Elizabeth Guizzetti's Blog, page 24

Coffee klatch interview with Lady Meadowlark and Hunter Orodherthin

A coffee klatch interview with Lady Meadowlark and Hunter Orodherthin, the Children of Lady Nora, Daughter of Lady Aster of House T’Ralom of the Daoine.

Lark’s eyes sparkle as she drinks her chocolate milk. Yet even for Lark’s jovial appearance, I feel her scanning us, studying us. Orin is more sedate. He sits back, sipping his espresso but his eyes alternate resting upon the doors, the sidewalk outside, and me.

Elizabeth: First let us start off by thanking you for coming down to Seattle. Earth is pretty far away from Talamh, is it not?

Orin (shrugging): The outside is the outside.

Lark: Quite far, but worth the trip, I am sure.

Elizabeth: So what are you plans in Seattle?

Lark: We came to this great city to find work and trade in order to bring wealth to the Daoine, of course. We will take in the sights as you call it of course. Your towers are quite impressive here.  You have wonderful drinks. I never had chocolate milk before.

Orin: Actually, I find it amazing how much food your people have. We just went into one of your grocery stores. Though it is too bad you no longer much in the way of a barter system.

Elizabeth: I see your named brother, Roan, is not beside you today?

Orin (shrugging again): With small children, he prefers not to travel so far from home. He sometimes he comes, sometimes he doesn’t.

Elizabeth: And your father is doing well?

Orin: Our father is a sick man. It is best that Lark keeps her apartments in the Great House.  I personally prefer Lark’s apartment with the Champion’s room to our father’s hut.

Elizabeth: So your relationship has had some ups and downs.

Lark (blushing): Every family has there problems but no matter has happened between us; Orin is my brother. Now he is my Champion too.

Orin just looks pissed off so I decide to change the subject. Elizabeth: And so in Mareton?

Lark: Roan, Orin and I shared an awful dream. There were so many sacrifices during the drought. At least, you will see we were ale to make a difference in Mareton.

Elizabeth: if you want to know the whole story, you can read more in Mareton’s Curse! On March 1st, the sequalization of our story will start at http://faminelands.com begins! Updates every Friday.

Like ZB Publications on Facebook! Win awesome Faminelands Prize Pack!

Check out all the goodies!

In celebration of the completion of Faminelands #3, I decided to run a drawing.

LIKE ZB Publications on Facebook between Feburary 23rd and March 3rd to win an awesome Faminelands Prize Pack.

Included are signed copies of Faminelands#1 The Carp’s Eye, Faminelands #2 Living Stone and the long awaited Faminelands #3, postcard pack, 3 1 inch buttons featuring the cover art of each book and a Mareton’s Curse bookmark.

The winner will be chosen by random drawing on March 3rd after the close of Emerald City Comic Con and notified on this page, Faminelands.com, and Facebook on March 4th. Please remember I am on Pacific Standard Time.  Also no family members of Maria or myself can win, though we would appreciate it if you still liked the page.

Faminelands Book 3: Mareton’s Curse is here!!!

The graphic novels arrived this morning wrapped in cardboard, bubble wrap and shredded paper. I need to unpack them and repack them for ECCC and send out any pre-orders as promised. Also in the was our CD’s for the digital copies! Now I just have to burn them, then on to world domination…opps that wasn’t the inside my head voice, was it? There is still time if you want to place an order, check out our store

Also coming are more posters for both Faminelands and “Who wouldn’t trust a poode?” posters for Out for Souls&Cookies.

Blog Hop! The Next Big Thing: The Martlet

We are taking a break today from the Faminelands talk so I can be part of this Blog Hop! First I want to thank the talented author Dan Thompson for nominating me to  be part of this blog hop. His next project, The Caseworker’s Memoirs, will be released in late Spring 2013, but his feature length YA Fantasy novel, The Black Petal, has no release date as of yet. Check out his post about The Next Big Thing: The Black Petal.

What is the working title of your next book?

My very next release is a graphic novel entitled Faminelands #3: Mareton’s Curse which comes out in ten days at Emerald City Comic Con, but I am going to focus on The Martlet because it is my next written novel.

Where did the idea for your book come from?

First of all, I love epic fantasy and horror, especially vampires, elves, and other mystical long-lived beings. One day, I thought about what if a being with a life span of a 1000 years might decide that it is just not enough time. And I came up with a character than was supposed to be in Faminelands an elvish nobleman who turned into a vampire. But he never fit. So I had to cut him and consider I would write about him another time. This character became Lord Roark.

Character Sketch of Lord Roark

Then I began thinking, what if the spirit is eternal, but the Universe is random. Though most inhabitants of the Universe believe otherwise, the prior life has no bearing on Resurrection. It is chance in this Universe. Your spirit might go to any one of twelve diminsions which are referred to as The Realms. Roark decides he likes being a Fairsinge nobleman, so he does not want to Resurrect.

Then Roark’s story began to develop into Kian’s story. Kian is Roark’s consort. I did know it would be a homosexual relationship, but I felt that Kian was a good counterpart to Roark. Kian and Roark love each other, so much that they would never be parted, not by death.

Them the book began to shift as the other characters came into view…Mira and Eohan. Mira is Roark’s neice and someone he can teach and love as a parent loves a child. Eohan was a colleague and Kian’s protector first and the men became friends after Roark named Kian his consort.

Then I knew it wasn’t just this one insane guy, there was four people. Four people can make anything seem almost normal…

Lady Mira as a grown woman. 

What genre does your book fall under?

I consider this epic fantasy, but there is some horror and science fiction involved.

Who would play your characters in a film?

Hugh Jackman would play Eohan. His looks are similar to how I imagined him and how he played Wolverine and his relationship with Rouge is similar to how Eohan looks at Mira during her adolescence. He is her weapons master, yet even when tasked to be a “parent”, he is still a friend.

Now the rest of the actors would have to dye their hair in tones of auburn, but Ryan Reynolds can play someone who cracks jokes while killing vampires so I think he could play Roark who cracks wise while Kian experiments on the corpses. He too can joke around with a child in the dangerous scene as he did in Blade 3.

Kian is a hardest role to fulfill because young actors are generally pretty and who ever would play him would be losing a lot of weight. Maybe Zac Efron.

For Mira we would need at least two actresses, maybe three. (She begins the novel as an infant, five year old, a prepubescent child of eleven/twelve, and then a young woman between 18-23) Emma Rigby would be a good choice as the young woman. She definitely has the look. My mom mentioned Jennifer Lawrence.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

The Martlet is an epic tale of friendship and betrayal about four assassins who play with necromancy on the side.

Will your next book be self-published or represented by an agent?

Choice C: Neither. I don’t have an agent, but I would like it to be traditionally published. I have sent it to 48Fourteen as they published Other Systems. It has not been accepted as of yet.

How long did it take to write the first draft of your manuscript?

1 month. All first my drafts take 1 -2 months, but they are in horrible shape. My entire process takes seven to nine months before I send it out to a publisher.

What other books would you compare this story to in the genre?

RA Salvatore’s The Sellswords Series: Servant of the Shard, Promise of the Witch King and The Road of the Patriarch follow the wily drow mercenary Jaxele.

Andrazej Sapkowski’s Witcher Series deals with some of the same issues, but in a completely different way.

Stan Nicholls’ Orcs books and and have about the same level of violence and humor.

Though it is horror novel: Anne Rice’s  Interview with a Vampire shows the immorality of their lifestyle pretty well.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

It wasn’t a who or a what. It was a when. As I said, I had this idea for awhile. However I wrote The Martlet after I finished Other Systems and had a rough draft of Other Systems #2. Other Systems is a cerebral adventure. Abby and the crew of the Revelation is simply a survey team, not warriors. They don’t get into battles. (Readers may remember the crew runs from danger more than once.) In Other Systems #2, Ellie uses her mind to keep her from getting in trouble. Also Other Systems really deals with “good but flawed people.”

So I wanted to write a book that was a swashbuckling adventure with a quest to defeat death. The main characters kill people and steal bodies. They drink blood in order to stay young. Avarice defines them.

I wanted to see if I could write evil characters that people loved as much as they loved the characters in Other Systems. It would be challenge and I love to stretch my skills with a challenge.

