Today,
we're doing something a little different. Fellow author Frederick H. Crook is stopping by to talk about his new book!
Hello, Frederick! It's great that you're visiting MLB. Lovely to see you again! :)
Hi! Thank you for having me here.
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 book? When did it come out and where can we get it?
The latest novel came out early September of 2015.
It’s entitled Of Knight & Devil, and it features two ex-military men, Major
Reginald Mattersly of the British Army’s SRR and David Bartel, aka Elias
Mulhaney, formerly of the 82nd Airborne. These two characters join forces
to rescue the niece of Mayor Jazz Hernandez of Lovelock, NV from the rather
insane, self-proclaimed King of Reno, a man known only as Gillespie.
Of
Knight & Devil is a fast-paced dystopian sci-fi action adventure available
for Kindle or in paperback.
Great!
So, what inspired you to write your book. How did you get into writing dystopian science fiction?
Of Knight & Devil brings together two characters
from previous works. Reginald Mattersly is a character from my second novel, The
Pirates of Exodus, and Elias Mulhaney is the main character from my first short
story, Runt Pulse. The idea of two warring neighbors and the two characters
joining in was too much of a temptation not to write. I just had to reuse them
in some type of scenario, and I just love the end result.
I
write dystopian stories because they hold a certain mystique for readers. My story line is based on a really positive thing, however, not something like a
post-Armageddon scenario or some weird post-apocalyptic world. In my dystopian
sci-fi universe, the majority of mankind has relocated to the colony planet,
Alethea, which is a promised land of sorts, being that it is a giant version of
our planet. But with everything positive, there is a negative consequence. The remainder
of Earth’s population begins to suffer from a slowly failing infrastructure and
the re-introduction of illnesses. All of my works center around this “Great
Exodus” as I have called it, and whether or not they happen early on in the
timeline, as is the case of the “Campanelli” stories, which happen in
2109-2110, or the furthest out, which is my first novel, The Dregs of Exodus,
occurring in 2139-2140, these stories focus on the human condition, rather than
technology.
Great!
Of Knight & Devil brings together two characters
from previous works. Reginald Mattersly is a character from my second novel, The
Pirates of Exodus, and Elias Mulhaney is the main character from my first short
story, Runt Pulse. The idea of two warring neighbors and the two characters
joining in was too much of a temptation not to write. I just had to reuse them
in some type of scenario, and I just love the end result.
I
write dystopian stories because they hold a certain mystique for readers. My story line is based on a really positive thing, however, not something like a
post-Armageddon scenario or some weird post-apocalyptic world. In my dystopian
sci-fi universe, the majority of mankind has relocated to the colony planet,
Alethea, which is a promised land of sorts, being that it is a giant version of
our planet. But with everything positive, there is a negative consequence. The remainder
of Earth’s population begins to suffer from a slowly failing infrastructure and
the re-introduction of illnesses. All of my works center around this “Great
Exodus” as I have called it, and whether or not they happen early on in the
timeline, as is the case of the “Campanelli” stories, which happen in
2109-2110, or the furthest out, which is my first novel, The Dregs of Exodus,
occurring in 2139-2140, these stories focus on the human condition, rather than
technology.
All right.
What, do you feel, sets your book apart from other books in the genre?
Of Knight & Devil, while reusing two
characters, reads as an entirely independent work. There may be a lot of
dystopian novels out there, but my universe is based on an intact, healthy
Earth, recovering from the abuses of mankind. As the human race is reduced to
living in a world of failing technology, they are rediscovering Earth as
something that they no longer rule over, but have to survive in. I think any
adventure in that setting is just plain exciting.
Of Knight & Devil, while reusing two
characters, reads as an entirely independent work. There may be a lot of
dystopian novels out there, but my universe is based on an intact, healthy
Earth, recovering from the abuses of mankind. As the human race is reduced to
living in a world of failing technology, they are rediscovering Earth as
something that they no longer rule over, but have to survive in. I think any
adventure in that setting is just plain exciting.
Fascinating!
So, give us a teaser or two of the book if you can.
“I
have to reload here,” Mulhaney said. “Both belts are about out.”
“Do it. Quickly,” Reginald replied.
