The art of dragon killing. Heroika: Dragon Eaters an Epic Historical Fantasy Adventure Anthology Edited by Janet Morris Book Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway
The art of dragon killing.
Seventeen writers bring you so close to dragons you can smell their fetid breath.
Heroika: Dragon Eaters
Heroika Volume 1
Edited by Janet Morris
Genre: Epic Historical Fantasy Adventure Anthology
Janet Morris and Chris Morris, The First Dragon Eater
S.E. Lindberg, Legacy of the Great Dragon
Janet Morris and Chris Morris, Bring Your Rage
Walter Rhein, Aquila of Oyos
Cas Peace, The Wyght Wyrm
Jack William Finley, The Old Man on a Mountain
A.L. Butcher, Of Blood and Scales
Travis Ludvigson, Night Stalkers
Tom Barczak, Forged
JP Wilder, Rhyme of the Dragon Queen
Joe Bonadonna, The Dragon’s Horde
Milton Davis, Wawindaji Joka (The Dragon Hunters)
M Harold Page, Sky Tomb of the Earth Kings
William Hiles, Red Rain
Beth W. Patterson, La Bétaille
Bruce Durham, Arctic Rage
Mark Finn, Sic Semper Draconis
**Heroika: Dragon Eaters is Perseid Press' featured book this month! On sale for Only $2.99 on Kindle!!**
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[excerpt from Bring Your Rage by Janet and
Chris Morris from Heroika: Dragon Eaters]
When I first saw Rhesos, he came riding a horse
white as sunlight, a black dog at its heels, between two breast-high piles of
dragon carcasses, toward the Paeonian way-station where we combatants all
gathered. He wore no armor, only a cap made from the scalp of a fox and a multicolored
zeira, the billowy Thracian riders’
cloak, over pantaloons and fawnskin boots. When the horse shied at the skinned
dragons smoking over firepits in the morning glare, he clapped his legs against
his mount’s sides.
Now when a horse shies sideways in a single jump, an
unwary rider is fast unseated; a half naked rider, with no surcingle, no toe
loops, oft comes tumbling to the ground. Not this man: he rode as one with his
horse, deep-seated, his buttocks, thighs and calves tight to its barrel. In his
right hand he carried an ash spear, and this he rapped against his mount’s
shoulder, while with his left hand he loosed his reins, urging the horse past
the piled corpses.
I had never seen a maneuver like that, but the
war-horse knew it well and, with one disapproving snort, lunged on by the
bloody stacks, coming straight toward me where I stood on the shelter’s porch.
Men seldom impress me by posturing, but this one rode like a god, and looked
right at me between his horse’s ears. So I hesitated a moment, nearly smitten,
watching, before I went back inside.
This roadhouse, built poor and spare into the berm
like the Spartan kind, held a score of men — and now me, once again. The group
of us, brought together by choice and challenge, had hunted yesterday, and
would again on the morrow; most men were drinking and carousing, boorish and
loud. By now they were accustomed to me: I had been here six days and made my
share of the kills piled outside, so when I filled a clay cup from the krater
by the door and took a seat, none remarked me.
Then in came the Thracian rider, pausing on the
threshold, blocking out the light, legs spread, his spear a walking stick,
looking right, looking left.
Everyone stopped talking.
What is
something unique/quirky about you?
We breed Morgan horses. We consult with Morgan breeders to
help them choose breeding combinations to achieve a desired result.
We are also song writers; Janet plays bass guitar and Chris
sings and plays guitar. We have an album on MCA records. Look for Christopher
Crosby Morris on Soundcloud or N1M.com
Can
you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and
how you became an author?
Janet wrote her first book in 1975 and Chris was the first
one to read and comment on it. Their marriage survived. A routine emerged where
Chris would read aloud all the new drafts and we would make edits on the spot.
After a few books Chris’ ideas became frequent enough that we agreed he should
have credit for writing, whereas before we had kept separate Janet’s
storytelling and Chris’ songwriting. The rest, as they say is history.
Who is your
hero and why?
Heraclitus of Ephesus, a pre-socratic philosopher, whose Cosmic
Fragments foreshadow our knowledge of reality and how to perceive it.
Among his precepts is the statement that change alone is unchanging. We’ve
worked Heraclitus’ fragments in here and there throughout our books.
Which of
your novels can you imagine being made into a movie?
All of them. We write cinematically, our books are vivid adventures
undertaken without knowing the destination. I, the Sun, The Sacred
Band, Outpassage and M.E.D.U.S.A. are
particularly suited to film. The Threshold Series is a feast of
opportunities for today’s special effects creators.
What
inspired you, to write your Heroika: Dragon Eaters stories?
We wanted
to keynote a collection of stories about heroes facing a simple (but deadly)
challenge. We decided on Dragon Eaters because the danger is right in the
title. Obviously, you have to kill the dragon before you eat it and our group
of writers loves to know the threat before they begin to write. The rest is
easy; just make sure you have the right equipment and have eaten a good
breakfast.
Convince us
why you feel Heroika: Dragon Eaters is a must read.
Dragon Eaters isn’t a must read, it is a fun read.
Anthologies like Dragon Eaters show you the differences between
approaches different writers will take on a common theme and possibly make you
think about how you would tell such a tale. If we can convince one reader to
start telling their story, we have succeeded in more than selling a book.
Who designs
your book covers?
Dragon Eaters was conceived by Janet and realized by Roy
Mauritsen, our gifted graphic artist.
Advice to
writers?
As for advice to writers, here is all we know: write the
story you want to read. Start at the beginning, go to the end, and stop.
Seriously. From start to finish you must inhabit the construct in a manner that
makes the reader choose to continue; if you, as the writer, can’t feel what
it’s like being there, your readers can’t either. So close your eyes, look at
your feet where they are standing on the story’s ground; tell me what you see.
Tell me what you hear. Ask at the end of each paragraph ‘what happens next?’. If
you lose touch with it, wait until you’re back inside it. Tell the story that comes
to you, and from you, to me.
Best selling author Janet Morris began writing in 1976 and has since published more than 30 novels, many co-authored with her husband Chris Morris or others. Most of her fiction work has been in the fantasy and science fiction genres, although she has also written historical and other novels. Morris has written, contributed to, or edited several book-length works of non-fiction, as well as papers and articles on nonlethal weapons, developmental military technology and other defense and national security topics.
Christopher Crosby Morris (born 1946) is an American author of fiction and non-fiction, as well as a lyricist, musical composer, and singer-songwriter. He is married to author Janet Morris. He is a defense policy and strategy analyst and a principal in M2 Technologies, Inc. He writes primarily as Chris Morris, but occasionally uses pseudonyms.
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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
choice of print or ebook copy of Heroika: Dragon Eaters,
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– 1 winner each!
Sounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteThis looks really good. Thanks for sharing and hosting this tour
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the excerpt and guest post. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete