I’m excited to announce that my young adult action and adventure novel, The Gladiator and the Guard, is now available on Amazon, iTunes, and Audible!
The Gladiator and the Guard is book two, continuing the story of Steene, Ellie, and enslaved martial artist Bensin that began in The Collar and the Cavvarach. Here are the blurbs for both books:
The Collar and the Cavvarach
Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire’s most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie’s escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time. With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?
(For a fun tour of the world this story is set in, click here.)
The Gladiator and the Guard
Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is just one victory away from freedom. But after he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he is condemned to the violent life and early death of a gladiator. While his loved ones seek desperately for a way to rescue him, Bensin struggles to stay alive and forge an identity in an environment designed to strip it from him. When he infuriates the authorities with his choices, he knows he is running out of time. Can he stand against the cruelty of the arena system and seize his freedom before that system crushes him?
The Collar and the Cavvarach is already an audiobook, recorded by the talented Joseph Baltz in 2020. (See it here on Amazon and here on Audible!) I’m excited that book 2 is about to join it, with book 3 coming later in 2021. Want to listen to previews of either book? Just click on the links below!
(Warning: if you haven’t read or listened to The Collar and the Cavvarach yet, you may want to wait till you’ve finished that one before listening to the second preview, as it does contain spoilers for the first book.)
Click the play button below to listen to part of the first scene of The Collar and the Cavvarach!
Click the play button below to listen to the whole first chapter of The Gladiator and the Guard!
Download The Gladiator and the Guard from Amazon here!
Download The Gladiator and the Guard from Audible here!
I’d love to hear what you think of either audio sample! Please do leave a reply and let me know! Meanwhile, want to make sure you get notified when new books are available? Click here to join my author email list and be among the first to know about all my new projects!
Also:
Book 1: The Collar and the Cavvarach
Book 2: The Gladiator and the Guard
The story takes place in the Krillonian Empire, which is in a world whose culture and technology are almost exactly like our own in most ways. The main difference is that slavery is legal there. (To learn more about the Krillonian Empire, click here.) In today’s post, however, we will focus on life in the province of Tarnestra (also called Tarnestran Province). Tarnestra is unique in that it recently became the first province in the empire to outlaw slavery. As you can imagine, this history-making event sparked hope in the hearts of slaves throughout the empire, and for many, dreams of escape suddenly became a real possibility. As a result, in addition to freeing all its local slaves, Tarnestra has recently seen an influx of escaped slaves from Imperia and other provinces. These changes have had unfortunate effects on the economy, since many businesses cannot afford to hire as many employees and have had to shut down or cut way back. (The accepted salary for enslaved workers – paid to their owners, of course – is two-thirds what free workers earn.) Tarnestra is now dealing with huge numbers of unemployed and homeless people.
If we were to visit Tarnestra as tourists, what would you recommend that we see or do there?Snow sports are popular. Tarnestra’s Rurionis Range has several mountains high enough to have snow at the top all year round, and it’s a common destination for anyone who likes skiing, snowboarding, or sledding.
Because of the high homeless population and the fact that so many people are unemployed, there’s been an increase in crime recently. In addition, you’ll want to watch out for the street gangs, especially if you go out alone at night. Rumor has it that at least one of the gangs has even been involved in kidnapping people to sell them as slaves in other provinces where slavery is still legal.
An emperor, who is never named, governs the whole Krillonian Empire from the capital city, Krillonia, on the continent known as Imperia. Tarnestra is one of eight separate provinces on nearby continents. Like the others, Tarnestra is allowed to elect its own legislature and decide on many of its own laws, but the emperor reserves the right to veto any of them and make changes as he sees fit.
Are there any other unique cultural practices that we should be aware of if we visit Tarnestra?
Some Tarnestrans consider it stylish to wear silver in their hair. (Most Tarnestrans have blond or brown hair.) It’s not uncommon to see men, especially, in dreadlocks entwined with silver wires, or braids with silver beads on the end. If you choose to follow this particular custom, though, beware: a dangerous gang known as the Silverheads is famous for doing this, and it’s possible you’ll be mistaken for a gang member, especially if you have a burly build and go out at night with a weapon. If you happen to meet any of the Corner Creepers, their rivals, watch out!
