Author Interview with Michael Drakich!

Today, I am very pleased to be interviewing Michael Drakich, whose epic fantasy novel The Brotherhood Of Piaxia was recently released on 15th March 2012. I have already started reading The Brotherhood Of Piaxia and am really enjoying it so far! (Hopefully a review will be up soon.) 

This is my first ever author interview on The Book Parade (the first of many, I hope!) so I'm very excited! Anyway, on to the interview...!

*Hi, Michael! A very warm welcome to The Book Parade!*
Could you begin by telling us a little bit about yourself? 
– I have been writing for over six years now. This new release, The Brotherhood Of Piaxia, is my third to date. My previous releases are of the science fiction genre, a novel entitled, Grave Is The Day, and a novelette entitled, Vows Above. I am the father of three. My daughter Brooke, and two sons, Miles and Erik.
 
What five words would you use to describe The Brotherhood Of Piaxia? 
- Love, heroism, honor, magic and family.

Your characters have some rather outlandish names –‘Delphelia,’  ‘Tarlok,’ ‘Frollence’ and ‘Master Capolidu’, to name a few. How did you come up with these names? 
– There was some evolution involved in the naming process. Originally, all characters embodied the final letters of their home town, such as Tarlok and Delphelia, do, but after consideration, I decided to alter many so that the strong variation would ensure the reader does not get confused as to who is who. A lot of the names were of people I actually know, such as Frollence. Others were strictly unique constructs, as in Master Capolidu, in an effort to ensure variety.

Are any of the characters in The Brotherhood Of Piaxia based on people you know in real life? 
– In my dedication, I make note of my three children as models for the youth in this story. In the characters of Tessia, Savan and Tarlok, I have embodied some of the traits of each. For example, Savan’s size and wit is found in my son Erik who stands at 6-7. My daughter, Brooke, needed her own epiphany to go forward in life, much like Tessia.  My son Miles is autistic. Who better to represent Tarlok and the young warlock acolyte he is.

What was the inspiration behind the story of The Brotherhood of Piaxia. 
- This may sound silly, but I was motivated by reading a very poor fantasy novel. When I had purchased it, I had high expectations. After all, it was part of a very successful series and even had a television series modelled on it. But when I finished the book, I thought I could do better.

In the story, Tarlok joins The Brotherhood and learns to use magical powers. If you could have any magical power, what would it be? 
– One of Tarlok’s skills is the art of healing. I am selfish here in wishing for that skill as nothing would elate me more than curing my oldest son of his severe autism.

Have you always wanted to be a writer? 
– I think everyone at some point dreams of writing a book. But between raising a family, work, and facing the challenge, it took me a long time to take the plunge.

Who would you say have been the most influential people in your life as a writer? 
 – There are numerous authors who I have followed and cherished their writing, but I don’t believe any influenced me to be a writer. Rather, it was the realization that I finally had the free time to do it.
 
What are your hobbies, other than writing? 
– I do like to play Warcraft now and then, though I’m not very good.
 
*Thank you very much for the interview, Michael! It's been lovely having you!*

Find Michael Drakich on - Goodreads
                                      - Smashwords


****Look out for a giveaway where you can win a free ebook copy of Michael's book, The Brotherhood Of Piaxia, coming soon!****

Synopsis of The Brotherhood Of Piaxia:

"Years have passed since the overthrow of the monarchy by the Brotherhood of Warlocks and they rule Piaxia in peaceful accord. But now forces are at work to disrupt this rule from outside the Brotherhood as well as within! In the border town of Rok, a young acolyte, Tarlok and his older brother, Savan, a captain of the guard, become embroiled in the machinations of dominance. While in the capital city, Tessia, the daughter of Piaxia’s most influential merchant, begins a journey of survival. Follow the three as their paths intertwine, with members of the Brotherhood in pursuit and the powerful merchant’s guild manipulating the populace for their own ends."