Thursday, June 26, 2014

Blog Tour!: Vampire Down by Steven Montano (Character Casting, Soundtrack and a GIVEAWAY!!!)

Posted by BookGroupies


Genre: Sci Fi Fantasy
Series: Blood Skies
Author: Steven Montano



VAMPIRE DOWN
Blood Skies, Book 7

Coming June 27th!

Who ever knew the end would come so soon?

In this final volume of the BLOOD SKIES series, Eric Cross and Danica Black find themselves facing impossible odds in the desolate ruins of the world they once knew.  Hunted by the mercenary forces of the newly formed East Claw Coalition and desperate to find the elusive White Mother, the two refugees will be pushed to the limits of their abilities and sanity as they struggle to survive.

Meanwhile, in the near future, the undead hunter called Reaver searches for the lost city of Bloodhollow, the place where humankind will make its final stand, while the undead of New Koth and the rebellious White Children make their push to end the reign of the Ebon Kingdoms once and for all.

As timelines collide and the spider weaves her web, the battle for the fate of the riven world will come to its violent conclusion in the depths of a forgotten city, where unlikely heroes will emerge and hidden evils will finally be revealed...



BLOOD SKIES
Blood Skies, Book 1


Blurb~
In the time after The Black, human survivors of the Southern Claw Alliance clash with vampire legions of the Ebon Cities in a constant war for survival. Earth as we know it has been forever damaged by an arcane storm that fused our world with distant realms of madness and terror. Things that once existed only in our nightmares stalk the earth.

Now, humanity is threatened by one of its own.

Eric Cross, an enlisted warlock in the Southern Claw military, is part of an elite team of soldiers and mages in pursuit of a woman known as Red -- a witch whose stolen knowledge threatens the future of the human race. The members of Viper Squad will traverse haunted forests and blighted tundra in their search for the traitor, a journey that ultimately leads them to the necropolis of Koth.

There, in that haven of renegade undead, Cross will discover the dark origins of magic, and the true meaning of sacrifice...

Experience a dark and deadly new world in the debut novel of the "Blood Skies" series from author Steven Montano.

Book 1, Blood Skies is currently FREE on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

BLACK SCARS
Blood Skies, Book 2




Blurb~
Something ancient has awoken. Primordial and wholly evil, a living shadow emerges from a prison made weak by the magical cataclysm called The Black. Now the Sleeper stalks the land in search of its old enemies, leaving a trail of madness and destruction in its wake. Eric Cross, a Southern Claw warlock, has been sent to find the Woman in the Ice, the only known means to stopping this evil. Aided by a grizzled ranger and a band of wardens and inmates from a sadistic prison, Cross' mission will bring him into conflict with an array of foes: the barbaric Gorgoloth, vampire shock troops out of the Ebon Cities, and a cadre of mercenary nihilists called the Black Circle. On a mission that will take him from a lost temple once ruled by insidious wolf sorcerers to the vicious gladiator games of the vampire city-state of Krul to the deadly ruins of an ice city, Cross will play a pivotal role in an ancient conflict whose outcome will determine the future of the world. Return to the world of Blood Skies in this exciting military fantasy adventure!

Helpful Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

SOULRAZOR
Blood Skies, Book 3


Blurb~
The war continues…

Eric Cross and his team of elite mercenaries are the bane of the Ebon Cities. Armed with the cutting-edge arcane weaponry of the Southern Claw, Cross and his crew – Black, Kane, Ronan, Maur, Grissom and Ash – have become a veritable thorn in the side of the vampire armies.

Now the team is tasked with halting vampire activity near the remote city-state of Fane, where the Ebon Cities have teamed up with a former Revenger in search of a deadly weapon called Soulrazor.

To make matters worse, something sinister has happened to Cross, and the key to his salvation is somehow directly tied to the Ebon Cities’ new soldiers: a host of necrotic angels who bear traces of divine power.

Cross and his team must travel across a blighted wilderness and do battle with a vile array of enemies as they race not only to save the city of Thornn from total annihilation, but to rescue Cross’ very soul from an enemy more powerful than he could ever imagine…

Helpful Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

CROWN OF ASH
Blood Skies, Book 4



Blurb~
Eric Cross and his team have been to hell and back, but their journey isn’t over yet.

Marooned in the remote criminal city of Blacksand, the only way for the mercenaries to get home is to help a local crime boss protect his territories from the Ebon Cities.