Has anything in your actual life inspired the locations, cultures, etc. in your book?
I borrowed a few details from places I’ve been. For example, the Corner Creepers’ bladeclubs are made from rounders bats, which are about half the length of baseball bats. Rounders is a sport similar to baseball that is played in Kenya, where I grew up. And the character Boris has a bad habit of chewing betel nut, a mild narcotic that is common in Taiwan, where I live now. (It’s legal in Taiwan, but not in Tarnestra!)
Is it better to live as a slave or to be homeless, unemployed, and starving? Is it okay to participate in activities you know are illegal or unethical in order to bring about good for someone else? What do you do when you are forced to make the choice between being there for two separate sets of people who both need you in their lives? Can someone be justified in making a promise they know they will break to a person who trusts them if that’s the only way to help someone else? Is it a good thing to have ended slavery when the results are mass unemployment, a huge rise in homelessness, and the economy taking a “deep sea dive”? These are all issues characters have to wrestle with in The Student and the Slave.
The Student and the Slave is available on Amazon here in both Kindle and paperback formats. Its regular price will be $2.99, but I’ve discounted it to 99 cents for the month of November!
Here are the links to my other books:
The Collar and the Cavvarach
The Gladiator and the Guard
Annals of Alasia fantasy series
Hide it In Your Heart (Bible verse coloring/activity book)
Student poetry anthologies
Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.
Please join us again next Monday for a trip to another world in next week’s edition of Realm Explorers!
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The series is set in an alternate world that is very much like our own, with just a few major differences. One is that slavery is legal there. Slaves must wear metal collars that lock around their neck, making their enslaved status obvious to everyone. Another difference is the popularity of a martial art called cavvara shil. It is fought with a cavvarach (rhymes with “have a rack”), a weapon similar to a sword but with a steel hook protruding from partway down its top edge. Competitors can strike at each other with their feet as well as with the blades. You win in one of two ways: disarming your opponent (hooking or knocking their cavvarach out of their hands) or pinning their shoulders to the mat for five seconds.
First, a Little Information about Books 1 and 2:
Book 1: The Collar and the Cavvarach
Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is desperate to see his little sister freed. But only victory in the Krillonian Empire’s most prestigious tournament will allow him to secretly arrange for Ellie’s escape. Dangerous people are closing in on her, however, and Bensin is running out of time. With his one hope fading quickly away, how can Bensin save Ellie from a life of slavery and abuse?
Click here to read chapter 1 of The Collar and the Cavvarach.
Click here to read about life in the Krillonian Empire, where the series is set.
Book 2: The Gladiator and the Guard
Bensin, a teenage slave and martial artist, is just one victory away from freedom. But after he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he is condemned to the violent life and early death of a gladiator. While his loved ones seek desperately for a way to rescue him, Bensin struggles to stay alive and forge an identity in an environment designed to strip it from him. When he infuriates the authorities with his choices, he knows he is running out of time. Can he stand against the cruelty of the arena system and seize his freedom before that system crushes him?
Click here to read about life in the arena where Bensin and other gladiators are forced to live and train.
And now, The Student and the Slave, with another awesome cover by the talented Jack Lin!
Book 3: The Student and the Slave
Is this what freedom is supposed to be like? Desperate to provide for himself and his sister Ellie, Bensin searches fruitlessly for work like all the other former slaves in Tarnestra. He needs the money for an even more important purpose, though: to rescue Coach Steene, who sacrificed himself for Bensin’s freedom. When members of two rival street gangs express interest in Bensin’s martial arts skills, he realizes he may have a chance to save his father figure after all … at a cost.
Meanwhile, Steene struggles with his new life of slavery in far-away Neliria. Raymond, his young owner, seizes any opportunity to make his life miserable. But while Steene longs to escape and rejoin Bensin and Ellie, he starts to realize that Raymond needs him too. His choices will affect not only his own future, but that of everyone he cares about. Can he make the right ones … and live with the consequences?
