Author: Martin Gibbs
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Fantasy/Romance (A Dark Love Story)
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 27 2014
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Tag Line: Love is a pale road, for Death waits at the end.
Blurb/Synopsis:
Short Blurb
Is love blind, or a beast of convenience?Bailey, a simple farmer, has been tasked by a dead man to murder a dangerous warlock. While he follows the guidance of this otherworldly companion, Bailey finds himself alone in a scary new world.
Only a few days into the journey, he falls in love with a stranger, which upsets the best-laid plans of the deceased. And Abigail appears to have dark plans of her own: How soon will she turn the tables upon the seemingly-innocent farm boy?
The dead man should have known that trusting the living would be a losing proposition.
Love is a pale road, for Death waits at the end.
Long Blurb
Beware the one who will betray you; for you have given them your heart.Love is often a beast of convenience: two strangers meeting and connecting on some chemical and psychological level; sharing laughs and tears, and maybe bodily fluids.
But love can be real, when it wants to be. There are honest moments in the days we spend with our lover, there are days of sunshine and laughter, and nights of pleasure.
When it wants to be real. Love has its own designs, as poor Bailey finds out: Tasked by a dead man to perform a murderous act, he finds himself in love with a stranger. He was a simple-minded farmer, tending his turnips and his pumpkins, when the outside world burst in, sending everything he held dear to the far winds.
And so the poor chap is alone and scared when Abigail bares her pretty face. Although her family lies dead—somewhere on the path behind her—Bailey trips headfirst into the wants of his own heart, takes her hand, and carries her along a new road.
For Bailey, Love is more than a chemical reaction: It is a living thing, a living road… a pale road. A pale, murky, dangerous road.
For Death waits at the end.
I am pleased to have Martin Gibbs the author of Love’s Pale Road, and the Drunkard’s Journey trilogy, with me today.
Martin Gibbs lives in the snow-covered paradise of Minnesota, where he writes novels, short stories, and poetry. By day he is an IT professional, though his passion for writing has led him down an intricate network of exciting roads.
Gibbs is an avid reader. He favors the classics: Dumas, Dickens, Tolstoy, Proust, Lovecraft; as well as Stephen King, Robert Jordan, George RR Martin.
He enjoys cross-country skiing, biking, and burning béarnaise sauce. He has two very active boys who share his wild imagination, and a wonderful wife who supports all the craziness.
**Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you live, etc.? When did you start writing?**
I live in Minnesota now, but am originally from Wisconsin. We have a cabin in the deep north woods, and we love to visit there as often as we can; though the bugs can be a bit insane during the summer months. I enjoy skiing, biking, cooking, fishing the pristine lakes of northern WI.
On the first day of class, my freshman high school English teacher gave our class a challenge: The first person to get published in a magazine or journal would receive an A for the quarter. I started writing poetry like a madman; it was rather quickly that I heard back from Chimera Children’s Magazine. They had agreed to publish my piece, “Don’t Patronize Me.” Mr. Poss was impressed, for he wanted to impress upon us the reality that a writer’s desk contains more rejection letters than their own material. He wasn’t wrong—it would be twenty years before a “real” publisher took any of my work!
Yet I keep writing. And reading.
**Tell us a little about the book and where did you get the idea to write this story.**
Well, a lot of this story actually comes from my first fantasy book, The Spaces Between, but the names are changed and the outcome is totally different. That one starts a trilogy, while this one ends cleanly. Also, while the traditional fantasy story is about the journey, this one is about the characters on the journey; their feelings, fears, hopes, and darkest secrets.
That book wasn't really selling at all and it was sort of therapeutic for me, as I wrote it after my own father died. Years went by and I realized that it really lacked a human component--sure, the main character was sad and mopey, but that gets old in fiction. I wanted to keep the main twist within, but it needed something/someone softer; a woman's touch.
Love had to be the new focus, not the task that Bailey had been given. Sure, he was going to have to do something bad, but love softens things, doesn’t it? His fear of the unknown, of the man he will face, his own affliction: this seems to float away into the darkness when he sees Abby’s face for the first time.
My wife gave me the names for the characters, and I went with it.
Are you panster (write by the seat of your pants) or plotter? How do you write?
I used to write by the seat of my pants—then wondered why everything got rejected. Then I read (twice!) the unabridged Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas. Somebody developed a Visio plot flow for that thing—and it’s huge! None of my stuff has that much intricate plotting between characters, as I don’t want to have 1200-page novels; however, I took a lesson from Dumas and I plot. I do use Visio (which reveals my IT personality), and I outline the flow, and diagram the relationships between characters.
Do you have a character in one of your books that continues to haunt you at night or surprised you when you wrote the book?
Bailey in Love’s Pale Road visits me from time to time. I see his innocent face, and the guitar slung across his back; he sees me but he’s talking to someone else. He’s talking to my father, who passed away several years ago: He’s talking to him, but I only get to see Bailey’s side of the conversation. Then the guitar becomes a sword—
Ah, but that would give away too much… I wonder sometimes what dreams Stephen King has. I read The Shining years ago, but still can see the Overlook hotel; I can feel the horror within; the absolute isolation.
Which actor(s) screams SEXY to you?
Queen Latifah. Confident, curvy, energetic and doesn’t take any crap.
Do you write full time or work outside of the home?
I have a “real” job. And so I have to write when I get the chance.
How do you balance writing and everyday life?
