About James R. Tuck: James R. Tuck lives outside Atlanta with his lovely wife and awesome kids. He has been a professional tattoo artist for 18 years and is a talented photographer. He is the author of the DEACON CHALK series (Kensington Books), the author of the CHAMPIONS OF HOLLOW EARTH series (Pro Se Press forthcoming 2014), the editor of the double anthology THUNDER ON THE BATTLEFIELD Volumes 1 and 2 (Seventh Star Press), and his short fiction has appeared and will appear in several anthologies such as: ONE BUCK ZOMBIES (One Buck Horror), THE BIG BAD (Dark Oak Press), HOOKERPUNK (Dark Oak Press forthcoming), ROBOTS UNLEASHED! (Mechanoid Press forthcoming), KAIJU RISING 2 (Ragnarok Press forthcoming), MONSTER EARTH 2 (Mechanoid Press forthcoming), and BADLANDS:TROUBLE IN THE HEARTLAND (Zelmer Pulp forthcoming). Thunder on the Battlefield: Sword Book Synopsis: HARK! to the sounds of battle. Mighty men and women who take their destinies with the strength of their arm and the sharpness of their blades. These are tales of warriors, reavers, barbarians, and kings. Lands of wonder populated with monsters, black-hearted sorcerors of Stygian power, and heroes who have blood on their hands and on their steel. This is SWORD AND SORCERY.
Edited by James R. Tuck, acclaimed author of the Deacon Chalk Novels, the Sword volume features tales from the following authors: G. Gerome Henson Jay Requard D.T. Neal John F. Allen Marcella Burnard David J. West Alexis A. Hunter James R. Tuck Loriane Parker W.E. Wertenberger Stephen Zimmer J.S. Veter Thunder on the Battlefield: Sorcery Book Synopsis: BEHOLD! the clash of war. Steel upon steel and heroes fighting shield to shield. The only true victory is a brave death and the destruction of your enemies. These stories harken back to a barbaric past that never was. A time when heroic men and women cut glory from the cloth of a sorcery-filled world and stole gold from the hands of the gods themselves. This is fiction that takes no prisoners. No quarter asked. No quarter given.
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http://www.tomorrowcomesmedia.com/james-r-tuck-virtual-tour-thunder-on-the-battlefield-anthologies/
About James R. Tuck: James R. Tuck was born and raised in The South. Brought up on a steady diet of country music, Jesus, and guns; he's always been a little weird. Now he writes yarns about monsters, guns, hard-eyed men, and tough as nails women. He puts the DARK in Dark Urban Fantasy.
Last month, Seventh Star Press published a twin set of sword and sorcery anthologies, entitled Thunder on the Battlefield. I was honored to have my story "The Red Hand" included in the first volume, Thunder on the Battlefield: Sword. Hopefully you've had the chance to read these two wonderful anthologies, filled with page after page of bloody, glorious adventure.
Guest Post by Alexis Hunter, thank you so much for sharing with us today.
I had just begun to delve into the world of short fiction when I discovered a unique anthology looking for stories told through the eyes of the undead. To say the least, my interest was piqued and it wasn't long before I was churning ideas.
But even then, at that early stage of my writing career, I knew I needed something unique – something original. After all, this publisher was sure to be flooded with typical zombies, staggering and chewing their way through modern America.
So I turned to centaurs. Yes, those delightfully powerful and mythical creatures – half man, half horse. Why centaurs? The answer is three-fold.
First, the need to write something original played into my decision. I sought a person or creature that could bring something new to the world of the undead. Having never seen centaurs zombified before, I thought – if I could write it well enough – such a story would certainly stand above the crowd.
Second, I'd been fascinated with horses since I was a little girl. Thankfully, my family lived in rural Michigan and, after a few years spent learning on a pony, my parents bought me a Quarter Horse stallion, dubbed Cody. He was big. Boxy and muscular. He was one of the most beautiful and ornery animals I'd ever seen. It was from those experiences – caring for Cody, riding him, frequently being tossed into the dirt – that I drew inspiration for Raamiah, the main character of "The Red Hand". The tail-twitching, the way he skittered to the side, and the rage as he scraped the sky with his hooves – all movements I'd seen time and again with my own horse. So investigating the idea of a centaur seemed only natural after spending so much time with a creature of such clear personality and strength.
Third, I chose to keep Raamiah a centaur instead of a human – even after being cautioned against it – because Raamiah needed to be strong. He needed to be a powerhouse, capable of crossing a hundred miles of rough terrain in a day. Can a real horse do that? I wasn't sure, but I doubted it – especially at such break-neck speeds as Raamiah employed. But this is fantasy, and he is a mythological creature of incredible strength and speed. Raamiah needed to be something unearthly, something not seen before, and something filled with power and rage. So the choice to use a centaur as a main character was a very easy one for me.
Next came developing the story's plot and theme. This, fortunately, flowed without too much trouble. I considered the act of necromancy, how Raamiah was raised from the dead – and what he might have experienced during the brief time he was dead. Instinctively, I made Raamiah a person of great religious conviction. Perhaps because I was raised in a devout Christian home and I knew the extreme influence which faith can have on a person's life and deeds.
