Up Close and Personal with 'The Penitent' A. Keith Carreiro
Up Close & Personal is one of The Writer’s Life newest features. Here we feature authors who don't mind spilling the beans and telling what it's really like to write, get published and sell that book. Today's guest is A. Keith Carreiro, author of the fantasy, THE PENITENT - PART III. You can visit Keith's website at www.immortalitywars.com.
On Writing…
For as
long as I can remember I always loved stories. It didn’t matter if they were
told by members of my family, sung by some of them, or were found in books, on
the radio, or on television and at the movies. Whenever I had the chance
to hear, read or see one I would be totally captivated with the power of its
narrative. Stories helped provide me with an insight into different worlds,
perspectives and understandings about life.
Two other
experiences helped shape and inspire me to become a writer: one was music and
the other was writing poetry.
I started
playing the piano when I was four–years–old. When I was six, I discovered an
old acoustic guitar in one my parent’s basement cabinets. It was the one my
mother played in the 1930s. I still vividly recall striking the six strings
with my right hand index finger. The sound I heard from it transported me into
a place of wonder. I was transfixed, spellbound. I pestered my mother to no end
to learn how to play it.
She found
a classical guitar teacher, Joseph Raposo, Sr., who had a private music studio
in Fall River, Massachusetts. Raposo was a graduate of the New England Conservatory and
had taught at the Boston Conservatory of Music. Maestro Raposo’s son, Joe, Jr.,
was about my same age. He became known as a guest classical conductor and wrote
songs for Vikki Carr and Frank Sinatra. He also was the musical director for Sesame Street. I studied with the maestro until I was 18.
As a boy
I played in a fado band, whose main purpose is to accompany a singer or
singers. In Portuguese, the term’s meaning is unclear: it may refer to destiny
or fate, or death and utterance. The music originates, in part, from the lower
classes in Portugal and has a thematic sense of lament and loss. I learned
about playing with other musicians and how best to back up a wide variety of
singers, or fadistas. Some of them lived in nearby communities and others were
from the Azores or mainland Portugal. Two different interpretations of the term fadista exist.
One means to compose music while the other means poet.
In high
school I started writing poetry in my sophomore year and have done so since
then. Although I wrote some short stories when I was younger, music and poetry
were my major forms of creative expression.
While
attending the University of Maine at Orono, I met Stephen King
<
https://immortalitywars.com/425-2/ >. Even though he provided me with
advice well over half a century ago about the discipline and craft of writing,
I did not apply it until 2014 when I wrote the first draft of the manuscript
for the Penitent.
My first published work was an
academic article I wrote (July 1998) about guiding students in the research
writing process. I have matured quite a bit since that time as I have learned
the process of academic writing in my field of inquiry. In my fiction writing,
I have learned a lot about the craft and process of writing, with still a
lifetime to go in becoming more knowledgeable about storytelling.
On
Being Published…
Being
published for the first time was a major accomplishment for me. I felt that I
was on my way to becoming a professional writer. A sense of pride was present
along with the humbling realization that the article was now available for the
public to read, to talk about and to judge the merit and quality of my writing.
Becoming a published author felt like the dawn of a new chapter in my life.
My latest
book, the Penitent – Part III, is the third book of a planned, nine-book
series called The Immortality Wars.
It concludes Pall Warren’s search for John Savage. Pall is
an elite soldier who is a gifted combatant in close quarter fighting. Savage,
also being almost seven–feet tall, is a fierce and indomitable warrior known
for his accuracy with a longbow and fierce fighting prowess. Unknown to Pall,
Savage is working for the High King and Minister of Affairs’ intelligence
network. Savage was sent by Minister Pereduras to investigate strange rumors
about supernatural creatures being unleashed against the people of West Fündländ,
as well as to learn more about an alarming increase in raids being conducted
along the western coast of the Realm.
After first meeting Savage close to a deadly field of
combat in Part I, both men become separated from one another as a result
of a pitched battle they have against Commander Gregor Mordant and his
Marauders at a nearby abandoned farm. Added to the mix is a demon named Ünger
whose sole purpose is to destroy “breathers” (i.e., humans), for whom he has an
insatiable appetite. Pall’s pursuit of Savage brings him to Gullswater. Here,
he learns from Merek, a former Marauder who helped torture Pall at the
farmstead, but is now allied with him, that Savage has most likely gone east to
the coast of the Sea of Fáelán.
In Part III, Pall’s quest for understanding what is
happening around him brings him to the port city of Seascale, the summer residence of the High King’s court. Pall
becomes involved in a deadly running battle between the High King’s forces and
those of a renegade priest named Kosem Mungadai. A thaumaturge of the 13th
level of the occult arts, his origins are unknown. He is capable of great feats
of organization and oratory. Considered a savior by his followers, he is also
respected by almost everyone in Seascale where he has a monastery called the Church
of Equity. However, his sole purpose is to defeat and overthrow
everything around him for the sake of investing all power into himself and the
powers he serves.
The forces arrayed against the High King, his kingdom and
army become further entangled with the war being waged between Mungadai,
Commander Mordant and his Marauders and the spiritual forces unleashed by the
priest against Savage and his companions. Combat swirls relentlessly throughout
the city at night in the middle of a torrential downpour of rain.
In search of John Savage, Pall Warren encounters the
destructive power of evil arrayed against him. Even though loss ekes a toll
upon his life, he summons the strength and courage to continue his quest for
meaning. He discovers that the role he must play in determining who he is forms
an integral part in the destiny of everyone around him.