It’s tough, having kids. I don’t write every night, and I always work when they are in bed, napping, or at friends’ houses. There are days when I need to sit down and hammer something out; I will try to take a day off of work to do so, go sit in a coffee shop and work away. I don’t like to write at long stretches, because I find I get stuck in a pattern and things just start to go downhill, even though I think I’m doing fine. I also make sure to read more than I write.
A lot of people think that genre hopping isn’t a good idea. What do you think?
You could definitely accuse me of genre hopping. I’ve written fantasy, Christian fiction, and even bizarre fiction (think Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). But the trip into romance was one that raised some eyebrows around here. I’m guilty. But, as I mentioned above, Love’s Pale Road is still part fantasy story—it doesn’t quite feel the same as if I’d scratched out a bodice-ripper that had no substance.
I think it’s fine to genre hop—to experiment. But if there is a large outcry, if your fans give you the collective “nice try pal, try again,” then it’s time to head on back to your area of expertise. It doesn’t mean you quit trying to write in new styles (I’ve written a lot that has never seen the light of day), but a re-think might be wise.
Are you an outgoing person? Are you a morning or night person?
I’m fairly introverted and get energy from being alone, or in a quiet space. I function much better at night, with a plate of cheese and some green tea.
What are your favorite movies?
My all-time favorite movie is Murder by Death. It’s a Neil Simon play brought to life by the greats of Peter Lorre, David Niven, Peter Falk, Maggie Smith, Truman Capote… absolutely hilarious whodunit. (Talk about genre hopping: I love mysteries, especially old-time Ellery Queen ones, but I’m not sure I could ever write one!)
I also enjoy Vincent Price movies, and have some box sets of Hercule Poirot mysteries (with David Suchet of course).
What’s next?
Apart from the works that I’m contracted to write, I’m actually working on a contemporary Christian story. It’s not really romance, but still has a strong love theme throughout—it’s more of a story of personal growth, demons, and a very dark secret kept by a very holy man. No, not what you think, but a secret that impacts the main character (see that whole Dumas plot/character mapping!)
What books or authors have influenced your writing?
The plotting of Dumas, the purple prose of Proust (used very, very sparingly!), and Stephen King. I’ve been reading a lot of his works lately, trying to emulate some of his methods of revelation and character development.
Have any of your characters ever ended up completely different than you’d intended?
There’s an old warlock in Love’s Pale Road. He was going to have a very minor role and fade into the background, but as I wrote him, building in his own history (vague as it may be), he took on a life of his own and winds up with a much bolder role in the book.
Would you like to share something surprising about you that not many people know?
Before he passed, my dad taught me how to make homemade arrowheads from quartz or obsidian: Using a deer antler, we crafted strong and usable arrows, which we fired into cardboard boxes.
What is next? Any new titles we should be looking for?
Yes. I’ve signed a multi-book deal with Ellechor, a Christian publishing house. This November/December, I will have an historical fiction work coming out titled We Three Kings. This is an account of the journey of the Magi/wise men: the ordeals and obstacles they faced on their trek to honor the infant Jesus. The next three books revolve in some way around the Nativity (including some previously unknown individuals, or those whom we don’t perceive as fitting into the Nativity).
**Please provide us with a snippet from your latest book below.**
From Love’s Pale Road. Remember that Bailey, the main character, is a simple man.
Lyn had explained—again—what the plan was: His son Zhy was traveling to the castle, and would probably get there when we did. Then I would have to “take care” of Ar’Zoth, he said; otherwise his son would die.
I set out my sleeping bag, and started to get ready for bed. Abby didn’t set hers out. She stood there, looking at me. Her face was very pretty in the moonlight. I wanted to kiss her. For a very long time.
“Send Lyn away, please Bailey. Send him away.” Her voice was deep and scratchy again. Her breath was hot on my face.
“All right.”
“Is he gone? For sure? He can’t see us?”
“No. I mean, yes, he’s gone. Why?”
“Because.” She never said anything but her lips were against mine. I thought she was trying to eat my lips. Her hands were cold against my face, then got warmer. For a long time she kept chewing and sucking on my lips, then I opened my mouth a little. My stomach was very hot and my—other part—was hotter, and it felt like it was trying to push itself up to the sky. Her thick, warm, wet tongue went into my mouth; then I put mine in hers. She made low moaning sounds.
Suddenly she stopped.
“Bailey?”
“Yes?”
“It’s cold out here. Can I—can I go into your bag?”
“S-sure.”
I started to climb inside.
“Um.” Her hand touched my arm. “It would be best if we took our clothes off.”
“It’s cold!”
Giveaway
Martin Gibbs lives in the snow-covered paradise of Minnesota, where he writes novels, short stories, and poetry. By day he is an IT professional, though his passion for writing has led him down an intricate network of exciting roads.
Gibbs is an avid reader. He favors the classics: Dumas, Dickens, Tolstoy, Proust, Lovecraft; as well as Stephen King, Robert Jordan, George RR Martin.
He enjoys cross-country skiing, biking, and burning béarnaise sauce. He has two very active boys who share his wild imagination, and a wonderful wife who supports all the craziness.
Places to find Martin
.png)
4 comments:
i am really loving the dark stories out now
this looks and sounds awesome!!! I don't think I've read a "dark" romance lately. Definitely adding this to my want list :) Thanks for sharing!
Good Luck :)
There are many dark stories lately and I am loving it as well :) Good Luck
Post a Comment
I would love to hear your thoughts. :) HAPPY READING !!!!