Blog Tour: THE PATH OF REVENGE by Tom Haward

 

THE PATH OF REVENGE

Tom Haward

 

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GENRE:  Historical Fiction/ Alternative History

 

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BLURB:

 

The rebellion is in hiding. It has been a year since Boatman King attempted to overthrow the Empire, but instead had to escape London with his wife and their closest allies.

 

Not all of Boatman King’s allies are in hiding. Maverick “The Beast” Kirabo is on a mission to finish what he started on the streets of London. The former gladiator has a score to settle and revenge to unleash: Rome will fear him as they once adored him.

 

Despite its failure, Boatman King’s rebellion has spread disquiet in Rome’s political circles. Grand Protector Faust dispatches a pair of hunters to search the country and bring Boatman and his followers back to London for reckoning. Although Faust is the official face of Rome’s leadership, Emperor Maximus is thirsty to stamp his mark on the world and step out from his dead father’s shadow.

 

Unbeknownst to Faust and Maximus, a terrifying presence is watching the unrest and relishing in the vulnerabilities it’s causing.

 

 

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Excerpt Two:

 

It was a chilly Autumn morning with barely a breath of wind. He gazed over to the other side of the channel to see a seal lazing on the mud. A heron landed a few metres away from Boatman, unperturbed by the man’s presence. It only took ten minutes to leave shore and get to the oyster beds by boat, but it felt like a wilderness. For a moment, Boatman felt like the trauma and stress of the past few months had evaporated, out here in this tiny wilderness.

 

“I definitely prefer hitting a Roman in the face to this.” Tobias’s words brought Boatman back to reality.

 

“Being out here is good for the soul,” said Boatman.

 

“What the fuck happened to your soul? It’s muddy, wet and cold. If I wanted that combination, I would have gone to fight in the Aestii region.”

 

“You need an open mind, Tobias.”

 

“No, I need to be somewhere hot. I used to have a gorgeous, golden tan. Do you remember that? Do you remember my tan? I looked good.” Tobias looked down at himself, mud splattered up his oilskin overalls, “Now I look like a pale hobo.”

 

“Did Maverick know where your off switch was? Because it would be really handy right now.”

 

“I came out here with you. Voluntarily.”

 

“Only because Bella didn’t want you.”

 

“I’m offended she didn’t want me to go with her.”

 

“She’s hunting birds. It needs to be done quietly. As in, no constant talking,” said Boatman.

 

 

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Please describe a compelling scene in your story and why it's important.

 

Bjorn Askå is the major villain in The Path of Revenge. His origin and his history is a mystery, but I wanted to write a scene which depicts the horror he personifies. I also wanted to bring together the connections between certain characters to highlight that although the reach of the Roman Empire is huge, the thread that runs through humanity actually make it a small world. Therefore one scene in question describes Askå’s very intimate connection with the highest powers of Roman government.

 

Askå is a terrifying presence, but for fear to be realised it comes from the unknown. A lot of our fears are more based on what we don’t know and that not knowing makes our hearts beat faster and irrational thoughts to come through. I wanted a scene with Askå to highlight that, but then put a slight twist on it where knowing Askå was just as horrific.

 

The Path of Revenge is very much about visual action and excitement, so this scene, with Askå is a deliberate jarring of that and brings an element of horror in to the book. I was conscious of doing such a thing so to grab the reader by the scruff and make the reader sit up and take note of Askå and what he’s capable of. I’m really proud of it as I think it not only cements Askå as a great villain, it also highlights the humanity of other characters, which may not have been noticeable previously. 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Tom was born in Essex and, at 4 months old, he and his identical twin were adopted into an oyster farming family. Tom now runs the business as generation eight of Haward oyster farmers.  He has a fiancée, baby daughter and a cockapoo.

 

Tom has an MA in Creative Writing and The Path of Chaos (Cinnabar Moth Publishing) is his debut novel, which was released August 2023. The Path of Revenge is the sequel in The Path of Chaos series and will be released August 6th 2024.

 

Website: https://tomhaward.co.uk/

Twitter: https://x.com/HawardTom

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomhawardauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hawardtom

 

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Path-Revenge-Tom-Haward/dp/1962308138/ref=sr_1_1

 

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GIVEAWAY 

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