Q] Welcome to Fantasy
Book Critic Tony and thank you for your time. How have things been with you
over the past couple of years?
AM: Thanks
for having me, it’s an honour to be here!
What can
I say about the past couple of years really? Other than pretty manic!
My day
job is in IT, where it feels like we’re still recovering from the impact of
Covid. Between getting people working
from home and now supporting a hybrid approach to work, it’s been non-stop and
doesn’t show any signs of easing up.
In terms of
the writing, I’ve actually released three books in that time, which is a bit
crazy to think about! That includes Wolfeater (celebrating its two year
anniversary as I’m answering this!), and two prequel novella-types, The Scars
of Jorn Redclaw and Glories Gone.
Oh, and
I’ve also moved house and the family has grown by a second child.
So, yep.
Intense!
Q] Let’s talk about
the stunning cover for The Ember Child. Please tell us how you and
your cover artist worked together to create it?
AM: The Ember Child was actually my debut
novel, released back in 2017. As such, it has all the hallmarks you might
expect of a debut indie novel. There are spelling and grammatical errors,
formatting issues, minor inconsistencies… nothing damning, but enough to
distract you from what is a pretty good story filled with memorable characters.
And that includes the cover.
Back when
I released the book originally, I didn’t have the money to invest in a
professional cover, so I just went ahead and made my own. I used Canva, which
has a powerful free version and is easy to use. At the time, if I remember
right, Game of Thrones was all the rage and the Song of Ice and Fire books
had been republished with environmental scenery on the cover. I thought they looked
stunning and tried to recreate it for my book.
It was
only when I entered SPFBO and saw the production quality of the books out there
that I realised what I was up against – not just in the competition, but on the
market too. Despite the old saying, “never
judge a book by its cover”, people do. The cover is the first step to
luring potential readers in, so it needs to catch the eye.
When I
came to publish my second book, Wolfeater, I knew I’d have to invest a
little money if I wanted to put out a quality product – and I want to
put out quality products. So I reached out to Félix Ortiz. I’d seen a lot of the work he’d done and thought it
would be a really good fit for my world. Thus was born the artwork for Wolfeater.
Felix was great to work with and
made everything so easy, so when I decided to re-release The Ember Child,
he was the logical choice.
To kick
things off, I gave Félix a bit of blurb
about the story itself, then I suggested 4 or 5 ideas I thought might make for
a good cover. Felix chose the one he
felt most inspired by and away he went.
A day or
so later he came back with some sketches – I think he was quite excited about
the Greek aesthetic, so quite a few sketches really. I chose the one I liked
the most and that was followed by a few back and forths about some of the finer
details I wanted in or taken out. Once all that was hammered out, Felix came back with the final version.
Q] What was your
first reaction when you saw it? How does it hold up (in your opinion) to what
the main story is about?
AM: Mind blown really. It’s a scene from the book and Felix
has captured it pretty much as I imagined it. It’s so exhilarating when a
talented artist presents you with their interpretation of that thing that’s been
knocking around your head for the past few months… or years. To see your
characters and world brought to life in such a unique way… I’m not sure there’s
much that can beat that.
Q] Let’s talk about The Ember
Child, this was your debut? What was the inspiration for the main story?
Where did the idea come from and what compelled you to see it through to the
end?
AM: Yes, my
debut, and book 1 of a series loosely titled The Godsbane. When I realised most people like to binge an
entire series rather than start an unfinished one, I decided I’d put a couple
of standalones out first and build up my catalogue. And while there are a few
breadcrumbs and set ups for the rest of the series, I felt the main plot of The
Ember Child holds up by itself enough that I wasn’t too worried about letting
the series rest for a spell.
That said, the time for continuing the story of the Godsbane is
drawing close, and that’s the main reason I’ve chosen to revisit The Ember
Child and remind myself of the story and characters.
In terms of inspiration, I remember watching and then reading 300 and
being really intrigued by the idea of the Spartans – the real version, if not
those led by Gerard Butler. I think I already had in mind the story of an heir
to a fallen kingdom taken into hiding until he’s old enough to return home and
reclaim his father’s throne. It struck me that the most likely to succeed at
such a seemingly impossible task would be someone trained for war from the
moment they were born. That’s the Ember
Child.
In terms of the series, the main idea kind of boils down to my preference
of story types. In terms of good versus evil, black and white has its place,
but I much prefer stories that deal in shades of grey.
When I started thinking about writing a trilogy, I thought it would be
interesting to have each book focus on one side of a particular conflict. So
through this triumvirate of main characters, the reader will get to see all
sides of the conflict, and, hopefully, empathise with each of them. By the time
the trilogy reaches its climax, I want readers to be genuinely torn over who
they want to come out on top.
That all begins with The Ember Child, with Halasan and his quest
to reclaim his father’s throne.
Q] You have released Wolfeater,
which is set in the same world. How same/different is this book to it?
AM: It’s very similar in terms of style. Both are 3rd
person narratives with multiple POV characters. However, as a standalone, Wolfeater is a lot narrower in scope with
a fairly small crew of characters. It’s essentially a road trip story, covering
the main character’s journey to the enigmatic Blackstone.
The Ember
Child, on the
other hand, leans a lot more on the ‘epic’ side of fantasy. The story takes
place across several nations, with (arguably) more at stake and a far bigger cast.
