Blog Tour & Giveaway for The Children of Lubrochius by Matthew D. Ryan

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/415779 

and then use coupon code: LX23U to receive 50% off. Coupon 

expires June 28, 2014.

Children of Lubrochius

by Matthew D.Ryan

BLURB:

    

The vampire, Lucian val Drasmyr, has been defeated, but not destroyed: Now he serves another evil: Korina Bolaris, a young and gifted sorceress bent on subverting the power structure of Drisdak. Only Coragan of Esperia can hope to stop them. But is even he prepared to face the dark cult who claims her as their own: the Children of Lubrochius?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 EXCERPT The first, a muscular man named Gilliad, wore brown trousers and a studded leather shirt. He had a rugged face with freckles and curly brown hair. Nearly thirty years old, he served Auraria, Goddess of the Sun and Morning, a deity renowned for mercy, kindness, and an unwavering devotion to destroying undead.
       
The second priest, a priestess, rather, a brown-skinned woman named Agyrra Bloodfang, wore a cape, trousers, and a shirt of scale mail—all black. She was a high-ranking Sitharone: a priestess of the Snake Queen Khalia, one of the great powers of lofty Limbo. At her side, her free hand seemed ever-poised above the bone handle of one of the two daggers she wore on her belt.       
“Your missive said you needed my church’s assistance,” Gilliad said, sliding toward the table and placing his drink down. He toyed with the head of the silver mace at his side.       
“As well as mine,” Agyrra said, her voice like a whispered threat: low, but edged.       
“Indeed, we do,” Regecon said. “I will let the Mistress of the Earth explain.” He motioned to Ambrisia. Then, regardless of the fact that all the others still stood, he pulled out a chair, gathered his red orange robes about himself, and sat. “I give you the floor, Earth Mistress.”       
Agyrra and Gilliad turned to look at Ambrisia while Porthion followed Regecon’s example and sat. Ambrisia nodded to Regecon to acknowledge his introduction, then proceeded to launch into a short speech she had prepared welcoming their two guests, and praising the congenial relationship scholarly wizards and priests had enjoyed in ages past. Then, she got to the meat of the matter. “Perhaps you heard recently that our guild confronted and destroyed a very old, very powerful vampire?”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Matthew D. Ryan is a published author living in upstate New York on the shores of Lake Champlain. Mr. Ryan has a background in philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. He has a black belt in the martial arts and studies yoga. He has been deeply involved in the fantasy genre for most of his life as a reader, writer, and game designer. He is the operator of the web-site matthewdryan.com which features his blog, “A Toast to Dragons,”a blog dedicated to fantasy literature, and, to a lesser extent, sci-fi. Mr. Ryan says he receives his inspiration from his many years as an avid role-player and fantasy book reader. He has spent many long hours devising adventures and story-lines for games, so it was a natural shift moving into fantasy writing.

Mr. Ryan is the author of the exciting dark fantasy novel, Drasmyr,, its sequel, The Children of Lubrochius, and a growing number of short stories. His first novel, Drasmyr, has consistently earned reviews in the four and five star range and serves as the prequel to his upcoming series: From the Ashes of Ruin. In addition to Drasmyr and The Children of Lubrochius, Mr. Ryan has published several short stories on-line, including: “Haladryn and the Minotaur,” “The River’s Eye,” and “Escape.”

Links to the Author on the Internet

Author’s website: http://matthewdryan.com

Author’s Smashwords Page: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/matthewdryan

Author’s Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000038781652

Author’s Amazon Author Central Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/matthewdryan

Author’s Goodreads Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/579148.Matthew_D_Ryan

Buy Links for The Children of Lubrochius:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/415779

The prequel, Drasmyr, is currently available free as an ebook at Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and elsewhere.

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/131156

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Drasmyr&sprefix=Drasm%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3ADrasmyr

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Drasmyr?store=allproducts&keyword=Drasmyr

Lulu (Hardcover Print Book—$24.99): http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?type=Print+Products&keyWords=Drasmyr&sitesearch=lulu.com&q=&x=0&y=0

Our Author
Interview

What would you have done differently if you were the main character of your book?

Well, the main character is Coragan of Esperia. And if I were Coragan, I would have been a little more careful in my own affairs; I wouldn’t have walked into an ambush, for example, which nearly cost me my life. The signs were there; they just had to be read properly. And he failed to do so. Also, my own personal ethos is different than his. I recognize the difficulties of the common man, but I wouldn’t pre-judge an individual simply because he or she was wealthy. Coragan does a lot of that. His political ideology tends to color his perceptions a great deal. And his actions flow from that point of view. My actions would differ from his accordingly. I would fight with Ambrisia less, and listen to Galladrin more.

What was your inspiration behind this book?

There is a prequel to this book entitled Drasmyr. This book (Children) was written with the prequel in mind and gets a good deal of inspiration from that. That said, my vampires were inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula and definitely NOT Stephanie Meyers’ Twilight. I wanted to reinvigorate the vampire legend of old using a creature that is thoroughly evil and beyond redemption. Lucian val Drasmyr fits that bill. Coragan of Esperia is, of course, the main hero. His character, or at least his view of the noble-peasant relationship, is inspired by a socialist friend I had in college. I’m not a socialist, but Coragan is sort of a primitive form of one; he looks at things through the lens of the common man and little else.

