Word of the week: epomania - noun - the rage or passion for writing epics - Wordsense.eu

Author of the Month: Come Meet . . . Robert Evert

Yes, yes, I know, I know . . . normally I interview indie authors, but this author’s fantasy series has managed to capture my interest in a huge way. (Hey, traditionally published through a small-ish indie press? Close enough!) I’ve actually grown rather fond of Mr. Evert’s story world and the fascinating characters who’ve come alive within.

Seriously!

If Edmund of Rood, or Pond Scum, or even Kravel and Gurding (two wonderfully devious and strangely urbane goblins), were to sit down to have chat and a mug of beer with me, I would be absolutely delighted! Well, delighted to chat with them, anyway. I’d pass on the beer. But I would definitely wonder: What secrets might they divulge with their guard down in a quiet and friendly discourse . . . ?

Riddle in Stone, the debut novel of a three-book series by the same name, is an absolute must-read before Mr. Evert’s forthcoming release of his second book, Betrayal in the Highlands, and is truly an excellent start to an interconnected story with a neat over-arcing plot line and an awesome atypical protag — erm, uncommon main character. Far too often we read male main characters who act all rough and tough and fairly grunt out their words. (All right, a bit of an over-exaggeration, that one.)

But Edmund of Rood . . . ? He sits upon that digital page and in one’s imagination just as richly complex as anyone you would meet in the real world. And so does Norb the stablehand, Molly the lovely barmaid, Pond Scum the . . . um . . . former merchant, Thorax the extremely loyal and wonderfully brave dog . . .

Ah, but I digress . . . I’ll let Mr. Evert explain:

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I’m one of those people who have always wanted to write a novel. I’ve been writing ever since I read Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings back as fourth grade. It’s a compulsion with me. I simply have to be writing or I don’t feel right. My insides get all itchy. I must have a couple hundred half-started stories lying about my house. I believe the correct term for me is “epomania” – the need to write epics. It’s an actual diagnosis. Honest! Go look it up! There’s a 12-step program and everything.

Anyway, a few years ago, I finished my first novel-length manuscript, Riddle in Stone. It’s about a middle age guy who feels worthless. He’s fat. He stutters. He’s in love with somebody who doesn’t give him the time of day. So, to give his life meaning, he sets off on an adventure in the hopes of becoming a hero; but he quickly realizes that being a hero isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

Last year, my agent sold Riddle in Stone to Diversion Books. It was released in February and, to my surprise, tens of people are actually buying it! What’s even more surprising is that a lot of them seem to like it! Who would have thought?

I’m currently working on the sequel to Riddle in Stone, Betrayal in the Highlands. It should be released in August. Keep your fingers crossed! If you would like to learn more about my work, please visit my website at www.RobertEvert.com or my blog at http://robertevert.blogspot.com. Riddle in Stone is available at most online stores — including www.Amazon.com and www.BarnesandNoble.com. If you read it, please let me know! I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Riddle in Stone is also available as an audiobook: Riddle in Stone at The Audiobook Bay 

Here . . . read my May review of Riddle in Stone! 

Word of the week: delve \ˈdelv\ - verb - 1: to dig or labor with or as if with a spade; 2a : to make a careful or detailed search for information; b : to examine a subject in detail – (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Although I have become online friends with the author, I bought Robert Evert's Riddle in Stone because: 1) it sounded interesting and, 2) I wanted to help support his writing endeavors. Those who know me understand that I don't—nay, can't—review on a whim; I have to truly enjoy a novel written by a Writer's Beat member before I even consider giving it a Writer's Beat Quarterly review. So, that said:

Book Review: Riddle in Stone by Robert Evert

Novels are tough to complete, tougher to find an agent for, and sometimes even tougher to sell to the right publisher. Many would-be writers don't even get past rough draft editing and their manuscripts languish, with characters and story worlds withering away in the darkness of increasingly cluttered desk drawers.

But not Robert Evert, author of the novel Riddle in Stone, the first book in a fantasy series of the same name. Determination and persistence had pulled him through to his ultimate goal, and on February 26th, 2013, Riddle in Stone was released by Diversion Books in e-book format, available through Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and a host of other distributors.

And oh, what a story it is!

Fantasy novels, mind you, have always been my cup of tea—particularly dark fantasy—so it was easy for Evert's world to absorb my attention and hold me fast to the digital page with its overall smooth writing, well-woven plot, and intriguing characters, having managed to shut off my “inner editor” . . . for the most part.

Riddle in Stone carries the reader along on a journey with Edmund, an overweight, middle-aged, stuttering scholar from the secluded village of Rood tucked in the Highlands, a month's travel from the kingdom of Eryn Mas where King Lionel presides. And it's there—in Rood's village square, with an official royal proclamation—Edmund makes a life-altering decision, which indeed becomes quite the journey for him in so many respects—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

The gist?

Edmund had always been smitten by Molly, a beautiful tavern serving girl he'd grown up with in Rood, though never able to confess his true feelings to her, hindered by his self-esteem and speech impediment. So when a soldier-adventurer from far-off comes to the Wandering Rogue (the tavern where Molly works and Edmund frequents), to brag about his exploits with a goblin horde, Edmund comes to a startling realization: He's wasted half of his life holed up in the boondocks village of Rood, locked in a stagnant, sheltered and, well . . . utterly “boring” life, as Norb, the stable hand, so bluntly puts it.

But Edmund is determined to change all of this. Driven to become an adventurer—not only in the hopes it'll impress Molly, but also to give his life purpose so he doesn't die alone and pathetic—Edmund accepts the challenge of the written royal edict: To find and deliver the legendary “Star of Iliandor” to King Lionel in Eryn Mas!

Yet Edmund had no idea how life-altering his decision would turn out to be. However tough he believes his journey is at the outset absolutely pales in comparison to what he later endures . . . when he's captured by goblins, oppressed, abused, and forced to work alongside hundreds of other human slaves in the bowels of the goblin mines.

Now, admittedly, Riddle in Stone is not for the faint-hearted or the weak-stomached reader; gruesome scenes do dwell within, and even though they aren't described in intricate detail, they're enough to possibly sour the very easily squeamish. As with all scenes of every well-written novel, though, they are needed to advance the story (i.e. no pointless gore for pointless gore's sake) and tremendously well balanced throughout.

My overall take?

I came into the story with two mindsets: 1) as a reader, and 2) as an editor.

As a reader: It held my attention from beginning to end, easily tugging me along beside Edmund as he journeyed from meek and unskilled, to strong and highly adept. Together, we met characters we loathed and adored, experienced pain and loss, suffered hardships, and reveled in triumphs. Even though Edmund is the opposite of how I perceive myself, I was still able to connect and relate; essentially, he became a “friend,” as all good main characters are wont to do, enough to draw me into the first chapter of book two, available as a bonus read at the end of Riddle in Stone.

As an editor: It was well-rounded with both world and characters properly fleshed out and a fitting, if not touching, end. Narrative and scene structure were balanced and mixed with natural dialogue that brought out the characters' individualities. Although villains were certainly villains and heroes were certainly heroes, neither were stone-cold one or the other; each possessed both positive qualities and realistic flaws, and a variety of backgrounds that removed “cardboard cut-out” two-dimensionality. Subtle connections were well done, and the writing itself was fluid overall, with only one niggle: scattered typos and minor errors—likely overlooked by the average reader; snagged upon by my practiced editor's eye. Yet the storyline remained strong enough for me to lay these aside (or correct them in my head) and continue reading.

In short: Very pleased with the story as a whole.

So, how would I rate Riddle in Stone? I give it a firm four-and-three-quarters stars. Not pristine and purely perfect (because nothing's perfect, to be honest), but it is a really great story that I highly recommend, particularly for those who love fantasy with a darker bent. Worth both the money and the time spent reading it, and I am looking forward to delving into the next book planned in Mr. Evert's series.

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Riddle in Stone is available for Kindle at Amazon. You can download a sample there to read!