Giveaway + Guest Blogger: S.B. Sebrick, author of Decoy

Hello people! S.B. Sebrick is back for an author interview! He is also giving away a copy of his book Decoy!

Click here to read his guest post.

You can stalk him on his blog, facebook and twitter.

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Decoy

by S.B. Sebrick

The last few grueling years of training have served Kaltor well. He’s learned to harness the magic within his body, overcome a stronger opponent, avoid capture, and everything else an assassin-in-training needs to survive.
Or so he thought.
But when those they protect at an excavation site release a demon from the Abyss itself, Kaltor realizes just how poorly prepared they all are for what’s coming. Within a single night, their mining camp of one thousand people plummets to a couple hundred terrified survivors, the majority turned against each other by the demon’s potent abilities. Then she turns towards Shaylis, the largest city in the region, for the next stage of her plan.
In a constant battle of both steel and strategy Kaltor and his friends struggle to delay, deceive and defeat their opponent, who’s spent the last thousand years planning out every detail of her assault to perfection. As the number of casualties mounts and her final plan comes to light, Kaltor is left with only one option. He must draw on the secret power within himself, knowing if his true identity is discovered, his life and the fate of the world, will be changed forever.

Welcome to The Fairytale Nerd! how are you today?

Just taking my lunch break. I work in telephone sales at the moment, so this is a great reprieve from the daily routine. I'll polish this up a bit more when I get home tonight.

So for the first question, tell me about your book. 

The most concise way to describe Decoy is it's a mixture of the movies "The Mummy Returns" and "Chronicles of Riddick". It's a young adult novel with plenty of all-or-nothing action with a pleasant measure of sarcastic humor sprinkled into the mix. In more detail, the novel is about Kaltor Stratagar, an assassin-in-training with a powerful magic buried within. Hidding that secret was easy, until they unwittingly released a demon from it's thousand-year prison. Now at every turn Kaltor is tempted to throw caution to the wind and reveal his true power, knowing that doing so would endager all he holds dear. More imporantly, this is the story of Kaltor's struggle to accept his own limits and rely on the aid of others around him. He must learn to lead, inspire and forgive others, especially himself, or the city of Shaylis will fall to the demon's wrath. This is the tale of a handful of assassins-in-training pitting their strength and steel against a plot one-thousand years in the making, facing a foe who specializes in destroying not only cities, but the human heart.

What is your interesting writing quirk? 

I love to create entirely new, detailed worlds. Every magic structure, monster and character should be unique, without obvious ties to other's movies or books. For me, the full immersion into a completely new world is just more fulfilling to write and read than the standard stories of monsters like zombies, vampires and werewolves.

What is the message (from your books) that you want to convey to your readers? 

The theme of Decoy is to learn to tap into the power a person finds in putting all you have into protecting what, and who, you love most. It shows that such a path, though it requires sacrifice and hard work, yeilds the greatest fruits when put to the test of time.

Where do you get your ideas for your books? 

I've been toying with these characters and magic structures since I was thirteen years old, so it's hard to give a specific source for my inspiration. When it comes to the style in general of writing Epic Fantasy, I can't help but be influenced in part by J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, among others.

What is the best thing about being a writer? The worst? 

The best thing about writing is definately the moment when the story starts to write itself. You watch a world unfold before your eyes that no one has ever seen before, and realize you don't know how the story's gonna end anymore. Each chapter takes on a life of its own and all you can do is put the words on the page and see what happens. The worst thing about being a writer is that, unlike most artistic professions (graphics design, painting, music, sculpting) your work in its entirety can not be shown in thirty seconds or less. Sure I can write a synopsis or book description, but I can't display the entire experience in the time it takes a painter show off their favorite painting.

What is your most treasured possession? 

My thumb drive. ALL my work is on that baby. If only I could afford a safe and a pair of dobermans...

What was a time in your life when you felt really afraid? 

The last time I was really afraid was at knot's berry farm on one of those rides that picks you up a couple hundred feet into the air and drops you straight down at random intervals and speeds. It freaked me out even more than skydiving, which makes absolutely no sense. Maybe 'cause the ride didn't supply a parachute?

Who is your hero in real life? What about in books? 

I suppose one of my biggest heros growing up would be my dad. He worked night shift at the hospital for many years so he could provide for us kids, even if it cost him his health and time with his family so he could sleep. Hopefully I can avoid a similar work schedule in my career choice but he does a great job of putting his family first. As to the heroes I read of in books... I loved Kelsier from Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series because despite the tremendous task and sacrifice ahead of him, he gave it all he had to the very end and stayed not only positive, but funny. I believe a good sense of humor helps us get through alot of difficulties and it's great to see strong book characters demonstrating that attribute.

The one who loves you or the one you love?

The one who loves you.

Batman or Superman? 

Batman. There's more risk when a regular person (no super powers) is trying to make a difference. As long as there's no kryptonite Superman already has it made. No risk. Yawn.

Apartment or dorm? 

Apartment. Sometimes I don't function on the same sleep schedule as the rest of humanity, so avoiding large groups of people on different biological clocks than me helps me get more work done.

Viral epidemic or nuclear explosion? 

A viral epidemic would be more fun to write about. The threat itself takes longer to unfold which gives more time for character interaction and more opportunities for the reader to relish the world you've created. Nukes are great for that "oh holy crap" sensation, but it's more like a before/after scenario. Not a lot of time during the threat itself to move the characters along. Just Boom.

Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia? 

I was very impressed with how well the last few Harry Potter books tied the entire series together, gathering pertinent information from the first four and interconnecting everything. I just love that level of detail and complexity.

Fantasy or reality? 

Fantasy is WAY more fun to write about, in my opinion.

Blind or deaf? 

Deaf, so I can keep writing. Plus I already speak english and spanish, so picking up ASL wouldn't be that hard.

Summer or winter? 

Summer. Here winter means -20 degrees and your nose hairs freeze when you inhale. ugh.

Christmas or Halloween? 

Christmas, candy is nice but my favorite family memories involve a tree, christmas traditions and playing war with my cousins on imaginary battle fields across my grandpa's back yard, living room and garden (much to his dismay).

Ferrari or Lamborghini? 

Either. They both would hurl my Chevy Cavalier back to the stone age.

What's your next project? 

Kaltor is the first of four characters in this world I want to explore in greater detail, each with their own series, challenges and magic structure. Then they all meet in the final series when things really heat up. It's going to take a while to complete the project, but it'll be alot of fun. Plus it means these characters will be around for a while. I usually prefer reading series because I don't want to fall in love with great characters, only to see them leave after a few hundred measley pages!

And of course there is a giveaway! 

Fill out the Rafflecopter Form for a chance to win Decoy!