Character Interviews

What the heck is a character interview? 

I asked myself this question when I was asked by a blogger what I wanted. I had the choice of being interviewed myself as the author, which I am used to, having a spotlight of my book, where they place the cover and book synopsis and my bio, and then finally the choice of having one of my characters within my book interviewed.

I had no idea that this sort of thing happens within the blogging world. To be honest, I had no idea how it would work and it kind of made me nervous.

What kind of questions would they ask?
Did this blogger read my book and would they ask questions that reveal too much?
What would my character actually say?
Would anyone care about what my character had to say and would it bring them closer to buying the book?

All of these questions scrolled through my mind. Well, I have undergone a month long blog tour in April (thanks to Aileen Aroma, my PR Manager, and my friend Cheree Crump). The tour consists of every thing mentioned above and more. Interviews with me (multiple questions from all angles of my life and my writing process), spotlights of my book, excerpts from The Orb where I share snippets of the story, guest posts where I write out a full blog, like I'm doing now, and then the character interviews.

I have to say that I enjoy the character interviews the best hands down. They are so different and really capture the heart of the character and their personality. It is so fascinating to get inside the head of these fictional persona's as they truly take on a life of there own, so much so, that I actually start believing they are real.

In this tour, we had three interviews.
The first was with the main hero of the book and his name is Bridazak. He is a Halfling or Hobbit, and something in my book that I coin as an Ordakian.
Anyway, here is the link to his interview...

Bridazak Character Interview

The 2nd interview is with a lovable dwarf named Dulgin...well, he actually is quite irritated with most things but you will have to read his interview for yourself to understand what I mean.
I enjoyed how Dulgin ended the interview with this classic dwarven line.
Dulgin: "Kawnesh di lengo ki belko vekoosh . May your light shine bright and blind your enemies."
Here is the link to his interview...

Dulgin Character Interview 

The final interview is my favorite. It is with two characters named Lester and Ross. They are not humans, nor elves, nor dwarves, and definitely not ordakian, but instead are animated thieves tools that talk. They help thieves get through any locked contraption, but at a price...the price being that they talk a lot. They are the comedy relief within The Orb of Truth...without further ado, please enjoy Lester and Ross.

Lester and Ross Character Interview

Would love to hear back from you about the characters so please leave a comment...
And please join my Official Fan Club on Facebook...
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Do Book Reviews Matter?

It depends on who you ask when you pose the question, "Do book reviews matter?"

An author would clearly say, "YES!"
A reader most often just wants a good book to read and then they move on to the next book they have waiting in the wings.
A shopper usually takes a look at reviews which helps them make an informed buying decision.

Let's be honest. All of us want to look at reviews but we don't give any reviews ourselves unless the company we purchased from completely screws us over or when there is some angelic chorus singing Hallelujah in our minds after reading and we are compelled to leave a glowing review.

After writing my first book, The Orb of Truth, I have come to realize how important a review is. I now make every effort to leave some positive feedback for the ones who have labored day and night to come up with a compelling story and then go through the tough process of getting it published.

When you get a moment, take a minute to leave a positive review for the books you love. The books that are not good then by all means move on to the next or send a private message to the author to give them some constructive feedback so they can improve upon their craft.

Here a couple reviews that I have received:

5-Star Review
"Readers of Tolkien, Feist, Lewis, Eddings, etc. will find this at first familiar, like bumping into a friend, and then realize quite quickly that it is entertainingly unique. The world of The Orb of Truth is full of the themes we love as fantasy readers, but chases after deeper pursuits than first seem apparent. At times filled with blunt, bold, page-turning action, the interludes are filled with solid story telling at a graceful pace that more than brush up against core spiritual themes. Without spoiling the ending, an adroitly-timed twist in this book may leave you in tears, as it did me. Well-worth the read, the book will transport you into lost woods and glowing magical mountainscapes painted clearly in the reader's mind, and the well-paced, epic struggle that begins to unfold will certainly leave you as it did me... wanting to jump back on Amazon and order any other volumes in this series. Anticipating the forthcoming installments is likely to keep me busy for as long as the author takes to lovingly tell us the rest of the story."

