The Last Roman: Abyss by B. K. Greenwood

4/2/2023

Multi-volume, historical-fiction author B. K. Greenwood introduces us to the second volume his wildly popular The Last Roman series, “Abyss”:

The much-anticipated sequel to THE LAST ROMAN: EXILE

Can all sins be forgiven?

Marcus Sempronius Gracchus, a soldier of Rome, has spent two thousand years walking the earth, seeking redemption he may never find.

After losing his latest confrontation with Thomas, a man he once considered his brother, Marcus is on the run and must find new allies to continue the struggle.

But will that be enough?

As Marcus races across the globe to find the only weapon that can stop Thomas, his old nemesis will do anything to secure an ancient artifact that could destroy humanity.

Follow the story of a man who should be dead as he tries to save the world... and his soul.

This is a great extension of the first book, The Last Roman: Exile. This book brings some of the plot into sharper focus. Some of the relationships fill out also.
There is beauty and a rawness that has its own beauty also. I love the action as it's clear and easy to follow without having to go back to the start of a scene.
I am committed to no spoilers. Let me end with there are so many reasons to read this book and the series, history, spirituality, prophecy, action, and globe-spanning adventure are a few that come to mind.
Do yourself a favor and read the series! You won’t regret it.

You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Roman-Abyss-B-K-Greenwood-ebook
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/the-last-roman-abyss-b-k-greenwood
https://www.goodreads.com/the-last-roman-abyss
You can follow the author:
https://twitter.com/bkgreenwood70
https://www.instagram.com/bkgreenwood70
https://www.facebook.com/BKGreenwood
http://www.bkgreenwood.com

I reviewed the first book in the series here: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/the-last-roman
I reviewed the third book in the series here:
www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/the-last-roman-absolution

Christian fiction, action, adventure, spirituality, historical fiction, politics, conspiracy, prophecy

Copyright © 2023 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction.

51 Comments

BK Greenwood link

4/3/2023 05:44:08 pm

Thanks Mark, I appreciate the awesome review. I’m glad you enjoyed the second installment of my trilogy!

Mark

4/3/2023 07:37:24 pm

You are welcome, Brendan. I love this series and this sequel is wonderful!

A note to visitors. This interview is picking up from the point we stopped at in the interview for Exile. The link is just above or you can use the search box below.

First question.

What is the one thing you hope readers will remember from your book?

BK link

4/3/2023 07:43:12 pm

For me, book two had two primary goals. One, character development. I want the reader to get to know the characters better, and understand their motivations. Two, crystallize the plot. I hope that the reader finishes book two fully immersed in the storyline and ready for the explosive conclusion in book three.

4/3/2023 07:49:39 pm

I think you accomplished both goals admirably. I mentioned both of those things in my review. Kudos! Good writing on your part. I am deep in the plot and am excited to read book 3, Absolution, quite soon. I don't know how you are going to top this book, Abyss. I am pretty sure you will.

New question.

What popular modern authors have influenced your writing?

4/3/2023 08:31:35 pm

I would say modern day influences include Clive Cussler and David Morrell (he wrote First Blood, but a more importantly, a number of spy thrillers, starting with Brotherhood of the Rose). C.S. Friedman (Black Sun Rising) taught me how to write a relatable protagonist, even if they do quite evil things. If you go a bit further back, I’d say Robert Ludlum and perhaps the most influential, Edgar Rice Burroughs. The action sequences in the Tarzan and John Carter of Mars series are phenomenal.

4/4/2023 08:38:58 am

I love how you can trace your writing heritage like that. Being aware of the people who have influenced your writing is important. You are standing on the shoulders of giants in your genre.

New question.

Do you have a classical author or poet you admire?

4/4/2023 12:55:37 pm

Hmmm, great question. I have a few. I absolutely love War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. The epic story, with multiple character arcs fascinated me. I admire the creativity of Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker. I have to admit I do books like I do music. I don’t have a favorite band, but love songs across genres. I can’t say I’ve read every book from a single author. I move from work to work.

