The Fantastic Jon Sprunk

Please welcome Jon Sprunk, author of Shadow's Son, to speak on a wide range of subjects today.  If you love fantasy his book is one you shouldn't miss.  Don't start it if you have work the next day because you'll be up all night.  Read on to learn a little about this gifted author and his fantasy series.

I've heard lots of parents talking about the interactive books for children available on some eReaders. As a father do you see this newest technology as a useful tool in teaching your child to love books?

Yes, completely. The next generation (my little guy is two-years-old) is going to be so much more tech-savvy than we are. I think eReaders, as they evolve, will become great tools for learning. Of course, as an Old Guy, I still hope that my son appreciates paper books as well.

What is the best fantasy movie you've seen in 2010 and what book besides your own would you like to see made into a movie?
I haven’t seen many fantasy movies this year, unless you count Inception, which I thought was very cool. I enjoyed the latest Harry Potter installment. The only other major fantasy movie I can remember was the Clash of the Titans remake – and the less I say about that one, the better.
Well, I’d love to see The Keepers of Sulbreth on the big screen. (I’d make you sign my popcorn bag.) And I think a new Conan movie, with Arnold playing an older King Conan, would be interesting (but please, not another Destroyer fiasco).

When you write do you like it quiet? Music? TV? Or can you work regardless of any distractions?
When I’m creating fresh material, I like to listen to music. Typically heavy metal. But that’s about it. Having the TV on, or someone talking nearby, are distractions I cannot abide. Fortunately for me, I have a very understanding family who give me lots of free time in my writing cave. They even toss down snacks once in a while.
Are you making any appearances in 2011 where your fans can meet you in person?
I’m in the process of seeing where I want to go, versus the availability of funds and time. I’d like to attend more local conventions this year, like the Pittsburgh Comic Con, Balticon, and PhilCon. I won’t be going to Dragon*Con this year, although I loved it.
Those interested can keep an eye on my website where I post my upcoming appearances.
Shadow's Son is the start of a series (and I can't wait for the next one), can you tell us the title of the forthcoming second installment, the release date and how many more books we can expect in this particular series?
Well, thank you very much. The sequel is titled Shadow’s Lure, and it will be out sometime in early summer 2011. The third and final book in the series should be out the summer of 2012.
Shadow’s Lure takes the main character, Caim, back to the land of his birth in search of clues about his mother’s disappearance eighteen years earlier. But what he finds in the cold North is a new threat with world-shaking implications.
How about a blurb for Shadow's Son?
Sure. Here if the official blurb:
In the holy city of Othir, treachery and corruption lurk at the end of every street, just the place for a freelance assassin with no loyalties and few scruples.
Caim makes his living on the edge of a blade, but when a routine job goes south, he is thrust into the middle of an insidious plot. Pitted against crooked lawmen, rival killers, and sorcery from the Other Side, his only allies are Josephine, the socialite daughter of his last victim, and Kit, a guardian spirit no one else can see. But in this fight for his life, Caim only trusts his knives and his instincts, but they won't be enough when his quest for justice leads him from Othir's hazardous back alleys to its shining corridors of power. To unmask a conspiracy at the heart of the empire, he must claim his birthright as the Shadow's Son....
And I was just telling people at my last signing, as they wandered past me in the bookstore, that – at heart—this novel is about Caim’s self-discovery. He begins the story believing he knows it all, that he’s happy in his little world where he controls everything. But as the book progresses he starts to understand there is more to life than just appeasing your own appetites, that other people matter, too. In that way, it mirrors the growth from adolescence to maturity.
Can you tell us where to buy your book in print or where to buy it for our terrific new eReaders?
Well, you can find it in major bookstores across the country (or order it from them if they don’t have copies in stock). The publisher’s page (http://www.pyrsf.com/ShadowsSon.html) has purchasing links on the left side. It’s also on Amazon, both in trade paperback and Kindle.
Thank you, Susan, for this chance to talk about my books. Best of luck to you and your readers!

This book is already on the eReader I received for Christmas.  Follow the buy links and add it to yours.  One of the best things about fantasy is the world-building.  You can read a book over and over again and discover something new each time.  Shadow's Son is one of those books you'll want to read many times.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Some good things happened over the last seven days.  I shared a book signing table with Jon Sprunk, author of Shadow's Son at Barnes and Noble in State College on Sunday.  We had a great time.  Jon shared many great insights and his impressions of where the future for authors and books might be leading.  If you haven't heard of Jon yet, you will some day.  His first book is terrific and the second one will be released in June.  Expect to see an interview here closer to his release date. 
Bad things are of a more personal nature.  If someone had asked me what appliance I couldn't do without I might have had to think about it.  Well, less than a year ago I had to have my washer serviced and it was frustrating waiting for the parts to arrive.  Five days ago my dryer lost its will to dry the mega loads of laundry I do on nearly a daily basis.  I don't like laundry to pile up and do at least one load a day.  Now horror, as it piles up, as I hang it about the house and on the meager lines outside.  There's little daylight left when I get home from work.  Repairman came today and said it couldn't be fixed until Friday!  (Insert curse words here!)
And the ugly?  I didn't make my writing goal again though I did better than last week.  About 5K for the week and the next week is very busy also.  I need chained to my computer chair.
So this week, I'm going to be more reasonable with my goals.
1.)  I'm going to write no less than 8K this week.  I really, really mean it.
2.) I'm going to continue making the contacts for my blog tour around the upcoming release of Beyond the Gate.
3.) I'm going to put together a list of reviewers I would like my publisher to send this book out to.  There are many online reviewers I think could really help promote my book who were overlooked for the last one.
And one last thought on this week's report.  I want to thank everyone at B&N for their kind welcome.  James, the Community Relations Manager, was especially helpful.  Jon and I had a great time.  I also want to thank the customers who talked to us and some even bought our books.  Two ladies bought my book on their Nooks.  Exciting.
Have you ever done that? Met an author at a book signing and then downloaded their book on your ereader? How many of you are expecting an ereader for Christmas?  I hope you all get them.

An Interview with Debut Author Jon Sprunk

Today I'm pleased to introduce you to a colleague of mine. Jon Sprunk's first fantasy novel, Shadow's Son, is now on the shelves of all major book sellers. His reviews have been terrific. He was kind enough to visit my blog for a quick interview. If you'd like to know more about Jon and his book, visit his blog. Feel free to ask him any questions you want. I'm sure he'll jump in and answer them and don't forget to look his book up when you visit your favorite brick and mortar or online retailer.

Jon, can you tell us a little bit about your background as a writer and what inspired you to select this career?

First, let me thank you for this opportunity to talk with you today.
I received my B.A. in English from Lock Haven University, but that is entirely beside the point. By writing career almost surely began in junior high. Often bored by my classes, I would daydream, and somewhere along the line I began to write down these fantasies, which more often than not were pale imitations of what I was reading at the time. At that age (and even to this day), I was enthralled by the works of Robert E. Howard, Michael Moorcock, and J.R.R. Tolkien. These were my first mentors in the craft of writing, and my inspiration.
I began my first full-length novel in the summer between my junior and senior years of high school, and I worked on that project throughout college. Quite proud of myself, I sent it to every SFF publisher listed in Writer’s Market and thereupon began my prodigious collection of rejection slips.

I assume you read a lot of fantasy, but what else do you like to read?

I also enjoy the other half of SFF, namely science fiction. My favorite novel is Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. I also enjoy some of the Russian masters (such as Tolstoy, Chekhov, and Dostoyevsky). But I always find myself coming back to fantasy.

Is Shadow's Son the start of a series?

Yes, it is the first book of the Shadow Saga trilogy. The sequel, Shadow’s Lure, is scheduled to come out in 2011.

Can you tell us why we're going to love your hero?

I’m not sure you’re supposed to love him. He’s not a knight in shining armor, or even a particularly nice person for that matter. He’s an assassin without qualms about his life of work. His life has been tough, and it’s made him a tough person. Survival comes with a cost.
But he also has some admirable traits. He’s a professional; he never kills without justification. He is honest and even-handed, but he does not tolerate those who prey upon the weak. He’s not the sort to shirk from a difficult task when the going gets rough. Then again, getting on his bad side wouldn’t be a smart idea.

Tease us with one little thing about your fantasy world that makes it different from others.

There are two sides to the world I’ve created, like the two sides of a coin. There is the normal world, and then there is its Shadow. The normal world works much like our own did some six or seven hundred years ago, but the Shadow is a place of chaos and sorcery where things are seldom what they seem. My story begins at a time when the forces of Shadow have begun to bleed into the normal world.

Where can your readers and fans see you in person?

Well, I’m shy, so you won’t often catch me out in the wild. But I am holding an event at the Camp Hill Barnes & Noble on June 16 (6 p.m.). Books will be signed, a passage or two might be read, fair ladies will swoon, and cake will be eaten–not necessarily in that order.
After that, I have nothing set in stone until Dragon*Con in September, which will be my first official convention as a published author. I suppose they’ll probably haze me by making me mop the floors and pick up trash.

Can you give us a blurb?
It would be my pleasure. This is what one author had to say about Shadow’s Son:

“Jon Sprunk mixes the rich details of his fantasy world with compelling characters and a fast-paced plot – a masterful and addicting debut novel.”
-New York Times bestselling author Maria V. Snyder

Thank you, Jon, for visiting today. I can't wait to pick up my copy of Shadow's Son at your booksigning.