Tag: Book reading

Posted on

Bringing my Characters to Life, Part 2.

The Dream Cast: Who would I want to see be cast in the roles of this second list from my Longevity series?

By John Irvin

If you haven’t read last week’s blog, please hop down and check it out. I’ve already talked about several different characters from the first book in my Longevity series, Revelation, and which movie stars I’d love to see star in their roles.

Now, I’m continuing on with the theme and going to mention four more characters in the book!

This will probably continue on with a Part 3 next week because there are so many characters in the three books that are already published. Oh, and there will be five more books before the main series from the Longevity world is complete.

I do want to restate, Book 3, Wandering, is only available in ebook format. There was an issue in the printing, so if you see any hardcover or paperback versions, those are not correct and they are mistakes.

So, the first character for today that plays a minor role—yet he is responsible for my main character’s enrollment into the Creed Army because he happens to be the Chief Councilman of the Supreme Council.

The Supreme Council is the governing body of the Wolf-Born Race. There have always been eight seats on the Council since its founding—which is mentioned in Book 1, Revelation and will be expounded upon in the upcoming ebook novella The First of All.

Noran Mars is the Chief Councilman when Sir Ihon Iraes (pronounced Ian Eraze) arrives on the scene. He is a firm, yet understanding character. Though he’s often presented as a serious individual, he can have a sense of humour.

This one was a hard one to come up with. But, after much consideration, I believe Gerard Butler or Russell Crowe would make great candidates for this position. Russell has that serious leadership aura about him and played a great role in Gladiator and Robin Hood.

Gerard Butler has done a number of characters from Machine Gun Preacher to 300 to The Phantom of the Opera—he’s also Scottish.

Then there are two other characters who are also on the Supreme Council. They are the “Chroniclers” for the Council. They’re also brother and sister. Angus and Merryn McKlean. Both carrying full heads of Scottish red hair, they’re a couple of the younger council members and very accepting of Sir Ihon.

Merryn plays a role that pops up at random times throughout the series, I will not give any spoilers away. But, I believe there is no one who would fit her part better than the Scottish redhead Rose Eleanor Arbuthnot-Leslie. She was my favourite woman in Game of Thrones.

The best man to portray Merryn’s brother Angus is a tougher decision. I’m going to be open here with you. When I birthed this character, there was a reason his name was Angus. It’s because the person I saw when he stepped onto my pages was Angus from Braveheart, Sir William Wallace’s redheaded best friend.

But, Brendan Gleeson is a wee bit too old now and it would be a bit redundant if he were to play another Angus who is similar to his Braveheart persona. Wouldn’t you think?

David Wenham is a redheaded actor who played the role of Faramir in the Lord of the Rings movie saga. He’s an Australian native, but perhaps he’d be superb pretending with a Scottish Accent?

Now the final character I’m going to write about and dream about in this blog today, she arrives at the very end and we don’t know much about her in Book 1, but she plays a bigger part in Book 2. What I do want you to know is, she’s an Immortal who has been a friend of the Wolf-Born Race for millennia.

Her name is Zandra. I’m going to let you in on a secret, she’s going to get her own book trilogy one of these days.

Now, there has been only one person in all the world whom I’ve envisioned could play this goddess-like character. And that would be Jennifer Garner. There’s no one else who could even come close to being considered perfect for Zandra in my eyes.

I can see her walking the peaceful Haven she created inside a parallel dimension in a mountain near the Capitol, Sanguiatro, of the Wolf-Born Race.

Now, we’ve got this far into this little mini-series of my blog and you may be wondering why I haven’t shared ANY photos of each of these actors and actresses. I’m going to be open again, it’s for copyright purposes. I’m sorry, but I would prefer to not insult these amazing people ahead of casting them in my books’ future movies.

Yes, I know, that sounded hilarious. But it’s true.

This is another reason why I haven’t done a vlog on my YouTube channel to correspond with these blogs for the past two weeks now. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with that channel for now. I’m leaving it open though!

