel coherent to me, and I’m glad the coherent result worked.
Now that the The Gift-Knight Trilogy is complete, do you intend to expand this world with more books, or are you working on something new?
I have four total prequel manuscripts that don’t focus on Derek or Chandra, or even mention them. I could go and start reworking these, or I could write something completely different. For now, I’m enjoying the lack of commitment that comes from not having already promised what comes next! I’ll decide eventually.
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![The Masked Queen's Lament (The Gift-Knight Trilogy Book 3) by [Madeley, Dylan]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/513zF9Pr-yL.jpg)
Derek, Master and defender of his people, rides with Chandra toward a friendly city in the aftermath of a victory. They will have no time to celebrate as Derek suddenly finds himself up against a foe he can’t kill with a sword. Having delivered her friend and ally to a healer, Chandra contends with more than just waiting in dread: she will be faced with a part of her personal history that she never knew and the promise of a place to belong after her exile from Kensrik. But can she trust it?
And they will have so little time to regroup. Alathea, masked ruler of an expanding empire, still hungers to recreate the world in her image. Dissatisfied with the delays and failures of her minions, she intends to personally oversee the final victory over her most hated foe, the “witch”, Crown Princess Chandra Kenderley.
Whether they battle enemies from without or within, an ensemble cast faces the fight of their lives on every part of the Continent and its inland sea. No one but Alathea has the full picture of what she’s set in motion, and whether they have any chance of stopping her, nothing will ever be the same.
LITERARY TITAN 