Interview with Arctyrus
I have an exciting announcement today! My friend and fellow author James Quinlan Meservy is releasing his newest book TODAY! I have his first book, The United, on my kindle and have been itching to read it. Hopefully the advent of summer will mean more time for reading for fun.Today's release, Denizens Among Us is the second book in the Realm of Rai series, and a prequel... which is really the only good way to write a series... I think. (Though I may be biased, since that's exactly what I did with my own first series)! *grin*I'm interviewing Arctyrus Hunter, the main character of this story today, and I think you'll agree he's an intriguing character. I have it on good authority from the author that Arctyrus was not pleased with my interruption of his life, and that he despises Facebook and other social media platforms as he thinks they are tools of the Threat of Rai to assist him in ruling the Realm of Terra (as Earth is called in the Rai Saga). So... let's see if we can't get this post to go viral, just to annoy him, shall we? *wink* (Yes, I think it's fun to try to annoy fictional characters. I'm an author, what'd you expect?)
KINGDOMS RISE, ONE PROPHESY AFTER ANOTHER
For the people of the Realm of Light, this has always been the mantra; a foreboding concept of both men and beasts. As prophesies speak of new leadership that will bring the realm into a time of perpetual peace, four Denizen Clans exist in a tension-filled truce beneath the shadow of war. The Kingdom of Buz-Perr-Addock, ruled by Lord Yrimwaque, Jacob Hunter and his Queen, Svet-Lan-Addock, rules in fear of rebellion from the other three. While Lord Yrimwaque’s heirs - Arctyrus Hunter and his twin Amyrith, along with their cunning, younger brother Vulktyramous Hunter – are being groomed to inherit the Kingdom of Buz-Perr-Addock, Arctyrus becomes concerned with rumblings of an uprising from his brother Vulktyramous, whose main goal is to destroy the other Denizen Clans of the realm by recruiting other armies to his cause.
Arctyrus forsakes the throne of Buz-Perr-Addock by attempting to warn the other clans of his brother’s impending attack in hopes of unifying them against Vulktyramous. By doing so, Arctyrus hopes to restore peace and end the tyranny between the Denizen Clans of the Realm of Light once and for all. But the prideful clan leaders refuse to heed Arctyrus’ pleas and attack Vulktyramous and his followers individually, minimizing Arctyrus’ cause and making Vulktyramous all the more powerful. Amyrith remains indecisive between choosing which brother to follow while struggling to follow the will of her father. But in love and war, everyone aligns with one or the other and the fate of the Realms will hinge on that decision, forever.
Denizens Among Us is a Prequel to James Meservy’s debut hit, The United: The Realm of Light Book Series.
My badge fades and I find myself standing on the shore of a huge, glassy lake. Behind me is a thick forest. It reminds me a little bit of my own childhood family vacations to Door County. Down by the shore, I can see the young man I have been sent to speak with. He is seated on the grass and is applying a resin of some sort to the handle of an ornately carved battle-ax. As I approach, I recognize some of the carvings as symbols of Christianity. The young man whirls and glares at me as I approach. I extend my hand in greeting.He does not take his eyes off of me as he looks suspiciously at my hand, with a distant thoughtful expression. As I am about to lower my hand, he nods slightly, gently lays the battle-ax on the ground, stands, and accepts my hand."My name is Jenelle Schmidt from the InterFiction Gazette," I say, trying to cover up my relief that he has put his weapon down. "I was told you were willing to speak with me and answer a few questions. How about we just start off with you introducing yourself and telling my readers a little bit about who you are?"“Yes, James told me you would be visiting today, so I thought I would care to Boi-Bresch as I waited,” he gestures to the battle-ax. He faces me, a slight smile forming on his lips. “It is good to meet you Jenelle. My name is Arctyrus Hunter; I am a denizen on the Realm of the Light. A denizen is a cross-breed between a mortal and an immortal Creature of Rai. In my case my father is Jacob Hunter, Creature of Rai, member of the Wolf Clan. My mother is Queen Svet-Lan-Addock of the kingdom of Buz-Perr-Addock, a mortal.”I ask him how to spell all that as I carefully jot it down. "So, from what I heard, you were supposed to inherit a kingdom with your brothers, but your younger brother decided to forge his own path. How has that affected you?"