Benoit Lanteigne's The Cyborg's Crusade series Name Before the Masses Tour ~ Guest Post & Giveaway

The Cyborg’s Crusade: Day of the Deux Machina (The Cyborg’s Crusade, #1)
by: Benoit Lanteigne
Series: The Cyborg’s Crusade
Genre: Sci-Fi
Release Date: July 31, 2023
Publisher: Benoit Lanteigne

How did it come to this? My life used to be so simple. Back then, I hated it; I found it boring. Let me tell you: boring’s good. Boring’s great! I should’ve been thankful…

It was supposed to be a date like any other for James Hunter, a simple convenience store clerk. Nothing more than watching a movie in the town of Moncton. A place as unknown and unimportant as he considered his own existence to be. And yet, while walking to a cinema, James teleports to another world. There, a hostile crowd surrounds him, including various mutants with strange deformities.

Before he can even gather his wits or make a dash for it, a lone ally presents herself in the form of a winged woman named Rose. An important cultural figure in the country where James appeared, she offers him both protection and a home.

Soon, James learns that this new world is divided by a cold war. On one side is Nirnivia, home to Rose. The other, Ostark, led by a mysterious cyborg. James is unaware that the cyborg has him in his crosshairs, thinking of him as the Deus Ex Machina that will end the war in his favor.

But, the cyborg is far from the only potential threat to James. Soon after his arrival, BRR, a terrorist organisation, kidnaps him.

What would a rogue group out for revenge seeking to turn the cold war hot want with someone like James? Is there anyone also aware of this other world who will try to find him? Or is he on his own? If so, how is he supposed to escape? If that's even an option…

Several years ago, during a slow afternoon, I was bored out of my mind. In desperation, I ended up watching an episode of Degrassi the Next Generation. That might sound like I’m trying to insult the show, but no. It’s just that by that point in my life, I wasn’t part of the target audience by any stretch of the imagination. I had been out of high school for a while and had no interest in reliving those days or remembering them. Plus, those kinds of stories often use tropes I had seen more than enough times. Even if it turned out to be well-written and acted, no way Degrassi had anything new to offer.

Since I’m bothering to tell you this story, you might figure that I’m about to say I was wrong. That Degrassi The Next Generation was a fresh take on the material; something I had never seen. Well, I wasn’t wrong. The entire plot felt familiar, with no surprises and concerning subject matters that didn’t speak to me, at least not anymore. The thing is, despite this, despite predicting every twist in advance, I was more invested than I thought I would be. For a long time, I wondered why and I believe I found the answer.

It all boils down to the old debate of plot-driven vs character-driven. During my youth, I thought I enjoyed most books, movies, TV shows, and so on because of their plot. I thought that was the key to successful storytelling. Degrassi The Next Generation made me realize I was wrong. Well, that’s an exaggeration. Plot plays a large role in making a story work, and can be the main reason why it does. But, there’s an alternative: Put more emphasis on the characters than on the plot. Degrassi followed this path, as it was very character-driven. And that’s why I could find enjoyment in it even though the story felt stale to me.

Many of the writers I meet share the same dream: coming up with the perfect plot. Many of us focus so much on the plot, especially in the beginning. My experience suggests this might be a mistake. Here’s why. After I watched that episode of Degrassi, I started paying more attention to what stories I liked and which ones I didn’t. Soon, I discovered that I’d be more likely to enjoy something with good characters and a decent plot than something with a good plot and decent characters.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized the pieces of fiction I liked focussed a lot on their characters. Star Trek Next Generation features a big ensemble cast and everyone gets their chance to shine. Deep Space Nine puts even more importance on character development. By the end, everyone is a different person than they were in the beginning. Their experiences changed them. The same holds for Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica 2004.

In books, Dune has an imaginative universe where machines are banned and society relies instead on biotechnology. A lot is going on, including many conspiracies. It’s all quite intriguing. Even so, what I find the most interesting in the first (and second) books is Paul Atreides’s character arc.

Now, that’s just my taste, so not all that important or useful. I mean, yeah, I consume media, but not enough to finance a whole industry. The thing is, I discovered that plenty of people I know are the same way, even if some of them don’t quite realize it.

