Storytellers On Tour is a Blog/Instagram Tour organising service. It was born out of Justine’s (Whispers & Wonder) and my love and dedication toward SFF indie books and authors. Our goal is to give as much exposure to our clients as we can, while we also build a community among our Roadies. Find out more about us on www.storytellersontour.online!
This past week we gave the spotlight to A Wizard’s Forge, the first book of the Woern Saga by A. M. Justice in celebration of the release of its sequel, A Wizard’s Sacrifice! Our Roadies brought a wide selection of content to this show with reviews, interviews and other posts. Now it’s time to bring the show to an end and it’s my pleasure to present you with the encore, including some extra content. Come and learn a bit more about the world of A Wizard’s Forge through a Q&A with Amanda!
Shall we?
I’m a Brooklyn-based author, lover of science and wit, sporadic scuba diver, and once and future tango dancer. My characters live only in my head, but they’re real, and I put them through hell.
Wizards are forged, not born.
Victoria of Ourtown lived through a nightmare to become the ruthless soldier known as Vic the Blade. Once she wished to explore the world settled by her spacefaring ancestors; now she tWizards are forged, not born.
Victoria of Ourtown lived through a nightmare to become the ruthless soldier known as Vic the Blade. Once she wished to explore the world settled by her spacefaring ancestors; now she thinks only of revenge.
Prince Ashel’s carefree days are filled with music, revels, and dreams of a life with Vic. Those hopes die when the thrust of an assassin’s knife drives him to war.
The target of Vic’s and Ashel’s wrath is Lornk Korng, a tyrant whose schemes stretch across a continent and a lifetime.
A mysterious alien race holds the key to a legendary—and lethal—power. Whoever possesses this power will hold the world in their hands. Will they save it, or doom it?
A gripping tale of empowerment and revenge plays out against a breathtaking backdrop of dark fantasy and science fiction.
Click on the blog name to read their full review or other content!
SEPTEMBER 30TH–THE WELCOMING
Whispers & Wonder – interview + IG spotlight
OCTOBER 1ST
Armed with A Book – IG spotlight
@the.b00kreader – IG spotlight
OCTOBER 2ND
The Writer’s Alley – review
“Okay, so, the characterizations in A WIZARD’S FORGE were written throughout the story. I had an easy time flying through the pages. I thoroughly enjoyed Victoria and Prince Ashel. Was their story a little predictable? Yes. HOWEVER, I still really enjoyed reading their interactions.”
@hillsofbooks – IG spotlight
OCTOBER 3RD
Beneath A Thousand Skies – review
“A Wizard’s Forge was an engrossing read from the very beginning, and it is an incredibly powerful story that was difficult to read in places – the descriptions are so vivid and realistic. Yet, it was also impossible to stop reading, because the characters are so beautifully developed that you care about them and their survival. An incredibly thought-provoking and moving book, and I am much looking forward to seeing what will happen in the soon to be released book two.”
@mysocalled_bookishlife – IG spotlight
OCTOBER 4TH
Fantasy Book Critic – review
“Overall, though, it was a satisfying read. A scientific fantasy that feels fresh and manages to handle difficult topics well. It’s a slower book than the average fantasy, but it offers both – a unique setting and a tale that focuses on the character’s inner dramas. And does all of this well.”
One Reading Nurse – review
“The world building is pretty well done including religious descriptions that differ but are all based off of the Legend (or reality depending on who you ask) of the space ship Elesendar that originally brought humans to the world.”
OCTOBER 5TH
The Book Loving Pharmacist – review
“Vic starts out from what I perceived to be a mild manner historian to a deadly soldier bent on revenge. At the beginning of the book she is sold as a sex slave and this along with the mind games and psychological manipulation have left her with some PTSD and hefty thirst for revenge. So much happens to her throughout the book you can’t help but become somewhat attached to her character.”
Before We Go Blog – interview
Welcome to the Asylum, Amanda! Take a seat by the fire, have a glass of beverage of your choice and tell me something about yourself!
Well, if I’m entering the asylum, I feel like I ought to order an absinthe, complete with the elaborate ritual involving a sugar cube and a strainer but…I’ll just settle in with a really strong and delicious margarita.
