Prophecy Revealed by Ron Hartman - Q&A and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ron will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter. Click on the banner to see the other stops on the tour.

If someone were writing a story about you, what would your blurb say?

“Mild-mannered pharmacist Ron Hartman juggles a busy life during the day, split between his busy work life and the family that fulfills him. But at night, when the children are in bed, another Ron comes forth. A fearless writer that pushes his characters to the brink to save the day and find a way back home…” Sounds pretty good, don’t you think?

My life isn’t really an adventure in the sense that you’d want to read about it every day, but living life with a wife and three busy kids is an adventure, one I live on a daily basis. I work full-time as a pharmacist and have a second job directing a program to train pharmacy technicians at a local community college. My three kids are always involved in something, so I’m usually spending my free time somewhere between soccer/football/tennis/basketball/choir/orchestra/band/boy scout events, and sometimes don’t see the inside of my house from the moment I wake up until I’m ready to drop into bed at night.

Sometimes people ask me when I find time to write. It’s easy, I just don’t sleep! Such is the life of a mild-mannered pharmacist, juggling a busy life…well you’ve heard this part!

Would you tell us a little about your newest release that isn't in the blurb?

Daniel Marten is lost. He wants to find his way home to his family, but at the same time he needs to save the people of the country Naphthali. He believes his destiny is to be the Prophesied savior, but oh how it hurts him. At its center, The Prophecy Chronicles: Prophecy Revealed is a story about destiny and sacrifice. Daniel is driven by his own destiny, but at the same time is almost buried by the guilt he feels from friends that are willing to sacrifice themselves for what they see in him. How can he live with himself, knowing so many have died to carry him along on his impossible adventure?

What was your favorite scene to write in this story?

I really like the way this book comes together in the end. In the last couple chapters, we bounce around from the point of view of about a dozen different characters. This is quite different from the first book in this series, The Prophecy Chronicles: Prophecy Foretold, when I primarily kept the perspective to one or two characters. I especially liked writing from the point of view of the main antagonist, an insane governor named Bertolli the Great. It’s immediately obvious that he is insane, and thoroughly evil, but when we see things through his eyes, we start to understand why he is the way he is, and maybe even feel a little sorry for him… I don’t want to give away too much here and spoil the surprise ending, but this book does become quite a page-turner in the end, if I do say so myself!

If you could trade places with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

My favorite character in this book is Bastion, the learned teacher of a race of magically-enhanced people called the Tene’breon. He is also a master of a form of magical martial arts called Shal’tiar. He approaches everything with such a sense calm self-assurance. I wish I could live my life the way he lives his. He is so certain of himself, and so capable, there never seems to be anything that is truly beyond him. At the same time there is also a sense of mystery about him. How is it even possible for someone to be as effortless in his abilities as he is? If I could trade places with any of my characters, it would be him. To me he embodies the best traits of being human, even though he isn’t truly one himself.

Daniel Marten crossed the Burning Sea and convinced himself that he is the Prophesied One. But what does that mean? In this second installment of the Prophecy Chronicles trilogy, Daniel forges new alliances in his bid to save Naphthali from the Emperor. He meets the Tene’breon, a magical race that has evolved to use the Weave as effortlessly as he breathes air. The leaders of this race recognize him for what he is…but they also see something more.

Naphthali has been dramatically altered by the rule of a new governor, a man whose power is tied to Daniel in a horrifying way. How far will Daniel go to save Naphthali? And what is the secret that binds his destiny with his new allies? Only time will tell in The Prophecy Chronicles: Prophecy Revealed.

Enjoy an excerpt:

Rage started to build inside Daniel. He closed his right hand into a tight fist and felt a dull ache that quickly gave way to burning pain. Of course that was alright too, because that was as it should be. He looked back to his desk and there, on the now cluttered surface was—Ah! His solace. The ones he turned to at his darkest moments. Ashley and the kids beamed at him from photos.

He turned to the thing doing a poor job of mimicking one of his closest friends. Her eyes flashed orange and she gave off a series of clicks as realization struck. She may be orchestrating this, but it's my mind, and I can control what happens. He looked at the pictures of his beloved family and considered his office, his refuge. She'd perverted it, desecrated it. Rage continued to build, and Daniel knew soon he would be powerless to stop it. Let it. He didn't want to stop. Still looking at the photos, he started to speak, his voice shaking with fury. "These are my family, my friends. I give them my time, and my care." He turned to not-Meg. "You are not one of them, and you will have no more." The last came out in a roar as he closed the distance between himself and his tormentor.

He opened his right fist and clamped it around not-Meg's throat, slamming her to the wall. The burning grew to encase his entire arm when he tightened his grip, but he refused to let go. He pulled his face to within inches of hers, and glared with suddenly steely eyes. "Who are you?" he growled.

About the Author: Author Bio: Ron Hartman has had a life-long passion for the written word and is an avid reader. The Prophecy Chronicles are his first written works. The first in the series, Prophecy Foretold, was released in October of 2012. Prophecy Revealed is the second in the trilogy. Ron graduated from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 2000 and lives in Ottumwa, Iowa with his wife and three children.

Website link: www.prophecychronicles.com
Purchase link at Rogue Phoenix Press

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