So to make characters that people might want to read about, they need to be more than just cold blooded killers. The quality that they share with the readers is love: romantic, filial, and fraternal. The other attribute Roark and Mira share is a sense of duty to their family. Roark is the third born and in noble Fairsinge society the third born generally vows to live by valor to improve the reputation of their Plas (House) with deeds of service and gallantry. And since Roark’s morals are off, that is how he sees himself. He believes if he defeats death his Plas will be safe forever.

The story begins with one of Roark’s experiment gone awry. Wanting to see if it is possible, Roark, Kian and Eohan to direct a soul into the body of his elder sister’s new baby.  Orla wants to keep the baby, but her husband who has no interest in eternal life, thinks the child should be drowned in the Expanse. In a moment of sentiment, Roark suggests that he raise the child to be a Martlet to take the place of the third born son that Orla lost in battle. He does not give Orla or her husband time to argue. He takes the newborn with him and demands yearly child support payments for her upkeep.

Roark, Kian and Eohan might be evil, but they are not sadists. They are not abusive to her or anyone else–because that wouldn’t be fun to write. They dote upon her. They make it clear she must become a Martlet in order to have a place in her family. If she does not, her mother’s husband will probably kill her. This is a real threat to her well being. Mira is going through puberty before she ever steps in her Plas to take her vow as a Martlet. He believes she should join the Guild as he did and become an assassin so she can live a better life than a poor knight errant scraping by on the pitiful allowance they receive as Martlets. However Mira has seventy-five years of warrior/assassin training before her uncle allows her to do a job without himself or Eohan beside her.

The reader understands Mira’s want of love from her mother and her devotion to the uncle who raised her. And most importantly they will see why when Roark dishonored by the Guild and Eohan is turned into a zombie, Kian finds the knowledge in order for Mira can save them. They are a family unit.

What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

The Martlet has so many things that personally I think are fun: assassins, big ships crossing the Expanse, pirates, slavery, misdirection, zombies, helpful demons, elves, uncaring universe, true love and dimensional physics.

Check out The Martlet Webpage and/or LIKE The Martlet Facebook Page for updates!

Now for the next participant in the Blog Hop, I’m going to nominate Author, Candace Knoebel! Her award winning debut novel, Born in Flames, has had wonderful reviews and Book 2 in the Series in on its way. Check out her blog next!

What I listen to when I create Faminelands

Like many artists and authors, I listen to music while I am working. I cannot listen while I am editing or talking to my characters, but every other step is set to music. I also find sometimes when I want to write a specific scene sometimes music that has the same feeling helps me write.

However generally, while I am writing or drawing panels, I listen to Cold Play We have every album they put out so that’s quite a list. I also like The Bravery, Maximo Park, Radio Head, or Muse.

Sometimes I just listen to The Bravery Station on Pandora.

Now when I am coloring, I need faster music. Yet something with a story. I listen to Billy Idol Cyber Punk and his self titled album, Deltron 30,30 Juno Reactor quite a bit.

Now when I am lettering, I need soft music. And it is genera specific. Since Faminelands is fantasy, I need ambient techno such as Single Cell Orchestra. or I need celtic music such as  Clannad or Talizman They are a local band that I heard at Folk Life Festival.

I know others like music when they are working, what do you listen to?

Creating Talamh: Mor

I knew there was a city in the South where Orin lived and worked and the Daoine Village in the North where Lark lived. Ultimately most of Orin’s time is spent in bars, taverns and brothels so here is the first image of Mor that people can see in The Carp’s Eye.

This is how I described Mor  in my author’s notes.

“Mor is an ancient city of great wealth, goodness and evil.  For it is home of the High Princess Inis the beloved ruler of Nemisalla just as it is the base of the Ciarog Crua. 

The respectable merchants despised Lord Malak who robed himself in white in order to serve darkness. However he was still Lord Malak, the Uncle and Regent of High Princess Inis and they paid him tribute.  Just as he was the power behind the throne, it was whispered the Lord Malak was also the true power behind the Ciarog Crua, but no one could be sure. 

The city was built at least twenty thousand years prior upon the cliffs which rise up between two rivers Iascach and the An Loai. Its large fortified castle sits amid some of the finest stone buildings and cobbled streets in all of Talamh, however as the city fanned towards the South, the buildings quickly became little more then shanties and over crowed tenements.