Why did you become a writer?

Deciding on what I want to do has been a long journey. I’d try one thing, that wouldn’t work out, then I’d try another, etc.... Through it all, though, I always came back to writing. I finally decided to make a go of writing and writing alone because that seems to be where my role in life is destined to come to fruition. I’m really just at the beginning of that process, but it seems to be rewarding. I’m not sure what type of writing I want to do—I started with fantasy literature but I may shift into spiritual inspiration ... or I may not: I’m still working it out.

As a reader and writer I think it is important to get to know your fans and make a connection with them as an author who takes the extra step to hear what their fans think and want in their continued writing is continued success and key to selling more books. Do you agree with that?*

Every bit helps and there is certainly wisdom in what you say. Unfortunately, I’m something of an introvert, so I find what you suggest to be one of the more difficult aspects of writing. That said, I am trying to improve (hence, this current Goddess Fish Tour). So, my answer is basically I agree with what you said, it’s just not my strong suit.

Do you have a favorite author or authors?

I like authors that do extensive, rich world-building with detailed systems of magic. I’m definitely a fantasy reader through and through (although I have been trying to expand my repertoire lately). From that group, my favorite authors are: Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, and Tad Williams. I also like Mark Lawrence and Patrick Rothfuss. And, of course, there is J.R.R. Tolkien. No list of fantasy authors is complete without him.

Do you like to write your books in a continuing series?

This first sequence of books is a series, so I guess so, but I’m not really committed to it. I have no problem writing a stand-alone. In fact, Drasmyr (the prequel to Children) was originally a short story, extended into a stand-alone, and then extended into a series because I liked Lucian so much. When all is said and done, From the Ashes of Ruin should consist of a total of five books: the prequel Drasmyr, Book I: The Children of Lubrochius, and three more books in the works. A solid series, but not a behemoth like some authors might put out.

If you could date any character from any book, who would it be and why?

Shallan from Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive currently consisting of The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. She’s an artist. She’s a Knight Radiant. And she’s hot. Do I need any other reasons? Okay, she’s basically a good person who’s not afraid to bend the rules when it suits her. And she just strikes me as a fascinating intellectual much like her mentor Jasnah. Hmm. Maybe I should have said Jasnah?

What kinds of books do you like to read in your spare time?

Primarily fantasy. I’m more Sword and Sorcery than I am paranormal romantic, but each to his own. I’ve also started reading some spiritual works in an attempt to broaden my literary diet. I’ve read three books on Catholicism in the last couple weeks. Of course, I’m not going to abandon fantasy any time soon, but I am looking for a more fulfilling direction, something with more practical application.

Do you cry when writing sad scenes?

No. I’m a guy. Literature usually doesn’t make me cry, whether I write it or someone else does. Usually. Occasionally, I might tear up just a little bit in a movie, but I don’t think I’ve ever had that experience reading a book, or writing a book. I just don’t get that emotional over something that is fictitious in nature.

Did you have a Cover Designer?

Yes. Donna Casey of  http://www.digitaldonna.com/. She does all my work for me. So far, she’s done four covers for me and I have been satisfied with every single one.

Who is your fictional boyfriend or girlfriend crush?

Seline from Underworld. Kate Beckinsale is hot! I really enjoyed that movie, and not just because of Kate Beckinsale. I particularly liked how in the beginning of the movie, you were kind of rooting for the vampires. Then, when you find out what the werewolves are up to, and what actually happened, you switch sides completely. Suddenly, you are on Lucian’s side because he is trying to redress an ancient wrong and his motivations come from love, the lost love of a vampire princess.

If you were able to dine and have a one on one with your favorite writer/author who would it be?

Brandon Sanderson. I’ve read most of his books and loved them all. He is, by far, my favorite current writer. I love all the clever magic systems he develops. If we had dinner, I’d ask him about his writing process, and his research methods.

Do you re-read your favorite books?

I used to when I was younger. I did a lot of reading back then, a lot of it repetitive. I read the Dragonlance Chronicles a couple times, The Dragonriders of Pern as well. And probably a dozen others or so. Now that I’m older, I’m kind of conscious of the Grim Reaper ever-looming and getting closer, so I tend not to re-read books even when I enjoy them. Well, there are a few rare exceptions. I re-read Lord of the Rings when the movies came out, for example, and I re-read Tad Williams’ Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn a few years back, but other than that, I don’t think I’ve re-read a book since high school.

Do you ever get in a reading slump like your readers do?

Most definitely. Reading slumps, writing slumps, everything. I think one of the best treatments for it is to vary your reading diet. For example, I mentioned this previously; I started reading spiritual books which is a hard break from my normal diet of fantasy. I’m starting with Catholicism and I’m seeing where that will lead.

What is the funniest book you ever read?

I don’t read humor, so I don’t think I can answer the question. A lot of the books I read have dashes of humor in them—that seems common in the fantasy genre—but I don’t think I’ve read a book dedicated entirely to humor. Brandon Sanderson often writes with an occasional humorous snippet inserted in here or there, for example, but I don’t think I would be doing justice to the question if I answered that Words of Radiance was the funniest book I’ve ever read. It just doesn’t compute. Sorry.