Next week, I’ll bring up more characters from Book 2, Independence, as I continue with Bringing my Characters to Life, Part 3!

Some of the characters I’ll mention will be:

Sir William Wallace – Hero and Guardian of Scotland, best friend of Sir Ihon

King Robert the Bruce – King of Scotland and later friend of Sir Ihon

King Philip of France – Wolf-Born Higher Officer of the Creed Army

Desi Wallace – Daughter of Sir William Wallace, Sir Ihon’s ward

If you enjoyed this post, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails on Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

I’m also a Patreon artist—the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

I’ve now been hosting a YouTube channel called John Irvin, Author Journey Series. Check it out at YOUTUBE.COM/AUTHORJOURNEY

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

Posted on

Bringing my Characters to Life

The Dream Cast: Who would I love to see cast in the character roles for my Longevity series?

by John Irvin

I don’t plan to make a YouTube vlog for this article today. Nope, just going to relax and write a fun little fantasy-filled blog as I enjoy this crisp autumn weather—actually abnormal for this early in the season here in Florida.

Anyways, a dream cast. Yes, I usually dream up a cast for each one of my books, but with my Longevity series, there are so many characters, I could possibly turn this into a two-part series. I think I can shrink it down though.

This is going to be fun.

Okay, first off, Longevity is an eight-volume series, but only the first two books, Revelation and Independence, have been published in hardcover, paperback, and ebook. The third book, Wandering, is published in ebook only. The print versions were messed up in format, so please don’t order any “hardcover” or “paperback” versions you might see on the web.

So, we’ll start with Sir Ihon Iraes (pronounced Ian Eraze). He’s the main character and, yes, he’s actually based on me. But, I’d be fine with picking a far superior actor to play the role. Born in Scotland, Ihon is a knight and already a veteran of the Second Crusade by the time the story begins. So, he’s in his fifties, if I remember correctly. But, he’s aged well, being a Wolf-Born—though unbeknownst to him or his wife in the beginning.

I’m torn between two different fabulous Scottish actors. I fell into great admiration of Iain Glen’s role as Ser Jorah Mormont in the HBO series Game of Thrones. To see him dressed in a kilt and wielding the Iraes family claymore blade would be a sight to see. He wouldn’t make half a bad Wolf-Born either. And the tragic backstory fits perfectly with the Mormont-type character Sir Ihon Iraes relates to.

But, I’m going to have to admit, Mr. Glen turned sixty this past June 2021. So, he’s a few years older than Sir Ihon’s character at this time. Then again, with cameras and the magic of cinema these days, it could still work.

There is the second choice: Ewan McGregor. He turned fifty in March 2021. So, his age is perfect for the role. I could definitely see him dressed as a Crusader knight, waving around that Scottish claymore, and riding the black war steed Cassieus.

Now, for the first wife of my main character. You ask, how many wives does Sir Ihon have and why does he have more than one?

Well, remember I said “tragic backstory”? Yeah. Read the books.

Also, Wolf-Born live an average lifespan of 1,100 years. The reason this series is titled Longevity is it covers Sir Ihon Iraes’s life from when he’s fifty in the early twelfth century and runs through time with each book up to the present in Book 5 (still in the works) and beyond in the final three.

Now, here is a dilemma. Do I want to share any more about how many wives Ihon ends up having, if they’re human or not, and who would be cast in their roles?

I tell you what, I’m going to leave this blog open for comments as well as ask this question when I share the links on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Would you like to know the number of wives my character marries? Would you like to know if they’re human and where they’re from and who would be the dream actresses to star in their roles?

But, you already know he has “a first wife”, so I can at least give you that one.

Joanna Wallace Iraes, Lady of Iraes House. When I first imagined Joanna many years ago in the conception of this series, I pictured Keira Knightley as the star actress for this role. With her high-class charms, the woman is a lady in and of herself and I think Joanna couldn’t be more honoured to have such an actress cast in her role.

Even though Keira is English, I’m sure she would do a remarkable job as the Scottish wife of our Crusade veteran.

