About the Book:
In this adventure, we find ourselves in the fantastical port city of Okenhiem in the continent of Osmea. Here, the citizens are plagued by an anti-mage militia, and ruled by an ineffectual leader.
A disgraced detective uncovers a body while on a simple odd job and sees a chance to regain her respect… and do a good deed obviously.
Along for the ride is Krici, a naive but optimistic Gnomish mage who has taken her first steps into the city, unaware that mages are outlawed, and she must be careful lest she finds herself captured – or worse.
The unlikely team must follow the clues as they attempt to uncover the sinister plot that eludes them. Cassandera begins seeing similarities between this, and the case that destroyed her career, while Krici unintentionally becomes involved in secret dealings and midnight battles.
Will they manage to follow the clues to its ominous end? Or will the unparalleled villain prove victorious and bring the city to ruin?
With a one in twenty chance for survival, one never knows what the roll of the dice will bring.
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Author Interview:
1: Tell us a little about yourself and what got you in to writing?
I’m born and raised in the south of the UK in the New Forest. I live with my wife, and our black void of a cat, Moxie, in Salisbury where I work as a support analyst for a software company. I always liked reading as a child, which is when I fell in love with the idea of world building, of other planes of existence, and the stories they contain. I wrote short stories throughout my school years, and eventually, dedicated the time to writing something properly. My first novel – Dead Surprise – is the first book in my anthology series, and I am working on my first edit of book two.
2: Do you have a favourite time and place where you write?
I have my office set up with all my comforts, and plenty within my line of sight for inspiration and motivation. My entire D&D collection of books and items, and my favorite novels.
However, I will write anywhere and everywhere I can. Taking notes when inspiration strikes, or if I go away I take my tablet to get in some additional writing time.
3: Where do your ideas come from?
My books are based off of the Dungeons and Dragons world I have built over the last seven years and through three campaigns. I like trying to find a way to make the high fantasy aspect become grounded and relatable, especially as my book is character driven. I also like building a twist in to the already unusual, and seeing where that takes me.
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?
The way in which my books are written – utilizing dice rolls to determine protagonist/antagonists’ success, as played in D&D and other TTRPGs – makes it difficult to fully plan out every detail. I start with building strong characters, as they are the driving force behind my stories. I then decide on my inciting incident, and then let the characters go free to follow the story. Sometimes things don’t work out with this method, but that’s part of the fun. I feel there is a real sense of suspense and discovery for both the reader and for me, as well as a good challenge to see if I can write what happens based on the dice rolls.
5: What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?
My stories are set in a high fantasy world but focus on the more grounded aspects. The character narrative, the mundaneness of normal life. There is magic, and creatures and dragons (or at least, there will be dragons), but they are secondary to the relief of a bacon sandwich. I’ve always liked the idea of the nobility of old. Good vs evil, the strong standing up for those who can’t. Fantasy has always, for me, been a world in which the protagonists will do all they can to succeed.
6: What dream cast would you like to see playing the characters in your latest book?
I would love to see Karan Gillian as Cassandera Fellgrove, Mandeep Dhillon for Krici, Natalie Portman for the role of the Artist. Have it my way, and Nathan Fillion would also appear as the Mayor, and Ty Burrell for the *ahem* herb salesman Mavasis.
7: Do you read much and if so who are your favourite authors?
I don’t read as much as I would like to, but I’m trying to find new authors to read. My favorite author is almost certainly Sir Terry Pratchett, but I also love Christopher Paolini, and Neil Gaiman.
8: What book/s are you reading at present?
I am between books right now, but I have my eye on The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth.
9: What is your favourite book and why?
That’s a big question, but anything from the Discworld series. Each story is so rife with detail, and the overall feeling of an evolving world is what makes it so easy to lose oneself in it.
10: What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?
It doesn’t matter if you write ten thousand words a day, or 50. Persistence will get your book finished faster than anything else.
11: What are the best Social Media Sites for people to find out about you and your work?
You can find me at The Lands of Ferox on Facebook. @LandsOfFerox on Instagram, and through my website, http://www.acwhikcom.co.uk
About the Author:
A man who has too little time on his hands, and keeps finding ways to make that even shorter. When I’m not writing books, I’m planning D&D sessions with my friends, making music, or trying to find other outlets for my thoughts.
Reading Nook 