BEGINNING OF ARROGANCE
Beginning of Arrogance
by Bryan Cole
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GENRE: Fantasy
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BLURB:
Paladins are nothing but trouble. Stories about paladins are everywhere, noble warriors riding magic steeds into battle against terrible foes. Champions of their gods. Heroes to everyone, except those who already have everything. Paladins are notorious for upsetting the balance of power, to the detriment of any who don’t worship their deity.
So when Krell is called to service by the capricious god of the seas and skies, ReckNor, those with wealth and power can’t help but be concerned. ReckNor hasn’t called a paladin in years, and his nature is ever-changing and erratic. The fact that Krell is also an uneducated nobody with a stubborn streak as wide as the sea turns their concerns into fear.
All of which matters less than the threat clawing its way from the waves, ready to turn the ocean red with spilled blood…
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EXCERPT
Krell’s sword struck the pell.
His heavy breathing couldn’t disguise the dull thunk from the blade as it hit, bits of wood breaking off. Krell twisted his wrist and pulled, disengaging the blade. He struck again, the blade sliding along the wood, leaving a fresh scar. Once again, he failed to cut through the post.
Krell recovered his stance, his shield raised as Olgar taught him while his sword moved back into proper striking position. His next strike was high and carved another sliver of wood. Without waiting, Krell swung again. The sword hit lower than Krell wanted. He pulled back into the proper stance, and his next strike was on target, carving deep into the wood.
“All right, lad, I think we’ve seen enough,” a voice said from somewhere ahead of him.
Krell took a step back from the pell. An unsteady step, he was forced to admit. The sun was still high in the sky. Sweat ran into his blue eyes, causing him to blink in irritation. He glared at the wooden post. No more than halfway through. His chain mail armor was heavy on his shoulders.
He looked over at the town council, seated at a long table under an awning. They had comfortable chairs for the most part, and were sipping on what looked like cool drinks in the shade. Krell wondered how much attention they were actually paying to this test.
Amra Thort was the leader of the town council, and owner of one of the largest fishing fleets in Watford. She was a formidable- looking woman with steel gray hair, whose hands bore the signs of hard work done many years ago. People in the town respected her, Olgar had told him.
Seated next to her was Daylan Plintform, a wealthy merchant who owned many trading and fishing vessels. His long face was handsome, but he always looked irritated, even when he wasn’t. Olgar detested him, but refused to explain why. He was popular in town, since he paid for numerous festivals and banquets when the catch was good.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Bryan Cole is the author of the Paladin’s Journey series. New to the writing world, he spent years working in the enterprise software space, focused on quality assurance and delivery of software applications. Which is weird, because that has nothing to do with writing fiction.
For that, we need to go back – way back – to his first experience with Dungeons & Dragons. His friend Chris brought over the box set for Myth Drannor, eager to play. Together, they realized they had no idea what they were doing, because neither of them owned a copy of the Players Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, or the Monster Manual.
From those incredibly awkward beginnings, a lifelong passion for epic science fiction and high fantasy adventure was born. Everything from his grade 4 teacher letting him stay after school to play a video game where you were the wizard on a quest, defeating monsters by answering math problems, to some truly memorable movies like Willow that showed him a world bigger and more exciting than the real one.
Of course, Star Wars and Star Trek have had a major influence on him. Want to get in good with Bryan? Lead with a Star Wars meme. From one of the good movies. Otherwise, your plan will backfire.
Bryan is also an avid gamer, and enjoys video games, board games, and tabletop roleplaying games.
These days, he lives in Toronto with his wife and daughter, and his adorable cat.
CONNECT WITH BRYAN COLE
WEBSITE: https://fatpaladin.ca/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/FatPaladin
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/fatpaladinbooks/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22517522.Bryan_Cole
PURCHASE LINKS BEGINNING OF ARROGANCE
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Bryan Cole will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $15 Amazon/BN GC – a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Q & A With …
Tell us about you as a person.
I would say that I am a pessimistic optimist. I believe that people tend to make short-term decisions without thinking through the consequences of their actions, and that can be sometimes indirectly harmful. Yet at our core, I believe we all never want to cause harm, that we’re all in this together and are willing to help others. I try to be a good person as much as I can. In terms of interests, I’m a stereotypical nerd through and through, with a love for board games, video games, anime, science fiction, and – of course – fantasy.
