J.M. NORTHUP's BLOG

Friday, February 24, 2017

T.M. LAKOMY's NEW RELEASE!

WIPs and New Releases

1)      Tell us about your New Release…
Ø  What is the story about?
·   In a world where angels, demons, and gods fight over the possession of mortal souls, two conflicted pawns are ensnared in a cruel game. The enigmatic seer, Estella, finds herself thrown together with Count Mikhail, a dogmatic Templar dedicated to subjugating her kind. But when a corrupted cardinal and puppet king begin a systematic genocide of her people, the two become unlikely allies.
·   Taking humanity back to their primordial beliefs and fears, Estella confronts Mikhail’s faith by revealing the true horror of the lucrative trade in human souls. All organized religions are shops orchestrated to consume mankind. Every deity, religion, and spiritual guide has been corrupted, and each claims to have the monopoly on truth and salvation.
·   In a perilous game, where the truth is distorted and meddling ancient deities converge to partake of the unseen battle, Estella unwittingly finds herself hunted by Lucifer. Traversing the edge of hell’s precipice, Estella and Mikhail are reduced to mere instruments. Their only means to overcome is through courting the Threefold Death, the ancient ritual of apotheosis—of man becoming God.
Ø  Who is the main character?
·   Estella, the enigmatic seer, and after her, Mikhail, the Templar.
2)     What inspired this tale?
Ø  How did the story come to you?
·   Gnostic Christianity always fascinated me, especially the Nag Hammadi Scrolls, and I always had these characters germinating in my mind. As I was enamoured with shamanism through my studies at university, I began to weave these themes into a tale that bridges the gap between these two seemingly disparate topics. There were many compelling narratives and theories of how man transformed into god through apotheosis; the most common one is the story of Christ.
Ø  Did you have to research for this novel and if so, why?
·   I was heavily influenced by Mircea Eliade’s books on shamanism, especially the worlds in between where beings angelic or demonic, through often cruel initiations, reconstructed you afresh, thus upon your return, you are something different.
·   I was following a trail of thought of whether this is applicable to legendary or historical characters who went through drastic spiritual transformations, from ancient mythical heroes/demiurges to religious figures.
Ø  If you did research, what do you think surprised you most to learn and why?
·   I was very intrigued by the notion that death or near death is the gateway to life, that one must die and be reborn in order to transform and attain a higher self. That is apparent with Odin and Christ, and the shamans who tread that dangerous fine line.
3)     Do you relate to your character?
Ø  Is your protagonist anything like you personally?
·   Yes.
Ø  If yes, then how?
·   I used to see things as a young child; I was a very sickly, and my earliest memory of such a spiritual encounter was when I was three.
·   Like Estella, I am very much my own person, I am not good with figures of authority and I do not particularly care about social norms and conventions. Anything that tries to curtail my freedom is thoroughly rejected by me.
Ø  If no, how do you differ from one another?
·   Well, what is different is that I am slightly more attached to the world than she is, although if a portal did open into another dimension, I would be the first to pack up and leave.
Ø  What made you write this character; what made them important to you or made you want to tell their story?
·   She was another facet of my character.  There is naturally a lot of me in her, but she developed over the years.
·   I wanted to tell her story because seers throughout the ages have been mistreated, either treated like witches to be burned at the stake or shunned and deemed demonic, when it is a gift they are born with and could offer much if treated the right way.
·   I believe spirituality plays a bigger role in our lives than we believe and we only acknowledge it rarely as it often reveals the shallowness of what’s around us.
4)    Is there anything you specific want readers to know about this piece of work?
Yes, that it a spiritual voyage for the characters as they encounter old deities and biblical figures who try to alter their core beliefs and shine a different light on the unseen.
That the truth is often complex and multifaceted and that what is handed down to us most of the time is seldom the full image.
5)    When will the novel be available for purchase?
The 25th of April 2017.  However, it is available NOW for pre-order.
Ø  Has the book already been published?
·   The paperback is available NOW for pre-order.
·   The ebook will be available for purchase on the release date.
Ø  If yes, do you have a link available for buying it?

No comments:

Post a Comment

NORNS TRIAD PUBLICATIONS' BLOG