Author Jonathan Decoteau Describes Putting Books to Music

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the WAR OF THE ANIMALS by Jonathan Decoteau Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

About The Book:

Title: WAR OF THE ANIMALS (Book 1): The Shut Face Of Thunder

Author: Jonathan Decoteau

Pub. Date: June 26, 2023

Publisher: Animus Nor Books

Formats:  Paperback, eBook

Pages: 266

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/WAR-OF-THE-ANIMALS

The eBook is FREE on ALL retailer sites!

War breaks out. This time, nature fights back...

A failed effort to weaponize animals awakens their intellects. The military responds by creating death camps to exterminate infected animals. Moon Shadow, an Arctic white wolf, unites with White Claw, a polar bear king, to form Animus Nor, the first animal republic, to negotiate peace. The uneasy peace is broken with the rise of Azaz, lord of the grizzly bears. Azaz attacks human settlements, considering humans an invasive species that wreaks havoc on bears and the environment. A world war breaks out as animals face humans and each other to see who will become the true apex species.

Will humanity win, or will nature triumph in the end?

 

Grab all 3 books in the series now!

Book Trailer:

 War of the Animals Set to Music

The books, transcribed by a mystical snowy owl, Snow Prophet, show the rise of vying animal lords seeking revenge after humanity has ravaged their habitats. Most of the songs I listened to while writing the book captured a mood of mysticism, awe, and a cry for justice.  All pictures courtesy of Google Images.

“Genesis” by Grimes.

The moment the animal kingdoms first awaken to human-level intelligence and beyond. The first minute or ninety seconds of “Genesis” by Grimes. I also picture this when humans and animals first battle each other, as they look at each other with fresh eyes after thousands of years.

 

“General Zod Suite” from the Man of Steel Soundtrack

 

As the Rapsys (or great awakening of animal intelligence) spreads, I picture General Zod’s Suite, especially around the two-minute and thirty-second mark.  I picture it again for the antagonist Azaz’s mad assault, again at the 4:50 mark. Azaz, a grizzly bear king out to render humanity extinct, has the feel of a General Zod, someone who cannot back down no matter what the cost.

“Jormungandr” by the Volfgang Twins

I imagine the song “Jormungandr” by the Volfgang Twins for the second book in the series.  I picture this song near the end when Thraxis confronts King Blu, a mythical whale god, more powerful than all the animals put together.  The song conveys the sense of awe, wonder, and dread of meeting a god with power beyond all imagination.

“Wolf Totem” by The Hu

 

In a book I’m currently writing about Azaz’s rise, humans experiment on grizzly bears to create a species that will protect them from the wrath of the awakened animals.  It fails.  When Azaz first becomes high king of the bear clans and leads the first assault on humanity in the dead of night, I envision this song around the 2:30 mark.  It captures the brutal power of the bears.

“Wolf Blood” by Adrian Von Ziegler

I picture this song in the events preceding the beginning of the first book in the series.  After humanity betrays awakened animals, considering them diseased and seeking to eradicate them in death camps, former pets and wild dogs lose all hope.  In their midst, Moon Shadow, an arctic white wolf, unites the wolves, coyotes, and dogs.  I picture the hopeless animals looking up to their new leader around 2:22 and realizing they stand a chance in the war ahead.

 

About Jonathan Decoteau:

I am a nature lover who lives and teaches in beautiful, pastoral New England.

The War of the Animals books were inspired by the 2020 pandemic lockdown. I remember driving by animals that freely roamed the streets after we were in lockdown (I was getting groceries—not ignoring state mandates—I promise!). I felt for the first time how much the animals were in lockdown whenever we weren’t. That inspired the idea of a variety of animals having voices and speaking up for the earth. I started writing the books shortly thereafter.

I write because I love doing so. I’ve been published by a small press and a few literary journals. Before self-publishing the War of the Animals books, I wrote The Naked Earth, named 2008 Fiction Book of the Year by The Online Journal of News and Current Affairs. I also received a Writer’s Notes Magazine general fiction book award for my stories in Sing of the High Country.

Contact Info: waroftheanimals@gmail.com

Photo Caption: Cavendish Cliffs, Prince Edward Island, Canada

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Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of WAR OF THE ANIMALS, US Only.

Ends December 26th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

11/27/2023	Jazzy Book Reviews	Guest Post/IG Post
11/28/2023	Two Chicks on Books	Guest Post/IG Post
11/29/2023	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Blog Spotlight/IG Post
11/30/2023	Writer of Wrongs	Guest Post
12/1/2023	Books and Kats	Excerpt

Week Two:

12/4/2023	Lifestyle of Me	Review
12/5/2023	Locks, Hooks and Books	Review
12/6/2023	Rajiv's Reviews	Review/IG Post
12/7/2023	@allyluvsbooksalatte	IG Review
12/8/2023	GryffindorBookishNerd	IG Review

Week Three:

12/11/2023	Callisto’s calling	IG Review
12/12/2023	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post
12/13/2023	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
12/14/2023	the original B00K nerd	FB Review/IG Post
12/15/2023	jlreadstoperpetuity	IG Review/TikTok Post

Week Four:

12/18/2023	Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's	Review/IG Post
12/19/2023	Confessions of the Perfect Mom	Review/IG Post
12/20/2023	@froggyreadteach	IG Review
12/21/2023	FUONLYKNEW	Review
12/22/2023	The Momma Spot	Review