Welcome to the Party!! I am happy to have S.E. Townsend with us today to answer all you questions about his latest release Book of Death. So what is his newest release about? Well. let's take a look:
They
live among us. We know they are there. No government can control them; no
authority can stop them. Some are evil. Some are good. All are powerful.
They inhabit our myths and fairy tales. But what if they were real, the
witches, wizards, and fairy godmothers? What if they were called "adepts" and
were organized into guilds for mutual protection and benefit? And what if some
of them discovered a power that other adepts could not
match.
During
the turbulent 1960s, when American adept Peter Branton agrees to go to
Transylvania for the CIA, he suspects it's not about ball bearings as he was
told. What he finds is a plot that could kill millions of people and plunge the
world into eternal tyranny and bloodshed. Branton doesn't know it, but he's
about to face the adept guilds' worst nightmare: practicing necromancers with a
taste for human blood.
Sneak Peek Inside:
I'd never seen
this type of meta before. At least I assumed that's what it was, as the wooden
man inexorably walked toward me with a creak of moving wood, like tree branches
in a heavy wind. It was raising its arms for another blow so I stepped back and
shot an airbolt at it. I heard wood crack, but that didn't stop it. It swung
again and its wooden fist pounded into my face, knocking me down and back on the
sidewalk. Somewhere I heard screams and yells. A guy sitting on the sidewalk,
his back to a storefront, muttered, "Wow, bad trip, man."
The Indian was
bending over, its face expressionless except for the painted-on peace sign as it
seemed to prepare for another attack. I shot fire at it, assuming old dry wood
would ignite easily, and it did: the hippie dress went up in flames, and now the
monster was a burning mass, still attacking me. It smacked me again with a
flaming arm and I suffered from both the impact and the burns. Nearly screaming,
I scrambled away on hands and knees. I don't think I'd ever been that scared.
Still it came, oblivious to the fact it was on fire.
A motorcycle
cop I hadn't noticed jumped off his bike, pulled his service revolver, and shot
it into the Indian with six cracks of bullets being fired. It had no effect
other than sending burning splinters of wood flying. The cop suddenly looked
frightened, and was gripping his billy club but taking no further
action.
People were
screaming loudly now. I looked around, looking for an escape. If I could
teleport away I might escape, but I could see no clear place to teleport to.
Briefly I wondered what happened to Ernestine and if she were safe. I didn't
sense the presence of another adept, but I didn't really have the ability to be
quiet enough to do so. I just hoped she was okay.
The burning
Indian smacked me again, hard, in the chest and I felt as if my feet left the
ground as I was knocked into a car's side. I heard and felt sheet metal crumple
and knew I'd hit the car hard. My vision was going gray. But I realized my shirt
was on fire and that kept me from passing out; if I passed out I was probably
dead. I pulled water from the air to douse the fire, but this took time and the
Indian was on me again, even though it was moving very slowly.
I wondered if
I'd survive until the wooden Indian had been consumed by the flames. It hit me
again, knocking me to the sidewalk. There was an unpleasant smell and I realized
my hair was burning. I used my bare hand to pat out the flames. This gave the
Indian time to hit me again, hard. It almost felt as if I flew through the air
and was slapped painfully to the sidewalk, the Indian still lumbering toward
me.
In desperation
I shot another airbolt at it. It must have been on the verge of falling apart
because that hit blew it into flaming pieces that scattered over the street and
also hit me, burning my skin or singeing my clothes. But it was no longer
attacking.
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009BA1ZJA
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009BA1ZJA
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/236215
Sound good? I think so!! So what's a Release Party without cool giveaways? This what you can win here:
$10 Amazon Card
Autographed Print Copy of Book of Death
T-shirt and signed bookmarks
So what do you have to do? Just fill out the rafflecopter!! Good Luck!!!
51 comments:
did you always knw you wanted to write? or was it an "i have an idea today i'll write a book".
:)
Who was/is your favorite writer and did they make you want to wright?
What gave you the idea for that interesting cover?
How to you research for your books?
Do you like to write series or stand alones?
debi01760@hotmail.com
What is your favorite book? Great Excerpt!
kaylyndavis1986@yahoo.com
Why did you decide to become an author?
Who or what inspires you?
cassandrahicks1989@yahoo.com
I'm curious how you develop / organize your plots when writing (it's something I'm working on as a writer). Do you have a system, do you work from a synopsis, or are you a pantser? :)
I was wondering if you had a favorite character to write?
Do you plan on writing different genres?
Who or what would you say has been the biggest influence in your writing career ?
What inspires you to write?
Why did you name your characters those particular names? Any actually person influence you to choose, or did the characters decide for you? sdylion(at)gmail(dot)com
Do you ever get your story ideas from your dreams?
amotherway@ aol (dot)com
Do you ever get your story ideas from your dreams?
amotherway@ aol (dot)com
Book of Death is such an interesting name for a novel, why did you choose that name? Carin
mawmom at gmail dot com
Who is your favorite author and why this genre?
I like the retro look to the cover. Is this going to be a series or is it a one off?
Hi,
Is there a genre you have not written in, but would love to?
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
What do you like to do when you're not writing? Thanks for the great giveaway.
What is your favorite novel?
r.d1@myfairpoint.net
What is your favorite novel?
r.d1@myfairpoint.net
What is your writing schedule like?
This sounds great!! Whats your favorite part of a book to write?
So Sheldon, when you were a child what was your favorite book?
Thanks for the excerpt and giveaway.
Was there a reason for setting it in the 60's?
ilona
felinewyvern at googlemail dot com
This book sound great and interesting cover. Where idea come from for that cover, i am curious.
Do you want to write in any other genre? If so, which?
susanmplatt AT hotmail DOT com
Hi
Is this book part of a series? If so, how many books will there be in it?
where do you get your ideas
Hi Sheldon! Is this book in a series or going to be a series?
Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
ehaney578 at aol dot com
What is your favorite novel/book?
When is your next book coming out?
ronnkelly3@aol.com
Hey, first of all, let me apologize for not answering questions in a timely manner. I didn't realize this was where the Q&A was going to be. Thank you all for the questions!
Miriam Whitewolf: I pretty much always knew I wanted to be a writer, except maybe when I was 6 and wanted to be a fireman. I was always making up stories and playing out scenes with my toys.
Cassie Hoffman: My favorite writer continues to be Robert Heinlein. The man could tell a story (and often sneaked in something to think about, too). He just reinforced my desire to write speculative fiction such as science fiction and fantasy.
Holly Letson: I worked with a graphic company my publisher hired. They came up with the original design and then we tweaked it until I was happy with it. The blood splatters and AK-47 gun were my ideas.
Shannon Ro: I possibly over-research my books. I believe you can't do too much research but you can (but shouldn't) show off to your reader how much research you did. For this novel, for instance, I read two books on Romania and contacted the author of one of them to ask her questions about life there. I also read old newspapers in the library, watch documentaries (which help with the visuals), and even some fiction books on similar subjects. For instance, for Hammer of Thor I read a fiction book about life in Korea before World War II since there is one chapter in the novel set there.
debi01760: I do both. Book of Death is actually the third book in what I call the Adept Series. It follows Hammer of Thor and Agent of Artifice. But I also had published earlier this year Rock Killer, a stand-alone science fiction novel (although I do have an idea for a prequel).
Kaylyn D: Glad you liked the excerpt. My favorite book is . . . I think . . . Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. Or the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Or maybe it's A Knight of Ghost and Shadows by Poul Anderson. Can you tell that I'm not sure?
vadeluna07: I don't want to sound pretentious but I believe writing is my "calling." I believe writing chose me, I didn't choose it. I've been writing all my life. It is the one thing I can do all day, everyday, and still say I love doing it.
Cassandra: Great writing inspires me. Also reader feedback but I wrote a lot and for a long time before anything got published. I read something well written and I simply want to hone my craft until I write that well.
Intisar Khanani: I'm a pantser with a map. When I start to write a novel I have a beginning, and middle, and an end (usually). Then I sort of start writing and see where that takes me. Sometimes I end up where I planned, sometimes I end up at the top of the Space Needle in Seattle battling a fire-breathing dragon (as in Agent of Artifice). As a writer, you need to develop a method that works for you.
Bboo04: In Book of Death my favorite character to write was the villain. Since I don't want to give away who that is, I can't say much more about it. In the prequel, Agent of Artifice, I loved writing the hero. Well, he starts out as a cad, and reluctantly becomes a hero.
catslady: I have already written a mainstream drama novel about a writer with metal health issues, a crumbling marriage, and a crush on a Starbucks barista. Not sure what I'm going to do with it.
wanda f: The biggest influence in my writing career was probably Captain Kirk. Watching reruns of Star Trek as a teenager solidified my want, need, and desire to write science fiction. From there reading great writers of speculative fiction were my biggest influence.
Tore: Money. And as I told Cassandra, great writing. (I'm kidding about the money.)
SdyLion: Naming characters is something I hate. I have been known to point blindly at the phone book (or use a random name generator on the internet). Obviously, if someone has a reason to have a Japanese name or a Russian name, I'll look for appropriate names. I'm not going to name a Romanian intelligence officer John Smith. I rarely use names that mean anything to me. One character in the Adepts Series has for a first name my wife's middle name.
Allie: No, I've never gotten a story idea from a dream. My dreams aren't that lucid. They tend to be jumbled images that bounce from one weird thing to the next. I once wrote a short story about my dreams but it didn't turn out very good.
