“It’s a cross between Lord of the Rings and the
Wizard of OZ where you will be swept away into a magical land of Dwarves,
Elves, and Halflings.”
—Brae
Wyckoff
Voted #1 for BEST fantasy book under the radar!
The Orb of Truth Book
Synopsis:
In the hundreds of years since the Holy City disappeared,
darkness has fallen over the land. Human kingdoms have seized control of the
realm, scattering the other races into hiding.
Bridazak, a skilled thief, and his friends, a Dwarf and a
fellow Ordakian, have dared to remain within the human communities and live
relatively quiet lives, until they discover a mysterious, magical artifact. The
three friends are thrust into an adventure that will challenge their faith,
their purpose, and their destiny as they chase a forgotten and lost prophecy
across the realm of Ruauck-El, where they hope to discover the origins of the
strange item and their place in its history.
An ancient, unknown enemy threatens the completion of their
journey at every turn. Bridazak is about to face the biggest adventure of his
life, one that may change the known realm, and answer the questions he has
carried all his life. Will they unlock the truth?
About the Author:
Brae
Wyckoff was born and raised in San Diego, CA and is working toward a Psychology
degree. He has been married to his beautiful wife, Jill, for 19 years, and they
have three children; Tommy, Michelle, and Brittany. He has a beautiful grandson
named Avery. Brae has been an avid gamer since 1985. His passion for mysterious
realms and the supernatural inspired him to write The Orb of Truth, the first
in a series of fantasy action adventures. Brae describes The Orb of Truth as a
cross between the Lord of the Rings and the Wizard of OZ where you will be
swept away into a magical land of Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings.
Interview:
Tell my fans a little bit about yourself
and your books.
I’m an Epic
Fantasy writer, so what that means is when you see a bird in the natural, I see
a dragon instead and I’m always wearing full-plate armor and carry a sword
while in the natural you see me wearing jeans.
I have been happily married for 19 years, have three
beautiful children, and have been a Grandpa for 3 years now. Dedicated family
man, but I have a dark secret to share. I am a Christian that also loves the
epic fantasy genre like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and so many others.
Well, it is not a dark secret. I have been an avid Dungeons and Dragons gamer
since the 80’s and contribute my writing to that style of storytelling.
How would you introduce your books to
someone that has yet to read them?
“It’s a cross between Lord of the Rings and the Wizard of OZ
where you will be swept away into a magical land of Dwarves
What inspired you to start writing? What
age did you start?
I started
writing short stories in 6th grade. I have always been fascinated
with words and how you can weave them to tell a story. Books always got me
hooked and eventually I thought that I could do this too. The adventure begins…
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not writing?
Love to spend time with family. Our grandson, Avery, lives
with us and it is so awesome to have him come home after daycare. I turn my
attention toward him and living in his world of super heroes. I’m Spiderman and
he is usually Ironman.
What advice would you give to an aspiring author?
Don’t expect the world to embrace your story overnight.
Build relationships and build the trust with your readers that you will NOT
sell them short. We have a savvy audience out there and they know a good read
when they read it. With the industry the way it is, things have changed
drastically. You will most likely have to self-publish, but there is nothing
wrong with that at all because you get most of the profit of your work and you
do the marketing regardless if you have a publisher or self-publish.
My wife and I ended up creating our own publishing firm…LR
Publishing. We plan to help other authors by lining up expert help at an
affordable cost.
What’s your favorite scene/line from your works?
I will do better than that…here is a short excerpt revealing
some of the characters for the 2nd book, The Dragon God. There is a
special gnome in the 2nd book named Trillius. He will be a fan
favorite. Remember, this is un-edited material you are reading.
“You’ve
brought guests to Pirates Belly,” a mysterious smooth voice came from behind
the adventurers. Startled, the heroes
turned.
They saw an
impressive pirate who wore dark blue pants, black leather boots and belt, a
white billowy long sleeved shirt with frills around the cuffs and collar, and a
beautiful maroon hat with a large brim.
A yellow frazzled feather adorned his cap. His headwear and the downward tilt of his
head concealed his face from view.
“May I
introduce to you the ones who brought down King Manasseh,” said Elsbeth.
“We are
honored to have such heroes among us. My
name is Romann de Beaux. Welcome to my
humble home.” He pulled off his hat and
bowed elegantly. The swashbuckler stood
back up, his face pale white with eyes that swirled red and blue like a
whirlpool. His smile revealed pearly
white teeth with two prominent fangs.
The group
of heroes were wise enough not to insult the creature by saying aloud that he
was a vampire. That is, all of them,
except one.
“You’re a
vampire,” Trillius chimed in awe.
“Forgive—,”
Elsbeth began but Romann held up his hand to stop her.
“And what
is your name?” he asked. He kneeled down
as if talking to a child.
The gnome
answered tremulously, “My name is Trillius.”
