Happy Thursday, friend! Welcome to an interview with author A J Bugayong about his novel, The Last Sovereign. This book follows a small-town adventurer and the last true bloodline of the Sovereign of Mankind, as she embarks on a journey to stop the impending return of the evil. Let’s chat with AJ and learn more.
Get to know the author: A J Bugayong
Hi AJ! Welcome to Armed with A Book. Tell me and my readers a bit about yourself!
I love writing. When I am not writing, I am watching movies, playing video games, and thinking about writing. I think that’s the one thing no one really talks about is how much you think about writing even when you are not writing. Every conversation, interaction, and experience creates or develops something new in my stories. There aren’t just a few things about myself in my writing. Everything you read is me in one way or another. So, in a way, reading my stories is like getting to know me.
What inspired you to write this book?
In the third grade, we had to write and draw a short story of our own. I remember piecing together the construction paper, binding it with staples, and picking the different colors for the cover. My story was about ninjas, magic, dragons, and everything in between. You know, the normal kid stuff at that age. I remember sharing that story with the class. My friends loved it so much that they asked for more. Without batting an eye, I wrote a series for them, which came out weekly until the end of the grade. Decades later, I cleaned out these boxes in the garage and found them preserved in plastic wrap. Thumbing through them, I struggled to think of a time when I was happier than when I was creating these fantasy stories. I had lived my life in reaction instead of want. I don’t know if that’s what inspired me to write this book, but it sure pushed me to start. So, here I am.
How long did it take you to write this book, from the first idea to the last edit?
Physically, I would say a couple of years. Mentally, it probably feels closer to a thousand years. Ideas start small but in time, they grow. Sometimes it will surprise you how quickly a tiny thought could turn into an enormous story. Start at the beginning and then blink, and suddenly, you’re at the end.
What makes your story unique?
I tried to make my characters as realistic as possible. I didn’t want them to make decisions based on the need of the story, but instead, they would make decisions based on their experiences and lives, like real people. Sometimes when I read stories, protagonists are often just going off on adventures because ‘hey, why not’ or ‘this needs to happen’. Leaving your home and family is a big deal and comes with real struggles, internally and externally. I know sometimes we just want to get to the story as quick as possible, but I find the more realistic the character feels the more readers can relate them, thus equating a better story in the long run.
Who would enjoy reading your book?
I believe anyone who loves epic fantasy or fantasy in general will love this book. I love creating the intricate workings of magic, detailing fight scenes, and conjuring ultimate heartbreak. If any of those sounds fun to you, then please give it a read.
Did you bring any of your experiences into this book?
I lost someone very important to me— someone who believed in me. It’s horrible to lose someone that rare. In the beginning, the book began as a simple, fish-out-of-water adventure, but after my loss, I was filled with a tremendous amount of grief. I wanted to incorporate that mournfulness into the book and thus, it created one of the magic systems, the All-Death. It is very much grief, but in the story, it is a power that has existed since life existed, representing death, sorrow, and loss. In the first book, it’s seen as a corrupting force, one that could do horrible or great things if controlled. If not, it will slowly eat away at you until you become something unrecognizable. This was my grief manifested into the book. In the end, it created a deeper world for which the series will grow, and in the next chapter, we will meet its counterpart and antithesis, the All-Life.
What’s something you hope readers would take away from it?
Become who you are meant to be. We are often afraid to take a step towards what we want in life or what is destined for us. In our hesitation, we may lose time, loved ones, or even desire to follow our dreams. Take the step, handle the hardships, and achieve happiness on your terms.
Do you have a favourite quote or scene in the book that you find yourself going back to?
I loved so many scenes in this book, but the one that I truly loved and felt every time I read or edited was the scene in the Rallester basement. Lana’s awakening was very representative of how I felt after my loved one’s death: confusion, anger, and violence. She just was so consumed by it all. She couldn’t see herself or anything else. Like her, I lost the person I loved so quickly that it left me with questions. And the one question that plagued me for years, drove me almost to the edge, and still makes me cry was: “What if he(she) didn’t know how much I loved him(her)?”
The Last Sovereign is the first book in a planned series. Can you tell me more about the series? Do you already know how many books it will have?
The series is about the evolution of our heroes and villains: where they start and end. We will run into a variety of characters, each with intricate backgrounds that will weave delicately into the main story. We will visit a variety of lands, cultures, technologies, and magics. It will be a treat to see how every civilization has adapted into this woven landscape of culture, magic, and war. Everyone seen in the first book has a very important role in the last. No one is insignificant.
As far as how long this series will be, it is a tricky question to ask fantasy writers because honestly we don’t know. I want to say five or six books. Truthfully, it will end up being seven or eight, if I am honest with myself. All I know is that I know the ultimate ending of the series, but I don’t know how I will get there. That’s part of the journey of writing, but I hope I get to see it with my readers because it’s going to be majestic.
What is something you have learned on your author journey so far?
Writing is hard— but rewarding.
What’s the best piece of advice you have received related to writing?
