Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Escapist Book Tours virtual book tour for L.R. Schulz’s Epic Fantasy novel A King’s Radiance! Today, I am excited to help kickoff the tour by sharing an interview with the author!
You can find our Q&A below, along with all of the info about the book, the author, and links to purchase a copy of A King’s Radiance for yourself! Also, be sure to take a look at the schedule at the bottom of the post and follow along to see the stops from our other awesome hosts!
Book Information:
A King’s Radiance by L.R. Schulz
Series: Bonds of Kin #1
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Intended Age Group: New Adult (12+)
Pages: 543
Published: May 22, 2022
Publisher: Luke Schulz Publishing (Self Published)
Blurb
Three siblings… a rebel, a prince, a prisoner.
The sun’s light shines bright over the land of Zapour, and only a select few can harness its power. But all power comes with a cost, and the world is not kind to those who refuse to pay it.
Raiz Glaive, a strong shine wielder, was born into royalty, though even royals have to answer to someone. When the King-Radiant sends one of his precious underlings to the Kingdom of Trost, Raiz quickly learns who holds the true power in the realm. After his sister is taken prisoner simply for having the violet eyes of a mystic, Raiz swears vengeance. But when an unwilling father stands in his way, Raiz promises to take revenge into his own hands.
Dazen Glaive remains heir to the throne of Trost, and a sworn defender of the King-Radiant, but he has not forgotten what happened to his sister, and will not forgive their cruelty.
Forced to be the centerpiece of her “master’s” twisted human art gallery, Isha remains a prisoner. Though she has not lost hope. Finding friends among fellow captives, she begins to formulate a plan for escape. Though what she discovers has a much more sinister bearing on the fate of all of Zapour.
See Also:
Attack on Trost • #DaddyIssues • All Roads Lead to the Tower
Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VC7XRXG
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60550876-a-king-s-radiance
Author Q&A
Thank you so much for joining us for this short Q&A! I want to start things off by asking: what is a great book that you’ve read recently and why should we give it a go?
I recently finished Voice of War and Stones of Light on audio by Zack Argyle. His Threadlight series is fantastic and great for fans of a Mistborn type magic system, multiple POV protagonists and military battle sequences.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of reading/writing? Do you care to elaborate?
I have too many hobbies to count. I have played amateur AFL football all my life (recently retired due to broken bones), I love my alternate rock music, I surf, I game, I walk my beautiful golden retriever, and of course I love a drink with friends.
Tell us about your road to writing. What made you want to become an author?
I wrote a few chapters of a book back in grade 5 with my best mate. It was a carbon copy of Lord of the Rings…. But instead of ‘orcs’, we called them ‘quarne’ (don’t ask me why, I was 11….) but ever since then I always wanted to write something of my own. Fast forward 15 years later and I realised I had the right attitude when I was 11….
Writing is a hard and lonely affair in the best of circumstances. How do you achieve a good work/life/writing balance?
Well I work as a casual relief teacher. This allows me to sort of set my own hours. I will usually work from 9-4 as a teacher, then write from 4-6, or longer if I take a day off. It does get hard and stressful, but I continue to take step to improve my efficiency and increase my writing output.
Is this your first book? If so, what lessons have you learned from writing it? If not, what lessons did you learn from writing earlier books that you brought into this one?
This is my first book, yes. Lessons, hmm… I think just being open to your friends and family about it. At the beginning I was very secretive and it was not doing me any favours. Best to share your work or at least find someone you can discuss it with! In terms of actually writing, consistency is key. Try to set daily and weekly goals and record your word counts, it works!
Do you usually write to background noise, music, etc. or do you prefer silence?
If I can I always chuck on some rock music in the background, being a teacher I guess I have got really good at tuning out noise to focus…. Music calms me.
What made you want to write in fantasy? Do you write (or plan to write) in any other genres?
I have always loved fantasy, I think that is where I will stay.
Who are your favorite current writers and who are your greatest influences?
Favourite influences would be Raymond Feist and Christopher Paolini, they got me into writing and were the first fantasy books I read! Favourite authors now would be John Gwynne, Sanderson, Eames, Scott Lynch and Mcclellan.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Punster! I do write mini outlines for each chapter but only 1-2 chapters at a time. I have notes about what will happen later on, but most of it is in the moment letting the characters take me.
What are your favorite types of characters?
I love a morally grey character. Life is not simple, the choices we make are never simple. Sometimes we make mistakes. To quote my own work “there are a dozen definitions of ‘wrong’ in this world, we just have to decide which of them is the right one.”
For those who haven’t read A King’s Radiance, give us the elevator pitch.
Oh god I’m shocking at these. If you like epic fantasy, found family, brutal magic, heist style narratives, revolution against a corrupt hierarchy, and animal companions in your stories, then give A King’s Radiance a try.
Describe your book in 3 adjectives.
Brutal, heartbreaking, epic
They say to never judge a book by its cover and maybe that’s true in the philosophical sense, but it certainly happens with books. Can you tell us about the idea behind the cover of A King’s Radiance?
Brushseven (my artist) and I collaborated to created the cover for A King’s Radiance. I really wanted to have something dark and sinister, which matches the tone of the story. Raiz is the main character and I wanted to show off his glaive and the magic on the cover to give people an idea of what to expect. The castle and tower behind him represent the main city, the red represents both the evil and corruption surrounding the city, and also the colour of the magic involved in the story.
One of my favorite things is highlighting quotes that really resonate with me and sharing them in my reviews. Do you have a favorite quote from A King’s Radiance that you can share with us?
Yes I do.
“If their world was broken, why not fill the whole with another broken piece?”
What can you tell us about what’s coming up next for you?
I am about 20k words into the sequel right now, the title of which I will remain tight lipped on for now. I also have 105k words into another story, which is EPIC, and called ‘The Image Mage’ but this I will put on the backburner and focus on AKR book 2 for now. So hopefully a big 2023!
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions for us! I always enjoy this little peek behind the curtain. Do you have any parting thoughts or comments you’d like to leave for our readers?
Just to enjoy your experience. I always love interacting with readers so feel free to send me a message about my book. And of course I’d love to hear your honest thoughts in a review!
About the Author
Luke is a fantasy addict born in Melbourne, Australia. He discovered a passion for fantasy at a young age which developed into a love for the imaginary and a desire to write.
Despite an early passion for storytelling, Luke obtained a teaching degree before beginning a career as a primary school teacher.
When he is not reading and writing, Luke enjoys spending time with his Golden Retriever named Gem, gaming, and surfing.
A King’s Radiance is Luke’s debut novel, though he is always coming up with ideas for his next project, as well as working towards a sequel.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luke_schulz_author/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/L_R_Schulz
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