Faith was the driving factor in Raamiah's life. His passion, his fire. So when he died, just before the story begins, and discovered no heaven and no gods, you can imagine his devastation and his wrath. It was an idea I enjoyed exploring in the plotline of this story – and I won't spoil the ending for you in case you haven't read it yet.
The process of writing "The Red Hand" was relatively quick. I'm relying on three year old memories here, but if I remember correctly, I wrote it in a day. I emailed it to my brother, received some feedback and submitted the story to the undead anthology. It was accepted, but the publisher of that anthology folded before the story could see publication.
Which leads me back to Thunder on the Battlefield. The moment I saw Seventh Star Press's submission call for this sword and sorcery anthology, I knew "The Red Hand" was the perfect story to send them. This particular anthology just felt right. For one thing, Raamiah's name means "God's Thunder" in Hebrew. And while Raamiah was more prone to using his hands and hooves for violence, there was definitely a dagger involved in the story. And sorcery? Necromancy certainly falls under that category. So with all these things combined, I knew I had to send editor James R. Tuck this story.
So that's the story of how "The Red Hand" came to life. You can find my story nestled between the covers of the Thunder on the Battlefield: Sword anthology. Hopefully you'll enjoy reading about Raamiah's wrath and struggles as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Thanks for reading!
Thunder on the Battlefield: Sword Book Synopsis: HARK! to the sounds of battle. Mighty men and women who take their destinies with the strength of their arm and the sharpness of their blades. These are tales of warriors, reavers, barbarians, and kings. Lands of wonder populated with monsters, black-hearted sorcerors of Stygian power, and heroes who have blood on their hands and on their steel. This is SWORD AND SORCERY. Edited by James R. Tuck, acclaimed author of the Deacon Chalk Novels, the Sword volume features tales from the following authors:
G. Gerome Henson
Jay Requard
D.T. Neal
John F. Allen
Marcella Burnard
David J. West
Alexis A. Hunter
James R. Tuck
Loriane Parker
W.E. Wertenberger
Stephen Zimmer
J.S. Veter
Thunder on the Battlefield: Sorcery Book Synopsis: BEHOLD! the clash of war. Steel upon steel and heroes fighting shield to shield. The only true victory is a brave death and the destruction of your enemies. These stories harken back to a barbaric past that never was. A time when heroic men and women cut glory from the cloth of a sorcery-filled world and stole gold from the hands of the gods themselves. This is fiction that takes no prisoners. No quarter asked. No quarter given.
This is SWORD AND SORCERY.
Edited by James R. Tuck, acclaimed author of the Deacon Chalk Novels, the Sword volume features tales from the following authors:
Jeffe Kennedy
Alex Hughes
Selah Janel
Steven Grassie
James R. Tuck
M. B. Weston
Brady Allen
S. H. Roddey
Steven S. Long
D. A. Adams
Mark Taverna
Steven L. Shrewsbury
Editor James R. Tuck’s Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamesrtuckwriter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamesTuckwriter
Website: http://www.jamesrtuck.com
Blog: http://jamesrtuck.wordpress.com/
Tour Schedule and Activities 9/30
Spellbindings Contest 9/30
Come Selahway With Me Interview w/ James R. Tuck 9/30
Sheila Deeth Guest Post by Jeffe Kennedy 9/30
Book in the Bag Review 10/1
Library Girl Reads and Reviews Guest Post by Alex Hughes 10/1
Kayla’s Reads and Reviews Guest Post by James R. Tuck 10/1
Deal Sharing Aunt Review 10/2
Cabin Goddess
Interview w/ Steven Shrewsbury 10/2
Workaday Reads Review 10/2
Jess Resides Here Interview w/ James R. Tuck 10/2
Bee’s Knees Reviews Guest Post by Jay Requard 10/3
I Smell Sheep Guest Post by James R. Tuck 10/3
Beauty in Ruins Guest Post by Steven Grassie 10/4
Azure Dwarf Guest Post by Steven S. Long 10/5
The Official Writing Blog of Deedee Davies Guest Post by Dave Neal 10/5
Sapphyria’s Book Reviews Guest Post by Mark Taverna 10/6
Cabin Goddess Interview w/ James R. Tuck 10/6 SpecMusicMuse REview 10/6
Illuminite Caliginosus Guest Post by Brady Allen 10/6
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Guest Post by Alexis A. Hunter Mommy, & Sissy, Too!
Amazon Links for Thunder on the Battle Field: Sword and Thunder on the Battlefield: Sorcery
Print Version Sword: http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Battlefield-James-R-Tuck/dp/1937929248
Sorcery: http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Battlefield-James-R-Tuck/dp/1937929264
Kindle Version Sword: http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Battlefield-Sword-ebook/dp/B00EE0YL8Y
Sorcery: http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Battlefield-Sorcery-ebook/dp/B00EE15GY6
Other eBook formats: Nook Sword http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thunder-on-the-battlefield-james-r-tuck/1116359898?ean=2940148400639
Sorcery http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thunder-on-the-battlefield-james-r-tuck/1116359900?ean=2940148400660
Kobo Sword http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/thunder-on-the-battlefield-sword
Sorcery http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/thunder-on-the-battlefield-sorcery
iBookstore Sword https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/thunder-on-battlefield-sword/id691143677?mt=11 Sorcery https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/thunder-on-battlefield-sorcery/id692736036?mt=11
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