Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: The Prince by Antony Soehner @AntonySoehner @GoddessFish

The Prince

by Antony Soehner

GENRE: General/Epic Fantasy

BLURB:

Destiny will always test the greatest of leaders.
Theo never imagined life outside the king’s castle. But when the queen’s funeral reveals the king’s true colors, Theo must rely on his sister, her allies, and his friends to get him to safety. With the help of mercenaries and the native tribes of the plains, Theo must learn to face his destiny and open his mind to the diverse world he’s been thrown into.

The book will be $0.99 during the tour.

Excerpt:

“Dad!” Rhan burst out.

Ta’goda turned his intense focus to his daughter and suddenly his entire body deflated.

Without another word between the two, Ta’goda stood up from his fighting stance, faced whatever was hiding from view of the other three, and he closed his eyes.

Around the towering orc, three snarling wolves made of green flame formed from the ground up. Ta’goda raised his axe in the direction of his fight and the wolves took off.

Once the wolves were out of sight, Ta’goda rushed to his daughter and wrapped her in his arms.

“Rhan,” Ta’goda choked out.

“I’m okay,” she cried into his shoulder.

The chief pulled away and looked her in the eyes.

“What happened?” Rhan asked as she wiped away tears from her cheeks.

“We are under attack,” Ta’goda gritted his teeth, “I must get back to the battle. Our tribe needs me.”

“And me—”

Ta’goda shook his head at Rhan’s protest.

“What?” Rhan blinked at her father.

“You have a new duty,” Ta’goda swallowed. The chief’s eyes peered over his daughter’s shoulders and locked onto Theo. “I cannot leave our people and get the prince to the rivers—”

“I’m not leaving you here—”

“Rhan’takono, this is not the time to argue—”

“There is nothing to argue over! I’m fighting beside you—”

“I can’t—”

“I am to be chief one day! How can I stand before my people after running from this?”

“If you don’t go now, there won’t be a tribe for you to be chief of!” Ta’goda snapped. “This is not a command as your chief. I am begging you as your father—” the words caught in the back of his throat, “please.”

Interview with Antony Soehner

How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?

The main subject of my book is recognizing and facing abuse or trauma. I personally used the story as a way to cope with many issues that came from previous life experiences. One of those experiences was the realization that I had been involved with a cult-like organization growing up. I was fourteen when we finally made the decision as a family to leave but it wasn’t until I started relating to the experiences of my characters over ten years later that I understood what really happened as a kid. It takes time to unlearn and deprogram from things you were taught to believe but the first step is always being brave enough to speak up for yourself. Sometimes art imitates life in weird ways and this book is that weird way for me.

What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

Since writing this book, my biggest goal was always to spark productive or progressive conversation. I want readers to see and even relate to the events that unfold within Prince Theo’s story because I want them to be able to speak their minds about their own experiences. Everyone has faced abuse and trauma in their lives and we all have anxiety and fear about something. I want readers to know their not alone but they can’t stay quiet about their suffering. Speak out and oppose what you know isn’t right, even if you’re the only one standing.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

I think it was hard to keep myself wrangled in with the world-building info. There is a very complex and diverse world around this single book that will come in later installments but I struggled with trying to keep from info-dumping when it wasn’t important. Hopefully, there will come a day when I can dump everything into an extra project.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I am such a sucker for world-building. Coming up with characters and their deep backstories along with lore-heavy environments is one of my favorite things about writing. I am a huge Dungeons and Dragons fan so you can see where I developed such a hobby. When it came time to do something with these characters and their world, I had such a blast!

Were there alternate endings you considered?

I’m not sure if there was ever an alternate ending to this story. In my writing process, I kind of let the characters take control of their own fates. It wasn’t up until I was writing the last two or three chapters that I knew the ending was coming but even then, I had no idea where it would end.

Can you share some stories about people you met while researching this book?

There was a dad in my past who inspired the character Ta’goda. I knew him during my senior year of high school and there was a lot about him that has stuck with me all these years since. There was this one instance when we were wandering through another school during a competition and he stopped by a statue of the school's mascot. It was a wooden carved likeness of a Native American with a big feather bonnet. He stood next to the statue and started giving us a playful lesson on the word Stoic. He told us about how the image of his people has been carved down to that one word. But he was proud of that word. He himself liked to be stoic. He stood next to the statue and posed “stoically” before having a laugh at himself. It was the way he looked at life and how he took every moment to teach with a story and a joke that I wanted to translate into my characters. I hope readers can relate to the real-life experiences I’ve placed in my story and maybe even find their own lessons in the ones Theo and I have been taught.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

I love fantasy books. The escapism from reality is the biggest draw but I also love stories with deep-external lore. Something that keeps the world open and has lots of other things that drive the story. Lord of the Rings is probably the best example. There's the main story and then dozens of other components that only enrich what you know.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Geek by heart, author by trade.

Raised on a healthy diet of geek and pop culture, Antony has come to share his love and appreciation for role-playing games, geek culture, and fantasy adventure. If it’s random comic book facts, Star Wars trivia, or just the measly obscure movie reference, Antony is there!

Connect with Antony Soehner

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~

Instagram ~ Goodreads ~ BookBub ~ Amazon

 

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC

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