Sunday, October 4, 2020
Queens Of The Wyrd Kickstarter Q&A with Timandra Whitecastle (interviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)
Official Author Website
Checkout QUEENS OF THE WYRD KICKSTARTER over here
Order Queens Of The Wyrd over HERE
Q) Welcome Timandra, so let’s begin with this straightaway. Why the kickstarter for Queens Of The Wyrd?
TW: BENEDICT PATRICK MADE ME DO IT! AND DYRK ASHTON AIDED AND ABETTED!
Joking. But no, a number of authors I’m friends with have run successful Kickstarters in the past (see the two above) and then Brandon Sanderson’s Kickstarter for the Way of Kings anniversary edition exploded and I thought, man. I’d love to do a hardcover bound volume like that for my Living Blade trilogy one day. But the costs are … frankly, horrific. I could never scrape together that amount on my own. But here was this crowdfunding platform where a lot of fantasy readers were getting their Collector’s editions and Hardcovers ... and I thought … maaaaaaybe I could try it?
Like I said, though, the costs of producing a gorgeous hardcover bound volume edition is just too high, so I ruled that out fairly quickly. However, my eye fell on Queens languishing in its stand-alone state, a bit of a neglected bookish child. So I thought: what if I did my first campaign for a Special Edition of Queens? Some of my readers really, really love Queens. And while I love the thematic cover it has, it looks a bit … too different sat next to my Living Blade books. As though it didn’t belong.
You know how those monthly YA fantasy book box subscriptions are so popular (they’re often so booked out, you get put on a waiting list!) and next to a bundle of bookish merch, they often have a book with a special cover for their subscribers? I love that. (I’d love to subscribe but yikes, those waiting lists, and yikes, the international shipping. Also, I have to drive to our local customs to pick up the packages every. single. month … ASK ME HOW I KNOW). Inspired by the obvious demand for gorgeous special editions, I knew if I was going to revamp Queens, I wanted to do a version with Tommy’s artwork. So I contacted him and asked if he’d be willing to try this crazy Kickstarter campaign with me. And he said yes.
Q) Your debut trilogy had gorgeous cover art by Tommy Arnold. So it’s very much understandable why you wish for him to come up with something magical. What is it about his art that made you select him only?
TW: The first reason is quite simple. It seemed a no brainer to have the same artist I had for my first trilogy to also create something equally beautiful for Queens. In addition, Queens, for all its adventure and realm-hopping, is a very character focused book, and I know Tommy would be able to deliver in capturing the character. As to what it is about his art … hmmmm. Art is always something very subjective, isn’t it? There are paintings we are attracted to and can’t quite put our finger on why we find this piece beautiful and that one … not so much. And my taste in artwork might not be what a second person likes. But there’s something about Tommy’s artwork - his way of depicting the characters and their worlds - that makes me personally sit up and take note. It speaks to me. There’s a resonance there.
Checkout QUEENS OF THE WYRD KICKSTARTER over here
Order Queens Of The Wyrd over HERE
Q) Welcome Timandra, so let’s begin with this straightaway. Why the kickstarter for Queens Of The Wyrd?
TW: BENEDICT PATRICK MADE ME DO IT! AND DYRK ASHTON AIDED AND ABETTED!
Joking. But no, a number of authors I’m friends with have run successful Kickstarters in the past (see the two above) and then Brandon Sanderson’s Kickstarter for the Way of Kings anniversary edition exploded and I thought, man. I’d love to do a hardcover bound volume like that for my Living Blade trilogy one day. But the costs are … frankly, horrific. I could never scrape together that amount on my own. But here was this crowdfunding platform where a lot of fantasy readers were getting their Collector’s editions and Hardcovers ... and I thought … maaaaaaybe I could try it?
Like I said, though, the costs of producing a gorgeous hardcover bound volume edition is just too high, so I ruled that out fairly quickly. However, my eye fell on Queens languishing in its stand-alone state, a bit of a neglected bookish child. So I thought: what if I did my first campaign for a Special Edition of Queens? Some of my readers really, really love Queens. And while I love the thematic cover it has, it looks a bit … too different sat next to my Living Blade books. As though it didn’t belong.
You know how those monthly YA fantasy book box subscriptions are so popular (they’re often so booked out, you get put on a waiting list!) and next to a bundle of bookish merch, they often have a book with a special cover for their subscribers? I love that. (I’d love to subscribe but yikes, those waiting lists, and yikes, the international shipping. Also, I have to drive to our local customs to pick up the packages every. single. month … ASK ME HOW I KNOW). Inspired by the obvious demand for gorgeous special editions, I knew if I was going to revamp Queens, I wanted to do a version with Tommy’s artwork. So I contacted him and asked if he’d be willing to try this crazy Kickstarter campaign with me. And he said yes.
Q) Your debut trilogy had gorgeous cover art by Tommy Arnold. So it’s very much understandable why you wish for him to come up with something magical. What is it about his art that made you select him only?
TW: The first reason is quite simple. It seemed a no brainer to have the same artist I had for my first trilogy to also create something equally beautiful for Queens. In addition, Queens, for all its adventure and realm-hopping, is a very character focused book, and I know Tommy would be able to deliver in capturing the character. As to what it is about his art … hmmmm. Art is always something very subjective, isn’t it? There are paintings we are attracted to and can’t quite put our finger on why we find this piece beautiful and that one … not so much. And my taste in artwork might not be what a second person likes. But there’s something about Tommy’s artwork - his way of depicting the characters and their worlds - that makes me personally sit up and take note. It speaks to me. There’s a resonance there.
However, besides Tommy obviously being a skilled and sought after artist in the fantasy book world, I must say it’s not JUST his art that makes me want to work with him, and this is the second and main reason for wanting to work with Tommy. I said this once in an interview Ben Galley did with me on his YouTube channel: as a selfpublisher, I’m basically a one woman publishing house. I say this not just to highlight my freedom of making artistic choices that a more traditional publishing house or another selfpublisher wouldn’t make - although there is that element, of course. No, it’s the freedom of assembling a team of people around me with whom I just really enjoy working.
Imagine your day job, only you get to choose your colleagues. You can assemble a team of highly qualified people who are not only good at what they do, but with whom you just … gel.
THAT is why I selected Tommy. I trust that I can throw my words at him and he catches them, and says: I geddit. And then he comes back with something that rocks. If you can find the people who get what you do and enhance it - that’s the true beauty, right there.
