Ty Johnson's blog book tour

Fantasy author Ty Johnstons is wrapping up his blog tour for 2011 with us. Welcome Ty. His novels include City of Rogues, Bayne’s Climb and More than Kin, all of which are available for the Kindle (http://www.amazon.com/Ty-Johnston/e/B002MCBQRU/ ), the Nook (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/ty-johnston ) and online at Smashwords (http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/darkbow ). His latest novel, Ghosts of the Asylum, will be available for e-books on November 21. To find out more, follow him at his blog http://tyjohnston.blogspot.com/

As I’m traveling around the blogosphere promoting my new epic fantasy e-book, Ghosts of the Asylum, today I thought I’d interview one of my characters, an older fellow by the name of Midge Highwater. Admittedly, Midge is not the main character. In fact, he’s a minor character, but he is pivotal in his own way and he has the most insight of all my characters. What follows is the interview.

Ty Johnston: Hello, Midge.

Midge: Are we on a first-name basis or somethin’? That’s Mr. Highwater to the likes of youse.

Ty: Uh, well, I did create you. I thought that would put us on a friendly standing.

Midge: You thought wrong. But that ain’t no surprise, what with you being some high-falutin’ writer an' all. Think you know everything.

Ty: Well, I know everything within the worlds I create, which includes the one you’re in.

Midge: Ursia? Ha! You don’t know the half of it. I could tell you tales --

Ty: You are a storyteller, after all.

Midge: (with a glare) Don’t interrupt me, again. I been retired a long time from soldierin’, but I still carry a sharp pocket knife that would love to carve me up some rump roast of writer.

Ty: (gulping) My sincerest apologies.

Midge: But yeah, I’m a storyteller. In facts, I’m the master of the Storytellers Guild in the city of Bond.

Ty: You mentioned soldiering, so does that mean you weren’t always a professional storyteller?

Midge: Truer words were never spoken, which is a miracle since they came out of an idiot like you. But yes, I’ve done lots of other things. I was a soldier for the republic’s army for a while, then I was a sailor for the longest time. Spent plenty of years along the rivers and out at sea. Even did a bit of bodyguard work here and there. Heck, I even spent a couple of years working as guard for Belgad the Liar hisself.

Ty: The famous underworld crime boss?

Midge: (glaring again) You mean the famous merchant and knight, don’t you?

Ty: Uh, yeah, sure.

Midge: That’s what I thought.

Ty: To get things back on subject, can you tell us a little about your role in the novel Ghosts of the Asylum?

Midge: I ain’t in it much. The writer was cheap, cut me down to two scenes, though I suppose my name gets bandied about a few other times.

Ty: What did you do in the novel?

Midge: Well, the first time I show up, it’s with that idiot Kron Darkbow.

Ty: The protagonist of the tale?

Midge: Yeah, that fool. He comes to me lookin’ for information about the guilds in Bond. He wants to know how they work. What are the rules and laws and such.

Ty: Sounds kind of boring, to be honest.

Midge: Don’t go cuttin’ down my work, boy. I’ve got an important scene. It provides Darkbow with information he needs against his enemies, and spurs some plans he’s got goin’ on. In my later scene, it’s me who breaks open a certain situation. I don’t say much, but what I do is important.

Ty: Can you tell us a little about the rest of the novel?

Midge: I suppose, but it don’t make me none happy. I coulda used more scenes. A character’s got to eat, after all, and here you writers are cuttin’ back --

Ty: What about the novel?

Midge: (puts hand in pocket) I just grabbed my knife, boy. You interrupt me again, and I swears I’ll cut you.

Ty: Sorry. Just trying to get to the point.

Midge: So you want to know about the rest of the goings-ons in the novel, eh? Well, there’s riots, fighting in the streets, assassination attempts, a woman gets her leg chopped off ... ya know, most of this is actually pretty sick stuff, if you asked me. What kind o’ person comes up with this garbage?

Ty: Uh, me.

Midge: Figures. You look the type. Anyway, this Kron Darkbow fellow is sort of the main person in the tale. After gettin’ himself into all kinds of trouble a year earlier, he’s tryin’ to settle down somewhat. But then a group of people decide he needs to be dead. And then there’s the riots going on, and Darkbow’s place is haunted.

Ty: His place?

Midge: Yep. It’s the Asylum. Used to be a real asylum until last year when it got flooded and a bunch of those crazy folks died there, along with a bunch o’ their guards. Musta been a hundred killed, at least. Then Darkbow comes along like some idiot and buys the place up. What does a man expect, buyin’ a place where a bunch of people died?

Ty: Anything else you’d like to add? I don’t want this interview to get too long.

Midge: So, you’re trying to cut me off?

Ty: I didn’t mean it like that.

Midge: Sure you didn’t. Hmm, well, I guess I should play the huckster and beg everyone reading this to go out and buy this e-book novel (whatever that is), Ghosts of the Asylum. I’ve got four hungry mouths to feed, after all.

Ty: Uh, no you don’t.

Midge: Who says?

Ty: I do, the guy who created you. You don’t have any kids. You’re not even married.

Midge: And who’s fault is that?

Ty: Uh, okay. Well, I’m signing off now before this gets ugly. If you enjoy epic fantasy, you might consider giving Ghosts of the Asylum a try, or one of my other novels. I hope you find something to enjoy in my writings. And please don’t hesitate to contact me through my blog (http://tyjohnston.blogspot.com/) to let me know you think. Enjoy!

Midge: Idiot.

Thank you Ty and Midge. That sounds like an amazing book. I'd be scared to stay at an asylum where hundreds of patients and guards died in a flood. For my readers, Ty said he'd stop by today so feel free to ask him questions and please give his book a try.
Nancy