Today it is my pleasure to welcome author Claudia Blood and her  novel, Company Assassin.

Author’s description

It’s Duff Roman’s eighteenth birthday, but no one is lighting candles.

 

Turning eighteen in the orphanage on Kalecca means starvation for those who aren’t hired into a Family. Outside the Family compounds lies the jungle. And in the jungle lies death. And Relics—the only real currency on Planet Kalecca.

 

The orphans are Duff’s family, and he’s sacrificed everything to keep the orphanage running, even his chance to move on. Now, at eighteen, he has no choice but to leave. Without him to bring in extra money, the orphans will starve under the Company’s control. Duff’s only chance to save them is to find a spot on an independent crew and hopefully find a Relic to sell.

 

A seemingly chance encounter with Z, leader of the most feared independent crew, offers Duff his opportunity to score a Relic. And offers Z a chance to relieve the guilt he feels over his past.

 

But a company assassin has plans to lay waste to Duff’s future, and the orphanage as well.

Guest Post on Character Creation

There is a ton of advice about how to create characters. I’ve seen questionnaires, character sheets, and archetype cards. Even methods where you write a job and adjective to start.

I started playing D&D I the third grade. So I’ve created hundreds of characters for D&D campaigns over the years. The nice thing about that process is the templates and combination choices are laid out for you. I’ll create a favored soul because the party needs a healer. But I don’t truly know them until the first battle or difficult choice.

So for me, the stats on a page are not enough. What color their eyes were didn’t play into if my new favored soul runs into battle and drags out a downed comrade or is hyperventilating in the corner.

I think of character creation as a process to get to know your characters. So for me being a pantser, I have to interact with them to make sense of who they are.  Almost like when you meet a person for the first time. Very few people come out and give you their life story. (Most of us would run away from those that do over-share with the flimsiest of excuses.)

So I will journal from their POV about whatever is bothering them at the moment.

I will put them in a scene and apply pressure to see what they do.

I will interview them. This can be fun if you can get someone else to ask you the questions and you answer as the character.

Yes, I will need to write down what color their eyes are and other quirks, but this tends to come out later. After I’ve determined if they sneak away when the going gets tough, or sound the battle cry and join the rest of the party in battle.

About the Author

Claudia Blood’s early introduction to Dungeons and Dragons, combined with her training as a scientist and a side trip into the world of IT set her up to become an award-winning author of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Find the Author

Website: http://www.ClaudiaBlood.com
Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorClaudiaBlood
Facebook: http://bit.ly/ClaudiasAdventurersFB
Twitter: twitter.com/AuthorClauBlood
Instagram: instagram.com/authorclaudiablood
Short Story give away for newsletter sign up: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/knyz61msub

Buy the Book

https://books2read.com/CompanyAssassin
https://books2read.com/HorizonFound
https://books2read.com/TimeRift

Yes, there is a giveaway

The author will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter here to win.

This post is part of a tour sponsored by Goddess Fish. Check out all the other tour stops. If you drop by each of these and comment, you will greatly increase your chances of winning.

My Favorite Excerpt

Matilda from Chapter 4

Matilda sat at the table and threaded the needle. The demon alarm still buzzed in the background. She’d given the kids their assignments and tried to act as normal as possible. She didn’t want them worried about Duff or the demons since even the orphanage had company supplied protections. As long as they stayed in the orphanage, they should be fine.

Miss CuddleBug, Sheila’s doll, needed some surgery. Usually this sort of activity would calm Matilda. She checked her nails and saw the distinctive purple at the base that meant her nanites were activated. She took a deep breath and used the mantras her father had taught her.

Peace is within my reach.

Breathe and breathe again.

“Will Miss CuddleBug be well?” Sheila stood on her tip-toes to see her dolly on the table.

“I’ll get her fixed up.” Matilda stroked Sheila’s hair. Sheila’s complexion grayed. Matilda snatched her hand back. She had to be careful with the little ones when she was this worked up.

Thank you!

Claudia Blood — we appreciate your sharing your book Company Assassin with us! Best of luck with sales, and with all of your future writing.