Q) Besides Tommy’s gorgeous artwork what makes this edition so special? Will it include any other features/extras?
TW: Well, that depends on if I manage to reach any stretchgoals (tease, tease) :) I have some cool things I’d love to include … we’ll see.
I like to think of this as a Remastered Version. Remember those Remastered CDs of your favorite bands? Essentially the same album, but in better sound quality and with a small artistic booklet included? That’s my goal with this.
I’m doing another polish right now and have enlisted help (Nicole Evans!) to make Queens shine even more.
Q) You previously have written extensively as to what led to the inception of this unique story. For those who haven’t read your glorious posts, what would you say to make them drool?
TW: Gather all your major epic fantasy ingredients and blend with Norse mythological elements. Take a pinch of Kings of the Wyld, add a dash of Thor: Ragnarok, but then make it weird with an all female cast, themes around identity, parenting, and chapter headings with modern references. Set it to Heart’s cover version of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song and voila! Enjoy while hot.
Imagine your day job, only you get to choose your colleagues. You can assemble a team of highly qualified people who are not only good at what they do, but with whom you just … gel.
THAT is why I selected Tommy. I trust that I can throw my words at him and he catches them, and says: I geddit. And then he comes back with something that rocks. If you can find the people who get what you do and enhance it - that’s the true beauty, right there.
Q) Besides Tommy’s gorgeous artwork what makes this edition so special? Will it include any other features/extras?
TW: Well, that depends on if I manage to reach any stretchgoals (tease, tease) :) I have some cool things I’d love to include … we’ll see.
I like to think of this as a Remastered Version. Remember those Remastered CDs of your favorite bands? Essentially the same album, but in better sound quality and with a small artistic booklet included? That’s my goal with this.
I’m doing another polish right now and have enlisted help (Nicole Evans!) to make Queens shine even more.
Q) You previously have written extensively as to what led to the inception of this unique story. For those who haven’t read your glorious posts, what would you say to make them drool?
TW: Gather all your major epic fantasy ingredients and blend with Norse mythological elements. Take a pinch of Kings of the Wyld, add a dash of Thor: Ragnarok, but then make it weird with an all female cast, themes around identity, parenting, and chapter headings with modern references. Set it to Heart’s cover version of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song and voila! Enjoy while hot.
Q) How goes your work on the sequel Reign Of The Midnight Sun? Any teasers you can provide about what the book will be about?
TW: I’m inching forward in the rough draft. I’m at that stage where I’m just shoveling more sand into my sandbox every day. The grind stage. My least favorite.
I always wish I could just be done with it and have that first draft, because I am far more patient and more skilled at improving the sandcastle than I am at just shoveling sand.
Oh! It’s not exactly a sequel; more like another tale featuring some (but not all) of the other characters in the same world. I have a blurb-ish kind of thing, look …
Same old Shieldmaiden. New wyrd adventure
Solveig the Golden has had a very eventful life. By a quirk of fate, she carries Odin’s legendary spear. The bards sing of her glory past … which is annoying, since Sol isn’t planning for anything else but more glory in her future.
Hunkered down for a winter break at her childhood home - which is DEFINITELY NOT RETIREMENT - she answers the call to find two missing horses, alongside her daughter. But what was supposed to be a simple fetch quest cascades into ever more trouble for the aging Shieldmaiden: the spear has a mind of its own, the Wild Hunt comes after her, and from the depths of the sea, the Midgard serpent rises … It is time. The signs say Odin wants his spear back.
But Sol is loathe to simply hand it over. Instead, she is on the run from the Father of the Gods and his undead minions of the Wild Hunt. Her journey takes her across the winter seas, to the sanctuary of the Fimbulwinter, and even into Asgard itself. But there is no hiding from the Allfather.
Sol must evade Odin’s Hunt for the next twelve nights or else submit to his plans for her destiny. She faces a hard choice: oppose the Allfather, endanger her loved ones, and die ignominiously, her name forever tarnished ... or snatch that last shred of glory to become a Valkyrie, one of the nine undying Daughters of Odin?
Wyrd bith ful araed. Fate is inexorable.
My goal is to have this out by summer 2021...
Q) Besides Reign Of The Midnight Sun, are you working on anything else?
TW: Soooooo many other things. 2020 has made me very scatterbrained, I’m afraid. I can’t seem to focus for long on one single project. I spent the first few months frozen like a deer in the headlights and with nearly no creativity. It’s been getting better, though. I’ve been getting better, so now I’m trying to roll with the punches and just … write all the things.
Q) In these stressful times, which books and authors have helped you retain your sanity? Are there any particular titles and writers that you would like to give a shout out to?
TW: Pratchett. Always, always Terry Pratchett. I’ve been re-reading my collection heavily this year. My favorites are the Watch and the Witches books with Vimes, Granny Weatherwax, and Tiffany Aching being my favorite characters.
There’s this thing about Pratchett’s characters, especially Granny and Vimes, in which they’re just … very angry, very satirical, and yet … also very human people? People who look out for other people. People who are aware of their own biases. People who watch themselves, guard against their own darkness, their anger, and their hurt breaking out. People who can say: yes, these other people are stupid and hateful, doing very stupid and hateful things, but they’re human like me, so lemme see if I can do something to counter the stupidity and help them. Because that’s what people do.
It always feels weird to me when readers recommend Discworld books ‘because they’re funny.’ I mean, yes, they are. But they are so much more than just funny fantasy books.
Pratchett’s skill is that he writes these relatively short fantasy stories with puns and over-the-top caricatures and has characters who TALK LIKE THIS and then you turn a page and read a passage that puts a laser sharp focus on inherently flawed humans and our flawed systems and it’s just … masterful.
Q) Thank you very, very much for this lovely kickstarter Timandra. I’m already a backer and I hope this gets fully funded and then some. Any parting thoughts for your fans?
TW: What has moved me the most about this whole Kickstarter campaign experience is how so many people have come rallying around this project. I did not expect it. I didn't dare expect it. I’m sorry for my trust issues. I will do you all better next time.
For now, though, thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
NOTE: Timandra Whitecastle pic courtesy of The Fantasy Inn. Granny Weatherwax and her cottage art courtesy of Discworld Emporium.
It always feels weird to me when readers recommend Discworld books ‘because they’re funny.’ I mean, yes, they are. But they are so much more than just funny fantasy books.
