What happens when you start to write a book for your kids to compete with Pokémon but you take so long to write it, it ends up more influenced by Smallville, Lost, Lord of the Rings and The X-Files? (To name a few)
You end up with ‘Northfighters – The View from the Christallis’.
This is not your typical fantasy book, but it is a fantasy. And it has it all.
Twelve year old Chris Talbot is the likeable protagonist, with his nerdy friend Josh, his bully nemesis Mike, and his heart’s desire Sylvia. All four of them end up avoiding near death on their school trip near Seattle. They are being pursued by ghoulish monsters that have been sent after them by the charismatic yet maniacal super villain Salazon. Salazon ‘The Evil’ as he would prefer to be known has supreme psychic powers and a pretty big chip on his shoulder. He has an elaborate scheme to trigger a massive battle between two of his world’s people that, he just doesn’t want to have around anymore.
Salazon has been given a forewarning that this boy Chris is somehow going to be a thorn in his side. Luckily for Chris and his friends, they are taken through a portal to a strange and beautiful land by the heroic Talbar, a lord of the Northfighter people. Talbar, with three of his fellow men, make it their duty to guide the children on a trek with war and deceit all around them, to try to find the real reason the kids have ended up here.
The spectre of Salazon builds throughout the book, but he is not the only stuff of legend that is to be found in this land. Fables tell of great and powerful beasts, the true Northfighters, namesakes of the people that came after. Do they exist? Salazon and Talbar both believe that they do. And this may be where the children are to come in.
Back in the real world the tough and cynical detective Janet Lansing is perplexed by the mystery surrounding the missing kids. Where this is all going and why is anyone’s guess. But it’s an entertaining ride, come jump on.
Purchase Links:
Amazon – UK
Smashwords
Author Interview:
1: Tell us a little about yourself and what got you in to writing?
Most of my writing has been in the form of song lyrics. I am the founder of the indie folk/rock group, The Last Hope Road Show. This is why I am dying to get the audio book narration done so I can finish what I hope to be an OC type soundtrack for the finished version.
While I had always wanted to write, the catalyst for this book came from my son, who was nine at the time. He expressed interest in writing a book so I joined in, and the friendly competition helped us both to continue on. He has gone on to become a very good writer. So in that sense, this book has already become a success for me.
2: Do you have a favorite time and place where you write?
The summer it’s great to sit outside and write. Of course I find that the weather may sometimes influence where I’m headed with my scenes or the tone of the chapter, funny how that works.
If I really want to get some serious writing done, the best bet for me is a few hours at our nearest public library. It’s a pretty fair size and has a lot of spots for quiet working. I’m not often disappointed by the work I get done there.
3: Where do your ideas come from?
Fortunately/unfortunately, I daydream constantly. New songs, story ideas, I can’t get them down fast enough. That said, Northfighters is my one attempt to actually mimic something. But as I am so unfocused, that’s not how this story ended up at all.
4: Do you have a plan in your head of where the story is going before you start writing or do you let it carry you along as you go?
I pretty much wander aimlessly. While it may be a struggle at first, it’s great when you get to a point where the characters take over. You can follow the way they would react to situations and then it makes life easy.
5: What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?
My books are of the middle grade/young adult fantasy genre. I suppose you can blame Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings for this, but that would probably be simplistic. Way back in the day I used to stay up to watch the old 50’s science fiction movies being played late Saturday nights with my mom. I came up with some bizarre fantasy land short stories in my early teenage years, but nothing I ever pursued. In the end though, do we really need more real life?
6: What dream cast would you like to see playing the characters in your latest book?
Dream cast? I like this question. The entire time I was writing this book I envisioned Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor character from Smallville as the villain Salazon. Intelligent but in a smarmy way, and always in the mood to tell longwinded stories to display his high IQ. If you ever were a fan of the show and you read his lines, I’m sure you’ll see the resemblance.
Detective Janet Lansing was totally based on Kim Dickens, known for Fear the Walking Dead and Gone Girl. I just envision her delivering the sarcastic lines with a totally straight face while portraying the perfect balance of tough and cool.
Talbar the hero I see as a younger more easy going Aragorn. Maybe someone like Henry Cavill, but not that straight laced.
7: Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?
Time for reading can be a bit scarce for me, but when I do I’m almost exclusively a mystery guy. Ian Rankin is my favorite, but Michael Connolly and Peter Robinson are close behind.
Of course, I did get into Harry Potter early with my kids and the whole family ended up read every book as they came out. It actually became quite difficult. By books four and five everyone would be arguing over their allotted time to read the one copy we had in the house.
8: What book/s are you reading at present?
Dark Sacred Night – Michael Connely
9: What is your favourite book and why?
Loved all the Harry Potter books, 4 and 5 had so much left out of the movies, probably go with one of them.
10: What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?
Getting into anything is tough these days. It’s pretty easy to self-publish your book. This is great when you get it done, not so great when it gets drowned in the other thousands of books in your genre. But if you have joined in some author groups and build up your network before your release, I’m sure you’ll get there.
11: What are the best Social Media Sites for people to find out about you and your work?
Website: www.northfighters.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Northfighters
Twitter: @Northfighters1
Prologue
“Evil cannot be destroyed, only minimized. It is ever present in our world and beyond. The answers you seek, you will not find on this earth,” the old man got up spryly and grabbed the poker from its stand. Before he continued he waved it fiercely in the air.” The prophecies don’t lie, but they’re not a roadmap. There’s no promised land, no magic weapon to stop this evil one you speak of. ” He finally used the poker for its intended use and stoked up the fire trying to warm the air in his frigid cabin.
His guest was silent, deep in thought. Far younger than his host but with several days’ growth on his noble face he did look a little weathered. He was dressed as if he had been travelling for a long time, worn out leather boots and dusty burlap cloak. But a sword hung from his side and he looked like he knew how to use it.
The old man was engrossed in the growing flames. He continued quietly, almost to himself, “There are ways to leave our world if someone were to be looking for answers. It has been done before, but there were consequences. That was in bad times. Several couples were persecuted and fled through the portal to another world, their children with them. They returned later; the children did not. The parents were sentenced for it. If someone were to try to find those children in the vast unknown, that would be quite a feat. Would they even be alive? Is this a story that we really want to know the answer to?”
The question hung in the air for a moment. Whether it was rhetorical or not it was not to be answered. “Should they be dead, I pity their tortured existence. But if this truly is the path you wish to take then I will help, for I fear that others may try to access the portal that may not have your admirable motives. You will need your wits about you, that’s for certain. And luck, a lot of it. No, it will not be easy” a slight pause, and he got even quieter, “Fraught with danger, for you….for everyone.”
He quickly turned from the fire with renewed energy and loudly continued, “If you feel you must, then you must. We’ll never defeat evil if we don’t get a jump on it, will we? The portal will open soon; you will have to be the one through it first not your adversary. I will tell you the secrets of the hidden caves that lie under the Cornack Mountains….. But first, tell me!” the old man’s voice was beginning to reach an irritating high pitch, “When this evil one comes to me, and he will, who will I say has beat him to the punch?”
“Talbar, my name is Talbar,” replied the younger man with a slow, steady voice, “But if you have the misfortune of being paid a visit by the one called Salazon, then I fear we have all lost.”
