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FEATURED AUTHOR
JOEL GATES
ABOUT THE BOOK
A Fantasy epic beginning with the return of a seasoned Ranger to the lands of his youth. He finds an ancient family enemy is seeking an artifact to overthrow the Emperor and reunites his once-great group of companions as they attempt to once again ride forth in defense of their lands and people.
Roegr Sterlain returns to the land of his youth after a length exile in the Death Pits of the Far East. He finds that his friends and companions have changd but the enemies have not. The once-great Seven Companions ride forth to try and stop the vile Malagur Blackshield for obatining an ancient artifact and overthrowing Emperor Warfrost.
Roegr quickly finds that his friends and companions are not all that they once were. The Ranger's greatest danger may come not from Malagur and his army of Raven Knights, but from a traitor's blade.
How will the Seven fight off Slavers, Orc Raiders and Ogres when they cannot decide who is truly a friend and who may be an enemy? The true test of the Seven lies within.
Return to Glory: ISBN 0759618127
AUTHOR BIO:
I was born in Chattanooga, TN. My parents were both educators and encouraged me to read. I quickly found a love for works of those such as King Arthur, Beowulf, and the works of Chaucer. Eventually I began reading the works of Tolkien and CS Lewis. Eventually the works of writing greats such as Salvatore, Weis, Hickman and Jordan encouraged me to write, and I did.
When did you first start writing?
I first started writing as a young boy, perhaps 11 or 12 years old, but I didn't begin to write things of true length until 1995. I was in college and had become infatuated with a scene
that I could not get out of my head. Finally I had no choice but to put it to paper and it became the opening scene of "Return To Glory".
Why do you write?
I love to escape to a different set of circumstances and get to know a set of characters. The writing process is a great reward for me that is only heightened by a reader enjoying the exploration of a story that I have written.
What sort of books do you like to read?
I mainly read fantasy novels or historical fiction. I also read a good deal of factual history as I find fact is truly stranger than fiction.
Who is your favourite author or who influenced you in your writing?
My favorite modern author is Larry McMurtry and he definitely influenced my
writing. I am also a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle aficionado. Of course I had other influences as well, such as RA Salvatore, Terry Brooks, Richard Adams.
If you could meet any character from a book, who would it be and why?
Sherlock Holmes. I would love to spend a few moments talking to the world's
first "consulting detective".
What are you currently working on?
A sequel to Return To Glory that is entitled Path of Darkness. I am also polishing a short story contribution to Enchanted Realms II.
What have you found to be the best way of promoting your book?
Book signings. I think people meeting me and seeing my enthusiasm for my
wriitng and the world in which my writing takes place can be somewhat infectious.
Also, bookstores, conventions, and other book-related locales seem willing and even enthusiastic about scheduling athor signings, readings, and interviews.
And finally, what advice would you give to writers starting out?
Keep writing, no matter what else may occur. If your goal is to be published
then persistence is the only way to make that happen. Regardless of the overall goal,
or the current level of skill, the only way to get where we want to go as writers is to
simply write, write, write.
www.return2glory.com