4/4/2023 02:04:42 pm

I have not read War and Peace. A few years back I did read Mary's book and Abraham's book. I enjoyed Frankenstein quite a bit and decided the truest adaptation is the movie, Young Frankenstein, by Mel brooks. Stoker's Dracula left me rather cold, the characters seemed weak and flaccid. Maybe because the genre has been done in so many ways that the original seemed trite to me. Little in the writing impressed me.

New question.

What software do you use to write and publish your books, and why do you use those?

4/4/2023 02:37:12 pm

I can see that with Stoker. I’m impressed because he launched perhaps the largest subgenre ever. It has one of my favorite quotes ever, especially considering I have immortal characters. “I’ve crossed oceans of time to find you.”

I use ProWritingAid and Grammarly. Grammerly is installed and used in real time. I like it better than word. Inside ProWritingAid for the statistics and tools. It finds repeat words, phrases, etc. Also useful for dialogue tags. You cal also compare your writing to other authors.

4/4/2023 03:41:26 pm

That is a good quote. I like it. The vampire genre has taken on a life of its own, it seems. With the traits of immortality and power over others I am not surprised at the popularity of vampires around the world. Even Leslie Niesen made a movie, "Dracula: Dead and Loving It" in 1995. I laughed a lot.

I have heard good things about ProWritingAid. I know that Grammarly works inside of Windows and in the background. It catches a lot of my typos in my tweets, I am using the free version. I didn't know it worked by itself.

New question.

How do you keep track of all the characters and events in your books?

4/4/2023 04:02:31 pm

I’m not great at tracking. Certainly not a heavy planner. More a pantser. I do use excel to track chapters with characters and settings. But I let the scene take me where I think the characters need to go. I can see how this will be more of a challenge as I add more prequels and potential sequels. Probably something I need to take into account.

4/4/2023 04:08:37 pm

Many authors have told me they write the story to see where it goes. I think you have a good idea about using Excel. Here is another idea that might be useful to you as a pantster. One author created an outline of his books after they were published. As his created world grew this became more and more useful.

New question.

Who is the easiest character to write in this book?

4/4/2023 07:32:36 pm

For sure, Marcus. He has the most air-time and probably the least nuanced. He is the mule that carry’s the story, and as such, has plenty of opportunity to develop. I would say Sam was easy as well. I just channel my daughter and Sam writes herself. 😎

4/4/2023 08:35:32 pm

No question. Marcus is the protagonist and rushes around like a bull in a china shop much of the time. He loves to have the element of surprise.

I was wondering about Sam. She seems very upfront about what is going on. You don't have to ask her twice what she thinks. How old is your daughter?

New question.

Who is the hardest character to write in this book?

4/5/2023 10:56:42 am

At first, it was Thomas. And he still presents problems. He is far more complex and tortured than Marcus, but perhaps the most human. His arc is the most interesting. But Isabella is the hardest. I did not want to her to be a female version of Marcus. I needed her to have more compassion and empathy, but maintain the edge she needs to get the job done. Plus, doing justice for a strong female lead is super important to me.

4/5/2023 11:56:39 am

Thomas fits that bill perfectly. Tortured barely describes his depth of feeling and antipathy towards others, especially Marcus.
I can see how Isabella would be a difficult character to write but you have done well so far. I like her character a great deal.

New question.

Have you ever had the experience of the story swerving in a different direction than planned, as if a character was driving it?

4/5/2023 12:02:01 pm

Yes, for sure. In book one, there is a French Train porter named Navarre. In my original draft, he lives beyond the train and accompanies Sam and Marcus on their adventure. But the longer I wrote, the more I realized that I had this extra character I did not need. He eventually dies in a car chase (the scene where Cormac dies instead). I had to go back and rewrite to have him die on the train and bring Cormac into the story to take his place (which is far more impactful to Marcus). Navarre wanted to be part of the story, but it just did not make sense.

4/5/2023 01:45:51 pm

I love those behind-the-scenes stories, almost every author has one or more per book. They all seem to make a difference.

New question.

