Author Guest Post with Joshua Lange: With God We Burn

Young and untrained, Julien is soon captured, abandoned by the knights he had trusted.

Welcome to the December 13th stop on the blog tour for With God We Burn by Joshua Lange with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, more author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

Author Guest Post

What would I tell a new, aspiring author?

This is an important question to me, because I have a few friends who are aspiring authors themselves. The best piece of advice I have, as someone who has just recently finished their seventh novel, is to trust your vision.

What often happens is that, as soon as we think of a good idea, we want to tell someone about it. So we go to our friends and family, and we share the idea. So, what happens? Well, everyone has an opinion, right?

So you hear in response, “well, what if you changed that?” or “what if you added this?”

I’d say most times people who response like this don’t mean anything negative; I just think we all have a bit of a creative spark within us, and so we want to add to something that sounds interesting. However, I also think, for the author, it can be deflating and it can also dissipate the fire of your idea, so to speak.

There’s something amazing about that initial fire within our souls, that first spark of a great idea, and I think authors should prioritize keeping that fire within themselves. I believe they should write their book, finish their first draft, before consulting with others about it.

Now, there are some exceptions, of course. If you need help on grammar or if you have writer’s block, that’s different. I’m simply talking about the creative vision and keeping it pure.

Other than that, I would tell author’s to never give up. The best of us have had many rejections, before the big “yes!” finally comes through. It can and will happen for you – believe in yourself, and trust in your vision!

About the Book

With God We Burn
by Joshua Lange

Published 5 December 2023
Cinnabar Moth Publishing LLC

Genre: Historical Romance
Page Count: 248
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Julien Allais, a French Catholic, prays for only one thing: to kneel before God in the Holy Land of Jerusalem, far from his home in Constantinople, the capital of the Christian world in AD 1096. Joining the silver-clad Crusaders arriving from the west to free the Holy Land seems like the answer to his prayers.

Young and untrained, Julien is soon captured, abandoned by the knights he had trusted. Despite what he was told, his Muslim captors are not Godless fiends. Ahtmar, a boy near his own age, is among his captors, and Ahtmar’s sister Zahra tends to Julien’s wounds. As Julien’s feelings for Zahra and respect for Ahtmar grow, he questions everything he thought he knew. The Jerusalem they describe is a bustling city ruled by the Turks for the sake of all residents, no matter their faith. It doesn’t need to be freed – it needs to be protected from the Crusaders who will destroy it in the name of their faith.

As Julien and his captors travel to Jerusalem, a forbidden love between Julien and Zahra is born. This love will change them both. Will it have the power to change a world at war?

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Excerpt

Father looked at me intently. “You’re becoming a man, Julien.”

“Huh?” I laid the completed sword on a nearby table, which also featured several other weapons we’d completed, from a mace to a flail and spear, but they were mostly swords.

Father said, “You’ve gotten bigger. Your muscles are growing from helping me at the forge.” He folded his arms, with his big leather gloves sticking out on the sides. “Your legs are in good shape, too, from our long trek to get here. Unlike mine.” He grinned.

I sensed that my father wanted to press me on something. It was a question he had asked me many times before, a question I was afraid to confront. Instead, I drifted away into the house before he could ask.

Dinner was quiet. Father and I sat opposite each other, and I crunched away on the beef and vegetables. When I was finished, I was still hungry. My eyes passed over the third chair at the table. That one would remain empty. Then, I gazed outside the door as the sun disappeared below the horizon. It welcomed a twilight sky, a stunning full moon, and a chillier evening.

With the plates empty, slowly but surely, my mind wandered.

“Father… when can we leave the city? When can we go to Jerusalem?”

“When it’s time. You and I will both know when it’s right.”

“You’ve been saying that for months and months.”

I felt a tension rise between my father and I, like the heat from the forge had wafted into our home and taken up residence. Father tapped his fingers on the table, softly at first, but then more firmly and quickly.

“And you, son, have been ignoring my pleas for as much time.”

About the Author

Born and raised on Long Island, Joshua has had a love for storytelling since he was young. He grew up with the larger-than-life characters and silly stories in pro wrestling and got lost in complex role-playing video games, and finally manifested his love at age 18 when he wrote his first book.

Joshua often reflects on the bigger picture in life and thinks most people are good, decent, and worthy. Love, unity, and respect are his core ideals, and they are woven into all of his writing.

He currently lives on Long Island with a loving family, which is he truly grateful for.

You can follow current projects, or catch up with him on social media; he is always open to making new friends!

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Giveaway Alert!

Joshua Lange will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.