Today,
we're doing something a little different. Fellow Solstice author Rival Gates is stopping by
to talk about his fascinating fantasy book!
Hello, Rival! It's great that you're visiting MLB. :)
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Hello! Thanks so much for having me!
My pleasure, of course! So, let me ask a few questions since you're here...
All right.
Can you tell us a little about your latest book? When did it come out and where can we get it?
This is a story of Linvin Grithinshield trying to locate the fabled Red Sapphire in order to become a champion for the helpless and the weak with its great magic. Another party also has sought the gem and has killed his parents in an effort to get the components necessary to find it. It will not be enough to just find the magic stone. Linvin must prove himself worthy of its power along his quest.
It was published in December, 2013 and can be purchased at Amazon http://amzn.to/1npYd0S
So, what inspired you to write your book? How did you get into writing fantasy?
I have loved fantasy ever since I read The Chronicles of Narnia as a child. I read many different authors but always found problems with their stories. So I endeavored to create a story without the gaps and flaws I kept finding. My work is not perfect, but it answers the questions many books leave in the air.
Great! What, do you feel, sets this book apart from other books in the genre?
I spend a lot of time on character development. The characters must change throughout the book and in order to do that they need a solid foundation. Many books give a quick overview of the character and move on. I am much more in depth.
All right.
So...give us a teaser or two if you can.
Teaser One
Linvin was still. He closed his eyes and tried to
put aside the events of the day. At last he spoke, “My life makes no sense to
me. There I was, growing up with my parents and then out of nowhere my father
tells me, ‘I must send you away, son. You are destined for something greater
than the life I can provide. The greatness in your future lies down a separate
road than I must travel. To prepare for that, I must send you to the greatest
teacher you could have, Sedemihcra.’”
“‘You will be trained to be a soldier, a commander
and a leader of men. He will also train you to use your mind to solve problems
that force alone cannot solve. He will set you on the right path. When the time
is right and your training is complete, I will send for you to return home.’”
“I asked him what was at the end of my path. He had
such passion in his voice as he told me, ‘One day you will make an unrivaled
difference in the lives of others. The weak, the helpless, the oppressed; all
will one-day look to you as their champion. They will be counting on you. I
will be counting on you.’”
“‘To send you away is the hardest thing I have ever
done. Your mother is against this but the time has come for you to begin your
training. There is so much at stake, son. You will have the chance to stand up
to tyranny, oppression and all the evils of the world. That task will fall to
you alone. You can rise to the challenge or turn your back. If you do turn away
though, millions of people will suffer. Terrible storms are on the horizon. You
are the only shelter the people will have. So you see, my son, that is why you
must go.’”
Anvar sat his stein on the rail and began to pace.
“Your parents agonized over the decision and your mother was indeed set against
the entire idea, but in the end, your father would not defer. He sent you away
because he knew that you needed training.”
Linvin finished his ale and refilled the great
vessel. “I had many years to ponder those words as I grew up in Valia. It never
made sense to me but I had to trust my father’s judgment.”
“So here I am at last, summoned home to fulfill my
destiny. As it turns out, I am destined to be a merchant or politician and
marry some cold, greedy woman who comes from the right family. I will settle
down, make more money and be a proper member of society.” Linvin’s tone had
been sarcastic and his movements, grandiose.
He approached Anvar in a combination of frustration
and anger. “So, dear uncle, best friend of Dirk Grithinshield, is this the life
for which my father sent me to be trained?”
Teaser Two
It was at that moment of uncertainty that Linvin and
his cavalry attacked from the rear along the entire line. The goblins were so
preoccupied with the happenings in front of them, that they paid no heed to the
cavalry in the rear, forming a line along the length of their formation.
Bewildered goblins never saw the strikes coming that cut them down. The phalanx
was so tightly packed that Linvin’s troops could not miss.
Linvin struck like thunder with his long sword. He
slashed to his right and then his left, dropping goblins with each stroke. As
quickly as he could swing his sword, he would kill another.
Linvin was not alone in his success. His cavalry cut
deep swaths into the rear goblin ranks. The cavalry maintained their line and
did not get too far ahead of each other in order to avoid being surrounded.
The discipline observed among the goblins seemed to
bleed away in the chaos. Indecision took center stage. Due to the close
formation, they could not turn to fight without dropping their pikes. But without
their pikes, they would be at a great disadvantage to the horsemen. It led to
carnage on an unprecedented scale, courtesy of Linvin’s cavalry.
Indecision gave way to panic as the majority of what
was once a phalanx dropped their spears and drew their melee weapons. Rather
than continue to be attacked from behind, they chose to turn and fight as best
they could.
The change in tactics could not have come at a
better time at the shield-wall. The front line had collapsed and Sculla’s men
were on the verge of being routed. With most of the pikes discarded, there was
at last a moment to hasten fresh troops to the line and reform the wall.
Personally taking the lead, Sculla ordered an advance. They marched with their
wall intact to the front of the goblin line and engaged.
The cavalry was meeting with more fierce resistance
with the change of weapons. Their progress slowed and they began to take
losses.
Linvin was striking more swords then armor as his
enemy rallied. At least one goblin had kept his spear. He struck Linvin’s horse
with a killing blow. The steed stood on its hind legs and then fell to its
side.
Linvin was thrown to the ground with his sword and
shield flying from his hands. His helmet fell forward, covering his eyes. With
a swipe of his forearm he knocked the helmet off.
A goblin stood above Linvin with his sword in hand.
He was ready to strike. He propped his arm in front of him and braced for the
blow. Nothing happened. Linvin looked again and saw a blade erupt from the
goblin’s chest before sending him to the ground. Left standing behind the body
was an astonished Fardar.
Linvin could not believe it. They exchanged a brief
nod. Linvin regained his feet quickly, holding a sickle-sword and hand ax. He
immediately struck right past Fardar’s head with the sword. It caught a goblin
in the face that was about to kill Linvin’s savior. There was no time to thank
one another. The two stood back-to-back and continued the fight.
Linvin slashed at the hamstring of one, as he buried
the ax deep in another. Drawing back quickly, he stabbed and chopped at two
more. The flailing of his arms made him a difficult target to approach. It also
made him lose sight of Fardar.
The moments passed like days. For every goblin that
fell, another filled his place. There appeared to be no reprieve from the
endless enemy surge.
Linvin’s swipes slowed to show his growing
exhaustion. Reluctant goblins encircled him and probed for weakness. One broke
the circle and charged him. Linvin dispatched him quickly but turned to see the
others rushing his position. He chose a side, attacking with what strength he
could give. One goblin fell, then another. He felt the weapons strike his armor
in the back. Before he could turn, a sword gashed his left bicep. The ax fell
from his hand as his arm dropped. The blow knocked him backward. He lashed out
at the offender with his sickle-sword, slashing across the throat.
Linvin stumbled, but retained his feet. With no one
before him, the exhausted general turned to strike behind. His blade picked up speed
as he spun around. In an instant, his blow was stopped in mid-swing. In
astonishment, Linvin looked at his arm and saw a hand clasped around his wrist.
His eyes followed the hand to its source and found it to belong to Sculla. He
was smiling at his general.
Riveting excerpts!
So, I'm
sure readers are curious about your next writing project. Can you tell
us what you've got cooking up now or is that a secret?
Book two, The Sapphire Crucible, is out now and the third book, Mandrean
Revenge, is due out this year. I am about half way done with book four, Repercussions Abound.
All excellent titles! How exciting!
Thanks so much for stopping by to tell us about this book, Rival!
My pleasure!
Readers, you'll just have to pick up a copy of this exciting fantasy story! ;)
Here is the blurb.
General Linvin Grithinshield was used to enemies trying to kill him on
the battlefields of the medieval world of Lavacia. Now he has the fear
of being killed anytime, anywhere. He thinks he is summoned home from
the goblin wars to oversee the family merchant empire after his father’s
disappearance; and for a while he is right. Then his mother is
assassinated and Linvin’s true purpose is revealed. He must seek out
and find the all-powerful Red Sapphire and claim its might before the
murders find it…or him. With new dangers around every turn in an
ever-escalating spiral of violence, he must prove himself worthy of the
gem and lead his party to success against insurmountable odds. To fail
would mean death for far more than just him. The world, itself, could
fall into permanent shadow and darkness.
Sounds thrilling!
Oh, and don't forget to pick up your copy now! Rival is running a 99 cents offer for the Kindle version. How awesome is that? Go for it!
About the Author:
I
was born in Port Huron, MI and was the youngest of four surviving children. At the age of five my father took a position
as a magazine editor in Toronto, Ontario Canada. We moved to a large city just outside Toronto
called Mississauga. The different
cultures and demographics to which I was exposed formed many of the ideas for
my story.
When
I was thirteen, my father’s declining health forced him out of work and our
family struggled. It was at that time
that I decided to channel my negative energy into a constructive purpose. I set out to write a short story about a
magical gem called the Red Sapphire. My
brothers teased me that such a stone was simply a ruby. That irony was part of the attraction for
me. After all, who would be writing
about a Red Sapphire? Years went by and
we moved down to my Father’s home town of Harrow, Ontario on the shores of Lake
Erie. It was a drastic change from city
life and I found myself retreating more and more into my ever growing
story. By age fifteen I had a
two-hundred page hand written manuscript.
Advancing
from high school to college at Michigan State University there was little time
for writing and the project sat in a drawer in my parent’s home. In spite of my lack of attention to writing, every
night I would fall asleep working out details of the book and the series to
follow.
I met a wonderful woman at Michigan State who agreed
after graduation to become my wife. As
we started our family I began a career in retail management and sales. For over twenty years I excelled in the field
and even incorporated some of my knowledge into the book. I hold my position in the greatest esteem.
While
I rewrote the story several times on my computer, I did not attempt to publish
it until the longest supporter of my writing, my mother, became terminally
ill. She told me the last time I saw her
how proud she was of the story I had created and made me promise to publish it
and share it with the world. With the loving
support of my wife, our three children and the help of the good people at
Solstice Publishing, I am fulfilling that promise.
When
my father (ever the editor) read the book, he told me how proud he was and that
somewhere he knew my mother was equally proud.
I present to you the first part of the saga which is my life’s work, Quest for the Red Sapphire. May it
bring you as much joy to read as it has brought me to write.
Author Links:
Website: http://www.rivalgates.com/
Blog: http://www.rivalgates.com/blog http://rivalgates.tumblr.com/
Blog: http://www.rivalgates.com/blog http://rivalgates.tumblr.com/
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1qqrjiB
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rivalgates1
Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/Rival-Gates/e/B00I3Q5YIG/
Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/Rival-Gates/e/B00I3Q5YIG/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RivalGates/posts
Rival's Books:
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