But, the scary thought, I do hope Knightley wouldn’t take offense at what happens to her character so early on in the story. *nervous chuckle*

I’ll end this blog today with one more character. This character plays a sort of brief mentor for Sir Ihon when he first comes aware of his “other side”.

Ranvir Caiton, his father fought alongside Ihon’s father in the Second Great War between the Wolf-Born and the Spawn—you’ll learn more about these later on, or if you buy the books. At the beginning of the series, Ranvir is a Lesser Officer of the Creed Army. You’ll learn more about them also if you buy the books.

Being Wolf-Born raised, Ranvir has known about his “other form” since he could read a sentence. He’s shocked someone could actually live fifty years without discovering their true origins. But, he takes Ihon under his wing and invites him to Sanguiatro, the capital of the Wolf-Born Race, hidden deep in the Highlands of Scotland somewhere.

I think Justin Theroux could be a good Ranvir Caiton. He has that dark look about him and could possibly be a bit prejudiced against the human race, even though he’s sworn to protect them from the Spawn.

So, this will turn into a two-part, maybe even three-part, blog series! Awesome. I’m excited.

We haven’t even covered half the characters who have roles in even the first two books! I might mention a couple from book three, even though I shy away from promoting that book because of the whole formatting issue that is still yet to be resolved.

But, here’s a list of character names I’ll be talking about in the next blog!

Zandra the Immortal

Noran Mars – Chief Councilman of the Supreme Council of the Wolf-Born Race

Merryn McKlean – Councilwoman of the Supreme Council

Angus McKlean – Brother of Merryn, Councilman of the Supreme Council

And maybe a few surprise characters, depending on your answers.

If you enjoyed this post, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails on Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

I’m also a Patreon artist—the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

I’ve now been hosting a YouTube channel called John Irvin, Author Journey Series. Check it out at YOUTUBE.COM/AUTHORJOURNEY

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

Posted on

A Question-and-Answer Session for today’s Blog

What am I? I’m an Author.

By John Irvin

First, before we start, I want to bring up the fact that I did publish the series finale for my Patreon-exclusive Ikkilion Chronicles last weekend. It felt so good and a bit bittersweet to say farewell to Pwyll and Fea Libane. But I’m happy I accomplished something else.

What am I going to do next for Patreon? The only way that can be answered is if you become a sponsor here on my page:

Patreon Irvinnovelist

While I’ve been steadily writing steadily every day in my Strangers to the Realm novel, I’m also looking at getting to know more people on mostly Instagram and LinkedIn. It really is all about engagement and content creation and making connections.

So, here’s a little Q&A for today’s blog. I’ll also work on this for my YouTube vlog for today as well. Here is the link for your viewing pleasure.

            First question: Have you ever gotten reader’s block?

            Answer: Yes, I’ll admit, there have been days where I simply don’t feel like reading. That’s mostly from exhaustion, I think. So, I understand—to a point—when my friends say they just don’t feel like reading. But there does come a point where I make myself get back into reading and I find I wonder why I’d been blocked in the first place.

            Second question: If you could tell your younger writer self anything, what would it be?

            Answer: Have patience. Don’t be so quick to self-publish a book. Make sure to hire a better editor and be willing to wait and save up for a good artist. Quality takes time.

            Third question: As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

            Answer: That’s easy, I’ve already chosen. A wolf. Many of my books have variations of werewolves. They are such magnificent creatures and can teach us humans a thing or two, such as loyalty, faithfulness to one’s spouse, community, etc.

            Fourth question: What does literary success look like to you?

            Answer: I think I’ve finally decided what this looks like to me. Literary success, to me, would look like me being able to buy a house with the book royalties alone and paying off the mortgage in less than ten years.

            Fifth and last question: Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

            Answer: Yes, I definitely read all my books’ reviews. So far, I’ve had one bad one and it was ridiculous. I don’t respond to negative reviews, I’ll laugh and move on. Good reviews are highly encouraging and I appreciate them so much. If there is good constructive criticism in a review, I’ll take it to heart.

