Author Joseph Lallo

Images provided by JL.
Graphics Design by
@2014 Danni (Ellie) Williams.
All Rights Reserved.

Ellie

The Fantastical Reads Event kicked off and to help celebrate it is our first Author, Joseph Lallo.

Hey Joseph!

Joseph

Hi,

I’m happy to be working with you.

Ellie

As am I, as am I

I hope my questioning hasn’t been too gruelling for you these past few days Lol

Joseph

No, not at all, the questions have been fine.

Ellie

Excellent, okay. Welcome hun to my first ever, Author2Author Blog Chat of 2014, and new show; ‘New Guests’.

~Joseph, smiles and Nods~

Ellie

Okay so I’d like to tell our readers a little about you, they can find this information on your Amazon author page, is that right?

Joseph

Yes, yes it is.

~Smiles~

Ellie

~Smiles~

Excellent okay, so, Joseph is a residence of New Jersey.

Joseph

Regarding the Amazon Bio, the only thing I should change is that I am no longer a resident of Bayonne, I am merely a native of Bayonne. I moved to a different town in New Jersey since then.

Ellie

Ah okay cool, thanks for that.

It also says on your Amazon Bio; - Joseph Lallo is an unlikely entry into the world of literature. After a childhood spent daydreaming and reading, he fully intended to pursue a career in the tech sector. He received a Master's Degree in Computer Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology, and subsequently got a job working IT for a large healthcare corporation. Things changed when, in January 2010, his friends finally convinced him to publish the story that had accumulated over the course of a decade of spare time. That story, now known as the Book of Deacon Trilogy, was a surprise hit, and once he got a taste of the world of indie writing, he was hooked. Now he splits his time between crunching numbers at his day job, writing novels at night, and writing articles and reviews for BrainLazy.com, a group blog he helps run. His latest novels are Bypass Gemini and Unstable Prototypes, the first two books of a science fiction series.

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Ellie

Image provided by JL

Right on here I’ll just chat with you a bit about your book;  ‘The Rise of the Red Shadow (The Book of Deacon)’.

Kindle Version £1.96/ $3.23.

Paperback £9.19/ $14.40.       

Kindle version: 439 pages. Publication: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.  

ISBN: 1490952942 

ASIN: B00E7G479I.

Paper Version: 438 pages. Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (August 22, 2013).  ISBN-10: 1490952942

ISBN-13: 978-1490952949.

Your average Customer Review is 4.8 out of 5 stars.

And your Amazon Bestsellers Rank is #11,451 in Kindle, and #458,042 in Books.  

Congrats! :)

Book Blurb:

Every story must begin somewhere.

For the warrior who would come to be known as the fearsome ‘Red Shadow’, the story began in a forgotten glade deep in the land of Tressor. It was there that a pair of trackers, eager to retrieve a lost slave, instead found an orphaned malthrope. Had it been a human, it might have been treated with compassion, but in the eyes of human society a malthrope was a monster, a mix of fox and man believed to be a murderer and thief by its very nature. The beast was to be sold for a handful of silver, but fate intervened in the form of an old blind slave named Ben. Under the learned hand of the one human who believed in his potential, the young malthrope would instead be given the wisdom to take his first steps on the long journey to his destiny.

The Rise of the Red Shadow chronicles the early life of one of the most mysterious figures of the Book of Deacon trilogy, the creature called Lain. It tells of his years working and learning on a Tresson plantation until a dark day of vengeance and bloodshed finally set him free. From there you will follow as he finds his place in the world, learning what it is to be a malthrope, and turning to the purpose that will guide him for the rest of his days. It is a story of love, hate, and lessons hard-learned, revealing the painful choices one must make to become the hero the world needs.

Image provided by JL

Reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous reading. 21 Dec 2013

By Sarah - Great to get an understanding behind the character really enjoyed reading this book as I did the others, but I have read them all too quickly.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant, 19 Sep 2013

By Jeffrey W. Turner (Wales) - A must read ! just wish i`d read this one first, now i want to read the others again !!!!!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it, 18 Jan 2014

By Louise41 - Another fab book, have loved the whole series. This one definitely needs to be read after the original trilogy though. Just wish it didn't have to end there, I want to read more about Lain!!

3.0 out of 5 stars The rise of the red shadow, 12 Jan 2014

By mags - It started off with a very good story line love the character but it seemed to fall away Margaret parkhill

5.0 out of 5 stars RED SHADOW, 21 Dec 2013

By MINI1346 - REALLY ENJOYED THIS EVEN THOUGH I HAD READ THE REST OF THE SEQUEL THIS. WAS An INSIGHT INTO THE MAIN CHARACTER EVEN THOUGH I KNEW HE WOULD SURVIVE BECAUSE HE WAS IN ALL THE OTHER BOOKS THE STORY OF HOW HE DEVELOPED WAS INTRIGUING

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Series, 29 Nov 2013

By Megan Sharkey - Great series with good plot. I really enjoyed reading it needing to start the next book as soon as I'd finished the last - that's the beauty of e-books!

5.0 out of 5 stars tremendous, 12 Nov 2013

By Martin Sear "weasel_lover"  I enjoyed every page of this wonderfully written tale. reading about the life of the red shadow was fascinating, emotional end exciting. i have not read the deacon trilogy but after this i most certainly will. an excellent book which i thoroughly enjoyed.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good prequel, 11 Nov 2013

By Mountbatten4 - A good choice of prequel character to follow. Doesn't fully explain all Lain's actions in the Book of Deacon trilogy though. Enjoyed reading more about Entwell- potential for more stories to be set around that place.

 

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Ellie

Is there any chance that we could have a snippet of your work?

~smirks~

Maybe a few paragraphs from your book that we can show our readers what they got to look forward too when reading your book?  

~Tries her sweet, innocent, but cheesy smile~

~Joseph laughs~

Joseph

Okay, here is a pair of snippets from the book.

Ellie

Yesssssss!!

Joseph

It’s an excerpts of about 1000 words:

In his shack, Ben woke to the sound of rain. He was pleased to discover that, though they may have cared little about the wind, the owners of the plantation knew enough to keep the rain off of their tools. The roof was perhaps the only fully intact part of the entire structure. At least he would be dry. For the most part, anyway. Here and there a gust of wind forced itself through the drafty walls and brought a spritz of water with it. Rather than wake up with a damp blanket, and no doubt catch his death of cold, the old man reluctantly climbed from his cot to shuffle it a bit farther from the wall.

“First thing in the morning, I see where the wind is getting in, and see what I can do to fix it,” he muttered to himself.

Once he was satisfied that he was out of reach of even the most motivated leaks, he rolled himself onto the canvas of the cot and lay his head upon the bundle of cloth that served as a pillow. The instant sleep began to claim him though, a scratch at his door shook him from his doze. For a moment, he dismissed the noise, assuming it was a bit of bramble or an errant tree branch broken free by the wind. When it turned to an insistent hammering on the door, Ben groggily hoisted himself to his feet again.

“What is it? Whoever it is, haven’t you got the sense to stay out of the rain?” he grumbled, removing the brace from the door and easing it open a crack.

Even the whisper of an opening brought a veritable stream of water spattering to the ground by the door. It also brought a sudden pressure as something heaved itself desperately at the opening and scrabbled to get through.

“What in blazes?”

“In! In!” the malthrope squealed, trying his very best to wedge his head through the tiny opening.

“No, no, no! Out you go!” Ben growled, nudging the thing’s nose with his foot as he forced the door shut.

“In you go! In you go!” the creature whined from the other side of the door, ramming against the solid planks with all of the force his spindly frame could muster.

The creature may not have been very large, but he was determined. The rattling had dislodged the brace from where Ben had left it, and as the blind man leaned low to reach for it, one last clash shook the door just enough to rob him of his balance. The old man tumbled down, the door flew open, and the malthrope exploded into the shed. By the time Ben managed to get the door shut and braced again, he was soaked and muttering a fresh batch of profanities from his seemingly bottomless supply of them.

“Where are you, you little devil!?” he hissed.

Ben held still and tried to listen past the rattle of the walls and patter of the rain. There hadn’t been the clatter of tools when the thing had burst inside. Thanks to the need to use every last morsel of space within the shed for storage, the only place a beast might be able to hide without disturbing a crate of tools or a pile of materials was a cramped little corner beneath the old man’s cot. He crept a bit closer and crouched low, listening. Sure enough, there was panting breath and the drumming of a panicked heart. Working out as best he could where the creature’s tail ought to be, he raked his fingers across the earth and managed to grab it near its base. With the beast firmly in hand, he hauled him out into the open. The creature didn’t even struggle.