Click here to order The Student and the Slave from Amazon for $2.99 a discounted price of just 99 cents through November 31st!
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Bensin, teenage slave and martial artist, is just one victory away from freedom. But after he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he is condemned to the violent life and early death of a gladiator. While his loved ones seek desperately for a way to rescue him, Bensin struggles to stay alive and forge an identity in an environment designed to strip it from him. When he infuriates the authorities with his choices, he knows he is running out of time. Can he stand against the cruelty of the arena system and seize his freedom before that system crushes him?
What dangers should we avoid in Red Arena?However, should you ever be unfortunate enough to end up as a gladiator in the arena yourself, that would be a whole different story. Although the weekend games are usually not intended to result in death (that would be a waste), accidents can and do happen. Gladiators fight with razor-sharp weapons, after all, and injuries are common. In addition, gladiators tend to be violent by nature, and in the course of daily life in the arena, they are constantly looking for opportunities to prove that they’re tougher than those around them. Newcomers, especially, tend to be victimized until they learn to stand up for themselves. Fighting (except during official combat practice times with a trainer supervising) is strictly against the rules due to the danger of “damaging valuable arena property”. There are always multiple guards standing ready to put a stop to any altercations with the help of their shockwhips and dartblowers (more about those later). However, any gladiator would tell you that proving yourself is always worth the cost. If they’re quick, they can usually get in a few blows before the guards step in.
Few people come voluntarily. Gile Murton, Red Arena’s manager, sometimes purchases slaves from their owners, if he finds some who are especially skilled in martial arts. In the city of Jarreon, enslavement (usually involving sale by auction) is a common punishment for certain crimes. So if Gile hears that a talented athlete, soldier, or someone else with the right skill set has been convicted of a crime and enslaved, he will place a bid in an attempt to secure the person for the arena. He occasionally offers a contract to a free martial artist, but this is rare, and it’s even rarer for anyone to accept it. Becoming a gladiator means being paid a generous sum in advance and then committing to a lifetime in the arena – and gladiators’ lives are notoriously short. As you can imagine, not many people would choose such an option, even though few outsiders have any idea of the strict training conditions and cruel treatment glads in Red Arena face on a daily basis.
Is there a distinct or unusual type of food or meal that we might be served in Red Arena?
The arena features a number of different martial arts, some of which are familiar in our world. Boxing, wrestling, mu tokk, Skeyvian scimitar dueling, spear fighting, Nelirian double daggers (fought with a dagger in each hand), and cavvara shil are the main ones mentioned.
Cavvara shil is Bensin’s area of expertise. It involves a combination of kickfighting, which is similar to our kickboxing, and cavvara dueling, in which fighters strike at each other with a sword-like weapon called a cavvarach that has a hook about halfway along the top edge of the blade. You win a duel either by disarming your opponent (hooking, kicking or knocking the cavvarach out of his hand) or by pinning his shoulders to the ground for five seconds. Fighters wear a narrow shield-like guard, called a shil, on one forearm, and use it to block an opponent’s blows or kicks.
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| This scale model of a cavvarach was designed by a high school student at Morrison Academy and printed for the author on a 3D printer. |
What types of vehicles, animals, technology, etc. are used to travel in or to Red Arena?
Technology in the Krillonian Empire as a whole is very similar to that found on Earth today. There are a few unusual items in use there, however. Guards and trainers at Red Arena always carry shockwhips: long, stiff whips with an adjustable strap that fastens around the user’s wrist. The whips deliver a painful blow that leaves a welt for several days. Pressing a button on the handle sends an electrical charge through the whip, and anyone struck with it then receives a painful electric shock. Gladiators are regularly lashed with shockwhips as a penalty for fighting or other rule breaking, or as a consequence for failing to meet the fitness goals their trainers set during workouts.
