This Friday we welcome an engaging new author, Ichabod Temperance, and his new novel The Title of Temperance. Thank you, Ichabod!
About The Book
Title: The Title of Temperance
Author: Ichabod Temperance
Genre: Steampunk / Paranormal
Ohhh, my noggin. What has happened? I took a whallop upside the head and woke up in a place far from my time and home. Instead of it being the modern era of 1877 like it ought to be, I am in the distant past of England’s Dark Ages! There are mighty warriors in gleaming armour, and beautiful ladies wearing colourful gowns with taffeta secured dunce caps.
This is the castle Camelot! I am in the company of King Arthur and his majestic Knights!
Golly, can you imagine? Me, Ichabod Temperance, an Alabama tinker in King Arthur’s Camelot!
Oh, Goodness, it ain’t took too long before I already have trouble up to my hat’s brim what with Mr. Merlin, Miss Morgana, and a big mean knight in black armour getting bristly with me. Gee whiz, if I ain’t careful, I might end up wrecking there ever having been a Western Civilization!
- Let’s start at the beginning… how do you like to start the day? How does your ideal day begin?
Howdy! I sure am happy to be here with y’all. My day usually starts with adjusting one or both of the puppies off my face so that I can breathe better. I then get them up and out of bed before anything untoward happens. That’s an ideal day in itself! I reckon I like to have the coffee on before the Sun or Miss Plumtartt are up. Gee, I reckon I couldn’t ask for a better day starter than that!
- The story of Arthur and Camelot has seen so many permutations and variations over the centuries. What in particular drew you to this classic tale? How do you think you bring something fresh to the table?
To tell the truth, I have never read ‘Le Morte’ d’Arthur’, but I have seen ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ many times! I have also seen the movie ‘Excalibur’ about a dozen times, but it was a re-reading of Mark Twain’s ‘A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court’ that drew me to tell this tale. I had thought about introducing a modern man of 1877 to a fantasy world, but visiting olde England worked out even better. I think it is my silliness and song that gives my story a fresh take on the Age of Arthur.
- I love your eclectic background! What a life you’ve led! How does your past experience, be it in stunt work, karate, etc., color your writing today?
I like to include a painful joint manipulation maneuver from time to time in my stories. This is how my karate finds it way into the books, as I am rather adept at wristlocks, et cetera. Sometimes I may include a wrestling suplex, or some such action, but the main influence comes from pro wrestling story-telling. In wrestling, a story must be told between good and bad. Over and over again, you must engage and draw in your audience. Match by match, and show by show, you must win your audience over for the good guy, and convince them to despise the bad guy. If you are not a good story-teller, you will not hold the audience’s attention.
- What is next on your writer’s journey? What goal do you have in your sights next?
Hopefully, there will be more and more silly stories spilling out. I have something in the works, but it is giving me tizzies!
- Have you had any cool fan interactions? Have any of your readers’ responses particularly touched you?
I have enjoyed a couple of good reviews, but I have not really met too many folks in a face-to-face interaction. It has been nice to have positive feedback on occasion, but I am still hoping to find someone that enjoys the few little tear-jerker moments that I like to include. I do not want to hurt the readers’ feelings, {I do not callously kill characters} but I do want to get an emotional reaction. I like to think that my inclusion of a few poignant and sweet scenes will affect the reader in a small way.
- Can you share three new, relatively unknown books? We all love recommendations so choose three awesome titles to champion. (No fair picking your own!)
–Dane Curse {Matthew Abraham}
–The Prince’s Man {Deborah Jay}
–An Unsubstantiated Chamber {William Jackson}
- Can you share one resource: website, marketing strategy, social media medium that you feel has most helped you and could help other writers on their way?
The only social media format that I am good at is being kind to new followers on twitter. If, for instance, I was followed by Erika Gardner, my tweet may go out as follows: Eek! Run Miss Plumtartt! We are being followed by the author of ‘The Dragon in the Garden’, Erika Gardner! @Erika_Gardner Happy Writing Pretty Lady! ~Icky. 🙂
- What do you wish your readers could know about you?
I really am the guy in the books. The adventures might be a little outrageous, but the books are an honest representation of myself.
- If you could play Fairy Godmother for one night and give three people a gift, which three would you visit and what would you give them?
– I would give Thomas Wayne {Bruce’s dad} tickets to an alternative movie.
– I would give Britney Spears some undies.
– I would visit Merle Oberon and give her a big hug. {Okay, that last one would be a gift to me…}
- Favorite classic candy? Be it salt water taffy, Jolly Ranchers, Hershey kisses? And why?
I never met a food, much less a candy, that I did not like. I am going to cheat and say that chocolate, ALL CHOCOLATE, is my fave. I don’t know why.
- If you had to choose… country music or rock and roll… what would you choose and why does your choice speak to you?
Outside of a few artists, like Hank Williams Sr. or Johnny Cash, I am not a big country music fan. I do not care for ‘pop’ country. I do like ‘rock’ music. When you say, ‘rock and roll’, it makes me think of old instrumental bands like ‘The Ventures’, which I also enjoy. Music in general ‘speaks’ to me and I include it in the books. In fact, ‘The Title of Temperance’ almost comes across as a musical!
- And lastly… what is your favorite reward after a long day of writing—that little treat you give yourself?
This is the easiest question yet! The answer is Miss Persephone Plumtartt! She is life’s sweetest reward! She is a great, big treat, all in herself!
Thank you, Miss Gardner, ma’am! I sure do appreciate you hosting us here today!
Happy Reading and Writing!
Your pal,
~ Icky . 🙂
How to Buy The Book & Find Ichabod
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/Ichabod-Temperance/e/B00J71862M/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ichabod-Temperance/e/B00J71862M/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1486419808&sr=8-1
Amazon AU
https://www.amazon.com.au/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Ichabod+Temperance
Ichabod Temperance website:
http://ichabodtemperance.com/wp/
Ichabod on twitter:
https://twitter.com/IckyTemperance
Author Bio
Standing over five feet, seven inches and weighing in at better than one hundred and thirty pounds, Ichabod Temperance is ‘The Alfalfa Male.’ After lengthy music, karate, and pro-wrestling careers, Ichabod’s involvment with movie stuntwork has led him to write these whimsical, steam-driven adventures. Mr. Temperance and his lovely muse, Miss Persephone Plumtartt, live in Irondale, Alabama, USA, along with their furry pack family.
This post was written by Erika Gardner. She’s a native Californian, lifelong lover of fantastical adventures, and a dedicated Whovian. If you enjoyed it, please sign up to receive updates on www.erikagardner.com Or you can follow Erika on Twitter @Erika_Gardner, “Like” her Facebook page Erika Gardner- Writer and Storyteller.Or check out her contributions to the BBB Blog. Erika’s debut novel, The Dragon in The Garden can be found at Tirgearr Publishing.
