Blog Tour Day 2: Mammon - Creating a fantasy world

Hello again and welcome back! It's Day 2 of the Mammon book blog tour and just in case you've missed the Day 1 post, you can check out the Ivan character interview here and also be sure to read and/or comment on my Mammon book review here and the author interview that is posted here.

For today's post, J.B. Thomas has kindly gave me an insight into creating a fantasy world - one about her very awesome and interesting Mammon world. So here's what the author herself has to say:

Creating a Fantasy World

One of the magical things about fantasy fiction is the opportunity to build worlds. In Mammon, I wanted to create a world that was based on the real, but one that had hints of the supernatural poking through.

Border City is a critical part of the story and the setting itself tells the story of a great divide between rich and poor. The City is an oasis that one reaches after traversing the long, interminable Red Desert. The Wasteland, in the north, is a dead zone pillaged by excessive mining, and now, abandoned. Within the mesmerizing glow of the neon lights of the entertainment district, demons rule, trading in the pleasures of the night.

This is Mammon's city. It is through his influence that things have become this way. And let me tell you - they're about to get much worse.

- JB Thomas

Once again, I just want to say a big thank you to J.B. Thomas for letting me have the opportunity to be apart of this Mammon blog tour! Now the next stop of the tour between September 14-15 is at Book Probe where the awesome aussie blogger Braiden will be giving posts of a character interview, a guest post about a new take on demonology, and an author interview with JB. So be sure to check it out and thanks again for those who've come by my blog and reading the posts!

Blog Tour: Mammon - Character Interview

Hello to everyone! Today is the first stop of the Mammon blog tour and I just want to say a big thank you to the author for giving me the opportunity to be apart of it, and of course, allowing me to be the first blogger on the schedule! For today's post I have asked J.B. Thomas to have an exclusive interview with one of her characters - Mr. Ivan the Terrible himself - and also be on the look out for tomorrow's post where J.B. Thomas gives us readers a post about fantasy world-building which I'm looking forward to. But let me introduce you to the sexy russian love interest, Ivan, from Mammon who has kindly joined us here today!

Erin: Hi Ivan. Thank you for joining us.

Ivan: Hello Erin. Or as we say in Russia, privet.

Erin: It's been an interesting adventure since the Callahan siblings - Grace and Joe - turned up onto the scene. What was your first opinion of these two teens? Were they what you imagined them to be or were they completely different?

Ivan: Quite frankly, they were both a little different. When you're told that a youth has the powers of a Ferryman, especially one with the cookie-cutting power of Joe (he can really carve a crater, da?) you think he's going to be twelve feet tall and breathe fire. Although, he can be a handful! He will calm down. He has a lot to handle for one so young. And as for Grace, let me say this: I was very happy with how she looked. (Laughs) However, I was a little worried about whether she could fight. I have had very close one-on-one combat with the worst of the corruption. It's scary, and I felt very protective of Grace from the moment I met her. Maybe I like her a little . . . hmm - what do you think?

Erin: Haha. I think you do like her. Now Ivan, for people who have read Mammon, they will know that you and Grace have grown closer throughout the book. When you first noticed Grace and now actually knowing her as a person *winks*, has your opinion of her changed much? Also what type of qualities do you admire most about her?

Ivan: Da. Grace is a very strong woman. I like that. She has gained my respect as a warrior. I would feel very disoriented in the realms that Grace seems to thrive in. Her powers give her the ability to save many lives and that makes me proud. She has a kindness and giving spirit that I admire. Since sharing intimate moments with Grace, I feel a very deep connection. But I wouldn't like to get on her wrong side. I think she can make you do more than just a teapot dance, da?

Erin: True, true. I wouldn't want her to make me do a teapot dance. Now according to some people you used to be with Spetsnaz - the Russian special forces. Grace thought you didn't look like the military type. So, how exactly did you get into that? Sounds like tough work to me.

