GENRE: Alternate History
Before we have the intriguing blurb and excerpt, we have an interview. And here’s James!!
What is your greatest temptation:
In food: I would say it’s my incorrigible sweet tooth.
In clothes: I have a large an eclectic collection of fandom T-shirts. Especially crossovers. For example, right now I’m wearing a “Darth Nagin” T-shirt that depicts Darth Vader with a red kerchief and spiked baseball bat questioning two Rebel X-Wing pilots. Things that make a person take an extra instant to make sure their eyes aren’t deceiving them are amusing to me.
What is your greatest weakness (example: buying shoes)?
My greatest weakness is procrastination. I tend to wait until the last possible second to do something, and it has bitten me in the tail more than once. “If you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute…” does not always end well.
If you could have any kind of car, what would it be?
If gas were no object? Some sort of off-road capable utility vehicle like a souped up Land Rover.
Your dream home – mountains or ocean?
Mountain. You can do a good site survey and not build in an area prone to landslide. One never knows when the ocean might up and decide to kill you. “Huh, so this is why we couldn’t get tsunami insurance…” is not a thought I want to have.
What inspired you to become a writer?
Being an avid reader with hyperaggressive muses. I’ve always had a vivid imagination, and it prods me with ideas on a regular basis. Someday, hopefully, I’ll have enough time to hunt down and kill all the plot bunnies in my head.
Do you have a daily writing routine? If so, please share.
Not really, no.
What is your favorite book?
There’s a FB meme about this. It ends with the writer’s brain short circuiting. But, if I had a gun to my head, I’d say it’s a toss-up between The Big E (nonfiction) and Red Storm Rising or Alas, Babylon (fiction).
What is your favorite movie?
I haven’t watched it in forever, but the The Crow
Who is your favorite historical figure?
Genghis Khan. There’s something to be said about nearly being executed by your family, recovering, then going on “a roaring rampage of revenge” pursuant to conquering most of Eurasia.
In your books, who is your favorite hero and please introduce him?
In all of my books, my favorite hero (please don’t tell the rest of them) is Adam Haynes. He’s the scion of a wealthy family who so despises Fascists that he goes off to fight them in the Spanish Civil War. Coming back to the United States, he watches in horror as the Germans initiate World War II and rushes off to join the RAF. Just missing the First Battle of Britain, he is in England during the temporary truce that precedes the Second Battle of Britain in 1942. Readers meet him at the start of Acts of War as London is burning, the Royal Family is fleeing to Canada, and England proper is getting ready to leave the war.
Who is your favorite heroine and please introduce her?
Commander Leslie Hawkins, captain of the Confederation Star Ship (C.S.S.) Shigure. Leslie is a highly capable officer who has excelled in her jobs. Despite this, she has somewhat low self-esteem and issues trusting those around her. She’s the main character in “Ride of the Late Rain,” and will also make a lengthy appearance in the forthcoming Though Our Hulls Burn…
What do you have out now? Excerpt, blurb, book trailers
Acts of War
Collisions of the Damned
On Seas So Crimson (a collection of the previous two novels)
Pandora’s Memories (a novella set in the Usurper’s War universe)
An Unproven Concept (novel)
A Midwinter’s Ski (novella)
Ride of the Late Rain (novella)
After the Scythe—a post-apocalyptic novella
Barren SEAD—a nonfiction work about Vietnam air combat.
Excerpts for Acts of War and An Unproven Concept can be found at my blog, Vergassy.com.
There is also a merchandise page where you can buy art related to my book universes. The links therein will take you to Etsy. Feel free to poke around, see if there’s anything you like.
New releases anytime soon?
At the moment I’m finishing my dissertation. This means any new works will likely occur in the back half of this year.
Where can eager fans find you?In addition to my blog, I’m also on FB.
BLURB:
Adolf Hitler is dead. Great Britain has fallen. The Royal Family has fled to Canada, and the United States stands alone against the Axis.
On Seas So Crimson collects both novels of the Usurper’s War into a single package. Acts of War (Amazon Bestseller in alternate history) begins this universe with London on fire, while Collisions of the Damned (recommended by Alternate History Weekly) continues it with the desperate defense of the Dutch East Indies.
EXCERPT:
“All hands, this is the captain speaking,” Gordon began. “Shortly we will be passing by the Hood. All available hands are to turn out topside to give three cheers for His Majesty. That is all.”
Eric stepped back from the sight, his face clearly radiating his shock. Gordon smiled as he came back up towards the front of the bridge with the officer of the deck.
“The King is going into battle?” he asked incredulously. “Isn’t that a bit…”
“Dangerous?” Gordon finished for him. “Yes, but much like your situation, circumstances precluded His Majesty’s transfer to another vessel.”
“What? That doesn’t make any…”
“His Majesty was apparently aboard the Hood receiving a briefing from the First Sea Lord when the Queen Mary was torpedoed,” Gordon said, his voice cold. “We were not expecting the German surface units to be as close as they were, and it was considered imprudent to stop the Hood with at least two confirmed submarines close about. Is that sufficient explanation to you, or would you like to continue questioning our tactics?”
Eric could tell he was straining his host’s civility, but the enormity of what was at risk made him feel he had to say something.
“I’m no expert at surface tactics…”
“That much is obvious,” Gordon snapped.
“…but the Hood is a battlecruiser,” Eric finished in a rush. “While I didn’t get a great look at the Germans before they shot up me and my commander, Rawles saw at least two battleships.”
“Your concern is noted, Leftenant Cobb, but I think that you will see the Hood is a bit hardier than a dive bomber.”
Okay, I’m just going to shut up now, Eric said. I may have slept through a lot of history, but I seem to recall the last time British battlecruisers met German heavy guns it didn’t go so well. A quote about there being problems with your “bloody ships” or something similar comes to mind. The Battle of Jutland hadn’t been that long ago, as evidenced by the Warspite still being a front-line unit. Eric sincerely hoped Gordon’s confidence was well-placed.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
James Young is a Missouri native who escaped small town life via an appointment to the United States Military Academy. After completing his service in the Army, Mr. Young moved to Kansas to pursue his doctorate in U.S. History. Fiction is his first love, and he is currently the author of the Usurper’s War (alternate history), Vergassy Chronicles (space opera), and Scythefall (apocalyptic fiction) series, all of which are available via Amazon or Createspace. Currently living in the Midwest with his loving, kind, and beautiful spouse, Mr. Young spends his time completing his dissertation while plotting new, interesting ways to torment characters and readers alike. As a non-fiction author, Mr. Young has won the 2016 United States Naval Institute’s Cyberwarfare Essay contest and the U.S. Armor Center’s Draper Award for a battle analysis of the Golan Heights. He has also placed in the James A. Adams Cold War History contest held by the Virginia Military Institute and been published in the Journal of Military History (“The Heights of Ineptitude”).
Blog: https://vergassy.com/
FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/ColfaxDen/
Twitter: @Youngblai
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
James Young will be awarding a 9 x 12 print of the cover painting, “Death of Kongo” signed by the author and the artist Wayne Scarpaci (US ONLY GIVEAWAY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
FOR MORE CHANCES TO WIN AND FOR MORE FUN! FOLLOW JAMES ON HIS TOUR:
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2017/02/nbtm-on-seas-so-crimson-by-james-young.html