Synopsis:
What is the Price of Vengeance? One could understand why Liam was angry. He was orphaned at the age of two by a group of giant carnivorous insects called the chitin. Adopted by High Councilor Marcus and his wife, Lidia, Liam was raised with their older son, Randolf in New Olympia, the last remaining city on the planet Etrusci. As an adult, Liam becomes a soldier. After being cut off from the city, Liam finds that there is an alien intelligence behind the chitin. To defeat it, he must discover who he is and how to use his powers. Then, Liam discovers that a traitor, responsible for his birth parents’ deaths, had murdered his beloved foster parents. Will the price he has to pay in his quest for vengeance prove to be an even more unbeatable foe?
Preview
Price of Vengeance "Liam! What have you done?" Marcus demanded. "You know our teachings on revenge." Suddenly, irrationally angry, Liam straightened. "How can you defend him after what he did? To you, to Mom, to my birth parents, to everyone we cared about?" With a howl of despair and emotional agony, Liam dashed forward, through the shade of his father, blindly running into the sewers. What is the Price of Vengeance? One could understand why Liam is angry. Orphaned at the age of two by a group of giant carnivorous insects called the chitin, he was adopted by High Councilor Marcus and his wife, Lidia, and raised with their older son, Randolf, in New Olympia, the last remaining city on the planet Etrusci. As an adult, Liam becomes a soldier. After being cut off from the city, he finds that there is an alien intelligence behind the chitin. To defeat it, he must discover who he is and how to use his powers. When Liam discovers that a traitor responsible for his birth parents' deaths has also murdered his beloved foster parents, he might find that the price he has to pay in his quest for vengeance will prove to be an even more unbeatable foe.
About the author
About the Author: Bio: Kurt D. Springs is presently an adjunct professor of anthropology and archaeology in New Hampshire. He holds a PhD. in anthropology from the State University of New York at Buffalo, as well as a Master of Literature in archaeology from the National University of Ireland, Galway, and a Master of Liberal Arts in anthropology and archaeology from the Harvard University Extension School. His main area of interest is megalithic landscapes in prehistoric Ireland.
1) What genre do you like to write?
My preference is for science fiction and fantasy. I may experiment
with mysteries at some point
2) How long have you been writing? What prompted you to start
writing?
I have been writing intensively, off and on since high school. I
tried to write seriously in the late 1980s until the early nineties.
This latests push began in 2010. The push to start writing this time
was prompted by a number of things.
First, I had just graduated with my PhD. and found that jobs in my
field were non-existant. The political climate was making me angry,
and I found writing was a good way to let off steam. Second, Price
of Vengeance was a story I had in my head since 2003, I
did some preliminary outlining in 2004, before I started working on
my PhD. After 2010, I picked it up again.
3) What inspires you to write?
I have stories in my head that just want to get out. The need of a
source of income doesn’t hurt either.
Sometimes I look a youtube music videos. The Scripts “Hall of Fame”
for example.
4) When a story idea pops into your head, how long does it typically
take to write it (from start to finish)?
It can take a while to start getting it down. I often write what I
call, test scenes first. When I feel ready to make a start, I will do
some outlining. Price of
Vengeance took about a year and a half to get the first
draft. It was another year until it was edited enough to send to the
publisher.
5) What did you find to be the most difficult part of the writing
process? Easiest?
The most difficult part is to actually plop your behind into the
chair and write. There are always things trying to grab your
attention. There are also those parts where you feel stuck and forget
to sit down and write.
The easiest part is the dreaming. To sit back and imagine something
in your mind.
6) Of all your characters whom do you most relate to?
Liam is the character I most relate to. Unlike me, he can always hit
the target and can think on his feet.
Like me, he can be introverted and introspective. He also likes to
cook.
7) Is there one of your characters that you did not like when you
started writing about them but found yourself liking by the end of
the story?
The antagonist, Azurius. I started out making him a bad guy everyone
could dislike. When I added that he liked Shakespeare, I started
warming to him. Anyone who likes Henry V can’t be all bad. This
allowed me to write in his contempt for the traitor Licinious. I
could also focus on his admiration for Liam, even though Liam was
thwarting him.
8) What is your least favorite part about writing? The Most?
The editing, though I can blame my lack of patience. My favorite is
creating new species and new cultures.
9) When you are not writing or editing what do you do for
relaxation?
I like to read. Sometimes I fire up the X-Box 360 and play a game.
First, person shooters like the games from the Halo universe. These
can also inspire ideas.
10) What genre of books do you like to read?
My favorite genres are science fiction and fantasy. I also like
mysteries. Since getting involved in reviewing on Goodreads, I have
branched out some.
11) What author(s) do you enjoy reading? Why?
My favorite author is (the late) Andre Norton. She wrote the
Forerunner science fiction series and the Witch World fantasy series.
I like her old school style of writing. Her pencil-shaped spaceships
always landed “fins down,” even as others were using
transporters, shuttles, and dropships. Her way of writing was always
very archaic and yet very graspable.
I also like J. R. R. Tolkien for much the same reason.
I like the late Lillian Jackson Braun’s Cat Who series. Murder
mysteries where the animals are principle characters are always fun.
Rita Mae Brown’s Mrs. Murphy mysteries are very similar except the
animals can talk to each other, though not to humans.
12) Tell us about your books where can people find them?
I’ll start with where to find them.
Online you can go to:
Barnes
& Noble
US:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Kurt-D-Springs?store=allproducts&keyword=Kurt+D+Springs
Books-a-Million:
http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Price-Vengeance/Kurt-D-Springs/9781629944586?id=5933036343342
Tate
Publishing:
https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781629944586
iTunes: I
haven’t seen it here yet, but Tate did send it to Apple. I also
found copies available at Alibris, Abebooks, Powells, and a few
others. I am slowly working to get them on the shelves of brick and
mortar stores.
Price
of Vengeance is my first published novel so far. It is set
against the backdrop of an interstellar civil war. It tells the story
of Liam who was orphaned at the age of two when his parents were
killed by giant, carnivorous insects known as chitin. He was rescued
and adopted by High Councilor Marcus and his wife Lidia. They raised
him with their older son Randolf. The events of the story take place
when Liam is an young adult and a soldier. The city’s military is
defending the last city (New Olympia) on the planet Etrusci from the
chitin. Liam is cut off from the city and found an alien intelligence
(Azurius) is directing the chitin . He also learns that his birth
parents were betrayed by a traitor named Licinious. When he finally
gets back into the city, he discovers that his beloved foster parents
had been murdered by Licinious’s men. He eventually goes after
Licinious. Let’s just say he doesn’t make it particularly quick
or painless. He must then overcome his remorse to continue on and
stop Azurius. Along the way, he learns to use his powers and makes
friends with strange alien beings.
I have drafts
of two other books in the Dreamscape Warrior series. The one nearing
submission is Promise
of Mercy. It takes place about twenty-five years later. In
the interim, Liam has gotten married, fathered four children, and
become a war hero. His daughters (identical triplets) have become
soldiers and have returned home after receiving their advanced
training. Their parents are kidnapped, and they find themselves
facing a hostage situation on Etrusci, with their father missing on a
distant world.
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