Inside the Insanity: *Book Tour & Giveaway* The Guardian Trilogy-GUEST POST

Prophecy of the Guardian

Guardian Trilogy Book 1

by J.W. Baccaro

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Ultimate edition. Includes map of Seventh-Realm Earth, character and creature list.

"Not darkness, not light, perhaps something in between, and is claimed by the darkness...as theirs. Though being saved by the light, that which is saved must in turn save the world..."

Darshun Luthais has never experienced the Nasharin Frenzy—the unbending will to challenge a stronger opponent, no matter the cost. He doesn’t know what he will transform into, has never bonded with an elemental crystal and has never seen any of the unearthly creatures his father talks about. Even though he’s an infant in Nasharin years, his life consists of nothing but constant training, striving to unlock the sleeping power his so-called accursed race is born with.

But all that changes when he is pursued by a Dream Assassin in the dead of night. What he witnesses will forever change his outlook on life and lead him on a quest only the strongest can complete.

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The Coming of the Light

Guardian Trilogy Book 2

The Wizard Crystals of the Elements have fallen into the hands of the Demon Lord Abaddon, reshaped to evil and forever corrupted they no longer can serve the Light. Abaddon now patiently waits in his northern kingdom for the coming of Saruinkai—the evening when the greatest spirits of Darkness rule the skies, and when he will unleash the power of the crystals against their own elements, sweeping destruction across the earth.

The Light's hope now lies in the young Nasharin warrior Darshun Luthais—the chosen Guardian, for he is the key to stopping Abaddon's black magic and end the war once and for all. But to do so he must cross over into Abaddon’s kingdom, and that means destroying the one who guards the border, a fallen angelic Throne—the secret to Asgoth's three-hundred-year Rule and invincibility.

Led by the elvish lord Caelestias, Darshun and his companions must seek out and destroy the Throne, encounter a witch, and a horde of other vile creatures, only to stir up the entirety of Asgoth, coming face to face with them, a battle that will determine the fate of the world.

“...a sign to tell this overruling darkness that the Light is coming. Let them be the ones to try and pass through us for once. Their ungodly Rule and ways of cruelty has gone on far too long. Let them feel the terror they love to inflict in others...just this once...” ~Darshun Luthias~

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Piercing the Darkness

Guardian Trilogy Book 3

While the Demon Lord Abaddon prepares to cast the Spell of Destruction and wipe out the glories of the earth for his own void of evil, Darshun Luthais, after a long oppressive journey, attempts to eradicate the source of his dark magic, the sacrificial Unholy Altar. But when the Dragon Gods unleash their barricade of fire the Delibious—a mystic realm of darkness, flames and witchery—Darshun must find a way through without tearing his soul from existence and save the earth from the coming annihilation.

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J.W. Baccaro is the author of Prophecy of the Guardian and Blood Dreams. Always a lover of creativity, from works of literature to writing music with his electric guitar; even baking and cooking. When not working on his next story or lost in a good book, J.W. enjoys kicking back with a couple of tasty craft beers and binging on Kaiju movies, 80’s action flicks, Japanese animation and slasher films (particularly the one involving a hockey mask). Heck, he even enjoys a good romantic comedy. He lives in upstate NY with his wife Melissa, his son Alexander, his German Shepherd and his three cats.

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GUEST POST

What inspired you to write this book?

I’ve always loved classic Good versus Evil tales. True they are a dime a dozen, filled with similar tropes and sometimes a bit cliché. You know, light versus darkness, one chosen character to rid the world of this monstrous evil, magical items, etc. etc. However, just when you think you’ve read something like this before, as soon as you’re enveloped into the story, you see how the tale carries its own uniqueness. Of course, there will be similarities, I can find that in just about every bestselling epic fantasy/sci-fi I read, but each story carries its own flair.

I love when a villain or even a hero begins to question their path, wondering if the task they are trying to accomplish is the right thing to do. Perhaps the Light has a point? Perhaps the Darkness has a point, and looking a little deeper, maybe, just maybe the Light (or whom we call our heroes), isn’t so perfect after all. Besides, all of us know the world is far beyond mere black and white. So, I took all my thoughts, likes and influences and molded them together and out came my book Prophecy of the Guardian: Book One, Guardian Trilogy.

What can we expect from you in the future?