If you enjoyed this post, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails on Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

I’m also a Patreon artist—the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

I’ve now been hosting a YouTube channel called John Irvin, Author Journey Series. Check it out at YOUTUBE.COM/AUTHORJOURNEY

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

Posted on

A New Schedule and More Promo!

Testing, 1, 2, 3…

By John Irvin

            If you’ve checked the post I made on my Patreon page, you’ll know that I’ve done a little rearranging. Yes, instead of Thursdays for my blog and vlog, I’m moving to Saturdays. And the same goes for my Friday Broadcasts, they’ll be moved to Saturdays as well.

            I may be shooting myself in the feet here, but we’ll see how this goes.

            Speaking of which…

            And back to my present WIP for my Patreon subscribers, The Ikkilion Chronicles. I have only the Finale left to publish. It was due this week, but I don’t want it to feel rushed. People have told me in the past, they can tell when my writing is rushed. So, I’m postponing to next Saturday (18 September).

            Just a reminder about the premise for the techno-fantasy serial my sponsors get to enjoy:

            The story begins with a man and wife who are both amateur mages. They’re summoned by a usurper, the Witch Queen, who demands the location of what she calls the All-Stone. They have no idea what she’s talking about. So, like all good tyrants, she throws them in her dungeon. They escape and a long chase comes about that takes these two across several kingdoms.

            The Ikkilion Chronicles is Patreon-exclusive, which means, it will not be published anywhere else. The only way you can read it is to subscribe as a one-dollar-a-month patron. There will also be extra goodies in the near future too. So, don’t miss out.

            Before I continue, here’s the link to my Patreon, so you can join in the world:

www.patreon.com/irvinnovelist

            Now, on to this week’s spotlight of my own published books.

            The complete collection of my Shattered series is in PRINT! It has been for over a year now. The end of the old North American nations is turning out a little differently than I imagined, but still.

            New nations form after the global blackout caused by a natural EMP in the atmosphere. But can these new nations survive? Can they even thrive possibly? With some people still wanting to resurrect the old regimes, will these new nations be launched into a North American War and can they win?

            Here’s the page link: https://johnirvinauthor.com/book/shattered-the-complete-collection/

If you’ve been keeping up with my author journey, you’ll know that I’m also running a YouTube channel. I may not post EVERY week, but I do try to post often. They usually run about two to three minutes long just giving updates or promoting one of my books or a book I’ve been reading.

          And for your viewing pleasure, here’s the video for today’s episode:

If you enjoyed this post, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails on Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

I’m also a Patreon artist—the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

I’ve now been hosting a YouTube channel called John Irvin, Author Journey Series. Check it out at YOUTUBE.COM/AUTHORJOURNEY

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

Posted on

There are more Worlds than You know!

I want to talk about two totally different worlds today and I hope you enjoy and tag along.

By John Irvin

            Okay, where did this week go? I feel like I just sent out my Friday Author Broadcast yesterday, but no, that was six days ago and I’m already due for another one tomorrow.

            But for today, I’m going to bring up two of my most prominent worlds I’ve published and shared with this world you and I live in.

            Magic’s Time Split is my biggest series so far and, if you’ve been reading my posts, you’ll know the first book is permanently FREE. All you have to do is pull it up on Amazon—or go to the page on my website menu—and download it into your Kindle app on your phone or iPad or whatever. It’s also permanently FREE on Nook for you Barnes&Noble lovers!

            There’s a group of families who want to start a settlement and forget the corruption of the present day. Their leaders manage to find a means of time travel and they arrive at Hidden Lake, Montana Territory, in the year 1815.

            But, unbeknownst to the rest of the travelers, two of the leaders have ulterior motives. It seems, there’s an ancient Egyptian idol tucked away inside Hidden Lake. An idol of the god Thoth, the creator of Magic. This idol supposedly encases Magic itself.

            What happens with a crystalline idol imbued with all Magic shatters into a thousand shards?

            Why don’t you download the book and find out? Also, there’s a Call to Action in the first book, if you sign up for my Author Broadcast, you get Book 2: When Kingdoms Arise for FREE too!

