Inside World at War: Revelation. The story about the story.
I don't get a chance to talk with other writers very often. I'd love to be able to sit and swap stories over a beer. You know, do the critique writing, share marketing tips, and read excerpts from our latest manuscript thing, but since I don't have that option, I'm doing the next best thing, writing about writing. Now that World at War: Revelation has been released in the Amazon Kindle store, I wanted to take a blog post or two and talk about the book with you, my cyber-writing buddies and blog readers. So pull up a chair, the first round is on me, and please cover your mouth when you burp.
It's 1985 and the Soviets have invaded West Germany. The Americans are trying to stop them. That's a recipe for action. A lot of action. Make no mistake, Revelation has action out the ying-yang. It has your Abrams tanks, your T-72s, M16s, AK47s, and M203 grenade launchers; all that military stuff that action aficionados crave.
Oh, so it's one of those war novels? Yes, and no. If you like exciting depictions of military action you'll like Revelation. However, the book isn't Red Storm Rising. There are no situation rooms or sweeping battles. Revelation focuses on a small fictional slice of West Germany and the city crucial to its control, Eisenbach. And no, it's not all about battles, bullets, explosions, and such.
Really? Yeah. You see, there is more to this war than battles. Modern war machines kill people--both soldiers and civilians--at a tremendous rate. This killing, this death, and this devastation have shifted our reality in a fundamental manner. Revelation assumes that vampires, lycans, demons, and humans with extraordinary powers have always existed, but that this wholesale destruction has called them as blood calls a wolf. So whether by coincidence--for example, a squad of soldiers stumbling on a den of werewolves, or design--a demon possessing a tank commander, these paranormal elements are an integral part of the story. So no, Revelation isn't all about tanks and cannons it's also about things creepy and cool.
And this is the point where, depending on reading preferences, folks either say, "I'm in," or "That's silly." Lycan and vampire folks are usually in. Military action buffs much less so. That's cool, but before you military action buffs bail, hear this. There isn't a silly word in Revelation. I agree that combining the paranormal with military action births a unique type of fiction, but all if it is done with respect to each genre's roots. I like to think the action scenes are every bit as authentic as Coyle or Clancy (actually David Drake and Dan Abnett are my inspirations). By the same token, both vampire and lycan pay homage to their classic legends. I don't reinvent the wheel, my vampires don't glisten, and my lycan kill without remorse.
In writing the book, I found I most enjoyed the relationship between Mike Hudson and Katarina. Mike is a soldier, and Kat a vampire. Much of their story is told with flashbacks, although a critical encounter occurs in the book's here and now. Mike is an everyday man. He loves comics, music, games, and has a healthy distrust of authority. Kat is a 400-year old vampire. She's beautiful, but in a jeans and hoodie kind of way. She's also completely amoral. Not evil, just pragmatic. Humans are food, but somehow that changes when she meets Mike. I loved rereading their story.
They aren't the only couple. Martin and Cheryl Weatherspoon also play a key part in the book. Indeed, the sequel will open with these two characters. Oops. That's a bit of a spoiler, but anyway... Martin is a CIA intelligence analyst, Cheryl is a video game programmer. But Cheryl has a secret. A secret that might kill her beloved husband. I can't say more, but I can say that I enjoyed writing, and once again reading, about these two couples.
I enjoy love stories. I love urban fantasy. Will I love Revelation? I don't know. Mike, Kat, Martin, and Cheryl are important ingredients of the story. Their tale is as touching as it is interesting, but it is not THE story. The battle for the Eisenbach Gap, the tale of the emergence of vampire, lycan, and demon, is the central plot. All else is orbital.
Finally some words on sex, language, and blood. Why? Because I feel that some books, especially by indy authors, are over the top. Needlessly over the top. There are no sex scenes in Revelation, although when Kat takes Mike Hudson by the hand, and leads him to the disheveled bedroom in his small apartment, you kind of get the picture. Language? Certainly there are a few four-letter words, but it's by no means intrusive. Blood? Let me say that there is never blood for blood's sake. On the other hand, I won't glorify war. I'm retired Navy, and know many combat vets. I tell the truth in their honor. War sucks. I depict it in an appropriate and cold-blooded manner. Oh yeah... the Demon is pure evil. The things he makes humans do can be disturbing. Some of them are bloody.