Give yourself permission to write badly. Perfection is the enemy of great.
If you could give a shout out to someone(s) who has helped in your writer journey, please feel free to mention them below!
Kathy Tanner is my best friend, confidant, and editor. My book was published in no small part to her efforts. She is a gentlewoman and scholar!
Where can readers find you on the Internet?
Instagram – @aj_writes_stories TikTok – @aj.writes.stories
The Last Sovereign
Fantasy, 2023
The novel concerns a young woman, Lana, and her coming to terms with the realization that she is the last hope the world has to destroy an ancient evil that, only ten years before, nearly destroyed the world. As the last Sovereign, Lana must learn not only to overcome her own doubts and fears about a destiny she doesn’t want, but to harness her abilities to destroy the former Sovereign, known as Ras’Drayev. With the help of Grim, a former servant of Ras’Drayev, and her close friend Belle, a clumsy yet sincere lightmancer, Lana will take the first steps in her journey to save the world.
Grim assists Lana with learning to first harness the All-Death, a powerful force that taps into the energies and darkness stemming from death itself. Growing closer to Grim, Lana comes to realize that he is not just a former servant of Ras’Drayev, but Ras’Drayev himself. By training Lana, Grim hopes to make amends for his crimes, and finally be granted the peace of death after so long consumed by the darkness of Ras’Drayev.
Content notes: Some gore, mild mentions of slavery
Book Excerpt from
The Last Sovereign
Then the world was dark.
The black pitch of a starless sky washed over the lands, robbing every hearth and home of light and fire. The warmth of the day vanished into the cruel grasp of an endless night. As the coming chill ravaged the once-verdant land, a terrifying howl rose and beat back the biting winds, announcing their ominous arrival. Emerging upon a sunless horizon, a never-ending swarm of stygian monsters breached the living world. Like shadow waves of fangs and claws, the armored, undead beasts annihilated every bastion of humankind in their wake, extinguishing the light of life and exiling the world to madness.
Echoing for what seemed an eternity, the three-year night war that nearly brought humankind to extinction would end tonight upon this fateful plain she now wandered. Her delicate fingers brushed along the fragile, frozen grasses, wandering like a ghost amongst the carnage. Bare feet sank with every step into the cracked ground that grew soft and wet with the spilled blood of man and monster alike. Pressing ahead, she cringed at the violent bursts of deafening magic and gunfire that erupted through the battle, muffling the death cries of all around her. She steadied herself as towering beasts fell to the ground, rupturing the stones beneath their dying bodies. She had finally made it to the battle’s center, and there, through the clashing of swords, stood the God-King, Sovereign of the Abyss, and Prime Herald of the Horde, Ras’Drayev.
Shielded by shadow, Ras’Drayev’s unbreakable armor sealed away all vulnerability, leaving nothing of weakness. No weapon or magic of the mortal plain could pierce his indestructible form. Although standing twice the size of men, Ras’Drayev moved with frightening speed, drifting in and out of reality with each step. A single swipe of his blade cleaved the frontline battalion of soldiers in two, scattering their dismembered halves to the ground. Their helpless screams of agony played like a symphony for him, as he basked in their misery and refused to let death take them. As she gasped at the horrible sight, he took notice, bringing those envious eyes towards her. Time halted, and the world turned only for the god-king and the girl.
Frozen in fear, she did not say a word or move a muscle as he stomped towards her. The screams of men rose as those gigantic steps crushed them underfoot. Their bodies burst open like rotten fruit upon the broken plains. With each step, the world shook underneath him, as even it feared the fallen god treading upon its war-torn skin.
“I’m not afraid of you!” She cried out into the night.
With every step, Ras’Drayev seemed to grow in size on approach, towering over the girl with ease. She stood her ground, trembling in terror. She craned her neck, looking up at him as tears filled her eyes, but refused to break. With a powerful thrust, he buried the tip of his sword, perching it next to the little girl. Looking over, she could see her reflection in the bloodstained, crystalline material, finding its length longer than her body. With a shift of his enormous form, he kneeled down, leaning towards her. As the stench of death overwhelmed her senses, the girl dared not flinch. Beyond his solid faceplate, glowing eyes stared down at the defiant girl. His clawed gauntlet drew near, and she stiffened, but did not move. As the serrated fingers nearly touched her pale face, she heard the booming guttural tones of a godly tremor that could only be his voice.
“Child of the Dawn, where is your light? Why do you hide from your destiny?” Ras’Drayev asked, smearing blood over her cheek with the outside of his finger. “It will come for you, little one. And when it does, I will follow! Remember your destiny! You will not escape me again!”
Faced with his rage, her tears broke free, but she never closed her eyes. The armored demon wrenched back, snatching his blade from the ground. In a triumphant roar, he brought it down with all his strength upon her.
Interested?
Find The Last Sovereign on Amazon and Goodreads. Thanks for taking the time to join us for this interview!
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I love the story about writing a serial novel for the third grade class! That’s so cool!