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Featured Author - Herrick C. Erickson-Brigl
Tell us about your book(s)
The Divine Tempest: When the God of Justice and Retribution releases a demon to wreak vengeance upon Therra, a young scholar named Penndarius and his tormented warrior-protector have just one day to stop the rising tide of terror before their world disappears.
I am also running a kickstarter to fund the editing of my second book.
Book Two, A War of Lies: Three nations stand divided by a devil’s trick that will spark a war between the elder gods and their daemonic children. Penndarius and his fierce protectors travel to the fertile land of Utopia to delve deeper into Therra's hidden past. Will the answers they find be what they are seeking, or will they reveal something much more sinister?
Here is a link to the kickstarter:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2100494792/a-scholars-journey-a...
Every Kickstarter donation tier includes receiving either the first or second or both books, in either e-book or hard-copy form!
Where did the idea of your (latest) book come from? 
Penndarius is a direct copy of my own personality and the other main character is based loosely off my best friend. He tends to be very in the moment, solve this problem right now; I am more about the bigger picture, what may come ahead. We make a good team as friends and I thought it might work as a duo in a book.
The enemies of the book, the vaedziur are an amalgamation of my love for H.P. Lovecraft and a passion for biblical demons; I wanted them to be purposefully evil.
Finally, I put down a bunch of things I thought were…cool: shape changing creatures akin to werewolves, fire giants, ancient texts, spooky scripture, etc.
Who and what inspires you to write your books? There was a guy named Randy Pausch; he wrote The Last Lecture. In that he talks about living life to the fullest and doing what you love most. This book spurred me to do something with myself and my writing. If you have not read this book, then you should.
Each author has their own fascinating journey. How did you begin writing? When I was a kid, I consumed as many books as I could; couple that with an active imagination and you have what got me to start writing. This was mostly a hobby that continued on up till college, but then I got interested in writing an actual book. Thus, the first draft of A Scholar’s Journey started; I labeled it Penn’s Story. I think I might be “that writer” by saying it was probably my worst work, but it started something.
A couple rough drafts in, this was still more of a hobby; that all changed the day I sent the book to my dad. He sat down and read the book. The next morning I got a call. “This book is awesome! I did not know you could write like that!” I kept writing on the book and eventually I had a completed draft; it was time to send the book to an editor and then that as all she wrote.
What has been the most pleasant surprise about being a writer?How about the most unexpected downside? The biggest surprise was how much fun it is to talk to you guys about my books! It’s weird, I could go on forever talking about my stuff. This level of excitement is even bigger when I think about you guys as new fans. The idea that someone enjoys my work and it helps them get through the day; that means a lot. It keeps me going. The biggest downside is probably writer’s block. When it happens, it hits hard. But then it breaks and suddenly the writing begins to flow like a waterfall.
Do you have any particular writing routines or rituals? Hmmm, I do actually. Right before I begin writing, I clear everything off my desk so that all I can see is my keyboard, my monitors and sometimes a drink.
Then I take a five hour energy shot, which basically removes any feelings of drowsiness or fogginess.
Do you write in order? I do, but my editor usually moves a few things around later on.
What is on your playlist when you write? Oh gosh, this could be incredibly long. I have probably over twenty-five-hundred songs. Each character has a separate playlist, plus there is a special playlist dedicated to the book as a whole. My favorite bands are Autopilot Off, Rise Against, One Ok Rock, Sick Puppies, Black Veil Brides, All That Remains, Authority Zero, Cavo, and a number of Christian bands. I write religious fantasy and having words expressing how important god is helps me focus on the religious aspect, since I myself am not overly religious.
Favorite writing snack? Five hour energy…I mean monster energy drinks…I mean Oreos.
Where do you like to write? Home and coffee shops mostly. I have my trusty five hour energy drinks by my side and music blaring in my ears.
Do you have any advice for authors wanting to publish? This part is simple. Make sure you have an editor. It is expensive and you may think that you have the most badass editing skills on the planet, but no one can edit their own work. Psychologically speaking, your eyes will fill in the blanks as you read because it is your writing, you expect what will happen next. That will cause you to miss things, which leads to errors. Plus, a second set of eyes that isn’t friends or family will dramatically improve the manuscript. If they are good at what they do, the editor won’t hesitate to tell you that something is broken or needs to be improved.
Are you currently working on anything else? I am. I have already penned the first rough draft to a science fiction novel that I am tentatively titling K.R.I.S. the Kinetic Redirection and Interaction Suit. This follows Dane, an ex soldier who has been bonded with an experimental exploration suit that was designed to absorb and redirection kinetic energy. He searches for his daughter and the ones that killed the mother of his child. I am also working on another book. This one is still in the planning stages and I’ve titled it the Rise of the Worldwolf.
It follows Daerus, a magus whose life goal is to be a hero for the people. (He has read far too many stories). He takes the spirit of the worldwolf into himself, unbeknownst to him this is a creature that will one day destroy the world. I have other rough drafts pinging about my computer right now. One of them is a side story to the third book in A Scholar’s Journey and it will be a prequel that will lead into the third book. But it will not follow any of the established characters. Instead, it will follow Raev, the last living dragon of rage. She will become one of the new protectors for our intrepid scholar
Who is your favorite character and why? My two main characters Penndarius and Soren. (I can’t choose)
One is an INCREDIBLY talented fighter and the other is arguably one of the SMARTEST people in his generation. They are challenged to a day of hell and team up to beat all comers.
Penndarius is just so RIDICULOUSLY cool. He doesn’t throw a single punch the entire day, and all the while he is besieged by assassins, demons, and GODS!
Soren is one of the most talented warriors in Therra and they went and pissed him off. He doesn’t need a weapon to be dangerous. His body is a walking weapon. His fighting style is a mix of free running, kapoeta, trick kicks, and jiu jitsu. In a word…FLASHY!
Favorite book of all time? I don’t think I could pick just one. I would have to go with the Long Patrol by Brian Jacques, The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell, or Homeland by R.A. Salvatore.
Breakfast says a lot about a person, what is your perfect breakfast? Dim Sum, no question. I love the variety at any good Dim Sum joint. You can sit down and want sweet stuff and the next minute want something salty. You just aren’t pinned down to one thing. I love Asian food.
Please tell us in one sentence why we should read your book
This book is an original fantasy narrative that takes place in a single day and features complex characters, breathtaking fight scenes, demonic possession, and divine intrigue!
Friend Herrick C. Erickson-Brigl Here on Literary Addicts!
Follow the Author:
Website | Twitter
Kickstarter Campaign
Herrick is also kickstarting the editing for his second book “A War of Lies”
*Book Two, A War of Lies:* Three nations stand divided by a devil’s trick that will spark a war between the elder gods and their daemonic children. Penndarius and his fierce protectors travel to the fertile land of Utopia to delve deeper into Therra’s hidden past. Will the answers they find be what they are seeking, or will they reveal something much more sinister?
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