Today is release for Book III Kings of Lore and Legend. Okay, guest post over. . .  What Dani? That’s not a proper guest post? Ah, sorry. Let me try again:

Today! Today! Today! It’s release day…huh? Still no? Hmm. Let me see.

Book III in the Champion of the Gods series was released today and Love Bytes is kind enough to let me do my release day guest post here. Talking about your book is kinda like being asked, “Tell us about yourself” or “Why should we hire you?” when you’re at a job interview. There are a few different things that can happen.

There is the person who talks a great game, hits all the points in the interview and gets the job only to crash and burn because the substance didn’t meet the hype.

Then there’s the applicant who is terrible at selling themselves and just hopes against hope that someone realizes that while they didn’t hit it outta the park, once they get to work, they’re awesome. (Yeah, I know. That doesn’t happen a lot, does it?)

Another way is to be able to talk about things honestly, without over promising and still get the job. Then when you’re there, you crush it and they promote you to CEO after a month or two on the job. Or maybe they just give you a pat on the back and tell you that they’re so glad they hired you.

That’s the balance I’d like to strike today. Kings of Lore and Legend is Book III in the Champion of the Gods series. From my perspective, this is the best book in the series so far. (I say, “so far” because I think the next two are going to be better, but we’ll see right?) But how do I get you to hire me, i.e. buy the book? I suppose I could do the movie hype and tell you that there’s magic, and swords. Deeds of Daring Do. Unicorns and giant peregrines. Wizards and Gods… and oh yeah, there’s even some romance. (well Farrell and Miceral get joined – married in their world – in Book I and their bond grows with the books.) In the interest of not being that first applicant; this really ain’t a romance novel. This is genre fiction with a romantic element. It’s high fantasy with a male/male pairing for the MC (Main Couple J).

I wish I could point you to what other people are saying, but it’s release day. Check back with me tomorrow if you need anecdotal evidence. I don’t suppose you’re interested in hearing what my husband had to say about the book? My mother perhaps? My cousin whose kids I’m godfather to?

Hold on, I’m getting a dirty look from the site host. Yes, I know this is like that time in high school when I had to write a 2000 word essay and I kept adding meaningless stuff to fill the page. But you told me not to just say, “Buy the Book Please.”

See what I mean, this job interview…guest blog post stuff is hard. Okay, so the book.

Kings of Lore and Legend is about the mid-point in the overall story arch. By now we’ve met most of the major players, though there are some that will get a lot more page time in the next two books. The way I see it, by now I need to have gotten you to the top of the hill and the rest of the story is going to rush headlong to the ending. I think I’ve done that with this book. But then, I know what’s coming.

The headwind I have in promoting Kings of Lore and Legend is that I you really need to read Books I & II. You can’t drop in here at this book, pick it up and really know what’s going on. Sure there is a synopsis of what has gone before, but you won’t be able to see the growth Farrell made; how much of an impact Miceral has on that development; the magic might not make sense, etc.

If you’re still on the fence, how about I make you an offer you can’t refuse. The title says a free eBook for everyone, well I’ll give you a free copy of Book I – The Last Grand Master. Free as in, won’t cost you any money. (you need to sign up for my newsletter, but that’s all.) And in addition, DSP Publications has reduced the price of Book II The Eye and the Arm to .99 cents through May 1^st. For more details check out the links below:

GET YOUR FREE COPY OF THE LAST GRAND MASTER

Or you can down load it directly from DSP Publications:

Book two, The Eye and the Arm, is now just .99 cents. The sale is only until May 1, 2016.

Blurb:

Dumbarten should have been the end of Farrell’s efforts to find his distant ancestor Kel, but the Six have other plans. Farrell is told to continue his search for answers in Agloth, the temple city to Seritia. Forced by the Goddess to ride across the vast continent of Lourdria, Farrell and his companion learn that Meglar’s reach extends well beyond the borders of Ardus. And Agloth, despite being dedicated to the Goddess of Love, is also home to a millennia-old curse that Farrell must end if he wants to complete his task.

Answers don’t come easily, and Farrell determines he must travel to the Dwarf Kingdom of Colograd to continue his quest. When an ally of Meglar’s threatens Agloth, Farrell cuts short his time in Colograd and rushes back to defend Seritia’s home. The attack seems doomed to fail, but the death of one of his companions distracts Farrell at a critical moment. Battling against his crushing grief, Farrell struggles to save Agloth, his friends, and himself. And even if he survives, he still hasn’t found Kel or his answers.

Release Date: March 15th 2016

Publisher: DSP Publications

Cover Artist: Angsty G

Buy links for Kings of Lore and Legend:

DSP Publications

ARe/OmniLit

Amazon

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

 

Excerpt from Kings of Lore and Legend—Champion of the Gods, Book Three

“How soon can we leave?”

“I’ll send word to King Werthan that we would like permission for Penelope and her honor guard to leave from Jerdas on her pilgrimage to Agloth immediately.” He looked at his aunt and motioned toward the map. “You should be able to leave in the next couple of days. All we’re waiting on is Werthan’s approval. He’ll agree, of course, but he’ll want something in exchange for Auntie using his fair city as a starting point. Especially since you won’t be staying for a state dinner.”