“Ah, yes,
of course. Well little-one, since we are
being candid, I will call you ‘Snack’.” Romann lifted his lip slightly to reveal one
of his fangs while emphasizing his last word.
Trillius back peddled away and clung to El’Korr. The dwarf was pleased as he knew this
encounter would keep the gnome on board the ship.
What's the hardest thing about writing?
Well, the only great challenge is finally getting it
published after all the steps are taken. What I mean is, the story was written
in 6 months, but then it went an entire year running it through a critique group
of other authors, where re-writes occurred after their take. Then it was handed
off to the editor who took it a part some more and we made the tweaks and
changes necessary to strengthen it even more. So 2 years later it is finally
here, what a process, but so worth it. My wife told me, “Don’t let it out until
it is ready to be released.” A professional cover was designed and it was
professionally edited…two areas that indie authors seem to skimp on
unfortunately.
What are you currently reading?
Several books
currently. I love to pick up Indie authors and give them a whirl…unfortunately,
there is a lot of frogs out there before you find a prince if you know what I
mean.
What are you currently
working on?
The Dragon God is book #2 and follows immediately after the
ending of The Orb of Truth. I actually leave a teaser chapter at the end of The
Orb and will continue that model for each of my books. A gnome named Trillius
is introduced in The Dragon God and the heroes revolve around how this
character stumbles into a powerful dragon entity that wants to be released back
into the world. I also introduce a swashbuckling, pirate Vampire named Romann
de Beaux. (x is silent)
The Dragon God is finished in
the rough draft form and is in re-writes before being whisked off by my editor.
I have outlined book #3 and have
started writing it. It is called The Vampire King.
What books did you read as a child?
You know, the
classics, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit…
How has your life changed since you began writing?
How has your life changed since you began writing?
My confidence is higher, not because of writing but because I
set out and finished something from beginning to the end. A lot of us start but
don’t finish. My message to everyone and it is the theme of The Orb of Truth…
“IT IS TIME!”
Do you listen to music while
you write?
Yes, love having music playing in the background. I tap into
the essence and creativity that is being harnessed through music to really open
up my imagination. Of course I can write in pure silence or at Starbucks. A
writer writes no matter the location.
What's been your favorite moment as an author?
What's been your favorite moment as an author?
I have had a couple special moments as an author.
1.
Finishing the book
2.
Getting the physical copy of the book in
the mail (that was an emotional moment because I have only seen it on my
computer or a print out on regular copy paper)
3.
Getting wonderful reviews from people I
don’t know on Amazon (very humbling)
Out of all of your
characters, who is your favorite?
A piece of me is inside each of my characters but two stand
out prominently, Bridazak and Dulgin. Bridazak is a Halfling, which in my
novels, I have coined as Ordakians. He is a thief and master bower, but deep
down longs for something more in life, to understand his purpose.
Dulgin is pure Dwarf and has that gruff battle-hardened
attitude, always looking for the next fight and Dwarven Ale, but underneath you
get glimpses of his softness as his loyalty for his friends is beyond measure.
What do
you want readers to take away from your books?
The message is clear…everyone has a purpose in life,
everyone has a destiny, but are we hearing what it is clearly or is the world
overwhelming us with the haunts of strife, with self-worth, with comparison to
each other? My books are clearly defined as good vs evil with an epic storyline
that brings you along for the ride. It will capture you and whisk you away into
a magical land where you will connect with the many characters laced
throughout. My hope is, even though it is fantasy, that the reader will be
changed and reflect on their own life…that the reader will reach for their
purpose and destiny with everything they have.
What is your dream
vacation destination?
I would love to visit several castles around the world…you
know, a Castle Tour! They are so rich with history and to walk the halls of those
ancient times would be grand.
Do you have any
interesting dreams or goals?
Yes, I would like the change the world! My books are pure
fun but deep down inside the words is a message of hope and my HOPE is to leave
my mark behind and give people this message.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see myself traveling quite a
bit. One revolving around my books and the other in helping people in need.
Everyone needs a miracle and most feel they are out of reach, but it would be
nice to be that miracle for someone.
Where can fans find you?
All my
stalkers can find me here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theorboftruth
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BraeWyckoff
Website: http://www.theorboftruth.com/
YouTube:
http://youtu.be/0JmqCwNS410
Paperback Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Orb-Truth-Volume-1/dp/1479313262/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353350627&sr=8-1&keywords=brae+wyckoff
E-Book Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Truth-Horn-King-Series-ebook/dp/B00AGIQYWO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1354589810&sr=8-3
Thank you for allowing me to interview you, Brae!
Happy Reading!
Kristina
Thank you for having me...it was great fun!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! And I loved the excerpt from The Dragon God...I can't wait for it to be released :-)
ReplyDelete(I'm blog-stalking you today...lol)
This was a really good interview. Loved excerpts, looking forward to more releases x
ReplyDelete