Age of Rust is a tale of displaced youth, the struggle for life, and the peril of love in war-time by Thaddeus Yeiser & Conrad Bair ➱ Book Tour with Guest Post and giveaway
Age of Rust is a tale of displaced youth, the struggle for life, and the peril of love in war-time.
Age of Rust
by Thaddeus Yeiser & Conrad Bair
Genre: Dystopian War Fiction
No records show how it happened, though everyone has their beliefs as to why the golden age of man fell seven hundred years ago. Since, humanity has managed to rebuild a modest civilization from the ruins. Now a medieval war begins to ravage the land once known as America. The lives of six young men become ensnared in the violence as they serve the Eastern army. Chief among them are Tavin, the son of a respected general and Seneca, a physician drafted away from his studies.
Loved
ones left at home are threatened when Kayzitt, the zealot Western
officer, leads his marauders behind enemy lines. His cruel methods
devastate every community he encounters and the East seems doomed to
fall under its own weight as he makes a name for himself in the
legends of the militaristic West.
But the six heroes notice that something has changed inside themselves. Their minds are subtly connected in a way that cannot be explained but lends them increased prowess on the battlefield. Inevitably, their skills place them on a collision course with Kayzitt that will shape the future of the nation.
Age
of Rust is a tale of displaced youth, the struggle for life, and the
peril of love in war-time. It is an ode to masculine vainglory and
the valor in conflict as it bridges with the feminine witness of
human corruption and loss of innocence.
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We say that we would do anything for
each other, but in the worst times will they listen to me? Will they be able to
comprehend what is at stake? Will they rise above themselves and meet the challenge?
Can they possibly understand how wrong this can all go? We call ourselves
warriors, but I question if they know what that title entails.
The
howl of a lone wolf found Tavin’s ears, making them hum with the steady tone
despite the miles between. As if to listen closer, Tavin pulled away from the
girl, peeling his lips off hers and craning his neck to look out the chapel
window. Hauntingly, the howling stopped, slipping off at the end of its note,
but Tavin kept his gaze beyond the stone walls. Something about the timbre had
snapped him to attention. Outside the night was cool and still, the moon and
its light had disappeared behind the mountains around the town and on the
horizon was the hint of sunrise.
“Do
you not like wolves?” asked the girl. “Do they scare you? I think they are
beautiful creatures. Lovely, when you get past the teeth.”
Tavin
turned to her again. She was soft in the gentle light of night, a thin thing
who was admirably young and energetic.
“No,
I’m not afraid of wolves.”
He
flashed her a reassuring smile. It was his smile that people were always drawn
to. They could not help but smile back. He touched the woman on the jaw and
rubbed the same place she had been rubbing his beard moments earlier. Their
eyes locked for a lingering, peaceful moment.
Feeling
the hardness of the ground against his knees, Tavin stood to relieve it. He
covered her kindly with the blanket they had borrowed from the chapel offices,
and then walked to the window of their steeple hideaway. Tavin had looked
forward to sneaking up here with a woman for the past week, but now something
chewed at his stomach.
“Do
you even remember my name?” she asked with charming accusation.
Tavin
could feel the arrogance in his automatic grin.
“Of
course, Marlies. Marlies, Marlies, Marlies,” he echoed.
“I’m
impressed, all you soldiers tend not to care about the details.”
“Well
I’m not most soldiers,” Tavin said, his eyes, now adjusted to the moonlight, on
the flickering lights in the distance. He propped his elbows on the cold hard
surface and tried to look closer. Campfires, he assumed, but they looked
different. The drift of chilled air through the window had an anxious scent.
“I thought as much when I
first saw you in the tavern. You have such serious eyes for how you danced
around.” She made more room beneath the blanket again and adjusted herself.
“Here, I’m cold, get under the blanket. What interests you so much about the
window anyway? Are you trying to see the Western camps?”
Tavin
paused, then turned and rejoined her as she requested. It was much warmer
beneath the blanket and she was much softer than the stone walls.
“Perhaps
I was,” he said, “there are three thousand of them out there in the fields. We
should be able to see them from up here. But it’s still too dark.”
“Three
thousand? Really?” she asked with a tone of false surprise. “My father was
saying that there are only four hundred of you here to guard the town. Is that
true?”