In her wanderings, Lark discovered the entryway into the barracks for the Crua’s men, but she knew she could not enter that realm unescorted.  The shanties around the entryway were filled with unskilled humans and elves who lived in poverty. These people were no better then cattle. Flies buzzed around the filth just left in the dry dirt streets.  They ran low level errands and messages for the higher ranking men in the Crua hoping that the pay would elevate them enough to escape their current position.  Of course they never did.   

Still Lark heard rumors. It was rumored that when the Enforcer Ulthaene questioned someone, even before they answered, he knew their sins. He especially hated the men who hurt whores and ragged children who hung around the grotto scavenging for food.  As Lark circled Mor, she found which establishments that the Crua frequented.  Many were nothing, but cob shacks. Dusk was falling rapidly and Lark can see lights dotting the hillside where the Crua houses their men.

She found a tavern that a man as Ulthaene would patron: the Rat and the Snake.  Made from stone and cob with wood beams and balcony on the second floor, it was slightly nicer then the others, but the kind of place an indentured man could afford.

As she moved closer, she noticed the cob was cracked around all the heavy wooden beams and stained with mildew.  She heard the din of fighting and smelled the cheap beer and wine. Down an alley, she saw a man who held a woman pressed against a wall as he thrust in and out of her.  The man was blond so Lark did not tarry.

Lark looked towards the open entry way of the Rat and the Snake. Before she stepped into the tavern, she quickly prayed for protection and that her hunch was right.

It was crowded. Mostly men drinking and gambling, but a few women moved among them freely.  She scanned the crowd.  There were many different types of folk:  Dwarves, Humans, Elves, Goblins, Trolls, and a few Giants who were forced to duck under the low crossbeams.  The Crua employed them all.  In the far corner, she saw a brown haired elfin man looking down at his mead.  He was wearing an old dark cloak and a heavy boiled leather breastplate.  He was alone in his thoughts and did not seem to notice the young woman picking his pocket.  Lark realized it was more likely that he simply did not care.

Not a single line creased his countenance, but his eyes showed the harshness of his existence.  He had fought for both evil and good.   He no longer knew the difference only that the stories of gallant warriors defending their people were no longer true.  He also considered that his last copper went to pay for the mead he was drinking, but that night he would make ten gold as he would be paid to cut the flesh of an evil man.”

 

Creating Talamh: The Daoine Village

It seems only a short time ago, but five years ago, I created Talamh which is the world in Faminelands.

I knew the world was to be faux medieval. I knew it would have elves, humans, giants, dwarves, and fairies. I knew I would want to use Irish words. Talamh is the Irish word for Land or Earth. Daoine is the Irish word for People. I liked the idea that they referred to themselves just as the People. I knew of the Daoine first, in fact, it was only after I decided Orin had run away did I create the city in the South where Orin lived.

Then I began drawing this map very early on in the process. It was mostly for me as I needed to figure out where Lark and Orin were heading on their adventures, but it turned out so beautifully, we made posters.

I decided that most of the Daoine would live in Huts, but the nobles lived in stone houses (or for low ranking nobles, the barracks.) Lark has an apartment in the Great House, but often spends time in her father’s hut.

The Daoine are generally are the “good” guys who believe that they were descended directly from the Goddess. So their history was wrapped up with the mythos of their Mother Goddess.

Excerpt:

“We were but a distant memory of another civilization, great and lost to time.  It was then Talamh was barren, dark and lonely.  She went to find others like her, but finding none, she wept and gave birth to the Seas.  The Seas knew only her sorrow and crashed upon her shores.

The Rising Sun and the Setting Sun heard her weeping and came to see what was the cause. Rising Sun warmed her and the Setting Sun gave way to the darkness and Talamh felt alive and fertile. The Seas now having fathers to guide them, became calmer and many living creatures began to grow within him. Eventually the fourteen moons found Talamh and visited the Seas in their time.

Talamh grew fat and round. From her union with the Sun sprang the Wood. Talamh loved both of her children, but they often quarreled. Eventually the Seas took to the depths and the Wood ran freely across her hills and valleys.

