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Guest Post and $50 INT Comment Giveaway!

Monday, July 2, 2012


LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST FOR A CHANCE TO WIN $50 AMAZON GIFTCARD; INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY!
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BLURB:

The Riverton family had been enjoying a simple summer vacation when, through a fluke of nature, they found themselves in a strange new land.

The Riverton brothers quickly realize that in this world, they have gained unusual powers. Powers that their parents fear will attract the attention of Azazel himself – the merciless wizard who brutally controls this world.

The two brothers soon learn that an ancient prophecy has finally been initiated by their arrival in Trimoria. As the heirs of this prophecy, they are destined to lead the armies of men, dwarves, elves, and even a misfit ogre against the prophesied demon horde.

Only one thing stands in their way.

The evil wizard who has learned of their presence, and has sent assassins to wipe them from existence.


Excerpt 1:
From the Prologue

“Attend the throne room immediately!”

Heeding Lord Azazel’s call, Munson led the charge up the winding staircase to the top floor. There, he found his master awaiting them in a cold, barren room centered by an imposing throne carved of black stone. Torchlight danced in ominous patterns off the throne’s polished surface. The sound of Munson’s fellow soldiers pouring into the room echoed off the dank walls encircling them.

Munson took his place beside the room’s sole exit, bracing himself to endure more of the horrors that had become so commonplace of late. By now he had seen more of these interrogations than he cared to count. So he knew that this one, like all the others, would end in bloodshed. His gut tightened as he caught sight of today’s victim. The man crouched at the feet of his lord was a man named Farley, a man who had been Munson’s best friend since childhood.

“Please spare me, Lord Azazel!” Farley bellowed. Quivering, the prisoner reached out to trace his fingers over the hem of the wizard’s red robe.

Munson swallowed hard, praying that his master couldn’t sense from this distance the terrible pity he felt.

“I…I…,” Farley stammered. “I will never make such a mistake again.”With baleful eyes, Azazel studied the man groveling at his feet. He stood then to his full height, his robe billowing as he circled the prisoner. His otherwise handsome face parted into a menacing, almost hungry grin. “You will never make such a mistake again?” The wizard glanced at the soldiers all around him as if waiting for laughter. When it didn’t come, his face contorted into fury. “How many times have I heard that over the centuries?


Inspiration for the characters


My children inspired my writing. My first novel stems directly from a bed time tale I would tell my children that over time evolved and got more elaborate. So instead of making things up on-the-fly, I decided to write the outline for what ended up being HEIRS OF PROPHECY, TOOLS OF PROPHECY, and a yet-to-be-named book to follow (though I am partial to LORDS OF PROPHECY).


Of course, many of the characters within the story follow loosely on real people I know. It isn't a coincidence that my two children's names are Ryan and Aaron - and the personalities borrowed for the Rivertons are very reminiscent of them. In fact, I've been told that the parents in the tale, Jared and Aubrey are also clones of yours truly and my wife. It’s shocking how things like that happen. :-)


As to the inspiration for the other characters, I have always found myself partial to preplanning such things. I am an engineer by trade, so such things come as second-nature to me. However I'll admit that aside from some of the archetypes of the "bad guy" or the "good guy", many of the personalities that I have drawn upon are created somewhat organically as I start writing the dialog. For instance, with the character of Arabelle, who happens to end up being a much more major character in the follow-up book TOOLS OF PROPHECY - I purposefully introduced her as a very sweet character with a bit of a secret. That secret gets its first hints in the second book (which I won't divulge in this blog post), and suffice it to say that I dedicated an entire book to her alone that I am nearly finished with.


I have always enjoyed stories which leave what I might call little "Easter Eggs" within a plot line. Things that make you scratch your head and wonder "that's odd - I wonder 'why' they did that" - and I am very careful about ensuring that things always have a reason. That is one of the reasons why I am about to put the finishing touches on a prequel novel, PRINCESS INTERRUPTED which focuses greatly on elements that are hinted at in the first two books in the Prophecies series. I have yet to figure out which might be the best reading order of the story. Certainly, those that read the first two books (HEIRS, and TOOLS) will want to read the prequel and will have lots of "AHA!" moments that might want them to read the first two books over again. (Remember, I am a planner - so these things were planned to make you want to read it over again.) Also those that read the prequel first and then the first two of the Prophecies series will have a somewhat different experience. I suppose the jury will be out for a while to figure out which order is best, but I do hope people enjoy the tales nonetheless.


Regarding the other characters, I did note that they grow organically - however I tended to use some racial guidelines that I preferred. For instance, the dwarves might generally be considered boisterous and brash, although you will see some distinct exceptions to those rules. A reader will find the elves somewhat stoic and serious, and the humans you encounter will be somewhat all over the place - oftentimes inspired by real personalities I've encountered or organically inspired by an overdose of chocolate. ;-)


Writers are usually influenced by what they've read, so inspirations come from all directions. I'll freely admit to being a huge fan of Tolkien, so touches of influence you might see are definitely there. Although I feel my approaches are different. There is some irony in that influence, because sometimes people will attribute influence, where none had actually occurred. For instance, in some of the professional reviews I've received, I'll quote someone having said this of my upcoming novel TOOLS OF PROPHECY, "Borrowing some of the best concepts from works by others such as Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, and George R.R. Martin…"


I've said that I had influence by Tolkien, so there is no secret there. I literally laughed out loud when I saw the authors I've evidently been influenced by - let's be frank. If my name is ever mentioned in the company of the three aforementioned authors in any favorable way, I look at that as a huge compliment. I only know of the latter two authors, and have had their books on my to-be-read wish list, but ironically enough - never read any of their works. Maybe I should go ahead and do that, but when it comes right down to it, I'll freely admit that my influences that I've had tend to be more in the direction of Dave Farland, Brandon Sanderson, and of course - all of our favorite - Tolkien.


Before I close out the topic of influences and inspirations (I may have strayed - so forgive me) - I did want to bring up Orson Scott Card. My youngest son has read him, but ironically I haven't. When I was writing my prequel novel that happens to have timelines that overlap with the first book in the Prophecies series he mentioned, "Umm - Dad, this is similar in concept to…" and I immediately forgot whatever title he mentioned, though I did ask about who the author was. So when the time comes, I tip my hat to Orson, my condolences to Anne's family, and wish Rail Road the best (George's nickname) - any similarities are coincidental, and any favorable comparisons are appreciated. ;-)


Thanks,
Mike


Find the rest of the tour here!

124 comments:

  1. HEIRS OF PROPHECY looks like an exciting read.

    "The evil wizard who has learned of their presence, and has sent assassins to wipe them from existence." - SOLD!!

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

  1. Rebecca Hipworth said...:

    Thanks for the giveaway. :)

  1. Anonymous said...:

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    alexisneuville23@gmail.com

  1. Thank you for hosting my debut novel, speaking of debut….6 days until the release of the 2nd book in this series.

    I link to this site from my blog. For anyone who wants to learn more see http://michaelarothman.com

    Thanks again - and I hope you all enjoy the story!

  1. WELL...If your debut is in the vein of Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, and Anne McCaffrey, then you've set your sights in a wonderful direction and have great role models! Good luck with the book.
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

  1. Unknown said...:

    Sounds awesome! And thanks for the excerpt.
    piscesgirl1688@gmail.com

  1. Anonymous said...:

    This sounds like a really interesting book! I haven't read anything by Tolkien, but I remember hearing something about it from my teacher. Great guest post!

  1. Anonymous said...:

    Even though it's outside my usual genre, it does sound really interesting and well-crafted! Congratulations on the release...

    vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

  1. Thanks for sharing!

    tcrowley122 at hotmail dot com

  1. Thank you for the preview of the book and for the giveaway!
    vestaj3@gmail.ocm/vjm123@yahoo.com

  1. missymyt said...:

    Great Giveaway!

    missymyt (at) hotmail (dot) com

  1. MomJane said...:

    It'a great that you have your family to use for ideas. They must be really great examples for you. The book sounds fabulous.

  1. that was a great indept review!

    yes.4eva.r@gmail.com

  1. Unknown said...:

    OOOHHH! I love that cover so much! Thank you for the giveaway and the chance to win! I'll def. check this book out. :)

    themaniacalbookworm at gmail dot com

  1. Sounds like a great read!

    amyldalrymple@gmail.com

  1. Lori Thomas said...:

    Great giveaway, thx 4 the chance!! Sounds like a very intriguing book.

    ctymice at gmail dot com

  1. Awesome excerpt!! Wow it kind of has me a little hooked, even though it isn't something I would normally pick up!! Will be looking more into it for sure :)

    t.mahaffy25 (at) gmail (dot) com

  1. I realloy love this excerpt, I haven't read too many in this genre but I do love the blurb as well. I am adding this book to my list as we speak.

    vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com

  1. Shadow said...:

    Oh, this sounds so good! I love books with magic and wizards. This sounds intriguing! I cant wait to see how these boys beat the wizard! :) And im curious of the new world there in. Thanks for sharing and thank you for the awesome giveaway! Its very sweet of you and very much appreciated!
    shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com

  1. Great excerpt! Thanks for the post I'm definately going to pick up this book!

    megnate at telus dot net

  1. Cathy C said...:

    sounds like a great read- i enjoyed the excerpt

    catherine0807 at hotmail dot com

  1. Christina Kit. said...:

    I love the excerpt and the summary sounds intriguing!