Do you have a defined space for writing at home, or are you a coffee shop writer?

4/5/2023 01:52:38 pm

I have a home office that I use for work and writing. It is very secluded and quiet. I used to go out to write, but not anymore.

I do more burst writing. I will write for 15-20 mins, then move on to other stuff. Not long periods of 1-2 hours. That has been a change as I matured in writing.

4/5/2023 03:09:11 pm

Quite a few authors write in bursts. Though some write longer than you do. I imagine that well-formed thoughts flow onto the page in a short amount of time. I suppose that your quality of writing has improved also, over time, so it takes less time for good writing to occupy the pages.

New question.

Do you listen to music or have the TV on when writing, or do you need quiet?

4/5/2023 03:58:30 pm

For writing, I have a couple of playlists I listen too. Very wide range of genres, really depends on my mood and what I am writing.

For editing, I cannot listen to anything with lyrics. So, I will do classical or new age.

I am too easily distracted by the TV, though I watch very little TV in general. Probably because I am easily distracted.

4/5/2023 05:38:56 pm

I understand about music and lyrics. I don't want any lyrics when I am proofreading. Though, I can proofread pretty well when my wife is watching TV. I am able to block out most shows almost completely. I seldom turn the TV on for myself. I would rather read a good book. The pictures created in my head are usually better than on the screen.

New question.

Action, dialogue, or narration; which is easiest to write?

4/5/2023 06:57:10 pm

Oh, action, by a long shot. I think that is my strength. It feels very natural to me.

Dialogue next. I think it takes years to learn to write good, believable dialogue. And I try to write clean dialogue. Minimal tags, a bit of descriptive action to go along, but mostly pure dialogue. I don't want the reader distracted.

Narration is tough. I move very quickly, with fast-paced scenes and chapters. I sometimes worry that I do not add enough narration with description, but the feedback I get from readers is they like that style. So, I will stick with it.

4/6/2023 08:39:00 am

You do a good job of leveraging the readers' imaginations in your writing. By using a somewhat sparse style for action those scenes move along at a fast pace. I find that type of writing is great for action.

Good dialogue does take time to learn. Beginning writers often make the mistake of writing dialogue the same way they talk. Characters should not all sound the same without good reason. It's hard enough to differentiate the characters in the story, differences in dialogue are a great way to make characters stand out.

In dialogue, I prefer action beats to dialogue tags. They move the story along quicker when a fast pace is needed. On the other hand, tags can serve to slow the pace when needed and multi-paragraph exposition in limited doses. Most of the time using said and asked, for my money, is better than trying to use a large number of adjectives and adverbs. Said and asked tend to fade into the background for me.

New question.

Of the five senses which is the easiest to write and which is the hardest?

4/6/2023 04:55:47 pm

Interesting you brought this up. I find that I am short on several of them when I look back at my writing. Sight and touch/feel are easy. I think they are the most natural. Hearing and taste are hit or miss. When needed, they are easy. As a passive background (crickets, wind through trees, etc.), I find I am not great at it. Smell I am terrible with. In my next book, I am actively looking for ways to integrate when appropriate. I plan to do a "senses" only pass (just like I do dialogue only passes).

4/6/2023 05:03:52 pm

You line up with a lot of other authors. Their answers are similar to yours. Almost all of us are very visual creatures, we learn so much about our environment from sight, our primary sense. Hearing is another long-range sense as is smell. I think smell is probably the least utilized sense while being very powerful in a subtle way most of the time. Our olfactory senses work behind the scenes most of the time. We are not aware of the operations unless we are confronted with something that is very pleasant or unpleasant. Many who struggle with PTSD can be triggered by smells or sounds pretty often.

Making a sensory pass through a story will serve to enhance the readers' experience of reading your books.

New question.

Have you ever done any theater, written a play or any screenwriting?

4/6/2023 05:35:03 pm

No, I have not. Though the most common input I get from readers is my books read like Netflix series. I guess I should maybe think about giving it a whirl, but with my real time job, writing short stories, working a prequel and marketing, I am pretty well tapped out. I did engage a PR company that marketed my books to production companies. One asked for a copy, but I never heard back. Was over a year ago.