If Ben had his vision, the old man would have been treated to a truly pathetic sight. The little thing was drenched from head to toe, robbing him of his fluffiness and revealing how scrawny and gangly he really was. His paw-like hands were caked with mud from his escape, and more of the stuff smudged his rags and matted his fur. The beast twisted his head and looked up at Ben miserably, water dripping in a continuous stream and pooling on the floor. Even without seeing, Ben could feel that the little thing was chilled to the bone and shivering. He found himself feeling a dash of pity in spite of himself.

“We’ve had very little luck keeping you in that pen of yours,” Ben reasoned out loud. “And we’ve had very little luck keeping you out of the grain storehouse. If I toss you out, you’ll just burrow your way into this place, or pry up a piece of the roof, or some other destructive bit of ingenuity, and then I’m stuck fixing it . . . so, tonight . . . if you don’t make a nuisance of yourself . . . and you don’t touch anything . . . I’ll let you stay in here.”

“In?” the creature said hopefully.

The old man lowered his unwelcome guest to the ground, but as soon as the malthrope's paws touched the damp floor, he tried to bolt for the cot again.

“No!” Ben scolded, yanking the tail. “You stay here! Out in the open. Where I don’t have to crawl around to get you. You understand? Right here!”

Each time he said the word “here,” it was punctuated by a sharp downward point of the free hand. The malthrope watched his finger.

“Here?” his guest asked, head cocked to the side once more.

“Stay here,” Ben said with a nod.

“Shtay here,” the malthrope attempted, mimicking the motion more successfully than the phrase.

“Yes,” Ben said. “And you do not touch anything. No games, no snatching things away. No touching.”

“No-touching.” The phrase was spoken as a single word.

Ben slowly loosened his grip. The creature didn’t run, instead crouching on the ground and lightly shaking away some of the water still clinging to him.

“Good. Now don’t make me regret this decision too badly,” he remarked, easing himself back into the cot.

The creature watched, tail swishing back and forth, as the old man drifted to sleep again. Then the little thing curled up and released a contented sigh through his nose, falling asleep for the first time in too long without the blackness of solitude heavy in his chest.

853 words:

That first year had been a good one. Jarrad’s gamble with the new land and larger rakka production had paid off, and his plantation flourished as a result. True to his word, he did much to reward his workers. Wooden tools were largely replaced with metal, and gloves and boots thick enough to withstand the vicious rakka thorns were provided to all. Even Ben felt the benefits, as the new tools required him to take on metal working, requiring an anvil and furnace. That meant a new room added to his shack, which, in turn, gave the creature a place to sleep without getting in the way any longer.

Of course, while a blind man can do a great many things by hand and by ear, one cannot hope to shape hot metal without sight. Perhaps predictably, in the early days, it was Gurruk who worked the steel. When he first took on the task, the flaring flame and pounding hammer terrified the little malthrope, sending him scurrying into the workshop for protection from Ben.

“Calm yourself,” the blind man said irritably. He was at work sharpening the teeth of a saw. It was a slow and tedious process, and having a trembling beast clutching at one's legs wasn't terribly helpful.

“Why is he doing that? Why doesn't he stop?” the creature whispered urgently.

“He's doing that because that is how metal is shaped.”

“But . . . metal is hard. How can you shape something that's so hard?”

“You shape it in the same way that you shape anything else. With something harder. You can't make something harder, or sharper, or better, without testing it against something stronger. It's the same way with anything else.”

“Anything?”

“Anything. Iron sharpens iron. That goes for men as well as metal.”

“Men? How?”

“Ask the people heading into the Cave of the Beast.”

“What?”

Ben sighed and set the task aside for a moment, scolding himself for mentioning the place. It was a fine story, and as such the little beast surely wouldn't let him finish his job without hearing it from beginning to end.

“In the north, in the Nameless Empire . . .” Ben began.

Gurruk stopped hammering and spat on the ground at the mention of the land to the north. The malthrope ducked a little lower behind Ben's chair.

“Why did he do that?” he asked.

“Because we are at war with the Nameless Empire.”

“Why?”

“One story at a time, you little devil. Now, in the land to the north, as far east as you can go, there are mountains. At the foot of these mountains there is a very thick forest. At the very deepest part of the forest, where the trees and the mountains meet, there is a cave. They call it the Cave of the Beast. It is called that because there is a creature that lives inside. None have seen the beast and returned to tell the tale, but sometimes if you listen closely you can hear it roar with a force that makes the very mountain tremble. Those warriors who fancy themselves the best in the world make their way to this cave, with hopes of besting the beast.”

“You said no one has come back.”

“That's right.”

“So they all die?”

“One must assume.”

“Why would they do it?”

“Well, it is said that the man who defeats the beast will be hailed the world over as the greatest warrior who ever lived. There have been rewards offered, but most of those who test themselves against the beast do it for the glory. They say that killing the beast is proof of greatness, that no one but the strongest and most skilled of warriors could strike down the monster.”

“Do you think that?”

Ben sat for a moment. “You can't fight someone without learning something. Every clash with every foe leaves each a bit stronger and a bit wiser. This creature, if it exists, has faced hundreds and hundreds of the best the world had. And it has bested them all. Imagine what it has learned in that time. And imagine what one might learn by facing it.”

A sudden startling hiss erupted from the other room as Gurruk quenched the horseshoe he had been shaping in a bucket of water. The sound launched the malthrope into a run, scurrying out the door.

“That's all for today, old man,” he said, setting down the hammer. “The fourth shoe can wait until tomorrow.”

“Very well. Put the hammer back where it belongs,” Ben said.

Gurruk rolled his eyes and slid the hammer into the other room. “You talk to that thing like it is a proper child,” the dwarf remarked.

“Perhaps if I treat it like a proper child, it will grow into a proper adult.”

Gurruk grunted and wandered out the door. A moment later, Ben heard the malthrope scurry back in. As he went back to work on the saw, he heard the hammer slide across the ground and, amid much pattering of feet and huffing in effort, hung on the proper hook.

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Ellie

I love the book cover, I see that someone by the name of Nick Deligaris did your cover.

How did you come about finding Nick and this cover?

Joseph

My original cover was homemade. I’m no artist and the cover made it quite clear that it wasn’t the work of a pro. After an unexpected sales bump put some money in my pocket, I decided to look for a professional to make some new covers. I typed “Epic Fantasy” into the search box of DeviantArt.com and eventually found a picture by Nick, which was remarkably like the climax of my second book. Later a friend of mine did a search of his own and linked the very same picture. I decided to contact Nick and he turned out to be willing to craft some covers for me. He’s been my artist ever since. The Rise of the Red Shadow’s cover was the result of me describing the character’s appearance and attitude and letting Nick work his magic. We’ve got a good business relationship, and he’s been very swift and professional.

~Ellie smiles~

Ellie

That’s awesome! I might look him up myself for future projects, thanks Joseph!

Ellie

Okay so, you’re deffo gunna use him again for future workings then?

Joseph

Absolutely! He’s actually already created a cover for my next book to be published, and I’ve got him working on the one after that as well.

 ~Ellie Laughs~

Ellie

You said that you’re original cover was homemade. So that’s one other one to the one you have now, were there many more?

Joseph

There was a sketched version of the cover, and a few with different color temperatures, but we mostly work out the contents of the cover in words before, Nick starts drawing. Ever since the second sci-fi book, my books have been starting off with a Nick cover rather than whatever I could scrape together, so there’s no homemade covers for this one.

Ellie

Okay, so is ‘The Rise of the Red Shadow’ book one of three in your ‘The Book of Deacon’ chronicles?

~Joseph sucks in a breath of air~

Joseph

That’s kind of tricky. I think I’m officially numbering it as “Book 0.5”. There is already a book 1, called ‘The Book of Deacon’, but this is a prequel to that book, so it is something of a background story for the main trilogy.

Ellie

Ah oh my god cool! So who or what is Deacon and why the book of Deacon, in that case?

 ~Ellie giggles~

~Joseph laughs~

Joseph

Deacon is a wizard in the main trilogy, and he is the ‘author’ of the story, so to speak. Each book has a short passage written from his point of view (though he never refers to himself by name), and the story is intended to be based on the notes he can be seen jotting down throughout his appearances in the books. It is, within the context of the story, quite literally his book.

Ellie

Spoiler alert!

~Ellie Laughs~

Ellie

Just kidding! So what is a Malthrope?

(For those who don’t know).