    Thanks so much:)

    ccfioriole at gmail dot com

  1. Ah prophecy's always interesting stories abound.

  1. Evie said...:

    I really like fantasy books and this one seems fascinating!
    by.evie at yahoo dot com dot br

  1. Violette said...:

    This totally sounds to me like a fun fantasy a la "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." Thanks for making me aware of this book AND the giveaway! :D

    violettewaits at gmail dot com

  1. Steph said...:

    This sounds like an interesting book. I loved the excerpt! Thanks for getting on my radar!

    stephward84(at)hotmail(dot)com

  1. Unknown said...:

    I think its awesome you brought the story you created for your children to share with everyone. I am fascinated by your description of character development. It's nice to have a childrens story that can actually improve their reading, comprehension skills and still be fun

    teressaoliver at gmail dot com

  1. Thanks for the giveaway ! This book sounds really interesting, would love to read it.

  1. I totally love fantasy and combine it with wizards, and I am totally in. Sounds really intriguing!
    I have added this to my TBR list, thanks to you!!

    maneeshaharoon(at)hotmail(dot)com

  1. Nancy said...:

    Wow, sounds like an ambitious series. I'd love to read part I. Thanks for the giveaway.

    nanze55 at hotmail dot com

  1. Unknown said...:

    Love the excerpt thanks for the chance to win! wendynjason04@gmail.com

  1. Kaira said...:

    Love the excerpt. Can't wait to read the whole book

    thivy.lopez@gmail.com

  1. Alyssa Susanna said...:

    Two brothers and unusual powers... what an interesting read! Thank you for all of your time with the book tour!!!

    Alyssa Susanna
    lilleetleet(at)verizon(dot)net

  1. ana said...:

    I love the cover, it sounds like an amazing book!
    Gdlpgiron@yahoo.com

  1. ana said...:

    I love the cover, it sounds like an amazing book!
    Gdlpgiron@yahoo.com

  1. Cayce said...:

    Great post! I love reading about heroes who have some kind of powers. And Heirs of Prophecy sounds like a fantastic book!

    I too loved Tolkien, btw :)

    cayce006 at yahoo dot com

  1. Lili said...:

    Ah, this honestly seems like such a cool book! Transported by a fluke of nature? interesting concept. I really love how his inspiration came from his children, though. Books that have a whole lot of meaning to the authors are always the sweetest and are written with the most passion and care.

    Awesome giveaway opportunity! if I'm lucky enough, my e-mail is reflectionsbylili@gmail.com

  1. slehan said...:
    This comment has been removed by the author.
  1. slehan said...:

    I like that some of your inspiration come from chocolate. Books sound interesting.
    Thanks for the contest.


    slehan at juno dot com

  1. Wow i Love It I Got To Have It And Chocolate as an inspiration I Didn't know many used that like i do you learn something new everyday.

  1. Sounds like an interesting read.

    niteofblu at gmail dot com

  1. usagi, said...:

    Sounds interesting. Will have to check it out.

  1. Vanessa said...:

    Sounds good! I'll put it on my TBR list. :)

  1. Amy said...:

    thank you for this give away, I appreciate it.
    Amyparille@yahoo.com

  1. I love "Easter Eggs" in a plot. They make you think and wonder, two of my favorite past times.

  1. Unknown said...:

    Great excerpt! :) and thanks for the giveaway! piscesgirl1688 (at) gmail (dot) com

  1. dope said...:

    Wow!I'd really like to have the giftcard.Hope to win and thanks for the awesome giveaway! =)

  1. Samantha R. said...:

    What a great giveaway! Thanks for the chance to win.

    scr15[at]duke[dot]edu

  1. Jennifer said...:

    I was unfamiliar with this book and author. So thanks for the information. And thanks for the giveaway.
    jlkalman26 at gmail dot com

  1. Anonymous said...:

    I would like to thank you for an apsolutely fantastic giveaway, and a most interesting guest post on a book that i would love to know more about; it sounds truly intreguing.
    Thank you so much once again & for promoting the value of reading! x

    Email: lfountain1(at)hotmail(dot)co(dot)uk

  1. I`ve been reading historical books not for a long time, because at first I thought that historical books aren`t interesting, but now I`m really into them and steampunk :D
    my e-mail: maijasteinbrika@gmail.com

  1. Rachel said...:

    I'm excited to know more!

