Osric's Wand: The Wand-Maker's Debate by Jack D. Albrecht Jr. & Ashley Delay

     Osric's Wand: The Wand-Maker's Debate by Jack D. Albrecht Jr. & Ashley Delay

Book Description

While the world leaders of Archana gather for an unprecedented peace treaty signing, tragedy strikes, and rumors spread of war. Osric; a young, untested leader, is thrust into the chaos and must journey far with his unlikely companions to stop the inevitable world war. Circumstance brought them together, but prophecy has entwined their fates.

Now, the young Vigile Contege, the world’s greatest Wand-Maker, and a beautiful Maiden of the Unicorn must put aside their differences and work together, or watch as their homes are destroyed. Their understanding of magic will be challenged as they discover new methods and uses for their powers, and each day will only uncover more unanswerable questions to torment Osric’s mind.

Why the signing was attacked? What do the unicorns want with him? How do you read a book with no words? What is so special about his wand?

Rating 

                                                                          

Review

What a great adventure, if you like dragons, magic, unicorns and other mythical creatures you will love this book. It was a nice easy read and the way that the various races of people interacted was great, the story flowed nicely I think the only thing I’d like to see more of is action but I get why you needed the back story. I loved Pebble He is just so cute and sweet and the way he finds trouble. I loved these characters sarcasm, as a sarcastic person myself I found it really funny at times. 

The book revolves around Osric, and his efforts to stop a war that may break out after an attack on a treaty signing. After digging himself out from under what use to be a castle Osric is determined to find out who did this and to stop a war from coming. Gus a prairie dog wand-maker, his son Pebble also comes along for the ride. And then there’s Bridgett, a woman who spent years living among unicorns, she’s really sweet and is rather quiet. Kenneth, Osric’s best friend you can’t leave and not bring your best friend!  Along the way they meet Machai who is a dwarf he is rather grumpy and is pretty bad ass with his weapons!  If you want to know more read the book! 

Interview With Jack & Ashley

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Jack: Well, I have recently started a new job as a Pharmacy Technician.  I spent the last 18 months at The Institute of Business and Medical Careers pursuing an Associates Degree.  Now that I have completed that stage, I plan to keep writing and to see how far each of these roads lead.  I am happily single and the father of an amazing 9 year old girl named Molly.  When I am not writing, working, raising my daughter or studying, you can find me in my backyard checking on my beehives.  When I have some downtime, I can be found at our local Applebees throwing down some lyrics at the Karaoke show!

Ashley: My time is precariously divided between raising my daughter, running a therapeutic massage practice, attending school full time for a degree in English with multiple minors, and co-authoring the Osric’s Wand series.  My long term plan is to be able to write and travel full time, but until the retirement plan becomes reality, I will teach English and philosophy at the college level upon completion of my Master’s.  A few of my life’s ambitions are to learn Latin, swim off the coast of Greece, and see the Northern Lights.

The first book in the Osric’s Wand series, The Wand-Maker’s Debate, is our first published novel.

Where do you get your ideas?

Jack: I pull my inspiration from a multitude of places.  There is, of course, other books that I have read through the years that served to inspire some portions of the book.  I have also gained some inspiration from movies, tv shows, conversations, and music.  I think the most random place I ever used for inspiration in the writing of The Wand-Maker’s Debate would be my Anatomy and Physiology class in college.  You have to get what you can from every part of your life.  Sometimes I have been known to use names of people that I meet at grocery stores because they are just cool names!

Ashley: I am certainly influenced by books, movies, and artwork, but many of my ideas come from the discussions I have with family and friends.  I love brainstorming about the impossible and discovering what lies hidden within the imaginations of other people, as well as myself.

How did you choose the genre you write in?

Jack: I chose High fantasy because I love to read it.  There is nothing that can provide me an escape quite as well as getting lost in another world.  Talking animals, beautiful women, epic battles, mystery, magic, and creatures that would scare a priest into becoming an alcoholic; what could be better?

Ashley: There are other genres besides fantasy?  Actually, I’m a fan of many genres of fiction, but the possibilities are endless with fantasy.  It has always been my favorite to read, and I can’t imagine enjoying anything else more when it comes to writing.

What project are you working on now?

We are currently working on the second book in the Osric’s Wand series, which has proven to be more of a challenge, as the next installment delves deeper into the politics of Archana.  It is still a joy to write, but we have had many long discussions about how the governing bodies should function.  Book two in the Osric’s Wand series, The High-Wizard’s Hunt, should prove to be an intriguing adventure!

What environment do you write in. Do you use a pen and paper, laptop? Quiet room or music?

Ashley: I write everywhere.  Partly because I find inspiration in everything from conversations with my clients at work to the cloud formations I see on my lunch break, and partly because I rarely have the time to sit and write for long periods.  I usually have my laptop with me, but I also use a hand-held digital recorder when I am short on time.  My favorite writing environment is snuggled up on my bed with a hot cup of coffee, a notebook, and a pencil.  However, for practicality purposes, most of my writing goes straight onto my computer.

Jack: For me, it tends to be in my living room with CMT on the television, and nobody around.  I use my laptop because I do all of my social networking while writing, which gives me a break if my brain gets muddled.  I have neglected my social media accounts this last month, but I fully intend to be back to it as soon as I free up some time in my routine.  I can’t seem to write at all if there is no music, so I crank up the Tim Mcgraw and let the fingers fly!

What have you found to be the biggest challenge in self-publishing?

Marketing!  One of the greatest downfalls of self-publishing is the lack of a big publisher with deep pockets spreading the word for you.  We have been blessed that the sales of the first book have funded an advertising budget, but still, the majority of our marketing is done via social networking and word of mouth advertising.

Can you share the blurb from the book with us?

A world of magic in its infancy…

While the world leaders of Archana gather for an unprecedented peace treaty signing, tragedy strikes, and rumors spread of war. Osric; a young, untested leader, is thrust into the chaos and must journey far with his unlikely companions to stop the inevitable world war.

Circumstance brought them together, but prophecy has entwined their fates. Now, the young Vigile Contege, the world’s greatest wand-maker, and a beautiful Maiden of the Unicorn must put aside their differences and work together, or watch as their homes are destroyed.

Their understanding of magic will be challenged as they discover new methods and uses for their powers, and each day will only uncover more unanswerable questions to torment Osric’s mind.

Why was the signing attacked?

What do the Unicorns want with him?

How do you read a book with no words?

What is so special about his wand?

Is there anything else you'd like us to know?

We are anticipating a September 2012 release for the second book in the series, The High-Wizard’s Hunt, so keep your eye on OsricsWand.com for more information.

 

Giveaway  

Is International

For a chance to win a 6x9 paperback of Osric’s Wand 

all you have to do is leave a comment about the interview, review or book and you're Name and e-mail

The contest will end June 30th at midnight.

Winner will be chosen by Mr.Random.