Shadow and Sword by N. K. Carlson - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host N. K. Carlson and his new book, “Shadow and Sword,” here on FAB!!  For other stops on his Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with N. K. Carlson and to increase your chances of winning!!

Thanks for stopping by!!  Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!

Shadow and Sword

The Chronicles of Terrasohnen

Book One

by N. K. Carlson

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GENRE:  YA Fantasy

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BLURB:

The word was just below a whisper, yet in sixteen-year-old Reith's ears, it rang louder than he could have ever imagined. Reith had his life in order: apprentice under his mentor, Master Chronicler Vereinen, and follow in his footsteps. Until a shadowy figure appeared in his village, burning everything to the ground, including Reith's future. Now Reith's mentor is missing and Reith is on the run from the mysterious Shadow.

Reith adventures through magical forests, ancient ruins, and the lands of prejudiced elves to find his mentor, learn the secret of his sword, and unravel the mystery of the Shadow. Will Reith discover the truth of will the Shadow continue to fall over all of Terrashonen?

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EXCERPT ONE:

“Run,” the word was almost a whisper, yet it rang out, louder than Reith could have thought possible. It beat against his ear drum as if someone had rung a bell by his ear. “Run. If you look back, we will shoot over your head. The next arrow will be right behind it, aimed true at your back. If you come back, we will kill you. I am a man of my word. If you come back, I will give you a name we can mark on your tomb.”

Reith hesitated for just a moment, but then the Gray Man screamed, “RUN!”

The word hung in the air like the smoke from the smoldering town and Reith bolted. He pushed past the archers and rushed out of town, running in a headlong sprint, running for his life.

At the town's edge, just before he reached the forest, he chanced a look back and an arrow whizzed past his head, sending a short breeze across his face. He jumped behind a tree and heard the thud of an arrow hit the other side of the trunk.

Reith fled from the horror behind him, running faster than he ever thought he was capable of running. The Gray Man yelled after him, “If you see Vereinen, tell him I’m looking for him! Run!”

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GUEST POST:

Bring on the boos!  Everyone loves to hate the villain!  Tell us all about this truly loathed character and the inspiration behind their development.

When I wrote the first draft of Shadow and Sword, I knew I had to have a strong villain to drive the plot forward. I failed miserably.

I had a villain who was driving the plot forward, but he was completely flat. I had no idea about who he was as a person or why he did the things that he did. I knew I needed him to give the story conflict, but I didn’t know anything beyond that.

I wrote the first draft in 2017 and tinkered with the story for a few years, but I was still waiting for that breakthrough, that moment when the puzzle pieces fall into place and the story starts to have that it factor.

Fast forward to 2020, and I had that breakthrough. Two things came together to make my villain work. First, I had developed the mythology and theological systems in my fantasy world, Terrasohnen. I added a supernatural element to the story that was lacking in the first draft. I don’t want to give anything away, but this supernatural element affects my villain. Second, I encountered a person who had an interesting characteristic. I met a man who looked gray. I don’t know if he had some sort of condition or if he just never saw the light of day, but he was oddly colorless. He was a nice enough guy, but meeting him got my wheels spinning.

And thus, the Gray Man was created. The Gray Man was every bit as evil as my previous villain. In a sense, it was the same character, just with backstory and motivation. Plus, I made the character unsettlingly gray. He has come to embody evil in a deeper, more spiritual way than previous drafts of the villain. The Gray Man is murderous, a little bit crazy and unhinged, and fairly unpredictable. He likes chaos and has a thirst for revenge. He’s someone you’ll love to hate, but maybe, just maybe, you’ll come to hate that you love him.

Luckily for you, if you pick up Shadow and Sword, you will meet the Gray Man in the opening pages. One of the main mysteries of the book is who is the Gray Man? Where did he come from? Why does he hate Vereinen, the master chronicler who is Reith’s (my protagonist) mentor?

More so than my protagonist, the Gray Man is the person who holds the whole story together. I hope you find him vile and intriguing!

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AUTHOR BIO:

N. K. Carlson is an author living in Texas. Originally from the Chicago area, he graduated from the University of Illinois before studying at Logsdon Seminary, where he graduated with a master of divinity degree. He has published two books.

The Things that Charm Us and the Smelly Gospel (which was co-written with Drew Doss) both came out in 2020.

His love of writing began in elementary school when each student was given a blank white book to fill with a story. In college, he took an interest in blogging and writing novels.

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CONNECT WITH N. K. CARLSON:

Website:

https://www.nkcarlson.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/nkcarlson

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/N8Carlson

Medium:

https://medium.com/@nkcarlson

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19933333.N_K_Carlson

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59738916-shadow-and-sword

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/3JY5w06

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3JZ7Bc3

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3Ez5n2e

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B09MS67S4F

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Shadow-Sword-N-K-Carlson/dp/1956183930

Book Depository Paperback:

https://www.bookdepository.com/Shadow-and-Sword-N-K-Carlson/9781956183931

Bookshop Paperback:

https://bookshop.org/books/shadow-and-sword/9781956183931

Kobo US eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/shadow-and-sword

Kobo CA eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/shadow-and-sword

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

N. K. Carlson will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.