Land of Gods Free for 2 Days
Today’s featured author is Justin Sloan, author of Land of Gods. This week he is offering Land of Gods Free for 2 Days! But it goes back up to $4.99 on the 14th so you better hurry and grab it while you can!
I “sat down” with Justin, in the sense of I spoke with him via Facebook and email! And I was able to get a good sense of who this guy is. He is extremely devoted to his family as well as to his country. He served in the Marines, not as good as the Army, but hey we can’t all be Army vets now can we? (wink wink) But his military experience has really shaped who he is as an author and as a person. His discussion around his books and what was the basis and influence for his writing is actually very intriguing.
And in case that isn’t enough, he has written video games! One of his best selling games is Game of Thrones, so don’t be surprised if you have already “read” some of his work. Come with me to get to know him a little bit better and read what he is up to. Be sure to read the entire post as there is a special treat in there for you, the readers!
And don’t forget:
Land of Gods Free for 2 Days
Pick up your copy today for free!
Please give us a short introduction to your Falls of Redemption Trilogy
The Falls of Redemption trilogy is epic military fantasy, loosely based on Ancient Greek wars in the way that Game of Thrones is based on the Wars of the Roses. It follows two cousins in alternating point of view (POV) chapters. They both love the same woman, but face hurdles in a time of war that cause their pursuit of this woman to be complicated.
That’s where the story starts, because then it becomes so much more – it’s the tale of one of these cousins who is taken against his will and forced to fight for a Spartan-like group of warriors, and then his journey when he’s must choose between the brothers in arms he has learned to love and the woman of his dreams. What I love about this series is the way the characters come first, with hints of magic behind a curtain at first, revealed slowly until BAM! The magic system comes out swinging.
What inspired you to write Falls of Redemption?
I started writing the Falls of Redemption trilogy back in 2010 when I was waiting for the next Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire) book to come out. Those books were so amazing, I felt compelled to attempt to write a book that would touch and inspire people in the same way George R.R. Martin’s books did with me. This made it feel especially amazing when I found myself working at Telltale Games on their Game of Thrones title.
How much, would you say, has your military training influenced your writing?
My grandma was always asking me to write about my military time and travels, so instead of writing a journal or memoir, I thought I would write a fictionalized version of my bootcamp experience. I had taken a class in my international relations MA program on the Peloponnesian War, and loved it. So it made sense to combine these two ideas – a military fantasy novel based on Ancient Greek wars, that in some ways tells my story of going through boot camp and the years that followed.
Of course, the book changed drastically and totally took on a life of its own, but you could certainly say my military time has greatly influenced my writing. In fact, my other books have strong military aspects – the little girl in Back by Sunrise loses her father to the military, and Allie Strom’s mom is in the military (kind of) in Allie Strom and the Ring of Solomon.
How different is writing novels from writing the stories for video games?
The writing process for video games is much more like screenwriting than writing novels. There are many similarities, such as character creation, plotting, and coming up with awe-inspiring reversals and plot twists. The main difference would be that writing for games, in my experience, is extremely collaborative. You might think that writing with a partner on novels is collaborative, or working with editors, but the word collaborative takes on a whole new meaning when there are six or seven writers all on one two-hour episode of a game, with producers, people in marketing, and studio executives all weighing in. And that’s not even talking about working with art and programming and all those other considerations!
However, when it comes to the actual writing, it’s still the amazing process of sitting down behind your computer and entering a magical world that is, at least to some degree, your own.
Land of Gods Free for 2 Days
If you want to learn more about Justin and his writing career, check out my Facebook page where I will share more snippets of his interview! https://www.facebook.com/JLHendricksAuthor/
Website: www.JustinSloanAuthor.com
Blog (and podcast): www.CreativeWritingCareer.com
Twitter: @JustinMSloan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JustinSloanAuthor
And as a special gift since you made it all the way to the end of the blog, you get another freebie from Justin! He put up on #Instafreebie the prequel to his Falls of Redemption trilogy! And you can have the link right here: Blades of Gresva
This is the short prequel to the Falls of Redemption trilogy, Narcel’s father and Lokum’s uncle, SERGON, sets off on a secret mission with the Reveries of the religious capital, Gresva.
They are on a quest to wipe out a faction of worshipers of The Six, old gods that required human sacrifice to bring people back from the dead.
Sergon finds himself sneaking through pirate camps and confronted with his worst nightmare in a life or death mission that may be his last.
Land of Gods Free for 2 Days
