Guest Author...Andrew Q. Gordon
So Book Two, how does, The Eye & the Arm relate to Book One, The Last Grand Master?
Book Two is part of a series of five. Unlike “related” books
in a series, this is a true sequel. You need to read The Last Grand Master
to understand The Eye and the Arm. Think of it like The Lord of the
Rings or Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy—you need to read the books in
sequential order in order to understand them.
Tell us something interesting that's not in the blurb?
I've kept a lot out of the
blurb so there's a lot to choose from. Farrell is going to meet a race of being
that the world either never met or forgot about millennium ago. I don't want to
say too much, as I don't want to give much away, but they are not the 'normal'
creatures you'd expect. And since I'm feeling generous, I'm also introducing a
F/F couple as part of the cast AND we get to see a Nendorian version of a
holodeck, even if they don't know what
Star Trek is, and probably can’t tell a hologram from a halo.
I know you have a
full time job and a three year old, and six new Vizsla puppies—congratulations
by the way—how do you do it? I mean how do you do all that and still find time
to write?
Thanks, the puppies are a big deal in the house right now.
Mike is starting his own 'kennel' and this is his first breeding. As for when
do I write - at night and weekends and very slowly. There is a reason it's
taken so long for Book Two to follow The Last Grand Master. Part of that
was my bad for taking on other projects which I won't do between books unless
I've met my deadline for the next installment. But in a good week, if I can get
10-12 hours of writing in, I can do a 100K word book in about three months.
That's about 1000 words an hour. It's doable, but it takes discipline and I'm
learning I need to stay off Social Media for those hours or else I'm
done. The learning curve is enormous, even still.
Ok, I know you have
to dash off, but before you go anything you'd like to add?
I think Book Two is better than the Book One. With the cast
of characters and world laid out, I had the ability to do more with the
characters. I also think each of the books that follow get stronger because
things start to unfold and hidden meanings are revealed. These two books only
scratch the surface of what's still to come, so I'm excited that the series is
starting to get a head of steam behind it.
Where can we find you
next?
There is an excerpt tour going on that started on the 14th
of April. There are fifteen different excerpts from the book so if you get a
chance, check them out. Here's a list of stops and links:
April 15: Anne Barwell
April 16: Cate Ashwood
April 17: Author Susan Mac Nicol
April 24: BFD
Book Blog || MM Good Book Reviews
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.
BUY LINKS
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.
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.
###
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.
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.”
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