I'm so very pleased to introduce you to author, Larry Ivkovich, currently on tour with his book, The Sixth Precept at Virtual Book Tour Cafe'. Larry is giving you a chance to win one of twelve signed paperbacks at the end of his tour, so be sure to enter via Rafflecopter below.
Welcome to Mass Musings Larry!
MM: Many authors relate their characters to
people they know. Is this the case with
your characters and do you see yourself in any of them?
Yes. In THE
SIXTH PRECEPT, there are aspects of my personality in both of my two
protagonists—Kim Yoshima and Wayne Brewster. I’ve imbued Kim with certain
philosophies that I try to live my life by such as trying to make a difference
in the world and respect and tolerance for my fellow human beings. With Wayne,
it’s a little different—my love for comic books and the influence they’ve had
in my writing are all over him. Batman was my favorite super-hero growing up so
the name, Wayne Brewster, is a takeoff on Bruce Wayne and ArcNight is the Dark
Knight.
MM: Who is your favorite character in your book
and why?
I’d have to
say Kim Yoshima. I actually wrote four short stories featuring her well before
I was inspired to write the novel (Two of those stories have been
published—“Time Noir” in M-Brane SF and “A Concerned Citizen” by IFWG
Publishing). I’ve kept coming back to her because she’s strong-willed yet
compassionate and can kick butt! She’s also very intelligent and is not afraid
to put herself in the line of fire for her colleagues, friends and family. And
did I mention she can kick butt?
MM: Who is your most favorite character from any
book of all time?
Wow. That’s a
good question. I guess I’d have to say Molly Millions from William Gibson’s “Johnny
Mnemonic,” NEUROMANCER and MONA LISA OVERDRIVE. At the time (early ‘80s), she
was very unique and flashy, to say the least. The idea of her being a “street
samurai,” having mirror shades surgically attached over her eyes and thin
claw-like razors extending from her fingertips was something I’d never seen in
a character before. Plus, I think Gibson had a liking for her as well, having
featured her in two novels and a short story. Too bad he wasn’t able to write
her into his script for the movie version of “Johnny Mnemonic” because of some
copyright issues.
MM: If you could dive into the pages of any book,
which book would it be and what character would you be?
It would be
my favorite science fiction book, HYPERION, by Dan Simmons. Of all the
characters in this futuristic CANTERBURY TALES, I’d love to be the Templar
pilot, Het Masteen , captain of the Treeship Yggdrasill.
The treeships are such a great concept and to be able to fly around the
universe in a living starship powered by the force field of the alien erg would be so cool! What an
imaginative idea!
MM: If your book was to become a movie, which
actors/actresses do you see playing the parts of your characters?
Lucy Liu as
Kim. Not only is she a terrific actress and absolutely gorgeous but she’s about
the right age (early to mid-forties) and can handle action scenes extremely
well.
Robert
Downey, Jr. as Wayne Brewster. Though a little older than I envision Brewster (very
late thirties), Downey’s got the requisite attitude and action chops for the
role. I think he’d make the character shine.
MM: What can we expect from Larry Ivkovich in the
future? Any new projects?
My second
novel, MAGUS STAR RISING, will be published by IFWG Publishing sometime next
year. It’s a far future science fiction novel taking place on a “backwater rim
world” and features a bunch of human and alien characters involved in all
things mysterious and dark. I’m currently working on the sequel to THE SIXTH
PRECEPT.
MM: Where can readers connect with you?
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LarryIvkovich
Website: http://mysite.verizon.net/vzesw7nb/
Thank you so
much for taking time to chat with me today. It's been a wonderful pleasure.
You’re
welcome and thank you! It’s been a
great opportunity to be on this tour.