Ivan: I believe Grace was looking at me through, what would you say - glaza lyubvi - eyes of love. At least, I hope so! So maybe she was kinder on me than she should have been. Anyway, I joined Spetsnaz after my father was murdered. After that night, I would not have any man or demon take me without a fight, so I wanted to be the best I could be, the hardest trained. Spetsnaz is the elite of the Russian military. They make you swim through rivers of blood. They try to make your heart cold, lethal. Good training for killing without mercy, without thought. But my destiny was not with them.

Erin: I just had to ask - Any tips for people who ever come across a demon? You know, just in case we see something out of the ordinary.

Ivan: Anyone can become a demon. Slowly, each dark thought pulls you into a tar pit of ever-deepening stickiness. So, keep your eyes peeled and try to do as many random acts of kindness as you can - this helps balance the scales. But, if you meet one up close, face to face, follow your instinct. Run, Erin. Run.

Erin: And lastly, be honest and tell me what you think of the woman who helped put part of your story to life? Has J.B. Thomas told the true events of Ivan the Terrible? *smirks*

Ivan: I have known JB Thomas since I was a very small boy - when I was really just a thought! Ha! But did she tell the truth when she spoke about my past? I can only say this, Erin. To paraphrase Shakespeare's Henry V: 'In peacetime, nothing so becomes a man as gentle spirit and kind heart. But when the trumpet of war sounds, imitate the actions of the tiger.'

Do I like doing what I have to do? Niet. But someone has to do it.

Do svidaniya and spasibo, Erin.

Thank you Ivan for chatting with me, and thank you for stopping by Tales of the Inner Book Fanatic!

And thank you to the author J.B. Thomas!

Be sure to read my MAMMON book review here!

And my recent interview with JB here!

Interview with J.B. Thomas

J.B. Thomas is the debut author of the recently released MAMMON book. If you haven't read my book review of this refreshing and awesome aussie talent, then you can read it here. So I just want to say a big thank you to J.B. Thomas herself for answering all my questions! Anyway, I hope you guys read and enjoy!

1. MAMMON has my two favourite book elements - fantasy and demons. Where did the inspiration come from for MAMMON?

JB: Hi Erin! In regard to inspiration, I started to think about the manifestation of evil within humans, and how several human beings have displayed attitudes and actions that, in any theology, would be considered demonic! Human beings can aspire to great heights of goodness, or great depths of evil - and it's the influential people that can sway the masses towards one or the other. Influential people, such as a certain high demon . . .

2. I absolutely love the cover for MAMMON. I thought it really captured the essence of the storyline. What was your first reaction in seeing the finished product? Was it everything you hoped for?

JB: Yes, it was. I did want it to be a 3D hologram with flashing lights that jumped out at you, but we can't have everything. [Now that would've been cool!] No, seriously, it was a great concept and I thought the artists at Random house did very well. I am very happy with the colours used on the colour and the way that the rift, the City and the siblings are portrayed.

3. I loved the interaction between the characters, more importantly I loved the interaction between Grace and Ivan. Out of everyone, which character was your favourite to write and why?

JB: I did like writing Ivan, especially in the creation of his history. That's something I'm looking forward to expanding on in the sequel. There's a lot more to his background! It's hard to say that I liked writing one character in particular, but if I had to pick, I would say Mammon. [Didn't expect that answer! hehe] Yes, Mammon. He's a Shadow creature, from a cold, hostile dimension. He's brutal and ruthless when he is going after something he wants, yet patient enough to endure over the centuries. I wouldn't want to meet him in a darkk, frost-ridden alley...but he is fun to write. Oh, and he's a sharp dresser [True, true . . .]

4. Do you have any favourite scenes in MAMMON?

JB: I like Chapter One, because of the sense of foreboding. Grace has just seen someting strange pass by the window . . .

5. Any advice to aspiring writers such as myself?

JB: Write about what you know and love. Don't be too precious - editors may ask you to cut out an entire chapter - and you need to trust that they know what they are talking about. Persist, but don't worry if you need to take some time away - the best ideas can crop up when you're away from the high-pressure zone of your writing area.