Joseph

A malthrope is a creature within the Book of Deacon setting. They appear to be a cross between a human and a fox, though within the story it is indicated that they are their own creature and “not half of anything”. They are extremely rare, and are generally believed to be murderous and thieving by their very nature. This has caused them to be hunted nearly to extinction. Those that remain are forced to use their keen senses and sharp wit to stay hidden and eke out a survival.

Ellie

And what or who is a Lain?

Joseph

Lain is a malthrope from the story, though he doesn’t earn that name until late in the story. In the Book of Deacon Trilogy he is a notorious assassin, as well as a key figure in the defense of his world. In this book we see as he slowly works his way toward that status through determination and training.

~Ellie flicks her page for the next question~

Ellie

Tell us about Tressor…What type of place is it?

Joseph

Tressor is a large, warm-weather kingdom in the setting. It is covered primarily in farmland and deserts. It is roughly medieval in development, and in places has a culture similar to Saharan Africa.

Ellie

And the life there…

Joseph

Life in Tressor is fairly pleasant. In the farming areas there is plenty of food and good hunting, and toward the coasts it has a thriving trade. Over the course of the story the land becomes increasingly embroiled in a weaker, less bountiful group of kingdoms to the north known collectively as The Northern Alliance (or the Nameless Empire by its enemies). This makes life along the northern border dangerous, but has left most of the rest of the kingdom fairly unaffected.

Ellie

And the people…

Joseph

With the exception of the coastal regions, the people are largely simple and rural. To work the massive plantations, slavery is common. Superstitions and prejudices are prevalent among the people, particularly with regard to the less advanced tribes to the south and, naturally, the malthropes.

Ellie

I love the prologue! It’s a really powerful entrance to start off it all.

What does this mean to you, and how did you come up with it?

Joseph

Well, each book in the series (for the most part) begins with a statement from the ‘author’ of the book, explaining to the reader why the scribe of the setting recorded the story. Basically why they believe it is important. This is the story of Lain, who would never have chosen to be a hero, and is nothing like what one might imagine when searching for one. I wanted talk a bit about the fact that people don’t always start their life trying to be great, but sometimes life requires greatness of them, and a hero is simply someone who stepped up to fill the need when the need arose.

 ~Ellie smiles~

Ellie

Inspiring… And it is even more inspiring when your work is so beautifully presented.

~Joseph smiles~

Joseph

Thanks!

Ellie

You are most welcome

~Ellie clears throat~

Ellie

Okay and what type of response do you get from readers or critics?

Joseph

The Rise of the Red Shadow is one of my best reviewed books. It is fair to say that most of the readers have read The Book of Deacon trilogy, so many of them were hungry for more about this character anyway, but I’ve seen more than a few reviews from people who were introduced to the series with this book, and they seem to like it just as much as the longtime fans. For such an outsider, Lain really seems to connect with many readers.

Ellie

So I should probably start from the beginning then

~Ellie laughs~

Ellie

Have you ever been told to tone it down a little? Or you need more?

Joseph

This is a book about a character growing into his future role as an assassin, and even more it is a book about a character enduring terrible hatred throughout his life. A few readers have suggested that the violence could be a bit much at times, but most seem to feel that I “cut away” from the really gory stuff and didn’t dwell on violence for violence’s sake, so I’m pleased with that.

Ellie

So it’s like watching them grow up basically. An excellent read for those who love the characters and want to read first-hand what made them the people they have become. Excellent! Love it.

 ~Ellie shakes Joseph’s hand~

Ellie

Thank you so much for coming on today Joseph, I know you’re a busy guy and of course today is the second day to the Fantastical Reads Event, and you are one of our staring Authors.

~Ellie Giggles~

~Joseph smiles~

Joseph

No, thank you.

Ellie

For those of you whom don’t know what the Fantastical Reads Event is, head over to the Event taking place now, worldwide, on Facebook!

I have been covering the event since its start yesterday, and I will be covering the event every-day until the end, which is the 8^th Feb.

The event is hosted by ‘Clean Indies’, and presented by yours truly and Author, Michael Lorde. You just have to get involved.

Joseph Lallo was our first guest of the 7, nominated Authors of the Fantastical Reads Event. Tomorrow’s Author is R.K.Ryals, with her work; Tempest.

If I were you, i'd be heading over to Author2Author 2014 as soon as you're done here to where I'll be continuing my full in depth interview with Joseph and his other workings.

You didn’t think I was finished with him just yet did you lol :P

Image provided by M.E.L