Right now, I’m working on a book that takes place half a century after the Guardian trilogy ends, so, same world. It’s called “The Tree of Damnation.”

Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?

I thought about writing some side stories/short stories about some of my characters. I just might do that sometime…

Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Prophecy of the Guardian?

Darshun Luthais is the protagonist of the story. We meet him as an infant, cast upon an altar, moments away from being sacrificed by a cult. However, before we get to him, we are introduced by two other characters, Mirabel and Seth. We discover these two are members of the Nasharin race, a race long thought to be extinct. They are known for their monstrous powers in not only their unique magical abilities, but also in the martial arts. The Nasharin stands out from every other race within that world. They have many intriguing surprises. Most of all, they are considered a curse to the forces of the Light but are feared by the Dark.

Darshun is a happy-go-lucky character. He loves to have fun; he loves to eat (like ridiculously), he loves to fight, and he has a big heart. However, sometimes his ego gets in the way. He is flawed and must go through many trials and tribulations throughout the story. Each choice he makes impacts the war that is occurring. And sometimes his choices are not so wise, especially when led astray by his first lady love, a woman who carries her own secrets.

But you get to see Darshun grow. You laugh at his often silliness. You also root for him when he’s facing seemingly impossible odds and battles. He is probably the most developed character in the entire story.

The Dark Queen Talvenya and the mystery warrior Nayland are two other intriguing characters we meet in book one, Prophecy of the Guardian. These two are many fan favorites. They get fleshed out well during the adventure. However, I can’t say much more or I will spoil some things. The surprise behind Nayland in book one really intrigues the reader. Until you find out, you’re asking yourself “who the heck is this guy?!” And that’s because many strange things surround him, also his knowledge of things he shouldn’t know, his brilliant fighting skills and of course his dark stare and often crude mannerisms.

How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?

It definitely evolved over the course of half a decade. Remember this is a trilogy, so I had a long way to go. Some characters that survive I was originally going to kill and vice-versa. Other characters I fell in love with. They ended up taking another path I had not originally intended.

I wanted an epic tale. I wanted characters who feel like friends to the readers, characters you root for or cry for during their troubles.

I wanted the tale to be mystical, energetic, emotional and inspirational. I did not want just a bland story about fighting. There are lots of fights and battles in my Guardian trilogy, lots of epic one on one fights too, but I put every amount of emotion and detail behind them, making sure as one is reading it their imagination is greatly heightened and their hearts on edge because of the closeness you have come to feel for the characters.

Lots of magic and even some romance takes place as well, and it is one incredible ride, especially as you become attached to a few of the lead characters of the story.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

The long, oppressive journey that Darshun (our protagonist) goes through, from start to end. He learns a lot, is flawed but has a big heart. He admits his mistakes, and as the pages turn, he gets stronger physically and spiritually, which is a must before he faces his final obstacle.

Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?

Darshun loves a good time. He enjoys partying, eating and drinking, but he also loves to fight. A stronger opponent only excites him further and he will push himself to overcome that opponent. It’s not that he wants to be “better” in an ego sense. He too wants to gain those skills and better himself.

Mirabel (Darshun’s adoptive father) is a Nasharin master. He has learned it all over hundreds of years. By the time the Guardian trilogy starts, his mindset is always on his son, Darshun. He wants to train him, prepare him for what he knows is coming. Mirabel lost a son many years previous. Darshun has a special place in his heart.

The Dark Queen Talvenya loves to control. She is domineering to the point of anyone or anything crossing her path she wants to pummel into the ground. As she sees it, they are to forever remain beneath her or at her feet. She delights in cruelty. However, this is not random. There are reasons why she is the way she is. The prologue of the story, a scene where she exchanges words with a fallen lord after she dominated his men and personally committed an act of cruelty (no spoilers here). The words she says to him make us wonder…what did she mean by that? What has happened to her in the past?

Who designed your book covers?

Rosen Simeonov. I think he did a fantastic job portraying the characters and elements to the story.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

Not a single thing. I’ve been working on these babies for years, had earlier versions, revised and revised. Finally, I am happy with the Guardian Trilogy and now I can let go and move on to other tales.

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?

I honestly don’t know, but the magic and battle scenes would look fantastic on the big screen!

If you could spend time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day?