  1. Alison said...:

    This book sounds very interesting. It's not my normal reading but I think I want to give it a shot. It may become my norm :)

    alison.fees(at)gmail.com

  1. Julie S said...:

    Thanks for the blurb and post! This one sounds interesting with all the secret special powers the characters have.
    juliecookies(at)gmail.com

  1. I just think it's actually cute when children influences adult's writing :)

    fetachan@gmail.com

  1. Just a terrific post! The former bookkeeper and teacher in me make my a planner also! But I have trouble holding off of exposing those 'easter eggs' in the storyline...

    As for character inspiration...I knew a plethora of MMA/jujitsu trainers and they shaped the characters I wrote in my first novel.

    Anyway, thanks for hosting this author - and I'd love a chance to win!
    nadja.notariani@gmail.com

  1. Er...make Me a planner. Sigh. Typos....(blushes)

  1. Denise Z said...:

    I think the premise of Heirs of Prophecy is awesome - anytime you have good facing off with evil wizards, let alone dwarves, elves, and ogres you can count me in. Thank you for sharing with us today and for the fun excerpt.
    dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com

  1. This sounds like a really great book! Something I would enjoy to read and also to pass on to my children when they get a little older:)
    Thanks for the giveaway!

  1. Sounds good! Thanks for the excerpt ^_^

    pantsoffreviews@live(dot)ca

  1. This sounds like a great book. Good luck with it.

    rmarma2@yahoo.com

  1. This looks like such a fun read! Thank you for bringing it to my attention, I hadn't heard of it before :)

    jaidahsmommy(at)comcast(dot)net

  1. Unknown said...:

    That Sounds Very Good. Thank you. Jerri Davis

  1. Jessica said...:

    This definitely sounds interesting. Not usually my type of book but I'd check it out!
    sagegiveaway@yahoo.com

  1. Rebecca said...:

    Sounds rather interesting... Thanks for the giveaway!

    readingwishes@hotmail.com

  1. Leca said...:

    thnx for this aww giveaway! it's alwyas suprising for me that people can be that generous... ;-) lena.bangel@seznam.cz

  1. Thanks for the giveaway. I think my son would love this book also. Gale pgan427@yahoo.com

  1. Unknown said...:

    I love books where people end up in strange new worlds! Plus powers and prophecies! Really cool!

    mpg12345@aol.com

  1. Flord Naezel said...:

    Yay! Thanks for the giveaway! The book sounds interesting ;)
    - Flord Naezel

  1. Flord Naezel said...:

    Oh I forgot my email. My bad.. flordnaezelmartinez@yahoo.com

  1. Kindlemom said...:

    I haven't heard of this book before so I am so glad I stopped by to check it out, it sounds like a fun summer read!

    Thanks for the chance at the giveaway!

    kindlemom1 at hotmail.com

  1. Kristen said...:

    Looks like a fantastic novel! I've seen this one around a couple blogs now. Thanks for telling us more about your writing process!

    dragonzgoil at gmail dot com

  1. Rachel said...:

    I love Wizard type stories. Very exciting!

    silberman.rachel@gmail.com

  1. Gigi said...:

    Thank you so much for the giveaway!
    Sounds like a really good book! "The evil wizard who has learned of their presence, and has sent assassins to wipe them from existence." :O Yes please! I know my cousin would love it!

    ilepachequin(at)hotmail(dot)com

  1. Thanks for the giveaway! Sound like a awesome book!

    readingawaythedays@yahoo.co.uk

  1. Anonymous said...:

    Thanks for the giveaway!
    kathyross75@yahoo.com

  1. Hmmmm sounds neat! I'll have to check it out.
    lexiboo202(at)gmail(dot)com

  1. Candace said...:

    This sounds very interesting and especially like a book my brother might like. I'll go let him know right now!
    candace_redinger at Yahoo dot com

  1. Sounds nteresting and in the same genre I write. I started Tolkien at 9, hiding under the bed when the ring wraiths rode by. I hooked my sons on reading via Tolkien too. I'm always trying to improve my writing by reading other writers' books for teens.

  1. left out an i and my email address. sherahart at gmail dot com.

