Virtual Book Blast: The Eye and the Arm

Please welcome my friend and fellow author Andrew Q. Gordon, who is here to talk about his latest release, The Eye and the Arm, the second book in his Champion of the Gods series. I have read both these books, and I loved them. I highly recommend them.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: The Eye And The Arm Series: Champion of the Gods Book 2

BLURB:

After defeating Meglar at Belsport, Farrell returns to Haven to recover from his injuries, but Khron, the god of war, has other ideas. He gives Farrell a new mission: free the survivors of the ancient dwarf realm of Trellham from their three-thousand-year banishment. To fulfill Khron's near impossible task, Farrell will need the help of his distance ancestor, the legendary wizard Kel. But Kel has been dead for a thousand years. Farrell finds information hinting that Kel is alive, so he moves his search to Dumbarten, Kel's birthplace. To reach Dumbarten unannounced, Farrell and Miceral disguise themselves as mercenaries on board a merchant vessel. Their journey is disrupted when pirates attack their ship. While attempting to subdue the attack, Farrell is struck down by one of Meglar’s minions. Unconscious and trapped in his own mind, Farrell's only chance for survival rests with Miceral and the peregrine king Rothdin entering his thoughts and helping him sort fact from illusion. To reach Farrell, they will need to rely on an untested spell from one of Kel's spellbooks. If they succeed, Miceral can guide Farrell home safely. If not, Farrell will destroy not only himself, but Miceral, Rothdin, and everyone around him. DSP Publications Length: 99,775 words/296 Pages Release Date: April 14, 2015

Video Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk6OfKOU6nc&feature=youtu.be

EXCERPT:

“Relax, my friend.” Klissmor’s presence calmed Miceral’s growing anxiety. “You won’t feel my presence.” Miceral took a deep breath. “Will I be able to hear?” “Every word. Ready?” “No, but let’s do it.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I need your eyes open for everyone to see.” He snapped his lids open, blinking several times before could focus again. “Sorry.” “Master Teberus.” Miceral knew the words came from him, but as promised, he didn’t feel anything. “I have Masters Erstad and Wesfazial as well as Wizard-Priestess Glendora. Ask your questions to Miceral and we four will also hear you.” “Astounding.” The elder Arlefor glanced at the high priestess. “All four at once?” “Wizard.” Miceral had heard that tone enough to know Klissmor’s mood. “Maintaining this link, this far away with this many minds, is a strain. If we are to save Farrell, you must focus on him.” “Of course. My apologies.” Teberus bowed deeply. “My examination of the one who did this to Farrell confirmed that he is no wizard.” “Then how in the eight gates of Neblor did that man defeat Farrell?” Even though Teberus couldn’t know, Miceral recognized the voice as Wesfazial’s. “The obvious answer is the correct one. A wizard gave this man the weapon.” “But Farrell could defeat all four of us and all the other wizards you brought with you and not be tested.” Erstad’s steady temperament sounded tested. “No weapon used by a nonwizard should be capable of this.” Teberus raised the crest of his hairless eyebrow. “But since that is what happened, we must use it as the basis of our search for a cure.” No one answered. As the silence dragged on, Miceral’s anxiety slowly returned. If Haven’s senior wizards didn’t know what to do, who could? “Tell us what happened.” Erstad’s request almost didn’t register with Miceral. “No,” Klissmor said. “Show them. Let them see the memory.” Miceral closed his eyes and focused on reliving the attack. The clarity of the image caused his chest to tighten, making it hard to breathe. He knew the result, but watching it again, almost in slow motion, added to his agony. When the image played over again, he realized Klissmor must have been guiding his thoughts. “My apologies, old friend—the need is great.” Klissmor’s voice didn’t interrupt the stream of images. “Do whatever you need. Just find a way to save Farrell.” “Your friends are doing all they can. Have faith that Lenore will send us what we need.” When the memory started for the third time, he didn’t find any comfort in Klissmor’s assertion. The Six wouldn’t—couldn’t—help. He needed something that didn’t exist—a great wizard like Heminaltose or Kel. “In theory, I recognize the magic.” Erstad sounded confused. “But I’ll need to find a reference to be sure.” “What about Farrell?” He knew he shouted, or at least what Farrell told him passed for shouting, but he couldn’t prevent it. “He could be dead before you find that.” “It can’t be helped, Miceral. I need to be sure before I suggest a counterspell. If I’m wrong, whatever I try might kill him.” “He is in no immediate danger.” Teberus put his hand on Farrell’s forehead. “But my fear is the number of spells that draw on him for power. I can only give him but so much. If he doesn’t wake, his body will burn out.” “Do what you can, Master Teberus. We’ll begin searching immediately and contact you when we find the answer.” When Erstad stopped speaking, Klissmor’s presence left with him. “Hurry. Please.” Miceral knew no one heard him.

BUY LINKS

DSPP Link: http://www.andrewqgordon.com/2015/04/champion-of-the-gods-books-one-and-two-available-now/ Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Eye-Champion-Gods-Book-ebook/dp/B00VGZB6SS Amazon UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Eye-Champion-Gods-Book-ebook/dp/B00VGZB6SS Are Omnilit Link: https://www.omnilit.com/product-theeyeandthearm-1773344-234.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Q. Gordon wrote his first story back when yellow legal pads, ball point pens were common and a Smith Corona correctable typewriter was considered high tech. Adapting with technology, he now takes his MacBook somewhere quiet when he wants to write. He currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his partner of eighteen years, their young daughter and dog. In addition to dodging some very self-important D.C. ‘insiders’, Andrew uses his commute to catch up on his reading. When not working or writing, he enjoys soccer, high fantasy, baseball and seeing how much coffee he can drink in a day and not get the shakes.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Website: www.andreqgordon.com Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/andrewqugordon, Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/dominic.andrews.7568 On Twitter: @andrewqgordon, Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+AndrewQGordon/posts Email: andrewqgordon@gmail.com

GIVEAWAY

FIVE Winners will win one e-copy of ANY book* each from DSP Publication’s backlist. *Giveaway is of any currently released DSPP book, which excludes the books that are on pre-order and “The Eye And The Arm”. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Virtual Book Tour: A Closed Door

Book Name: A Closed Door

Author Name: Andrew Q. Gordon

Author Bio:

Andrew Q. Gordon wrote his first story back when yellow legal pads, ball point pens were common and a Smith Corona correctable typewriter was considered high tech. Adapting with technology, he now takes his MacBook somewhere quiet when he wants to write. He currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his partner of eighteen years, their young daughter and dog.  In addition to dodging some very self-important D.C. 'insiders', Andrew uses his commute to catch up on his reading. When not working or writing, he enjoys soccer, high fantasy, baseball and seeing how much coffee he can drink in a day and not get the shakes.

Author Contact:

@andrewqgordon

https://www.facebook.com/andrewqugordon

Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing

Cover Artist: Lily Velden and Jay Aheer

Blurb(s):

Outted at thirteen, Orin Merritt left home after high school hoping to escape the hell his life had become. Ten years later when a tornado destroys his childhood home and kills his parents, Orin finds himself in an entirely new nightmare. One he can't run away from.

Blaming himself for failing the two people who always loved and supported him, he returns home and confronts his past in the person of his one-time best friend, Thomas Kennett.  Thomas not only rejected him when Orin came out, he led the group that tormented Orin into leaving.  

As he struggles to deal with his grief, Orin also labors to fulfill the pledge he made to his parents before their death.  In the process, Orin learns that sometimes when you go away to find yourself, you leave the answers you're looking for behind.

Excerpt:

"Orin, I won't." Thomas stood a bit straighter and his eyes lost the sad, pleading shine. "I won't hurt you again."

"You can't promise that. Things happen." Orin watched as his words dragged Thomas back from the brink of hope.

"If you truly believe that, then there's nothing I can do. You have to believe there's a chance or else I can't prove it."

"That's not what I'm telling you." He locked his gaze on Thomas's. "If I say yes, I'll have to take down the walls I surrounded my heart with to keep it safe. Once it's gone, I won't be able bring it back if I get hurt. Not now.

"So what I'm saying is, think about what you’re asking me to risk. If you really love me, ask yourself if are you willing to risk what will happen to me if you can't keep your promise."

He knew how unfair he'd been, but self-preservation had been a skill he'd honed over the past fifteen years. He needed Thomas to know just how serious the repercussion could be for his actions.

"Orin, I . . . I . . . how . . .?" Their faces were inches apart, and Thomas moved in for another kiss.

This felt different than the first—less urgent, but no less intense. Orin trembled at the leap he was about to take. When they stepped back, Thomas rubbed his thumb across Orin's cheek.

"I do love you, Orin. More than I can say. So much, that I'm not willing to risk what will happen if I fail you again. I don't have that right."

Thomas's lips quivered and the tears welled at the bottom of his eyes. He kissed Orin's forehead gently.

"Good-bye, Orin. Please be happy." Without looking back, Thomas walked to the front door, opened it, and walked away.