If you could hang out with one famous person for one day, who would it be and why?
This is a tough question, and the nerd in me immediately wants to know the constraints. Alive or dead? If dead, am I time travelling back to see them, or are they coming forward to spend a day with me? Will the remember any of the information I share with them? What can I bring with me (for instance, supporting media and historical documents)? If there is an opportunity to warn someone of a calamity, then I might pick individuals like Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It would be extremely selfish to squander the opportunity to mitigate global catastrophes but do so in a way that hopefully leads to the same outcomes.
But, if I’m being selfish, I’d pick René Descartes. The father of modern philosophy, a mathematician who founded the Cartesian coordinate system and is known as the father of analytic geometry, he is one of the key figures in the birth of the modern world. I think we’d have an amazing conversation!
What’s the story behind your latest book?
Beginning of Arrogance is a story about what it means to be called as a paladin, and the consequences that flow from that. Paladins are rare but are not random. They are called for a specific purpose, to make manifest the will of their god on the world. The implications of that are myriad. For those in positions of power, unless they are devoted followers of that particular god, paladins represent an indirect threat that they need to plan for and counter. For everyone else, when a paladin appears – especially among a group of followers – that means that something awful is about to happen. Krell is there to keep that from happening, with mixed results.
What is your writing process?
I spend time writing when I can, and when I am in the correct frame of mind. I still have a full-time job and a family, so carving the solitude out of my day to write can be challenging at times. Sometimes when I go to write, my mindset is wrong, and instead I will do research or just goof off! However, when I sit down to write, I’ll spend three to four hours enmeshed in the story as I type it out. I then review it to see whether the characters diverged from the plot beats I outlined, and if it is better to adjust them back on course or adjust the story so they can remain who they are. It’s tremendously rewarding and fun for me when everything comes together!
If your book was to be turned into a movie, who would play the lead role(s) and why.
This is a really hard question for me! Both because I’m only generally aware of what is happening in the up and coming actor and actresses world, but also because there are so many characters in Beginning of Arrogance. For Krell, I would pick someone like Timothée Chalamet. He blew me away with his portrayal of Paul Atredies in Dune and has the right sort of wiry strength that I imagine Krell would have. Olgar would be well served by someone like Stellan Skarsgaard, while Captain Gijwolf would be Idris Elba. Maybe someone like Tanner Buchanan for Tristan, who has a major narrative role as the lancer to Krell, our protagonist.
What advice do you have for other writers who want to get the word out about their latest book?
Marketing is as hard or harder than writing the book (at least for me!). Seek assistance and be prepared to devote substantial amounts of time toward getting the word out. We all have our own definitions of success (just holding my own copy of Beginning of Arrogance in my hand was such a thrill for me!), but unless you let people know about your book, you’re not going to get readers. I’d also advise you to not wait as I did – begin the marketing campaign earlier with advanced reader copies, instead of waiting until the book is published. I’ve learned a lot about Facebook marketing, Instagram marketing, author tours, and website design, but there is still so much more to learn and know!
List 5 things on your bucket list.
See the Aurora Borealis in person (the northern lights).Visit the Bay of Fundy.Visit Italy, to view Roman and Renaissance history.Visit Greece, to view Greek historySpace travel would be amazing, but probably not in my budget.In what way do you think that this current pandemic has changed the book & publishing industry?
The push to online book buying has certainly accelerated as a result of the pandemic. I think the technology platforms like Amazon are allowing more and more people, combined with their enforced free time at home, to access the self-publishing world. At the same time, recent court documents released in the Random House merger that stated roughly fifty percent of all traditionally published books sell less than one dozen (that is, less than 12) copies ever has certainly opened some eyes. Already I’ve sold way more than twelve copies of Beginning of Arrogance, and the rise of self-publishing will only continue to accelerate.
Any final thoughts?
Everyone has a story to tell, and with ready access to the internet, not only is it easy to find and read amazing stories, but increasingly easy to write your own. I had no idea before I began writing that I would enjoy it as much as I have, and I would encourage everyone to give it a try and see if you enjoy it as much as I have!
