Please Welcome Gordon A. Long to the Blog Hop at The Linden Chronicles! We are all anxious to hear about Gordon’s new WIP! Thanks for visiting, Gordon!
Gordon A. Long is a writer/editor/playwrite/director in Tsawwassen, British Columbia. His fantasy novel, “A Sword Called…Kitten? Is available in paperback and ebook on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/A-Sword-Called-Kitten-ebook/dp/B006QQHTH4/r
The second book in the series, “Excisor” is due in September this year.
His social commentary, “Why Are People So Stupid?” is available as an e-book at
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Are-People-Stupid-ebook/dp/B00A3HU6ZE/ and at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/247418
and in paperback at
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Are-People-So-Stupid/dp/0968883575/
He has two blogs,
http://airbornpress.ca/writing/blogweb/index.php
Are People Really That Stupid?
http://airbornpress.ca/arewestupid/blogweb/index.php
He can be contacted at: gordonlong@airbornpress.ca
What is the working title of your next book?
Excisor. Which means it’s either something about the tax man or the story of a tooth that cuts things out. I’ll leave the reader to imagine which.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
It’s the sequel to “A Sword Called…Kitten?” which was based on the personality of my cat. Then I got a new puppy who is very much a character, but he didn’t get along with the cat. I couldn’t resist.
What genre does your book fall under?
Humorous Fantasy. Or Romantic Comedy. That’s the trouble with being creative. I put a book up on Smashwords, and they ask me to put it in a category, and there’s no category for fantasy humour. I guess they never heard of Terry Pratchet or Piers Anthony.
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
A Healer struggles to fulfill the needs of her people and to keep her infant Magic Scalpel under control, hampered by racial prejudice, revolution, and a Magic Sword who won’t be serious.
Since this is a series, the setting must be important. What might interest the reader about the setting?
Inderjorn is a late medieval realm with a disrupted past. About 200 years ago the original people, a blond, nordic-type race, were invaded by the Maridons, a dark-haired, hispanic-type race. The resulting mix has never quite come together. Most nobles are Maridon, but not all. Most commoners are Inderjornese, but not all. Think Norman England, about 1200.
Then, of course, there’s the Magic. Inderjornese of the Blood, or former ruling class, are Sensitive to the emotions of others. Exceptionally talented Magicians can communicate speech, and even sway the minds of weaker people. However, a Sensitive can use an outside agency, such as a Magic Sword, to ease the communication of actual words and images.
The main character is a young Magic Sword with a chequered past of her own and a burning desire for a Name of honour and glory. This she achieves, rather against her will, in the first book of the series.
In the second book, racial tensions erupt. Maridons are becoming Sensitives as well, without the years of lore and social convention that the natives have available to control their Powers. Kitten throws her weight behind Eirlin the Healer, the only one with the Power to Heal the realm. But will Eirlin grow to meet the challenge in time?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I’m a starting-up publisher, so my book will be handled by Airborn Press. Which at the moment is me. I am working on some other people’s projects, so I hope to soon have some more authors in my stable. Submissions gladly accepted.
What other books would you compare this to within your genre?
It doesn’t really compare. The curse of originality. I have always been a fan of Terry Pratchett, but my humour is very different from his. I have my own brand of humour, rather sharp and (I hope) witty, with a touch of the ridiculous for colouring. Oscar Wilde was one of my heroes as well. Sorry about the indefinite answer. I guess you’ll just have to read it and find out.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I have been an Anne McCafferey fan for ages. One of the universal human fantasies is a powerful animal you can communicate with telepathically. Then I discovered Terry Pratchett. I mean, traditional fantasy has a fairly limited appeal, and one can get sated quite quickly. Adding humour refreshes my interest. Humour and creativity like Pratchett’s has refreshed my interest for about 15 years.
What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
A rather unusual love story, a couple of very different sword fights, and a psychotic villainess with dual personalities. Also, this story is completely told from the POV of the Sword