But each was lonely and they met up in places where the trees dip into the Sea and the rivers frolic in the Wood.  And so unknowingly they begat many more creatures and the Lady of the Hunt to watch over them.  

No creature that walked or swam upon Talamh was as fair as the Lady of the Hunt. So beautiful was she that a star seeing her great beauty whispered words of love to her. He came to her during the night and so they begat the first elf woman: Idola. 

Idola ran through the forests and swam in the seas for many years before having children of her own.  She set before her many children a path to follow but it was fraught with danger.  It was her eldest daughter’s eldest daughter the Lady Iris who accomplished this great feat. 

Lady Iris then took her sisters Goldlynada and Lilia to the North and created a great society based upon equality and valor. 

The Lady Goldlynada created House Sarralonde and birthed Lord Galen the First who sired many noble children. The Lady Lilia birthed two noble children and two others that did not live in valor, but lived to create things of use and beauty for the good of all.  Lady Lillia in her wisdom saw the need of another path and the need for some to follow it. Thus the path of the commoners was born.

Lady Iris herself birthed seven mighty warriors: Lord Cairn, Lady Aster, Lady Oaka, Lady Laurel, Lord Perth, Lady Hazel, and Lord Brogan to protect and serve the people.

Each of her children fought in many battles, and harnessed their will in order to push back the chaos which threatened the Daoine.  These great women and men all bore much for the good of Daoine until Lord Cairn fell from the path.  Lady Aster, by her own hand, earned the right to rule the great house Lady Iris created.  She gave to Talamh five children including the great and wise Lady Aren who married Lord Galen the Second and brought forth more noble children.  Evayla who brought forth Nonia the Healer, Perth the Second and Laken who both died in childhood and her untamable daughter Lady Nora who in her time served the people with bravery and fought many battles.

But Lady Nora turned away from her people’s edict and took a common bowyer.  In this way, she brought forth three children: the Lady Meadowlark and her beloved brothers Orodherthin and Calthal. 

Vote for the Title for Other Systems #2

Anyone who has been following my updates, know that I have been working on Other Systems #2. I have been playing with titles and just wondered  if anyone wants to vote on it!

Here are your options:

1) Other Systems: Lift

2) Other Systems: Reach

3) Other Systems: Divergence

Feel free to answer in the comments….and if anyone has any other ideas let me know… if someone comes up with something really good, you will be acknowledged in the book and you will get a free signed copy when it comes out.

Book 2′s prologue begins with Ian, a young English boy who lied to his mother in order to undergo the testing. When a Kiposi officer informs  his parents that he has been chosen, his father strikes him. However due to his mother’s tears, Ian decides to stay behind.

“Mum, please don’t cry,” he said. “I just wanted to explore the option. I wasn’t ever planning on really going. Dad, tell her. Look. Please look at me.”

He showed them the boarding pass and little booklet. “See!” And he opened the methane stove and tossed them on to the flame. For a moment, Ian considered putting his hand back into the stove, but the paper blackened and crinkled then turned to ash. His chance for the new Eden had been lost forever.

After the Kiposi leave with the second generation colonists, the book moves to Seattle. Reader’s may remember Mr. Alexander Johnson and Ray Boyd Lei from the first book, but the story mainly follows Ellie Rao Kessler one of Abby’s charges from the library.

Mr. Alexander Johnson heard the excitement mingled with sadness in his assistant’s voice as Abigail gave her resignation. She might miss working with him, but her eyes sparkled about her coming adventure.

“May God be with you, Miss Boyd Lei,” he said before he disconnected his vidscreen with a shaky hand. A few days ago when the Cloud reported the Kiposi were looking for second-generation colonists: he had known Abigail and Orchid would be chosen for the trip. The Boyd Lei girls were so bright. Their mother was beautiful. Their father was intelligent, far more than his station required. They cared about the betterment of his children and struggled to keep them in school as long as possible. A few days ago when the Cloud reported the Kiposi were looking for a generation of young colonists: he had known Abigail, Orchid, Jin, and Ray would all be welcome on a new planet.

For a moment, he felt a bit jealous. He was old. They would only take people between twelve and thirty. 

