Hammers in the Wind is book I of the Northern Crusade series. This tale revolves around one family in the frozen kingdom of Delranan and the coming war between the gods of light and dark.

Exiled millennia ago, the dark gods have tirelessly sought to return and bend the world of Malweir to their will. Their agents roam the world in search of weak willed men, knowing that only through corruption and chaos can their masters return. It begins in the northern kingdom of Delranan the night King Badron’s castle is attacked and his only son murdered and his daughter kidnapped. Angered, he leads his kingdom to war against the neighboring Rogscroft.

A small band of heroes is assembled to find the princess and return her safely but all is not as it seems. Badron falls under the sway of the Dae’shan, immortal agents of the dark gods, and unwittingly begins the final campaign that will reduce Malweir to willing servants of evil.

The hour of the dark gods return is now at hand.

Kinda reminds us of Game of Thrones. Is that wrong? What genre is it?
This is a traditional fantasy tale with and epic quest to save the world and realistic military sequences based on my own experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan. I get so tired of reading battle scenes by authors who have never served a day in their life.

How do your experiences affect your military sequences?
I try to make the fighting realistic and I absolutely love to get rid of a few key characters along the way, after all- the good guys don’t always survive do they?

Again, that sounds very Game of Thrones-like. What should your series remind us of?
If you like Steven Erickson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen (which I highly recommend), Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, or the eternal Tolkien you’ll enjoy this series. It’s even been compared to CS Lewis.

That’s quite a pedigree; we’ll check out Steven Erickson.
Tell us about your novel, though.
The main character is Bahr, brother of the king, captain of a pirate ship, and the reluctant heir to the throne. Bahr has turned his back on his kingdom and his family in pursuit of a simpler life on the seas. He is reluctantly drawn into a conflict between kingdoms and an even greater fight between the ancient gods.

We know your war experience influenced your battle setpieces, but is there more of you in the story?
I try to throw a little bit of my different traits into various characters. I grew up in a hard environment and come from a long line of warriors dating back to around the year 500AD. It certainly makes writing about it much easier.

You what?! Tell us about yourself.
I was born in Buffalo, NY and spent twenty years in the US Army. I served two tours in the Republic of South Korea on the famed DMZ, went to Afghanistan in 2002 and Iraq in 2003 and 2005. I’m married with two children and absolutely love my two Bernese Mountain Dogs. I currently reside in Raleigh, NC.

Have you got a website?
My website is http://christianfreed.wix.com.

What about social media?
https://www.facebook.com/ChristianFreed and @ChristianWFreed

Have you written any other books?
I have several other titles available. Armies of the Silver Mage and the Dragon Hunters occur in the same world but different timeline. Additionally I have my combat memoirs: A Long Way From Home, a children’s book: Melvin the Reluctant Monster, and several anthologies and short stories for sale. There’s a little bit of something for everyone.

That’s great. What’s coming next?
I’ve begun work on a shadow organization that ensures their agents have no ties with their old lives, including having them kill their own families. The agents become embroiled in a quest to find an ancient stone with the ability to extend life indefinitely.

We cannot wait.
How easily do new storylines come to you? If we give you four random words – Man, Woman, Mexico, Future – can you give us a brief storyline?
After the apocalypse strikes William and Debra highjack a passenger van filled with refugees and head for Mexico and the rumored safe zone. What they find along the way will not only change their beliefs in what has happened but what they can expect if they survive.