Based on what I know so far of this new novel, what I believe makes this interesting is the relevance to the real world and seems just like in Sarah Katz’s “Apex 5”, I was surprised to see how the events in the Middle East has influenced sources of creative writing. This new book from William Manning highlights that and the philosophical themes of one person’s utopia is another’s dystopia is interesting. Thanks to William for the awesome online interview as well as helping other authors get noticed!
William Manning
Feel free to share a little about yourself in your own words. I live in Tampa, Florida and I am 32 years old, and I enjoy reading comic books and playing video games and watching movies and TV shows.
How did you get into writing?
I would have to say comic books and video games had a strong push, but I would have to say, it was the Ann Rice novel: Interview with the Vampire that was the final nudge into writing.
What can you tell us about your daily routines that help you focus and your creative habits?
So, for example how do you come up with some of your ideas and inspiration for your book? I mainly use music that fits the scene in my story to get the creative fuel pumping through my brain, but when writers block rears its ugly head, I read a comic book or read a book or play a story driven video game ( Mass Effect trilogy for example) But I also use movies and TV shows.
Lilith Cohen
Merchants of Death
How did you come up with the book title?
The Book has to do with war profiteers so I thought what are war profiteers, they’re types of Merchants, Merchants of Death.
Is this book very personal for you? If so, how?
It’s very personal because it’s my first big achievement. I told myself I was going to write a novel and I did.
Plot and Synopsis
Can you describe the book plot and give a detailed synopsis of the book, without any spoilers of course.
Lilith Cohen the stoic veteran assassin augmented by Nanotechnology lives a double life with her husband of two years. Keeping him believing in a beautiful lie that his loving wife is just a fashion designer. Agent Cohen travels to Golan Heights, Israel for what she thinks is just another run of the mill assassination, but to her surprise, there’s something off about the bloody Civil War that rages throughout Syria. What starts as a routine kill order turns out to be anything but. This terrorist leader and his men are armed with advanced weapons, which leads her to one conclusion, there’s a Merchant of Death profiting from the bloodshed. Will her hunt for this shadowy profiteer send her down a road she wished she never went down?
Is there any movie, book, or television series that you can somewhat liken your story to?
So for example, some books you can say are like Game of Thrones or Star Wars, what mainstream and popular movie do you think your book somewhat “feels” like? Did you want this to be the case? I would say Lilith is Sarah Connor and Jason Bourne crossed with John Wick.
Themes and Messages
What themes and deeper meanings or messages can we expect to find in this book if any? Is there any deep meanings or philosophical questions being explored in the book?
There are a few philosophical phrases in the book like one quote that sticks out from the book is one person’s utopia is another’s dystopia. Another line is about we must become devils to slay devils. Which given the kind of people Lilith goes after it’s a fitting line because these people don’t care about laws. You’re not going to rehabilitate them. The whole point of Lilith’s agency is they cut through the red tape; taking out the people who hide behind the legal system or exploit civilized society’s humanity.
Off the wall question, but would some of the issues being explored in the book relate to us here in the real world?
Yes, the book touches on the Syrian refugee crisis and the unstable Middle East and war profiteering.
Setting
What can you tell us about the setting that we will be seeing in this book?
You will see a divided society. A society split into two districts a wealth district and a Blight district. The blight districts are slums of filth and death. And the only way people get out of those districts is by joining the military or making the cut to be in the entertainment industry be it acting, music, porn or sports.
What cultures or societies can we expect to see and can you tell us about how you came up with creating these societies? Was it difficult to get deep into how the societies function?
Actually, the only society that differs from our world is The Blights and Lilith’s assassin order. Which I haven’t really delved that much into yet, but I will delve into it more in the second book and third. They are a secret order of assassins that are hidden throughout the world. Another way the society is different from ours is the world is at the height of Nanotechnology like people are using Nanotechnology to look young and change their hair color and Nanites are also used to treat illnesses.
Characters
What can you tell us about some of the main characters and villains in this book?
Agent Lilith Cohen, she is a seasoned veteran of the assassins which also go by the name The Hunters. She is very stoic and relentless, but she is a loving wife and a good friend.
Dominic Adler, former Mossad spy during the cold war and now Lilith’s handler and best friend. He issues Lilith assignments to carry out and handles the logistic aspects of her operations like transportation and supplies her with the necessary weapons to complete her missions.
Clare Dahan, is an Operational Support Specialist or in more plain terms Lilith’s personal hacker. Clare was a former cybercriminal for a hidden thief syndicate. She has sapphire blue dreadlocks and wears loose-fitting black cargo pants and combat boots and she has blue fingernails. She is eccentric and occasionally annoys Lilith, but her strange choice of fashion is not to be mistaken for incompetence. To quote herself “she is a god in cyberspace and giving a giving her a computer, is like giving her a nuke.
The Merchants of Death, are the poster children for avarice. As for their moral compass, what moral compass. If there is profit they are involved.
Tell us about the history of the land or world or worlds that we will be exploring throughout the book?
It’s a world that is at the apex of Nanotechnology. The book starts out in Golan Heights, Israel and to Tampa, Florida and then to Siberia and Colombia, South America and Pakistan and back to Colombia.
Promotional Links
Facebook Page: (If applicable) https://www.facebook.com/groups/266094843797946/
Misc Items: You can also follow me on Twitter. https://twitter.com/WilliamJ1812
How to buy
You can purchase Lilith from amazon. She comes in Kindle and paperback by going to this link. https://www.amazon.com/Lilith-Cohen-Merchants-William-Manning/dp/1625267533
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