Carin: The Book of Death is the book that Vlad the Impaler recorded his necromancer spells in. When that book turns up 500 years later, all sorts of havoc breaks out. So I named the novel Book of Death because it was a very evocative title. I guess you could say Book of Death is about the Book of Death.
Kerry: My favorite author is Robert Heinlein. I am finding the fantasy genre more liberating than science fiction. I can play with the physical laws of the universe in fantasy. I'm not exactly sure "why" this genre. It sort of picked me. I was writing a short science fiction story and started putting fantasy elements in it. From there I got my basic rules, background, and vocabulary and I took those into the past for this series.
NoraA: Thank you! The retro look on the cover is because the novel is set in 1968. This is actually the third book in the Adept Series, follow Hammer of Thor (1932 - 1950), Agent of Artifice (1958 - 1963).
marybelle: Romance. I hear those books really sell. Actually, I could see myself writing in whatever genre interests me. I've thought about taking the Adept Series into the old West or the U.S. Civil War. I've thought about taking it into the future.
fundinmental: When I'm not writing or promoting my books, I'm . . . sleeping. In my spare time I like to read, drive (fast), go to Starbucks and people watch, and I'm active in civic organizations.
Renald: As I told Kaylyn, I'm not sure. So many good books it's hard to put your finger on one and say "This is the best." I know what book I detested the most that I had to read in college, it was called In the American Grain.
Na: I write when inspired. Days could go by and I won't write a thing, then I'll be up until 4:00 A.M. writing. It comes in spurts. I can't keep to a schedule because my muse is a lazy imp who works when she wants to.
Shadow: My favorite part of books to write are the action sequences. Sometimes I think the rest of the book is just an excuse to have a fun fight between two adepts (wizards) and some armed warriors (body guards).
lavendersbluegreen: When I was a child my favorite book was Go Dog Go (probably because it had race cars in it). Then I went on a 15 year reading hiatus (that dang TV was too alluring) and started reading for pleasure again with The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
ilona: This is book #3 in the Adept Series. Each book has been set in the past and around some historical event such as World War II. 1968 was a pivotal year in U.S. History and in the world with the Prague Spring.
Filia Oktarina: As I told Holly, I worked with a graphics company my publisher hired. They came up with the basic design and then we tweaked it until I was happy with it. I though some ideas at them like the use of blood, put the heroine in a 1960s dress, have something about the KGB and secrecy. It all came together from there.
susanmp: I'm pretty much in the speculative fiction genre, but I could probably as easily write mainstream or western or any number of genres. I just don't want to (after my experiment with mainstream).
DANIELA: Yes, this is book three of a three-book series called the Adept Series and includes Hammer of Thor and Agent of Artifice. The other day I had a nugget of an idea for another book in the series but it's very preliminary at this point. But there could be more books coming.
Helen: If I knew, I'd bottle it and sell it. Ideas can come from so many places: something you read, something you see. My nugget of an idea I mentioned to DANIELA came from a news story. Sometimes I'll be in the shower and not thinking about writing and have an ADD moment and bam, an idea will formulate.
Elizabeth: Yes, this is book three of a three-book series called the Adept Series and includes Hammer of Thor and Agent of Artifice.
Amanda Ray: I don't know: too many good books. I'll tell you this, I've read one book by Robert Heinlein I did not like much. So my favorite book is probably one of his novels.
Kelly R: I don't know. I'm not currently working on anything. Depends on when the muse hits me.
What great questions, everyone! Thanks. I'll be back to answer more.
howdy sheldon...
i'm just curious... d u plan to publish ur books into other language such as indonesaian ? :)
nurmawati djuhawan: That would be up to my publisher. We have looked into the cost of translating books into Spanish and at this time it is cost-prohibitive. I'm sure Indonesaian would be just as bad if not worse. Thank you for the question!
What do you do to relax besides read?
Theresa Haywood Donbroski Johnson I like to watch movies and good television shows (Netflix is great for both of those). I like to drive as fast as I can get away with. I enjoy people watching at the local Starbucks, and I sometimes just play on my computer exploring the internet. Thanks for the question!
What music do you like to listen to while writing?
dusty katt I'm kind of weird in that I need absolute, sepulcher quiet while I'm writing. The hum of the fan on my computer and the hiss of the central HVAC system are almost too much. However, in writing the San Francisco hippie scenes in Book of Death, one song kept going through my head: Somebody to Love by Jefferson Airplane (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIkoSPqjaU4) which to me epitomizes the San Francisco 60s rock sound. Thanks for your question.
What fuels your writing?
Tammy MiddletonTater Tots, mostly. Seriously, I'm not sure. I've wanted to write as long as I can remember. I need to write like I need to breathe. Oh, I could live without it . . . for a while. But eventually I'll start writing. In fact, I often do it involuntarily, in quiet moment I'll start writing in my head. I guess I have this creativity that must manifest itself in writing.
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