Meet an unexpected hero in

Patrick W. Carr’s

epic fantasy

A Cast of Stones

Bethany House

The Story

In the backwater village of Callowford, Errol Stone’s search for a drink is interrupted by a church messenger who arrives with urgent missives for the hermit priest in the hills. Desperate for coin, Errol volunteers to deliver them but soon finds himself hunted by deadly assassins. Forced to flee with the priest and a small band of travelers, Errol soon learns he’s joined a quest that could change the fate of his kingdom.

Protected for millennia by the heirs of the first king, the kingdom’s dynasty is near an end and a new king must be selected. As tension and danger mount, Errol must leave behind his drunkenness and grief, learn to fight, and come to know his God in order to survive a journey to discover his destiny.

Enjoy meeting Errol

Brief physical description

In the beginning of the story Errol is a skinny, underfed, young man of 19. He has brown hair that needs to be cut and dimples that show on those few occasions when he can muster a smile. And blue eyes.

As the story progresses and he gains access to regular meals, he grows a bit and fills out through his use of the staff. By the time of “The Hero’s Lot,” he’s grown enough to be of average height and above average strength.

Resembles…

My son!

Strengths and weaknesses

Errol’s main weakness comes from the fact that he’s a drunk. His physical weakness at the beginning of the story parallels his emotional one; he doesn’t trust anyone. This stays true until he encounters Adora at the end of “A Cast of Stones.” As we progress into “The Hero’s Lot,” he comes to love and trust her though her station means she is unattainable.

Your inspiration for the character

As far as the physical likeness goes, my son, Patrick. I decided to make him a drunk because I wanted to use an atypical hero, because one of the themes for the book was that everyone is important regardless of appearance or circumstance.

Background to the story

The first king of Illustra, died in the war against Merakh and the malus. But by sacrificing himself, he created a barrier that kept the malus from entering the kingdom. The barrier would survive so long as an heir sat the throne.

In Errol’s time, King Rodran is old and about to die without an heir. The kingdom is boiling with plots and political maneuvering and the existence of the barrier itself is questioned. Into this time of turmoil comes Errol. He becomes embroiled because he volunteered to deliver a message to an influential churchman, Martin Arwitten.

Unbeknownst to all, even to himself, Errol possesses the ability that can help save the kingdom, but this makes him a threat to the kingdom’s enemies and his life is in constant danger.

As time progresses into the second book of the series, the inevitability of war has presented itself.

Thanks Patrick ~ I’m in the middle of this book now and loving it!

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