Welcome to the book tour for Assassin’s Honor by Gail Z. Martin! In today’s interview, she takes deeper behind the scenes of this book, which is the first in a six-part series. You can also enjoy an excerpt from the book, and then of course enter a great giveaway. Please leave her your own questions in the comment area and follow the rest of the tour to find out even more about her and the book! Remember to download your own copy!
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Q: What was the inspiration behind this book?
A: I wanted to write a book that had an epic fantasy feel but without the epic length, and with a lot of humor and action. I’ve written three other epic fantasy series that were all rather big books with complicated plots, and I thought it would be fun to do something different. I also hoped to lure back readers who like epic fantasy but who don’t have time to read long books or series. Or maybe to get readers to try epic fantasy who are leery of beginning a lengthy series.
Q: What kind of research did you have to do for it?
A: I’ve had a lifelong love of history and anything magical or supernatural, so I have spent my life ‘researching’ books like this!
Q: Which character was your favorite to write?
A: I love Ridge and Rett, the two main characters, but Henri, their valet with hidden talents, was a favorite to write because he constantly surprised me. He might just be their valet, but he’s a badass in his own way!
Q: Will we see these characters again?
A: Yes. Assassin’s Honor is the first of six books in the Assassins of Landria series. Expect another book in 2019!
Q: How do you make yourself stand out in this genre?
A: I write in a variety of genres—epic fantasy, urban fantasy, steampunk/alternate history, comedic horror, paranormal romance—which helps me attract readers with a wide range of interests. I’m very accessible to readers at conventions and on social media. And I try to constantly switch things up, so that each series is different, even from other books I’m writing in the same genre.
Q: Tell us about your other published works.
A: I’ve written three other epic fantasy series in addition to Assassins of Landria (Chronicles of the Necromancer, Ascendant Kingdoms, Darkhurst). I also write three urban fantasy series (Deadly Curiosities, Night Vigil, and co-author of Spells Salt and Steel). The Iron & Blood series and Storm & Fury stories are paranormal alternate history, co-written with my husband, Larry N. Martin. And as Morgan Brice, I write urban fantasy MM paranormal romance (the Witchbane and Badlands series).
Q: On what are you currently working?
A: I’m working on the first novella in a new post-apocalyptic series and the first novella in a demon hunter series set in the Roaring Twenties, as well as a new Morgan Brice novel and a novella in the Ascendant Kingdoms world. Next year, I’ll be working on sequels in a lot of my series, plus the first book in the new Legacy of the Necromancer series, that picks up the world readers met in the Chronicles of the Necromancer series after a seventeen year in-world break.
Q: When not writing, what can we find you doing?
A: Sadly, I’m usually trying to get caught up on non-writing things like tidying up around the house or paying bills. I prefer to be traveling to interesting locations, reading books I don’t have to proofread, and sitting on a beach!
Assassin’s Honor
Buddy flick epic fantasy! Joel Breckenridge and Garrett Kennard are King’s Shadows, elite assassins serving the crown of Landria. When a shadowy itinerant holy man starts captivates the nobility with treasonous whispers, Ridge and Rett go rogue to stop the threat, save the kingdom and protect the king–while landing on the ‘Most Wanted’ list themselves.
Read an excerpt:
He rolled the warrant up and tucked it into Destwiler’s bloody vest, a formality. Ridge bent down to search Destwiler’s pockets, curling his lip at the still-warm blood that soaked the shoulders and sleeves of the man’s coat. He found a parchment note tucked beneath the vest and took it to read later, figuring that anything Destwiler found important enough to carry on his person bore looking at closely. “Are you stealing from him?” Kelvin asked, still eying Ridge with a mixture of fear and awe. Ridge replied without looking up. “I’m trying to find the keys to those manacles, because I sure as hell don’t want to have to carry you and them out of here, and we need to leave.” He took the iron key off the strap and then stood and crossed the distance to where Kelvin huddled against the wall. He stared at Ridge in wide-eyed apprehension, unsure what to make of his terrifying rescuer. His wrists were badly bruised from the weight of the iron, and the mark on his cheek suggested Destwiler or his guard had backhanded the child at least once. “I’m here to take you back to your father,” Ridge said quietly, approaching Kelvin as he would a spooked horse. “I’m not going to hurt you.” “Are you a Shadow Killer?” Kelvin’s tone shifted, still frightened but clearly intrigued. Ridge had always hated that term—he argued that it made it sound like they killed shadows.
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About Gail Z. Martin
Gail Z. Martin writes epic fantasy, urban fantasy and steampunk for Solaris Books, Orbit Books, Falstaff Books, SOL Publishing and Darkwind Press. Vengeance is the second in the new Darkhurst epic fantasy series. Also new is The Dark Road, the second in the Jonmarc Vahanian Adventures series, and Assassin’s Honor (coming, October 2018), the first in the new Assassins of Landria series.
Her Deadly Curiosities urban fantasy series set in Charleston, SC has a new novel, Tangled Web, and two new collections, Trifles & Folly, and Trifles & Folly 2.
Other work includes the Chronicles Of The Necromancer series, the Fallen Kings Cycle, the Ascendant Kingdoms series, and the alternate history novel Iron & Blood and the Storm & Fury collection (co-authored with Larry N. Martin) She is also the co-author (with Larry) of the Mark Wojcik monster hunter series (Spells, Salt and Steel) and the upcoming Wasteland Marshals series and the Cauldron/Secret Council series from Falstaff Books.
As Morgan Brice, she writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance. New and upcoming books include Witchbane, Burn, Dark Rivers, Badlands, and Lucky Town.
Find her at www.GailZMartin.com, on Twitter @GailZMartin, on Facebook.com/WinterKingdoms, at DisquietingVisions.com blog and on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/GailZMartin. She is also the organizer of the #HoldOnToTheLight campaign www.HoldOnToTheLight.com. Join her email update and never miss a new release—plus get great free stories just for signing up! http://eepurl.com/dd5XLj
Gail Z. Martin will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
I appreciate you taking the time to give us a great book description and giveaway as well. Thank you so much!
Thanks for sharing!
Are any of the characters in the book based off of real people? I hope that your book is a success.
Really great post, can’t wait to check this one out!
I liked the excerpt, thank you.
Thank you for having me as a guest!
Great interview, I wish i could be traveling too! This sounds great