“Yes,
it's true,” Tavin sighed. “I did not think it a point of discussion.”
“Don’t
be naïve.” She hit his shoulder. “It is the only point of discussion these
days. Why do you think they haven’t attacked yet? It makes me so nervous, the
way they sit out there and burn their fires and ride their horses close to the
walls and shoot arrows at the blockhouses.”
Tavin
sighed again. The horizon was a bright purple now but there would be another hour
or two until the sun rose.
“Well, they don't exactly know how
many of us there are, so… we'll let them take their time. At least until
reinforcements can get here. As soon as that happens my friends and I can
finally rotate to the fortress.”
“It figures. I didn’t think this was
going to last long,” she replied. “You and I, I mean; though the war as well. I
suppose I never thought either would drag on like it has.”
“Drag?”
“No offense, the war drags, whereas you
have been a welcome surprise.”
“Well the reinforcements still
haven’t come. And there’s been no word to suggest they are coming soon. You
might have to put up with me a little longer yet.”
But there was a chewing at his
stomach that made Tavin feel the beginnings of terror. The way his words
reverberated off the stone walls of the chapel pinnacle, cold and hollow, he
could feel that they were wrong. He stirred beneath the blanket again,
agitated.
“What would happen if the West takes
the town? What would happen to us? Am I just another notch on your scabbard? I
think that we could still be happy no matter who is in charge.”
Tavin glanced to where his swords
lay propped against the wall. For a second, he regretted having ever removed
them. They were a defensive comfort in times where comforts were few.
CONRAD’s ANSWERS
Can you, for those who don't know
you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
--Much of my inspiration comes
from the story of my grandfather. He lived a classically great American life.
He survived all the communicable diseases that we take our immunity to for
granted. Was drafted into the second world war, was a hero, and a surgeon
afterward. During the war he was slated to be on the first wave of the mainland
invasion of Japan. The army estimated an 80% death rate. He very well might
have lived because of the atomic bomb forcing the Japanese surrender. This is
contentious historically, but still. It always made me feel like my existence
was connected to the devastation of thousands of people, and the heroism of
one. On top of that, I’ve always had a fondness, like many, for the
stereotypical hero's journey. From a young age I always hoped that I might be
whipped away into some fantastic adventure of unparalleled importance. Of
course that usually doesn’t happen. But I think those things, among others,
developed in me a fondness for inspiring stories that defy tragedy.
Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you!
— By today’s standards it is really strange to have a “most beautiful
baby award”, maybe even insulting. But nonetheless, the hospital in which I was
born had such a thing. And I happened to win it when I was born. By
coincidence, I was also given to the wrong parents shortly after being born and
cleaned up by the nursing staff. My parents like to joke that they knew they
had received the wrong baby back when they noticed it was an uglier baby. I
just hope the good looks last, I certainly didn’t keep the same nose. But at
least I have the correct parents… I think.
What are some of your pet peeves?
--Everything related to cars and driving. Driving itself,
other drivers on the road, car issues, buying cars, selling cars, fixing cars,
traffic, the sounds, the smells, the rushing, the speeding, the drunk drivers,
people falling asleep and doped out on opiates. I just hate everything about
driving.
Where were you born/grew up at?
— I was born and raised in Wellsboro, PA. A place still dear
to my heart. It's a small town that has been largely abandoned by industry, but
luckily has a tourist draw that keeps it alive. The outdoors there are great
thanks to the “Pennsylvania Grand Canyon '' properly known as the Pine Creek
Gorge. The hiking and hunting keep the area alive and also make it a beautiful
and peaceful place to grow up. WIth its real gas street lights lining the main
street, and old-timey charm, it is a perfect Christmas town. Wellsboro is like
a Norman Rockwell painting, especially when it snows. But in the summer it's
like a 1950s summer movie. It's a special place, surrounded by the rest of
reality.
Who is your hero and why?
— As I’ve hinted at, my hero has always been my grandfather,
though he is gone now. He’s as close as I’ll ever get to meeting a jesus--like
figure, or Abraham Lincoln. He was a war hero, a celebrated surgeon,
philanthropist, a benefactor to orphans, a teacher and storyteller. But he was
also incredibly humble and patient, without high needs, but with high
standards, that you always felt inspired to meet. It would be hard to really define
just how special he was to our whole family. But what I think anyone could
understand is just that he was a great grandfather.