Red Arena guards also use dartblowers, which are little tubes about the length of a finger, worn on a cord around the neck. They contain tiny darts which, when they pierce the skin, cause a person to go limp and lose control of most muscles for several minutes. This is useful if glads are fighting each other, threatening arena staff, or otherwise engaging in potentially dangerous activities. A prick from a dart will leave them slumped motionless on the floor long enough for anyone in danger to get away or for guards to call for reinforcements. The glad is conscious and can still hear what’s happening around him, he just can’t move or open his eyes. The dart wears off gradually, and after that, he’ll have a headache for several hours.
During breaks after meals and between workouts, gladiators hang out in the rec room and play cards. A card game called ruple is particularly popular.
When a gladiator defeats his opponent out on the sand, he is rewarded with a day of “champion privileges”. This involves a morning of exciting virtual reality video games and an afternoon of movies and (healthy) snacks. As you might expect, the video games and movies are always quite violent.
The manager’s name is Gile Murton. He oversees arena operations and does everything he can to acquire talented new warriors and make sure they become vicious killers to raise Red Arena’s ratings and bring in as much money as possible. He makes no secret of the fact that he doesn’t care about anyone or anything unless they bring profit to the arena. However, he can put on a very warm front when he’s trying to recruit potential gladiators, and he always acts friendly and proud toward glads who have just won in the arena games. However, he has no qualms about using people in whatever ways suit his purposes. All the gladiators at Red Arena hate him, and so do most of the guards and trainers.
There are ten trainers at Red Arena, each responsible for ten gladiators. They create and are constantly updating individualized training plans for each glad, adjusting them when necessary to make allowance for injuries. Trainers have the extra incentive of a generous financial bonus whenever a glad in their “ten” wins in combat against another arena.
An assistant trainer works with each trainer, helping to supervise the gladiators’ workouts and combat practice. They take over training responsibilities twice a week when trainers have the day off.
Guards are always present during the day, ready to protect trainers if the glads in their ten turn on them. Some guards patrol the arena at ground level, shockwhips and dartblowers at the ready. Others look down on the gym, rec room, etc. from balconies at the second-floor level, where they can use their dartblowers as necessary while keeping well away from any possible danger.
What types of plants, animals, or sentient races might we encounter in Red Arena that we don’t see on Earth?
Slavery in the Krillonian Empire is not based on race; people from any race can be enslaved as a punishment for certain crimes. (Attempting to help slaves escape is one such crime.) Large numbers of people from certain provinces, such as Tarnestra, have been enslaved all at once as a consequence for resisting Imperial annexation.
How can gladiators leave the arena?
Permanently? There’s only one way: in a bodybag. But Steene is determined to find a way to get Bensin out alive, no matter the cost….
Author Autobiography:Annie Douglass Lima spent most of her childhood in Kenya and later graduated from Biola University in Southern California. She and her husband Floyd currently live in Taiwan, where she teaches fifth grade at Morrison Academy. She has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since her childhood, and to date has published twelve books (two YA action and adventure novels, four fantasies, a puppet script, and five anthologies of her students’ poetry). Besides writing, her hobbies include reading (especially fantasy and science fiction), scrapbooking, and international travel.
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Click here to read other posts in the Realm Explorers series.
Please join us again next Monday for a trip to the land of Tanniyn, in Realm Explorers Part XCVIII!
First Things First: a Little Information about Book 1:
What is the Collar for, and What is a Cavvarach?
The story is set in a world very much like our own, with just a few major differences. One is that slavery is legal there. Slaves must wear metal collars that lock around their neck, making their enslaved status obvious to everyone. Any slave attempting to escape faces the dilemma of how and where to illegally get their collar removed (a crime punishable by enslavement for the remover).
Another difference is the popularity of a martial art called cavvara shil. It is fought with a cavvarach (rhymes with “have a rack”), a weapon similar to a sword but with a steel hook protruding from partway down its top edge. Competitors can strike at each other with their feet as well as with the blades. You win in one of two ways: disarming your opponent (hooking or knocking their cavvarach out of their hands) or pinning their shoulders to the mat for five seconds.
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