In terms
of scope, you could say Wolfeater is set to The Fellowship of the
Ring level, while The Ember Child is cranked up more to The Two
Towers scale.
Q] Can you tell us
more about the world that The Ember Child is set in and some of the story’s
major characters? What are the curiosities of this world?
AM: The Ember Child is set in the world of
Domanska, which I’d describe as low fantasy heavily inspired by the cultures of
our past. The warring factions involved in The Ember Child are those
influenced by Rome and Ancient Greece, but there’s inspiration from the Vikings,
the Samurai, nomadic tribes, pirates, and more, all scattered across the world.
It is brutal and gritty, and there may not be much in the way of magic or
mystical beings, but there are gods… and some of them are definitely more
meddlesome than the others.
It’s also
possible some of the people of this world are born with an innate gift that makes
them capable of seemingly impossible things, which manifests itself in different
ways dependent on the beliefs and culture of those blessed. But you’ll have to
explore the world to learn more about that!
As for
characters, the acclaimed Ember Child is 16-year-old Halasan. Born the day his
kingdom fell, he has been raised in secret to one day return home and reclaim
his father’s throne. Unlike most ‘Chosen Ones’, Halasan knows exactly who he is
and what it will take to achieve his purpose. He is dedicated and relentless in
the pursuit of that dream.
Set
against him is Coren, Emperor of Lucia, who has forged the greatest empire the
world has ever seen. His ambition is to secure a world of peace and prosperity
for all, yet Halasan’s very existence threatens to unravel everything he has
built.
Then
there’s Kirea, a priestess of the goddess of war, sent to bring Halasan home; Kalor,
a hunter charged with seeking out the Emperor’s enemies; Soldaron, a sailor
king who’d like nothing more than to free his own people from the Empire’s
yolk; Olgarin, a fallen warrior-priest
desperate to redeem himself; and Ada, a hunted tribeswoman looking for a new
way to live.
Q] So what can readers expect
from The Ember Child and what should they be looking forward
to according to you?
AM: I think readers can expect a sprawling, character-driven
adventure full of action, political intrigue, and religious discourse. If you
like 3rd person, multi-POV fantasy in the vein of David Gemmell or Joe Abercrombie, you’ll hopefully find something to enjoy here.
Q] How many books are
you planning to write in the Godsbane series?
AM: There are three books planned in
the Godsbane series, but, to add a
little intrigue, they will be woven into the fabric of the overarching story of
Domanska in much the same way as the Iron Man films are tied into the Marvel
Cinematic Universe. Something dark and terrible is on its way to Domanska, and
the triggering event has already happened…
Q] What are you
reading currently? Are there any current authors or books which you would like
to give a shout out to?
AM: At
the moment I’m reading Fire & Blood
by George RR Martin. Considering it’s essentially a history book on one
family from the world of Westeros, I’m really enjoying it. If anyone avoided
the TV show because of how Game of Thrones ended, they should really give it a
chance.
I’m also reading Erebus by Michael Palin.
It’s a historical book, but not the kind that takes itself too seriously. It’s
about the HMS Erebus and her sister ship, The Terror, both of which went
missing in the 1800s, and it was only fairly recently that their wrecks were
discovered. The TV show (an adaptation of the more fictional book), The
Terror, got my interest. That’s a great show, treating the historical facts
with a twist of horror and the paranormal - well worth checking out for fantasy
fans. Erebus sticks a bit closer to the facts, so don’t be expecting The
Life of Brian!
On the indie front, I recently finished reading The
Iron Crown by LL McRae. I really enjoyed it and would recommend. If you
like well drawn characters intermingled with griffins and dragons, you should
check it out! There’s a sequel on its way too!
Q] In closing, do you have any parting thoughts or comments you’d like to share
with our readers?
AM: Well, as part of the re-release of The Ember Child, I’m
doing a fresh edit as a way of tidying things up and sharpening the story. As
such, I’m playing with the idea of sharing that experience with readers and/or
fellow writers, either new to the world of Domanska, or well-seasoned hands. Think
of it as a buddy-read with the author, or an interactive beta-reader
experience. All hopefully to help make the story as good as it can be (without
rewriting too much!).
My idea is to
do this via video calls and somehow make it into a YouTube series – minimising
spoilers, but giving readers a glimpse into the process. If I could get enough
writers involved, it could even become a writing workshop for similar kinds of projects.
Anyoneinterested can visit my blog for more details.
Add The Ember Child on Goodreads
OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: In a world where gods hold dominion over the lives of mortals, two men have the strength of will to forge their own destiny.
The first is Halasan; the determined, sixteen-year-old heir to a fallen kingdom. Believed to be the Ember Child spoken of in prophecy, he has spent his life in hiding, training for the day he can return home and reclaim his father’s throne.
Set against him is Coren, the Lucian Emperor, who once forged the greatest empire the world has ever seen and now spends his days trying to hold the fragile union together. He dreams of a world united in peace and prosperity, but Halasan’s existence presents a danger to that ambition. The boy’s claim will mean war unless Coren can stop his rebellion before it takes hold.
Thus begins the race for the city of Danara, where one man hopes to free a nation, the other to save an empire. Only one can succeed, but not even the gods can say who it will be.
For these men are the Godsbane, and their actions will shape the course of history as gods can only dream.
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1 comments:
Great work on the new cover- it’s befitting of such an epic story and I now want to read it again!