Royal Commanders, Vandahar Gates and Denzel Washington

I like the idea of a person devoting themselves to an ideal, and showing humble loyalty to that singular thing they devote their lives to. Perhaps I am, at times, jealous of the focus individuals can have as they doggedly pursue the cause they have set themselves to. It is even more of a love when done in the thread of a fantasy story – because they can become not just devoted but empowered. Nothing can compare to the giddy feeling I had inside when I read the battles of Garet Jax in “The Wishsong of Shannara”.

This singular devotion also comes from my own personal faith – Confucianism.  I studied many different
religions and their place in a cultural context. For a time I can even say I was a Christian Fundamentalist – a prospect that undoubtedly would frighten some of those who know me now. Once I found Confucianism, its basic ideas seemed to grow on me. I liked what it had to say about what a person should say and do and how they should behave. Most importantly it helped me deal with quirks I had developed from my own life. When you have a colorful past as I do, everyday things disturb you that others do not struggle with. This gave me a way of acting that helped me to feel I had a guideline to follow – something I need more than people know.

Why am I discussing Garet Jax and Confucianism? Because they helped me create the concept of a “Royal Commander”, the first of these seen is Vandahar Gates in Empires Awakening. While they will not all be warriors like Vandahar, they are all individuals who have submitted themselves to a higher calling, and they have become “Tian” (insert character) and are princes of virtue among humanity. The Chinese consider this to be “Heaven” or “Sky” but mean “Great Whole” – these are those individuals that are truly following the teachings that will make them great. In my concept they have sworn themselves to serve the people of a nation, but that doesn’t mean they “serve” them in the traditional sense of following every command. These are individuals who work to ensure a people are safe and allowed the chance to prosper. Vandahar is devoted to fighting the dangerous elements in Brodesia making sure the innocent and the meek can live to prosper. You can fully expect a multitude of other Royal Commanders to make an appearance with entirely different sets of skills and paths to meet these goals.

Lastly, if anyone was curious what I imagined Vandahar Gates to look like and how he spoke – You can look no further than Denzel Washington. While I make it no secret I hope my books are received awesomely enough that I could get a movie deal for them (who wouldn’t want that?!?) I don’t know if I will get to be big enough fast enough that Denzel could still be asked to fill the part. Only time will tell.

It could happen.

The World of a Fantasy Writer - Early Onset Insanity

This is being posted at  MarcieBrockBookMarketingMaven.com in addition to its home here (edited of course), so some of this might seem redundant to my regular readers. However anything new is still to be enjoyed by all who usually partake in my blog posts. Once I get the "live" link I will update that URL with it.

Today one of the wonderful readers of my book sent me a link to a picture on Facebook with a unique

quote (look to the right), that after a bit I realized had some truth to it.  In some ways being the writer of fantasy can very easily turn into a very dangerous form of balanced insanity. If some random person was walking around your town describing dragons, unicorns and creatures of a magical nature - they would undoubtedly be committed before they hurt themselves or others.

However as an author of fantasy - I am called upon to create a fantastic world that will actually lure people in with its beauty and enticing story. I must create an experience that would be so immersive and engaging to the reader that they will want to leave reality behind for a time. I must create an experience that a reader will love and appreciate as much if not more than they do reality. I must also keep a firm grip on which world is real. That balancing act is exciting, and not entirely without its dangers.

I began writing when I was very young, though I am not sure when I began to compose entire stories. I know for certain I was reading as many books as I could get my hands on from an early age. I was a very early reader - before I turned four I could already read, driven to it by the book pictured to the right. As you can imagine, I had a thing for trains and rail roads. Okay, I will be honest, I STILL have a thing for trains and rail roads. If I ever become as well off as JK Rowling I fully intend to buy my own steam engine - working of course. It will be a Norfolk and Western Class J for those wondering.

However much of my reading was an escape - for much of the first 18 years of my life things were going on that were creating a need and a wish to get away. When I had opportunities - which were few and far between since I moved a great number of times - I would take writing workshops and courses geared to get the insanity inside my mind out onto the page. I even for a time participated in an email RPG. What that is is a creative writing exercise, where you tag multiple people in a story thread and try to push the story ahead while at the same time give them a chance to fill in the gaps, and then they continue to push the story ahead while you then go back and fill in your gaps and tags.