****

A frazzled Madam Cho Rao and her three small children were peeking inside the windows and knocking on the door. Madam Cho Rao had let her library membership expire a year ago after her husband “passed away,” but Alexander could never turn her or the children away.

“I was afraid no one would be here,” Madam Cho Rao said softly.

“Mr. Johnson, where’s Miss Boyd Lei?” Little Ellie asked. Her tiny hands formed into fists. “She’s supposed to be here!”

“Miss Boyd Lei went to a far away place called Kipos, she and her siblings were all invited,” Alexander explained. More to Madam Cho Rao than to Ellie.

Ellie’s lips started quivering. “Orchid too?”

“Yes,” Alexander said.

“Because the ships took them away?” Clive said excitedly, “Wow!”

“When are they coming back?” Ellie demanded. “Tomorrow?”

“They aren’t coming back,” Madam Cho Rao said softly.

“I want Miss Boyd Lei! I want Miss Boyd Lei and ORCHID!” Ellie screeched. Her pale cheeks glowing red with her toddler’s fury.

Madam Cho Rao moved to grab her, but Alexander pulled the child into a hug. He was surprised to find that even at his advanced age, he could still out maneuver an angry parent. “It’s fine, Madam, we’ll be fine. I’ll be hiring a new assistant as soon as I can.”

Madam Cho Rao looked on disapprovingly at her daughter’s tantrum, but clasped her hands together and bowed. She left quickly. She did not leave the children any lunch. She never did. She simply couldn’t afford it. 

The Kiposi left the space elevators to restart Earth’s space program, but no one really knows what to do with them. It takes seven years to form a plan. Now at age eleven, Ellie will run away from an arranged marriage and she will cross the world and even go all the way to our moon with dreams of a better life.  She will meet a young doctor with dreams of creating a utopia in the newly formed lunar prison colony.

So what do you think?

My Favorite Character in Faminelands: Lady Aster

I know I have spoken about her before, but today, I am going to talk about  my favorite character: Lady Aster.

Now in the main Famineland’s trilogy, Lady Aster doesn’t get a lot of panel time, but she was integral in Lark’s development as a warrior and is important for Lark’s (and Orin’s) futures within the House.

When I wrote her, I always knew that Aster would serve the Fhorais Daoine and help their people survive. My author notes say: “She has fought in countless wars, her history is bloody, and her name is legend.” So everything I wrote about, I always kept that in mind. Sometimes she is cold or unfair, but that is what makes Aster  interesting to write. She follows the Path of Valor even when she does not want to.

The leaders of the Daoine are sworn to protect and serve. (They serve as leaders, police and guards inside the village and mercenaries to bring back wealth outside the village.)  Every choice, good, bad, or neutral, Aster makes for the good of her people and her House. Yet it is not blind faith that leads her, but logic, cunning, and the understanding of their enemies. Aster has made plenty of controversial decisions as Matron of House T’Ralóm, including keeping Brogan alive after the loss of his leg and most importantly to the Faminelands Series, Aster chooses the fate of Nora’s bastard daughter, Lark. This is told from Lark’s perspective in the Carp’s Eye and then a much closer version to the truth by Brogan in the History of Lady Meadowlark. 

One summer’s day, Nora did not return from a mission as planned. Each day, the bowyer grew thinner and harder. A month later, we received word that Nora had indeed fallen in a battle. There was no body. I escorted my sister to the bowyer’s hut to deliver the news. For the first time, Aster held Lark as they both wept for Nora. The bowyer would not speak, but sat staring into the flames. During the Moon of Mourning, the bowyer ignored the food which was brought to his hut. Lark had only eaten a little before we heard his mad ramblings, the child’s screaming, and the sound of wood against flesh. After that, Lark scavenged for food.

A few more things happen, then  Calafas goes looking for Nora’s body.

Roan heard screams. He sent word to us and ran to the bowyer’s hut. The man held a bow as he  dragged his daughter out the door but they had not food, nor warm clothes. The bowyer snapped, “Forgive us,  Noble One, I search for my wife, and you stand in my way.”

Lady Aster called, “Calafas, Your sorrow might demand death, but what of your child?”