6. Lastly, how many books will be in the series? After the major cliffhanger at the end of MAMMON (a killer one for me by the way), what can readers expect from MAMMON's sequel? Can you give any hints and/or little teasers?

JB: The Ferryman Chronicles have a deep story arc, and there's a lot more to explore. There are quite a few adventures to come. That's all I can say now! As Dr Who's River Song would say: 'Sorry, spoilers!'

Thank you J.B. for letting me interview you!

Be sure to check out her book and look out for more of her future sequels!

Follow JB:

Blog

@jbferryman
Mammon Facebook Page

Be sure to add Mammon to goodreads.

Mammon by J.B. Thomas

Release Date: 1st September, 2011

Publisher: Random House Australia

Pages: 376pgs

The Story

Forget anything you ever heard about exorcisms and pentagrams.

The modern demon is far more difficult to catch and even harder to destroy . . .

After the savage deaths of their parents, Grace and Joe Callahan learn that they are descendants of the sarsareh - mercenaries who hunt very special prey. Grace and Joe take their place in the Order but are treated with hostility and fear by others recruits.

For the Callahan sibilings have powers that fascinate and terrify.

Joe is a Ferryman, capable of opening demensional rifts, while Grace's telepathic abilities surpass anything the Order has ever seen.

But none of that will matter if the powerful demon Mammon manages to convince Joe to open a gateway to his demon world and overrun Earth with his enemies.

If he succeeds: game over.

The Review

A big thanks to Dorothy from Random House for sending me a review copy of this book!

You know what? I'm very surprised by how good this book is. When I was sent a package from the lovely Random House Australian publishers and seeing this book waiting inside it, I was very excited to read it! The first thing that attracted me was the cover - an eye-catching-wow-of-a-cover - and since the plot sounded interesting . . . I was very glad that I got the chance to read it early before September came around. So again, thank you Dorothy - the publicist of Random House - for sending me a review copy! Totally worth reading this book here!

MAMMON is a book crossed between Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series and oddly enough it had a likeness of Vampire-Academy-and-Strange-Angels-esque to it. Just minus the vampires and add a hell of a load of demons. MAMMON is a story about two 'typical' teenage siblings, Grace and Joe - whom discover they have powers. Grace is a telepathic whereas her brother Joe has the ability to open rifts and move between dimensions. Then something rocks their world completely - their parents are brutally murdered and now they must seek help from the Order, people who are like them and must help the siblings train to become demon fighters. As you can clearly see this book is going to be awesome.

So what did I love about MAMMON? I admit the beginning of the novel fell a little flat - in terms of the pacing - however after you read a few chapters, things start to get interesting and you begin to fall for the book. One of the standouts is Grace herself. The main heroine. She's your average teenage girl - brave, strong, witty, and can hold her own. I instantly connected with Grace and she never disappointed me. Her brother however, that being Joe, was the major iffy thing I didn't like. He was impulsive, had a big ego, and rarely listened to anyone. Not that he didn't have any appeal, but let's talk about Ivan. Ivan. What can I say about Ivan? He is your G.I. JOE who has a tough-as-nails-but-secret-sensitive-side of a personality and I believe he will appeal to anyone who loved Dimitri Belikov from Vampire Academy. Yup you heard me ladies! You'll love him if I compared him to my dream man. *smirks* With the perfect action sequences and the cool demons wrecking havoc around this world of J.B. Thomas, I absolutely loved the interaction between Grace and her potential love interest Ivan. It was divine. The banter shared, the stolen kisses, the longing stares . . . ah the list goes on with how much I love those two.

Overall, I loved MAMMON as a whole. It offered everything a demon/action/fantasy fan could ever possibly want in a book. The major thing that I hate was the cruel cliffhanger! How could you do that to me J.B. Thomas?!?! You're killing me here. But all-in-all I recommend this book to Cassandra Clare, Richelle Mead, and Lili St. Crow fans out there! You'll love this gripping, action-packed read and you won't be able to put it down. MAMMON is the first book in The Ferryman Chronicles and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel! So definitely pick up a copy of this book and find out how cool it IS!

The Rating

4/5 stars