Sunday, August 24, 2014

Tour Kick Off - The Wizard's Gift by Michael Waller



Fantasy
Date Published: June 30, 2012

   
The last of an ancient group of wizards leaves a gift to the newly arrived race of men. It is revered and cared for by a line of priests until it is stolen, and the high priest and his sovereign murdered by a king who believes himself destined to be a great wizard. But from ancient writings the high priest had discovered that the gift is not benevolent as was thought. This forces the son of the high priest, unexpectedly elevated to his father's position, and the young prince who is equally suddenly king, into a race to find the gift before it can be used as that may cause the destruction of the world. Accompanied by the retired captain of the palace guard they hope to speed their journey by crossing the Wasteland, a seeming desert, which is fabled to be populated by monsters, and from which no visitor has ever returned. In the course of their adventures they are hunted by dog faced men and captured by slavers, but the young prince truly becomes a king, and the priest discovers that he has a destiny that goes beyond the bounds of his world.





#1 – Do You See Writing as a Career?
For me no, I have already had my career and now I am indulging myself in a life of “what might have been” if my choices in younger days had been different.


#2 – What was the Hardest Part of Your Writing Process?
I write totally on inspiration. A word or phrase, or sometimes an image, will start me writing and I will work until I have exhausted that idea. I cannot sit down and write to order or schedule. It is normally general inaction interrupted by bursts of writing. All of the short stories and vignettes I have were written at a sitting. This method of working makes it hard to produce a completed work, but the actual writing I find easy.


#3 – Did you have any One Person Who Helped You Out with Your Writing Outside of Your Family?
No one, all of the mistakes are my own.


#4 – What is next for your writing?
I am about three quarters of the way through a novel which begins where The Wizard’s Gift ends. Further adventures of Bataan one could say. I also have a thriller, for want of a better description, that I started and put to one side some time ago to finish.


#5 – Do you have an addiction to reading as well as writing? If so, what are you currently reading?
Reading has always been a large part of my life. I worked in the middle east for several years and always had The Lord of the Rings, and a complete Shakespeare with me. At present I am rereading the Aeneid.



DESCRIBE Your Book in 1 Tweet:
Three men’s journey through dangerous places, peoples and personal discovery that ends in a beginning.


This or That?

#1 - iPd or Mp3?  CD/Vinyl

#2 – Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate

#3 – Mashed Potatoes or French Fries? Mashed

#4 – Comedy or Drama? Both (sorry)

#5 – iPhone or Droid? Neither

#6 – Fantasy or Reality? Phantasy

#7 – Call or Text? Call

#8 – Summer or Winter? Summer

#9 – Coffee or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate

#10 – eBook or Paperback? Hardback






Michael was born in Middlesbrough in the North Riding of Yorkshire, UK in 1951 where he was soon creating havoc as a short trousered rebel. Fortunately as his mother was head cook at police headquarters his numerous run ins with the constabulary were dealt with in the privacy of the family home. A junior school run by nuns, and then an excellent grammar school under the watchful eye of Marist priests educated him to have a love of literature, music and science. Though they did nothing to curb his anti-authority streak.
            An initial ramble through all manner of jobs finally came to a halt in the oil and chemical industry where his love of science and all things technical provided him with gainful employment for almost thirty years. Whilst working he spent several years in the Middle East with visits to India, and around Europe before landing in the USA where he has lived for the past twenty years.
            Retired now he writes, take photographs and restores vintage British motorcycles in upstate New York.







August 25 - Simplistic Reviews - Excerpt
August 26 - Pieces of Whimsy - Interview
August 27 - Logikal Blog - Guest Post
August 28 - Book Lover 2.0 - Review
August 29 - Fantasy Book Lane - Excerpt
August 30 - Kindle Obsessed - Guest Post
August 31 - Life's Unfiltered Ramblings - Guest Post
September 1 - Deal Sharing Aunt - Excerpt
September 2 - The Cheshire Cat's Looking Glass - Guest Post
September 3 - Book Suburbia - Excerpt
September 4 - A Life Through Books - Review
September 5 - Beauty in Ruins - Interview
September 6 - Bound 2 Escape - Excerpt
September 7 - Mythical Books - Guest Post
September 8 - Texas Book Nook - Review
September 9 - The Book Faery Reviews - Excerpt
September 10 - The Word at My Fingertips - Interview
September 11 - Paranormal Romance and Authors That Rock - Review
September 12 - My Reading Addiction - Review
September 13 -  Lilac Reviews - Review
September 15 - Avid Book Collector - Excerpt
September 16 - Dalene's Book Reviews - Review
September 17 - Ashley's Paranormal Book Blog - Excerpt
September 17 - Illuminate CALIGINOSUS - Review
September 18 - D'eBook Sharing Reviews - Guest Post
September 19 - Bit 'O Everything - Review
September 20 - RABT Reviews - Wrap Up





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