ABOUT THE THREE THORNS (THE BROTHERHOOD AND THE SHIELD #1):
Title: THE THREE THORNS (THE BROTHERHOOD AND THE SHIELD #1)
Publication date: February 24, 2015
Publisher: Tantrum Books/Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Michael Gibney
Three brothers born to a once powerful King were abandoned at birth and cast out into the old world as orphans - alone and unaware of the other's existence or their royal heritage.
In the new world, by order of the false King, three of the most lethal assassins are sent to kill the children before they come of age and avenge their father’s throne.
But when the brothers find one another, Benjamin, Tommy and Sebastian must resist the temptation of magic and power if they are to defeat the unspeakable evil that has threatened them since birth.
The Three Thorns is book one in an exciting children’s fantasy series called The Brotherhood and the Shield from debut author Michael Gibney.
ABOUT MICHAEL GIBNEY:
Michael Gibney began working in restaurants at the age of sixteen and assumed his first sous chef position at twenty-two. He ascended to executive sous chef at Tavern on the Green, where he managed an eighty-person staff. He has worked in the kitchens of Morgans Hotel Group, 10 Downing in Manhattan, and Governor in Brooklyn’s DUMBO, among many others. Over the course of his career, he has had the opportunity to work alongside cooks and chefs from many of the nation’s best restaurants, including Alinea, Per Se, Eleven Madison Park, Daniel, Jean Georges, Le Bernardin, Bouley, Ducasse, Corton, wd~50, and Momofuku.
In addition to his experience in the food service industry, Gibney also holds a BFA in painting from Pratt Institute and an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Interview:
Where are you from?
I am originally from Belfast, Ireland but grew up most of my young
adult life in a small fisherman’s town called Carrickfergus 30 miles outside
Belfast City and spent my twenties living in Los Angeles, California.
Tell us your latest news?
Right now my debut novel The Three Thorns is being released this month, the 24th
February, 2015 on both paperback and kindle through online retailers. I am
currently underway finishing my first horror novel for my Agents in LRA in New
York City and am visiting Iceland and Oxford, England for my Birthday weekend
in late March before a possible trip to NYC in May to promote The Three Thorns.
When and why did you begin
writing?
I had always loved writing and was naturally talented at English
in school since I was a child. I’ve been gifted with a very vivid imagination
that never left me and was too strong, which outgrew the music career that I was
trying to pursue in my teens and early twenties. Once I realized that my
imagination could be utilized into something as fun and rewarding as well as
entertaining and inspiring for others, I began writing my first novel, The
Three Thorns at 24 years old. I began to write for the love of it. I had quit
playing, writing and recording music and the business when I realized it wasn’t
a pleasant industry to make a career in and the prospects of making a decent
living for my future weren’t there. In writing, they were and the joy and
satisfaction of writing is greater in comparison to anything I’ve ever
attempted, plus I get to work alone at my craft.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
The day I got a Publishing Company to pick up my novel. I felt
like a professional writer from that moment forth.
What inspired you to write
your first book?
The death of my best friend’s parents at the time inspired my
initial concept for The Three Thorns / Brotherhood and the Shield Series. But
my imagination ultimately wouldn’t let me rest, so I feel I was drawn to
writing and meant to do it. If I had to choose an inspiration it would be my
grandfather’s writing and short stories growing up with them as a child.
Do you have a specific writing style?
My writing style would be very much descriptive with a sense of
realism and direction that reads much like a movie or screenplay. I’m a huge
fan of Charles Dickens, C.S. Lewis and Stephen King, so my writing is very
methodical.
How did you come up with the title?
It’s so weird. It just came to me, like it was downloaded from
sort of higher frequency than myself. It wasn’t like I sat in a room focused
for days and weeks on a title. Originally the book series was supposed to be
titled Wars of the Fables and the sub title of the first book was The
Brotherhood and the Shield. Then a friend suggested that The Brotherhood and
the Shield sounded much too powerful and memorable to be the title of the first
book, so I changed it to the capital title of the series and I’m glad I did.
After the seven books of the Brotherhood and the Shield series are finished, I
plan on doing a trilogy of prequels to the series with the original title Wars
Of The Fables.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Yes. The are several messages. Subtle political undertones about
the dangerous world we live in now and the corruption that is found in current
day politics. Another message is that dabbling in dark arts and power greater
than you and beyond your understanding isn’t wise or neat. It’s dangerous. And
I want this book series to teach children that there are grave consequences to
bad choices and to be careful of strangers and who they choose to trust.
How much of the book is realistic?
About a good forty percent of the book is realistic. The rest is
fantasy and entertainment, which makes it unique and enjoyable. I had an adult
friend close to forty read The Three Thorns and he preferred the realism of the
book to fantasy. Children tend to like the fantasy fiction side of this novel
more. But together these two elements compliment each other well.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
The forty percent of the book is based on elements from my own
childhood. The dreaded Borstal Home, Gatesville, represents a horrid and grim
Primary School called Carr’s Glenn, which had a wicked elderly teacher called
Miss Jennings. I changed her character into a man, because I feel to a child,
men are much more intimidating.
What books have most influenced your life most?
Fictional books – A Christmas Carole, Oliver Twist, The Narnia
Books, The Hobbit, Peter Benchley’s Jaws and William Peter Blatty’s The
Exorcist and Once (by James Herbert). After reading Once, I knew I wanted to
write for a living.
If you had to choose,
which writer would you consider a mentor?
C.S. Lewis. (James Herbert came close though). But I have to
choose Lewis as he is a fellow Belfast born writer, like myself.
What book are you reading
now?
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman and Stephen King’s Carrie.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Yes, Susan Hill and her book ‘Dolly’ (scary thriller novel) and
self-published author and horror writer, Michael West. His determination and
relentless drive has inspired me greatly
What are your current
projects?
My current projects are an adult Horror novel titled ‘Heathen’
that is liken to Blatty’s the Exorcist and King’s the Shining. I am also
working on a coming of age teenage novel, set in the 1980s suburban California
that pays homage to the Spielberg and Lucas era of Poltergeist, E.T., The
Goonies, Monster Squad and Indiana Jones. The other two projects I am currently
undertaking is a Crime/Vampire thriller trilogy that is liken to Anne Rice’s
Interview With The Vampire meets the Godfather with elements of romance i.e.
Twilight.
This year I plan to go back to the Brotherhood and the Shield series
with Book number 5 I’ve titled ‘The Reigning Masks.’
What would you like my
readers to know?
I would like them to
know how grateful and honored I am that they have shown interest in this series
and I promise them that they’ll never have read anything like the Brotherhood
and the Shield series and what is to come when they follow the Brotherhood and
the Shield series. I offer as much originality as humanly possible, so If they
stick with me I’ll bless them with rich stories and a wide range and variety of
genres that will entertain and thrill them for years to come. I want to thank
them because they make me who I am and give me the chance to keep writing, so
I’ll always value and appreciate their support.
- Written by Michael
Gibney. © The Three Thorns. 2015
Link to the Tour Schedule:
Link to Goodreads:
Purchase Links:
Giveaway Information: Winner will be drawn March 27, 2015
· Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of The Three Thorns (The Brotherhood and the Shield #1) by Michael Gibney (INT)
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