Buddy flick epic fantasy! #giveaway #fantasy #worldbuilding @GailZMartin

Today I’m delighted to be hosting fantasy author Gail Z. Martin. She’s touring with her latest release Sellsword’s Oath, the second book in her Assassins of Landria series. When I signed up to host her, I gave her the following questions:

How do you go about creating an entire world, like Landria? Where do the inspirations come from? How do you keep track of the historical, cultural and geographical details of a fantasy world? 

Here’s her reply!

World-building is one of my favorite parts of writing epic fantasy. I studied medieval history in college, and have had a life-long interest in the subject. That comes in handy when I need to create the world in which one of my series takes place.

The inspirations come from real history, and how people have organized their kingdoms and empires over the centuries. To make it feel real, I need to understand the political structure, the economics, the geography and the religion/beliefs of the world—which means taking time to sit down and think about what pieces need to be brought together to create the circumstances in which this particular story could take place. For me, that’s a lot of fun, and I get to do some deep dives into things that actually happened in our world, so I can tweak and adjust them to work in my fiction.

All the pieces need to fit together so that the reader isn’t pulled out of the story by something that doesn’t make sense. That means keeping track of the details from book to book so that I don’t contradict myself. Luckily, my husband (who is also an author and with whom I collaborate) keeps the series ‘bible’ on those important things!

My goal is to make the world feel real to the reader, like they’ve been dropped into another place and time. When the world and the setting are right, the story flows a lot faster. When I bog down on the story, it’s usually because I don’t have the details clear in my mind.

A reader may or may not notice the background details in a book (or a movie), but they contribute by making the story something that could only happen in that time and place. And for those who do enjoy being a ‘tourist’ in a fictional world, those little details mean a lot!

Blurb

Buddy flick epic fantasy! The second in the Assassins of Landria series from the award-winning, bestselling author of Scourge: A Novel of Darkhurst and The Chronicles Of The Necromancer books!

Wandering mystic Yefim Makary, known to his followers as the ‘Witch Lord’, disappeared before he could be accused of inciting dissent against King Kristoph. His supporters among the disenchanted aristocrats who weren’t arrested have fled or died by their own hand. The king is happy to put the matter behind him. Yet Burke, the commander of the elite King’s Shadows, doesn’t believe the threat is over, and he assigns his two most troublesome, rule-breaking—and successful—assassins to ferret out the real threat and put a stop to Makary’s plots.

Joel “Ridge” Breckinridge and Garrett “Rett” Kennard rose through the ranks of the Landrian army together, from teenaged conscripts to seasoned fighters. Together, they became the most feared team of assassins in Landria, surviving longer that most in their profession by virtue of excellent fighting skills, legendary bravado, peerless strategy, and an uncanny synchronicity.

As the threads of a new plot come together revealing disloyalty among the priests and generals, Ridge and Rett once again find themselves on the run, hoping they and their allies can figure out the Witch Lord’s latest scheme before it costs them their lives—and the king his throne.

Excerpt

The trick, when setting off gunpowder, was to be far enough away.

Ridge had never been good at that part.

He’d almost reached the embankment when he heard the shot from Rett’s matchlock. Knowing what was about to happen next, Ridge dove into the ravine, taking his chances with brambles and thickets over flying rocks and shattered glass.

Behind him, the country manor exploded in a fireball as Rett’s shot touched off the barrels of gunpowder on its roof. That would bring down the ceiling and blow the bombers on the roof sky high while trapping the traitors inside, where they’d either be killed by the blast or buried in the rubble for the king’s guards to collect.

Ridge grunted as he tumbled over roots and rocks, tucking his arms over his face and trusting his leather cuirass to take the brunt of the hits. Even so, rock dust settled like snow over the whole area, and small bits of stone pelted like hail.