  1. layen said...:

    Never heard of this title before and I'm glad I stopped by. Will be checking out the books in this series as the story sounds interesting!

    lincalc at gmail dot com

  1. Leocadia said...:

    This book looks awasome!
    thanks for the giveaway.

    maric1993(at)gmail(dot)com

  1. This sounds like the sort of thing I would lose my dad to for the weekend! Think I might have to get him a copy!
    sarah(dot)elizabeth(dot)bookworm(at)gmail(dot)com

  1. Kara D. said...:

    Looks like an awesome read!

    supersonic182(at)gmail(dot)com

  1. Steph said...:

    This book sounds really interesting - thanks for getting it on my radar!!

    stephward84(at)hotmail(dot)com

  1. Naga said...:

    Sounds really good, love the excerpt :)

  1. Suz said...:

    I love books about magic so am happy you shared this info! And since the author was influenced by Tolkein I know his books are going to be great!

    susanw28 (at) mindspring (dot) com

  1. susan1215 said...:

    Sounds like a great read

    s2s2 at comcast dot net

  1. This looks like a great addition to our family library, read it to my kid and she's asking for it!

    meandmyshelf at gmail dot com

    thank you :)

  1. Ohh!!!! I really want to read this!!! :) Thanks for the chance to win!!! :)
    softballcrazy_081497(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
    with out the ()

  1. Thanks for the excerpt and interview. Its so cool that the books evolved from a bed time story.
    molly(dot)frenzel(at)gmail(dot)com

  1. Sounds Great, thanks for the giveaway.

    autumnflower6ATaolDOTcom

  1. Oh wow,

    I'm a fan of Orson Scott Card - so if this book is anything like that author's work, I'd love to read it! :D

    Thank you for this guest post and generous giveaway! :D

    Name: Hira Hasnain
    Email: Enamoredsoul(at)gmail(dot)com

  1. Liese2 said...:

    This sounds like a great book! Thanks so much for the info. I am addding this to my TBR list!
    sqwalker2@hotmail.com

  1. Thanks for the excerpt and the giveaway! :)
    ilovebooksblog(at)gmail(dot)com

  1. London Judge said...:

    Thanks for the giveaway :)

    londonjudge@verizon.net

  1. Unknown said...:

    Thank you for the chance to win!
    brainytex@gmail

  1. Oooh! A definite must read for me!
    Sakarismom@gmail.com

  1. Cricket said...:

    Great post, sounds like a good read!

  1. Anonymous said...:

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    dogears @ gmx.com

  1. Dinda said...:

    Thanks for the giveaway and for sharing the book!

    dl(dot)love(dot)freedom(at)gmail(dot)com

  1. Unknown said...:

    Thanks for the giveaway and for the excerpt! Based on your inspirations and what I read here, I think my husband would like your work as well!

    snhoveln At gmail Dot com

  1. Unknown said...:

    Thank you for the excerpt and the exciting giveaway!

    annejhoycexo@gmail(dot)com

  1. Karen H said...:

    This is a new-to-me author. Sorry to be visiting after party day. Looks like you all had a lot of fun.

    kareninnc at gmail dot com

  1. Darlene said...:

    I laughed when I saw that your inspiration was your kids and that the story evolved from a bedtime story, because that is EXACTLY when I thought when I read the synopsis! It feels to me like the sort of book that the kids would have me begging to read "just one more" chapter.

    Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    GFC Darlene
    darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com

  1. Inguze said...:

    Great giveaway!

    ingau2@gmail.com

  1. Katsura said...:

    Thanks for the giveaway :)

    lavendelzimmer@yahoo.de

  1. ann said...:

    Enjoyed the excerpt. I wonder what all I would do if I had super powers. I know I would do good things with it. Thanks for the giveaway
    amhengst at verizon dot net

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.
  1. Sounds like a great book and what makes it even better is that it is a book I can share with my son. Thank you so much for the giveaway as well.

    vadeluna07(at)yahoo(dot)com

  1. StacieD said...:

    I hope you enjoyed your blog tour, Michael. Congratulations on the big release!

    Geishasmom73 AT yahoo DOT com

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.
  1. I'm a sucker for stories with prophecies, since reading my first Tad Williams series.

    emiliana25 at web dot de

  1. Unknown said...:

    Thanks for the great giveaway!!
    I'm going to have to check this book out it looks so cool!!
    red_tigergirl2(at)hotmail(dot)com

  1. This sounds like an interesting book.
    Jennifer Rote
    wildnmild4u at yahoo dot com

  1. Thanks!
    holliister at gmail dot com

  1. samantha said...:

    sounds like a really good book.

    begesw@yahoo.com

  1. donnas said...:

    Great excerpt! Thanks for sharing

    bacchus76 at myself dot com

  1. Angie said...:

    Sounds like fun!

    krovsiactia at dunflimblag dot mailexpire dot com

  1. i would love to win this *fingercrossed*

    xgirl.wni@gmail.com

  1. Anonymous said...:

    Thanks for the giveaway!
    its_me124(at)yahoo(dot)com

  1. I loved to see that his children inspired his writings :)
    Thanks for the giveaway!
    wilsonre09@students.ecu.edu

  1. brian said...:


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