I recently had the pleasure of interviewing J. Todd Kingrea, an acclaimed post-apocalyptic fantasy author. We spoke about the importance of worldbuilding in his writing, the challenges he has faced as a writer, and his future projects. Read on to find out what he has to say!
The Crimson Fathers (The Deiparian Saga) – In a post-apocalyptic world where tyranny and medieval torture reign supreme and witch burnings are an everyday occurrence, a top Witchfinder must confront the very Church he serves when he learns of its dark past and twisted plans for the future.
With the Fifth Order in complete control of the Church of the Deiparous, Malachi Thorne and his friends must find “the Flame,” a powerful weapon which may be the only chance they have of halting the evil of the Crimson Fathers.
As they navigate the Tex’ahn lands and work with the resistance, Thorne discovers a devastating secret that may destroy them all and everything they have worked for.
Filled with swift action, unusual creatures, dungeon crawls, and an engaging cast of characters, The Crimson Fathers is a must-read for fans of epic fantasy and post-apocalyptic fiction.
What is the PRIMARY benefit, above all others, that your potential reader will gain from reading this book? I hope that readers will be challenged to consider their own personal freedoms in the face of hierarchical bureaucracies and institutions. What does it mean to be “free”? What freedoms are we (as individuals, communities, states, provinces, or nations) willing to surrender, and for what reasons?
Surrendering our freedoms—or turning a blind eye to those who lose their freedoms—inevitably leads to catastrophe, oppression, and tyranny. The compliance camps in The Crimson Fathers are designed to draw parallels to the Nazi’s concentration camps during World War II. The scenes and descriptions of the compliance camps come from historical accounts. If that causes someone to do a little reading and research and find out more about the Holocaust, then that’s a good thing. If this trilogy causes people to pause and reflect on our common humanity, rather than the differences that’re so often used to keep us apart, I’d like to think it’s accomplished something positive.
I also hope readers realize that contrary to some religious teaching, it’s okay to ask questions of one’s faith. Doubts don’t have to be seen as bad or taboo. It’s in the search for answers to our doubts that faith can grow stronger.
If you had to compare this book to any other book out there, which book would it be? Several reviewers of The Witchfinder (Book I in the Deiparian Saga) noted that it reminded them of Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series. Hey, I’m good with that! Another reviewer of The Crimson Fathers likened it to The Empire Strikes Back, a fitting comparison since I wanted this book to be heavier and darker than The Witchfinder.
Hundreds of thousands of books come out every year. Why should someone buy THIS book? Well, the book has a magical system that’s different from so many others. In the Deiparian Saga, magic is a commodity. It’s finite. There’s only so much of it to go around. The witches can renew their energy through the magic inherent in nature, but that only goes so far. Finding and possessing ancient magic, which the Crimson Fathers do, thrusts them into positions of great power.
As we continue to follow the characters introduced in The Witchfinder, we learn more about the identity of the Crimson Fathers. We get secondary characters imprisoned inside a compliance camp. While there’s a pretty standard search-for-a-magical-item trope, the item in question turns out to be less beneficial than anticipated. In fact, it actually leads to a traumatic change in one character.
I also believe the setting to be pretty unique. It’s post-apocalyptic in that it takes place in a dystopian future following an extinction-level event, but so much time has passed that human society has been able to return to a medieval-level of technology.
Who is your target audience? The series is built for fans of adult epic fantasy (such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Sapkowski’s Witcher series, etc.), but also fans who appreciate dystopian, post-apocalyptic settings. It’s an interesting mix of ruined cityscapes (like in all those Mad Max-inspired Italian rip-off films from the 1980s) and medieval society. The Witchfinder has received positive reviews from men and women in their teens all the way up to the late 60s. It’s accessible to the YA crowd even though it’s aimed more for adults.
Someone may ask if the Deiparian Saga is similar to George R.R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones”-inspired series. The answer is no. The Witchfinder, The Crimson Fathers, and Bane of the Witch (Book III due in 2024) doesn’t have that kind of court intrigue and political jockeying. Mine don’t delve far into that. In addition, the cast of characters is smaller. Readers can follow a few select characters rather than the massive courts of each house in Martin’s work.
Did your environment or upbringing play a major role in your writing and did you use it to your advantage? I wouldn’t say a major role, but it did have an influence. I’m an only child. I grew up on a dead-end street with no other kids around, so a lot of my playtime involved making up things. I’ve always had an active imagination because of that. In 1979 and 1980 I discovered “Dungeons & Dragons.” My friends and I took to that very quickly.
As was true for most of us back then, I read Tolkien’s The Hobbit (still one of my favorite books of all time) and The Lord of the Rings, which solidified my love of fantasy. Being an only child and with no friends within walking distance, reading became a favorite pastime so I burned through all of the “Conan” books by R.E. Howard, Lin Carter, etc., read up on Norse mythology, and went on to work my way through the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, the Pern series by Anne McCaffrey, and the Myth series by Robert Asprin.
Tell us your most rewarding experience since publishing your work? I’d have to say that would be hearing from readers who’ve enjoyed the books. Whether at cons, signings, or online, it’s great to hear how something you’ve created made an impact on someone else. It’s a key reason why I always read the reviews that readers leave. If they take the time to share their thoughts, I feel it’s my responsibility to honor that.
How would you describe your writing style? That’s a good question. Since I’m writing fiction it’s narrative with a good bit of descriptive worked in. Part of my style is being too wordy, which means I have to do a lot of editing! Every first draft is a raw, unpolished mess but my goal with it is to simply tell the story. Get it out of my head and onto paper. Every draft thereafter is all about finding the best way to tell the story through editing, revisions, etc.
Are your characters pure fiction, or did you draw from people you know? All of the characters are pure fiction except for Malachi Thorne. There’s definitely some of me in him.
Are you more of a character artist or a plot-driven writer? I’m definitely a plot-driven writer. I need to have a sense of where the story is going. After that, I can create characters, settings, and scenes to fit the plot. I think that comes from my early years of freelancing for the “Call of Cthulhu” role-playing game. I had to create the story outline and key scenes, but other gamers would be supplying the characters to play through it. So, it’s always been easier for me to lay out a plot and start there.
What do you hope to accomplish with your book other than selling it? Ultimately, I’d like to be able to retire early and concentrate on writing full-time! Since that’s probably not likely to happen (but I can still dream, eh?) I hope to offer stories that people will enjoy and tell their friends about.
How can our readers get in touch with you?
My website is http://www.jtoddkingrea.net.
I’m on Facebook (JToddKingrea), Instagram (JToddKingrea), and on Twitter (@JToddKingrea).
My email address is jtoddkingrea@yahoo.com.
Where can our readers purchase your book?
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7SKHJ6K?th=1&psc=1&geniuslink=true
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-crimson-fathers-j-todd-kingrea/1141864915?ean=9781643973197
Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Crimson-Fathers/J-Todd-Kingrea/9781643973197?id=8601680889974
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781643973197
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-crimson-fathers-j-todd-kingrea/18696764?ean=9781643973197
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-crimson-fathers/j-todd-kingrea/9781643973197
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=eN99EAAAQBAJ
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-crimson-fathers
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-crimson-fathers/id6443224876