What are you passionate about these days?
— Antiestablishment politics, and building momentum into
political movements that will hopefully undo the two party system in America
and allow us to get at the subjects that really matter, which are mainly around
class and economy. I would like to see the country move away from wasting time
on demographic arguments to focus on why the Military Industrial Complex and
Intelligence Agencies are able to embezzle trillions of dollars over my
lifetime without having to answer to the American people, while our tax dollars
are spent on war and our own infrastructure and human services crumble.
What do you do to unwind and relax?
— I go for long runs and lift weights. On a great day this is
usually combined with some kind of podcast, either comedy, educational, or
related to professional American Football. There’s nothing quite like the feeling
of leaving the shower after a good workout and slipping into some pajamas for
relaxation. And then just hanging out with my wife and our cats is as peaceful
as it gets.
What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
— Only one really. My wife and I took a road trip from Phoenix
up to Utah and Nevada, and then on to Oregon and back down through the
California coast. One part of that trip involved stopping over at the famous
sand dunes along the Oregon Coast. I had spent much of the previous summer
reading as much of Frank Herbert’s Dune
series as I could get a hold of. And to this day I still think the first and
fourth books are some of the best I’ve ever read, in my opinion— the best
science fiction. We took some time to explore the Oregon sand dunes and try to
appreciate the ecological quirks that inspired Herbert to write Dune and perhaps inspired some of his
other fascinations with dry land ecology. Looking back it did add a special
angle to the trip, to be able to appreciate something for oneself, but also try
to see it the way someone else saw it after reading their inspirations and
imaginations. And there’s no doubt that Herbert had a fine imagination and a
passion for learning.
As a writer, what would you choose as your
mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
— My co-workers have told me that my spirit animal is a
Stallion. And I think that’s just great, I’ll take it.
Stuff about the
Book:
What inspired you to write this book?
— By this point you’ve almost certainly heard me talk about my
grandfather, who on my part is a massive inspiration for my writing. He had
many war stories, and was happy to talk about them, which isn't always common
for veterans. But the inspiration is deeper than that as well. As Thaddeus and
I got to know each other, early in our friendship, we talked a lot about our
common ancestry. We both had grandfathers in WWII, who were fine talking about
their experience, were treated as heroes, and were part of the “Greatest
Generation.” But we also both had maternal grandfathers that were in Vietnam
and Korea. Those grandfathers were not merely so keen to talk about their
experiences. They seemed scarred, and were indeed scarred. They seemed
disturbed and even nervous, certainly sad. This dichotomy in our respective
forebears we found fascinating, both in terms of our personal histories but
also in terms of the history of the country. We talked about it enough that we
eventually got to talking about a fictional story that might somehow capture
some of these grand and humbling themes. After some years, “Age of Rust '' is
our attempt at capturing some of these stories and feelings in a setting that
is original and imaginative.
What can we expect from you in the future?
— We are looking forward to completing the whole trilogy of
Age of Rust. While the progress is slow, it has been steady. After that we have
several other science fiction and fantasy ideas on the table. We would love to
keep writing together. As we get older, this obviously is more difficult, but
we really feel like the co-writing strategy we have invented is so unique,
efficient, and creative, that often just the process alone is fun enough to
keep us going.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
— I really enjoyed the setting, we thought it was fairly
original and allowed us to work with many different kinds of characters,
themes, and battle mechanics. The present world is long gone, and it is truly
an “Age of Rust''. The old world skeletons are still visible in the rotting
ruins of the cities. But the old is also new again, as a medieval society has
emerged, with steel once again ruling the day in terms of weaponry and power.
Feudal forces struggle against the fading aspects of democracy and republic. We
were able to put our characters through many different tribulations to explore
family and friendships and how these relationships are affected by war. Like
many books it is an “anti-war” book at its heart. But it doesn’t hold punches,
it admits that war has been necessary in the development of humanity, if not at
least unavoidable, and that some people cannot help but have their lives
defined by it, through no choice of their own. War and struggle are forced upon
many throughout human history and the march of time is marked by those battles
in our collective memory. We try to explore this through the more intimate
perspectives of characters that approach their situation from a multitude of
different starting points in their lives, some poor laborers, others rich and
pampered, some middle class, and some academic.