To keep it all official, Ridge had nailed the letter of marque to a tree in front of the manor, after he had ensured that no one but the smugglers were inside the abandoned country house. The smugglers—and their rivals on the roof—were already in the process of setting explosives when Ridge and Rett arrived to carry out the assassination. That was a bonus, killing two sets of troublemakers in one swoop and without the personal danger of getting close enough to throw a knife or slit a throat.

He trusted Rett to stay in position, where he would be able to pick off stragglers from his vantage point high in a sturdy tree. Ridge dragged himself to his feet, brushed off the worst of the dirt, and climbed back up the slope. Once he got to the top of the embankment, he would have a good view to spot anyone who might have escaped the explosion and eluded Rett’s aim.

“Damn,” he muttered when he reached the top and saw the results.

About the Author

Gail Z. Martin writes epic fantasy, urban fantasy and steampunk for Solaris Books, Orbit Books, SOL Publishing, Darkwind Press, and Falstaff Books. Recent books include Witch of the Woods, Sellsword’s Oath, Inheritance, and Night Moves. With Larry N. Martin, she is the co-author of the Spells Salt & Steel, Wasteland Marshals, Joe Mack and Jake Desmet series. As Morgan Brice, she writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance including the Witchbane, Badlands and Treasure Trail series. Recent books include Loose Ends and Unholy.

Find her at www.GailZMartin.com, on Twitter @GailZMartin, on Facebook.com/WinterKingdoms, at DisquietingVisions.com blog and on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/GailZMartin. Never miss out on the news and new releases—newsletter signup link http://eepurl.com/dd5XLj 

Follow her Amazon author page here: https://www.amazon.com/Gail-Z-Martin/e/B002BM8XSQ 

On Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/gail-z-martin 

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morganbriceauthor/

And get a free complete short story, Catspaw, here: https://claims.prolificworks.com/free/UAjd6

Join her Facebook group, the Shadow Alliance

https://www.facebook.com/groups/435812789942761/

 Gail Z. Martin will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review Tuesday: Bro by Kayelle Allen - #SciFi #Prequel #ReviewTuesday

 

Bro by Kayelle Allen

Half-human/half-Kin master thief Senthys Antonello has grown up with a chip on his shoulder. He’s tired of being under-estimated due to his small stature. He winces every time his peers ridicule him for his part-feline heritage. And as much as he admires his adoptive father, the all-powerful Luc St. Cyr, he fears he can never win the approval of the stern and distant head of the Thieves’ Guild.

Khyffen Antonello has more serious problems. Bound into slavery as a child, abused by his owner, he’s forced to provide sexual service to both men and women as an alternative to prison. He’s saving every penny in an effort to buy his freedom, but that goal is many years in the future. Meanwhile, he survives by suppressing his emotions and not trusting anyone.

Senth and Khyff are half-brothers, Khyff the elder by two years, but neither knows of the other’s existence. In Bro, the prequel to Ms. Allen’s novels At the Mercy of Her Pleasure and For Women Only, they meet for the first time. Needless to say, given their emotional baggage as well as their real-world issues, the encounter is fraught with suspicion and pain. That’s one reason why St. Cyr has avoided telling Senth about his brother for so long. However, the immortal St. Cyr judges that the time is right to bring the two young men together. Each had thought he was alone in the world; the revelation of that they are family helps overcomes the many factors that divide them.

Bro is a dramatic, complex introduction to the two characters – perhaps too complex for such a short tale. I felt a bit as though I was drowning in detail, not only about Senth’s and Khyff’s backgrounds, but also about the history and society in which the characters live. Of course the author knows a great deal about her fictional world, since she has penned (at least) two novels set in the Tarthian empire, but Bro would have been an easier read if she’d held back some of this knowledge.

Nevertheless, if you focus on the characters and let the intricacies of the world building wash over you, Bro is an engaging and enjoyable read. It sets up some major conflicts, which I expect are explored and resolved in the novels that follow. (Long ago I read at least one of them, but I believe Ms. Allen has substantially revised them since.) And yes, I’m curious enough, especially about who Luc St. Cyr really is, to consider reading further – which is, I guess, the test of a prequel’s effectiveness.

