Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the Escapist Book Co. virtual book tour for Aaron Bunce and Christopher Guhl’s Fantasy novel Wings of the Storm! Today, I am excited to help kickoff the tour by sharing an interview with the main character of the book, Vayo!
You can find our interview below, along with all of the info about the book, the author, links to purchase a copy of Wings of the Storm for yourself, and a chance to win a copy in our giveaway! Also, be sure to take a look at the schedule here or at the top of the post and follow along to see the stops from our other awesome hosts!
Book Information:
Wings of the Storm by Bunce & Guhl
Published: August 29, 2022
Series: The Dunes of Aelaron
Genre: Fantasy
Intended Age Group: Young Adult and Up
Pages: 470
Publisher: Autumn Arch Publishing, Podium Audio (narrated by Nikki Massoud)
Blurb:
My name is Vayo, and I am a slave.
My people lived in Argia, the City of Light, before Nabonidus the Defiler swept across the land. He conquered, murdering and enslaving the other tribes. I was born after the fall, in a crumbling pit of despair and sadness.
Nabonidus crowned himself ruler of the land, building his new kingdom from the rubble of our fallen world. I live and serve them now, my head bowed, and my eyes down.
That is, until a master servant chose me.
My new duty? Attending the King himself, serving the man that ruined my people. Desperate for blessings, I placed an offering to the Mother Goddess on my roof. Afterwards, I fell into a strange dream. One where I soared over the dunes on wings of radiant feathers. Shouts and screams startled me awake, and I watched as the King’s men carried my friend away. I followed, deep into dark tunnels beneath my fallen city.
Fleeing the horrors I witnessed below, I hid in the one place they would not think to look. Inside that forbidden temple and buried beneath the rubble of our broken past I stumbled upon a peculiar sight. A beautiful warrior, with her arms wrapped around a shimmering, blue egg.
Life as I know it will never be the same.
See Also:
How to Train Your Storm Bird • Horrible Bosses: Nabonidus Edition • Thor: Love and Feathers
Book Links:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Wings-Storm-Dunes-Aelaron-Aaron/dp/B0BCCY3JYR/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wings-Storm-Dunes-Aelaron-Book-ebook/dp/B0B61X39HS/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61408398-wings-of-the-storm
Character Q&A
Before we get started, could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Vayo. I live in the Hobaya and attend King Nabonidus in the palace.
What music do you listen to?
Music? I mostly listen to the banging of hammers from the workers on the wall, though for some reason I keep hearing these whispers of late. It’s like they’re singing me a song in the old tongue.
What are 3 items you can’t live without?
Items? I’m lucky if I can make it back to my hovel with the robes on my back. Though I do tend to raid the palace kitchens before my shift ends.
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what is one thing you’d like to have with you?
Someone to keep me company. I met Prince Cyrus recently, and…it’s foolish of course, but it would be nice to speak with him more. He’s nothing like his terrible father.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
UGH, the Hobaya at the first sounds of Unai’s food cart. Everyone spilling from their hovels like rats to a garbage heap. It makes getting around a terrible chore, especially if I’m running late to the palace before old King Nabonidus requires his anga tea.
What do you do in your free time?
I visit Nekane the Seer. Most in the Hob think she’s crazy as a desert bat, but she tells me lots of good stories and makes the best stew. She tells me she visits the Blind gods, listening to their commands.
What makes you want to get out of bed in the morning?
Well, if I didn’t show up to the palace, the masters would come at me with the lash, or they’d send guards for me. I don’t want to think what they’d do.
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Nekane always tells me to “Quit dawdling!” Time wasted is something one can never get back.
What do you carry in your bag?
Just my palace servant robes, though sometimes I sneak bread or desserts from the palace in there.
What’s your favorite animal?
Oh, birds are lovely. The way they can be so free, flying beyond the walls of the Hobaya. The Mother Goddess, Poa, is a bird of magnificent proportions. I had a dream about her, once…
What do you think about Nerea?
Nerea and I used to be very close, but as soon as I was assigned to work in the palace laundry that all changed. It’s like she held a grudge against me for it, as if I could choose my lot in this life. It’s not my fault the masters force her to work on the wall!
Do you have a favorite saying?
“The moons know best.” We’re deep in the throes of Suna now, and the sun god, Gao, bears down on us as unrelenting as ever. I don’t like to let the heat cloud my thinking, so countering it with the wisdom of the many faces of Annan, the moon god, helps me focus.
What is your favorite holiday?
The festivals during Eluna are amazing. That is the best time for people in my tribe to perform marriage rituals. It’s said if they wed during Darka, the season of dark, their love is cast in shadows. If wed during Suna, the season of the sun, their passions burn too bright, fading quickly.
If you could go anywhere in Aelaron, where would you go and why?
I would love to see the salt seas, to feel the ocean breeze and dip my toes in the water. The only way I’d ever see them would be if I was sold to Tyrreshian slavers, and it wouldn’t be worth it, trading one master for another.
What do you do to relax?
King Nabonidus requires his attendants to rid themselves of their stinking, Hobaya stench before we’re allowed to serve him. Thus, we are privileged to bathe in the palace baths. It’s those quick moments that I’m able to rid myself of the burdens living places on me. It is hard not to think about attending King Nabonidus, however, he conquered my people and could very easily end my life as well, or worse…
What is your favorite food?
The King enjoys a cart full of lavish desserts. He usually only goes for the tart cherries though, leaving the rest to spoil. When he’s not looking, I’ll shove a creamy, fruity pastry in my mouth and swallow it down as quickly as I can.
What is your favorite season?
The Eluna after Darka, of course. Darka is much too cold, dark, and horrifying to bear for long, so once Gao’s bright light peaks over the horizon it’s the loveliest sight. Then Suna begins, and I’m constantly sweating.
How would you define happiness?
Happiness to me would mean freedom. No more masters or guards, lashing us in the Hobaya for every little transgression.
What are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about my people. My friends. Ander and Benat, they look after me so much, like the big brother and father I never had. Nekane too, she keeps me grounded. Or it might be the other way around, sometimes her head is far too in the clouds. Even Nerea, when she’s not cramming my face into the sand. Most of all the children. The orphans in the pit. I try and pilfer food from the kitchens and bring it to them when I can, though not nearly as much as I would like.
How do you feel about your government?
King Nabonidus conquered my people. He betrayed his tribe, struck a deal with the Undergods, and swept across the sands with his terrible Barden army. Now he rules us absolutely. We toil, breaking our backs to build his precious city, Zerua, atop the ruins of our former City of Light, Argia. That is the man I must serve every sandfall.
If you could change one thing about Aelaron, what would it be?
All I’ve known is sand. It creeps in every sandfall into the Hobaya, our walled in prison. I would wish for the most magnificent storm to tear down the walls of the Hobaya, brush the sand away, then nourish Aelaron with pouring rain.
What’s your biggest secret?
Whenever I go to Nekane’s hut, at the base of the old temple ruins, I hear whispers, like something inside the temple is calling out to me. I know if I step foot on the temple steps, the guards will know and string me up from the wall by my feet, but still…
What do you hate?
I hate that my people are subjected to such torture every sandfall. Whether you’re a wall-rat, a mud-dancer, or a palace servant, life in the Hobaya is an inescapable torment. It’s all Nabonidus’ fault. He must answer to the Blind gods for his crimes.
What’s your biggest fear?
I fear that the Blind gods have turned their backs on us. How could they have let Nabonidus do this to us? Have the Undergods, Barcc’uh and his monstrous hordes, defeated them? I fear that we are on our own against an unstoppable threat.
What do you think your best quality is?
I’ve grown to take the lash without showing fear or defeat. Denaiya will find any reason to break it out, claiming it will help me grow into a proper servant. I won’t give her or anyone else the satisfaction of seeing fear in my eyes.
How would you describe the world you live in?
Aelaron is a world of pain. The pain my people built and carry out every sandfall. During Suna, we can’t escape the heat. During Darka, we can’t escape the cold. Throughout any season, we can’t escape the masters.
About the Author
Around every turn, Christopher Guhl expects to be dazzled by something unexpected, amazing, and fantastical. Though still waiting for the day when a wizard shows up on his doorstep, he now creates the worlds he dreams of on his own, plucking them from his mind like seeds and allowing them to grow after proper nourishing.
He fell in love with writing while completing a creative writing emphasis track at the University of Iowa. Then took those skills and wrote his debut novel, NAEVIA-18, a young adult science fiction novel akin to The Giver and Divergent. Next, he moved to fantasy worlds with ABSOLUTE ESSENCE, a fantasy adventure with elemental monsters, strange creatures, and powerful magic. After a novella, DESCENT, set in the world of Naevia-18, Christopher is ready to tackle his next adventure, joining forces with a strange, cloaked man that showed up on his doorstep…
A devoted scribbler and award winning author, Aaron Bunce has been seeking a portal to another world since childhood. Once he finally gave up on finding a magical wardrobe or teleporting phonebooth, he decided to write about new worlds instead.
A graduate of Southern New Hampshire’s English program, Aaron has been a writer, editor, publisher, and audiobook producer. His passion is stories, but more so, characters, as they drive the experience. He started writing in fantasy, bounced to science fiction horror, veered into LitRPG territory, and has touched many other genres in between.
Aaron and Christopher are excited to bring their newest offering to readers, as they launch an all-new fantasy saga—The Dunes of Aelaron. Featuring wind-swept dunes, dark, meddlesome gods, and massive stormbirds, the electric first offering, Wings of the Storm, will blow readers away.
Christopher’s socials:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/k_guhl
Facebook: https://facebook.com/christopherguhlauthor
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@christopherguhlauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/k_guhl
Aaron’s socials:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/abuncebooks
Facebook: https://facebook.com/AuthorAaronbunce
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aaronbunce
Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Great interview! It was such a fun idea!
Thank you! I really enjoyed reading Vayo’s answers!
Sheesh. Getting a full response out of Vayo is hard! Evidently, she is not a chatty one. ;p