Beginning of Arrogance by Bryan Cole

Posted: September 14, 2022/By: achristay@aol.com

Please welcome Bryan Cole author of Beginning of Arrogance

Bryan Cole will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Beginning of Arrogance

by Bryan Cole

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GENRE: Fantasy

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INTERVIEW & BIOGRAHY:

Biography

Bryan Cole is the author of the Paladin’s Journey series. New to the writing world, he spent years working in the enterprise software space, focused on quality assurance and delivery of software applications. Which is weird, because that has nothing to do with writing fiction.

For that, we need to go back – way back – to his first experience with Dungeons & Dragons. His friend Chris brought over the box set for Myth Drannor, eager to play. Together, they realized they had no idea what they were doing, because neither of them owned a copy of the Players Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, or the Monster Manual.

From those incredibly awkward beginnings, a lifelong passion for epic science fiction and high fantasy adventure was born. Everything from his grade 4 teacher letting him stay after school to play a video game where you were the wizard on a quest, defeating monsters by answering math problems, to some truly memorable movies like Willow that showed him a world bigger and more exciting than the real one.

Of course, Star Wars and Star Trek have had a major influence on him. Want to get in good with Bryan? Lead with a Star Wars meme. From one of the good movies. Otherwise, your plan will backfire.

Bryan is also an avid gamer, and enjoys video games, board games, and tabletop roleplaying games.

These days, he lives in Toronto with his wife and daughter, and his adorable cat.

What or who inspired you to start writing?
I spent decades in the enterprise technology space, delivering presentations and discussing deeply technical aspects of software development and delivery. I tremendously enjoy my job for the most part, which is true of all jobs. When I began writing not for business reasons but for my own purposes, I found that I could spend hours letting my imagination run wild as I committed words to the page. Or rather, words to the document saved in the cloud! I found it immensely relaxing, rewarding, and enjoyable, which is something I would never have guessed about myself. Which, in hindsight, it should have been obvious to me that I would enjoy writing because I had previously enjoyed creating presentations and reports. Now, in addition to that, I can spend time writing the further adventures of Krell.

2. How did you come up with ideas for your books?

Decades of reading stories and letting my imagination run wild have given me tons of ideas. Learning more about tropes and mythology has also informed a ton of the content that I’ve written and am writing. Beyond that, a strong desire to see stories reflect the reality of the scenario as I envision them has led me to writing the books I would love to read! I settled on Krell being a follower of ReckNor, the god of the seas and skies, because underwater adventures are rarely covered, and introduce a whole series of unique challenges that give me lots of opportunities to put our protagonists at a disadvantage.

What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

I am a relentlessly positive person. I believe in people, though I am cynical and jaded when it comes to myself! Part of that behavior is what drives me to learn, and I have a deep love of learning new things, pretty much regardless of topic. I have a head full of random facts and funny stories, and love a great analogy.

5. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

A lot, as it turns out! I joke with my wife that I am solidly in the middle of my mid-life crisis. A new car, a new job, and now a published book to my name! The next major steps as it relates to book writing is book two, where the survivors from book one deal with the consequences of their actions. That’s an important theme that will be present throughout, that everyone should be free to choose, but the consequences of those choices are yours to deal with. As I write this the first draft is nearing completion!

If you could be one of the characters from any of your books, who would it be and why?
Everyone hates an author insert character, but I’m leaning hard into it – Salatan, the cook in the background at the Netminder’s Friend. He’s older, terrified of dancing, married to an amazing woman, and a slightly above average cook. Now, if I could CHOOSE to be anyone, I’d probably want to be Captain Gijwolf. He’s had his time, and was expecting a quiet retirement in Watford, the small town at the end of nowhere, with a set of friends and a simple purpose.

9. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

My friends, in particular one of them who inspired Tristan, told me that I should write a book with the thoughts and ideas I talked about to them. IT was that triggering event that first put the idea into my head, and eventually I sat down to write, and once I started I loved it. If it wasn’t for Bryce, I might never have started this journey. Also, for what it’s worth, when reading the book, Tristan is almost always right!

11. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

Outline all the way. I have the whole series outline written, copious bits of real and imagined worldbuilding, and a bunch of other content all created, with a clear arc for the series. I already know how the whole thing will end. Having said that, I recently wrote, then discarded, several chapters as I changed direction and the focus of the story in book two, so I am not opposed to altering the outline as required for a better story!

13. Do you have an all time favorite book?

The Deed of Paksenarrion, by Elizabeth Moon. I cannot imagine being inspired to write Krell and his adventures without that book in my past. Paksenarrion’s journey was one of the best heroic arcs I have ever read, and I absolutely love it, and recommend it to anyone who loves the fantasy genre.

Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book?
I have! Book two is about eighty thousand words in, and will focus on the survivors of book one, and the consequences of their actions in that book. It’s tough to talk about without giving away spoilers, but Krell learns a lot about what he and his companions want, and that sometimes he really needs to listen to Tristan.

Question: Which scene or chapter in the book is your favorite? Why?

Chapter Sixteen. It introduces some of the consequences of magic in the world, the important role that it can play, and three additional characters that are going to be increasingly important to the series. It is also a moment of abject failure for my protagonist and shows how he deals with that failure. For me, personally, it is by far the chapter that I would reread the most out of my whole book, though any page with Callodan Koramir on it is a close second!

Question: How often you read?

Answer: Constantly. I cannot imagine there is an author anywhere who is not a voracious reader. I’m also extremely eclectic in my reading material, ranging widely between politics, history, technology, science, current events, climate change, pop culture, youtube influencers, fashion trends… anything I can get my hands on. I have that personality that allows me to spend hours and hours on the Wikipedia chain of linked articles, letting me learn a little bit about a lot of different things. But notably, the two loves I always come back to are science fiction and, of course, fantasy.

Question: What does literary success look like to you?

Answer: I imagine every writer has their own definition of success, and it is important for me to realize that I have a number of advantages. I can afford to write, as a hobby or part time activity, without worrying about my mortgage or car payments or anything else. That definitely shifts the bar for me, and I define success as holding the finished copy of my book in my hands. It was such a spectacular feeling of joy and happiness that I have a hard time describing it – possibly the fifth or sixth most enjoyable moment of my life! Bearing in mind that list includes things like getting married, the birth of my child, and other notable events.

BLURB:

Paladins are nothing but trouble. Stories about paladins are everywhere, noble warriors riding magic steeds into battle against terrible foes. Champions of their gods. Heroes to everyone, except those who already have everything. Paladins are notorious for upsetting the balance of power, to the detriment of any who don’t worship their deity.

So when Krell is called to service by the capricious god of the seas and skies, ReckNor, those with wealth and power can’t help but be concerned. ReckNor hasn’t called a paladin in years, and his nature is ever-changing and erratic. The fact that Krell is also an uneducated nobody with a stubborn streak as wide as the sea turns their concerns into fear.

All of which matters less than the threat clawing its way from the waves, ready to turn the ocean red with spilled blood…

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EXCERPT:

Krell’s sword struck the pell.

His heavy breathing couldn’t disguise the dull thunk from the blade as it hit, bits of wood breaking off. Krell twisted his wrist and pulled, disengaging the blade. He struck again, the blade sliding along the wood, leaving a fresh scar. Once again, he failed to cut through the post.

Krell recovered his stance, his shield raised as Olgar taught him while his sword moved back into proper striking position. His next strike was high and carved another sliver of wood. Without waiting, Krell swung again. The sword hit lower than Krell wanted. He pulled back into the proper stance, and his next strike was on target, carving deep into the wood.

“All right, lad, I think we’ve seen enough,” a voice said from somewhere ahead of him.

Krell took a step back from the pell. An unsteady step, he was forced to admit. The sun was still high in the sky. Sweat ran into his blue eyes, causing him to blink in irritation. He glared at the wooden post. No more than halfway through. His chain mail armor was heavy on his shoulders.

He looked over at the town council, seated at a long table under an awning. They had comfortable chairs for the most part, and were sipping on what looked like cool drinks in the shade. Krell wondered how much attention they were actually paying to this test.

Amra Thort was the leader of the town council, and owner of one of the largest fishing fleets in Watford. She was a formidable- looking woman with steel gray hair, whose hands bore the signs of hard work done many years ago. People in the town respected her, Olgar had told him.

Seated next to her was Daylan Plintform, a wealthy merchant who owned many trading and fishing vessels. His long face was handsome, but he always looked irritated, even when he wasn’t. Olgar detested him, but refused to explain why. He was popular in town, since he paid for numerous festivals and banquets when the catch was good.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Bryan is an avid reader, and has loved the fantasy genre since he was a child. His love of stories of mighty knights, terrible dragons, and noble steeds has inspired him for decades.

CONNECT WITH BRYAN COLE

WEBSITE: https://fatpaladin.ca/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/FatPaladin

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/fatpaladinbooks/

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22517522.Bryan_Cole

PURCHASE LINKS BEGINNING OF ARROGANCE