As the Summer Splash Blog Tour comes to a close, I am happy to present to you my last author: Kristan L. Cannon!

Bio

Kristan was born in Kirkland Lake, Ontario and educated in North Bay and Toronto.  She is a staunch supporter of literacy, reading, and young writer’s programs. She also holds a current membership with The Indie Writer’s Network and is a member of the NaNoWriMo Ambassador’s program.

When not researching or writing, Kristan exists for sailing her classic wooden sailboat with her…cat, friends, and family… or for video games and books when snow and ice have the boat locked in its slip and she can’t get away.

Interview

How long have you been writing?

A really long time. Sometimes dabbling in fan fiction, sometimes being paid for original short fiction.  Sometimes just writing and not letting what I’ve written be seen in the light of day.  There is quite a bit of the latter.

What genre do you write in?

Speculative fiction, mostly.  But I do love edgy urban fantasy and hard science fiction.

Can you tell us about your series?

The Kingdom of Walden is about a post-apocalyptic Sudbury (Ontario, Canada) and how a few enclaves of survivors are fighting for their survival in a new and hostile world.  Civilization has fallen, and while some still cling to the rule of law—and fight to protect it—there are others who want to take over and stamp out not only all trace of the old world but to take it for themselves and to hell with anyone who would stop them.  But, the series focuses on only a few of the people who fight to protect the last bastion of civilization—one that created itself anew out of the ashes of the old while still guarding what the better part of the old held sacred.  Freedom of choice, speech, and general control over their own future.  A safe haven built from people who came together with whatever they could find to recreate what made their society before good.  Each book starts and builds on this overall arc.  They’re fighting to be free from slavery (which has reared its ugly head again) on one side and a tyrannical dictator who rewards disobedience, even just disagreement in his rule, with death.

In the first book, After Oil, the straw that has broken the camel’s back (civilization as we know it) is a hard and brutal winter as the last reserves of fossil fuel run out and the economy grinds to a halt in a Second Great Depression.  Unlike the first one, once there’s no money to be had anywhere, civilization devolves into utter chaos and people die from the violence, or the Siberian-like Canadian winter itself finishes the job.  Only one spark remains, and that’s in the hands of Dr. Sheridan Wither, who lives in the middle of nowhere and is heavily into historical re-enactment.  This massive advantage, and strength, attracts others to use her home and her Manor as a base of operations… and a new nation is soon born with that as the seat of power.

They just have to hold onto it (the big arc through the series is the constant back and forth between the three major factions).

In The Last Iron Horse, Derek, who is Sheridan’s “Ranger”, runs into the second major faction, which is the slavers to their west.  The reality of what being Ranger means hits him fully, both literally and figuratively.  Sheridan also realizes that her life has changed forever as she deals with the weight of a Kingdom on her shoulders… and the political intrigue that attracts.

The third book, which is due out this fall, is Between Silence and Fire.  Colonel Harnet to Sheridan’s east pushes to take over allies of the Kingdom of Walden, and even has the gall to send his people to rile up the Rangers of Walden.  Add to it the looming threat of forest fire threatening the entire area and the rising tensions break into full on warfare.

Ghostwalker will finish the arc regarding Colonel Harnet, and end the war.

Contact Kristan

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/KristanCannon
Twitter handle @KristanCannon
Website:  www.kristancannon.com