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Author Insight
What inspired Sunshine Over Hero?
I wanted to write a vampire story—but my vampire had other plans. Viktor arrived on the page sharp-toothed and strong-willed, and refused to behave like a proper creature of the night. The story had to twist around him, not the other way around. I also wanted to write something a little funnier than usual. Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books were in the back of my mind, and while I can't claim his brand of genius, I like to think some of my own odd humor found its way in. And, of course, a few familiar voices were ready to return. Sunshine, Raphael, Iggy, and Cutter—all from The Channeler Trilogy—weren’t done talking. This book gave them room to grow, laugh, and raise a little chaos. Whether you're new to Liamec or have been here before, I hope Sunshine Over Hero brings a smile, a shiver, and a few surprises.
Book Excerpt
Sunshine Over Hero
The hero strode boldly, one might almost say heroically, down the dusty dirt lane that led toward the town of Hero. Looking at him, you could tell he was a hero. And, if you didn’t see it in his confident stride, you could never have overlooked his heroic accouterments.A fire imp flickered in and out of visibility on his shoulder. His sword, its shining blade barely visible at the top of the sheath that held it to his belt, was clearly of the enchanted variety. There was also something about the man, something that yelled hero. And if you were deaf enough not to hear that, the piece of paper in his hand was a broadside that he had clearly pulled off a wall in some neighboring town. The caption at the top of the page read, “Hero Needed! Are you a hero? The town of Hero needs a hero! Anyone non-heroic need not apply.”There was an intersection in the road. Behind the hero to the west was the bridge over the Westhaven River. The road continued east toward the mist-shrouded Blue Mountains in the distance. To the south, a village’s wooden gate and thatched roofs could be seen past open rolling grain fields. The ripe golden wheat ears glowed in the sunshine.At the side of the road, pointing toward the village in the distance, was a marker stone, reading simply, “Hero.” These stones were common in the kingdom of Liamec. They marked intersections and directed people to the nearest towns. With the observational abilities that were part of his hero skill set, the hero noticed something unusual about this stone. There was more space on the marker after the end of the “Hero” text. A lot more. He frowned, put his finger on his dimpled chin somewhat heroically, and wondered if the village name had been changed from something longer.The hero was a tall, strong-looking young man. He was dressed in armor that looked like it had been designed to strike a balance between being protective and still allowing fast movement. He wore a vest of chain mail, lightweight leather leggings, boots that looked like they had been hand-crafted, and a metal helmet that glinted in the sun. The helmet was a unique piece. It protected his head without compromising visibility while looking vaguely like its design had derived from a cooking pot at some point. One might have thought for a second that the dusty backpack on his back detracted from his heroicness, but even a hero needs to carry things, right?“So, Iggy,” said the young man, turning to look at the fire imp fading into visibility on his shoulder as he spoke. “It looks like our destiny is leading us into the town of Hero.”The fire imp, a small, tailed, winged creature whose bark-textured gray skin radiated warmth, turned its cat-like eyes toward the hero and said firmly, “Burn!” After this pronouncement, it disappeared again, fading until the only thing visible was a thin wisp of smoke on the hero’s shoulder.A peevish voice rose from the partially sheathed sword at the hero’s belt. “Why are you talking to him? That’s all he ever says. I can actually carry on a conversation.”
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