I’m delighted to have author Patrick W. Carr here on the blog today to talk about his book A Draw of Kings, the final installment in The Staff & the Sword trilogy!
by Patrick W. Carr
Series: The Staff & the Sword #3
Genre: MG Mythological
Paperback: 464 Pages
Publication: February 18, 2014
by Bethany House Publishers
Their journey to Merakh should have made Errol and his companions heroes of the realm. Instead, much is changed on their return. In the wake of the king’s death, Duke Weir is ruling the country–and his intentions are to marry Adora to bring an heir.
With Errol and the others imprisoned and the identity of the rightful heir to the throne still hidden in secrecy, Illustra is on the verge of civil war–and at growing risk from the armies of Merakh and Morgol.
A dangerous mission to free Errol succeeds, but the dangers facing the kingdom are mounting with every passing moment. The barrier has fallen, ferals are swarming toward the land, and their enemies draw near. Will the revelation of Illustra’s next true king come in time or will all be lost?
Tell us a little about yourself and how you got into writing.
What inspired the writing of The Staff and the Sword series?
How has your initial vision of the story changed over the course of writing the series?
I saw that your son made original music for A Cast of Stones, the first book in the trilogy. How did this come about?
Then he joined his high school jazz band. It was like a key fitting into a lock. Patrick caught fire and became this amazing jazz pianist. He won jazz midstate piano as a Sophomore and state as a Senior. I have to give a shameless plug to Dr. Richard Ripani at Hume Fogg. His jazz program is beyond amazing. Anyway, Patrick had found his passion. He went to the University of North Texas to pursue jazz piano studies. He’s still there as a graduate student. When I got the idea of having a book trailer set to music, I asked Patrick to compose the theme.
As an aside, I also used one of Daniel’s compositions for strings as a secondary theme. The high school orchestra performed it as one of their pieces his Senior year and I asked him if we could borrow it for the book. The musical talent and work ethic my kids have is really humbling.
How has your faith influenced your writing?
What is your goal as a writer?
The second goal is more accessible, but more unattainable. I want to write an entire book that’s great. I have my own definition and it works like this. When I first started writing, I would go back over what I’d done and every now and then I’d go “Wow, that’s a really good line.” Later on, that grew to “Wow, that’s a really good paragraph.” With more practice, it grew to a scene, then a chapter. I’m sure you can see where I’m headed. Someday, I want to be able to say that about an entire book. At that point, I probably won’t care whether it hits the NYT or not.
If you were to play a role in The Staff and the Sword series, what would your occupation be and where would you show up in the story?
What are you working on now?
Patrick Carr was born on an Air Force base in West Germany at the height of the cold war. He has been told this was not his fault. As an Air Force brat, he experienced a change in locale every three years until his father retired to Tennessee. Patrick saw more of the world on his own through a varied and somewhat eclectic education and work history. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984 and has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, did design work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. Patrick’s day gig for the last five years has been teaching high school math in Nashville, TN. He currently makes his home in Nashville with his wonderfully patient wife, Mary, and four sons he thinks are amazing: Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. Sometime in the future he would like to be a jazz pianist. Patrick thinks writing about himself in the third person is kind of weird.
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Leave a Reply