I think during that time, my greatest lessons were both practical and social. I learned great value in working with other creative individuals. Learning to let go is what I think is a very difficult process for some authors. This is no less sacred to them than anything else. My stories are my creations, my work put into the world - having someone change that in a way I can't predict can be frightening! You don't realize how attached you are until you hand something over to another and have no clue what they will make of it, its very hard to get used to that.

The even more important lesson I learned was how powerful words can be for us. Language is our way of bonding with others - friends, family and love is created through language. That person you see every day on the subway or the bus may not mean as much to you as someone you have written with or talked with. Those words and the emotions behind them mean something. One of the writers that I found to be an incredible blast to work with, who I spent probably four years working with, let me and a few close others know they had a terminal illness. Granted, I have never met the man in person, I had emailed and written with them for just a few years - but their presence and their words being gone really struck a chord with me.

"Empires Awakening" is the grandest story I have created yet. This is the largest world, with the most characters, and is a culmination of many different creative threads I have had dancing around inside my head for a decade. Probably the biggest thing I want everyone to know is that I want to bring them a glimpse of something wonderful. I will always take my time and craft a world or a place that will strike a reader with its beauty, its presence and even its emotional toll. Anyone who comes to my table at the Summer Author Event will be guaranteed an exciting and open spoiler-free conversation. I am very friendly and want every reader to have the chance to be given a way out of reality for a short time. Hopefully for not the same reasons I needed to. A few minutes witnessing beauty through the words put to page is something everyone could benefit from each day. 

Would you like to be in a Book?

Good evening folks - I hope your days have been fun. I have been hard at work writing this week and am glad to say I should have another chapter of the sequel to Empires Awakening complete very soon.

I have also recently been given a list of local media contacts I need to work through. Hopefully with all of this, I can soon get myself promoted to a point where I can begin to do Wizard World Conventions - and really make this book thing take off. Taking my book out there to the audience has always been the goal.

Something you should be aware of that I have coming up.

July 28th - Barnes and Noble has this as the date of availability for Empires Awakening. I will be checking out my local store to see what copies they will have on hand. Expect to see me photo-bombing my own book in public. If anyone else can check their local bookstores and do the same - I will post the picture on this blog and on the Facebook page.

August 16th - I will be attending the Summer Author Event at the Phoenix Art Museum. I am going to be on hand to sign and sell copies of my book. If you bring one you get elsewhere - I will sign it to you. There may also be a chance I will discuss what I have planned for some characters in the next two books.

Lastly - I am going to hold a contest. I am going to offer a chance for a few people to become characters in the story I am sharing with everyone in these books. This is what it will take - to enter. Go to the Empires Awakening Facebook Page and invite your friends to like the book page.  Take a screen shot and send the pictures to MasterOfTheron@gmail.com and I will enter you into the contest. Get someone to buy a copy and post a picture with it - and that character will be given a major role in the story.

Depending on the response I get I will up the number of character spots I will be seeking to fill. So please - get those requests sent. You could soon become one of the heroes of Theron! Please remember to include your information for me to contact you later.

I will update more later, have fun everyone!

Official Book Release Day!

Today is the official release day for Empires Awakening. Yes - those of you who have signed copies from me are the proud recipients of a pre-release copy that makes you extra special. Those of you waiting on books still - they are being sent and you will be reading them soon.

As to where you can locate the book - I was able to pull up the book page on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and on the website for Powell's Books.

Other than that, today all I ask is that those of who have read the book, please leave a review online. These retailers and other readers DO see those reviews and make choices based on them, so I look forward to seeing what you all have to say.

And yes Mr. Kiel - I am working on book two.

This Page has Been Updated!

I made changes to the blog layout today. I now have actual pages that have different information on them! Additionally, since I am using this as more than just a page for my sometimes hilarious blog entries about my zombie fear I have re-titled my blog to be called "Master of Theron".

Theron is the world that my books take place in, so it makes sense that I am its master. Nothing more than that. In the coming months I will try to expand this to cover even more important events and information so keep watching and hopefully soon I can start doing shows and meeting my readers.

Best Regards
~Matthew Cerra

First Signing Success

Salutations my devoted readers!

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to have my first book signing – and it was a success. It actually helped out the owner of the coffee shop I was holding the event at.

