Timothy C. Ward and Others - A 23-book Box Set

We chat with Timothy C. Ward about Dominion Rising, a box set that includes 23 books in the sci-fi and fantasy genre from various best-selling authors. A bit different from our regular Author of the Day interviews, but certainly worth your while.

Please give us a short introduction to what Dominion Rising is all about.

Whether it's alien invasion or dark fairytales, heart-pounding galactic adventures or cyberpunk romance, Dominion Rising will satisfy with a thrilling mix of 23 BRAND NEW novels set in fantastical realms. Sword and sorcery, far-flung galactic empires, alternative history, epic magic, slipstream futures: this collection of carefully selected, exclusive novels is sure to please and delight readers of speculative fiction.

Over five thousand pages packed with aliens, faeries, vampires, gargoyles, warriors, telepaths, space pirates, starship captains, hapless mercenaries, street urchins, robots, cyber-enhanced humans, badass heroines, and lost princesses.

What books are included in this set?

Dominion Rising brings you a galaxy of talented authors, including New York Times bestselling authors Gwynn White, Margo Bond Collins, Tom Shutt, Felix R. Savage and Erin St Pierre; USA Today bestselling authors P.K. Tyler, Anthea Sharp, S.M. Schmitz, K.J. Colt, Dean F. Wilson, Lisa Blackwood, Marilyn Peake, JC Andrijeski and Erin Hayes; and award-winning and Amazon bestselling authors S.M. Blooding, Melanie Karsak, Timothy C. Ward, Daniel Arthur Smith, Tony Bertauski, Rebecca Rode, Cheri Lasota, Ann Christy, Becca Andre, Logan Snyder, Ella Summers, and Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy notable Samuel Peralta.

Table of Contents: 

Reign of Bone and Steel by Gwynn White & Erin St Pierre
Mind Raider by S.M. Blooding & P.K. Tyler
Sorcery & Science by Ella Summers
Spectral Shift by Daniel Arthur Smith
Petra by Cheri Lasota
Infinite Waste by Dean F. Wilson
Girard, The Guardian Vampire by Ann Christy
Flicker by Rebecca Rode
Star Compass by Anthea Sharp
Vengeance by S.M. Schmitz & Lisa Blackwood
Touching Infinity by Erin Hayes
Death Plague by K.J. Colt
Ultras by Timothy C. Ward
Curiouser and Curiouser by Melanie Karsak
The Walking of Grey Grimm by Tony Bertauski
Blood for Stone by Logan Thomas Snyder
The Incurables by Felix R. Savage
Ferromancer by Becca Andre
The Other by Marilyn Peake
New York by JC Andrijeski
Rift Cursed by Margo Bond Collins
The Zoo at the End of the World by Samuel Peralta
Iron Tamer by Tom Shutt

The original box set included 22 books, what made you decide to add a 23rd?

A six-month pre-order is a long time to keep up excitement. We wanted something special at the half-way mark to breath fire into our promotions. We did this by adding a bonus 23- novel to the set. We chose USA Today bestselling author Marilyn Peake because she is not only a great storyteller, but she brought added enthusiasm to the set. As a promotional tool, it worked very well in boosting sales, and in keeping the pre-order momentum going.

What do the books in this set have in common?

There are no related works, just all new books from a group of authors I'm continually amazed to work with.

Some people dismiss the genre as pure escapism—and nothing more. What would you say is the purpose of fantasy and sci-fi?"

For me, telling stories is what I love to do. Just like you never really stop enjoying and connecting to your favorite music growing up, I will never stop being that 12 year old who discovered Dragonlance and spent most of a summer vacation to Michigan reading about half elves and cursed wizards in the back of our van while the family was out at the beach. And yet I couldn't have been happier. I want to write the story that does that for someone, either for the first time, or for the hundredth time.

How long is each of these books on average?

They are all full novels. I'd say probably 80,000 words is the average. Standard sized books.

Are they standalones?

Many if not all are first books in a series, though I haven't read all of them...yet.

Why did you call the set Dominion Rising?

Finding a name that covered both fantasy and science fiction was tricky. We solved this by creating word cloud of bestselling fantasy and science fiction titles…it led us to Dominion Rising. We love the title because it resonates with victory.

Above: Samuel Peralta is a best selling short story and anthology editor of the Future Chronicles scifi and fantasy series, and has blessed us with his debut novel for Dominion Rising.

The set includes some books by best-selling authors. What has the feedback from readers been like so far?

Here are some quotes so far:

"I plan to read it yet again, as each time I have discovered more interesting levels of meaning. This book is brilliant!" - John Condron's review of The Waking of Grey Grim by Tony Bertauski

"Wow, just wow.... I totally love the world building and the characters fit in so perfectly in that world. Plenty of action, suspense, intrigue and drama that kept me glued to the pages until I finished." Tera Comer's review of Mind Raider by S.M. Blooding & P.K. Tyler

"Could this get any better?! Pick and choose your favorite author and/or or your favorite genre/subgenre in for fantasy and/or science fiction, this is one anthology I definitely love and hope you will love this anthology.
It will keep you reading for days, if not the rest of the summer! There were too many stories that I enjoyed to list one over another and even do a review of each one here; same goes for the authors. Get it, open it to any story, read, and enjoy!" Roberta Vengley's review

Can we expect to see any similar box sets from you soon?

Gwynn White and P.K. Tyler did such an amazing job, I'm sure there will be more to come. And when they do, it will be hard to pass up joining them again.