That in a nutshell, cyber-friend and reader, is the story of the story. I hope it's something that interests you. You can buy the book in the Amazon Kindle store, right here. For now, let's buy another round, and please make mine Bent Mountain IPA.
It's 1985 and the Soviets have invaded West Germany. The Americans are trying to stop them. That's a recipe for action. A lot of action. Make no mistake, Revelation has action out the ying-yang. It has your Abrams tanks, your T-72s, M16s, AK47s, and M203 grenade launchers; all that military stuff that action aficionados crave.
Oh, so it's one of those war novels? Yes, and no. If you like exciting depictions of military action you'll like Revelation. However, the book isn't Red Storm Rising. There are no situation rooms or sweeping battles. Revelation focuses on a small fictional slice of West Germany and the city crucial to its control, Eisenbach. And no, it's not all about battles, bullets, explosions, and such.
Really? Yeah. You see, there is more to this war than battles. Modern war machines kill people--both soldiers and civilians--at a tremendous rate. This killing, this death, and this devastation have shifted our reality in a fundamental manner. Revelation assumes that vampires, lycans, demons, and humans with extraordinary powers have always existed, but that this wholesale destruction has called them as blood calls a wolf. So whether by coincidence--for example, a squad of soldiers stumbling on a den of werewolves, or design--a demon possessing a tank commander, these paranormal elements are an integral part of the story. So no, Revelation isn't all about tanks and cannons it's also about things creepy and cool.
And this is the point where, depending on reading preferences, folks either say, "I'm in," or "That's silly." Lycan and vampire folks are usually in. Military action buffs much less so. That's cool, but before you military action buffs bail, hear this. There isn't a silly word in Revelation. I agree that combining the paranormal with military action births a unique type of fiction, but all if it is done with respect to each genre's roots. I like to think the action scenes are every bit as authentic as Coyle or Clancy (actually David Drake and Dan Abnett are my inspirations). By the same token, both vampire and lycan pay homage to their classic legends. I don't reinvent the wheel, my vampires don't glisten, and my lycan kill without remorse.
In writing the book, I found I most enjoyed the relationship between Mike Hudson and Katarina. Mike is a soldier, and Kat a vampire. Much of their story is told with flashbacks, although a critical encounter occurs in the book's here and now. Mike is an everyday man. He loves comics, music, games, and has a healthy distrust of authority. Kat is a 400-year old vampire. She's beautiful, but in a jeans and hoodie kind of way. She's also completely amoral. Not evil, just pragmatic. Humans are food, but somehow that changes when she meets Mike. I loved rereading their story.
They aren't the only couple. Martin and Cheryl Weatherspoon also play a key part in the book. Indeed, the sequel will open with these two characters. Oops. That's a bit of a spoiler, but anyway... Martin is a CIA intelligence analyst, Cheryl is a video game programmer. But Cheryl has a secret. A secret that might kill her beloved husband. I can't say more, but I can say that I enjoyed writing, and once again reading, about these two couples.
I enjoy love stories. I love urban fantasy. Will I love Revelation? I don't know. Mike, Kat, Martin, and Cheryl are important ingredients of the story. Their tale is as touching as it is interesting, but it is not THE story. The battle for the Eisenbach Gap, the tale of the emergence of vampire, lycan, and demon, is the central plot. All else is orbital.
Finally some words on sex, language, and blood. Why? Because I feel that some books, especially by indy authors, are over the top. Needlessly over the top. There are no sex scenes in Revelation, although when Kat takes Mike Hudson by the hand, and leads him to the disheveled bedroom in his small apartment, you kind of get the picture. Language? Certainly there are a few four-letter words, but it's by no means intrusive. Blood? Let me say that there is never blood for blood's sake. On the other hand, I won't glorify war. I'm retired Navy, and know many combat vets. I tell the truth in their honor. War sucks. I depict it in an appropriate and cold-blooded manner. Oh yeah... the Demon is pure evil. The things he makes humans do can be disturbing. Some of them are bloody.
That in a nutshell, cyber-friend and reader, is the story of the story. I hope it's something that interests you. You can buy the book in the Amazon Kindle store, right here. For now, let's buy another round, and please make mine Bent Mountain IPA.
Comments