Pratchett’s skill is that he writes these relatively short fantasy stories with puns and over-the-top caricatures and has characters who TALK LIKE THIS and then you turn a page and read a passage that puts a laser sharp focus on inherently flawed humans and our flawed systems and it’s just … masterful.
Q) Thank you very, very much for this lovely kickstarter Timandra. I’m already a backer and I hope this gets fully funded and then some. Any parting thoughts for your fans?
TW: What has moved me the most about this whole Kickstarter campaign experience is how so many people have come rallying around this project. I did not expect it. I didn't dare expect it. I’m sorry for my trust issues. I will do you all better next time.
For now, though, thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
NOTE: Timandra Whitecastle pic courtesy of The Fantasy Inn. Granny Weatherwax and her cottage art courtesy of Discworld Emporium.
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Official Author Website
Preorder Smuggler’s Fortune over HERE (USA) & HERE (UK)
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of Fortune’s Fool
Today we have the pleasure of hosting Angela Boord. Angela won the silver medal in the 2019 edition of SPFBO and got one of the highest scores in the competition ever. While she’s close to finishing the sequel to Fortune’s Fool. She’s also releasing a novella that will serve as a prequel as well a good entry point for folks who haven’t been introduced to Angela’s amazing writing.
Q] Hi Angela, welcome back to Fantasy Book Critic and thank you for this cover reveal. How are things with you in 2020?
AB: Thanks for having me! Considering it’s 2020, I think things are going about as well as they can. We’re quarantining a bit more because of my youngest daughter who has Down Syndrome, but since we homeschool, we haven’t had to make big adjustments to everyone being at home. Although it probably has been an adjustment for my husband, who is now working out of the pink bedroom.
Preorder Smuggler’s Fortune over HERE (USA) & HERE (UK)
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of Fortune’s Fool
Today we have the pleasure of hosting Angela Boord. Angela won the silver medal in the 2019 edition of SPFBO and got one of the highest scores in the competition ever. While she’s close to finishing the sequel to Fortune’s Fool. She’s also releasing a novella that will serve as a prequel as well a good entry point for folks who haven’t been introduced to Angela’s amazing writing.
Q] Hi Angela, welcome back to Fantasy Book Critic and thank you for this cover reveal. How are things with you in 2020?
AB: Thanks for having me! Considering it’s 2020, I think things are going about as well as they can. We’re quarantining a bit more because of my youngest daughter who has Down Syndrome, but since we homeschool, we haven’t had to make big adjustments to everyone being at home. Although it probably has been an adjustment for my husband, who is now working out of the pink bedroom.
Q] Firstly thank you for continuing on with the team of John Anthony De Giovanni & Shawn T. King. Secondly what an incredible cover this is? Can you tell us about it?
AB: I absolutely love the cover! The only thing I told John was, “There’s a big, mysterious cabinet in the story, and I think that should go on the cover.” Then he did the rest, and Shawn worked his magic with the typography. (I really love the typography Shawn chose for the series; I feel like it captures that sort of Renaissance fantasy feel so well.) What I find amazing about working with John is that he reads as much of the story as he can, and so this cover really contains a lot of elements from the novella. My favorite part is seeing Razi there with his two swords, and Kyrra in silhouette on the other side. There’s just something incredible about actually seeing these people who have only lived in your head; it’s like suddenly they’re real, and now it’s an actual book.
AB: I absolutely love the cover! The only thing I told John was, “There’s a big, mysterious cabinet in the story, and I think that should go on the cover.” Then he did the rest, and Shawn worked his magic with the typography. (I really love the typography Shawn chose for the series; I feel like it captures that sort of Renaissance fantasy feel so well.) What I find amazing about working with John is that he reads as much of the story as he can, and so this cover really contains a lot of elements from the novella. My favorite part is seeing Razi there with his two swords, and Kyrra in silhouette on the other side. There’s just something incredible about actually seeing these people who have only lived in your head; it’s like suddenly they’re real, and now it’s an actual book.
Q] How did this novella come to be? What made you write this prequel story?
AB: I wanted to write a short story to give away with my newsletter, and there were a few places in Fortune’s Fool that I felt probably had stories attached to them. I tossed around a few ideas, but I kept coming back to Razi, Kyrra’s mercenary companion. Razi walked on stage about two weeks before I sent the book to my copy editor as if he had been there from the beginning. Diana Gabaldon calls characters like him “mushrooms”—they pop up out of nowhere and take over. I really liked Razi and I wanted to know more about him, so I decided to write a story about how Kyrra met him. I did most of the basic plotting and wrote the first part of the novella on a road-trip (sixteen hours each way) to see my oldest son graduate from college, but the story quickly grew past the confines of a “short” story. It took me about a month to finish the first draft.
Q] What can readers expect from the novella?
AB: Since it’s a novella, Smuggler’s is faster-paced than Fortune’s Fool, its plot more action-focused. You’ll get a deeper peek at Razi and Nibas, a glimpse of Liera right after the wars ended, more magic and gods, and one of the major characters is from Saien, so the worldbuilding also expands a bit in this one, to take in more cultures. The story is set in between the past and present narrative of Fortune’s Fool, and if you’ve read Fortune’s Fool, there are a few Easter eggs… but if you haven’t read Fortune’s Fool, that’s also fine. I wrote it to be a stand-alone without spoilers.
Q] Can you tell us what’s happening with Fool’s Promise, when are you planning to release it?
AB: I’m trying very hard to get Fool’s Promise ready to release in early 2021. It’s been a difficult book from the beginning, mainly because it started out as two books that I combined. Originally, I was going to release the story of how Arsenault met Jon as Book 1.5. But after talking about it with some friends, I realized that I was unhappy with the idea of it being an “extra” book, because the narrative contained important information for Book 2. So, I decided to start Book 2 earlier—very soon after Fortune’s Fool ends—and include Arsenault and Jon’s backstory inside it. Like Fortune’s Fool, Fool’s Promise tells a past and present story, but the past story is Arsenault’s, and the present is told from three points of view: Arsenault and Mikelo in third person, and Kyrra in first person.
As you might imagine, this made the book a little hard to juggle and it grew just a bit. Right now, it stands at 250,000 words, which is 30,000 words longer than Fortune’s Fool. 2020 has also thrown a few wrenches into the process in the form of extra time, but I think everything is moving in the right direction now. I have all the feedback from my editor, my beta readers, and my sensitivity readers, so I’m about to be knee-deep in revisions.