Welcome to my world (I mean, the one I created)

By Jennifer Wright (Guest Blogger)

As always, I’d like to start off with a big ‘Thank You’ to Lisabet for having me as a guest today.

Recently, I reached out and asked a simple question – what do you want to know? I want to take the opportunity to answer people’s questions about me or my books. And I will say I got some pretty awesome questions from the lovely Lisabet herself. So, I selected a few to answer. :)

Is it all one universe, or is each book separate?

For anyone that hasn’t read the series, you’re about to get a spoiler with this question and may want to move on to the next one! It is all one universe. In my ‘world’, Pavarus is actually where it all began. The humans, vampires, and dragons found portals that allowed them to travel to different realms within the same world – one of those realms being Earth. From there, it was the humans that left Pavarus to claim Earth as their own. Over time, the knowledge of Pavarus was lost amongst the humans on Earth, that is why Wes has no idea what’s going on (in the first book) when he falls through a portal and into Pavarus.

In what ways is your world different from ours?

The Earth ‘side’ is just the same as ours is now, but Pavarus is more or less stuck in the lifestyle of  Medieval times – castles, swords, lords, peasants, their clothes, etc. Keddrick, sire of the vampires, chose to not follow in Earth’s footsteps and decided that his world should remain simpler than Earth. Though, simpler doesn’t always mean easier, if that makes any sense.

Would you ever want to live there?

This one’s easy. Yes, but only if I’ve got a hunky vampire warrior as a mate. ;)

Now, I hope you all enjoy a teasing excerpt from my upcoming release, Airos: Finding Home Series book 3. Currently, Airos is up for pre-order at Total-E-Bound at a 15% discount! But come this Friday, October 18^th, you can buy Airos at a 10% discount and read it right away. So, don’t miss out on the savings!

Book blurb:

Zane has everything in his life under control and in order, but can he keep it that way when a young dragon is thrown into his life?

Zane was meant to be a warrior—end of story. Though he may not have had the most pleasant life living at the coven, he still loved being there. But the steadiness of his world came to a halt all within one day’s events. A man he never saw coming has pushed the boundaries of what little normalcy he has, and learning of a secret love is just confusing him even more. Zane has never felt more torn on what he should be feeling…and for whom. Though, if he assumed having two men plaguing his every waking thought was hard enough, learning of the danger his mother is in nearly has his head spinning off into another dimension.

The leader of the Dráguns is threatening to take everything away from him, his best friend is slipping further and further away from him, and a little dragon is managing to get under his skin in more ways than one. Sorting out what he has to do, what he wants, and what’s right for him will be the biggest challenge he’s ever been faced with. Will he follow his heart or will he take the easy path…or is the easy path the right path to begin with?

Excerpt:

Bo waited for Wesley to knock on the bathroom door but nearly shot up out of the water when Zane came bursting in.

“Dear gods, Zane, you nearly scared me half to death.” He let out a deep breath and placed his hand over his chest, his heart thundering beneath his touch. “So, how did everything go with…?” He trailed off as Zane stormed over to him, the heat in his eyes making Bo sink down into the water a little.

“What are you doing?”

Bo felt so small as the vampire towered over him, but he wasn’t about to show the thin line of fear the man always seemed to make him feel. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m bathing.”

Stepping closer, his hands fisted at his sides, Zane growled out, “That’s not what I mean and you know it.”

Bo glanced away. I can do this. I can be strong.

“Bo!”

Turning back, Bo gave Zane a look of innocence. “What?”

Zane’s lips briefly thinned out in a tight line. “Why are you still here?”

“You heard Augustus, he didn’t think it was a good idea to travel,” he replied, swishing the water around him as if nothing was wrong—as if he didn’t notice the vampire’s rising annoyance.