To complicate matters, Danica Black is also being hunted by The Revengers, a powerful band of corrupt prison wardens, while Cross himself is trapped in the Whisperlands, a realm of darkness controlled by a cadre of evil mages known as the Shadow Lords.

The team will battle their way through corroding wastelands and deadly vampire outposts, but even their considerable skills might not be enough to save them from the cruel machinations of the Shadow Lord’s mysterious master, a malevolent creature who has manipulated their destinies right from the beginning…

Return to the world of The Black in Book 4 of the BLOOD SKIES saga!

Helpful Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

THE WITCH’S EYE
Blood Skies, Book 5


Blurb~
A new evil is born.

The Ebon Cities have created a deadly new breed of undead called the Witchborn, whose very existence spells doom for the entire continent.

To make matters worse, a nihilist cult called the Black Circle has learned of the Witch’s Eye, the source of the Witchborn virus and an item capable of opening a portal to The Black.

Eric Cross’s scattered and war-weary team must find the Eye before it’s too late. With the aid of some unlikely allies, the mercenaries will fight their way across the wastelands and challenge the horrors at the edge of oblivion.

And before the battle is won Cross and his team will make the ultimate sacrifice, and face one of their own…

Return to the world After The Black in Book 5 of the BLOOD SKIES saga!

Helpful Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

CHAIN OF SHADOWS
Blood Skies, Book 6


Blurb~
The barrier between worlds has been broken, and the invasion is about to begin.

Eric Cross, burdened by the loss of those who’ve died under his command, must lead his recently reunited mercenary team against the shadow wolf sorcerers known as the Maloj. Bound to dire artifact blades and charged with protecting the Kindred, Cross seeks help from the enigmatic White Mother, leader of the Southern Claw.

But sinister forces bring his vessel down in a strange and distant land, and soon Cross and his allies are beset by undead armies vying for control of the deadly region called the Chain of Shadows. Trapped in a desert waste where wielding magic is dangerous and nothing is as it seems, Cross’s team will pay the ultimate price in their battle to finally get home...

Return to the world After the Black in this pivotal 6th book of the BLOOD SKIES saga!

Helpful Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Casting Call: VAMPIRE DOWN

It's happened: after two years of writing my butt off, the BLOOD SKIES series has come to a close.  Seven books and some 2000 pages long, the tale of the world After the Black spans several years, multiple alternate time-lines, a couple of continents and a few different realities.  Lives are lost, wars are fought, relationships emerge, souls are weaved together in a tapestry of fate.

Oh, and I did I mention it's chock-full of vampires, monsters, magic and guns?  Well, yeah, there's that.

I've written several blog posts in the past about who would be the dream cast for the BLOOD SKIES series, and while I never did get around to doing one for CHAIN OF SHADOWS it's time to close the cycle and bring it on home with VAMPIRE DOWN, the Book 7 finale to the series.  Honestly I still think BLOOD SKIES would be a better cable TV show than a movie series, so some of my choices would be impossible from a budgetary standpoint...but hey, that's why it's called a “Dream Cast”, right? ;D

In addition to this, check out the all new and improved soundtrack for the Blood Skies series – 1 song per book (plus a bonus song for the short stories!)

Enjoy!

The Cast of VAMPIRE DOWN

ERIC CROSS

Once a young and frightened warlock in the Southern Claw military, Cross has grown into the leader of his own mercenary outfit, bearer of the magical blades Soulrazor and Avenger, and a man trapped out of time and burdened by the loss of so many friends and allies.  Now returned to a home that is utterly foreign and changed, Cross will do anything to keep his friends safe, and end the threat of the vampire invaders forever.

Played by James McAvoy



DANICA BLACK
Formerly a prison warden of the dire facility called Black Scar, Danica joined Eric's team after the two got off to a somewhat shaky start.  Now utterly devoted to protecting her friends and ensuring the safety of the human race, Danica – armed with the magical blades Claw and Scar and made more powerful than ever by a golem appendage which grants strength to her arcane spirit – Danica is the ultimate weapon against the vampires of the Ebon Kingdoms.

Played by Milla Jovovich

RONAN


Raised by the brutal monks of the Crimson Triangle as an assassin, the man known only as Ronan escaped the order as a child and grew up as a freelance mercenary and killer.  As a member of Cross's team Ronan has found not only a home but his own soul, though in the strange alternate future after the events of CHAIN OF SHADOWS he is once again lost, and searches for the one person who can make him whole again.

