{The Immortal Hope Blog Tour continues at Bookhounds with an interview with Declan. Tori St. Claire's STRIPPED tour continues at The Forbidden Bookshelf.}
Today I'm very excited to bring you author Brian Young and his newest release, Blood Veins. Brian is a graduate of the University of Oregon. He works as a banker and an editor for Rogue Phoenix Press. He currently resides in Oregon with his wife and daughter. To learn more about him and his published works, you can find him on Facebook.
Blood Veins
A black wave has passed over the thriving kingdom of Larista. Mysterious invaders calling themselves the Dolus have swept over the land laying waste to everything in their paths and leaving ghost towns in their wake. No one knows where they came from and no one knows what their purpose is. Tasting nothing but defeat after defeat the light of hope is fading in the kingdom; but the guerrilla forces resisting the Dolus invasion have received new information. This news has provided a small glimmer that could possibly spark into something more. Captain Maximus Rex leads a daring rescue mission deep in the Laristan forests to save the lone surviving member of the royal family.
Once freed Prince Alexander Novelle along with his friends and comrades face a perilous journey deep behind enemy lines. Their destination is Castle Varanasi. The once proud Laristan capital, gateway to heaven and salvation, lies in ruins under Dolus occupation. Mysterious assassins, underworld savages and renegade Dolus survivors stand between them the answers they seek. What they find there will shatter their perceptions and lead to unknown perils none of them are ready to face.
If you've been following me long, you already know I have a crazy passion about world building. Books, and especially series, that bring new worlds to life are the surest way to make me drool. If you like that sort of thing... just saying! Anyway, Brian is going to talk about his post apocalyptic world, and the kingdom of Larista, which sounds absolutely fascinating! Brian, take it away, please.
I have always enjoyed post-apocalyptic worlds. I like the mixture of different technologies clashing together, but when I was working on Blood Veins I didn’t want to write about the apocalypse but instead of the different people that rose up afterward. A fair amount of time has passed and the entities that have risen in the wake of the dead world have grown large enough that they are looking to their neighbor’s lands for expansion. I wanted to incorporate a little bit of house heraldry into the story. Families will end up playing a large role in the story as well. There is a lot of mystery surrounding the houses of Novelle and Knovel. Larista is only a small part of the world I want to create. Blood Veins is the first in a series and we will see much more of this world in future books.
Most of the population is at the technology level of the Middle Ages but there are a few factions that are significantly more advanced. The royal family tries to balance its use of technology with its religious responsibilities. Their neighbors however have recently changed their philosophies regarding technology and Larista is struggling to keep up. They are discovering old technologies instead of inventing them and they don’t have the production to make these technologies available to everyone, so it creates an interesting dynamic between the royal families and the common people. There are also the Sisters of Gnaritas who openly and blatantly use and invent new technology. They are decades, if not more, ahead of the other major factions in Larista.
I also wanted to create a bit of a lost world as far as the Kingdom of Larista was concerned. It is a bit of a paradise compared to other places that suffered much more during the Great War that destroyed the ancestors’ civilizations. The terrain around the kingdom seems impassable to them, combined with the religious doctrine of the kingdom, it has kept them secluded from the rest of the world. So once the secret gets out that people exist outside of the confines of the kingdom, it will turn their world upside down.
It sounds like a wonderful read! I absolutely love the cover. It's very majestic.
Let's take a closer look.
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EXCERPT
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EXCERPT
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Percival shook his head. "It's our duty to kill that murdering, traitorous scum, Novell, and free everyone. Not just these people here today. We can't do that on our own though. We need him or no one will follow us."
Maximus cocked his head and looked quizzically at Percy. "You know both their names are Novell, right? Not to mention there's no proof Prodis is responsible for this. I doubt Alexander would appreciate you calling his brother a murdering, traitorous scum."
It was clear Percival was convinced Prodis was responsible and all he gave in response was a short grunt.
"Anyway," Maximus continued, "If Alexander is down there and we don't go in, we will have missed our best and possibly our only chance at freeing him. We go."
Percival's face went blank as he barked out, "Yes Sir."
The captain sighed, his breath showing in the crisp cold air. The rain had started to let up and it seemed the temperature had dropped another ten degrees as the chill renewed its assault against his rain soaked cold weather gear. "I hate it when you call me Sir. It means you disagree with me, or you're mad at me"
Percy gave his Captain a half grin. "First, if I can't call you Maxi and I can't call you Sir, what am I suppose to call you? Second, I do agree with you. I just know when you need someone else to voice your inner thoughts and help you sort things out. Lastly, I'll make sure everyone is ready."
Maximus cocked his head and looked quizzically at Percy. "You know both their names are Novell, right? Not to mention there's no proof Prodis is responsible for this. I doubt Alexander would appreciate you calling his brother a murdering, traitorous scum."
It was clear Percival was convinced Prodis was responsible and all he gave in response was a short grunt.
"Anyway," Maximus continued, "If Alexander is down there and we don't go in, we will have missed our best and possibly our only chance at freeing him. We go."
Percival's face went blank as he barked out, "Yes Sir."
The captain sighed, his breath showing in the crisp cold air. The rain had started to let up and it seemed the temperature had dropped another ten degrees as the chill renewed its assault against his rain soaked cold weather gear. "I hate it when you call me Sir. It means you disagree with me, or you're mad at me"
Percy gave his Captain a half grin. "First, if I can't call you Maxi and I can't call you Sir, what am I suppose to call you? Second, I do agree with you. I just know when you need someone else to voice your inner thoughts and help you sort things out. Lastly, I'll make sure everyone is ready."
Percival finished with his customary grin.
"I hate you sometimes, Lieutenant."
"I hate you sometimes, Lieutenant."
Percival shrugged and turned to pass the plans along to the rest of the squad.
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YOU HAVE JUST READ AN EXCERPT FROM BLOOD VEINS
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Thank you, Brian, for stopping in and sharing Blood Veins.
Readers, Brian will remain on tour, talking about Blood Veins and sharing more exciting peeks into the novel. As part of this tour, he's giving away a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card to one random commentor during the tour. Post your comment, you're automatically entered. The more you comment, the more chances you have to win.
For a complete list of tour stops, click here.
~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com
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I love the concept of your dystopian world. A very interesting take. I also like that you've set it many years past the original downfall. And Claire is right. You're cover is gorgeous. :)
Thank you for hosting Brian today!
It sounds so exciting. What a great story line and plot.
Thanks for the comments Denise and MomJane. Finding the right cover was very difficult. Have to work today so i will check back in tonight.
Brian is a new author for me but not for long. One of my goals is to discover new authors and read at least one of their works. Brian, you're first on my list!
Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 at gmail dot com
Some authors go into detail to develop a background and life for the main characters of their stories. They may or may not use all the details, but it's there if they need it. What about you; do you do a comprehensive workup sheet of your character's background?
Setings really bring a story alive. Your book sounds very interesting!
justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
Brian, love your cover too.
Good comments! In general, I am NOT big on post-apocalytic stories/worlds. They tend to be very depressing, bleak. I want to see more eden-like conditions after the apocalypse sweeps most of us away!
catherinelee100[at]gmail[dot]com
@capefearlibn
Karen that's a great question. I didn't at first, but once I got rolling on the story i did go through on set up quite a bit of background for my characters. It really became necessary for me to help keep all the characters straight. Thanks to Tracy, Chelsea and Catherine for your comments too. This story isn't about the apocalypse, so hopefully it wont be depressing at all. The Great War was a way for me to wipe the slate clean.
The title BLOOD VEINS has me intrigued. I'm sure I will fully appreciate once I have read the book.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com