4/6/2023 06:34:44 pm

That is an interesting comment, especially because you have heard it more than once. I will easily agree because the images in my head are fluid and active.

Having a series or a movie made about a book is the dream of many authors. They think it will put them on easy street. That is seldom the case, though. Like publishers and agents, times and budgets are very tight and most movie producers won't take much of a chance and like a traditional publisher may require multiple rewrites of a book for free, unless it is stipulated differently in the contract.

Here is another copy-and-paste link or hit the search box below: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2019/07/26/turn-your-book-into-a-tv-or-streaming-series

New question.

What other kind of marketing, besides working with me this week, are you doing or planning on doing for your book?

4/7/2023 10:27:00 am

Probably too much! I honestly spend 80% of my "author" time marketing. Way more than I do writing. I think I can do that now that I have the trilogy published.

In no particular order, here are the multiple avenues that I market my books:

1. Booksweeps: I use them to build my newsletter list. They run various contests for free book downloads in exchange for email signups. I have around 7,500 individuals on my email list.
2. Short story giveaways: I have a collection of short stories connected to the series that I giveaway in exchange for emails. I also give those short stories to the people who sign up for my email list through Booksweeps (in addition to chapter one of book one).
3. Facebook ads. My primary advertising platform.
4. Amazon ads. I use them sparingly. I find them to be hit or miss.
5. Bookbub feature deal (when I can get accepted). The holy grail of advertising, but super competitive. I had 20k downloads for book one last summer when I ran a 5-day giveaway.
6. Reviews, reviews, reviews. I push them hard, in my monthly newsletter, through Netgalley, on my social media posts, and with all my in-person book sales. Reviews are part of the holy trinity of closing a book purchase; Cover, Blurb, Reviews.
7. Website; needs to stay updated and error free.

I have done a bunch of other stuff in the past (using that PR company), but these are my main focus now.

4/7/2023 11:24:54 am

That is a good list. I am not surprised that the business of writing takes more time than writing. Many authors avoid taking control of their business hoping that someone else will do it for them. They are subject to scams, and the whims of traditional publishers and agents.

Your giveaways are good. Some authors swear by Facebook ads and others swear at them, the same for Amazon ads.

One of my favorite blogs is about pursuing the local author angle. How to be a marketing star right where you live. Another copy-and-paste link or search the title in the box below: https://annerallen.com/2019/08/hometown-book-marketing/ I would add a few tips, seek out literature teachers at the high school and college level to share in their class and there might be a club in the school. Local newspapers are a good resource for an interview as well as local cable access. There might also be a broadcast arts curriculum and/or a club at the high school and college level. Have some questions ready to hand the interviewer if they seem uncertain.

If there are tourist destinations try and place your books with the local author angle. Museums, gift stores, motels, hotels, tourist attractions are all possibilities. Keep a box of books in your trunk. Get a counter-top holder for a few books, paste a picture of the cover on the holder behind the books and put re-ordering information on the back of the holder.

Consider renting a table at a comic convention, county fair, farmer's market or a flea market. Have free swag to hand out such as a bookmark and sell mugs or posters. There are so many ways to be the 'local author' I doubt I have exhausted the list of possibilities.

New question.

How do you know when a book is complete, and you should stop working on it?

B.K. link

4/7/2023 11:31:35 am

Lots of good ideas. I have done many of them (I do local farmers market every few weeks, Texas Book Festival, etc.). I have been on local TV (a 5 mins spot). I struggle with local newspapers. They don't seem interested. I've done a dozen or so podcasts as well.

I don't tinker that much. I finish the novel, do 2-3 full passes and 2-3 specific passes (dialogue, etc.) and then run it through ProWritingAid. Then I send it to my editor. I guess I am lucky in that I do not fret over a work or continue to tweak and modify. I guess I just trust in the process. It may be different when I venture to a new series, since I am so comfortable with my current storyline.

4/7/2023 12:49:35 pm

You have earned the right to be confident in your writing with such a successful series under your belt. Not constantly tinkering is another sign of writing maturity. Some beginning writers use the excuse of one more editorial pass to keep from publishing their book. They are afraid to find out if their book is good or not, if it sells or not. They don't understand the long game. For some it's an all or nothing prospect.

What can you tell us about the new series you have in mind?

New question.

How long did the research process take before you started to write the first book in this series, or did you do the research as you wrote?

4/7/2023 07:12:32 pm

I am planning a sci-fi series. But I plan to keep my writing style, so I hope to make it fast-paced, action-packed adventure.

I do a little of both. For overall arc, I do a lot of reading and research ahead of time (again, using excel). And then I research as I write (like how did Vikings cook food on ships).

I read a ton of historical non-fiction growing up, so some of that has stuck as well. I use that to germinate the story.

4/7/2023 07:21:47 pm

I am listening and I am very excited because science fiction is my first favorite genre ahead of fantasy in the number two spot and historical fiction in number three. With your style of writing, which I love, the reading will be excellent!

I think every story grows from a seed thought, 'what if' or 'why not'? Those thoughts appear after reading the writing of others, usually. So every writer is standing on the shoulders of those who came before, in that sense. The writers are not consciously copying from older work but using it as a launching pad to reach other heights or places.

New question.

Thinking of Exile, the previous book to this one. How much time passed from when you got the idea to write your book; then actually starting to write the book?

4/7/2023 08:43:49 pm

Then stay tuned! I plan to pitch my next series to a traditional publisher, so I can mix the best of both worlds.

Honestly, it is hard for me to say when I started book two. I know I always had a trilogy in mind. I started book one in 1998, and I guess I started book two maybe 4-5 years later (after dozens of rewrites of book one). So, I had book two nearly 100% complete when I finally published book one in 2021. It needed a major edit pass, but the story was mostly complete. Book three I started soon after publishing book two (maybe a week) and I completed and published it six months later. It was very important to me to get all three out and have a completed trilogy. I think it builds confidence with the reader.

4/8/2023 08:43:11 am

More and more these days, I am hearing of traditionally published authors going to self-publishing and I have heard of a few successful, independently published authors going into traditional publishing. I know of one author who queried several publishers and one liked her book but wanted her to write it out of the series. She started doing that and emailed the publisher with questions and never heard back. So, she returned to self-publishing.

Some publishers only deal with agents and some accept direct submissions. Just like the indie publishing field there are lots of scammers. Beware of agents who ask for money up front. Querying and submitting manuscripts are topics that many blogs have been written about. Put query in the search box below and you will find quite a few links on my website.

Some readers will read only stories that are written as a series. Others don't care. Having a series builds credibility and confidence without a doubt.

New question.

Going back in time, did you do any kind of creative writing, even back in grade school?

4/8/2023 09:52:52 am

Yeah, I did a ton of research before I chose self-publishing. I will proceed slowly.

I have heard a lot of authors that went traditional are going self-publishing route. But those are usually small press traditional. I won't do a small press. I would only go traditional if I can break into a large publisher. I can do everything a small press can do. I need placement in big box stores. Not just distribution, but actual placement. Small press publishers have limited ability to do that.

As for creative writing, I never did that prior to my starting this book. Nothing beyond what was absolutely required for school. I guess I was a late bloomer.

4/8/2023 11:43:29 am

Very exciting! You are on your toes and that is good. I hope you plan on engaging an attorney familiar with publishing and intellectual property issues when a contract is offered to you.

Distribution and shelf placement are big issues without a doubt. Getting your book into libraries might be useful also. Here is another copy-and-paste link to consider: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2019/06/12/book-marketing-how-to-get-your-book-into-libraries Joanna Penn is one of my favorite bloggers.

Another idea to help spread this series in front of more people is using an aggregator, copy-and-paste time again: Aggregators just might be an author's best friend! https://www.kotobee.com/blog/everything-need-know-aggregators/ Using aggregator in the seaarch box below will bring up more blogs on the going wide issue also.

New question.

What was the catalyst that propelled you into writing?

4/8/2023 01:47:28 pm

It is really hard to pin down one catalyst. I read voraciously as child and young adult, and at some point, I realized I had my own story to tell. So, I started to write. I have zero formal training. I have never taken courses or participated in a seminar or workshop. I didn't do writing groups or any other group activities. I have nothing against any of them, I just never had the time or desire. I am sure there are things I could learn (or have learned and could have learned faster), but I guess I am stubborn that way.

4/8/2023 03:38:56 pm

As voracious readers we are much alike. However, that is where the rift occurs. I have never felt the urge to write a story. In high school, the writing assignments were hard unless there was some kind of a prompt. Even with the prompt, a coherent story was hard to drag out of me.

As a self-taught writer you have done well. Though the question of learning faster is moot because your talent has shown through.

New question.

Do you have alpha-readers and/or beta-readers to help you smooth out a lot of wrinkles before publishing? If you don’t, why?

4/9/2023 06:39:57 pm

I use Alpha readers, and if a full book, Beta readers as well. Alpha to make sure I am on the right track and Beta's to seed my reviews. I found that both work well.

4/9/2023 07:37:59 pm

I think having alpha and beta readers are very useful to the process of producing an easy reading book. Fresh eyes and perspective can reveal small flaws and defects that are hidden from the author's eyes.

New questions.

How did you find your alpha and beta readers?

At what stage in your writing process do you bring them in?

4/10/2023 11:03:51 am

Most are fellow authors who I have met over the last three years. A couple are friends. The remaining are avid fans who have asked to be part of the process.

I bring them in after I do 2-3 edit passes (Beta). Alphas are pre-launch (1 month or so).

4/10/2023 11:35:23 am

That sounds like a good plan. Advance readers, before publishing, help find those pesky errors that are easy to miss. They contribute to an easy reading story.

New question.

What kind of questions did you ask them to get the feedback you wanted?

4/10/2023 04:06:21 pm

I seek mostly content feedback. Plot continuity, character development and pacing. They usually find grammar and punctuation (seems like there is always one more error, no matter how many passes are done by an editor).

Honestly, I just want to know if they enjoyed it. That is what the entire process is about.

4/10/2023 04:16:19 pm

Those things are important to all authors. Most editors are looking more at the big picture rather than the nuts and bolts of words and sentence structure.

New question.

Do you reward the alpha/beta readers in any way particular?

4/10/2023 06:48:57 pm

For those that are authors, I return the favor. I beta read and provide early reviews. We also do email list swaps and other marketing events.

For the fans, I have offered signed copies. But most prefer to buy them and support the author. It is really pretty cool.

4/10/2023 06:57:35 pm

Many authors report pretty much the same things for rewarding or thanking the early readers. It certainly seems appropriate and a fair exchange.

Last question.

What is the most important thing you learned from publishing your latest book?

4/10/2023 07:03:57 pm

I learned the importance of having more than one book published. It adds credibility to the author, it helps make advertising more profitable and increases your overall fan base.

I also learned I need to use two editors. I will use one for line and copy and second one for proofreading.

4/11/2023 09:39:04 am

Those are important issues! There are quite a few authors who get discouraged when their book doesn't sell like they expected it to. They don't realize how much their second book will improve over the first. The third book even more. Many multi-volume authors understand that there is always more to learn regardless of how many books they have written. Writing more books is key to long-term success also, the more books you have to sell the more books you will sell.

It is a good idea to have proofreading done after all the editing and rewriting are complete. When you think the book is ready to publish is when proofreading is most valuable.

I want to thank you, Brendan for being a fabulous guest on the Word Refiner channel. I look forward to doing this again soon for your new book, "The Last Roman: Absolution". I have no doubt that it will knock my socks off!

Until then, keep on writing.

4/11/2023 04:03:53 pm

Thanks Mark, it has been a pleasure. I appreciate the fun discussion and I hope you enjoy Absolution!

The Last Roman: Abyss by B. K. Greenwood

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