On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Welcome Back to Author Patrick Carr:
Patrick Carr was born on an Air Force base in West Germany at the height of the cold war. He has been told this was not his fault. As an Air Force brat, he experienced a change in locale every three years until his father retired to Tennessee. Patrick saw more of the world on his own through a varied and somewhat eclectic education and work history. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984 and has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, did design work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. Patrick’s day gig for the last five years has been teaching high school math in Nashville, TN. He currently makes his home in Nashville with his wonderfully patient wife, Mary, and four sons he thinks are amazing: Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. Sometime in the future he would like to be a jazz pianist. Patrick thinks writing about himself in the third person is kind of weird.
Awards: ACFW Genesis Competition 2010 Finalist for “A Cast of Stones” in Speculative Fiction.
The Readers:
Creation:
The concept of casting lots, which was my initial inspiration
for “A Cast of Stones” led inevitably to the idea of a reader, someone born
with the talent to fashion lots and then cast them. The most difficult part of
having someone who could answer almost any question by simply carving a few
pieces of wood, was how to circumscribe their power. If I didn’t come up with
some kind of limitation, I was going to have a book filled with the equivalent
of a bunch of super-wizards. I really struggled with this aspect of the story.
In the end I decided to tie a reader’s ability to his own background
experience. In order to cast a question, a reader has to have intimate
knowledge of the possible answers. Of course, there are ways around this, but
they’re cumbersome and not as reliable. In addition, a readers ability is tied
to the question itself. If you don’t ask the right question, you’ll get
gibberish for an answer.
Once I’d completed the basic idea for how casting lots would
work in my world, I had to set external limits on the power of readers. Even
circumscribed as they were, having a bunch of guys running around who could
answer almost anything would throw most societies into turmoil. So, I decided
to build the readers’ service to the church into the mythos of my world. It
turns out that Magnus, the second king fought a long series of wars to bring
all the readers of Illustra under the authority of the church. The one weapon
the church had that the readers couldn’t combat was the power of compulsion. A
benefice could compel a reader to serve the church. All of this happened prior
to Errol’s time. I’ve toyed with the idea of a prequel even though I don’t
usually like those as a rule.
A Cast of Stonesby Patrick Carr
Paperback, 400 pages
Expected Publication: February 1st 2013 by Bethany House Publishers
Premise:
In the backwater village of Callowford, Errol Stone's search for a drink is interrupted by a church messenger who arrives with urgent missives for the hermit priest in the hills. Desperate for coin, Errol volunteers to deliver them but soon finds himself hunted by deadly assassins. Forced to flee with the priest and a small band of travelers, Errol soon learns he's joined a quest that could change the fate of his kingdom.
Protected for millennia by the heirs of the first king, the kingdom's dynasty is near an end and a new king must be selected. As tension and danger mount, Errol must leave behind his drunkenness and grief, learn to fight, and come to know his God in order to survive a journey to discover his destiny.
Available 2/1/13:
Tour-Wide Giveaway:
Grand Prize (USA): Print copy of entire series of three books (#2 & #3 as they are published) + A Cast of Stones Mug + Lend your name to a character in book #3!!
2nd Prize (USA): Print copy of A Cast of Stones
International Entries: eCopy of A Cast of Stones
Open only to those who can legally enter. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Burgandy Ice @ Colorimetry and sponsored by Bethany House & the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Herbwomen of secret lore
The World of The Staff & the Sword
The Readers of the cast lots
The Watchmen, elite warriors
The Clergy of power
Catch the entire Tour!!
LAUNCH-DAY BLAST!
1/24 – Christian Novels – Review – World
1/25 – I Am a Reader, Not a Writer – Readers
1/27 – Reads to Reels – Watchmen
1/28 – LDS & Lovin’ It - Clergy
1/29 – Proud Book Nerd - World
2/1 – RELEASE-DAY BLAST!
2/4 – Bookworm Lisa – Review – Clergy
2/6 – Kari’s Crowded Bookshelf – Review Herbwomen
2/8 – Backing Books – Review – World
2/11 – Jill Williamson – Review – Clergy
2/17 – CTF Devourer – Review – Clergy
2/20 – Min Reads & Reviews – Review Watchmen
2/21 – FINALE BLAST, Winner
announced
Sounds very interesting... AND A VERY UNIQUE GIVEAWAY! I like the idea of 'lend your name to an author'. Never heard of that one before. Very Clever!
ReplyDelete~Stephanie
Stephaniesbookshelf.blogspot.com
stephaniesbookshelf@gmail.com
Thanx for the giveaway :)
ReplyDeleteHi Patrick,
ReplyDeleteI'm a military brat to. How did you like moving every three years? It was hard for me at that time because of leaving good friends behind and having to start all over. Now I look at it as a great adventure that most people don't get to experience. I loved living oversees. I lived in Okinawa, Japan for 5 years and LOVED IT!! So many memories I made there. My dad is a retired Marine of 26 years, and my husband is also a Marine of 21 years and is retiring in a few months.
I am looking forward to reading your series. I've seen it all over the blogs. The books sound awesome!! My fingers are crossed!! Thank you for having this giveaway and a chance to win your awesome books!!
A truley inspiring way to come up with character names. It's always nice when the names of the characters are actually readable by the reader.
ReplyDeleteThanx for sharing this giveaway :)
ReplyDeletethanks for the giveaway. It sounds like an amazing series.
ReplyDeleteAwesome giveaway!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting story..and my name in lights...win, win, thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds really good. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteNo question, but a compliment. I love these book hops. I am an avid reader and love to get to know new authors and read all the book reviews
ReplyDeleteI was wondering what the authors favorite musical is. :)
ReplyDeletemisusedinnocence@aol.com
What an extrodinary giveaway -- I'm really liking the connection being made between author and fans. What a brilliant way to bring in fans quickly from the get go!
ReplyDeleteThe story sounds intriguing, and I love stories like this!
I'm married to an infantryman hooah
ReplyDeleteI have been looking for a new (to me)fantasy series to dive into, this might hit the spot. Thank you for sharing with us and I wish you all the best on the tour :)
ReplyDeleteI look forward to these books. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThanks for another great post! And thank you to both author and host for a great giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDelete