During our process of promoting for our favorite authors, we have the pleasure of posting interviews during their tours. But what about when they aren't doing a tour? What about when we don't have an untold number of bloggers all posting and promoting their new books? Well, the time has come. This fantastic author doesn't have a tour going. No, but that doesn't mean we can't stalk the hell out of him and make him answer our questions!! I'm just kidding..I didn't twist his arm for the interview...maybe not all the way around his body!! LOL I'm just kidding!!
The spotlight today is on author Richard Mercer. He is a young author with short stories on Amazon. He is currently working on two different series, both of which I am dying to read!
The Dark Emperor series is a fantasy series depicting one man’s descent into madness and the rebellion that follows. It all started when a man, once known as Jiran, got sick of being weak. His father had been murdered while he was young, and Jiran was captured by bandits. He was sold into slavery for several years before fighting in the Avanti War.
Jiran heard many myths and rumors in the army, one of which told of a mystical stone that enhanced the wearer’s physical and mental attributes. After the war he chased after the stone until finally a monk told him of its location, the summit of Bincloak Mountain. Jiran goes on a journey, not knowing the stone would change him, and the world, forever.
The Nuclear Survivors series is a post-apocalyptic themed story following a teenager named Crayton. He has just turned 16, which qualifies him to finally work in The Outpost. The Outpost was a place of refuge that they’d retreated to when the nuclear missiles hit. Crayton starts his first job with Jared, a simple trade. This trade is far from simple, as they come to realize another colony is going to attack The Outpost. With this knowledge, Crayton has to help Jared limp back to The Outpost to warn the others, while avoiding mutants and bandits on the way. This leads to many drastic measures being taken over the course of the series in an attempt to keep The Outpost alive.
You can find out more about his books here
The Dark Emperor series has two books out:
All of Mr. Mercer's books are listed below. But, the links are only to the books we are showcasing in this post. All of the links to his books can be found in the link above.
Jiran is sick of being pushed away, sick of
lacking the strength he needs to stand up for himself. Time and time again he
proved to be too weak to protect himself or those around him. He decides that
he will no longer let that happen. Jiran travels to the summit of Bincloak
Mountain, seeking a mysterious stone rumored to enhance the beholder's physical
and mental attributes.
The Last City: Book 2 of the Dark Emperor Series
The Nuclear Survivors series has three books out:
Crayton has always looked forward to the day when he
could join the rest of The Outpost in doing daily chores for the good of the
community. But his mission goes wrong when another colony tries to cheat him and
his mentor, Jared, out of a bag of gas-masks. Jared gets shot in the leg and
one of the rivals revealed that their colony, the Haefen colony, plans to
attack The Outpost. With this in mind, Crayton has to deal with bloodthirsty
mutants, dirty bandits and an earthquake, all while helping Jared limp back to
The Outpost to warn the others.
The Collapse: Book 2 of the Nuclear Survivors Series
The Message: Book 3 of the Nuclear Survivors Series
Also, he has published:
The Cheddar Unicorn
The Courier's Game
Carson was just an average guy, with an average job.
He served aboard the Nauk, shipping much needed supplies and food to different
planets all across the galaxy. He was doing his routine rounds, checking for
oxygen leaks, when disaster struck. At first they thought it was a glitch, an
organism being detected through a leak in the hull. Oh, how wrong they were.
Leir Jinx
Enslaved
- What would you say was
the most fun about writing this book?
A: Well, what I really liked about
writing The Turning had to be writing about the main character. I just really
loved writing Jiran.
- Give us some insight
into the main character. What does he/she do that is so special?
A: Jiran is kind of on the fence of being
a hero or a villain. This is why I loved writing him. As a child he’d been
captured by bandits and his father had been murdered, leaving him to feel
powerless and weak. This is why he seeks to gain power through a mysterious
stone rumored to be at the summit of Bincloak Mountain. The power he seeks to
attain will make or break him, if he succeeds.
- What are you working
on right now?
A: Lately I’ve been working on a couple
of short stories meant to be mystery-packed bites of supernatural and dystopian
themes.
- What genre are your
books?
A: I write a lot of everything, so I
really can’t fit them all down to one genre. However, I mainly write fantasy
and science fiction.
- What draws you to this
genre?
A: Both fantasy and science fiction are
enticing to me for the same reasons. I like fantasy because I really enjoy
playing around with magic systems and the combat. I’ve fallen in love with how
fantasy worlds can be written, and the same goes for science fiction. I feel
like in science fiction I can write about these really cool machines and
societies which wouldn’t thrive in other genres.
- What is your favorite
color?
A:
Probably dark blue!
- What is your favorite
food?
A: Easy. Chinese food. I can’t get enough
of the stuff. I really, really love Chinese food.
- Are you a cat or dog
person? Why?
A: I’m a dog person! I don’t really know
why, I’ve just always been a dog person.
- How are you published
(*i.e. indie, traditional, or both) and why?
A: Indie.
Well, it appeals to me because of the control I have over the process.
While I have to do more of the overall work, I enjoy being able to do it all at
my own pace and monitor its success myself!
- Do you have any
amusing stories from your adventures in the writing world?
A: I don’t have any really amusing
anecdotes at this time! I’m fairly dull.
- What is your favorite
motivational phrase?
A: “The secret to getting ahead is
getting started!” I love that phrase for some reason!
- What is your favorite
book and why?
A: I must say that one of the latest books
I’ve read has to be my favorite. I really loved Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series.
I can’t pick just one out of them all, but I really loved the magic system. It
gave such depth to the world, and also added much value to metals in that
world.
- What advice would you
give to your younger self?
A: Just keep writing. Yes, you’ll get
tired and at times wonder if there’s a point to continue, but you’ll make it as
long as you keep learning.
- To end: Give us three Good to Know
things about you. Be creative.
A: Well, I really want to be able to
travel. I’ve been to Italy and New York, among other places. I’d love to live
in New York so I could see Broadway shows on a regular basis. They’re really
amazing and magical to see.
I play a lot of video games; it’s a
weakness of mine. I waste way too much time on video games that would be much
better allocated to other hobbies.
I’m interested in drawing, although I’m
not much good at it. My best area of drawing is stick figures. I can draw those
fairly well!