Evil unleashed.
Goodness embattled. A spellbinding story erupts onto the pages of the
concluding novel of the Penitent trilogy.
On
Publishing Industry…
Change is
inevitable. Add the rapid developments in technology and information to the
changing publishing industry and presto(!): we have an exponential torrent of
change occurring within it. I think this seismic activity is excellent and
offers authors at all writing levels unique opportunities to tell their stories
without having negative creative oversight upon them. They can create
outstanding innovative work that breaks convention and formula, which many of
the traditional venues remain fixated upon today. Authors can take a gamble at
the telling of a tale and transform the genre they are writing in while still
grabbing their prospective readers’ attention and delight with a demonstrated
excellence in their storytelling abilities.
My first
trilogy is published by Stillwater River Publications (18 August 2019).It was a great decision to have this professional
help.
Mistakes Along the Way…
I made a lot of mistakes, and still
will do so. The errors made were based on a lack of knowledge about all of the
various facets of the writing trade. For example, I thought all I had to do was
write the manuscript and the “rest” would be inevitably easy. That myth was
soundly shattered, and early on in getting my first book published. I had to do
a tremendous amount of reading about how one goes about independently
publishing a book. Yet, not knowing anyone in the industry meant I had to risk
finding people who could help me get published. It felt like I went through
three lifetimes of bringing my story to print. Belonging to a credible writing
group has been of invaluable help to me in this regard.
On
Marketing…
I am not
a salesperson for myself. I can sell for anyone else. Yet, when I turn the
public relations light on me, I clam up. Worse than that, I tend to avoid
marketing. It has taken me a while to understand that as I believe in the story
I am writing, I need to believe in the validity of marketing in order to gain
the attention of the public.
Despite
such logic, I find that teeth grinding becomes habitual to me when it comes to
networking and marketing. I have an established author page, for example, <
https://immortalitywars.com/ >, and other links to social media platforms. I
attend local and regional book signings, present my work at libraries and
bookstores and go to writing conferences. I have a publicist and a marketing
firm helping me with this aspect of networking and conducting public relations
strategies.
On Goals and Dreams…
While
fame and fortune alike are sought after, they are not my first goals. I want to
be able to tell stories to people that will entertain them, and perhaps make
them wonder about the nature of the world we live in and the life we are given
for such a brief moment in time.
My
greatest hope, and wish, is that the release of this third book in The
Immortality Wars series helps this saga become known nationally and
internationally. In doing so, I hope that it will help me to focus solely on my
writing. I want to see this story fully developed, written and released to avid
readers throughout the world.
There is
one guarantee about life that I have learned: there are no guarantees. With
that sentiment comes the understanding that to realize a dream one has to put a
foundation under it that is built on solid ground. For me, I need to
concentrate on learning more about the art of storytelling. While part of such
learning is a solitary process, it is important that I continue building my
relationships with other writers and people who are in the literary field and
industry. I also need to continue putting together a successful team around me.
I have to rely on individuals I trust in the areas of editing, marketing,
networking, technology and the use of social media.
About the Book
THE PENITENT—PART III, the third installment in author A. Keith Carreiro’s Immortality Wars series, brings Pall Warren, an elite warrior touched by the hand of God, into a new battle that pits the forces of good against those derived from the evils of man and beyond. As the final book in The Penitent trilogy, Pall joins with former enemies and comes closer to fulfilling his purpose of overcoming the corruption threatening humanity.
In THE PENITENT—PART III, Pall Warren recovers from another bout of the suffering that has plagued his life by helping his friends bury their family members who were killed by a supernatural being with an insatiable appetite for humans. He travels to Gullswater, West Fündländ, in search of John Savage—the accomplished bowman—who was once his foe. The men forged their friendship in combat against Commander Gregor Mordant and his Marauders.
While Pall searches for his friend, Savage meets with his employer, Braucus Peredurus, the King’s minister of affairs, to report his observations of mystical events and otherworldly creatures and then reveals that he has been tracking Commander Mordant, who, as he learns from Peredurus, is a key member of the King’s intelligence service network.
Mordant is loyal to Kosem Mungadai, the respected head of the Church of Equity in the City of Seascale and a practitioner of the occult arts. Savage suspects Mordant is working against the King’s agenda and wants to detain the Commander, but Peredurus orders him not to; however, this command does not stop the bowman from surveilling Mordant. Meanwhile, Pall encounters Merek, a former member of the Marauders and crossbow expert. Merek suggests that Savage has gone to Seascale in search of Mordant.
As tensions rise in the city, Mordant, Mungadai, and Savage cull together fighters to engage in urban warfare during a torrential rainstorm. As the battle begins, Pall and Merek stealthily contribute to Savage’s efforts. While the warriors relentlessly brawl throughout the pitch-black night, Mungadai conjures a squad of supernatural beings to assault Savage and his warriors with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the kingdom and empowering the evil forces he serves.
In writing THE PENITENT—PART III, Carreiro’s goal was to create an epic story that brings Pall closer to fulfilling his destiny by posing the question, “In his quest for meaning, can virtue be used to combat and overcome evil?” For the reader, Carreiro hopes THE PENITENT—PART III offers a sense of “the mystery, wonder, and grandeur that is in this world and beyond that is available to us in the time we are placed here, despite the suffering and challenges each of us faces in our own lives.”
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