I'm excited to have Kieth Merrill stopping by today for an interview to discuss his new high fantasy. The publisher is also giving away a copy, so if you like fantasy, definitely check it out...
The Immortal Crown
(Saga of Kings #1)
by Kieth Merrill
by Kieth Merrill
Adult Fantasy
Hardcover & ebook, 544 Pages
May 3rd 2016 by Shadow Mountain
Summary
A thousand years ago, the Navigator possessed thirteen stones touched by Oum’ilah, the God of gods. Over time, these power-ful stones of light were scattered and a prophecy arose declaring that a “child of no man” would gather them again, and he would be given immortality and reign forever as god and king of Kandelaar.
Now, in an age of chaos, the time has come for the prophecy to be fulfilled. Light and darkness have each chosen a champion to claim the legendary stones:
The sorceress of the cult of she-dragon has chosen Drakkor, a warrior and mercenary who travels with bandits and a corrupt stone of darkness.
The Oracle of Oum’ilah has placed his faith in Ashar, a young postulant who is unsure the stones of light even exist.
Meanwhile, miles away, a slave named Ereon Qhuin dreams of freedom. Abandoned at birth, his only possession is a strange stone that he believes is the key to his destiny and freedom.
A mercenary, a postulant, and a slave—which one is truly the child of prophecy? Who will wear the immortal crown?
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Interview
I'd like to welcome you to my blog today to answer a few questions about your new high fantasy and to find out a little bit more about the author behind the book. What was your inspiration for The Immortal Crown?
As a writer and director of motion pictures, I’ve
learned there are two ways to answer questions in an interview.
One
is the clever sound bite.
The
other is the always more complicated truth.
Let’s
skip the clever sound bite and tell the truth.
It started with the core of the idea itself.
Not a story per se’ but a context. An archaic history, written sometime
around 2200 BC with the classic elements of epic fiction. The fight between
good and evil, the struggle for power, treachery, betrayals, battles, seduction
and murder. The rise and fall of kings and kingdoms, and in the midst of
it — drum roll please — reference to mysterious stones that shined in the dark.
The stories of such stones, the Pyrophilus, are legendary and found throughout
the ancient history of the world and were reportedly possessed by such
legendary characters as Gilgamesh, such historical luminaries as Noah Solomon
and Alexander the Great.
But
the shining stones of the archaic writings that were the spark of inspiration
for The Immortal Crown were different and added a fascinating dimension to the
legends of Pyrophilus. The stones in this story were made luminous by touch of
the finger of God.
That
single idea triggered my imagination and sent me in search of the story that
took me to the Kingdom of Kandelaar. It was there I discovered the quest and
conflict for the 13 shining stones — which as epic fantasy would have it —
are endowed with the power of renewal, immortality and endless life.
I do have to say that I have found the stones to be definitely a unique part of the story and something that I'm curious about as the story unfolds. Would you give us
general character descriptions for Drakkor, Asher, and Ereon?
DRAKKOR:
Drakkor
is a sympathetic villain. The epitome of evil and yet, we find ourselves
understanding and even sympathizing with him from time to time.
We
meet him as an orphan from the slums of Blackflower . Under the strangest of
circumstances, he is given one of the 13 stones by the Sorceress of Dragonfell.
She believes he is the child of prophecy who can gather the rest of the stones
and make her immortal and grant her endless life.
When
he discovers the power of the stone of fire, as it is known to the cult of the
dragon, he betrays the sorceress and goes in search of the missing stones and
his own immortality. The legend says whoever gathers them in one hand shall
have the power of endless life. To achieve his end, he beguiles the king and
becomes the puppet master of Kandelaar.
ASHER:
Ashar
is a postulant of the holy order of the priests of Oum’ilah, God of all gods
and Creator of All Things. He discovers he is the blood of the Navigator — the
first man who brought the stones of light from the ancient world.
When
evil comes to the holy mountain of God, Asher is sent by the Oracle to find the
stones and gather them before they fall into the hands of evil. He is entrusted
with the four stones of light from the temple, with charge to protect them with
his life, learn to use their power and gather the stones that were lost and
return them to the Immortal Crown so the Kingdom of Light may come again. Asher
escapes the mountain with the help of Rorekk, a giant and Celestine, a virgin
of the temple.
QHUIN:
Ereon
Qhuin is a man of unknown blood, a slave in the stables of Blackthorn and
master horseman. He wants to be free. It is a spark of destiny.
When
he leaves Blackthorn with Prince of the North to capture horses on the
Tallgrass Prairie, he is given a stone of light by his mentor,
Rusthammer. It was the old blacksmith who found the child abandoned as a new
born on the stone steps of his cottage. The mysterious stone was with the child
in the basket. It is the secret to his past.
Qhuin
collides with the Princeling Sargon, but is spared by the Prince and his
squire. He agrees to go to Oodanga Wilds to capture the legendary Equus
for the prince of the north in exchange for his freedom. It is an unknown
place of monsters and myth and fraught with grave danger. “Whether I return or
die, I shall be free.” Qhuin concludes.
