"Links To the Past," a Fascinating New Read from Fantasy Author, G. A. Teske

Scribal Love Welcomes G.A. (Jerry) Teske

G.A. (Jerry) Teske is an author of Fantasy.  His newest work "Links To the Past"  is available from Create Space and Amazon.com

What is the name of your latest book?  And how did you come up with the title?

Links to the Past. It is the third of four titles in the Soul Sword Chronicles. It refers to the links of the most powerful magical relic in the world, the Chain of Anyullyn.

What is this book about?  And what genre is this book in?

This is an epic fantasy story. The series is about Captain Persephelon Millan who was killed on a battlefield by an evil wizard, but awoke to find his soul trapped within his own sword. He was forced to use his skills in the service of his enemies until he discovered how to exert his own will over whoever held his blade. The sword eventually comes into the possession of a group of young people whose mission is to rescue the world from destruction by an errant moon.

In Links to the Past, Persephelon, with a few friends, must overcome betrayal by a trusted companion, the murder of family members, and the schemes of both an evil wizard king and a vile demon to successfully locate and reconstruct the legendary artifact, the Chain of Anyullyn, the only magical relic with enough power to prevent the world’s destruction.

Who is/are the main characters?  And why did you choose them?

1) Persephelon: a former captain in his country’s army, 2) Vincent Whitehorse, a savant with magical powers of light, 3) Kandlas Wicke, an elf with the magical power to manipulate invisible forces, 4) Jade and 5) Aron Dorr, a sister and brother who are basically adopted by Vincent after the murder of most of their family, and 6) Khan, a rare & mysterious gnome from whom no one ever gets a straight answer.

Most of the characters above were created by my friends for a role playing game. I adjusted their personalities and abilities to mesh with the world that I created, so their interactions, dialog, and decisions were more lifelike.

What is the coolest or best part about your book?  (Any Favorite scenes, the world-building etc…)

The parts that were the most fun writing were the interactions and dialog among the characters, especially the ones who had some animus between them. I also enjoyed creating scenes, characters, and magical abilities that were entirely original.

Do you have a favorite character in the book?  If so, why?

I think that my favorite character is Khan, the gnome. There are no dwarves in my world so the gnomes are kind of a cross between the mischievous gnomes of children’s fantasy and the dwarves in most high fantasy stories. One day he can be intelligent, sarcastic, jovial, greedy, and at another time he can be brave, resourceful, practical, or prone to mistakes. He basically helps to tie many of the scenes together with the other characters with humor, wit, and sometimes scorn.

Is this book part of a series?  If so? What can we expect in future books?

This is the third of a four book series: The Soul Sword Chronicles. Book four, the Soul Sword, will reveal whether or not the young heroes can learn to fully control the magic needed to overcome the evil forces arrayed against them. Despite their inexperience and skepticism about the value of their abilities, they must find a way to defeat an evil wizard and his armies, save the world from a multitude of demons, prevent the destruction to be wreaked by a falling moon, and finally, find a way to help Persephelon escape from the soul sword.

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

I’m sure that there are a few scenes that I would like to tweak and make more succinct. I also might like to add another chapter about the dragons and their relationship to the elves in Links to the Past.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

I think I relearned that the second and third (or more) rewrites take longer than the first draft. They are not as exciting but are just as important to a good story.

Do you have a publisher?  And if so, why did you choose them? 

I don’t have a traditional publisher yet, but am always looking for one. I have self-published my novels with three different publishers. I have changed companies because I have been looking for one that would give me a good package for my printed book at a price that is competitive with novels from traditional publishers. My paperbacks, 6x9 format, range in price from $18.95, $12.95, and my newest one is $10.95.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

I have always been impressed with the world of middle earth created by J.R.R. Tolkien. I would probably say that R.A. Salvatore would be more of a mentor, though, because I was reading a lot of his work when I decided that I’d like to give writing a try, myself.

What books are you reading now? 

I’m reading a couple of different series now. One by Elizabeth Hayden, called Rhapsody. It’s followed by Prophecy and Destiny. The other series is by David Farland called the Runelords Trilogy. I’ve recently read the first four books by George R.R. Martin, A Song of Fire and Ice. I’ve been waiting quite a while for his fifth novel in the series to come out. (Along with a lot of other readers.)

What are the current writing projects that you are working on?

In addition to my fourth book in the Soul Sword Chronicles I have a start on a couple of young adult novels. One is set in St. Augustine, Florida and revolves around two friends and the discovery of an ancient letter relating to the creatures we know as Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, and their origins that go all the way back to Genesis in the Bible. The other is a series of short, humorous vignettes of life in a country school, set in the early 1960’s. And finally, I’m also working on a script for my church’s Easter celebration.

Do you write full time?  If not, do you hope to do so one day?

I pretty much can now, since I retired last January. I hope to write about one novel per year, so I guess that’s pretty much full time. I do write almost everyday although how much I do varies.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I started writing short stories when I was in high school. I wrote a sci-fi novel when I was in my twenties and a few other short stories. After I got married, work and raising a family pretty much stopped me from writing much at all until 2006. Tossing around some ideas with a few young friends in their twenties, led to their encouragement to get started again. Once I began in August of 2006 I haven’t been able to stop. I’ve finished and published three novels in four and one half years.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I have a tendency to over describe the scene and the characters. My friends in a local writers’ group help me a lot with paring my chapters down to the essential information.

Do you have any advice for other writers seeking to get published for the first time?

I would like to ask this question to a lot of published writers myself. Most of the ones who I’ve talked to or heard from say pretty much the same thing: Don’t get discouraged, don’t give up, and also that you have to find a publisher or an agent who likes your work. They don’t all like the same writing styles or genres.