Who designed your book covers?
— Jenny Eikbush designed the first book’s cover and I’m pretty
sure she did it all from freehand, we really love it and feel it captures the
feeling in our character’s hearts.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything
in your latest book?
— If given a chance, I would probably always want to change
and edit the first few chapters. The beginning is so important, and I’ll never
believe that i’ve ever gotten it perfect. But I think Thaddeus would agree,
eventually you have to let the ink dry and see what happens.
Anything specific you want to tell your readers?
— We really appreciate the read! We love the feedback, both
praise and criticism. It's always interesting to hear how many people hate or
love the same character, or agree and disagree with the course of a character's
story. We’re glad people are interested in the story and characters, for
whatever reason hooks them. Please share it with your friends and leave a
review!
What is your favorite part of this book and why?
— When the characters eventually accept that there is no going
back home. It really captures the sentimentality I have about my own childhood
in a great small home-town. Growing up feels like a loss of that special time,
and that loss is felt by many people in different ways. But there’s a point in
everyone's life, most especially in our characters, when one realizes that it's
all in the past now, and that all you can do is look ahead, and look around.
Are your characters based on real people or did they all come
entirely from your imagination?
— Both! I’d be surprised if anyone writes characters without
thinking of people from their own life, at least a little bit, even if it's
people they barely actually know. There’s just nothing quite like reality. But
of course everything is embellished and expanded upon, and exaggerated.
Have you written any other books that are not published?
— Thaddeus has written some screenplays that have yet to be
picked up in any way. I was lucky enough to help him with one of these. A
baseball story of all things. I don’t even care for baseball, but I really like
the story we made, and would love to see something become of it some day. The
other screenplays are some sci-fi stuff that Thad has largely carried by himself.
What did you edit out of
this book?
— A whole bunch! Probably a whole separate book’s worth of
material. Looking back it's funny. We originally started the story way earlier,
in the childhood of some of our characters. That just ended up being way too
much fluff and too much material in general. But I like to think it was good
practice. One has to get good at editing and knowing when to cut down,
afterall.
Stuff about
Writing/Reading:
What book do you think everyone should read?
— The Fellowship of the Ring. The first good part of the book
is just so comforting and quaint. It's like staying in a comfortable log cabin
to me. People often get hung up on the grandiosity of the war aspect and
battles, but there is some real treasure in Tolkien’s appreciation for the
gentle side of nature, the streams, moss, and a nice fireplace.
What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a
book?
— For this series? Mostly geography, a lot of logistics of
military movement, ships and horses, and medieval armor and weapons. But
definitely a good deal of geographic technicalities and making sure that the
story we are telling is a feasible one.
Do you see writing as a career?
— Yes, I see my day-job as a hobby, hahaha.
Do you read yourself and if so what is your favorite genre?
— I prefer science fiction, but I tend to shy away from hard
science fiction. I like a touch of esoteric science, or science that almost
feels like magic, but not too much to actually be magic. I thought Dune did this perfectly. I also enjoyed The Left Hand of Darkness.
Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why?
— it has to be silent, maybe only the slightest white noise,
preferably something natural, like a window open to a quiet yard or garden, but
I’m too distractible for much else, and people who need music or other loud
sounds to work are an enigma to me.
Thaddeus
Yeiser was
born in Butler, Pennsylvania and later lived all over the Keystone
state including Erie, York, Selinsgrove and Harrisburg. He studied
broadcasting and film in college and helped run a sports radio
station. He now works in Sales Management in Delaware. When he’s
not writing, you can find him soaking up nature or following his
favorite sports. He is a student of history and a lover of
scotch.
Conrad Bair was
born and raised in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. He studied biology and
philosophy in college and has worked in Healthcare ever since.
Primarily he enjoys hiking around the country, but visiting family in
Pennsylvania is a close second. He lives in Arizona with his
long-time partner and two spoiled house cats. He loves writing,
painting and music.
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The blurb sounds really good. Thanks for sharing.
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