I'm looking forward to seeing how Qhuin's path changes as well. Do you have a
favorite line from the book and, if so, why is it your favorite?
Each
of the characters are powerful and profound from time to time. It is hard to
pick a favorite, lest I offend any of the marvelous folks who people this
world.
Rather than one,
perhaps I can offer a couple. I like the teachers of Master Doyan to the
postulants.
“Fear
and faith cannot abide”
I
like Ashar’s recitation of his faith.
“There
is but one God of gods and Creator of All Things.”
I
like Ashar’s recitation of the second canon of the brotherhood,
“All
that is, has always been and will forever be, and who we are and were before
will continue through endless time.”
Why
is it my favorite: Epic fantasy is about the struggle between good and
evil and these are the profound truths of good. Moreover, it is said, ‘you
cannot take the artist from the art or the writer from his words.’
So very true. :) What was your
favorite part of writing the story?
The
perpetual surprises my characters have waiting for me every day. I see the map
we are following as if I am flying over it in an airplane. The road of our
story is a thin white line. When I walk side by side or follow my characters on
the road itself, I feel the gravel under my feet, I smell the flowers and hear
the birds and I am astounded by what they do and say and what we discover on
the detours that I did not imagine away from my keyboard at ten thousand feet.
That is a good lead-in to mention that I love having maps in books, I know you're not really talking about the physical map per se, but just had to note that. And this one has two! Was it a different
writing experience with this being your second published work with Shadow
Mountain than the first time around?
I
have been writing movies my whole life. Writing novels is very different, but
was not such a challenging transition because I always tended to overwrite my
screenplays. I enjoy language and the chew of words.
It
is all story telling — who is it about, what do they want, who wants to stop
them, why does it matter, why is it urgent, etc. etc.
The
biggest difference of course between Evolution of Thomas Hall (my first novel) and
The Immortal Crown was writing a story set in a real and familiar world (San
Francisco Bay Area for Evolution of Thomas Hall where I have lived since 1964)
and creating a place and time and entirely fanciful world with all the
attendant elements that did not exist until seeds took root in my head and
it grew into a jungle from imagination, thin air and a refrigerator full of Red
Bull.
Lol! I can only imagine. What are some of
your favorite books or authors?
One
has to acknowledge the chasm between fiction and non-fiction when citing
“favorite books and authors”.
My
favorites tend to be the ones I am reading at the moment. I am always on the
lookout for new authors and bounce back and forth from fiction to non-fiction
with no particular pattern. A
few of the classics deserve to be on the list of course, but it has been SO
long since I curled up with J.R.R. Tolkien, James Fenimore Cooper or
Charles Dickens I hope they’ll forgive me for leaving them off the list
NON FICTION:
There are a few books I keep close at hand.
Story
by Robert McKee
An
Exaltation of Larks by James Lipton
Against
the Idols of the Age - The Essays of David Stove edited by Roger Kimball
Fingerprints
of the Gods by Graham Hancock
As
a Man Thinketh by James Allen
Scripture
FICTION:
Now
I reveal my low brow enjoyment and escape into pulp fiction and confess I’m one
of the readers who keep these guys on the New York Times Best Seller list for
week after week.
I’ve
listed authors rather than books because once I find one I like I buy all
of their books and read everything they’ve written. My wife is a
voracious reader also, she loves books and has collected a huge library of
hardback fiction. One Click purchasing at Amazon is a blessing and a
curse.
Lee
Childs
Brad
Thor
Vince
Flynn
Daniel
Silva
Dean
Koontz
Clive
Cussler (Before he hired ghost writers and stopped writing himself)
Robert
McCammon
I’ve
read Gone South, three times and want to make it into a movie.
Dan
Brown (He fell out of favor with his last one)
George R. R. Martin
A
grateful nod of course for his 25 year masterwork, Song of Ice and Fire,
Oh
and of course, The Evolution of Thomas Hall, a truly excellent novel which I
have read many times.
:) That's a great list! What are you most
looking forward to reading this year?
The
Last Mile by David Baldacci - Currently reading
The
Twelfth Imam by Joel Rosenberg - Currently reading
The
Heavenly Table by Donald Ray Pollock
Playing
to the Edge by Michael V. Hayden
Increase
in Learning by David Bednar
…and
when I wander through Barnes and Noble those unknown treasures that are yet to
be added
I obviously need to broaden my reading. Where is your favorite place to read
or to write and why?
To write:
My
writer’s cottage. No phones. No emails. No interruptions. French doors that
open to a rose garden.
To read:
I
like to read by the pool, in my big leather chair or in bed. Reading myself to
sleep is habitual! Actually, I love to read so the ‘where’ doesn’t really
matter much.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Kieth! I'm looking forward to book two!
About the Author
"The Evolution of Thomas Hall" is his debut novel.
Giveaway
Hardcover of The Immortal Crown
US only
Provided by the publisher
Ends May 30th
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Any thoughts on Keith's interview? Have you read any of his favorite books or do you have a favorite fantasy novel or author?
Love the cover!!!!!
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