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

Interview With Author Ben Ireland

Today we have another Xchyler Publishing author stopping by, Ben Ireland. He's here to chat about his debut novel, Kingdom City ~ Resurrection, his short stories, and writing. Plus, there's a short blurb about the book at the end. Enjoy.

Interview With Ben Ireland

Why don't you begin by sharing a little about yourself.

Hi, thanks for having me, AF. I’m a 33 year old systems administrator (IT guy) living in Houston with my beautiful wife and three amazing children. In my free time I sleep.

Your debut novel, Kingdom City ~ Resurrection is about to be released. Would you care to reveal a bit about the book?

Kingdom City ~ Resurrection is the first in the Kingdom City trilogy. It’s a science fantasy novel set in the near future in the peaceful —totally normal— metropolis, Kingdom City. Six months prior to the opening of the novel a terrorist attack rocked the city by killing a quarter of its police force. Things start to fall apart when they don't stay dead.

Did anything surprise you about the process of writing your novel?

The details. Kingdom City is the first novel I've ever seriously attempted to write. It’s been in the process for about 10 years now. What I realized is that you can't throw in details just because they sound cool. A character’s limp isn't just an interesting quirk, it has a story behind it. At first I found this overwhelming, but as I continued, I realized what a great opportunity the details give you for giving the story color and depth. If done right, the details will enhance a story without distracting from it. I just hope I've done my details right.

You've also had some short stories published, can you tell us about them? In addition, do you find writing short fiction easier, or more difficult than writing a novel?

Kissed a Snake appeared in the Xchyler thriller short story anthology, A Dash of Madness, in 2013. It’s about a young man looking for answers about why his father abandoned him—and to kill him if he doesn't like what he finds.

Fairykin appeared in the Xchyler fantasy short story anthology in January, Moments in Millenia. It’s about a tribe of fairies struggling to survive on a planet where nature has been eradicated.

I find both styles to present their own challenges. Short stories give you a great opportunity to tell a worthwhile story. The challenge there is to tell the whole story in a limited amount of words.

Novels allow you to explore more sweeping tales, but that’s when the volume of details can become a problem if not managed properly. I’m certainly drawn towards bigger stories, the more sweeping, the better.

Your primary writing focus is in fantasy fiction or science fiction. What draws you to those genres? What is the hardest part of writing in the sci-fi/fantasy genres?

There are a few answers to ‘why fantasy.’  The best answer I have is because it’s the coolest genre. I also love being presented with a completely unique idea, and then watching the author explore that idea in unexpected ways.

The hardest part about science-fiction/fantasy is the details. If you’re going to make a new world for your reader to explore, it has to be consistent. I've found myself putting down books when the author breaks their own rules for the sake of convenience. As an author, I've found myself tempted to break the rules because it would be the easiest way to reach the conclusion of the story. But every time that happens, the story falls apart. I can’t believe in my own world if I can't stick to my own rules.

Can you tell us about your writing process?  Where do your ideas originate?  Do you have a certain writing routine?

My writing process is, as soon as a story hits me, I write down all the ideas accompanying that idea. Then I’ll line up the ideas in a logical order until I have the story ordered from beginning to end. Then I'll expand on those details, writing conversations and scenes that are on the tip of my mind. Then I'll go back and flesh everything out. 

My ideas come from everywhere. Conversations I overhear, sometimes someone says something to me and I think they said something else, one time I walked into my kitchen and the character just popped into my head and told me who he was.

Routine. Ha! I wish. I write in between doing what I have to do to keep my kids fed.

What is your greatest challenge as a writer?

Time and money. I have a good day job as a systems administrator, but it’s not where my heart lies. I’m sure many know that feeling.

When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

I've always enjoyed creating stories, but the idea of making a career out of writing always seemed too luxurious and impractical. The idea didn't seem to click as an actual possibility until I won a place in my first short story contest. So here I am, giving it a shot.

What’s next for you?

More writing and less sleeping. I’m working on an urban fantasy series currently (The protagonist of which was the one that introduced himself in my kitchen.)  I hope to shop that around some time this year. Kingdom City ~ Retaliation (working title) will be pounded into life this year, and released, hopefully, sometime in 2015.

Thank you for having me. It’s been a pleasure. 

Kingdom City ~ Resurrection by Ben Ireland

With the death of Kingdom City's chief of police in a terrorist attack, Autumn Stevens lost the only man who could save her from herself. Still paralyzed by grief after six months, the last thing she expected was his return--along with three thousand of his fallen comrades. As confusion turns to violence throughout the city, Autumn discovers the lengths she will go to protect her family, and right the wrongs carried out in the name of security and prosperity--especially those committed by her own hand.