I just received the cover art for Truth-Teller Revenge. It is fantastic! The artist is Trisha FitzGerald, who also did Truth-Teller Rebellion. Yes, Cary does get off the Earth in Revenge…although, getting back is a bit of a problem. I’m doing the final final edit of the galley right now. Revenge is on track for release in November.
Filed under Art and Craft of Writing, Truth-Teller Books
There’s a character blog hop going on! Audra Middleton recently wrote about Princess Willow in her novel Abomination. Then she tagged me. Check out Audra’s blog at http://www.audramiddleton.com/monthly-blog/meet-my-character-blog-hop.
1) What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?
Krin is my favorite character in my Truth-Teller series. In Truth-Teller Rebellion, she is sixteen years old. She’s nineteen at the time of Truth-Teller Revenge, which comes out this November. She’s the younger sister of Cary Bishop, who is the protagonist of Truth-Teller Rebellion. Krin is the co-protagonist of Truth-Teller Revenge.
2) When and where is the story set?
The Truth-Teller books take place around the year 4000, but they aren’t your prototypical science fiction. Not too far in our future, the exhaustion of fossil fuels and global warming helped ignite devastating wars and a partial collapse of civilization. In time, global warming ran its course, but an ice age now grips the Earth. A shortage of energy leaves civilization stagnated, although medical technology has advanced far beyond current day technology.
Rebellion takes place in Washington and Oregon. Revenge takes place in the western half of North America, Hawaii, and in Space.
3) What should we know about Krin?
She’s plucky and not afraid to make decisions for herself. Some of her decisions are good, some could have been better, but she’s always doing what she thinks is right.
Krin is an empath and her personal story is how she deals with this ability. She can instinctively feel another’s emotions as if they were her own. Empaths are rare in her society, but her abilities go even further than those of most other empaths. She can project emotions into the minds of others. Realizing this last ability can be used for evil, she vows not to use it at all.
4) What is her main conflict? What messes up his/her life?
Krin sees her father and mother swept in a glacial lake outburst flood in Truth-Teller Rebellion. Afterwards, she’s unaware of the full extent of her and Cary’s unique abilities and she doesn’t understand the reason for multiple attempts upon their lives. She has to discover the truth about her past and her gifts in order to survive.
In Truth-Teller Revenge, like any woman, she’s looking for love and happiness. Instead, her father, the President of Columbia, is assassinated. She falls in love, only to find it’s forbidden. Her toughest decision is when she realizes Cary is intent on a suicide mission to defeat her father’s assassin. Can she help him without compromising her vow against manipulating the emotions of others?
5) What is her personal goal?
To find love, to remain true to her beliefs, and to keep what is left of her family alive.
Please check out Krin in Truth-Teller Revenge this coming November.
Filed under Truth-Teller Books
I planned on reviewing the 1989 Hugo Award winning novel, Hyperion, this week, but…when I got to the end of the Dan Simmons novel I discovered…it wasn’t the end! And I had to know what happened. So I’m nearing the end of The Fall of Hyperion. These two books are really one thousand page plus novel.
I love Hyperion and will soon publish a full review of it. I did find myself skimming over some of the descriptions in it, which made me reconsider my own writing. Champagne’s editor of November’s Truth-Teller Revenge said she found herself skimming through some of my descriptive passages. Hmm. It can be a fine line between giving your reader a vivid image of the setting, and boring the reader or slowing down the story. So I find myself cut, cut, cutting, as I rework my works-in-progress.
I expect to see the cover art for Truth-Teller Revenge any day now, which I’ll share. I should also soon have the galleys to proof, which will mean a week of intensive work.
Meanwhile, I’m enjoying the final days of this wonderful, sunny summer. Tomorrow I’m off to Paul Allen’s Flying Heritage Collection to see their B-25 and Hellcat fly at noon!
The second round of edits of Truth-Teller Revenge were due today to my outstanding editor. I sent them off at ten last night. This book will be fantastic. Krin has an even bigger role than in Truth-Teller Rebellion. I can’t wait until September to see Revenge’s cover.
Filed under Art and Craft of Writing, Truth-Teller Books
Audra Middleton interviewed me on her sci fi madness blog series today. I talk about what makes a good sci fi novel, researching Truth-Teller Rebellion, and writer’s block. Check it out at http://www.audramiddleton.com/1/post/2014/05/interview-with-kenneth-schultz.html.
A few highlights of the review are:
The world building in this book first becomes evident by the sometimes odd ways in which the characters speak. Archaic words are effortlessly mixed in with futuristic slang and references to cutting-edge technology. Strictly speaking this isn’t steampunk, but I do see some influence from that genre in the ways in which the characters communicate about certain ideas. It took me a few chapters to adjust to some of their odder uses of syntax, but once I did I really enjoyed learning about how Cary and Krin think in particular based on the types of words they choose to use and how they string them together.…
Mr. Schultz’s scenery descriptions are not to be missed. The earth has changed a great deal over the past few thousand years, and the best passages in this story describe how humanity has adapted to some pretty extreme climate shifts in North America. Enough time has passed that none of these dangers are particularly newsworthy to characters who have never known any other way of life, but as a reader I really enjoyed quietly comparing their world to my own.…
What I liked most about this book was how intelligently the characters respond to the dangerous situations they find themselves trapped in. I may not have always understood why they made certain choices, but Cary and Krin were written in such a way that they honestly act and sound like two teenagers who grew up herding cattle on the steppes. They know how to react quickly in a crisis and are clearly used to thinking creatively and making the best of their resources.
The complete review is at http://www.longandshortreviews.com. Go to the review tab and then pick sci-fi/fantasy.
Filed under Truth-Teller Books
Truth-Teller Rebellion is once again available for purchase as an e-book on Amazon, from my publisher at www.champagnebooks.com, Barnes & Noble, and other e-book sellers.
More great news! I’ve signed a contract with Champagne Book Group for Rebellion’s sequel. Truth-Teller Revenge will be released in November.
Filed under Truth-Teller Books
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