Suddenly Zane was at his side, kneeling on the floor next to the tub. “That’s bullshit! You risked your life earlier by climbing down the side of a castle—all so you could get away from here. Then you had every opportunity to go home earlier, but you didn’t. Why?”

Bo glanced away again. This wasn’t going at all the way he’d imagined. Yes, he had hoped to talk to Zane privately, but he’d never thought it’d be like this. Steeling his shoulders, he said, “Yes, I tried to escape, but that was when I had thought that I was still a prisoner. Keddrick made it clear that I am now a guest, so I felt it was best to take Augustus’ advice—for my own well-being.”

Zane’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe you. I saw the way you looked at me. Why did you look at me like that? What were you thinking?”

Gods, this is not at all how I imagined it going. “Can you please hand me a towel?”

A muscle flexed alongside the vampire’s jaw and he made no movement to do as Bo had asked.

Huffing, Bo got up and stepped out of the tub then retrieved a towel from a nearby shelf. He ignored the small growl that echoed in the room. All he had wanted was a chance to get to know Zane, to find out what this bond between them meant. He knew Zane had said he didn’t want Bo here, but he hadn’t expected the vampire to act this way at his staying for just one more evening.

“Damn it, Bo, answer me! Why are you still here?”

Bo spun around to face him. “Why do you care!” he shouted. “What does it matter if I’m here another night?”

“Because you confuse me!” Zane hollered back.

The vampire almost seemed surprised by what he’d said, but the look was gone too quickly for Bo to be sure.

Zane rubbed his hands over his face then let out a frustrated sigh. “My life was balanced before, and since you’ve been here you’ve done nothing but trip me up.” He glared down at Bo. “I’m doing things that I never would have done before. I’m saying things that I would have never said. And I can’t seem to stop it. It’s all because of you.”

A fire ignite inside Bo and he glared right back at him. “Well, I’m sorry that I messed with your precious structure here.” He stepped forward and Zane took a step back, his eyes beginning to widen the closer Bo got to him. “Believe me, that was not my intention at all.” Bo kept advancing on Zane, and Zane kept stepping back until he bumped into the counter. “But don’t worry, I’ll be out of your hair first thing tomorrow evening, because trust me when I say that I don’t want to be here just as much as you don’t want me to be!”

He was now mere inches from Zane—practically standing on his tip-toes so he could at least get somewhat face to face with him. Anger raced through his veins as he waited, preparing himself for Zane to yell back at him.

Bo gasped when Zane’s hand was suddenly around the nape of his neck, pulling him closer, closing what little distance was between them. He stood there frozen in place as Zane kissed him, completely shocked by the vampire’s actions.

The kiss was bruising and over within moments. At first Bo stared up at Zane in disbelief and confusion, but that quickly melted away at the sight of the passion in the vampire’s eyes.

“Dear gods, what you do to me,” Zane growled, then kissed him again.

About me

I was born in Arizona, but have spent the better part of my life in Wisconsin.  While I enjoy living close to my family, my heart longs to live in the South – or anywhere where the winters are warmer, and I hope to someday get there.  I love writing, and try to dedicate as much of my free time to it (ha! what free time?).  If I’m not typing away on my laptop, you’ll find me with my nose buried in a book, or with my loving boyfriend debating on what movie to watch and the never ending back and forth decision of what we should have for dinner.  I love spending time with my family and boyfriend, cuddling with my two cats, and laughing as much as possible (cuz I like to think I'm funny :-D).

Some little tidbits about me are – I love horses and cats, I have a really big sweet-tooth, and I've been told I like to talk with my hands (insert hand gestures here).

Where you can buy my books –

Total-E-Bound: http://www.total-e-bound.com/authordetail.asp?A_ID=253

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Wright/e/B00A2I2F80/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

ARe: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Jennifer+Wright

Where you can find me –

Blog: http://authorjenwright.wordpress.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferWright

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_JenWright

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/JenniferWright