            And back to my present WIP for my Patreon subscribers, The Ikkilion Chronicles. I’ve got two more episodes to write and I’m so happy to announce the completion of the serial.

            The story begins with a man and wife who are both amateur mages. They’re summoned by a usurper, the Witch Queen, who demands the location of what she calls the All-Stone. They have no idea what she’s talking about. So, like all good tyrants, she throws them in her dungeon. They escape and a long chase comes about that takes these two across several kingdoms.

            The Ikkilion Chronicles is Patreon-exclusive, which means, it will not be published anywhere else. The only way you can read it is to subscribe as a one-dollar-a-month patron. There will also be extra goodies in the near future too. So, don’t miss out.

            Before I continue, here’s the link to my Patreon, so you can join in the world:

https://patreon.com/irvinnovelist

            If you’ve been keeping up with my author journey, you’ll know that I’m also running a YouTube channel. I may not post EVERY week, but I do try to post often. They usually run about two to three minutes long just giving updates or promoting one of my books or a book I’ve been reading.

          And for your viewing pleasure, here’s the video for today’s episode:

If you enjoyed this post, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails on Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

I’m also a Patreon artist—the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

I’ve now been hosting a YouTube channel called John Irvin, Author Journey Series. Check it out at YOUTUBE.COM/AUTHORJOURNEY

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com

Posted on

News, Updates, and Goals

The Twentieth Episode is out on Patreon, and My Brain is Out Planning the Rest of the Summer

By John Irvin

            So, you know about my Patreon. I’m a creator over on that artist-focused website. I’ve got my own profile and my own single tier level. I call it my tip jar. But, it only works if people actually tip.

            Do I sound like I’m desperate? Because I’m actually not, I’ve been doing all right running and working my independent proofreading business. But when it comes to my writing life, it is definitely a reward to see my work is appreciated.

            The Ikkilion Chronicles is Patreon-exclusive, which means, it will not be published anywhere else. The only way you can read it is to subscribe as a one-dollar-a-month patron. There will also be extra goodies in the near future too. So, don’t miss out.

            Before I continue, here’s the link to my Patreon, so you can join in the world:

https://www.patreon.com/irvinnovelist

            If you’ve been keeping up with my author journey, you’ll know that I’m also running a YouTube channel. I may not post EVERY week, but I do try to post often. They usually run about two to three minutes long just giving updates or promoting one of my books or a book I’ve been reading.

            Make sure you subscribe by clicking through the link below.

            In other news, I’ve started the first draft for The First of All, a legend novella in the Longevity series world. If you know about Longevity, you know there have been three books published. Revelation and Independence (Books 1 and 2) are in hardcover, paperback, and ebook format. Book 3, Wandering, is in ebook only for now. If I remember correctly, it is the latest book I’ve published and that was last year.

            I’ve taken a break from publishing anymore as I want to see more love. But, people can refuse to buy my books and, though that breaks my heart, it will not deter me from writing. I will keep writing until I die, if the good Lord sees fit.

            On that note, I have three books that I’ve pulled off the back shelf. I started work on them predominately back in 2017 and then shelved them for a bit. I’ve got an itch to get back into those worlds and finish the work. And here lately, on top of continuing the Ikkilion Chronicles and starting The First of All, I’ve been doing a bit of work here and there with those three. I’ll share the titles at a later time.      

          And for your viewing pleasure, here’s the video for today’s episode:

If you enjoyed this post, you should sign up for my newsletter! I don’t spam and you can unsuscribe at any time. I only send out emails on Fridays. Sign up here: SIGN UP!

I’m also a Patreon artist—the cool thing about Patreon is it allows people to support artists by monthly pledges which allow the artists to have more time to work on their own passions. Here is my account: PATREON.COM. If you’d like to support me, I would be eternally grateful!

I’ve now been hosting a YouTube channel called John Irvin, Author Journey Series. Check it out at YOUTUBE.COM/AUTHORJOURNEY

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Or email me at john@johnirvinauthor.com