Author Feature: Bryan Cole and his book, BEGINNING OF ARROGANCE

 

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW BOOK

 

            Beginning of Arrogance is a fantasy adventure in the sword-and-sorcery style. It centers around the protagonist, Krell, a recently called paladin in service to the erratic god of the seas and skies, ReckNor. Paladins in my setting are direct agents of their god, there to make their will manifest in the world, and to that end ReckNor communicates with Krell directly. Through following the vague and often unhelpful guidance he receives, Krell and his companions stumble across a larger threat, and are tasked with confronting it.

 

 

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK?

 

            Fundamentally, I wanted to read a story like this, and couldn’t find it! I am an avid reader, and love the fantasy genre. However, when I see settings where the gods are manifestly and provably real, too often the setting disregards the impact that would have on every aspect of every living creature’s lives. Even simple magic, to heal wounds or treat disease, would utterly transform society in ways I’ve so rarely read about.

            Beginning of Arrogance is my view of how the influence of accessible magic and deities you can interact with would restructure society. The main setting is a small coastal village town, to minimize some of the impact as it is figuratively at the end of nowhere and utterly unimportant. As the stories progress and more of the world is revealed, the town of Watford will be shown for the undeveloped backwater that it really is.

            Beyond the desire to read the story I want, there is an immense amount of joy in the actual process of writing itself. I hope that people enjoy Beginning of Arrogance enough that I am able to write the entire series I have plotted out!

 

 

 

WHAT DRIVES YOUR CHARACTERS IN YOUR STORY?

 

            Each of the characters have different motivations, some obvious, some not. Gerrard, Tristan, and Orca appear to be motivated by wealth, while Kraven seems driven by a desire for combat and excitement. They are contrasted by Krell, who is driven by the thunderous voice of ReckNor in his thoughts. There are a lot of spoilers describing what motivates the other characters introduced later. Fundamentally, each of the characters has a nearly unique motivation for doing what they are doing, and while that isn’t necessarily obvious to Krell (or the reader!), each of them has their own reasons for being there.

 

 

 

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS A PIVOTAL SCENE IN YOUR BOOK AND WHY?

 

            Chapter 10, where the characters learn just what they’ve stumbled across and the ramifications for the town of Watford specifically, but the entire kingdom generally. For Krell, in particular, it is the moment when he begins to realize why ReckNor called him as a paladin.

 

 

 

IF YOUR BOOK WERE TO BE MADE INTO A MOVIE, WHO WOULD BE YOUR CAST?

 

This is a really hard question for me! Both because I’m only generally aware of what is happening in the up and coming actor and actresses world, but also because there are so many characters in Beginning of Arrogance. For Krell, I would pick someone like Timothée Chalamet. He blew me away with his portrayal of Paul Atredies in Dune and has the right sort of wiry strength that I imagine Krell would have. Olgar would be well served by someone like Stellan Skarsgaard, while Captain Gijwolf would be Idris Elba. Maybe someone like Tanner Buchanan for Tristan, who has a major narrative role as the lancer to Krell, our protagonist.

 

 

WHAT CRITERIA DID YOU USE WHEN SELECTING THE COVER FOR YOUR BOOK?

 

I needed something both visually interesting that would attract attention, but also something that tied into Krell and his towering arrogance. I went through a few iterations, but early on I had settled on a scene from the climax of the book, showing the desperate odds they face and a relatively cocky Krell thinking that everything is fine. The first few drafts were much larger and more complex, and didn’t capture what I was looking for. The final version shows Krell up close, but visible in the reflection of his helmet and shield are multiple enemies coming for him. Combined with the battle damage to his gear, the spatters of blood, and the cocky smile, it sums up exactly how I think Krell would be acting in that moment. I’m really happy with how it turned out!

 

 

 

 

WAS THERE A MESSAGE IN YOUR BOOK THAT YOU WERE TRYING TO CONVEY?

 

One of the overarching themes of the book is freedom of choice, and the consequences that come from that. I limited the scope of the book to Watford and the environs, both because this is my debut novel (start small!) but also because the consequences of their choices can be portrayed as more intimate and impactful to the characters directly. This theme will continue throughout the series, where freedom of choice is contrasted directly against the consequences of making choices.

 

 

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE AS A WRITER?

 

The biggest challenge is finding time to write. Between a full time job in the enterprise software space, and my friends and family, I only manage to get a small amount of time to write. The second biggest challenge is motivation to write. When I have the time and the motivation, I can in a single session write a half dozen scenes. When I don’t have the motivation, I find I cannot manage to do anything productive. After that, the biggest challenge I face is my tendency to edit while I write. Despite knowing that you just need to write now, and edit later, I constantly find myself immediately going back over the words I have just written and making changes.

 

 

IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A DESERTED ISLAND, WHAT ARE THE 3 THINGS YOU WOULD BRING WITH YOU?

In the real world, I would bring a water filtration and purification system, a satellite phone with GPS, and a solar charging station. I would, after getting sufficient charge, contact everyone I know and get them to call for help, while also providing precise coordinates as to my location. The water purification so that even if it takes a week for a rescue ship to arrive, I’d still be fine. Being stranded is not something I would enjoy, and I would want to minimize that time as quickly as possible!

If we’re going hypothetical, then I’d lead with a Starfleet replicator, a fusion battery to power it, and… um… actually, I wouldn’t need anything else, because I have a replicator.

 

 

DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR NEW WRITERS?

Two pieces, actually. First, write then edit. Get your story written out, and then worry about making the character motivations and the plot flow smoothly and seamlessly between scenes. Second, you must hire a professional editor. I encourage you to get beta readers as well, but a professional editor is a mandatory part of the process. They’re an objective third party and will see things you could never spot on your own. Chapter 11 of Beginning of Arrogance is substantially better because I hired an editor!

 

 

 

ARE YOU WORKING ON ANYTHING NEW RIGHT NOW? IF SO, WHAT?

Onward to book two, which is about eighty thousand words in, and will focus on the survivors of Beginning of Arrogance, and the consequences of their actions in that book. It’s tough to talk about without giving away spoilers, but Krell learns a lot about what he and his companions want, and that sometimes he really needs to listen to Tristan - who, I would point out, was almost always correct in Beginning of Arrogance, yet rarely listened to!

              

Excerpt:

 

Krell shrugged and looked back at Gerrard. “Whatever else I am, Gerrard, I’m a survivor. Maybe that’s why ReckNor chose me to be a paladin. Maybe he wrecked the ship on purpose to see if I had what it took. Maybe he didn’t. Either way, I hear the call. My blade is in his service, my will is his will. His voice thunders in my head, making his will known to me.”

 

“Wow. You know, Kraven’s right, you are intense!” Gerrard walked along in silence for a few minutes next to him. Then he turned and said, “That sounds really hard, having another voice in your head all the time.”

 

Krell laughed. “Nah, it’s really easy. When he tells me something, I do it. When he doesn’t say anything, I do whatever I want.”

 

Gerrard frowned. “I thought paladins had all sorts of rules they had to follow.”

 

Krell grinned at him. “You’re thinking of followers of Hieron the Honorable, lord of justice. There’s a big temple of his in Heaford, just up the coast, where the duke holds court. I’ve never met one of his followers, but apparently he loves calling paladins, and they’re pretty common in that faith. Most paladin stories are about paladins of Hieron.” 

 

“Not common in ReckNor’s faith, though?” 

 

“Not remotely. Apparently, Olgar can’t remember the last time ReckNor called one. He’s… well, most people think he’s insane, and that if you don’t appease him, he’ll destroy you. A cult of sailors and the mad. That he’s temperamental enough that even if you appease him, he still might destroy you. Which is all… somewhat true, I’d say.” 

 

Ahead, Tristan laughed. “You’re telling me you think your god is insane?” 

 

Krell shook his head. “No, but temperamental? Absolutely. Appease him or else, which is how his faith works. Sailors and those who live and work on the sea pay homage, though for many, it is out of fear. He’s often thought of as a survival-of-the-fittest sort of god.” Krell noticed they were all looking at him now. Orca looked unhappy, Kraven appeared to be controlling his laughter, and Tristan and Gerrard were looking at him like he was dangerous. 

 

“So… what does ReckNor teach, then?” asked Gerrard. 

 

Krell thought about it, and Tristan looked like he was dreading an explanation. Better to keep things simple for now, he thought. “Basically two things. The first is that the seas and skies are his, so make offerings when you use them and he’s happy. The second is that he takes joy in the freedom of choice.” Krell went silent, and they walked on for a few moments before anyone said anything. 

 

“I thought you were going to drone on incessantly about your god and how great he is all the time,” said Tristan. 

 

Krell looked at him and smiled. “I’m a paladin. If you want that, go talk to Olgar. I’m here to show the faith of ReckNor through action, not through words.” Thunder rumbled in the distance as if on cue, adding ominous weight to his words. 

 

Gerrard snorted. “Did ReckNor just add some thunder in the background to make you sound more intimidating or dramatic or something?” 

 

Kraven laughed, and Krell joined him. Orca said, “That’s ridiculous!” at the same time Krell said, “Probably!” 

 

Book Available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Arrogance-Bryan-Cole-ebook/dp/B0B5JJ338K/