Other than new faces to enjoy the shop, there was a breakdown in the espresso machine used to make all of the coffee’s. This resulted in a two hour closure that morning that I did my best to push people to the counter (after getting my book) to make sure they bought a drink or a snack to make up for that time they were closed.

Again, Thank you Sam for hosting my event at your shop. I will have to do it again down the line. Lo Fi Coffee was a nice place to have friends come out and show their support and get my book.

Now, I just need to figure out where my next signing event will be. I have something in mind for August – so please watch out for another event that could be coming. Once I get the details locked in I will tell everyone and send out invitations to everyone and write about it here.

Also, I am going to try and get my website set up soon so I can get books sent out to people online. This will hopefully be a page that can hold my blog and include information for each of the books as they progress towards completion. I know I will now have more people clamoring for the books to be finished more quickly – and I will do my best to make that happen.

Just as an FYI – book two first draft is 30% complete.

Book Signing #1 - The Adventure Begins with Coffee

Today I get to make the very exciting announcement: My first book signing has been scheduled! Saturday June 28th between 1 and 3 at Lo-Fi Coffee in Downtown Mesa. The exact address is 105 W. Main St., Mesa AZ 85201

Since I am new to this gig, I have a feeling that this event could be a pretty funny moment in time. However, I think my publisher, Tate Publishing, picked a wonderful first spot for me. Thank you Jim! (He would be my marketing contact and guy I order my books through)

This is a picture from the front the coffee shop, Lo-Fi Coffee, that will house my first book signing. I admit, I was leery since I had never heard of the place - and my publisher is based in Oklahoma. There is a bit of distance there so I doubt my marketer Jim stopped by on his way home from work.

I did a little bit of Internet searching and felt better - and being that this is my first signing - I decided I had better scope the place out. I wanted this to be good for the cafe and myself. I was NOT disappointed.

I met the owner Sam out front - quite unintentionally. I walked up and he was stepping out. He turned right around and opened the door for me as I went in and immediately went behind the counter and asked if he could help me. Sam and I had talked via a couple of emails the day before and was very personable as I said who I was and what I was there for.

I had learned from the reviews online that this was a pretty artist friendly joint. Pictures of concerts and artists working at different events was a pretty common thing for me to find online. This place felt like I had stepped back in time to the coffee shop I spent my college years almost living in. To be frank, I like the place already. They had books and board games available on the shelf in back and I am pretty sure the TV had an old school gaming system attached.

The picture to the left of this text is a picture I took after talking to Sam about his cafe, what other events went on, and him giving me a few ideas for setting things up. I am thinking I may besetting up by those red chairs - but I guess I will see what happens. Once my books come in I will have to see what sort of space requirements it will take. I have only seen one copy of my book at a time. I don't think I can comprehend what dozens of copies look like and the space they will take up in a given area, but I am excited to find out.

Speaking of books, though I didn't take a picture of them, there were other fantasy books by authors right there next to the display case with the food that is available for purchase. Sam has a friend who also work in printing and he is no stranger to the genre. At this point, I felt even better about the arrangement. In fact, I am going to try and reach out to those other authors through Sam's friend. Might as well start making writer friends that may want to go to Conventions with me.

Now I finally get to the part of this blog that I am sure many of you are thinking about: how is the coffee? I liked that I didn't really order off the menu and Sam still made a delicious drink for me. I wasn't trying to be a prima donna I just don't know what I like from a coffee menu. I did not have a traditional introduction to coffee and neither did I get some snobby 'triple machiatto fancy Italian name for a small' training. I started drinking coffee as a way of dealing with head aches and as a drink option that was not soda. I like the taste of caffeine, but do not get a buzz from it. My fiance and I will drink coffee in bed before passing out - we just like coffee.

So how did he magically figure it out? I told him what I drank at Dutch Bros, and he made his equivalent. For those curious I drink an ER-911 usually as a blended or iced coffee. Kind of like a slushy with enough caffeine to send normal people to the ER. (Probably how it got its name). I am glad to say Dutch Bros now has some competition for me. Given how close Lo-Fi Coffee is to the Natural History Museum that my family frequents and that it is one of the few places intelligent enough to be open on most Sundays I think the family will finally have a solid coffee choice when we go to downtown Mesa.

So I will be inviting everyone I know and many I don't to make this event successful. Lets makes the first signing a blow-out success!

~Matt