 5-Star Review
"I would never have picked this book for myself if not for reccomendations of others. I love fantasy and books with adventure and have read many. However, I have never read one quite like this. Throughout the book i am reminded of The Lord of the Rings and The Dungeons and Dragons game and the book The Oath by Frank Peretti. However even with all these infuences it still has it's own unique story line as it weaves in a religious element without being preachy. Adventure found me on every page and i found myself not wanting to put it down even when i was getting to sleepy to read the words. I can't wait to read more about these characters in the next book and see what new adventures they take me on." 

4-Star Review
"I don't normally read fantasy; J.R.R. Tolkien rather spoiled me to everything else, and I'm not big on wizards, dragons, and magic in general. That said, "The Orb of Truth" is like reading an arm wrestling match between Tolkien and Wyckoff, and C.S. Lewis wins. For those with scriptural background, much is recognizable, and makes for an intriguing tug between fantasy and theology, with all of the implications leading to a predictable but gratifying outcome. I like Wyckoff's weaving of fiction with timeless truths, his bringing of spiritual battle to a visceral, physical level, his new twists on stock characters and plot, but what made the book entertaining for me was the character interplay: the journey together, like "The Fellowship of the Ring," is at least as important as the outcome. That, perhaps, is one of the greatest truths from "The Orb of Truth." Looking forward to reading the next book, and sharing the first with my high school lit. classes."

Lester & Ross Magical Thieves Tools

I would like to introduce to you two amazing characters within The Orb of Truth...Lester & Ross.

These two animated picks have quite the personalities. Imagine Laurel and Hardy minds stuck within a pair of magical tools that only the owner can see and hear.

Here is the introduction of these characters within The Orb of Truth:

Bridazak didn't respond, but instead slowly brought the bundle out to inspect. It laid flat in his palm and he slowly unwrapped the supple leather. His eyes widened in amazement as he unveiled the two thieves' tools Spilf had used to disarm traps and pick locks. They were no longer rusty as he had seen them before, but shined bronze. They were two inches long, skinny, and highly magical. The pair of tools each had eyes and a mouth, and were staring back at the Ordakian. Dulgin peered at what his friend had uncovered.

"Hi Bridazak! My name is Lester, and this is my brother Ross," the animated pick introduced himself. Bridazak looked up at Dulgin, smiling incredulously. Dulgin squinted with a blank stare, waiting for something he was supposed to notice, but heard only an uncomfortable silence.

"Can you see them? They are talking to me."

"What are ya talking about, ya blundering fool? Them are just some ugly-looking, rusted tools ya got there. I thought you were in danger or something. Don't be getting the mad fever on me," he muttered in frustration as he moved back to the wood he had dropped.

"Ah, don't worry about him, he is always grumpy," Lester chimed in response to the Dwarf. The other pick spoke, "We are now at your service. There is no lock or trap that we can't get through," it boasted in a demeanor of pride.

The items had distinct voices. Lester spoke with a deeper, metallic tone, while Ross had more of a squeaky, tinny whine.

*****

I will be writing a back story about Lester and Ross and release it later this year for free on Amazon. The tentative title is...well, "Lester & Ross".

Within The Orb of Truth, Lester & Ross are given their own adventure in an amazing chapter called Inch by Inch...I hope you like it as much as I did writing it. I have the most fun writing about these two.

blessings everyone!

Check out the latest book trailer for The Orb of Truth...

BOOK TRAILER LINK!

7 Writer Challenge

I was tagged by Terry Ambrose, author of Photo Finish and License to Lie, for the 7 Writer Challenge, so here it goes:

The rules: Go to either page 7 or page 77 and starting with line 7, post the next 7 lines and then challenge 7 others to do the same.