Just as he finished speaking, an
explosion rocked the parking garage.
“What the hell was that?” Elias
wondered aloud and froze. “Artillery?”
“Just reload, now!” Reginald
ordered. Seeing no one beyond his driver’s window, the major dared open his
driver’s hatch to listen.
Another explosion rocked the
building, this time more violently. Angel opened the infantry hatch and took a
look behind them. Bits of concrete and dust filled the air around the two
machines. Just as she was ducking back inside, a third explosion struck the
building, directly above them. The outer hull was struck with falling concrete
from the ceiling.
“Mortars!” Reginald shouted into the
microphone for the benefit of their new ally, Sergeant Schamski. He slammed the
driver’s hatch, locked it, and extracted himself from the seat, leaving the
helmet behind. “Angel, get into the driver’s position and move if I tell you.
We are being shelled!” With that order given, the major snatched up his
Dragunov and lowered the rear ramp.
“Major, I don’t know how to drive
this thing!” she protested.
“Just do it! Shut the door when I
get clear!” he shouted as the next mortar round struck against the side of the
parking structure, this time on their floor. Mattersly was shielded by flying
bits of concrete by Necromancer, which was immediately covered in dust.
Reginald used the dust as cover for
his run to the southwest corner of the building. He had judged from the
trajectory of the first three rounds that whoever was launching the mortars
would be found in that direction. He crouched low as he met with the wall,
pulled his beret from his tunic’s breast pocket and placed it on his head. The
action was more out of necessity than pride, for the gray surface of the cap
would not reflect the sunlight.
Another mortar round struck nearly
the same place as before, only one floor below. Wasting no time, he took a peek
over the top of the waist-high wall, where his eyes found another large hotel
across the street. Having adjusted his eyes for distance, he immediately
located the mortar crew, which had taken a room on a floor slightly below the
level of the garage on which Necromancer and Wolfhunter were trapped.
He quickly reset his eyesight to
normal and brought up his Dragunov, being careful to remain in the shadows.
Reginald watched as the crew fired a sixth round. In seconds, it was clear that
this one was going to be rather close. He lay flat and covered his head as the
round struck just left of his position, taking out the short wall and the
leading edge of the pavement. Mattersly felt several bits of concrete strike
him and was covered by dust.
His ears rang despite the audio
devices’ cancellation attempts and his eyes burned from the dust. Reginald
noted that Necromancer had again opened fire on targets trying to come up to
their level. Without further thought, the major rose upon one knee, lifted his
rifle to his shoulder and located a target. It was the mercenary attending or
perhaps firing the mortar.
Reginald squeezed the trigger and
dropped him. Training told him to move to another location, but he had found
Renoite militia to be undertrained and inexperienced. He found a second target.
This one was another militiaman which came to the aid of the man Reginald had
just brought down. With another squeeze of the trigger, the second man was
felled.
This time, Mattersly did drop to the
floor to crawl to another location. It was none too soon, as the place where he
had just fired from was struck with a smattering of assault weapon rounds,
returned from the militiamen supporting the mortar. As the two Strykers fired
at targets that he could not see, the major lifted his body onto his knee and
prepared to take another look. Just then, the seventh round struck the parking
garage, close enough to knock him flat.
Ooh! I definitely want to know what happens next.
Let's try a different question, okay?
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?
The next novel in the Campanelli crime thriller
line is about to be submitted to Solstice Publishing. It’s entitled, Campanelli:
Siege of the Nighthunter. It’s something altogether different from my previous
works as there is a horror aspect to it. This makes it a dystopian sci-fi
horror crime thriller…if you can dig that. The cannibalistic serial killer has
even given me a couple of nightmares. Our beloved blind detective, Frank
Campanelli, with the help of his partner, Marcus Williams, tries to track down
the most dangerous killer to ever terrorize the city of Chicago. I’m quite
proud of it.
The next novel in the Campanelli crime thriller
line is about to be submitted to Solstice Publishing. It’s entitled, Campanelli:
Siege of the Nighthunter. It’s something altogether different from my previous
works as there is a horror aspect to it. This makes it a dystopian sci-fi
horror crime thriller…if you can dig that. The cannibalistic serial killer has
even given me a couple of nightmares. Our beloved blind detective, Frank
Campanelli, with the help of his partner, Marcus Williams, tries to track down
the most dangerous killer to ever terrorize the city of Chicago. I’m quite
proud of it.