Maybe the biggest confirmation that what I’m saying has some merit is when I attended a writing event where a published writer gave a speech. I don’t remember the guy’s name, but what I do remember is that he wrote his first book and despite the odds, he found an agent, and it got published. Also, against the odds, it sold well. Later on, his agent told him that his plots were garbage. Based on stories alone, they would never have signed him. What saved him was that he had an amazing cast.

Now, the question is: Why? Why do characters matter so much? I can’t be sure, but I think I know at least part of the answer. In short, humans are social animals. People relate to people. People find other people inherently interesting and worth interacting with. A character has a lot more in common with a person than a plot does because, in essence, a character is an imaginary person. Sure, they’re not real, but they try to emulate someone that might be. That means it’s a lot easier for most to relate and be invested in a character than in a plot. Because of this, good characters will often benefit your story more than a good plot.

Now, the plot is still important. To me, an ideal book has both amazing characters and an amazing plot. That being said, I truly believe that between the two, characters have more impact. Because of this, my suggestion to writers and especially beginners is this: When you are focusing on developing your perfect plot, don’t forget your characters need some love too.

The world whirled around James. Soon, all distinct shapes vanished, superseded by a haze of colors. Shades of green, red and blue filled his vision. An agonizing pain flared across his body, and James screamed. His stomach floated up to his throat, while his intestines… he preferred not to think about them. Then, at last, the forms returned, though muddled. The sensation lasted only a few seconds, but it brought James to his knees as he gagged and vomited on the pavement. Once done, he wiped his mouth and coughed. Revolted screams erupted around him.

James almost mumbled an apology for the mess, but then he realized: who was yelling? He and Nadia stood alone and yet… wait, those dark figures surrounding him on the ground… shadows? And over there, feet and legs… where had these people come from?

Perplexed, James tried getting up, but he wobbled and fell. His new position gave him a view of the trees he had scrutinized before the incident, except they had morphed into a yellow brick building. James’s heart raced and his body tensed. Trying to relax, he took a few deep breaths through his nose and scowled. That stench, a mix of decayed food, feces, and puke, permeated the air. Of course, his own actions explained the last odor, but still, Moncton never smelled so bad. No wonder, with all the garbage littering the street. However, the road he’d strolled along had been so clean just moments ago.

As he pondered the change in scenery, James’s vision cleared. He took it as a good sign and attempted to stand up again. Though he swayed, he remained on his feet. Perhaps because of his movement, the confused chatter around him intensified. Bronze-skinned people glanced at each other and recoiled, a few pointing at him. James scanned the crowd in search of Nadia. Unable to locate his lover, he found his attention drawn to a stranger in the distance instead. The man held a leash, but without a dog at the end. A pink glob of goo replaced the expected canine. The horror waved its many tentacles, sometimes caressing passersby. James gasped. Covered in perspiration and shaking, he averted his gaze and spotted a young boy with a miniature leg sticking out of his belly through a hole in his shirt.

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So, my name is Benoit Lanteigne and I’m a French Canadian (outside of Quebec) who’s trying to write in English. That can be tricky. I’m a computer programmer and I enjoy it. I see many inspiring writers who hate their jobs and hope to quit someday, but that’s not my case. Mostly, I’ve worked on websites and web applications.

Back in school, I enjoyed writing and according to my teachers and classmates; I had a talent for it. Well, not so much for grammar and spelling, but they liked my stories. Once I went to university, I dropped writing as a hobby. There were other things I wanted to focus on, such as my career. Then, in the early 2000s, around 2006 I’d say, I had a flash of inspiration. At first, it was a single character: a winged woman with red hair. I didn’t even know who she was, but the image stuck with me. From there, I began figuring out details about her origins and her world, but I only started writing for real in 2009.

It’s been roughly 10 years now, and it’s not yet finished. That’s in part because I write in my spare time, and in part because the scope of the project is huge. Maybe too much so. Still, I’m getting close to the point where I could release something. The question is what’s next? Self-publishing? Attempt traditional publishing? Nothing? I don’t know the answer yet, I’m trying to figure it out. Frankly, sharing my writing is difficult for me, and whatever I end up doing, as long as I make it available to people I consider the experience a victory no matter what comes out of it.

Places to find Benoit Lanteigne:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | TikTok | You Tube | Amazon Author Page

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