Hate filled the bowyer’s eyes as he stared at my sister. He did not seem to care that I unsheathed my sword as he took  a step towards us. “I search for my wife, Lady, as YOU will not! My girl needs her mother.”

Lady Aster interrupted, “The child cannot make such a journey in her state.”

Aster did this for a few reasons none of which were charity. Lark might be a bastard, but she is the only known surviving offspring of Nora’s bloodline which is important to the Daoine and their Southern Cousins. (At this point, Orin has run away, they are pretty sure he is alive, but no one has any idea where he is.)

Nora’s death has created a hole in the ranks. She was their greatest mercenary and brought back food for the village. Aster will train Lark so well that in the next major skirmish, Apprentice Meadowlark, skips two ranks and becomes Huntress Meadowlark, by the end of the war, the girl is a great lady. Once The Carp’s Eye starts, Lark is on the road with Orin, Aster is a source of information, but must leave her to her own path. Well, pretty much as you can see from this image from Living Stone.

Living Stone Page 25

And in the upcoming Mareton’s Curse, Aster will begin make other decisions that will effect Orin and Lark’s future happiness. Aster and her Lord Arna were married to create a political alliance, as I alluded to, Lark will be married to someone whose main attribute is that he has a suitable bloodline. Love has nothing to do with it.

Faminelands #3 Mareton’s Curse will be available on March 1st. You can preorder both digital copies and trade paperback in the ZB Publications Store (Pre-orders will ship Feb 26th) and for those of you who enjoy reading the free  version, a page a week will begin on March 7th at http://faminelands.com

Interview with Don A. Martinez

This week we have special guest Don A. Martinez the author of the Phantom Squadron Series during the Infernal Eighteen Blog Tour.

Welcome to ZB’s Blog of Awesomness!

The son of two 20-year Navy vets, Don A. Martinez spent much of his formative years around the Pacific Rim before settling in the continental U.S., first in Michigan and New York before eventually landing in Texas.He has been writing all of his life, getting his start in elementary school as a two-time Young Authors selection in Oak Harbor, Washington. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in writing and a Master of Arts degree in English from Buffalo State College (SUNY-College at Buffalo), where he wrote his thesis on application of mythic storytelling techniques to the modern media.

Currently, he lives with his wife, daughter, and four cats in Texas, where he is a college English instructor.

Phantom Squadron is a contemporary fantasy series which follows a team of four supernatural agents has been assembled for a Black Ops team unlike any other.Both separately and together, these agents will face down an enemy of immense evil, rising above their differences and individual traumas and coming together to face a demonic matriarch hiding within one of the holiest sites in Europe. Infernal Eighteen is the fourth book in the series.

So on to the questions!

What inspired you to write?

I come from a family that has creativity ingrained in it, from both parents. My grandmother was an accomplished poet, although she was never published. My father was a great storyteller, but he wasn’t exactly a writer, and he stuck with more of an oral style. I’ve tried to bring both sides of the equation together, and be a fully-rounded storytelling writer. As far as the inspiration for Phantom Squadron, it comes from my coping mechanism with the 9/11 attacks – I spent some time thinking about the events, and how I could come to terms with such evil being perpetrated. Eventually it led me to a concept involving government agents drawn from the ranks of fantasy archetype characters. As I went further along in the series, coping continued to be the theme of the inspiration, as starting from The Insurgent’s Journal I started writing based on my observations of what the nation’s become, in terms of polarized politics.

What have you learned as a writer?

Perseverance, above all. You have to keep writing, no matter what. The only one who can express your idea is you, so you’d better get to it. Don’t censor yourself either, because no idea is too crazy. You dictate the way your story is told, so do all that you can to bring that story to a well-rounded fruition.

Infernal Eighteen is your fourth book in the Phantom Squadron Series. How did writing Infernal Eighteen compare to writing the first three books?

It was a bit of a chore, actually. I knew where I wanted the story to go … Alanna needs to reclaim her dad’s soul from Hell … but I also needed to be true to the main inspiration for her journey, and keep the spirit of Dante’s poem. Thankfully, there are several sources available on the Inferno, and I wound up using one that retold the poem in the style of a novel. Some things surprised me as I was writing it, some little references to the past books that I could work into the Inferno, such as Jerzaan’s treatment of women and Alanna’s mother’s suicidal tendencies. Writing this one also made me think a little more intensely about the in-universe history of the Sword of the Guardsman, and how it couldn’t be possible for every member of the Sharpe line to be righteous. Readers will find out about these hellbound Sharpes from throughout history, and that they all have one-track minds when Alanna meets them: they all want the Sword back.

