August’s Gardens by @Shelly_Barclay Virtual Book Tour Interview by #thetoiboxofwords via @RABTBookTours #horror

Greetings readers, bloggers, geeks, and authors and welcome to The ToiBox of Words. I’m your host Toi Thomas, author of Eternal Curse, and today I’m sharing a special interview with author, Michelle Barclay, about her fiction book entitled, August’s Gardens. Enjoy!

Where did the idea for August’s Gardens come from?

The idea for August’s Gardens came from its predecessor, Morrigan’s Shadows. The story just kept on going, so I kept on writing it.

How did the title of this book come about?

August’s Gardens derives from the name of one of the characters and a running theme in the novel. I wanted to shift the focus of the story to this character, even though it is truly a cast of characters.

What genre is this book and why did you choose to make it so?

August’s Gardens is a fantasy horror novel. I just wrote a book with hopefully scary bits in it. The fantasy part came about because the story needed some fantastic elements. Horror is a lot of fun to write, but so is fantasy.

What would you say is the overall message or the theme of this book?

August’s Gardens isn’t quite literary fiction. There is no underlying message about the human condition or anything like that. If anything, I just hope I gross people out or give them a chill here or there.

Tell me about the experience of writing this book; how long did it take.

August’s Gardens took several years, but only because I set it aside for one of them so I could get married. I started writing it a few months after Morrigan’s Shadows came out. There was some research involved in injuries and characters, but the nature of the book makes it easy to wing it without too much study. I would have to give away a sort of tongue-in-cheek aspect of the story to say too much about research. Hopefully, people will pick up on it.

Tell me about the main storyline within this book.

August’s Gardens is the continuation of the plot in Morrigan’s Shadows. However, it primarily takes place in a fantasy world with some seriously bad creatures hanging out in it. This world was glimpsed only briefly in Morrigan’s Shadows.

Who is the protagonist of this story?

There are actually several protagonists in August’s Gardens. The Winged Man is back. The Artist plays a much larger role and there are some hopefully unexpected additions to that list.

Who is the antagonist of this story?

The antagonist is without a doubt the Dark Man, an amalgamation of all the devil figures in lore. He is the source behind the bulk of the conflict and an enemy of even the protagonist’s enemies, which might tell you something about who fights on which side when it comes down to it.

What is the major conflict in this story?

It is time for the conflict between the Dark Man and the god-like protagonists of the story to erupt. The Dark Man hates everyone, but mostly the Winged Man. The Winged Man is rightly angry over everything the Dark Man has done to his family, namely his wife. They have yet to come face to face and it is time.

Where and when is this story taking place?

August’s Gardens mostly takes place in the Dream and Dark Realms, fantastic worlds where a set of brothers control dreams and an evil creature lords over the dead. A portion of the story takes place in turn of the century France where the Artist’s backstory is revealed.

Who is your favorite character in this book?

The Artist is without a doubt my favorite character in this book. He is the most redeemable and respectable. Most of my other characters are a blend of good and bad. The Artist is the only one who resists the evil that surrounds him and works only for the betterment of the people he loves.

Are there elements of your personality or life experiences in this book?

There is nothing in August’s Gardens that exists in any way in my life. That would be very strange. However, the series itself has some elements from my life. I have really vivid dreams and nightmares. That prompted me to write about dreams and nightmares. I was a cook for nearly a decade. Morrigan owned a restaurant.

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Okay readers, bloggers, geeks, and authors, that’s all for today. Be sure to follow this blog to see who will be visiting next time. To obtain your copy of August’s Gardens, please visit the links provided.

Amazon  | Barnes & Noble  | Kobo  | CreateSpace

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