Website | Facebook
Genre – Urban Fantasy
Publisher – IFWG Publishing
Release Date – November, 2011
The Sixth Precept In 16th century medieval Japan, Yoshima Mitsu, who is gifted with psychic powers, uses her prescient abilities to send her young attendant, Shioko, into the future. There, Mitsu believes Shioko will be safe from the purges of the maniacal warlord Omori Kadanamora, his warrior monks and his half-human, half-bestial Shadow-Trackers. In present-day Pittsburgh, police Lieutenant Kim Yoshima is attacked by a creature out of someone’s twisted nightmare. In the aftermath of that terrifying struggle, Kim finds a young Japanese girl named Shioko, lost, confused and calling Kim “Mitsu” and her monstrous attacker a “Shadow-Tracker.” Wayne Brewster dreams of the costumed hero, ArcNight. But more than that, he feels bizarrely connected to the fictional crime fighter as if ArcNight and his comic book world are real. And in all of his dreams, Brewster sees one constant, one face repeated over and over--the face of Kim Yoshima. Empowered by a mysterious book, The Five Precepts to Enlightenment, Kim realizes her destiny is in the past. Using her own burgeoning esper powers, Kim, accompanied by Shioko and Brewster, travel by means of a temporal rift to feudal Japan. There they must assume different personas to fight Omori and creatures of Japan’s mythological world to fulfill ancient prophesy and modern historical fact. If they fail, history will be altered and the world will change forever.
EXCERPT #1 – 16TH Century Japan
The attempt
on his life had been an act of desperation, he knew. The battle was lost, the
opposing forces broken and scattered. Without the inspiration of Soun Ujitsuna,
the Odawaran armies had been routed. Omori Kadonomaro had vanquished those foes
who had defended this city as he had crushed everyone else who had ever opposed
him. Even now, most of his own army and all but a few of his warrior monks were
rounding up prisoners or putting to the sword any who offered even token
resistance. But the assassins’ threat had been real enough, though for a
different reason entirely.
He had led a
small party of his warrior monks and a trio of shadow-trackers in the hunt for
the shirabyoshi spoken of by Eela. He had no desire to sit and wait, to allow
others to do his work for him. He had always been a man of action and the
Prophecy of the One Child concerned him greatly.
Though the
shadow-trackers had no real scent or clue to rely on, through the magic urging
of the majo, one of them had led Omori and his men to the market district of
the city. The creature’s manner was agitated yet focused; the beast appeared
like something out of a traveler’s tale. Naked, it moved like a ghost,
spiriting almost invisibly in and out of the smallest places as it used the
shadows as cover.
Omori had
never gotten used to them but the creatures did serve his purpose. Whatever
magic the witch called upon to create such monsters was the warlord’s to
control. At least for the moment.
And he meant
to keep it that way.
Located near
the lower west gates, the marketplace was the one area his attacking land
forces had been able to breach. Parts of it lay in smoldering ruins; the
remaining residents hiding fearfully behind closed and latched doors.
The city’s
defenders had been beaten but the fear of Omori and his allies—the sohei, the
witch and the shadow-trackers—still hung thickly in the air. To most of the
downtrodden Odawarans, it was their worst nightmare realized.
Eela rode by
the daimyo’s side. Both men’s armored horses picked their way among the
scattered rubble and trash that lay strewn about the streets. “My pet seems
sure the one we seek is here, Lord,” the majo said silkily. “He is the best of
the three and can discern his prey with very little assistance.”
His pet.
Omori frowned. Eela’s skills had extended to supervising the breeding, raising
and training of the shadow-trackers, skills Omori appreciated but which gave
the majo another point of power in his favor. “Just make sure your pet finds
her,” Omori said distastefully. “I will stop this child once and for all.”
7 comments:
Defintely will place on my tbr list! I wish you well with the tour!:)
Michelle
Pit Crew
Thanks you, Michelle!
On my tbr list! yay!
Thanks, Rhomy!
Wonderful interview! I hope you have a great tour!
Great interview. I always love those that tell me more about the author.
Thanks Teddy and Rebecca!
Post a Comment