The Black Trillium by Simon McNeil Book Tour and Giveaway :)
The Black Trillium
by
Simon McNeil
Genre:
Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy
Confederation
rules in Trana—so says the king.
But
Fredericton is a long way from the shores of Lake Ontario, and
schemes for power will bring together three extraordinary young
warriors.
Savannah
A
desert girl who came to Trana looking for refuge but has never found
a home
Kieran
A
privileged city boy dreaming of rebellion and hardened by
cruelty
Kyle
The
disgraced heir to the throne desperate to win back his place in his
father's heart
Sworn
enemies or reluctant allies, they all have one thing in common: an
incomplete half of the legendary fighting skill known as the
Triumvirate sword art. They fight for glory, for power, for the
monsters lurking beneath the streets, and for the mysterious society
moving in the shadows of Trana—the Black Trillium.
Later
that day I was tending the fire in the kitchen hearth. Uncle Stephen
came back in from his deck. His lips were almost blue from the cold
but whatever he’d been speaking to his friend about had been
clearly more important than his comfort. “Kieran,
I’ve spoken to Jean. He told me what happened, with Sawchuk.” “You
aren’t mad, are you?” “No,
I understand.” “Well
good, because I didn’t mean to attract his attention, it’s just…” “He
suspects me. And not entirely without reason; surely you have
suspected.” I
gave my uncle a skeptical look. “You
know the stories about the fall of Quebec and the freedom fighters
who opposed MacMillan’s father.” “The
Black Trillium,” I said. “And
I’m sure you have heard that some of them survived. Well…” He
paused and he looked at me steadily. “Jean and I both fight for the
Black Trillium. We have since we were young. In Jean’s case he was
at the fall of Quebec.” The
fall of Quebec. It was one of those moments of infamy you heard about
in hushed rumour, almost legend already, though not yet in the
distant past. That Mr. Chamblais might have actually been there was
shocking. I sat still for a moment, trying to control my surprise and
awe before I spoke. “And
now something has happened.” “In
Broken Tower. The lordling there killed a Confederation minister as
an offering to us, seeking allegiance. We turned him down. We weren’t
ready to free Trana and he’s forced our hand. Things are going to
be very hard in the next year. War is coming to Trana. So you have a
choice to make.” “A
choice…” I could hardly believe what he was telling me. It made
sense. My uncle’s strange friends, his opposition to Confederation,
Sawchuk’s suspicions, all these things fit the pattern of a rebel
in hiding. “Yes,
you can fight with us. If you do you will have to do… terrible
things. War is always terrible. But you can. Or Jean can bring you to
safety somewhere nearby.” “What
about you?” “I
have to stay here. It’s my home. I’ll fight to defend it.” “So
will I,” I said. “Be
careful Kieran, I never wanted to draw you into a war.” “No.
But if I start running now, when will I stop?” “If
you are sure,” he said. And
I was. “Yes,”
I said, and I looked up at uncle Stephen burning with fierce pride. “So
why were you fighting with Argus Sawchuk?” “I
was talking with Teddy Li about the situation, you know, down in
Broken Tower and he came around, accused me of treason.” “The
situation is fragile, we must be careful not to alert the wrong
people clashing with lumps like Sawchuk.” The
stranger slipped into the room then and said, “The situation is
beyond fragile. It is devolving and there will be war soon.” Uncle
Stephen seemed to deflate a little, his shoulders sagging. He took a
deep breath. “I know that, Jean. But I’d prefer it didn’t start
on my doorstep.” “The
truth is that we must deal with Sawchuk.” I
had a fantasy of drumming the bully out of Kensington, tarring him
and feathering him, anything to see him gone. “Let’s
go now!” “You’ll
stay put today.” Uncle Stephen sounded firm. “But…” “No,
your uncle is right. Sawchuk won’t readily forget you were the
reason he was beaten today. He’ll be on the lookout for you as soon
as he recovers and the chances are good he won’t be alone. You stay
put, for today. Tomorrow we will see to your education.” “Yes,
sir,” I said. “I understand.” I thought calling him sir would
be appropriately respectful, but he just chuckled at me. “Mr.
Chamblais will suffice,” he said. “If
you don’t mind me asking, Mr. Chamblais, what do you mean you’ll
see to my education? I already know my numbers and letters.” “There
is much a rebel must know beyond reading and writing. I don’t
suppose you know how to handle a sword.” I’d
never thought of it that way. I’d played at swords with my friends
when I was a kid but Kensington was a peaceful place. I hadn’t ever
learned to fight. “But
first you must be initiated.” “Initiated,”
I said. “Some sort of ceremony?” “Something
like that.” The
rest of the day passed slowly. I stayed inside while uncle Stephen
and Mr. Chamblais “dealt with the Sawchuk problem” and the
weather was miserable in any case. I felt almost resentful, like I
wasn’t getting to join a romantic brotherhood of freedom fighters,
but was instead being made a prisoner in my own home by a strange
raggedy man. I
went to sleep reluctantly, my head buzzing with thoughts of heroism
and rebellion, excited and terrified about what lay before me.
Simon McNeil is the author of The Black Trillium, a story of revolution and martial arts set in the ruins of Toronto. This novel is published by Brain Lag Publishing.
He is an online
marketing communications specialist with a major educational
institution when not wandering the world looking for trouble. He is a
life-long martial artist, has published several articles in Kung Fu
Magazine and he’s probably a little bit too fond of kung fu movies.
He lives in Toronto,
Canada with his wife who has happily laid out rules to prevent the
sword-through-glass-lampshade incident from ever happening again. The
Black Trillium is his first novel.
Website
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***GUEST POST***
***GUEST POST***
Title: Titles are the hardest part
For me, as a novelist, I find the
length of the form freeing. In a 100,000 word book I have the freedom
to go on a tangent, dawdle over a scene, include words beyond what is
strictly necessary to communicate my message. This makes
brevity a challenge for me sometimes. And there's nothing more brief
than a book title. In 1 to 4 words, you have to sum up the entirety
of your story in a way that captures reader attention, contains the
essence of the story and invites somebody to read more.
That's a tall order.
As such, I went through several titles.
The first was a working title:
"Untitled Walking the Radiant Trail Sequel" - referencing
an unpublished trilogy I'd written, which formed the basis for the
world building in the Black Trillium.
Then I changed the title to, "In
the Shadow of Fallen Towers." This was a reference to the
setting. The story took place at ground level and below (excepting
one scene) in the ruins of Toronto. The crumbling remains of the
vertical skyline dominated the aesthetic of the story, much of which
was set in what is now the downtown core of the city.
But that was kind of wordy. So I tried
shortening it to, "City of Bone." I was... unaware of
Cassandra Clare at the time. A friend pointed out to me that there
was a book currently hot on the market and in a category pretty darn
close to mine by that name. So that name was out and I went back to
the drawing board.
And then the same friend who'd warned
me about "City of Bone" asked why I didn't just title the
book "The Black Trillium." After all, the secret society
was central to the action of the story. Even though the story had
shifted in the telling as Savannah became more interesting to follow
than Kieran, her relationship to the rebel sect, especially in the
way she dealt with her skepticism with them, remained central to the
story. And the other two lead characters were both defined by their
relationship to the sect. Kieran a member, Kyle obsessed with hunting
them. It made sense.
And I saw that the second he pitched
it.
So I called it that. And it stuck.
(Of course, after I published I found
an old and disused copy of a high fantasy novel that also went by
that title, so I didn't entirely escape the "City of Bone"
problem, but it was a minor work of a deceased author so I was
somewhat less concerned about people confusing the two.)
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