If you’ve been following my blog, you know I LOVE, LOVE to support fellow authors, especially new ones.  So today, I’m delighted to bring you first time author, T.M. Lakomy.  Welcome to my blog. 

How exciting to be a first time author.  There is nothing like the thrill of seeing your first published book on Amazon.  What is the title of your newest release.

The Shadow Crucible: The Blind God

What is the story about?

The Shadow Crucible is a gripping epic set in medieval England where the struggle for redemption is crushed by the powers of evil.

In a world where angels, demons, and gods fight over the possession of mortal souls, two conflicted pawns are ensnared in a cruel game. The enigmatic seer Estella finds herself thrown together with Count Mikhail, a dogmatic Templar dedicated to subjugating her kind. But when a corrupted cardinal and puppet king begin a systematic genocide of her people, the two become unlikely allies.

Taking humanity back to their primordial beliefs and fears, Estella confronts Mikhail’s faith by revealing the true horror of the lucrative trade in human souls. All organized religions are shops orchestrated to consume mankind. Every deity, religion, and spiritual guide has been corrupted, and each claims to have the monopoly on truth and salvation.

In a perilous game where the truth is distorted and meddling ancient deities converge to partake of the unseen battle, Estella unwittingly finds herself hunted by Lucifer. Traversing the edge of hell’s precipice, Estella and Mikhail are reduced to mere instruments. Their only means to overcome is through courting the Threefold Death, the ancient ritual of apotheosis—of man becoming God.

Who is the main character?

Estella Delcour, the enigmatic seer

What inspired this tale?

It was my fascination with gnostic Christianity and pagan religions, and those on the fringes of society in history that were rejected by the church but held the keys of sight and understanding. These seers and wise women were between our reality and other worlds, they had answers where others did not, they bore truth and were thus vilified and persecuted, think of the witch trails.

How did the story come to you?

I wrote it because the themes and characters were growing and germinating in my mind for years, they existed way before I put them to paper and they just needed to thrive.

There was always a dogmatic Templar and there was always an indolent seer. One day when I was at university, I saw a saying on the wall “when you cannot find the book you want to read, then write it” and at first that got under my skin, but eventually I realized that there is a lack of gothic dark fantasy novels out there with a strong occult twist that’s steeped in authentic beliefs.

So I began writing; the first word I ever wrote was “carriages” and from there the story flowed.

I was always attracted to mysticism and the paranormal, perhaps because as a child I used to see things, and no I’m not crazy, so I always had the curiosity to wonder what is beyond the doors of death? Is there more?

Did you have to research for this novel and if so, why?

My studies in mysticism, shamanism and archaeology at University. I was heavily influenced by Mircea Eliade, the foremost voice in Shamanism.

The little studied areas of gnostic Christianity were abundant in theories that could be made into amazing novels.

If you did research, what do you think surprised you most to learn and why?

People’s lack of interest in the pre-roman versions of Christianity which were far more esoteric and offer a very different perspective on reality. I was surprised by how much the church had just relegated these lost books to just another book on the shelf, very few copies survived, and people aren’t exposed enough to the connections between the current tenets of faith and pagan religions.

Do you relate to your character?

Yes, I do.

Is your protagonist anything like you personally?

She has a lot of my base characteristics, amplified.

If yes, then how?

I like great drinks, and I like my bed a lot. I am not good with figures of authority of any kind. I reject the dogmas of any creed. And yes, I have been seeing entities since I was three, and no I am not mad.

What made you write this character; what made them important to you or made you want to tell their story?

I believe that in a parallel universe I could have been her.

Is there anything specific you want readers to know about this piece of work?

There are a lot of subtle and controversial messages hidden in the subtext.

When will the novel be available for purchase?

25^th April 2017

Has the book already been published?

Yes by SelectBooks

Just click on the book cover to pre-order your copy today!

Okay, let’s learn more about you, as a writer Who is Tamara Lakomy?

I was born in London, but grew up as a feminist tribal girl in a North African repressive regime to divorced parents, I was raised between the slums where my father resided and the richer suburbs where my mother lived. The contrast made me fierce yet genteel. I saw the ugly side of poverty and lawlessness in the slums of Mellassine.

I studied archaeology and became enamored with the shamanistic practices of indigenous people.

I am an author and poet who seeks to challenge our notions of reality, and see life with a different perspective.

I work in East Africa with indigenous tribes studying the origins of mankind and the salient golden thread in the tapestry of humanity’s beliefs.

I write poetry and frequently publish them with magazines, I am also a resident poet at Penhead Press

What inspired you to start writing?

We had just returned from Glasgow, a wasted visit to another charlatan masquerading as a financier. I was back home and depressed, it was raining outside, a dark gothic fantasy was on television, I liked the female protagonist’s dual nature, her intractable faith and dabbling in the dark side. Later I went to my bedroom and catharsis began with relief from my emotional turmoil’s as I wrote the first words; carriages up and down. That was what I saw in my mind’s eye.

What is your favorite book you have written and why?

Sol Invictus. I let myself go and emptied my darkness into that book, it is close to the bone, it mirrors my reality and the cultural context of my life.

When you are not writing, what do you do to recharge?

Revisiting folklore, reading grimoires, spending time with my cats.

Are you an Indie Author or are you part of a publishing house?

Select Books

Do you read books within the genres you write?

Yes, indeed.

Besides being an author, do you have a second job?

I am the co-founder of blueprints.org

What do you enjoy most about being an author?

Exposing my audience to new worlds and the folklore of different cultures.

Now, for one my favorite parts of the interview.  Let’s meet one of your characters.  Who are you?  What is your name?

Estella Delcour, also known as Tsura

Are you a fictional or historical character?

I am fictional, but I am there behind the veil of reality waiting for you to see me.

What should we know about you?

I am wild and value my freedom, I delight in having gifts that others don’t. I delight in walking among the Templars, the Clergy, and the Royal Courts without them knowing I am the enemy in their midst. How they would love to burn me at the stake.

Tell us about your story:  When and where is your tale set?

In medieval England, in the heart of London in plain sight.

What is your personal goal? I mean, what do you ultimately want?

The liberation of my people, the twilit touched, the gifted ones. The end of the scourge of dogmatic rulers, those that hate my kind. To put an end to the power of the clergy and my people to have a recognized place in society, for them to be revered for their magic, for we are the closest to the divine beings here on Earth, their mouthpiece.

What is standing in your way? What conflict(s) do you face?

The blind god hounds me, he wants to twist me into a tool for his perfidious schemes. My bitter relationship with the dogmatic Templar, I love one half of him and despise the other, the enlightened one and the slave master. My sadistic desire for vengeance, though if I stray down that path, the elder gods that protect me would cast me away.

Tamara, thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions.  Good luck with your first book.  How can your readers connect with you?

Twitter   Facebook  LinkedIn

Amazon Author Page