He is also giving away .mobi copies of his short stories (details available at www.gunpowderfantasy.com/products) to one commenter at every stop. Grand Prize for one random commentor and host with the most comments: The Chesian Wars collection (all published 3 short stories and an additional prelude short story exclusive to the collection).
The more you comment, the better your chances of winning! The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/07/virtual-book-tour-cerberus-rebellion-by.html
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR
Why did you choose to write in your particular genre?
I like to write in Fantasy and Sci-Fi because it allows me to create my own world. The rules, the boundaries; everything. They also lend themselves to epic scale and sweeping tales.
Tell us 5-10 things about your book and the characters that give us an inside peek of the inner workings of your writing.
Tell us 5-10 things about your book and the characters that give us an inside peek of the inner workings of your writing.
The Cerberus Rebellion covers ground that is very rarely touched on: the territory between the typical medieval fantasy and steampunk. I refer to this area as Gunpowder Fantasy; epic scale, magic, mythical creatures mixed with rifles and railroads.
While the The Cerberus Rebellion doesn't showcase it, my world is rife with political intrigue, backstabbing and family politics. The follow up books will include much more of this.
One of my main characters, Raedan, fears the power that has been bestowed on him through the various events of his life.
As a child, I was a really big history buff, especially about the civil war. When I was developing this world, I naturally gravitated towards civil war themes. When I had the skeleton for my story and world built, I looked at it and realized that I had taken a lot of themes and trends from the Civil War and had woven them into my world.
I'm a heavy-duty plotter: nothing in my universe happens without a reason or an end goal in mind. Having said that, sometimes I have to revise the plot because my characters go for a wander.
How do you get your ideas - for plots, character development, setting, etc?
I get ideas from all around me. The way that the people around me interact helps build character development, places that I go or have been become the basis for setting. As mentioned above, some of my plot ideas have been adapted from historical events; other times the plot builds itself out of basically thing air.
Who are your favorite authors and/or books and how have they influenced your own writing?
Two authors that have a major impact on my writing have been George RR Martin and David Weber; Martin's willingness to kill any character at any time, his intricate worldbuilding and the detail that he puts into his characters. Weber's take on Space Opera, his vast scale and his character building.
ABOUT THE CERBERUS REBELLION
One hundred years of peace and prosperity. War changes everything.
On the world of Zaria, Elves, magic and mythical beasts coexist beside rifles and railroads. The futures of two nations hang in the balance as rebels and revolutionaries trade gunfire with loyalists and tyrants.
Eadric Garrard was raised to believe that as the rightful King of Ansgar, his loyal nobles and fearful subjects answered to his every whim, no matter the cost or consequence. His decision to send his troops thousands of miles away will test that fear, and loyalty.
Raedan Clyve was ordinary until an Elven ritual involving a griffin’s heart turned him into something more. Twenty years later, he still struggles with the magics that rage through his body. His mentor holds him back from his full potential and he faces pressure to find a suitable wife and father an heir.
Hadrian Clyve has picked up where his father left off and works to expand his family’s influence amongst the Ansgari nobility. His aggressive negotiation of alliances and shrewd choice of marriage agreements has earned him respect, and resentment. When his King calls his troops to arms, Hadrian has other things in mind.
After a century of scheming and decades of preparation, Magnus Jarmann is ready to bring his family’s plans to fruition by launching a war of independence that will free his people and return his country to its rightful place among the nations of Zaria. The King’s call to arms creates an opportunity that Magnus cannot afford to miss.
In a war, little is held back; in a revolution, nothing is safe.
AN EXCERPT FROM THE CERBERUS REBELLION
He found the door exactly where Auberon had said it would be: plain oak, set in an unremarkable arch. Raedan dismounted and pressed his right hand to the door; he could feel the magics that held the door closed.
The particular spell that had been bound to the archway was different from one magic-user to another, but there were only a handful of spells that could be used on something as plain as the door that stood between Raedan and the library beyond.
He touched the onyx at his throat with his left hand and began whispering the first spell. It was the most common of binding spells, and Raedan very much doubted that it would work. He was right. The magic in the door pulsed, but did not dissipate.
Raedan found the spell on his fifth attempt. It was an obscure spell that Damon had only mentioned once in passing; Raedan had studied it more in his own time. Had he tried to force the door, he would have found himself unconscious.
There was a small, dark room on the other side of the entrance. Raedan left the door open, so the faint glow from the moon would give him some light. Dust covered every surface in the small room. The bookshelves were largely empty, but one contained several thick tomes. Raedan pulled them off of the shelf.
He traced the inlaid title on one of the books and smiled. He returned to his horse, tucked the books into his saddle bags and climbed back into the saddle.
Raedan turned back toward the gatehouse. The wagons would be arriving soon.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joshua Johnson is the author of "Gunpowder Fantasy" The Cerberus Rebellion (due to release in early July) and the creator of the Griffins & Gunpowder universe. When he isn't working or spending time with his family, he writes novels, short stories and novellas.
He currently lives in Northern Illinois with his wife and young son.
Website: www.gunpowderfantasy.com
