Timeslayers by Colin Sephton

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Welcome to It's Raining Books. Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?
I can’t say I made a conscious effort to choose the genre in which I write. I have always been interested in the novels of Jules Verne, and tend to read a lot of Fantasy books, particularly those of Robert E Howard and Michael Moorcock, so there is no obvious connection to what I read. But I wanted to write something that was a bit more relatable and where better to start than a non-specific Victorian time where steam is the main source of power, and the age of discovery is at its high point. After all the discoveries that are made along the way in Timeslayers are major revelations and are contrasted with the Victorian earthly discoveries such as those of Babbage.

What research is required?
Research started with my interest in mythology, especially Norse and Greek mythology. Although I draw influence for world-building from an interest in anything to do with the mysteries of the universe and consciousness, and anything unusual. I have a natural curiosity to know why we are here and how we came to be here, so I am always reading up on the latest scientific discoveries and combining that with my love of fantasy worlds.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.
One thing I have learned from my hero and heroine is that essentially, they are other aspects of me. When I am writing I will let the dialogue flow as I know what they would say and how they would feel. As I have got to know them better, I understand what their reactions would be in a situation.

Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?
I am not sure if this is an odd way of writing, as I don’t know how other authors carry out their creative process, but sometimes I will have an idea pop into my head anywhere and at any part of the day and I will have to write it down. I will develop an entire scene without knowing where I will use it in my novel, but then work to weave it in somewhere.

Are you a plotter or pantser?
I am a bit of both, I plot and at other times I just write and see where it takes me. I usually start a novel by writing down how I think it will start and after a couple of chapters when I have a better understanding of where I am going, I will write a simple bullet point synopsis. This usually gets revised along the way when I have more detail. But for Timeslayers I wrote a lot of detail, I guess because it is my debut novel and I needed to explain the world it is set in and the characters, so I had a very detailed spreadsheet complete with where scenes connected and the wordcount for each chapter.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?
If I look to the right, I see one of my bookcases rammed with steampunk novels, Tolkien, Kipling, William Blake, P. G. Woodhouse, Marvel graphic novels and a lot of art and design books and even more fantasy art books.

Anything new coming up from you? What?
I have the sequel to Timeslayers coming up which takes place immediately after events from the first novel, and I am currently writing the third novel in the series.

Do you have a question for our readers?
A question for your readers would be, do you like the steampunk or fantasy genres and if so why, what draws you in? What is it about fantasy worlds that really attracts you?

In a Steampunk Oxford, Ignatius and Indigo are both agents for the Union Jacks, a secret organisation. The role of the Union is to protect the British Empire, which is at the height of its powers, and help in its technological advances. They have discovered the existence of the mystical Book of Consciousness written by the creator of the cosmos, the genderless Omnisoul. The book is the history of everything that is, that has been and that will be. The agents are aided by Skye, who accidentally calls forth seven merciless immortals called the Charon.

Known as the Beautiful and the Damned, the Charon are the Infernal Dukes of Hell, created to carry out the will of the Omisoul. But they are tired of their immortality and want to end their existence. Elsewhere, the sorcerer Ragnar of Roc has conjured a hole in spacetime, allowing the draconic Elder God Calabi Ya to re-enter the cosmos from the Ghost Worlds. He is as old as the Omnisoul and wants the book to learn his destiny. The two Union Jacks leave Oxford and are taken on a journey across the cosmos in the great ship Taraka, which sails through space and time. Ignatius and Indigo are mere pawns in the cosmic ocean of fate, carried to fabled places, witness to bloody massacres, and half-willing conspirators in the Charon’s plot to thwart the Omnisoul’s plan and defeat the protectors of the Well at the Centre of Time.

Read an Excerpt

Glancing around cautiously, Ignatius could see that nobody else in the library had moved, gestured or even looked. He looked back at the book he was reading. He had to concentrate on the unfamiliar text to translate with any accuracy. Its author, Enoch Slipnot, had an unsteady hand, and the inks was faded in places. As he read the next section, his right hand began to tingle, a slight burning sensation.

It came through the Land of the Duranki. Those trained in the art of Al Kimiya brought forth sentient life, the fiery whirlwind that passes like lightning through the fiery clouds, believing they could master this Unholy Great One.

I have read of the great horrors the Unholy One brought forth, seeking the emerald tablet thought to have been hidden in the library of the Mystorium by the Order of the Ti-Botta. If this great red shadow should discover the sword of great power, he will wreak destruction on a cosmic scale and the whole cosmos shall tremble at his feet. The great runesword has been forged with an edge keen enough that it may even cut through the aether. Only a being in harmony with the cosmos can make use of such a weapon and with the Great Book, Turiya and the power of the Charon, summoned by the High Priest, stop the Unholy One.

I am unswerving in my task as the last remaining warrior-priest of the Charon – the Dragon- slayers of the Ecclesiarchy…

About the Author:

Colin was born in Coventry and worked in the automotive industry for over twenty years before becoming an Engineering teacher. Obtaining his first library card at the age of thirteen, he became an avid reader of Fantasy and the mysteries of the Universe. He has an inbuilt curiosity for lost knowledge and ancient texts that may help to unlock the secrets of consciousness and the universe. Living in Oxford for many years, he has now moved back to his home county of Warwickshire where he enjoys creating and working with his wife on their garden in which he writes and entertains their two grandsons. He has always been an artist and writer and is inspired by the worlds created by Robert E Howard and Michael Moorcock, with the artwork of Frank Frazetta. Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Timeslayers-Colin-Sephton/dp/196230809X/ref=sr_1_1

Publisher Author Page: https://cinnabarmoth.com/colin-sephton/
Website:https://sephtonart.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timeslayers/

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