I have to tell you that when Nathan contacted me to make two covers for his fantasy series, I was very excited and a little worried. I love fantasy novels! At the same time, portraying fantasy characters and scenes is a big challenge for the artist. Lots of details, shadows and effects, scary monsters, and mythical creatures should recreate the book's atmosphere and gain the reader's attention at first sight. After a long search and thanks to the author's initiative, I finally had the necessary images to combine all the elements in this delightful scene.
I believe these covers will win the hearts of the readers and are a great introduction to an exciting story and unexpected twists, which you'll find in these fantasy novels.
The author sent this impromptu interview, in which he tells us where he got his inspiration from, how he started writing, and what to expect in the second and third books of the Sons and Daughters fantasy series, Daniel and the Serpent's Abyss.
Meet Nathan Lumbatis, the author of the fantasy series Sons And Daughters, about Daniel's incredible adventures. He grew up in the woods of Alabama, where he spent his time exploring, hiking, and dreaming up stories. Now, as a child/adolescent therapist and author, he’s teaching kids and teens how to redeem their stories using Biblical principles. He still lives in Alabama, where you will find him with his wife and three kids every chance he gets.
What are your books about?
That's a dangerous question to ask any author because we love to talk about our books much longer than anyone really wants to listen, but I'll give it my best shot. The first book, Daniel and the Sun Sword, is about the main character's journey from orphan to child of God. All he wants is to have a normal family, but through a series of events he's adopted by the God of the universe, and sent on a quest to find the lost shards of a broken sword. That sword is one of the Weapons of Power that he and his friends use to fight the Enemy.
The second book, Daniel and the Triune Quest, which came out a couple years ago, is really about Daniel's friend, Ben, and his journey to find his Weapon of Power, which is the Triune Shield. Below the surface, it's about Daniel and Ben's relationship--the conflict they have, forgiving one another, but also understanding the role that self-sacrifice has in our redemption.
The third book, Daniel and the Serpent's Abyss (which comes out July 18t) is about Daniel and Ben's quest to help save their friend Raylin who is under the Enemy's control. It's about coming to the end of themselves, and understanding that in the process of redemption, we have to come to the end of our own abilities and strengths. It's about understanding what true repentance really means.
What inspired you to write them?
I'm a counselor, so I work a lot with children and teens, so just seeing a need for kids and teens to understand what it means to be a child of God. It's not abstract or cliche; it's a reality. When we become children of God and are saved, we are literally drawn into God's family. So on a deeper level that's what inspired me. But I also love mythology and that inspired me, so all the books have different mythologies woven into them. The Sun Sword takes place in Peru, and so it has a lot of Peruvian and Incan mythology. The second book, the Triune Quest, takes place in India, so it has a lot of Indian mythology, which is complex and hard to understand. And the third book takes place in the British Isles and Ireland, so it has a lot of Celtic mythology woven in. So definitely mythology is an influence, my relationship with God, and work with children - all of those things are inspirations for my books.
When did you realize you wanted to be an author?
I realized I started enjoying writing when I was in high school. I homeschooled and lived out in the country. My sister homeschooled at the same time, and I would get done very early in the day around noon, and we would have the rest of the day to explore woods and build forts. During that time, I would sit out in the woods for long periods of time and dream up stories. It wasn't really until I was in my twenties... I was in graduate school, actually, and I sat down and said to myself, "Ok, I'm going to write a book and see what that's like."
How long does it take you to write a book?
Typically, my process is that, when it's time for me to write a new book, I'll sit down and spend about seven to eight hours a week writing. I start off writing an outline, so it takes me maybe two or three months to finish an outline, and get it to a place where I feel like I have enough detail and understand the direction I'm taking the book into. After that, I start writing and it takes me nine to ten months to finish the book.
What other writer's influence you?
Nobody you've heard of. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Lloyd Alexander, Rick Riordan, specifically. Tolkien and Lewis - I'd call them early fantasy, so their styles are different. Lloyd Alexander and Riordan are slightly more contemporary, Riordan especially. Not that my books stand equal to theirs, but definitely they have influenced me a good deal.
Where can people find your books?
I'm glad you asked, because, of course, I want you to buy my books. So, you can find them in the usual places. I hope you get a chance to check them out and enjoy them!
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You can buy the books on Amazon, and on the author's website.
