This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Colin Sephton will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
What makes you love a book?
I can love a book for a variety of reasons. It may be a story that really appeals to me. It could be because it’s by a familiar author. Or it might simply be the cover artwork that draws me in. I am a sucker for a good piece of artwork (I am an artist and paint fantasy art). Usually, but not always, the cover conveys something about the contents of the book, so if I like the cover I will probably like the story. They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but I think that’s untrue a lot of the time. The secret is knowing which books first started a trend of cover designs, and which have created a similar design. Usually when a book is successful, other publishers start to create similar designs. Those books I keep well clear of. If they have nothing original to offer on its cover, chances are they have nothing original within their contents. The marketing department are just trying to appeal to readers with something that looks familiar. But that’s just my opinion!
Favorite reading snack?
My favourite reading snacks are chocolate and coffee. To me there’s nothing more satisfying. I will make a strong coffee in the espresso machine, steam the milk and pour it into my favourite large wide coffee mug. I will eat any chocolate, but my absolute go to is dark chocolate, the darker the better. Something like 85% or 90% coco bean! I tried some once that was 100% coco bean, I didn’t like it. It was tasteless and claggy! Ughh.
How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I never pay any attention to critics. I sometimes read their reviews, but I prefer to make up my own mind. There’s been lots of times, for example, when a movie review says a movie is awful, only to find when I watch it, I really like it. It’s all a matter of taste, and that’s the same with novels. I am also finding that social media is littered with people reviewing books and when you see their reviews they are all five stars! That’s impossible. It’s because the review has been paid for, so I pay no attention. I’ll decide what I like or dislike.
The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
The most I have ever paid was £50, on a single book in Blackwell’s, back in 2005, so that would be a lot more in today’s money! It was The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend by Alan Lupack. When I lived in Oxford, I went though a phase where I was devouring everything I could get about King Arthur and the Holy Grai, with a view to writing my own book. I still have an unfinished manuscript somewhere.
Do you like to keep your books organized?
My books are very organized. I have a lot of fantasy novels which are all organized by author and grouped by series. I also have a lot of art books which are more loosely grouped, but fantasy art are together and traditional fine artists are grouped together. Then there are the speculative books, the grail, Atlantis, the pyramids, theosophy, they are all in a separate section but grouped by topic. My analytical ex-engineer mind must inject some sort of logic into my bookcases.
Ignatius and Indigo find themselves struggling mentally to come to terms with the complex nature of the cosmos and their newfound supernatural powers obtained through their prior encounters with gods and demons. In their quest for another relic from the Creation, they are aided by the secretive thirteenth Chapter of the Union Jacks. In search of the secret of the Flaming Celestial Pearl, they must travel to Tibet in the great airship, HM Spirit of the Empire.
Pursued by fanatical knights sworn to protect the relic, they must reluctantly call upon the Charon, the seven merciless demons from the underworld to assist them. Piecing together the map that will lead them to a fabled city hidden deep within the Himalayas, they must defend themselves from air pirates, a previous foe from Oxford, mountain beasts and elementals.
Discovering the correct path through the mountains, Indigo realises her soul may never be the same again. Regardless, they enter the Great Void where using the Sword of Wisdom, they discover the truth about the cosmos.
An icy chill ran down her spine. She took hold of the sword and her whole being was filled with a warmth like she had never felt before. Her arms tingled and she grew lightheaded as a myriad of stories and knowledge began to run through her mind. She thought her head would explode; she couldn’t keep up. The Sword of Wisdom had chosen to divulge the knowledge it had absorbed from Manjushri, knowledge that originated from the Librarian’s bookcases beneath the Administorium in Oxford. Ignatius stood by, not knowing what was happening.
Indigo began to glow with an aura that constantly changed colour at lightning speed. Indigo began to cry, then laugh, then sob again, then horror showed on her face, then she laughed again. She could feel her heart racing, pounding in her chest and she thought it would give way. Tears continued to flow and eventually she fell to the floor, exhausted but strangely invigorated. Composing herself, she looked at Atman then Adonai with contempt.
“I hate you both! You need to see to it that I don’t send you back to Limbo permanently, given my powers here seem to outweigh yours.”
Darshan, who was always the gentlest towards Ignatius and Indigo, placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Indigo grabbed it and threw her aside with remarkable strength.
“Leave me be, you demon whore! After this, whatever this quest is all about, I want nothing to do with any of you, even if that means through my own demise.”
She looked around, finding Ignatius to see if he took that to mean him also, although even she wasn’t sure if it did.
Colin was born in Coventry and worked in the automotive industry for over twenty years before becoming an Engineering teacher. Obtaining his first library card at the age of thirteen, he became an avid reader of Fantasy and the mysteries of the Universe. He has an inbuilt curiosity for lost knowledge and ancient texts that may help to unlock the secrets of consciousness and the universe. Living in Oxford for many years, he has now moved back to his home county of Warwickshire where he enjoys creating and working with his wife on their garden in which he writes and entertains their two grandsons. He has always been an artist and writer and is inspired by the worlds created by Robert E Howard and Michael Moorcock, with the artwork of Frank Frazetta. Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/timeslayers
WEbsite: http://www.colinsephton.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Soulslayers-Colin-Sephton-ebook/dp/B0FN4DVMV9/ref=sr_1_2
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ReplyDeleteThank you for the feature. I’m happy to answer any questions readers may have.
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