“Vulktyramous desires to rule over the mortals of the Realm of the Light. I strongly desired to keep out of his way and live my life in peace, but Kestrel, my wife convinced me of two important truths. First, that if Vulktyramous were to succeed, he would not leave me in peace. Second, no one else on the Realm of the Light understood him as well as I, and therefore I was the best candidate to stand in his way. I am certain you can see how that mission influenced every decision of my mortality.”I nod. "I can, indeed. So... what do you think will happen to the realm if Vulktyramous gets what he wants and wins?"His expression turns somber, even more serious, if that were possible. “My worst nightmares will become a reality if Vulktyramous succeeds. Life on the Realm of the Light will be no different than life on the Realm of Tyomnta, and as Ot can tell you, that is not a favorable fate.”I change tack a little. "Can you tell my readers a bit about your world? What is it like living here? What are some of the differences between Rai and Terra? As my readers are all from Terra - though we call it Earth - I am sure they would be interested to know about this?"He laughs. “There are only differences between the immortal Realm of Rai and your mortal Realm of Terra. The main difference being that the Realm of Rai is immortal. A far more intriguing question would be the similarities between our mortal realms, the Realm of the Light and the Realm of Terra. They are parallel realms, which is why I believe the Light requested that Tyler James, myself, and our friends contact a mortal on your realm to chronicle and publish our mortality. Anyway, back your question; there are many similarities between our two mortal realms, including the overall geography and names of most locations, nations, cities and so forth. We even share similarities in mythology and historical events. As I research the history of the Realm of the Light, I am constantly amazed at how parallel our two realms truly are. The biggest difference between our realms is magic. Magic essence flows through everything and everyone in the Realm of the Light. Any mortal on our realm has the ability, with training and practice to tap that essence.” To demonstrate, Arctyrus mutters an incantation. Rain instantly falls from the sky over us, just us, and I hunch over my notepad in an attempt to protect my precious scribblings. Arctyrus mutters two incantations in rapid succession. The rain stops as abruptly as it began. A warm breeze flows past us and we are completely dry. “I hear stories of people in your realm, especially in the past, who could tap the magical essence of your realm, but everyone I have encountered from the Realm of Terra informs me those are just stories.”I smile. "There are accounts of people being able to do incredible things in my realm's history. Feats of strength, visions of the future, and even the ability to command animals... but those were not accomplished through magic, but rather through the power of our Creator." I look down at my slightly damp notepad. "Thank you so much for meeting with me and talking about yourself and your story. My final question is one I like to ask all my interview subjects: If you could ask your author one question, or say one thing to your author, what would it be?”He barks a laugh. “Just one question? He assaults me with questions for hours on end, learning every detail of my mortal experience, and I get just one question of him?” He looks at me for a moment, and smiles, “I suppose I would ask him to stop insisting that I participate in Amanda and Kestrel’s Facebook Group, and to stop asking me to participate in those strange “author take-over events” whatever those are. I have more important things to do than engage in idle chatter with mortals on Terra.” He looks me in the eye and quickly adds, “No offense meant. It is just that Vulktyamous and his fellow followers of the Threat never sleep, and neither do I.”"I can only guess at the pressure you must be under," I reply.As my badge begins to glow, my last glimpse of Arctyrus is of his face revealing honest surprise. "I thought you said your world had no magic!" he shouts after me, but I fade from his world before I can reply and tell him that FICTIONAL MAGIC is in a whole different category!
I am James Quinlan Meservy
Fantasy Author Extraordinaire,
Embellisher of Events,
Creator of Creatures,
And Firebrand
“Stories that Kindle Imagination"
James Quinlan Meservy loves literature! His favorite genre to read is classic literature (Charles Dickens is my favorite author), and his favorite genre to write is fantasy. Even when he attempts to write something that is not fantasy, his WIP becomes fantasy by the end of the first draft.He lives in Southeast Idaho with his wife and children, and spent his childhood living moving all across northern Utah. He considers his home town to be Mendon, Ut, a small community near Logan, Utah in the Cache Valley.Follow James around the interwebs: