About the book

The title "The Promised Ones" comes from the two main characters, Adam and Charity, twin brother and sister
the last scions of the house of Labad. We meet Labad briefly in the prologue as he writes down a vision in
his own blood that concerns them closely. The twins are spirited away from their home by Ogren, giant
goat-like creatures in the service of Gilgafed, an ancient evil out to eliminate all traces of Labad'slegacy.

The Ogren make the mistake of passing through the Dwarves kingdom and in the ensuing battle Adam and
Charity escape. The Dwarves are made aware of theOgren's presence by Milward, the last of the Wizards.
His dealing with the Dwarves gave me ideas for other humorous passages.

The twin's journey and their eventual discovery of who and what they are fill the balance of the novel.
Wrapped within this I tried to create secondary characters a supporting cast that are well rounded and
easy for the reader to picture.

Dragons appear in almost every fantasy story but never in the form that they take in The Promised Ones. I
won't spoil the surprise by going into detail here, just be prepared. They were one of my favorite parts
of the book, especially when the adolescent Drinaugh met the Grisham gate guard. I chuckled all through the
writing of that scene.

About the author

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, many of the landscapes I describe in The Promised Ones can be
found there. I attended Humboldt State University as an art student and for a number of years maintained an
active studio in Eureka California, a small port city in the heart of the redwoods. My wife and I currently
live in the Southwest where I work as a computer graphics expert. In my spare time I play guitar, paint
and, of course, write.

When did you first start writing?

Back in late elementary school a friend of mine and Iused to write and illustrate short space operas. It
was also about the time I discovered Robert Heinlein'sjuvenile science fiction stories. I wanted to be able
to write like he did in the worst way and I did, in the worst way.

Why do you write?

The escape value, I suppose. I've never been much of a fan of the real world and those worlds offer a way to
step out of it for a few blissful hours. I imagine that is why writing fantasy seems so natural to me.

What sort of books do you like to read?

Fantasy, then Science Fiction. Horror is a bit further down the line. I usually dream when I sleep and I
prefer my dreams to not have me waking up in a cold sweat.

Who is your favourite author or who has influenced your writing?

My favorite author comprises a gestalt of a number of writers. They are the ones I read over and over again.
Terry Pratchett, L.E, Modesitt, David & Lynn Eddings, Glen Cook, Alan Dean Foster, EC Tubb, Dave Duncan, and
Robert Asprin.

Who has influenced my writing? Hmmm. That's a difficult one to answer because I've drawn from just
about every book I've read in creating what I feel is me between the pages. This goes all the way back when
I read my way through every single one of the OZ books as a child, through my discovery of the Lord of the
Rings in secondary school, to today with the highly talented and proficient fantasy writers now appearing
in the book stores. If I had to pick one from that group I think I'd politely refuse to do so because they
all have contributed in one fashion or another.

If you could meet any character from a book, who would it be and why?

Jake, the main character from Spider Robinson's Callahan's series. We share a lot of personality
traits and both play a pretty good guitar. I think he'd be fun to jam with.

What are you currently working on?

Wells End Chronicles, volume 2 Whispers of War. That's the next one. At the current pace it should be
published about this time next year. The one after that still has to get a working title and the same
with volume 4 but the outlines are finished. I've completed a sketch of the cover for Whispers of War
and it will do nicely.


What have you found to be the best method of promoting your books?

Without a major New York publisher behind me I've tried using a variety of methods. There are several
sites dedicated to the worlds of fantasy and most of them are willing to give a good book a try. It just
takes time and word of mouth will spread if the work is worthy. Book signings are always excellent when you
have something to sign and The Promised Ones will be coming out in POD sometime this year. Barnes and Noble
has said they'll sponsor a signing.


And finally, what advice would you give to writers just starting out?

Find a good writers group to link up to. Avoid those with a slash and burn, blood on the floor critique
format. All they do is discourage potential Tolkiens. A good group helps to both educate and encourage as
well as help with those moments of blockage.

You can find more on Robert's book at Atlantic Bridge Publishing

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