As you should be. :)
How exciting! We certainly look forward to your other books!
Thanks so much for stopping by to tell us about Of Knight & Devil, Frederick!
Of course! Thanks for having me here.
It's my pleasure!
Readers, you'll just have to pick up a copy of this great dystopian sci-fi! ;)
Here is the blurb.
It
is July, 2130, less than a year after the destruction of the Cape Canaveral
Spaceport, the last of its kind in America. Major Reginald Mattersly of the
British Army’s SRR has been slowly making his way to the west coast, where he
wishes to find a home on the beach and live out the remainder of his life.
These plans are cut short when he is
ambushed in Nevada by a mysterious trio of armed men. To his rescue comes a man
of the 82nd Airborne who calls himself Elias Mulhaney. The two of
them continue on to a town called Lovelock, currently embattled with their
neighbors in Reno.
The mayor of Lovelock, Jazz
Hernandez, is the prime target of her former lover, Gillespie, the mayor of
Reno. His mentality: If he can’t have her, no one can.
Mattersly and Mulhaney band together
to infiltrate the city of Reno to rescue her kidnapped niece, Nora, and destroy
the factory that provides Gillespie’s military power.
In a post-Great Exodus Earth where
there is no law and no national government, can there still be justice?
Purchase Links:
Amazon Universal: http://bookgoodies.com/a/B0158XZXC8
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/of-knight-devil-frederick-h-crook/1122656194
CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/5734642
What people are saying about Of Knight & Devil:
"Frederick
H. Crook is a masterful storyteller. He pits good against evil with a way
different from most writers in the genre. The dialog is crisp and believable." ~
Frank Scozzari
"The
entire book takes place over the course of a few days and honestly, I was
bummed when it ended. You will never get bored reading this book." ~
Melissa Massey-Maroni
"I
loved each page of this tale of hope. Anyone who still believes in the magic of
heroism, should definitely have Of Knight & Devil in their bookcase."
~ Susan Lynn Solomon
This sounds like an interesting read!
"Frederick
H. Crook is a masterful storyteller. He pits good against evil with a way
different from most writers in the genre. The dialog is crisp and believable." ~
Frank Scozzari
"The
entire book takes place over the course of a few days and honestly, I was
bummed when it ended. You will never get bored reading this book." ~
Melissa Massey-Maroni
"I
loved each page of this tale of hope. Anyone who still believes in the magic of
heroism, should definitely have Of Knight & Devil in their bookcase."
~ Susan Lynn Solomon
This sounds like an interesting read!
About the Author:
Frederick was born in
Chicago in 1970 and now lives in Villa Park with his wife, Rae and their three
dachshunds. He began by writing fictional works all through high school, but
didn’t take himself seriously until 2009, when Frederick began writing his
first novel, The Dregs of Exodus, which was self-published in late 2010.
This was followed up with another novel, The Pirates of Exodus, in 2012.
Throughout that year
and 2013, he continued writing and published four short stories in eBook form
for Kindle: Runt Pulse, The Fortress of Albion, Lunar Troll,
and Campanelli: The Ping Tom Affair.
His third novel, Campanelli: Sentinel, was
picked up by Solstice Publishing in late 2014. Minuteman Merlin was
released for Kindle by Solstice Publishing in March of 2015 and followed up
by his fourth novel, Of Knight & Devil, in September.
He
is currently an editor for Solstice Publishing and working on novel number
five, another Frank Campanelli dystopian crime thriller.
Author Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrederickHCrook
Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/Frederick-H.-Crook/e/B00P83FW02/
Publisher: http://solsticepublishing.com/frederick-h-crook/
Amazon Author Central: http://www.amazon.com/Frederick-H.-Crook/e/B00P83FW02/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIiKxKPL6iaEmKqOLfoYbqQ
Frederick's Books:
Thank you, Marie! You even have all the covers! Great! :D
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, of course!
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Linda! :)
ReplyDelete