Monday, December 20, 2010

Chuck Black's "Sir Quinlan" and "Sir Rowan"

We're happy to have Chuck Black with us today talking about his books, Sir Quinlan and Sir Rowan. To learn more about Chuck and his books, read on!

Titles: Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor, and Sir Rowan and the Camerian Conquest (ages 8+)
Publisher: Multnomah Books

Cover blurbs:
Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor: Two friends are called into duty, but only one has the courage to follow. Will Quinlan choose a life of comfortable apathy or faithful service to the Prince? When things go wrong, will he face his past and overcome distrust to bring the Valor Knights back together?

Sir Rowan and the Camerian Conquest: Sir Rowan, Cameria’s most prestigious tournament knight, is attacked and left for dead. Meanwhile, his people suffer as the Dark Knight expands his tyranny. The final battle looms – will Sir Rowan recognize his true purpose as a Knight of the Prince in time to save Cameria?

1. How did this story come to you?
My original inspiration for writing biblical allegory in the form of children’s adventure stories came from my own kids, and finding that their attention was so much more engaged when the stories of God and themes of the Christian life were told in the form of medieval knights and castles.
When it comes to my development of these books in particular, the stories grew out of the themes I wanted to illustrate. The theme of Sir Quinlan is apathy. I realized that the best way to show the perils of a life of apathy was to show the contrast between one character who lives in apathy and one who lives with purpose.
The theme of Sir Rowan is pride. The fame and fortune of people in our entertainment industry was a natural backdrop for Sir Rowan. Additionally I wanted to close out the series with a lead-in to the end times. I’ve always been fascinated by the biblical account of the two witnesses, so I used this Revelation account to help tell the story.

2. Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
I self-published the first four books until enough interest was generated to catch the attention of a publisher, Multnomah Books. They quickly caught the vision for the story and here we are five years and twelve books later. The journey has been a whirlwind full of labor, adventure, and blessing!

3. Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1. Writing a book was never a goal or plan of mine, but now I’ve written twelve.
2. My wife and I were never going to have children, but we now have six.
3. I’ve written twelve books I was never going to write for my six children I was never going to have. I’m still learning to give up my selfish ways, listen quietly to God, and say yes when He calls.

4. What are you working on now and what's next for you?
I have three different ideas for my next work but haven’t yet decided which to pursue. I am taking a short break from writing to rejuvenate myself, my family, and my creativity.

5. Parting comments?
I consider it a great honor and privilege to be able to share these stories with people everywhere. The power of an inspiring story is immense, and aspiring to live with purpose for something greater is motivating. Jesus Christ gives us both story and greatness by which we can live a life filled with purpose and adventure. That is the heart of all of my books. Although my characters are not perfect, they are noble and true to that call. I know there are faithful Christians that have done that well, and it is my desire to one day be as noble and courageous.

6. Where can fans find you on the internet?
They can find me at http://www.kingdomseries.com/ or www.facebook.com/ChuckBlack.Author or write to me at chuck@perfect-praise.com. Fans can see all my books and read free excerpts at http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/author-spotlight.php?authorid=75395.



12 comments:

  1. I've read two of the books in this series (the first two) and loved them. :) I would love to read these, too.

    joyfulhutch[at]msn[dot]com

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  2. My boys love your stories! (We purchased a few for our Church library.)

    Isn't it amazing how God so graciously guides us? Like you, there were some things I thought I'd never do... yet don't you know, that's just where He led me. :)Guess that's so we'll always remember His ways are higher than ours.

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  3. I have one of your books and think they are incredible. My 10 year old daughter will love reading this adventure.

    estrella8888 at roadrunner dot com

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  4. Chuck,
    Thanks for offering these books. They look really good.
    wsmarple/at/gmail/dot/com

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love the idea behind these books and believe my daughter would LOVE them! I can't wait to read them either way.

    Thanks for the opportunity!
    julia(at)betweenthepage(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  6. These books sound interesting. Thanks for the chance.

    nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

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  7. Thank you for the giveaway -

    wallest02 at hotmail dot com

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  8. My son absolutely is obsessed with your books as is my brother. You have a very strong responsibility and chance to impact young men's lives with your stories!!! Their top Christmas pick was your books on audio....you should have seen the excitement!!
    martha(at)lclink(dot)com

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  9. These sound fun.
    sdeeth at msn dot com

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  10. OMGoodness, I hope I'm not too late ... I'd love to be entered if this is still open. --I love Christian fantasy books!

    I'm an e-mail subscriber: jafuchi7[at]hawaii[dot]edu

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  11. Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts on the books. What a blessing to know there are families and youth that are enjoying them.
    May your New Year be blessed!
    Chuck Black

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  12. Thanks to all who entered! The winner was "Thou Art Jules"-congratulations! If everyone else is interested in getting their hands on the books, they're available at http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/author-spotlight.php?authorid=75395 as well as your local bookstores or online retailers. If you'd like to request a free copy in exchange for a honest review, check out www.bloggingforbooks.org. Thanks for participating!

    ReplyDelete

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