Here is an excerpt from my book called The Orb of Truth:

            Dulgin headed for the door.

            Spilf followed, “I don’t mind a nick-name but pick something with some pizazz, like Amazing or Magnificent.”

            “Sounds good.  Let’s go Amazing Stubby,” the Dwarf laughed.

            The door shut behind them and their voices trailed off as they made their way down the path toward the tavern.


I’m challenging the following authors to do the same:
Karen Dales
Joshua Greeson
Sheri Fink
Andrew E. Kaufman
Beth Barany
Robert Mullin
Tony Breeden

New York City Adventure

My wife and I headed into New York via the train from New Haven, CT. The hour and a half trip brought us directly into Grand Central Station. Our first stop into a city with so much history.

From here, we took off on foot down 5th Avenue and made our way to Rockefeller Center. We watched people ice skating, snapped a couple pics, and waded through the throngs of visitors. It was only three days away from New Years Eve which is a pretty big deal in the Big Apple!

We were a little hungry and stopped off for some pizza...have to have some pizza when in NYC. A couple slices of pepperoni and a drink and we were good to go.

Saw some cool steam coming up through the grates on the street...loved it. Nothing like seeing it for yourself and not through some movie. The steam coming out is a result of condensation or water leaks reaching the steam pipes and escaping. An old and ancient system.

Love all the vendors on the streets and your NYC trip would not be complete without getting some overpriced HOT NUTS or a semi-warm pretzel. This day that we walked it was 36 degrees so the pretzel wasn't even warm and the once "hot nuts" were now warm nuts. lol

We came to the famous TRUMP tower and of course envisioned myself as one of the next contestants on Celebrity Apprentice! Even had some cool steam coming out above my head in this shot...

We eventually went through Central Park in search of John Lennon's memorial site but it is a big park so we had to abandon that idea since we walked a long way from Grand Central Station. We grabbed a cab and found ourselves at Times Square...now this is 3 days from the "ball" dropping so NY was packed with people. It was difficult to walk anywhere.

The day was over and it was time to make our way back to the train station. We went down several blocks and at each intersection it was like something from the movie "Braveheart"...there was a line or should I say wall of people on the otherside of us waiting to cross. Each of them looked angry and ready for battle. The collision of people hit midway and bodies flew in multiple directions, avoiding blows as best as possible, dodging the endless wave of bodies fighting to get to their destination.
Here are a couple pics to show you what I envisioned at each intersection...

Jill and I had a great day, but it was a long tiring day of walking. Our epic day in NYC ending with our train ride back to New Haven, CT.

Success Doesn't Happen Overnight

As much as I wish that my success would happen overnight after releasing my first novel, The Orb of Truth, on November 17th, it doesn't.

Why?

It takes time for a new author to gain traction. You can sell to your friends and family, but it takes a lot more to reach the masses around the entire world.

It surprises me that most think that once you are published that you have it made. Yes and No. Yes, if your work stands up to scrutiny...will it prevail the many readers looking for a great ride, that connect with the characters you have written, and hold up against other greats past and present? These are the questions that will be answered once your book is released and people begin to read it.

Reviews make or break an author!!! The power shifts to the reader...

Here is a review from a book (NOT MINE) and I won't mention what the book is other than it is the same genre as mine...fantasy...this will give you an idea of how brutal and how important a review can be for an author. This was a two star review by the way...ouch! People will read this review and might not buy the book even though there are others who say positive things about it.

"The book was just meh. The characters where ok, but had the tendancy of being stereotypical and uninteresting. The plot was pretty standard and the spelling and grammar was not a total mess. I finished this book, would I read others in the series? probably not. I had no emotional investment in the main character and so don't really care what happens to him." 

On the flip side, a great review can push an author to the top and even more so is word of mouth from those who have read it. An author's best promotion is through the voice of others.

