Thursday, June 04, 2015

Feast of Fates by Christian A. Brown



What challenges do you face being a male fantasy romance author?

An interesting question, and one that I’ve never thought about to be honest! I actually considered myself a “fantasy/ fiction” author, long before I ever thought of including elements of romance in my books. But I could never quite get those stories right. They were always missing a certain ingredient. Now, I’m sure you’re all familiar with the saying that: “life mirrors art”. Or vice-versa. And I agree with that from personal experience. Until I was given the gift of being loved—deeply and truly—and until I experienced the tragic and beautiful passing of my mother, I did not have the capacity or wisdom from which to draw a convincing enough narrative. I would say then, that ‘lack of life experience’ was a challenge in writing Feast of Fates. All in all, these two experiences, touching true love and knowing death, changed me incomparably as a person and as a writer. 

After these events, when I sat down to hammer out the 2nd draft of my manuscript, I ended up throwing the whole thing out. Something wasn’t working. The dialog seemed stilted, the plot clichéd Evil Empire shtick, the characters weren’t working. Everything felt so cardboard and stale to what I now understood. I gave up for a while, and went back to books, reading and light poetry. During this break, I dug up some old work of mine. I’d written a short story many years back, called Aadore and the Wolf. A story about a strong willed, stereotype-spurning maiden, and a lonely, honorable changeling who meet through extraordinary—and dark—circumstances and find love, redemption and family. A great story, when I went back and read it, but a short story. Those always tend to end just as we’re getting into them, and this one was no exception! That’s when I knew that I wanted to tell that story again, to give it proper room to grow and breathe and see where the characters led me. Instead, Morigan and Caenith (the Wolf) led me to many strange and wonderful places. I think that Morigan and the Wolf share a bond that defines the meaning of need, sacrifice and commitment. Their love is adult, encompassing and legendary. I adore the way he speaks to her—his poetry and tempered edge—and how strongly she carries herself as his equal and mate. I love the underlying and pure sensuality between them. 

I do not express much, or well, in terms of emotion. In the household, we jokingly refer to me by a variety of monikers: Tin Man, android, Borg. All of which are loving, teasing explanations for my apparent aloofness. I only express myself well through writing, which is why I do it. Anyway, much without realizing it, you see, I became a romance novelist. I don’t find it a challenge to write Morigan and the Wolf’s tale, because it brings me so much joy and heartache. Aside from the influences I mentioned, the fault for the change in genre really falls upon Morigan and the Wolf. Two beings, who, to paraphrase one very satisfied reader: “made me fall in love with love”.

I hope they do the same for you as well. 

All the best,
-Christian 


Feast of Fates
Four Feasts Till Darkness
Book One
Christian A. Brown

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Date of Publication: September 9, 2014

ISBN: 978-1495907586
Number of pages: 540

Word Count: 212K

Book Description:

"Love is what binds us in brotherhood, blinds us from hate, and makes us soar with desire.”

Morigan lives a quiet life as the handmaiden to a fatherly old sorcerer named Thackery. But when she crosses paths with Caenith, a not wholly mortal man, her world changes forever. Their meeting sparks long buried magical powers deep within Morigan. As she attempts to understand her newfound abilities, unbidden visions begin to plague her--visions that show a devastating madness descending on one of the Immortal Kings who rules the land.


With Morigan growing more powerful each day, the leaders of the realm soon realize that this young woman could hold the key to their destruction. Suddenly, Morigan finds herself beset by enemies, and she must master her mysterious gifts if she is to survive.



Available at Amazon and Createspace

About the Author:

Christian A. Brown has written creatively since the age of six. After spending most of his career in the health and fitness industry, Brown quit his job to care for his mother when she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2010.

Having dabbled with the novel that would eventually become Feast of Fates for over a decade, Brown was finally able to finish the project. His mother, who was able to read a beginning version of the novel before she passed away, has since imbued the story with deeper sentiments of loss, love, and meaning. He is proud to now share the finished product with the world.










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