The Dark Queen Talvenya. I’d challenge her to a game of either chess, or Soulblade from playstation 1. She wins, I will be her servant, or she could turn me to stone. I win, well…I think I’ll have her mow my lawn and take care of my chores for a week. That way I get more time to write. I don’t think she’d go for it though; I’d be stone nonetheless, something for the birds to perch on. Haha!

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?

Yes, they hijack it often! They have voices of their own and demand to be listened to or they’ll just keep shouting!

Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.

A few reviewers said it is a must read. But convincing others is difficult. Still, it’s a long adventure, a wild ride, lots of mystical creatures, especially the Nasharin race. It has lots of emotion, even romance and is not just another story about how many spells can this wizard or that sorceress cast. Once the ball gets rolling and you realize what the forces of darkness are searching for, and how our heroes begin to combat them, the story will be hard to put down, that I promise you! 😊

A Nasharin warrior by the name of Darshun Luthais and a group of companions go in search for the ancient elemental crystals. Objects of great power that became lost in the second age. The enemy is also searching for them, and if found they plan on using them for weapons of mass destruction against not only the forces of Light, but the whole world, reshaping it to their likeness.

The story begins with the obliteration of the Loreladian army. Invaded by the Cullach—a half man, half boar-like race—the Loreladian people had little time to prepare and found the numbers of the Cullach to be overwhelming. Only four survive the battle, two of them Nasharin warriors (members of a supposed accursed race but live in peace with the Loreladian people). One of the Nasharins, Mirabel Luthais swears to the fallen king that he will lead the Loreladian civilians into safer lands before the Cullach arrive to claim the city, where death would surely follow.

As this journey takes place Mirabel senses the presence of another Nasharin, something he had been sensing since the Cullach invasion, only now it becomes much stronger. He finds it strange because only a handful of Nasharins remain in existence and have lived in Loreladia for the last century. Still, he cannot deny this feeling, this…pull from another living Nasharin—one whose inner power feels extraordinary.

With the help of a fellow warrior (and a horde of beasts this warrior communicates with), Mirabel rescues this Nasharin from a Cullach sacrifice. The Nasharin is just a babe, not old enough to mutter a word. And yet…the power within the child frightens Mirabel. He is not frightened of the child per se, but of what the child means, and the times they could possibly be in, or heading toward, the Prophecy of the Guardian and the Second Great War…

As so begins this heartfelt, beautiful and at times brutal story of Darshun (the Guardian) and friends.

It is involving, meeting Darshun as a baby, watching him grow as a young boy into an adolescent, learning to fight, learning who he is, and learning to love. There are many secrets that unfold and characters to meet along the way.

Darshun Luthais, however, is part of the most interesting and feared race—the Nasharin race.

The old races of Light despise Nasharins because they are considered a curse upon the earth, due to their origins. And the Dark…well, they often fear the very name Nasharin because these warrior humanoids have been known to surpass even the greatest of wizards and are also incredibly lethal in the martial arts. Each Nasharin is born with his or her own element. Once mastered, the glow they produce when calling out this power is something to be feared. It goes beyond mere magic. Everything about them changes.

Convinced yet? Please read this trilogy! 😊

If your book had a candle, what scent would it be?

Honey –Vanilla with a touch of Cinnamon? Nah, that sounds too gentle and delicious. However, the main protagonist does love his sweets. So, let’s go for that!

What did you edit out of this book?

All the mistakes I made in the earlier versions, haha.

Fun Facts/Behind the Scenes/Did You Know?'-type tidbits about the author, the book or the writing process of the book.

A fun fact about Prophecy of the Guardian:

Chapter Ten: Temptation. There’s a section where our main protagonist and his newfound lady friend are traveling up a mountain. Darkness has fallen, the stars and moon clearly visible. Perhaps a beautiful night for a seduction. Yes, that lady friend is up to something no good it seems. Anyway, once they reach the mountain top, she tells our protagonist to turn around and witness the view. One can see almost the whole landscape, every bonfire lit, every light shining within the villages far from them, even the great tree Merlin that illuminates at night.

The scene was influenced by a place my friends and I used to go to in our teens. You cross the railroad tracks out in the country, pass through a woodland, a wild meadow, another short woodland and finally you trot your way up one heck of a steep, grassy hillside until reaching its peak. At night you can see the whole town below, the city of Hudson, New York, even the lights on the bridges in Albany, New York. It’s spectacular! We called this place The Top of the World. Fun times…