Question: Who is the main antagonist in The Spilling of Blood?
Answer: The primary antagonist in the first book is a master necromancer named Droh. He is the great-great-grandson of a long line of dark arts practitioners. After his grandfather was killed during a great battle, Droh has picked up where his great-grandfather failed. He believes his cruelty is justified by the many years he has suffered as the descendant of his grandfather’s legacy. Aided by outworlders driven by their own agendas, he has quickly seized power and intends to punish those he feels are responsible for his family’s persecution.
Question: What’s your favorite thing about this villain?
Answer: Well, he’s as evil as most villains, but he’s quirky and often a little awkward, which makes him fun to write. His impatience and short-sightedness ultimately become his Achilles’ heel. However, my absolute favorite thing is his banter with his number two, Serel. Serel is a total badass, although her life experiences have unfortunately warped her moral compass. She becomes entangled with Droh after he saves her, so she feels she owes him her loyalty for setting her on a different path—from victim to predator.
Question: Despite being the primary antagonist in the first book, there are not a lot of chapters focused on Droh. Why is this?
Answer: The primary reason is that there are a lot of heroes in this book. Building their backstories takes up a fair amount of the storyline. While Droh is the primary antagonist in the first book, without any spoilers, it’s made clear throughout the entirety of book one that Droh is more of a puppet than the actual villain, manipulated by the outworlders known as the Keepers.
Question: Can you tell us a little more about the Keepers?
Answer: Sure, the Keepers are not inherently evil. Like people in real life, they are driven by ideologies rooted in self-preservation. Choosing Droh, as despicable as he is, was simply a matter of finding someone willing to do their bidding, which requires a lack of ethical qualms. They are very arrogant, an arrogance that stems from the powerful abilities they possess. When one is capable of taking what they want, it breeds undeserved feelings of superiority over those less powerful.
Question: Do your books end on cliffhangers?
Answer: I like to think that my book endings are satisfying. If you were to only read this book, by the end, you would want to know what happens next, but it wouldn’t leave you frustrated.