Tour Stop/Giveaway: Tom Haward's The Path of Revenge

 

Check out Tom Haward's The Path of Revenge today and make sure to enter the tour wide giveaway as the author is giving one lucky person a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. The tour is sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions and you can find the full tour stops HERE. 

Author Interview with Tom Haward

Tell us about your latest book, who are the main character’s and what can we expect when we pick it up? The Path of Revenge is the sequel to The Path of Chaos, an action packed book, exploring of the Roman Empire still ruled the world today. Boatman King is a rebel leader seeking to overthrow the Empire but has had to flee London with Grand Protector Faust in hope pursuit of him.

 

Do you come up with the hook first, or do you create characters first and then dig through until you find a hook? Originally the story was part of a multiverse idea I had when studying my MA in Creative Writing, but the idea of an alternate reality with Romans became the most fascinating and The Path of Revenge (and my first book) evolved from there.

 

Which of your own characters would you like to have lunch with? I know which one I wouldn’t like to have lunch with, Bjorn Askå. When you read The Path of Revenge you will understand why.

 

Tell us about what you are reading at the moment or anticipate reading in the future? Any favorite authors you enjoy reading in your spare time? I’m currently reading The Night Eternal by Del Toro/Hogan. It’s a great apocalyptic horror and the third book in The Strain trilogy. Cracking read and great pointer on how to write action.

 

Which of your own books would you like to live in? I’m currently writing the third book in The Path of Chaos series and some of the action is set in America, but an alternate version as it was never colonised. I would like to live there as it’s very serene!

 

What do you do when you have free time? I’m a huge film fan and my writing is influenced by my love of film, so any free time I have I love going to the cinema. My little girl is three years old and I love taking her to the cinema too, as she is mesmerised by the big screen. It’s wonderful to see her passion for film already coming through.

 

How do you approach character development in your stories? Do you have any specific techniques or methods that you find particularly effective? I believe the best way to get to know a character is through what they say. I always focus on strong, authentic dialogue which fits with the context of their surroundings. Ultimately humanity knows each other through communicating so I believe to develop great characters means developing great dialogue.

 

What do you believe sets your writing apart from others in your genre, and why should readers choose to read your books? Like above, I believe my strength is writing great dialogue. Dialogue can easily fall into the traps of being rather forced or used as a means to explain the plot, so the key is having dialogue which is natural and flows according to a character’s ignorance. And I think I do that pretty well…

 

Can you discuss any upcoming projects or books that you're currently working on? What can readers expect from your future works? Outside of The Path of Chaos series I’m working on a family drama which explores the dark side of narcissism in toxic family dynamics. It’s a story which looks at the complexity of growing up in such an environment and what it does to people when they reach adulthood. I’m also working on adapting The Path of Chaos (my first novel) into a screenplay.

THE PATH OF REVENGE

Author: Tom Haward 

GENRE:  Historical Fiction/ Alternative History

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Path-Revenge-Tom-Haward/dp/1962308138/ref=sr_1_1

 

BLURB:

 

The rebellion is in hiding. It has been a year since Boatman King attempted to overthrow the Empire, but instead had to escape London with his wife and their closest allies. 

Not all of Boatman King’s allies are in hiding. Maverick “The Beast” Kirabo is on a mission to finish what he started on the streets of London. The former gladiator has a score to settle and revenge to unleash: Rome will fear him as they once adored him. 

Despite its failure, Boatman King’s rebellion has spread disquiet in Rome’s political circles. Grand Protector Faust dispatches a pair of hunters to search the country and bring Boatman and his followers back to London for reckoning. Although Faust is the official face of Rome’s leadership, Emperor Maximus is thirsty to stamp his mark on the world and step out from his dead father’s shadow. 

Unbeknownst to Faust and Maximus, a terrifying presence is watching the unrest and relishing in the vulnerabilities it’s causing.

Excerpt Two:

 

It was a chilly Autumn morning with barely a breath of wind. He gazed over to the other side of the channel to see a seal lazing on the mud. A heron landed a few metres away from Boatman, unperturbed by the man’s presence. It only took ten minutes to leave shore and get to the oyster beds by boat, but it felt like a wilderness. For a moment, Boatman felt like the trauma and stress of the past few months had evaporated, out here in this tiny wilderness.

 

“I definitely prefer hitting a Roman in the face to this.” Tobias’s words brought Boatman back to reality.

 

“Being out here is good for the soul,” said Boatman.

 

“What the fuck happened to your soul? It’s muddy, wet and cold. If I wanted that combination, I would have gone to fight in the Aestii region.”

 

“You need an open mind, Tobias.”

 

“No, I need to be somewhere hot. I used to have a gorgeous, golden tan. Do you remember that? Do you remember my tan? I looked good.” Tobias looked down at himself, mud splattered up his oilskin overalls, “Now I look like a pale hobo.”

 

“Did Maverick know where your off switch was? Because it would be really handy right now.”

 

“I came out here with you. Voluntarily.”

 

“Only because Bella didn’t want you.”

 

“I’m offended she didn’t want me to go with her.”

 

“She’s hunting birds. It needs to be done quietly. As in, no constant talking,” said Boatman.

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links: 

Tom was born in Essex and, at 4 months old, he and his identical twin were adopted into an oyster farming family. Tom now runs the business as generation eight of Haward oyster farmers.  He has a fiancée, baby daughter and a cockapoo. 

Tom has an MA in Creative Writing and The Path of Chaos (Cinnabar Moth Publishing) is his debut novel, which was released August 2023. The Path of Revenge is the sequel in The Path of Chaos series and will be released August 6th 2024. 

Website: https://tomhaward.co.uk/

Twitter: https://x.com/HawardTom

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomhawardauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hawardtom