Author Interview: Craig Montgomery; plus H is for Hydra
In today’s post, I’m very pleased to chat with fantasy author Craig Montgomery.
Book: A Circle of Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Author: Craig Montgomery
Hello Craig can you tell us something about your book?
Craig: A Circle of Stars is about an 18-year-old boy who is abducted across the universe to a hidden lunar city where he is told he must be these strange people’s chosen one or die.
Interesting! What do you consider to be something unique or fascinating about your work?
Craig: The magic system is unique, and readers have responded really well to it. I also am really fond of the fact that the romance between the two lead characters is very healthy and is still compelling to read.
What are your plans for the future?
Craig: I’m writing a little novelette that I’ll be sending out to my newsletter audience in the next few months. And I’m also working on book 2 of this duology.
Tell me more about your protagonist? Why did you choose to write him?
Craig: Casper is an 18-year-old queer kid from Chicago who grew up in a very religious household. I wrote his story because it’s the one I needed when I was a kid. We are seeing so much more representation in fiction these days, but I never got to see a character that was like me go off on a fantasy adventure and fall in love. So, I wrote that story.
Who is your favourite character in the book?
Craig: I think maybe Helix. I’m not good at picking favorites, but I think we all need a Helix in our life.
Who inspired you to write and why did you choose Fantasy / SF?
Craig: I’ve been telling stories since I have memories. I was home schooled as a child, so I would imagine up stories while playing in the yard to occupy myself. I chose to write SFF because they are the stories I’ve always gravitated toward. I love the fantastic. It’s so excited to imagine different kinds of worlds and the magic that can fill them.
Thank you so much for joining me today. One last question: Where can readers find out more about you and your work?
Craig: Thank you for having me! I can be found at my website www.craigmontgomerybooks.com and on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram @craigmontgomerybooks.
About the Author:
Craig has always been drawn to the fantastical. Whether it’s sword and sorcery, superheroes, or faraway galaxies, he’s along for the ride, happily ever after preferred. He recently moved to the San Francisco Bay Area with his husband and their two cats, where he tries to spend as much time with trees as he can.
Link to book on Amazon:
H is for Hydra
This week’s fantasy creature in our ABC of Fantasy Creatures series is the Hydra.
In Greek mythology, hydras are huge serpent-like creatures with (usually) nine heads. They are found in marshy or wet areas.
A hydra is difficult to kill as beheading one of the heads leads to two more heads emerging from the cut (this means that the number of heads a hydra has could change). Moreover, its blood and breath are poisonous to humans.
Killing a hydra was one of Hercules’ 12 labours. He succeeded because he had help. As soon as he cut off one head, his nephew cauterised the wound so no new heads sprouted out.
Not a creature I’d like to meet. Don’t you agree?
Some self-promo!
In the Inner Lands, there are three ways sixteen-year-old Shael can get herself and her family killed—by looking like the enemy; by working with the enemy; by becoming the enemy.
When sixteen-year-old Shael unknowingly helps a mortally wounded thief, he entrusts her with delivering three figurines to the lord of her castle. Too late, Shael discovers that the figurines were stolen from the Hyllethans, her country’s feared enemies. And since she cut her fingers on the figurines while handling them, she is now linked to them. Any breakage or pressure on the clay is felt on her flesh.
Despite her reluctance to aid the enemy, Shael teams up with three Hyllethans to retrieve the figurines and break the connection. Shael is caught in the tussle for the thrones of the two lands. To avoid becoming a pawn—or dangle from a hangman’s noose—she has to regain possession of the figurines and face the unsuspected secrets of her lost past.
Three thrones. Two power-hungry mages. One girl standing in their way.
Exiled in Hylletha, sixteen-year-old Shael longs to return to the land of her birth but her brother Iysel, the new, terrifying mage-king of the Inner Lands, wants her dead. Shael’s very existence threatens Iysel’s right to the throne since she is the holder of the magical Gift of Touch, which is traditionally held by the monarch.
To ensure peace, Theis, the young man Shael loves, goes to Iysel’s court to negotiate the reunification of Hylletha and the Inner Lands under one ruler. But when Shael’s young foster brother is abducted and held prisoner in the Inner Lands, Shael has only her limited knowledge of spellcraft to help her stay out of Iysel’s reach, rescue her foster brother and make sure Theis doesn’t bear the brunt of Iysel’s rage.
Complicating matters further, Iysel has won the unexpected support of their wily cousin—the son of the king of a neighbouring land and an extraordinary mage—who has his own reasons for wanting to get hold of Shael.
The stability of the three realms lies in the balance. Faced by intrigue and betrayal from all sides, Shael must choose between protecting the lives of those she loves or taking up her role as princess and heir to the thrones to safeguard the welfare of the people.
She’ll be crowned queen—if she lives that long.
With her coronation fast approaching, Shael fears the debilitating effects of poisoning resulting from her stint in the dragons’ birthing grounds will make her unfit to rule. But this becomes the least of her worries when her brother Iysel turns up claiming he’s the true King of Hylletha as well as heir to Dragonia. Shael is determined to protect the realms from the merciless mage, but the documents that challenge Iysel’s right to the thrones have disappeared.
Protecting the realms isn’t the only reason for finding the missing documents. Proving Iysel’s duplicity is the surest way of saving Theis, the love of Shael’s live, whom Iysel has accused of desertion and treason.
With time running out, with assassins stalking her every move and her health failing, Shael sets out to unravel the tangled web of deceit and greed ensnaring her and the kingdoms. Unfortunately, the most obvious culprit isn’t always the only enemy.
Dawn of Purple and Grey, Days of Wind and Snow, and Night of Rites and Wraiths (The Hyllethan Gifts Trilogy) are available through Amazon either as individual books or as a Complete Series Box Set.
Till next time,
Caroline
