Come Selahway With Me…

I thought I’d kick the month off with something a little different. I was tagged/suggested/dragged into invited to participate in the Meet the Character blog hop. Y’all know how I feel about my characters, so of course I wanted to participate!  The ever-talented Sumiko Saulson invited me, and you should really check her and her work out. She’s got an incredible mind for horror and art and you need her work in your life. You can get to know her and her character, Flynn Keahi, at the link.

 

As for me, though, since I don’t have a current WIP to pull from, I thought I’d dig through my new/current release, Olde School, and re-introduce the world to a chap I quite like writing (and building. One of these days I will have a full-size troll in a business suit to follow me around at my leisure because of course that should be everyone’s life goal).

1. What is the name of your character?

This charming fellow’s name is Paddlelump Stonemonger.

2. Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

He’d probably disagree with me, but he’s fictional. Some days he annoys me enough that he seems way too realistic for his own good.

3. When and where is the story set?

Olde School takes place in Kingdom City, which is the biggest city in The Land, which is probably one of the major countries in The Realm. It’s set in modern Kingdom City times, so that means my characters, no matter how fantastical, have access to the internet, cell phones, laptops, cinema, rock concerts and other fun stuff….all put through a fantasy/fairy tale filter. There’s talk of magic, but everyone knows that’s just the talk of old wives and bored conspiracy theorists, right?

4. What should we know about him/her?

Paddlelump is a progressive troll. Unlike some of his crasser friends, he has a gentle demeanor and embraces modern times. He also looks younger than his age and tends to be targeted by those after his substantial wealth (thanks to an inheritance and success at his bridge business). He has a brilliant business mind, but he tends to be too trusting and blames the realm around him for his circumstances perhaps a little too often.

5. What is the main conflict? What messes up his/her life?

A lot of things end up tripping up poor Padd. To start, he hires a human housemaid that goes by the name Nobody…then finds out she’s much more than what she seems and has a huge ulterior motive. At the same time, Kingdom City officials are conspiring to re-work the rules to prove that he doesn’t actually own the land his business is on, because it’s one of the choicest in the city. Things spiral downward from there when it just so happens that there might be just a smidge of truth to some of those old wives tales…maybe.

6) What is the personal goal of the character?

At the start, Paddlelump just wants to keep his land and keep living his life. He’s a simple guy and doesn’t really want more than that. He wants to keep his success, to keep his business, to keep the land that’s always been in the family. It slowly turns into him wanting to prove himself, wanting to prove that he can live up to his father’s name, wanting to prove that he can be more than what he is. His goals become very different toward the end of the book, and I think it’s going to be fascinating to keep up with him throughout the series.

7) Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

The book is Olde School, it’s the first book in The Kingdom City Chronicles, and you can find all buy links, book info, and some fun stuff HERE

8) When can we expect the book to be published?

It’s out now!

 

Kindle       Amazon Paperback     Nook    B&N Paperback     Kobo

Kingdom City has moved into the modern era. Run by a lord mayor and city council (though still under the influence of the High King of The Land), it proudly embraces a blend of progress and tradition. Trolls, ogres, and other Folk walk the streets with humans, but are more likely to be entrepreneurs than cause trouble. Princesses still want to be rescued, but they now frequent online dating services to encourage lords, royals, and politicians to win their favor. The old stories are around, but everyone knows they’re just fodder for the next movie franchise. Everyone knows there’s no such thing as magic. It’s all old superstition and harmless tradition.

Bookish, timid, and more likely to carry a laptop than a weapon, Paddlelump Stonemonger is quickly coming to wish he’d never put a toll bridge over Crescent Ravine. While his success has brought him lots of gold, it’s also brought him unwanted attention from the Lord Mayor. Adding to his frustration, Padd’s oldest friends give him a hard time when his new maid seems inept at best and conniving at worst. When a shepherd warns Paddlelump of strange noises coming from Thadd Forest, he doesn’t think much of it. Unfortunately for him, the history of his land goes back further than anyone can imagine. Before long he’ll realize that he should have paid attention to the old tales and carried a club.

Darkness threatens to overwhelm not only Paddlelump, but the entire realm. With a little luck, a strange bird, a feisty waitress, and some sturdy friends, maybe, just maybe, Padd will survive to eat another meal at Trip Trap’s diner. It’s enough to make the troll want to crawl under his bridge, if he can manage to keep it out of the clutches of greedy politicians

And now, I have decided to rope SH Roddey, Alexandra Christian, Peter Welmerink, and Crymsyn Hart into the madness!  Their turn will come next week, mwahahahaha…