Tour Dates: October 10, 2014

Tour Stops: Parker Williams, Love Bytes, Inked Rainbow Reads, The Hat Party, Cate Ashwood, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Prism Book Alliance, Full Moon Dreaming, Wake Up Your Wild Side, Multitasking Mommas, Regular Guys, Hot Romance, Nephylim, Louise Lyons, Elisa - My Reviews and Ramblings, MM Good Book Reviews, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Fallen Angel Reviews, 3 Chicks After Dark, Jade Crystal, Amanda C. Stone, Foxylutely Book Reviews, Iyana Jenna, Because Two Men Are Better Than One, Smoocher’s Voice, Michael Mandrake, Rebecca Cohen Writes, BFD Book Blog

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Rafflecopter Prize: $10 Amazon Gift Card

Sales Links: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/a-closed-door-by-andrew-q-gordon-2/

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The Last Grand Master Review

 The Last Grand Master   

Author: Andrew Q. Gordon

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

American release date: January 31, 2013

Format/Genre/Length: Novel/M/M Sc-Fi Fantasy Romance/344 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

When a god deigns to personally request your assistance in a matter of some importance, is there any other answer than yes? Honorus appears before Prince Farrell to ask for his help on behalf of his sister, the goddess Lenore. Do what she asks, he instructs Farrell, and oh, by the way, you’ll also find your mate. Is that added incentive, or what?

Farrell is the Prince of Haven, but much more than that, he is the Last Grand Master, a most powerful wizard, despite his fairly tender years. Haven is a place of refuge for those who have fled before the tyranny and evil that is Meglar – emperor and wizard and all-round bad guy. Farrell has been training all his life to take on Meglar, and while he has the love of his people, he has yet to find the one special love that all people yearn for. Honorus sends a messenger in the form of the unicorn, Queen Nerti, and the adventure begins!  When Farrell first meets the Muchari warrior, Miceral, he secretly wishes that the handsome man is his intended love, for he is incredibly good-looking. But such things don’t happen to little guys like him. Or do they?

The Last Grand Master is a sci-fi fantasy in the grand tradition of Anne McCaffrey, Neil Gaiman, and Terry Brooks, combined with a m/m romance that will leave you cheering for the love between the two main characters, Farrell and Miceral. Gordon has woven for us a complex world where magic is the norm, and wizards are a part of everyday life.  I especially enjoy the way he explains the spells as Farrell performs them. He doesn’t simply throw them out there and say this is what happened. He makes them understandable in a realistic way—supposing these things were possible, of course. He makes it easy to believe that they are.

The story is told through Farrell’s eyes. He hasn’t had an easy life. Farrell isn’t even his real name. His family has been destroyed by the maniacal Meglar, leaving him alone in the world. It’s only natural that he wishes to prevent the evil wizard from hurting anyone else. Farrell is also a realist, and in the real world people must die. He doesn’t hesitate to destroy those that ally themselves with Meglar, and he doesn’t hesitate to throw himself into the thick of any fray.

Gordon writes with a charming and beguiling voice, and you quickly find yourself caring about Farrell, and the people he loves. The characters are well-written, and the plot is both creative and intriguing. While the love between Farrell and Miceral is quite strong, Andrew takes you up to the point where the lovemaking begins and then draws the curtain. While I enjoy explicit sex as much as the next person, I didn’t find the lack of it detracted in any way from my enjoyment of this book. The emotions are there, and that’s what counts. You can always use your imagination to fill in the blanks.

The Last Grand Master is an epic tale and one I highly recommend. The good news is that there will be more of this series, and I can’t wait to read them. Inside this book, you will find adventure, humor, romance, action, drama, sci-fi and fantasy, intricately woven into an amazingly fantastic tale.

When magic is the great equalizer, even a nerdish wizard can find true love!

Guest Blogger Andrew Q. Gordon

Please welcome today my new friend and fellow Dreamspinner author, Andrew Q. Gordon, who's going to talk about worldbuilding, and his new release, The Last Grand Master. As a surprise, Andy's brought someone special with him, please give her a warm welcome too!

A Brand New Wor(l)d Count

Recently I tackled the job of world building when I set out to write the Champion of the Gods series.  As with any fantasy book, the new world is something of a blank slate.  That's great in some ways, as you can create anything you want. But creating a new world means creating everything in 'your' world.  Of course all of this needs to be done while you engage in character development, create tension, work on the plot, move toward a resolution. Oh yeah, just for kicks, you have to do it with a word limit. For me it was this last part that proved the most difficult.

To start, the publishing world will basically give you about 100K words to work with for a book.  You can probably get another 20K—maybe. That's not peanuts—I mean NaNoMo is a minimum of 50K words and most people can't do that much in a month.  So 100-120k is a lot of writing.  But in a fantasy novel, where you have so much to cram into it, those words disappear fast. 

Consider. If you write a book set in New York, you don't have to tell folks that New York is part of the United States, that it's in North America, That Pennsylvania and New Jersey are south of it, etc.  No need to explain the political structure, the major religions, the economic system in place. You can skip talking about airplanes and cars, or how rooms are heated or cooled. There are no magic lessons to give and no reason to talk about the various animals and creatures that walk the earth.  There's a ton more, but you get the idea.

One way—a bad way—to world build is to write a short treatise as a prologue where you take eight to ten pages or so and give a condensed version of the history, geography, religions, culture, politics etc. of your world. It will read like a history book, folks will probably either not read it, skim, be grumpy because they'll refer back to your 'all inclusive' encyclopedia of the world looking for an answer you didn't think to include or just maybe they'll pass out from boredom. 

Another way is for a character to profess ignorance—for whatever silly reason you can find—and have another character recite said eight to ten page essay on the world.  Bets on how well that will be received?  In that vein, you could have the 'narrator' just pause every now and then and give 'explanations' of things. Equally wonderful.

In The Last Grand Master I tried none of the above.  At various places along the way, I tried to work in bits and pieces of the world, so that over time a fuller, more complete picture would emerge.  I tried to do this while I developed the characters and advanced the plot.  Depending on whose reviews you read, I failed and succeeded at all of these things. Sounds about right, yeah?

So what happened?  Originally the Champions series was going to be four books.  Each was—yes I know I'm going to make the editorial staff at Dreamspinner Press faint—about 500-600K words long.  Now, mind you, that was the first draft, so there was a lot of editing still to do.  By my estimate, I lose about 30-40% of the word count when I edit.  Reason being, some scenes are redundant, others don't fit, some don't belong anymore because one thread got cut, so the tie-ups make no sense anymore. But still, each book would be about three times too long to fit into the word count limit.

I see three solutions: 1) Get more words from the publisher; 2) Cut more words; or 3) make them into more books.  I went with number 3 and therein lies many—though by no means all—of the complaints from various reviewers. 

By writing books in the way I originally did, in the size I did, certain aspects of the tension, conflict, world building, conflict resolution, etc, were resolved later in the book.  Dividing the story into more books meant changing more than just the last chapter of each book.  For example; in the original book two—the one I'm working on revising now—the major conflict is very much toward the middle to the end. None of which will make it into book two.  Either I re-write things quite a bit or there are going to be a number of open threads and no resolutions. That of course requires new conflicts for the characters to deal with and solve. Otherwise book 2 would be boorrrinnggg!

Perhaps the biggest struggle with the word limit is I planned to bring the characters to each of the major continents on Nendor—one in each of the first three books, then in book four touch them all before returning home for the final conflict.  That clearly can't happen anymore.  So the 'world' building pertaining to the first continent, Ardus, in book one that I expected I had 500K words to work with had to be shortened to 115K in the end.  Some things got condensed, others got cut, and some just went begging.

Now, this isn't to say word count is the only reason for any shortcomings in the book, that's not the point of this post, but it is an issue.  Being fair, it's an issue of my own making. I wrote the series without a flipping thought to what a publisher might require, so my bad on that. 

The point is that world building is hard, and world building on a word count is even tougher.  Time to go back and make the two mesh a bit better.

For those who've read the book or those thinking about it, I did a series of posts on Nendor for a world building blog tour that might help add context to what you've read or will read.  They are still posted on my site.  You can find them here:

Food and Drink, Holidays and Culture:

Religion and Magic:

History and Politics:

Geography and Climate:

Andrew Q. Gordon is the author of, The Last Grand Master, a fantasy novel whose world he 'build' inside his head. His first novel, (Un)Masked he co-authored with Anyta Sunday. His third novel, Purpose is due out in late May/early June.

The Last Grand Master:

Synopsis:

In a war that shook the earth, the Six gods of Nendor defeated their brother Neldin, god of evil. For the three thousand years since, Nendor and the Seven Kingdoms have known peace and prosperity.
But then a new wizard unleashes the power of Neldin. Meglar, wizard king of Zargon, uses dark magic to create an army of creatures to carry out his master's will.

One by one, the sovereign realms fall. Soon the only wizard who can stop Meglar is Grand Master Farrell, the Prince of Haven, the hidden home of refugees. An untried wizard, Farrell carries a secret that could hold the key to defeating Meglar—or it could destroy the world.

While helping Nerti, queen of the unicorns, Farrell saves Miceral, an immortal muchari warrior the Six have chosen to be Farrell's mate. But Farrell approaches love with caution, and before he can decide how to proceed, Meglar invades a neighboring kingdom. Farrell and Miceral find themselves in the middle of the battle. Farrell pushes himself to the limit as he and Miceral fight not only to stop Meglar but for their very survival.

