Guest Post + Giveaway by Michael A. Rothman, author of Tools of Prophecy

Today we have a guest post by Michael A. Rothman, author of The Prophecies series. I recently posted a review of the first book, Heirs of Prophecy, which I really enjoyed. For today’s guest post, I asked if he can briefly talk about how he came up with the magical world and characters in the book. Following the guest post are details on the giveaway and more about the second book, Tools of Prophecy, which I will be reviewing on August 9. Woot.


Michael:
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).

I find that one of the key requirements for an author is an active imagination. The beauty of the fantasy genre is that you literally get to make up the rules. The mistake early authors make is when the rules aren’t consistent. Readers are usually open to new worlds, or new situations. However they tend to feel cheated when they “know” something works a certain way, and due to carelessness, the author violates one of his own rules. It is up to the author to not cheat his readers, and as long as he doesn’t, his imagination is the palette on which a story is built.

The characters in Trimoria are ones that I am familiar with. Certainly some of the primary characters stem from people in my real life, while others have grown organically over time and represent archetypes that “feel right” for the situation. Sometimes the situation is as simple as, “Hmm, this scene needs a grumpy dwarf with a heart of gold – I can use that later as well.”

About the book:
The TOOLS OF PROPHECY is the second volume in an epic saga which describes a prophecy that has placed the Riverton brothers in the lead roles of a struggle to save their world from being overrun by unspeakable horrors. This destiny requires that they face off with the demons that nearly destroyed their world over five centuries ago.

In the first book, the population of wizards had been practically eradicated by the former tyrant. The Rivertons are now charged with creating an Academy of Magic, recruiting qualified students, and furthering their own training with secrets that have long been held by the reclusive elves.

Despite their youth, a mysterious spirit has engaged them in an epic struggle to gain mastery of their newfound skills, help raise and train two armies, and stay alive long enough for their final showdown with destiny.

The only things that stand in their way are the assassins hired to destroy them and the Demon Lord’s minion who holds a personal grudge and intends to witness the young boys’ deaths.

Get Tools of Prophecy on Amazon.
Get Heirs of Prophecy on Amazon.

Giveaway:
Michael will be awarding a $50 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. For more chances of winning, visit the other tour stops! You can find the links HERE. The more you comment, the more chances you have at the $50 Amazon GC! :)

Read an excerpt: 

Jared suddenly noticed the crowd that had gathered to stare at him. “Let’s go inside and have a drink.” Jared shuffled Silas back toward the bar and out of earshot of the crowd. “If I can successfully work with this ore, I want to talk more about arranging a trading agreement.”

On the threshold of the tavern, someone in the now dissipating crowd began to complain. “Bah, I thought he was going to zap the dwarf.”

“Shut up, Phineas, before he zaps you!” said another man.

Silas laughed as he held the door open for Jared. “After you, my Lord Zapper.”

“Very funny,” Jared replied dryly. “Keep it up and people will start calling you Lord Sizzlebeard.”

As they sat down at a table against the wall of the smoke-filled tavern, Silas stroked his thick red beard and smirked. “I hope you realize that I was teasing, Lord Sensitive.”

Jared rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know you were, you fuzzy-faced, ale-soaked anvil-banger. I am not particularly worried about what people say.”

“I think I am going to like working with you,” Silas said with a laugh. “Now let’s talk about what you came for.” The dwarf pulled out another chunk of the strange ore from his front pocket. “You have to understand this stuff is cursed and revered by the dwarven smiths. It is terrible to work with. Nearly impossible to melt or refine. I seriously doubt your forges can get hot enough.”

Jared smiled. “I am not worried about the heat.” He held up his hand, sending arcing filaments of sparking energy bouncing from one finger to another.

The dwarf’s eyes brightened. “Ah yes, how could I forget. If you work that demon’s metal so easily, I think you will find lots of interested dwarven smiths volunteering to help you. The metal, once refined, is extremely strong. So strong that we tend to favor it for our mining tools.”

About the author:

I am an Army brat and the first person in my family to be born in the United States. This heavily influenced my youth by instilling a love of reading and a burning curiosity about the world and all of the things within it. As an adult, my love of travel allowed me to explore many unimaginable locations. I participated in many adventures and documented them in what will be a series of books, the first of which you have just read.

Some might put these books in the Fantasy genre, and I never had issues with this label. After all, the adventures were, without any doubt in my mind, fantastic. I simply quibble with the label of “Fiction” that some might put on these tales. These tales should be viewed as historical records, more along the lines of a documentary.

I’ve learned one thing over the years. Magic is real. Keep exploring, and you too will find your magic.

Connect with Michael on his website, on Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook.

8 thoughts on “Guest Post + Giveaway by Michael A. Rothman, author of Tools of Prophecy”

  1. I absolutely love that your first novel came from a story you told your kids. Lovely.
    I think every scene ever is in need of a grumpy dwarf with a heart of gold ;-)

    justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

    Reply
  2. Life *is* full of grumpy dwarves, isn’t it? Gotta find the ones with hearts of gold where you can…

    eai(at)stanfordalumni(dot)org

    Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.