Looking for a new Young Adult book to read this weekend? The Chronicles of Manaar follows a group of young adults fighting against evil.
Let’s welcome author L. R. Maley to this week’s Feature Friday. Grab a coffee, cuddle up on the couch, and learn all about the inspiration behind his series, The Chroniciles of Manaar. Books 1 and 2 are currently available to binge read now.
Welcome! Introduce yourself and tell us a little about your writing.
I am Larry Maley, pen named L.R. Maley. Being an author is my latest venture in a fulfilling life that has included being a design engineer, patented inventor, entrepreneur, and best of all—husband to a wonderful wife and a father of two. I am 57 years old. There is much in that story, so, I will try to stick to the relevant. About my passion for writing… I always had a far-reaching imagination that was influenced greatly by Tolkien and my Dungeon and Dragon playing youth. The Chronicles of the manaar is my current work in progress, a test to see if I still can be creative. The series is intended to be a collection of chronicles collected into three volumes. These are “Immersion”, “Redemptions”, and a yet unnamed third book. Immersion has three chronicles and Redemption two. Each chronicle represents a different stage in the six main protagonist’s growth.
The story takes Mik, and a group of his friends from a peaceful life in a small village to the forefront of a war. In their flight from violence, an Immersion has occurred. They develop magical talents and find purpose in saving their countrymen. It is in the learning of the drive of the evil behind the attack that Mik discovers how to end the ongoing subjugation of the living by the undead.
What’s something unique about your book that will make readers immediately want to check it out?
The Chronicles of the Manaar is about the relationships that develop in the aftermath of great tragedy. I see that many of today’s fictional writers will dwell on the conflicts between protagonists, often pitting them against each other. It’s like every character has a bit of Dr Smith in them (see lost in space). They like to generate tension by focusing on the darker sides of human nature, by creating characters that manipulate others to take advantage of weakness. I believe that in the face of a shared threat, people are more likely to stand together. That there is a lighter side of human nature that we are more likely to emulate in our interactions with others. To be a bit corny, love triumphs over hate.
This is why I began in a sappy village that understands little of evil and the outside world. I wanted to get my reader vested in the rarity of characters that don’t keep hidden agendas.
What inspired you to write The Chronicals of Manaar?
I have had a few stories bouncing around in my head for many years, The Chronicles of the Manaar is the first that I took beyond pencil and paper notes. You see, I spent the last ten years building up a massive audible library. One day, I couldn’t find anything that would catch my interest. I picked up my laptop and started typing the first chapter to the chronicles. A month or so after I began, I sent the first 6 chapters to my brother. I asked him if it was good enough to continue. He was excited about what he had read and wanted more. So, I continued.
The inspiration for the series is in the magic system itself, and it goes back to the horror I felt as a kid when I learned about ancient civilizations and their practices of human sacrifice. Pretty dark. I wondered about the motivation behind such evil acts… and that is how I came up with life and death mana. To understand better what I mean, you will have to see what Mik and his friends learn at the Erimocan Library.
Tell us about your favorite character you’ve written about and why?
Picking a favorite character is like choosing a puppy from a litter of twelve. Each character brings something special that endears them to me. If pressed to answer this question, I would have to say my favorite is Mik and Nareed together. It is their relationship and growing love that stands alone as one of the book’s key elements. After being involved in many tragedies and horrific scenes of violence, they maintain a shy innocence and dedication to each other and their friends. I think that they are a better example of real-life qualities than typical fictional characters that are created to generate interpersonal conflicts.
Without giving us any spoilers, what’s your favorite quote or scene from your book and tell us a bit about it?
I do have a scene to share. When I auditioned Immersion for an audio reader, it was David Pickering’s reading of this scene that sent shivers down my spine. I knew he was right for the book after hearing it. I hope its not overlong for this forum.
As they had been covered in Mik’s protective shielding, the lightning strike designated for each defending warrior only came to within a handspan of their skin. It left a severe burn on each recipient. But that was not the only effect of the attack. There was a pressure that came down with the power. It pushed against the blanket of life mana that extended above them like an umbrella. The protection yielded to it, forcing the people beneath it down. First applying pressure to heads that bent necks, then shoulders bending backs, and finally legs. Slowly it forced every protected Arasahn to their knees.
There were still many that were outside the protective influence of Mik’s mana. These the witch on the left started playing with. Calling individual strikes down upon each unprotected man that she sensed. One at a time. Each kill brought her more joy than the last. The smell of the burning flesh and the cries of the victim’s friends had affected Stina, the soft-spoken girl who could not tolerate the suffering of others.
Stina stood straight. The oppressive force from above popped like a bubble. She stepped forward. Not the girl that made soup for the sick or used mana to heal broken ankles. This was the girl who crushed the hearts of rapists and witches. Kebe stepped up with her. Now for the first time, he saw the light of her mana. It enveloped Stina, and it was icy blue. Cold as death. The three witches stopped their attacks and gazed upon Stina with unabated joy. Here was one of their own. A true sister.
But Stina was not feeling the family connection. She stretched her hands and a torrent of blue light gushed from her palms. It was not a sight reserved for Mik and Nareed, or even Kebe alone. Everybody on the Foulwend battlefield could see the bright blue light. And it struck the sisterly witches directly.
Like Nareed’s flame, it surrounded and engulfed the magi in their cocoon of protective mana. It became a cage that had them trapped. When any who watched could get a brief glimpse of the witches’ faces, they revealed discomfort and fear. The orb of Stina’s mana started to move.
She stood out alone, from all around her, as if she were standing in a private ray of sunlight. There was no sun. This was her light alone. A small figure wielding great power, and she was bent on using that power to hurl the three trapped inside her mana sphere against the distant bluff. She struggled against a force that worked to slow her efforts. The desperate witches inside were applying their own strength, juxtaposed to Stina’s. But the cage moved. It moved, gaining speed and momentum. Faster. It arrived at the bluff and dashed against the rock. The blue light splashed like a wave against the shore. It was gone. Stina fell, and Kebe was there to catch her. The Frosma soldiers, many times the number of remaining Arasahns, began to flee.
Where can readers find you?
I have never been versed in social media. With the help of my son, that is changing. I post on Facebook and Instagram and maintain an authors website. Hopefully as I learn to juggle the demands on an indie author with time to continue writing, I can do more to promote the series.
https://www.facebook.com/
Want to be featured on my blog and social channels? Click here to fill out the Google Form to be considered.