By the way, the best margarita I’ve ever had was at Rhythms and Rainbows Bar and Grill in St. Croix. Here’s a picture. As you can see, I like it on the plain and on the rocks.
What inspires your writing? Do you listen to music, stare into the fire, listen to the whispering of the wind, make deals with the Devil?
Do you know a Devil I can partner with? That might really help me out.
Absent that, I limp along and wait for the muse to appear. It can come from anything. I once caught half a program on the Discovery Channel or something similar that was about the physical process of sword swallowing. Out of that came a short story about a sword swallower confronting his past.
Once a story is in progress, I find walking is the best way to generate ideas and get out of narrative jams. Get out of the house, with no distractions, and let your mind wander and mull over problems. I’ve thought of some of my best lines while walking or running.
Your MC(s) is/are locked in an asylum. What did he/she/they do to end up there?
Both Vic and Ashel, the MCs of the Woern Saga, have undergone their share of horrors and suffer from PTSD. Ashel would undoubtedly be admitted because he’s deeply depressed and self-medicating with alcohol, narcotics, and other self-destructive behaviors.
Vic was undoubtedly confined because she murdered somebody. It might well have been accidental. She has a neurologic disease that causes delusions and drives her to violence, so I expect she lost control and she’ll have to be put in the most secure wing. Of course, she is basically an extremely powerful Jedi that can tear your building apart with her mind, so good luck holding her!
Describe an asylum set in the world of your book, A Wizard’s Sacrifice!
This is a good question, and the answer depends on which country you’re in. In Betheljin, which is a wealthy nation patterned after Ancient Rome, madmen and women undoubtedly languish in Victorian-type institutions where they’re “treated” by Nurse Ratched. In Latha, where Ashel and Vic live, is a nation where telepathy is so common that it’s the main way people talk to each other. There are very talented telepaths called Listeners, and many of them become “Counselors,” which is a type of psychic psychologist. Because the nation has a whole cadre of telepathic mental health professionals, I think most mental disorders would be managed in the community. However, the nation’s justice system is quite punitive, and violent criminals and traitors are treated very harshly. Anyone whose madness took a violent form would likely be thrown into a dungeon and forgotten—or they might be sent to Elesendar’s Shrine.
The Shrine is the ruin of a satellite array set up by the world’s settlers to communicate with the spacecraft in orbit around the planet, which has the registry LSNDR2237. Lathans punish capitol crimes (treason, multiple murders, etc) by chaining the perpetrator to the array and leaving them there to starve. They’re supposed to spend their remaining days praying for forgiveness from the Lathans’ god, Elesendar.
Which fictional character (it can be one of yours) and/or author would you like to live with in an asylum and why?
Well, gosh, am I trying to escape or am I taking refuge from my troubles in the asylum?
If my goal is to break out, Vic is my gal. She blows apart a mountain at one point, so busting out of the loony bin should be a lazy afternoon for her. Of course, her power is a side effect of her neurologic disorder, and she’s prone to debilitating migraines, so if she’s having a bad day, I’ll be stuck.
If, however, I checked myself into the asylum to escape the world, I want someone calm and sensible with me. In that case I would like to resurrect Ursula K. Le Guin and let her be my guide through troubled waters.
While you are locked in here for eternity, we will allow you one book – what would you choose?
Gee, I told Whispers and Wonder that I’d take the Earthsea Cycle boxed set with me to a desert island, but eternity is an awfully long time, so let me think for a minute…. I’m limited to ONE book, you say? So you won’t let me take a boxed set. Just ONE book. Hmmm….
OK, The Silmarillion. I know, it’s really old school and it glosses over everything, but that’s why I’m taking it. The biblical cadences of the writing lend themselves to multiple readings, and since it’s essentially a collection of plot summaries, it allows the imagination to really soar around the details so you can make of those stories what you want.
Well then, we hope you’ll enjoy your stay in the Asylum! Any last words? *locks door*
Wait, you weren’t serious about locking me in. C’mon now, Timy. Stop joking around and let me out.
Hey, why’d the lights go out?
Timy, are you there? I’m still in here.
This isn’t funny, Timy.
Let me out.
Timy?
Timy?
If you are interested in A Wizard’s Forge and would like to get in contact with A. M. Justice, you can find her on social media:
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