Played by Michael Fassbender

SHIV

The last of the Kindred, the young girl called Shiv has the remarkable ability to manipulate other spirits, whether they are tied to warlocks or free-floating phantoms of the wastelands.  Her powers make her a battered and reclusive shell of a young woman, a danger to others, and possibly humankind's only hope.  In the frightening future, Shiv is an important part of the last human resistance, and the greatest threat to the other worldy wolf-sorcerers called the Maloj.

Played by Kacey Rohl

MAUR

A Gol pilot and engineer, the inimitable and largely unflappable Maur has been with the team to hell and back, often serving as the voice of reason as well as acting as their technical expert.  A member of a strange race of dwarves whose origins are a mystery even to them, Maur is in many ways the backbone of the group...even if he insists on consistently referring to himself in the third person. 

Played by Peter Dinklage

LUCAN KETH

Yes, spoiler alert – the wastelands warlock with incredible powers from BLACK SCARS is still alive, and back in a prominent role in VAMPIRE DOWN.  Last seen battling the otherworldly Sleeper to a standstill, Lucan is now the leader of the hidden city of Bloodhollow, a place that will play a significant role in the battle for humanity's future.

Played by Thomas Kretschmann


ILFESA WARFIELD
A black market dealer, criminal and witch, Ilfesa Warfield has maintained an off-and-on flirtatious relationship with Cross for years.  Now, in the frightening alternate future of the World After the Black, Warfield supplies the human resistance with vital supplies, and will even aid in humanity's last stand against the vampires...for a price.

Played by Antje Trau

MACE



A member of the future's human resistance and a staunch supporter of the White Mother, the man called Mace will help guide humanity to safety, even if his methods are somewhat unorthodox.

Played by Ron Perlman

HASKER

A field commander of the deadly East Claw Coalition, the man called Hasker is a ruthless mercenary captain with a callous disregard for human life and a streak of abject cruelty.

Played by Corey Stoll

ABRAHAM

An arms dealer and black market presence in the future city-state of Pyramid, Abraham has ties to the resistance and to Ronan, who he'll be forced to work with.

Played by Djimon Hansou

The Soundtrack of the BLOOD SKIES series:

1.      “Lost in the Echo”, by Linkin Park. (Blood Skies)
At once filled with loss and loathing, anger and fear, ruthlessness and regret, the songs of Linkin Park perfectly embody the painful sundering of the world After the Black.

2.      “Going Under”, by Evanescence (Black Scars)
Creepy, emotional, atmospheric, and possessing enough female angst to do characters like Danica Black and Shiv proud. 

3.      “What Do I Have to Do?”, by Stabbing Westward (Soulrazor)
Discordant, raw, loud and filled with pain…sound like anyone we know? SW has a truckload of great songs, but “What Do I Have to Do?” best fits the Blood Skies bill.

4.      “Maison Du Tigre”, by Diorama (Crown of Ash)
Odd, atmospheric, and dripping with rich lyrics, this bizarre tune by German band Diorama is great traveling music through the realms of the unknown.

5.      “Autumnal”, by Arcana (The Witch’s Eye)
A deeply enchanting ethereal track steeped with atmosphere, “Autumnal” perfectly reflects the slow return to humanity both Danica and Ronan must undergo. 

6.      “The Immigrant Song”, cover by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Karen O (Chain of Shadows)
With all apologies to Led Zeppelin, this remake of the classic song is a masterpiece of fear, and this tune always takes me right into the heart of darkness.

7.      “Breathe In”, by System Syn (Vampire Down)
Sweeping, epic in scope but not in length, layered with harsh percussions yet steeped in hope, Clint Carney’s music captures the desperation of the final battle.

8.      “Winter: Lux Aeterna”, by Clint Mansell (Crucifix Point, Tales of a Blood Earth 1 & 2)
A truly hypnotic score, Mansell’s music from “Requiem for a Dream” has something of an eternal quality, a timelessness we hope to achieve before all is lost.

About the Author
Steven Montano was something terrifying in his previous life.  Now he’s an accountant, so not much has changed.

An avid hiker, reader, San Antonio Spurs fan, goofball husband and father of two, Steven writes novels (the seven volume Blood Skies series, the Skullborn Trilogy, something black…, and the upcoming thrillers Blood Angel Rising and Colder) and drinks a lot of wine when he isn’t busy pulling his hair out over payroll or trying to balance the company books. 





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1 comments:

Daezarkian13 on June 28, 2014 at 12:48 PM said...

Thanks a bunch for your help on the blog tour, I appreciate it! =D

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