Guest Author: Anton Strout (+Contest)

Anton Strout

Anton StroutI am excited to welcome author Anton Strout, who is getting ready to celebrate the release of his third Spellmason Chronicles novel, Incarnate.

When Alexandra Belarus discovered her family’s secret ability to breathe life into stone, she uncovered an entire world of magic hidden within New York City—a world she has accidentally thrown into chaos. A spell gone awry has set thousands of gargoyles loose upon Manhattan, and it’s up to Lexi and her faithful protector, Stanis, to put things right.

But the stress of saving the city is casting a pall over Lexi and Stanis’s relationship, driving them to work separately to solve the problem. As Stanis struggles to unite the gargoyle population, Lexi forges unlikely alliances with witches, alchemists and New York’s Finest to quell an unsettling uprising led by an ancient and deadly foe long thought vanquished.

To save her city, Lexi must wield more power than ever before with the added hope of recovering a mysterious artifact that could change her world—and bring her closer to Stanis than she ever thought possible…

Make sure you stick around to the end. We’ll be giving away a small gargoyle and signed copies of all three Spellmason Chronicles plus more to multiple winners!
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You’re Only As Good As The Company You Keep

Sure, every hero or heroine needs to be the well-developed centeral core of a book, the main ingredient in the soup that I have come to call Cream of Spellmason Chronicles, but it’s the side characters that really spice it up and bring out the true flavor. They’re the sounding boards that help show the true character through interaction of my main protagonists—one centuries old gargoyle and one modern day artist-turned-Spellmason.

As the old axiom goes, you’re only as good as the company you keep, so let’s see who Stanis & Lexi will be aligning themselves with in Incarnate, the concluding volume of The Spellmason Chronicles.

Aurora ‘Rory’ Torres – Lexi’s oldest friend going back to their grade school days in Manhattan. Fast friends since confessing to each other that they both wished they could enroll in the fictional Hogwarts. Loyal to a fault, this modern dancer has long stood by Lexi’s side in her friend’s ongoing fight to uncover the secrets of the Spellmasons. Years of dance training have paid off in defending her friend, moving blue haired Rory into a dance oriented style of martial arts, adopting the glaive gisarme pole arm as her weapon of choice on the streets of Manhattan. I like her style. A lot.

Marshall Blackmoore – Years of playing Dungeons & Dragons have made this twenty something game store owning nerd a brilliant tactician when it comes to helping his friends contend with witches, alchemists, gargoyles and all manner of creatures he only dreamed about from the Monster Manual. He can most often be found making sure they have rope on hand at all times as Sam in the Lord of the Rings would, but finding himself rather adept at alchemy has left his little nerd heart bursting with joy.

Caleb Kennedy – Friendship has to be earned, and in the last book Stonecast, Caleb Kennedy didn’t exactly paint himself as trustworthy. A freelance street smart alchemist at heart, Caleb has survived in Manhattan’s arcane community by wits and alchemical ingenuity alone. With money at the heart of what he does best, can he be trusted? He swears a life long reverence for Lexis’s great-great grandfather, the original Spellmason—but is he merely out to steal those secrets for himself?

Bricksley (last name unknown) – Bricksley is loyal.. Bricksley is helpful. Bricksley… is a brick. An alchemically animated servant made from a single brick, to be clear. Wire arms and legs with clay feet and hands help the little guy get around, but he always works with a smile on his face. He has to. Lexi painted it there herself. As Lexi’s first experimental foray into Spellmasonry, Bricksley is a successful attempt at stone golem creation, even if his size and skills are limited. He is, however, a master at reshelving the many books that belong in the secret coded books that hide all manner of alchemical secrets in the hidden libraries of the Spellmasons.

As Incarnate investigates how the world is changing as knowledge of gargoyles, witches and the arcane enters the public consciousness, Lexi Belarus is going to need her friend’s help more than ever. Let’s hope she has chosen/created them wisely!

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Meet Anton Strout!

Anton Strout was born in the Berkshire Hills mere miles from writing heavyweights Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. He currently lives in the haunted corn maze that is New Jersey (where nothing paranormal ever really happens, he assures you). He is the author of the Simon Canderous urban fantasy series and the Spellmason Chronicles for Ace Books, a division of Penguin Random House. Anton is also the author of many short tales published in anthologies by DAW Books. His latest book, Incarnate, the third Spellmason Chronicles book, is coming out September 30, 2014.

In his scant spare time, his is a writer, a sometimes actor, sometimes musician, occasional RPGer, and the worlds most casual and controller smashing video gamer. He currently works in the exciting world of publishing and yes, it is as glamorous as it sounds. He is currently hard at work on his next book and can be found lurking the darkened hallways of antonstrout.com or talking with your favorite SF&F authors on The Once and Future Podcast, where he is host and content curator.

AStrout-IncarnateContact Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | GoodReads | Amazon | The Once and Future Podcast

Want to purchase Anton’s novels?
Spellmason Chronicle

  1. Alchemystic
  2. Stonecast
  3. Incarnate

Simon Canderous

  1. Dead to Me
  2. Deader Still
  3. Dead Matter
  4. Dead Waters

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Contest Time!

Thank you Anton for taking the time to stop by Literary Escapism!

Anton is giving away a small gargoyle and signed copies of all three Spellmason Chronicles plus more to multiple winners!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.

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