Here are 2 reviews that I received...these are reviews that are posted on Amazon for The Orb of Truth, which currently has five 5 star posts and five 4 star posts.

5-Star Review: "I received The Orb of Truth as a prize from a contest the author held...I was not obligated to review it, but after reading it I wanted to review it and let other people know what a great book it is. The Orb of Truth is a wonderful fantasy adventure and is appropriate for children and adults. The characters are very likeable and endearing. I like that the characters that were chosen to hold the Orb of Turth (God's voice) were a little flawed but genuinely good people.
Other reviewers have compared this book to the Lord of the Rings and I have to say that I agree with that comparison. The Orb of Truth has magic, adventure, good vs. evil, a quest, and a wonderful cast of characters...just like Lord of The Rings. So if you liked LOTR, then I would suggest you give The Orb of Truth a try.
I look forward to reading the next book in this series when it comes out. I'm definitely a fan of Brae Wyckoff and this series" 

4-Star Review: "When I first started reading this book I thought it should have been a continuation from The Lord of the Rings, except for different names.
I enjoyed the story line and it was pretty easy to lose track of time in reality.
The characters were well developed and I liked the differences in personalities among the three friends, I believed it helped with keeping their quest exciting.
A very pleasing debut novel."

The best thing to do is check out a book on Amazon and look inside the book...read the first page or two and if it grabs you then give it a chance. Most readers know what they are looking for and will decide in the first page whether they like it or not.

You can read The Orb of Truth opening chapters on Amazon and I have also posted on Wattpad.com. When I write a story, I'm there, I'm on the adventure...my goal is to take you on an amazing adventure and whisk you away into a magical land where anything is possible.

You might say that you are not a reader, well I say it is never to late to start and this book will be the one to launch you. It is a fast read and one that won't keep you bored. I don't like boring books so I don't write them. It has been professionally edited and has been taken through an author critique group where other authors give feedback...brutal feedback!

I'm challenging you! Get a copy today...bless this author with your review on Amazon and Goodreads.
Printed book is $12.99 (currently on sale for $8.29)
Ebook for Kindle is $3.99 (an entire book for the cost of a cup of coffee)

The Orb of Truth on Amazon (click here)

And you will be excited to know that this will be a series with the same characters. Book #2: The Dragon God is already finished and is currently in re-writes before being handed off to my editor. I have started writing book #3 of the series, The Vampire King.

Book Signing Event

The first book signing event came to pass on December 8th, 2012! It was a dream come true day for me and one that I will never forget.

Friends, family, and new people I have not met before, lined up to get their book personally autographed. I was overwhelmed with joy, not due to any ego, but because of the blessing I was receiving and to know that each person will ultimately be touched by the story they are about to be immersed in.

Over 40 people were in attendance...could have been more, but there was such joy on everyone's faces. Pride of friends and family beamed. I loved connecting with everyone and met some really fantastic "gamers" at Pair A Dice game store in Vista, CA (hosts of the event). I felt HOME!

The location was perfect...a local game store opened their hearts to a local author and said, "Let's do this." Rob North, the owner of Pair A Dice, was a gracious host and all of his staff were amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better venue for my first book signing and part of the earnings went back to the store which made it even better! (books are still available for purchase at Pair A Dice, located in Vista, CA)

People were showing up to the store even after it ended to buy my book. Others who couldn't attend went online and ordered their copy for a future autograph after they receive it from Amazon. I had message upon message emailed to me with encouraging words and prayers.

The best part of the day was having my family join me on this epic moment in my life. My children were there, my wife standing by my side, and my mom honoring me with the first signature of the day.

The song from Starship (80's) comes to mind... "Nothings gonna stop us now!"
Thank you all for your love and support! Continue the dream with me by letting others know about The Orb of Truth and to post your review on Amazon! This is extremely valuable for all authors to get that review and for word of mouth to spread across the world. Blessings.

                                         "IT IS TIME!"