What was some of your inspiration/sources for the series?

I’ve described the series as what happens when Tom Clancy, Gary Gygax, and Hayao Miyazaki get together to write a single story, and that’s pretty much how Phantom Squadron came to be. It combines elements from military technothrillers such as those by Clancy and Stephen Coonts, the character variety of role-playing, and some of the attitude of anime. A direct anime influence on the series is the comedy anime The Slayers and its two subsequent seasons (Slayers NEXT and Slayers TRY).

Who is your favorite character? Why?

They’re all my favorite in one way or another. Alanna and Ariel share elements of my personality, so I have a soft spot for both of them. I like Gabe’s mysterious side, and his inability to speak in anything other than half-truths. Above all, though, I think my favorite character to write would have to be Kitty Salem (Lazarus), just because her personality is just so over-the-top, and it’s a delicate balance to consider that not only is she a woman, she’s also a character type called the “combat monster” in role-playing games. Not to mention that if she gets angry, she gives virtuoso profanity performances …

What is your plans for the series?

Infernal Eighteen‘s the penultimate volume of the Phantom Squadron series. I’m at least starting the final book of the series during NaNoWriMo 2012, which is going to be my attempt at an epic battle to conclude the series. It’ll have every great element to fantasy: a huge, climactic battle, raw emotion, character development, and margaritas!

What are you reading right now?

A couple things. I just finished the horror comedy book John Dies at the End by David Wong, and I’ll be picking up its sequel (This Book is Full of Spiders:Seriously, Dude, Don’t Touch It) shortly, once the e-book’s price comes down. I’m also awaiting the next volume of Rosario+Vampire Season II, I’ve just gotten through volume 10 and I’m going crazy about it because each of the last few volumes has ended with monstrous cliffhangers.

Who are some of your favorite authors? How much do you read in the fantasy genre?

The authors I like best are the ones I tend to have the most respect for, and it’s a fairly short list. I’m big on speculative fiction, so I like authors like Harry Turtledove, Margaret Atwood, and the like. As far as fantasy authors, Terry Goodkind’s ability to put commentary into his fantasy is something I aspire to. I also like the big names from graphic novels like Neil Gaiman and especially Alan Moore.

What is your next project?

I’ve got a couple I’m thinking about. One of them would be a Phantom Squadron spinoff involving a minor character from The Advance Guard, the Greek inspector Calista Adamidis, learning that she’s the daughter of the goddess Athena, and trying to claim her rightful place in the pantheon. The other one I’m thinking of is actually inspired by my baby daughter and one of her daycare friends, a children’s space opera story where the two of them go on a quest to restore one of them to a space throne.

Interested in knowing more? Here is the rest of the schedule…

February 1st: Interview @ The Four Horsemen Series Book Reviews

February 2nd: Interview and Giveaway @ The Cult of Me

February 3rd: HIPS Ranch Guest Post and Giveaway @ Reviewing Shelf

February 4th: Interview and Giveaway @ 2nd Book to the Right

February 5th: Interview @ ZB’s Blog of Awesomeness (You are here!)

February 6th: Interview @ Hock G. Tjoa

February 7th: Interview and Giveaway @ On Emily’s Bookshelf

February 8th: HIPS Ranch Guest Post @ Nightwyn.com

February 9th: Author and HIPS Ranch Interview @ The Pen Temptress

February 10th: Interview @ Ramblings of a Creative Double Dipper

February 11th: HIPS Ranch Guest Post, Review, and Giveaway @ Diary of a Fair Weather Diver

February 12th: HIPS Ranch Guest Post and Review @ Chronicles of a Book Addict

February 13th: TBA @ The Daughter of Prophecy

February 14th: HIPS Ranch Guest Post @ Awesome Books

February 15th (Release date): HIPS Ranch Post and Giveaway @ The Hidden-In-Plain-Sight Ranch