Available at:

Dreamspinner Press: The Last Grand Master.

Barnes & Noble: The Last Grand Master

Amazon: The Last Grand Master

Excerpt

Klissmor stopped without warning. Nerti too. Everyone behind them swerved to keep their distance. Farrell gave no explanation. He leapt down, turning back the way they’d come.

He raised both hands, and an enormous energy bowl formed over his head. A sudden blast of sickly black and red energy ripped through Northhelm’s shield, striking the protective dome and forcing him to his knees. A grunt slipped out of his mouth at the same time Miceral jumped off Klissmor.

“Farrell!”

Raising a hand, Farrell pointed at Miceral. “No! Stay back.” He needed to complete this. He’d been fortunate that the hastily wrought shield held the last attack.

When Miceral continued to close in, Farrell muttered under his breath and threw a barrier between them. He’d apologize later. Right now he needed to focus on defending everyone from the next attack.

Another attack ripped through the sky. He struggled to keep on his feet as he hurried to close the circle of energy. Once the ends merged, he launched it back the way it came. Forming a second shield, he anxiously peered skyward. A flash of light on the far horizon brought the hint of a smile to his face. It didn’t answer their problems, but it helped. Without releasing his shield, he engaged his wizard’s sight, looking in the direction where the attacks originated. Seeing nothing, he relaxed.

The barrier dissolved between Miceral and him.

“What was that?”

“What happened?”

“What did you do?”

Questions darted at him from all sides. He waved a hand, dismissing them. He didn’t have time for an inquisition. Then his eyes landed on Miceral, a small frown cutting between the man’s brows, and the urge to explain made Farrell open his mouth. But a slight rumbling beneath them had him shutting it again and searching the ground.

His hand went to his endless pocket. After checking the distance to the entrance, the position of the rocks, and the contour of the ground, he settled on a suitable spot. He removed an oddly grooved stick with a large mushroomlike head, half the length of his staff. It looked to be made from a live tree branch, with sprigs of green along the stem.

Using both hands and all his weight, he firmly embedded the stick into the rocky ground.

He stepped back, checking his distance. In one fluid motion, he grabbed his staff in both hands and swung it directly at the head of the stick. When the staff’s metal head struck the wooden top, sparks flew, and the stick sank further into the ground, leaving only its head visible. A sudden burst of energy pulsed outward from the stick. When the flash subsided, a new shield replaced the one Meglar destroyed. Much better. He turned and walked back to the others.

“That ought to give us enough time to get everyone to safety.”

Miceral fell in beside him. A small grin replaced the frown. Farrell liked the way the man’s cheek quirked with the smile.

“Next time”—Miceral’s deep voice sent a shiver through him—“you could warn us we’re under attack.”

“There really wasn’t time for an explanation.” Reaching back, he returned his staff to its place.

Then, catching Miceral’s eye, Farrell gave him a shy wink before placing a hand on Nerti. Almost immediately he snatched his hand back. “Honorus help us!”

Moving so he could look her in the eye, he shook his head. “You’re exhausted beyond your limits.”

Nerti trembled slightly and tried to pull away. Despite his lack of familiarity with unicorns, he grasped her head with both hands and pressed his forehead to hers, just below her horn. He said nothing, and Nerti ceased her effort to pull away. For a brief moment a light blue aura engulfed the pair. When it vanished, he released her and stepped back.

Nerti no longer trembled. He smiled and turned toward the distant gate. “Come, we should get inside. When Meglar recovers from the shock of having his attack shoved down his throat, he’ll probe this area to find out what happened.”

Before he advanced three steps, Grohl barred his way.

“What do you think you are doing, silly wizard?”

“Trying to get inside.” Checking around him, he found everyone staring at their exchange. “What are you doing?”

Grohl didn’t move. “And you expect us to let you walk?”

“Nerti can barely make it back herself, let alone carry me, and though magically weary, I am not—”

A low, deep growl forced him to step back. A hand grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him upward. What the…? He landed in front of Miceral. The man’s arms snaked around his waist, pulling him closer. Torn between annoyed, embarrassed, and thrilled at the closeness, he opted for thrilled.

“You could have warned me you were going to do that.” He picked at a loose thread on the side of his shirt. “You almost ripped my shirt off!”

A laugh rumbled from behind him, causing another shiver. Miceral leaned forward, his lips so close Farrell could feel the warmth of his breath. “When I want to take off your shirt, believe me, I’ll do it somewhere more private than this.”

Thank you both for being here today! Please come back again soon!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie