Thursday 4 February 2016

Book Spotlight - Kingdom City: Revolt

Today we welcome a little dystopia, and join the blog tour for the sci-fi novel Kingdom City: Revolt by author Ben Ireland. It is the sequel to Kingdom City: Resurrection, and continues the riveting story. I have a peek at the book, an interview with Ben Ireland, and a fantastic Rafflecopter giveaway.

So may I present...








Kingdom City: Revolt by Ben Ireland

Paul Stevens has survived a terrorist attack, medical experimentation, and an attempt by the government to “neutralize” their rogue subjects. However, his escape cost him his wife, and now he battles to overthrow Brian Shuman, the dictator responsible for her death. With the kidnapping of his daughter and the disappearance of his son, he must choose between saving what may remain of his family or the fledgling rebellion on the verge of collapse.


Available at:

Amazon

Xchyler Publishing



Interview with Author Ben Ireland




How did you come up with the concept of your story?

Before I wrote books, I thought to myself “I want to write something, but it needs to be cool.” I decided that epic items, like swords, are cool. And then those epic items being needed for something completely unexpected. It was around the swords Fury and Serenity that the entire Kingdom City universe grew. Admittedly, it’s a much more manual thought process than i’ve had with most of my other story ideas; they usually just come to me. But I don’t think that Kingdom City is any less rich or exciting for that.


How did you come up with the title?

My little brother LOVES Dungeons & Dragons. Years before I called myself a writer, he was drawing a map for a campaign he was planning and I walked up behind him. He couldn’t think of a name for the capital city of the kingdom, so he called it Kingdom City. I thought that had an amazing ring to it so I stored it away for later use. Once you read the books, you’ll understand why they are subtitled Resurrection, and Revolt.


Please provide some insight into or a secret or two about your story.

Revolt is not just about the physical fight against what the Representative is trying to do to the population of Kingdom City, it’s also about the internal revolt of the characters against their internal natures. Paul is torn between leading the revolt and forsaking everything to save his family. There are also several characters that are dealing with internal conflicts that aren’t apparent at first. Through a careful reading, I think you’ll be able to figure out who is hiding something.


What was the most surprising part of writing this book?

I was most surprised by how dark it was. I was always fascinated by things that were a little dark and gritty, so I set out to create something edgy. Once I was done and I reread the book, I was taken aback by how dark it had actually become. Reading the first chapter again after not seeing it for several months made me think ‘oh gee, I wrote that?’ I think darkness in art is important to help us see the light and good in life. Though I believe some authors take that too far. RR Martin is a prime example. I feel that artists that write darkness simply because it’s “realistic” miss the point of art.


What was the hardest part of writing your book, and how did you overcome it?

Finding time! I love writing and I love telling stories. I haven’t experienced writer's block, so to speak. My mind it brimming with stories and ideas and the fountain hasn’t run down, let alone run out. As a worker and a father I did the only thing I could do to find time. Sleep less. Some weeks I was going on three and a half hours a night when I had to.

What activities best give your brain a break? How do you unwind?

Anime and X-files. Though i’m all caught on on X-Files.

What's up next for you?
Kingdom City part 3. Working title is Retribution. The original working title was Redemption, but that sounded way too optimistic for Kingdom City.  







And now for some important geeky insight from the author:


Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Trek
Hunger Games or Divergent? Hunger Games
James Bond or Jack Ryan? Who is Jack Ryan? (Googles it...) I still don’t know who he is.
Sherlock: Robert Downey, Jr. or Benedict Cumberbatch? Downey.
Spock: Leonard Nimoy or Zachary Quinto? They’re both so good in different ways. Not a fair question.
X-Men or Avengers? I would have said X men up until the recent Avengers movies.
Aliens or Predators? Aliens. I mean, there is no escaping them. I don’t care how many wrist mounted bombs you have.
Minions or Penguins? I’m insulted by this question.
Batman or Superman? I’ll get back to you after I see the movie.
Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean? Is it even a comparison? Harry Potter.
Beatles or Rolling Stones? Beatles.
Peter Jackson or James Cameron? James. Peter lost my respect with the Hobbit movies. Seriously, though, how could we not see that coming after he made King Kong?
Steven Spielberg or George Lucas? Steven. George lost my respect with episodes 1-3.Go watch the Red Letter Media review on Star Wars 1 -3 and get back to me.
Vampires or Werewolves? To fight with, against, or to kiss passionately?
LARP or MORPG? MMORPG.



KINGDOM CITY: REVOLT by Ben Ireland hits the interweb January 30, 2016!



Follow our blog tour and Rafflecopter giveaway for the chance to win great prizes!

Visit each blog each day for more ways to enter. KINGDOM CITY: REVOLT is Book 2 of the near-future dystopian series by Ben Ireland, with strong science fiction and urban fantasy elements.

January 30 through February 6, 2016


Find Ben Ireland on the web: AMAZON | WEBSITE | GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
Saturday, 01-30 Where the Words Take You
Sunday, 01-31 Perpetual Chaos of a Wandering Mind
Monday, 02-01 Ben Ireland Books
Tuesday, 02-02 JD Spero, Author

Wednesday, 02-03 Slithers of Thought
Creativity from Chaos

Thursday, 02-04 Are You Afraid of the Dark
Semi Short Chic

Friday, 02-05 Songs of Mann
Omega W

Saturday, 02-06 The Cult of Me
Book Reviews & Giveaways

Don't forget to enter our KINGDOM CITY: REVOLT blog tour Rafflecopter give-away below, on the blogs above, on our Facebook page, or on Rafflecopter, with daily chances to win!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

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