A seven-headed horse and a quest for unity – #EpicFantasy #WritersBlock #Giveaway

Lisabet: Welcome to Beyond Romance! I hope your tour is going really well. So, here’s a question for you: Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

Hildebrandt: I’ve experienced short periods of writer’s block. This was a result of trying to write a book without a map. Instead of beginning at chapter one and trekking to chapter twenty-four, I gave tentative names that express a theme to every possible chapter, then wrote ideas of what could happen in each. This was my plot map before I knew about plot maps. The sense of control and direction that a plot map provides, knowing what would happen in later chapters, made it easier to write the earlier chapters.

As a historical fantasy writer, my ideas often stem from primary sources and scholarly works on history, mythology, and philosophy. However, novels have also played a significant role in shaping my writing. They have provided me with a clear understanding of what genre readers expect and how I can innovate to stand out. But perhaps the most crucial aspect of my writing process is understanding the characters I write about. This understanding is what moves the plot forward, as it allows me to know what motivates their actions or inaction. Sharing my ideas with others and hearing their thoughts has been invaluable, as has the practice of writing without overthinking, letting the words flow, and editing later.

Answering blog tour questions has helped me with blog writer’s block. Many of the questions I have responded to are not things I would have written about unless someone else had asked me.

Blurb

A mountainous thundering bull breaks up battling tribesmen, summoning three struggling youths, as an insidious unseen enemy turns tribes against tribes—pitting rich against poor, sons against fathers, and men against gods. Its insatiable hunger for division threatens to plunge mankind into a dystopian realm ruled by man-eating wolves.

A miraculous seven-headed horse, a symbol of unity, assembles the struggling youths of extraordinary origin into a journey of self-discovery. There Sunu the Saxon Poet, Rufus the Roman Stoic, and Keresaspa the Sarmatian Priestess must overcome pride, aversion, and unforgiveness; there they must learn from historical heroes, philosophers, and amazingly similar gods to battle the unseen monster and its rising wolfmen.

Fated to part ways to face the demons at home, Sunu, Rufus, and Keresaspa must reunite as they bring divided peoples together to fight the source tearing everyone apart. They must heed the divine wisdom of the seven-headed horse and justly wield the seven magic weapons they’ve mysteriously been given to overcome the unseen enemy and understand the higher purpose of the mountainous thundering bull.

Excerpt

Sunu the Saxon and Rufus the Roman compare their gods (CH 6 of The Fate of Our Union).

“Jupiter is right reason, chief regulator,” Rufus praised he who permeates the air as moisture, knowing he sounded more interesting the way he appeared in poems. “Through the clouds, the Thunderer rides his horse-drawn chariot, followed by power, strength, and victory. With his bolts, he famously slew godless giants and the water serpent Typhoeus.”

“He’s like Thunor!” Sunu lit up with intrigue. “Except Thunor slew giants and a giant water serpent, Jörmungand, with a hammer, and his chariot is drawn by goats.”

“The goat is also sacred to Jupiter, along with the oak, rock, and bull.” Rufus glanced from oak to rock for Amalthaea but only saw Tanngnjóstr. “Still, many think Thunor is more like Hercules, as they are both chariot-riding, cudgel-swinging warriors with a lengthy list of deeds.”

Sunu’s ears perked. “And they are?”

“Hercules slew the Hydra, an enormous water serpent, like Jörmungand, and took oxen from a giant, Cacus in the cave, like Hymir in the mountain; both Hercules and Thunor fought and slew them with club and hammer.”

Sunu imagined the deeds side by side. “Are you telling me the truth?”

“In truth, the parallels are quite striking.” Rufus chuckled as he pretended to swing a cudgel. “For they also have a heavenly father and an earthly mother, who produced a quick-tempered, far-traveling son who can out-eat and out-drink anyone in the cosmos!”

Sunu hoisted a golden brow. “Interesting.”

“Unfortunately,” Rufus’s tone was no laughing matter, “they were also fated to die by the serpents’ poison.”

About the Author

Hildebrand Hengest Hermannson’s deep-rooted fire for Indo-European culture and Western Philosophy ignites his first novel, The Fate of Our Union, the inaugural piece in a planned series. His work draws inspiration from the national epics The Saga of the Volsungs (Norse), Mahabharata (Indian), Aenid (Roman), Odyssey (Greek), Táin Bó Cúailnge (Celtic), and Shahnameh (Iranian), weaving these rich cultures into original stories featuring fantasy world-building, dynamic characters, and intricate plots and themes. His Wild Hunt of thought breathes life into his spiritual, ethical, and cultural interests, inspiring us all to strive for imperishable virtue.

Website: https://www.hhhermannson.com/

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214514568-the-fate-of-our-union

Buy Link on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZS7TD5V?ref_=pe_93986420_775043100

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