“That pompous windbag.” Penelope flicked her wrist and the chart neatly rolled up. “He’d sooner eat his liver than invite me for a state visit.”

“Wait.” Farrell paused as the others turned toward him. “If you’re on such bad terms with Jerdam, why don’t we use a different country?”

Markus smirked and picked up the pointer. Nodding to Penelope, he moved around the large table while the map unrolled.

“Politics makes for strange allies.” Directing Farrell’s attention to a gold shape on the paper, the king tapped it several times with the metal tip. “Jerdam is small kingdom with dreams of grandeur that will never materialize. It’s stuck between its two larger, warring neighbors, Utremth to the north and Najan to the south.”

He touched the pointer to the countries for emphasis. “Utremth is larger and more prosperous, but Najan has always had the greater population. Since Hevnor’s rule, Utremth and Najan have either been at open war with each other, been moving toward a new war, or licking their wounds and plotting their next war.”

“And Jerdam is stuck in the middle.” Miceral leaned back against the wall across from the chart. “It’s a wonder they haven’t been conquered.”

“They well might, except Jerdam and Dumbarten are allies,” Penelope answered. “You’d think they’d be a bit more appreciative that we’re the only thing between them and being split between the two.”

“Now be fair, Auntie. Jerdam has always been grateful for our aid—in public, at least.” Markus returned everyone’s attention to the map with a gesture. “Though we are allies, we’re also seafaring rivals. Jerdam’s capitol city, Jerdas, has the best harbor along the entire west coast of Lourdria. But its precarious position between two bitter rivals has scared off more than a few merchants. Most of those have diverted to Yalk, on Dumbarten’s eastern coast. Although across the Kentish Sea, Yalk’s harbor is larger, deeper, and safer than Jerdas.”

“But if Dumbarten is its ally, doesn’t that give Jerdas the same protection as Yalk?” Miceral asked.

“In some measure, yes, but Jerdam is an ally, not a province.” Markus turned and leaned against the table. “Neither Utremth or Najan would dare board a Dumbarten-flagged ship for fear of drawing us into their war, but Jerdish ships? Jerdam can send its own complaint in those instances.”

Farrell laughed despite himself. “No wonder Jerdam resents you. If I were them, I’d feel used too.”

“Used?” Miceral asked. “How is Dumbarten using them by protecting Jerdam?”

“Cousin?” Markus raised an eyebrow toward Farrell. “Would you care to explain?”

Snorting, Farrell shook his head. “Testing me to see if I have a firm grasp of politics?”

“Of course.” He smirked. “You’re going to be king of Yar-del and Zargon soon. I need to be sure your education isn’t lacking.”

At least his cousin was honest. “Preserving Jerdam’s independence ensured that Yalk was the destination of choice for most foreign merchants who wanted to deal with either of the warring countries. It’s not significantly farther from Utremthian or Najanite ports, and it has the full strength of Dumbarten protecting its merchants. So long as the war between the neighbors persisted, Jerdish ships remained at risk of being boarded any time they approached either country.”

“Oh.” Miceral seemed unsure. “And how is that Dumbarten’s fault? It’s better than being conquered.”

“Because Dumbarten could have ended this conflict any number of times over the centuries.” Farrell turned toward the king. “As powerful as Dumbarten is, they could impose a peace by force of arms. I’d wager a wagon of gold that Dumbarten has remained neutral in the conflict until one side or the other gained the upper hand. Then you sided with the losing side.”

“I’d not take your wager, cousin.” The smirk dissolved into a smile.

“And you have no desire to see a large, powerful country off your eastern coast. One that could potentially overrun Jerdam and take control of Jerdas.” Farrell tried to hold back a grin but failed. “Dumbarten preserved the status quo and prevented either kingdom from conquering the other. Devious, self-serving, but outwardly what each side professed they wanted.”

“Glad you agree.”

“More like I appreciate how it’s in Dumbarten’s best interest.” Farrell glanced at the map one last time. “But how will we pass through Utremth lands to the east of Jerdam?”

“My diplomats will handle that.” Markus’s body language told Farrell the meeting was over. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go see about drafting a suitable letter to Werthan.”

About the Author:

Andrew Q. Gordon wrote his first story back when yellow legal pads, ball point pens were common and a Smith Corona correctable typewriter was considered high tech. Adapting with technology, he now takes his MacBook somewhere quiet when he wants to write.

He currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his partner of twenty-one years, their young daughter and dog. In addition to dodging some very self-important D.C. ‘insiders’, Andrew uses his commute to catch up on his reading. When not working or writing, he enjoys soccer, high fantasy, baseball and seeing how much coffee he can drink in a day.

Follow Andrew:

On his website: www.andrewqgordon.com,

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/andrewqugordon,

On Twitter: @andrewqgordon,

Or just email him: andrewqgordon@gmail.com