Today I'm really glad to have John R. Phythyon Jr hanging out with me, the author of
State Of Grace. A Wolf Dasher Adventure Story.
Cece: I am
so excited to have you here with us today, John. Please tell us a little about yourself.
John: Thanks for having me, Cecilia.
I’m an independent author from Lawrence KS
– home of the Jayhawks! I spent eight years working in the hobby games industry,
both as a marketer and as a game designer. After leaving that business, I spent
seven more years in marketing and fundraising, both as a freelancer and as an
employee for various companies. Three of those years I worked as the principal
development officer for my local community theater. That was pretty fulfilling.
But I’ve dreamed of being a novelist for a
very long time – at least since high school. Last year, I decided it was time
to really pursue that dream. I’d written several novels and gone the
traditional route of seeking an agent with no success. I was getting ready to
do it again when I read how e-readers had completely changed the publishing
business. I believed in my book, and I’d worked in publishing before, so I
decided I could do this on my own. So far, it’s been an amazing journey.
Cece: What
book title are you currently promoting?
John: STATE OF GRACE, a Wolf Dasher adventure
novel.
Cece: What
genre does it belong to?
John: It’s a fantasy-thriller mashup. Basically,
I take all the elements of a classic espionage novel and set them in a
traditional fantasy world. A human agent is murdered in the elf nation of
Alfar. Before she dies, she names the ambassador from Alfar to her country,
Urland, as her killer. But he couldn’t have done it, because he was out of the
country at the time. So Urland sends Wolf Dasher to Alfar to find out who did
it and why. In the course of his investigation, he uncovers a plot by a
terrorist group to effect a coup that
will topple the government, ignite a war, and change the balance of power in
the world.
Cece: What
is STATE OF GRACE all about?
John: It’s really about faith and patriotism.
Religion is a huge theme running through the book. In STATE OF GRACE, elves are
the most devout people on Earth. They believe the prophet Frey gave them God’s
message of love and leadership. According to Frey, elves are the greatest of
God’s creatures and they must therefore shepherd the other races. They are
naturally more adept at magic than humans, and they see this as evidence of
their more-divine nature.
They disagree sharply, though, on what
shepherding other races means. The moderate Freyalans believe they should live
in friendship with others, while the conservative Shendalis feel they should
have limited contact with the other races, especially humans. This has led to a
schism that caused a civil war. Shendali fundamentalists are waging a terrorist
campaign against Alfar to stop it from trading with Urland, particularly magic.
The socio-political landscape of Alfar is
one of religious struggle. Strongly differing ideas of faith collide in a
nation that is tearing itself apart.
Similarly, many of the characters in the
novel consider themselves patriots, but they all seem to have a different
definition of what they means. The villain in particular is willing to murder
thousands of his countrymen and ally himself with the people he hates to do
what he thinks is saving his country. Is that patriotic?
STATE OF GRACE looks at these ideas, which drive
so much policy worldwide, and asks what the right thing is. I tried to offer as
many points of view as possible, so readers can think about what they believe
is right.
Cece: Let’s
talk about the main character in STATE OF GRACE. Tell us about Wolf Dasher.
John: Wolf is a Shadow. He’s a human being, who
has been infected with dark energy from a strange tear in the fabric of reality
known as The Rift. Shadows are used by every country as spies. They have innate
magical abilities that enable them to work as espionage agents and assassins.
Wolf can vanish when he’s standing in a shadow, he can see magical energy, and
he has postcognitive vision that allows him to “see” how an object was used in
the past.
As part of Urland’s Shadow Service, he
travels abroad to solve problems.
In STATE OF GRACE, he’s sent to Alfar to find
out who killed his friend, another Shadow named Sara Wensely-James. He’s never
been to Alfar before, and, worse, he’s sent undercover as Urland’s new
ambassador. Wolf knows nothing about diplomacy, and he’s not very politic. He’s
a fish out of water trying to do his best and making a mess of it.
Like many Shadows, Wolf is estranged from
his family. Something about the dark, magical energy flowing through them makes
Shadows harder for normal people to get along with. Wolf was disowned by his
family when he was 15, right after his powers manifested. They are aristocrats
and feared having a Shadow in the family would hurt their position at court.
Thus, the Shadow Service is the only family he really has, and he’s bitter
about it.
But he, like many of the characters in the
novel, is a patriot. He serves Urland and wants to do the right thing. Upon
arriving in Alfar, he becomes caught up in its struggle. Not only does he want
to advance Urland’s interests there, he is also concerned with preserving Alfar
and making sure it doesn’t fall to terrorists, and his motivations for that are
purely altruistic. He finds beauty in elves and their way of life.
Cece: I love his name. I like his character even better. :) Are
you working on other projects at this time?
John: I’m just finishing the first draft of the sequel
to STATE OF GRACE. Wolf is still in Alfar and is trying to track down the
leader of the principal terrorist cell. He’s also involved with the captain of
Alfar’s Elite Guard, whom he met and worked with in STATE OF GRACE. The two
have fallen in love, but they are separated when Wolf takes a dangerous mission
behind enemy lines. When he disappears, she has to go looking for him.
Where STATE OF GRACE is about faith and
patriotism, the sequel, RED DRAGON FIVE, is about love and family. And, of
course, there’s lots of action and political maneuvering bound up in the story
too.
Cece: What
book are you currently reading?
John: Well, at the moment, I’m reading a proof
for the print version of STATE OF GRACE. It’s available now as an eBook, and
I’m trying to get a print version out too.
Before that showed up in the mail, I was
reading THE INDIE AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE by Jeff Bennington on my
Kindle and ASTRO CITY: LIFE IN THE BIG CITY by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson
in print. I’ll get back to them as soon as I get the proof taken care of.
Cece: Is
STATE OF GRACE a different genre than you are used to writing? If so, what
genres do you usually read and write?
John: I write adventure stories in multiple
genres. Ever since college I’ve really wanted to write a great literary novel,
but all the stories I create seem to have magic or monsters in them. I just
love that element of the fantastic.
As far as reading, I’ll read a lot of
different things. I like thrillers a lot. I used to read a lot of fantasy, but
I’ve become picky about what I want in that genre. I read horror, and I adore a
good literary novel. Any well written book makes me happy. I’ve enjoyed chick
lit just as much as Stephen King.
Cece: Where
can readers find you online?
John: Lots of places!
Blog: johnphythyon.wordpress.com
Twitter: @JohnRPhythyonJr
They can download the first three chapters
of STATE OF GRACE for free at:
And, of course, they can buy it at any of
the following online retailers:
Happy reading and Writing :)
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