Q] You had posted some interesting news about a portal fantasy that you recently finished? I recall from your previous interview it had a working title of “Storm Clouds”. How long is this draft and can you give your fans a teaser about this new world and potential series?
AB: I just sent Storm Clouds off to my first readers at 220,000 words—the same length as Fortune’s Fool. The word count of my books tends to bounce around a bit with revision as I cut and add, though, so we’ll see how it ends up. (I actually cut a very long draft in two to get the core of this book, which is another one I pulled out of my closet.) The story is kind of like an urban fantasy stuffed inside an epic fantasy; it starts out in the 80’s with a Cold War espionage feeling to it, and then adds a magic system I based on quantum physics and an alternate world with a North American setting. So, there are mammoths and swords and spirits and gods that used to rule an empire, and warring cultures in a very precarious stand-off with each other.
AB: I just sent Storm Clouds off to my first readers at 220,000 words—the same length as Fortune’s Fool. The word count of my books tends to bounce around a bit with revision as I cut and add, though, so we’ll see how it ends up. (I actually cut a very long draft in two to get the core of this book, which is another one I pulled out of my closet.) The story is kind of like an urban fantasy stuffed inside an epic fantasy; it starts out in the 80’s with a Cold War espionage feeling to it, and then adds a magic system I based on quantum physics and an alternate world with a North American setting. So, there are mammoths and swords and spirits and gods that used to rule an empire, and warring cultures in a very precarious stand-off with each other.
But at its heart, it’s a book about family and friendship. Sergei, my main character, sets everything in motion because he doesn’t believe his mother is dead and won’t stop trying to find out what’s really happened to her, and the most important relationship in the book is Sergei’s friendship with his roommate Cam. In many ways, it’s a gritty, dark, emotional book, but I also wanted to make it about love and humor and devotion, and loyalty and forgiveness. Sergei and Cam banter back and forth a lot, but there’s also a strong core to their friendship that has been fascinating to explore. I’m hoping to release it later in 2021.
Q] Have you been reading anything good lately? Any particular titles or authors that you would like to give a shout out to?
AB: I have actually been doing a lot of beta reading lately, and two books I’m really excited about are Bjorn Larssen’s dark literary fantasy retelling of Norse myth, Children, out October 3, and Krystle Matar’s Legacy of the Brightwash, which is basically a Victorian crime drama crossed with a gritty romantic fantasy, planned for release in February 2021. Both of these books are so good—character-driven, emotional fantasy, dark and brutal in places, but with humor and a lot of heart, and masterfully written. I feel really fortunate that I’ve gotten to read these books before everybody else!
Q] Thank you for taking the time to answer all the questions. In closing, do you have any parting thoughts or comments you would like to share with our readers?
AB: Thank you for having me on FBC! I’d just really like to thank everyone who’s read Fortune’s Fool and is waiting patiently for more books in the series. Y’all are the ones that make it possible for me to do this, and your support means a lot to me.
Preorder Smuggler's Fortune over HERE (USA) & HERE (UK)
Official Book Blurb: I’d been ridiculed, rejected, robbed, and almost dismembered, and I’d only been in Liera a week.
Mercenary Kyrra d’Aliente’s homecoming is not as triumphant as she hoped. Her family is dead, her pockets empty, the man she loves missing, and a bunch of out-of-work sellswords want to steal her metal arm. So, when an encounter with an old friend leads to a smuggling job, she’s more than willing to hop on board in exchange for a bag of coins and a little revenge.
But will this mysterious cargo be worth the firestorm it ignites?
Mercenary Kyrra d’Aliente’s homecoming is not as triumphant as she hoped. Her family is dead, her pockets empty, the man she loves missing, and a bunch of out-of-work sellswords want to steal her metal arm. So, when an encounter with an old friend leads to a smuggling job, she’s more than willing to hop on board in exchange for a bag of coins and a little revenge.
But will this mysterious cargo be worth the firestorm it ignites?
Official Author Website
Order The Fires Of The Dead over HERE (US) and HERE (UK)
Order the audiobook over HERE ($1.99 only)
We have been very lucky to have so many indie & traditionally published authors allow us to reveal their gorgeous covers. We at Fantasy Book Critic have and will always support authors no matter which avenue they take to publication. With that being said, today is a bit of a different type of cover reveal. With this book, Jed Herne is doing things a bit different. This isn’t a cover reveal as much as a cover refresher. So here’s Jed to explain things and also let you know that the book is on sale as well 😃
Order The Fires Of The Dead over HERE (US) and HERE (UK)
Order the audiobook over HERE ($1.99 only)
We have been very lucky to have so many indie & traditionally published authors allow us to reveal their gorgeous covers. We at Fantasy Book Critic have and will always support authors no matter which avenue they take to publication. With that being said, today is a bit of a different type of cover reveal. With this book, Jed Herne is doing things a bit different. This isn’t a cover reveal as much as a cover refresher. So here’s Jed to explain things and also let you know that the book is on sale as well 😃
Q] Welcome back to Fantasy Book Critic Jed, how have you been?
JH: I've been really excellent! Getting lots of writing done – including working on a computer game for a company that I really admire (Choice of Games) – and also working on the Wizards, Warriors & Words podcast with some fellow amazing fantasy authors. Certainly keeps me busy, but it's made the second half of 2020 very productive and educational.
Q] I have been enjoying your Wizards, Warriors & Words video podcasts alongside Dyrk Ashton, Michael R. Fletcher, & Rob J. Hayes. How did this amazing video podcast come about to be?
JH: I've always been a big fan of podcasts. As with most things I really enjoy, I generally get a tendency to try and produce some of my own. (This is what led to me becoming a writer in the first place).
I created my first pod in mid-2019, called the Novel Analyst Podcast. Each episode, I analysed my favourite books to help me figure out why I liked them so much. Along with improving my own understanding of craft, it gave me an open doorway into interviewing lots of great authors, and one of those was a bloke called Rob J. Hayes.
At the time when I interviewed Rob, his book Never Die was one of the first self-published books that I read. Now, this might sound a little hypocritical, but even though I was a self-published author, in the back of my head I’d always had that little stigma left over from the world of traditional publishing which says self-published books cannot possibly be as good as traditionally published ones.
JH: I've been really excellent! Getting lots of writing done – including working on a computer game for a company that I really admire (Choice of Games) – and also working on the Wizards, Warriors & Words podcast with some fellow amazing fantasy authors. Certainly keeps me busy, but it's made the second half of 2020 very productive and educational.
Q] I have been enjoying your Wizards, Warriors & Words video podcasts alongside Dyrk Ashton, Michael R. Fletcher, & Rob J. Hayes. How did this amazing video podcast come about to be?
JH: I've always been a big fan of podcasts. As with most things I really enjoy, I generally get a tendency to try and produce some of my own. (This is what led to me becoming a writer in the first place).
I created my first pod in mid-2019, called the Novel Analyst Podcast. Each episode, I analysed my favourite books to help me figure out why I liked them so much. Along with improving my own understanding of craft, it gave me an open doorway into interviewing lots of great authors, and one of those was a bloke called Rob J. Hayes.
At the time when I interviewed Rob, his book Never Die was one of the first self-published books that I read. Now, this might sound a little hypocritical, but even though I was a self-published author, in the back of my head I’d always had that little stigma left over from the world of traditional publishing which says self-published books cannot possibly be as good as traditionally published ones.
Never Die proved me extremely wrong. It’s an amazing book, filled with great action, amazing characters, and a gripping plot. I really enjoyed talking to Rob on the podcast because I felt that his self-publishing pathway was something I would like to emulate in my own career.
Following up from that interview, I had a lot of opportunities to chat with Rob off the record, asking advice about the more technical and marketing sides of self-publishing. This led me to realise that while there are a lot of podcasts about writing craft or indie book marketing, there are few pods that do both – and with a fantasy focus.
Around the time that I was having these thoughts, myself and a couple of other authors did some live streams in the Grimdark Fantasy Fiction Readers and Writers group on Facebook. These authors included Michael R. Fletcher and Dyrk Ashton. I really enjoyed listening to them. They seemed to have unique opinions on the craft of writing, were very well respected within the community, and seemed fun to hang out with.
I reached out to Rob, Mike, and Dyrk, and they were all extremely keen to do a podcast together. We did a few test sessions, found a good chemistry, and since then we’ve been putting out episodes every Monday.
With about 25 fantasy books published between the four of us, I think we have some unique writing tips to offer. And even if no one listens, I certainly get a lot out of just creating the episodes in the first place. It is really special to be able to pick the brains of authors who have done things that I would like to achieve, in terms of both critical and commercial success.
Following up from that interview, I had a lot of opportunities to chat with Rob off the record, asking advice about the more technical and marketing sides of self-publishing. This led me to realise that while there are a lot of podcasts about writing craft or indie book marketing, there are few pods that do both – and with a fantasy focus.
Around the time that I was having these thoughts, myself and a couple of other authors did some live streams in the Grimdark Fantasy Fiction Readers and Writers group on Facebook. These authors included Michael R. Fletcher and Dyrk Ashton. I really enjoyed listening to them. They seemed to have unique opinions on the craft of writing, were very well respected within the community, and seemed fun to hang out with.
I reached out to Rob, Mike, and Dyrk, and they were all extremely keen to do a podcast together. We did a few test sessions, found a good chemistry, and since then we’ve been putting out episodes every Monday.
With about 25 fantasy books published between the four of us, I think we have some unique writing tips to offer. And even if no one listens, I certainly get a lot out of just creating the episodes in the first place. It is really special to be able to pick the brains of authors who have done things that I would like to achieve, in terms of both critical and commercial success.
Q] Please tell us about the recent cover refresher to Fires Of The Dead (the first novella in the Pyromancer series). What lead you to consider this?
JH: It's hard to believe it, but my debut fantasy book, Fires of the Dead, was published almost exactly a year ago. When it released, I was fairly happy with the cover, which I made myself.
But then a calamity occurred.
A calamity named ... Ramón Ignacio Bunge.
A few months back, I hired Ramón to design the cover for The Thunder Heist. (Thanks for hosting the reveal on FBC, by the way). He did an amazing job. Suspiciously amazing. Probably possessed by the soul of da Vinci or something, but who am I to judge?
Unfortunately, after he made The Thunder Heist cover, Fires of the Dead looked crappy by comparison. My hand was forced. I had no choice but to immediately hire him again to redesign Fires of the Dead.
Curse him and his demon-granted talents!
Q] So what lead you to write this novella? What was the inspiration for this story?
JH: When I visited Japan in 2018, seeing their family shrines made me curious. What if the care you put into your shrine influenced your real-life power?
This led to the idea of a fantasy world where families had huge ancestral bonfires – imagine a cavern filled with flames. Magicians from that family would draw from this energy source to use their flame magic, which creates a world of families trying to make their fires bigger and stronger, leading to all sorts of competition and machinations and conflict.
To me, magic is one of the most interesting parts of fantasy, and through Fires of the Dead I wanted to explore a unique take on fire-based sorcery. As I wrote, the story did the usual thing of becoming much more about the characters, the plot, and the suspense – but the seed was the magic, and a graveyard in Tokyo.
Q] Can you tell us more about the world and the characters that the story is set in?
JH: Fires of the Dead follows Wisp, a thieving sorcerer who makes one last grasp for glory. See, Wisp is getting old. Too old for a thief, too old for a sorcerer, and too old to heal all the scars he’s torn in the world. He needs to retire, and he needs it soon.
Rumours have spread that a sorcerer’s skull is hidden in a desolate, haunted forest. And when Wisp hears that there’s big money on the line for finding that skull, he leads his misfit thieving crew into the forest, hoping to win the riches he so badly deserves. But when rivals descend upon the forest and nightmares come to life, he’ll need all his old tricks to survive – and some new ones, too.
Q] Will there be a sequel to the novella?
JH: Fires of the Dead is very much an exploration of the world of pyromancy. I certainly intend to return to it sometime in the future, and I've outlined a few story ideas that could take place in the world. But for the moment I'm focusing most of my energy on developing the Twisted Seas series. Book one of this (The Thunder Heist) comes out on October 19, and I plan to spend most of my time in this series for the foreseeable future.
On writing Fires of the Dead sequels, however, I would very much like to return to this world sometime in the future. Saying that, you should know that Fires of the Dead is a self-contained story with no annoying cliff-hanger at the end.
Q] What are you working on currently? Which book will you be releasing next? JH: I'm working on an interactive fiction game for Choice of Games. It's a text-based fantasy adventure story called The Siege of Treboulain. You are the ruler of this medieval-style fantasy city that is under siege, and it’s your job to make wise decisions to prevent the city from being overrun, while also dealing with all the internal politics and chaos that comes from the city being attacked. It’s a lot of fun!
Like I mentioned, it’s purely text based. No graphics or sound effects, so it’s effectively like reading a novel that you have the power to control. It’s taught me a lot of useful writing lessons that can't wait to apply for when I get back to writing novels. We’re still very early in the development process, but it is my understanding that it should be releasing sometime in the middle of 2021.
JH: It's hard to believe it, but my debut fantasy book, Fires of the Dead, was published almost exactly a year ago. When it released, I was fairly happy with the cover, which I made myself.
But then a calamity occurred.
A calamity named ... Ramón Ignacio Bunge.
A few months back, I hired Ramón to design the cover for The Thunder Heist. (Thanks for hosting the reveal on FBC, by the way). He did an amazing job. Suspiciously amazing. Probably possessed by the soul of da Vinci or something, but who am I to judge?
Unfortunately, after he made The Thunder Heist cover, Fires of the Dead looked crappy by comparison. My hand was forced. I had no choice but to immediately hire him again to redesign Fires of the Dead.
Curse him and his demon-granted talents!
Q] So what lead you to write this novella? What was the inspiration for this story?
JH: When I visited Japan in 2018, seeing their family shrines made me curious. What if the care you put into your shrine influenced your real-life power?
This led to the idea of a fantasy world where families had huge ancestral bonfires – imagine a cavern filled with flames. Magicians from that family would draw from this energy source to use their flame magic, which creates a world of families trying to make their fires bigger and stronger, leading to all sorts of competition and machinations and conflict.
To me, magic is one of the most interesting parts of fantasy, and through Fires of the Dead I wanted to explore a unique take on fire-based sorcery. As I wrote, the story did the usual thing of becoming much more about the characters, the plot, and the suspense – but the seed was the magic, and a graveyard in Tokyo.
Q] Can you tell us more about the world and the characters that the story is set in?
JH: Fires of the Dead follows Wisp, a thieving sorcerer who makes one last grasp for glory. See, Wisp is getting old. Too old for a thief, too old for a sorcerer, and too old to heal all the scars he’s torn in the world. He needs to retire, and he needs it soon.
Rumours have spread that a sorcerer’s skull is hidden in a desolate, haunted forest. And when Wisp hears that there’s big money on the line for finding that skull, he leads his misfit thieving crew into the forest, hoping to win the riches he so badly deserves. But when rivals descend upon the forest and nightmares come to life, he’ll need all his old tricks to survive – and some new ones, too.
Q] Will there be a sequel to the novella?
JH: Fires of the Dead is very much an exploration of the world of pyromancy. I certainly intend to return to it sometime in the future, and I've outlined a few story ideas that could take place in the world. But for the moment I'm focusing most of my energy on developing the Twisted Seas series. Book one of this (The Thunder Heist) comes out on October 19, and I plan to spend most of my time in this series for the foreseeable future.
On writing Fires of the Dead sequels, however, I would very much like to return to this world sometime in the future. Saying that, you should know that Fires of the Dead is a self-contained story with no annoying cliff-hanger at the end.
Q] What are you working on currently? Which book will you be releasing next? JH: I'm working on an interactive fiction game for Choice of Games. It's a text-based fantasy adventure story called The Siege of Treboulain. You are the ruler of this medieval-style fantasy city that is under siege, and it’s your job to make wise decisions to prevent the city from being overrun, while also dealing with all the internal politics and chaos that comes from the city being attacked. It’s a lot of fun!
Like I mentioned, it’s purely text based. No graphics or sound effects, so it’s effectively like reading a novel that you have the power to control. It’s taught me a lot of useful writing lessons that can't wait to apply for when I get back to writing novels. We’re still very early in the development process, but it is my understanding that it should be releasing sometime in the middle of 2021.
My next book release, though, is The Thunder Heist (Twisted Seas #1), which Fantasy Book Critic kindly revealed the cover for a while ago. It releases on October 19th, 2020. Hopefully, the sequel should follow in late 2021.
Q] Many thanks for your time, do you have any parting thoughts for our readers?
JH: Thank you again for hosting this interview! I really like this blog and appreciate what you've done for so many authors, including myself.
To celebrate the new book cover, the eBook and audiobook of Fires of the Dead is on sale from September 29th - October 5th, so if you’re keen to check it out, now’s your chance!
Q] Many thanks for your time, do you have any parting thoughts for our readers?
JH: Thank you again for hosting this interview! I really like this blog and appreciate what you've done for so many authors, including myself.
To celebrate the new book cover, the eBook and audiobook of Fires of the Dead is on sale from September 29th - October 5th, so if you’re keen to check it out, now’s your chance!
NOTE: Thanks to Jed for the author picture and all the covers.
Official Author Website
Order To Dream and Die as a Taniwha Girl over HERE(USA) or HERE(UK)
Order To Dream and Die as a Taniwha Girl over HERE(USA) or HERE(UK)
Read FBC's review of Those Brave, Foolish Souls from the City of Swords
Read FBC's review of From the Shadows of the Owl Queen's Court
Read FBC's Q&A with Benedict Patrick
Official Author Website
Order the book over HERE
Read Caitlin’s review of Gideon The Ninth
OFFICIAL AUTHOR WEBSITE: TAMSYN MUIR is the bestselling author of the Locked Tomb Trilogy, which begins with Gideon the Ninth, continues with Harrow the Ninth, and concludes with Alecto the Ninth. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the World Fantasy Award and the Eugie Foster Memorial Award. A Kiwi, she has spent most of her life in Howick, New Zealand, with time living in Waiuku and central Wellington. She currently lives and works in Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB:She answered the Emperor's call.
She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.
In victory, her world has turned to ash.
After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman's shoulders.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath — but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.
Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor's Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?
Order the book over HERE
Read Caitlin’s review of Gideon The Ninth
OFFICIAL AUTHOR WEBSITE: TAMSYN MUIR is the bestselling author of the Locked Tomb Trilogy, which begins with Gideon the Ninth, continues with Harrow the Ninth, and concludes with Alecto the Ninth. Her short fiction has been nominated for the Nebula Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the World Fantasy Award and the Eugie Foster Memorial Award. A Kiwi, she has spent most of her life in Howick, New Zealand, with time living in Waiuku and central Wellington. She currently lives and works in Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB:She answered the Emperor's call.
She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.
In victory, her world has turned to ash.
After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman's shoulders.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath — but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.
Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor's Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?
FORMAT/INFO: Harrow the Ninth was published August 4th, 2020 by Tor.com. It is 512 pages split over 53 chapters, a prologue and an epilogue. It is written in both 2nd person and 3rd person from Harrow's point of view. It is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Harrow the Ninth achieved her dream of becoming one of the Emperor’s Lyctors, but the process nearly cost her her life. Imbued with even greater necromantic power than she’s had before, Harrow barely gets a moment to rest before she’s confronted with the news that the Emperor is at war with a deadly enemy, and it will be at the Lyctor sanctuary in a matter of months. She trains for the confrontation, but soon realizes not all the other Lyctor’s are her allies. In fact, they may just want her dead.
Unsurprisingly, Harrow the Ninth is an unusual book, told in alternating perspectives: Harrow’s present day recollections are told in second person, while flashbacks to previous events at Canaan House, the location where she underwent a series of trials to become a Lyctor, accompanied by her cavalier Ortus, are told in third person. But wait, I hear you say, her cavalier wasn’t Ortus, it was Gideon! What happened to Gideon? That question, my friends, is the crux of the entire book. You see, Harrow’s never heard of a Gideon in her life.
Like Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth is a book that requires patience. A LOT of patience. The reveal that puts everything in perspective comes incredibly late in the book, frequently leaving you lost and bewildered as everyone besides Harrow acts with outside knowledge. Harrow is a more consistent book than Gideon, easier to follow overall, but if you are put off by endless discussions of necromantic theory or are the kind of person who wants answers sooner than later, I’d recommend giving this one a pass.
That said, the bizarre gothic mystery vibe of the series continues, so if you enjoyed Gideon the Ninth, you’ll probably enjoy Harrow as well. The present-day sections of the book are easy enough to follow, even as the flashbacks leave you scratching your head. It WILL all make sense in the end (well, mostly) and the last hundred pages or so were the same kind of unstoppable ride that the end of Gideon the Ninth was. I even teared up in a few places as some payoffs landed. But to get there is to tread through some slow, obtuse sections, owing to the fact that you know there’s a bigger picture you don’t understand.
Harrow is not the coarse POV character that Gideon was, which will be a relief for some, a disappointment for others. That partially comes from the use of second perspective for large portions of the book, which didn’t bother me overall, even if it gave the narration a certain detached feeling. But Harrow as a character in this book feels a bit detached herself, overwhelmed by the coming battle, knowing that she’s missing something but that she doesn’t know what.
The Locked Tomb is one of those series that many will either love or hate. It’s strange and weird and baffling and enthralling all at the same time. Did I love this book? No. Did I find myself unable to put it down because I wanted SOMEONE to explain what was happening? Absolutely. The payoff at the end was thoroughly enjoyable and made up for some of the slower earlier parts, though I wish the audience wasn’t kept in the dark for so long.
CONCLUSION: Harrow the Ninth will scratch the itch for the right kind of reader. For me, it was the kind of read I appreciated, though it’s harder to recommend to the average person walking down the street. But if a book with “the vibe of Jane Eyre, except there’s necromancers and it’s on a space station and an unimaginable horror is coming and also several people are trying to kill Jane Eyre” sounds like your cup of tea, have at it!
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Harrow the Ninth achieved her dream of becoming one of the Emperor’s Lyctors, but the process nearly cost her her life. Imbued with even greater necromantic power than she’s had before, Harrow barely gets a moment to rest before she’s confronted with the news that the Emperor is at war with a deadly enemy, and it will be at the Lyctor sanctuary in a matter of months. She trains for the confrontation, but soon realizes not all the other Lyctor’s are her allies. In fact, they may just want her dead.
Unsurprisingly, Harrow the Ninth is an unusual book, told in alternating perspectives: Harrow’s present day recollections are told in second person, while flashbacks to previous events at Canaan House, the location where she underwent a series of trials to become a Lyctor, accompanied by her cavalier Ortus, are told in third person. But wait, I hear you say, her cavalier wasn’t Ortus, it was Gideon! What happened to Gideon? That question, my friends, is the crux of the entire book. You see, Harrow’s never heard of a Gideon in her life.
Like Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth is a book that requires patience. A LOT of patience. The reveal that puts everything in perspective comes incredibly late in the book, frequently leaving you lost and bewildered as everyone besides Harrow acts with outside knowledge. Harrow is a more consistent book than Gideon, easier to follow overall, but if you are put off by endless discussions of necromantic theory or are the kind of person who wants answers sooner than later, I’d recommend giving this one a pass.
That said, the bizarre gothic mystery vibe of the series continues, so if you enjoyed Gideon the Ninth, you’ll probably enjoy Harrow as well. The present-day sections of the book are easy enough to follow, even as the flashbacks leave you scratching your head. It WILL all make sense in the end (well, mostly) and the last hundred pages or so were the same kind of unstoppable ride that the end of Gideon the Ninth was. I even teared up in a few places as some payoffs landed. But to get there is to tread through some slow, obtuse sections, owing to the fact that you know there’s a bigger picture you don’t understand.
Harrow is not the coarse POV character that Gideon was, which will be a relief for some, a disappointment for others. That partially comes from the use of second perspective for large portions of the book, which didn’t bother me overall, even if it gave the narration a certain detached feeling. But Harrow as a character in this book feels a bit detached herself, overwhelmed by the coming battle, knowing that she’s missing something but that she doesn’t know what.
The Locked Tomb is one of those series that many will either love or hate. It’s strange and weird and baffling and enthralling all at the same time. Did I love this book? No. Did I find myself unable to put it down because I wanted SOMEONE to explain what was happening? Absolutely. The payoff at the end was thoroughly enjoyable and made up for some of the slower earlier parts, though I wish the audience wasn’t kept in the dark for so long.
CONCLUSION: Harrow the Ninth will scratch the itch for the right kind of reader. For me, it was the kind of read I appreciated, though it’s harder to recommend to the average person walking down the street. But if a book with “the vibe of Jane Eyre, except there’s necromancers and it’s on a space station and an unimaginable horror is coming and also several people are trying to kill Jane Eyre” sounds like your cup of tea, have at it!
Official Author Website
Order the book HERE
Read Caitlin's review of The Diabolic
Read Caitlin's review of The Empress
OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFO: S.J. Kincaid originally wanted to be an astronaut, but a dearth of mathematical skills turned her interest to science fiction instead. Her debut novel, Insignia, was shortlisted for the Waterstones prize. Its sequels, Vortex and Catalyst, have received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Booklist. She’s chronically restless and has lived in California, Alabama, New Hampshire, Oregon, Chicago, and Scotland with no signs of staying in one place anytime soon.
OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: Three years ago, Tyrus Domitrian shocked the galaxy by killing the woman he swore to love forever. The woman for whom he upended the Empire. The woman with whom he wanted to build a new and brighter future.
Now, the once-idealistic heir apparent has become the cruel Emperor Tyrus, wielding his authority with an iron fist, capable of destroying planets with a single word, controlling all technology with a simple thought. He has bent the Grandiloquy to their knees, and none has the power to stand against him.
But there is a muttering among the Excess. They say that Nemesis is not truly gone. They whisper of her shadow spotted in distant star systems. They say that Nemesis lives. That she will rise, and rally the people to topple the man who was once her truest love—and is now her fiercest enemy.
FORMAT/INFO: The Nemesis was published August 25th, 2020 by Simon & Schuster. It is 416 pages spread over 48 chapters. It is written in first person from Nemesis's perspective. It is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Nemesis Lives. That’s the whispered rumor across the galaxy that the Emperor didn’t succeed in killing his wife. It’s the last shred of hope the Excess of the Empire have, that the one woman who came the closest to dethroning the Emperor survived her failed attempt. Nemesis does live, but she’s staying far away from talks of rebellion. Her hopes of reforming the Empire ended in tragedy, with her husband Tyrus captured and drugged by their enemies until he became the mad and cruel Emperor the galaxy fears today. But when Tyrus threatens to unleash malignant space on planets that don’t support him, Nemesis realizes she can’t let the man she once loved destroy a galaxy, even if that means killing him.
The Nemesis starts off a bit shaky, as it begins by flashing backward and forward to cover the months since we last saw Nemesis. These back and forth jumps made the opening a bit disjointed, but eventually the narrative smooths out and it becomes a sprint for the finish line. There’s a particularly good space ship stand off between Partisan forces and the Emperor’s, as they both try to manipulate a particular space anomaly for their own advantage. It’s less a frantic battle and more a series of chess moves to force the other side to capitulate. Nemesis is, as always, a force to be reckoned with on her own, and once more does not hesitate to get her hands dirty to accomplish her own goals.
Nemesis goes through some heart-breaking emotions in this final outing. She knows the man she loves is “dead,” that the drugs he was subjected to have twisted his mind. It still takes a tremendous amount of emotional fortitude to contemplate killing her husband, let alone actually going through with it. But this is also a Nemesis who is just DONE. She has always been a character of extreme emotion, especially given her genetically engineered protectiveness, but her frustrations at the people she’s lost and the different groups that have tried to manipulate her over the years (including her own allies) leave her with very little trust.
One drawback of this last book is that there were a few too many betrayals and twists, to the point where the unexpected became a bit expected. The author has made some great plot swerves in the past that have completely upended the status quo. With the end of the series in sight, however, I was ready for a more straightforward final ending.
CONCLUSION: The Diabolic series has been a great YA sci-fi adventure. It doesn’t pull punches and features an unapologetically brutal heroine who will always do what it takes to protect the ones she loves. Those who like court maneuverings with the occasional literal backstabbing would do well to check this series out!
Order the book HERE
Read Caitlin's review of The Diabolic
Read Caitlin's review of The Empress
OFFICIAL AUTHOR INFO: S.J. Kincaid originally wanted to be an astronaut, but a dearth of mathematical skills turned her interest to science fiction instead. Her debut novel, Insignia, was shortlisted for the Waterstones prize. Its sequels, Vortex and Catalyst, have received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Booklist. She’s chronically restless and has lived in California, Alabama, New Hampshire, Oregon, Chicago, and Scotland with no signs of staying in one place anytime soon.
OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: Three years ago, Tyrus Domitrian shocked the galaxy by killing the woman he swore to love forever. The woman for whom he upended the Empire. The woman with whom he wanted to build a new and brighter future.
Now, the once-idealistic heir apparent has become the cruel Emperor Tyrus, wielding his authority with an iron fist, capable of destroying planets with a single word, controlling all technology with a simple thought. He has bent the Grandiloquy to their knees, and none has the power to stand against him.
But there is a muttering among the Excess. They say that Nemesis is not truly gone. They whisper of her shadow spotted in distant star systems. They say that Nemesis lives. That she will rise, and rally the people to topple the man who was once her truest love—and is now her fiercest enemy.
FORMAT/INFO: The Nemesis was published August 25th, 2020 by Simon & Schuster. It is 416 pages spread over 48 chapters. It is written in first person from Nemesis's perspective. It is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Nemesis Lives. That’s the whispered rumor across the galaxy that the Emperor didn’t succeed in killing his wife. It’s the last shred of hope the Excess of the Empire have, that the one woman who came the closest to dethroning the Emperor survived her failed attempt. Nemesis does live, but she’s staying far away from talks of rebellion. Her hopes of reforming the Empire ended in tragedy, with her husband Tyrus captured and drugged by their enemies until he became the mad and cruel Emperor the galaxy fears today. But when Tyrus threatens to unleash malignant space on planets that don’t support him, Nemesis realizes she can’t let the man she once loved destroy a galaxy, even if that means killing him.
The Nemesis starts off a bit shaky, as it begins by flashing backward and forward to cover the months since we last saw Nemesis. These back and forth jumps made the opening a bit disjointed, but eventually the narrative smooths out and it becomes a sprint for the finish line. There’s a particularly good space ship stand off between Partisan forces and the Emperor’s, as they both try to manipulate a particular space anomaly for their own advantage. It’s less a frantic battle and more a series of chess moves to force the other side to capitulate. Nemesis is, as always, a force to be reckoned with on her own, and once more does not hesitate to get her hands dirty to accomplish her own goals.
Nemesis goes through some heart-breaking emotions in this final outing. She knows the man she loves is “dead,” that the drugs he was subjected to have twisted his mind. It still takes a tremendous amount of emotional fortitude to contemplate killing her husband, let alone actually going through with it. But this is also a Nemesis who is just DONE. She has always been a character of extreme emotion, especially given her genetically engineered protectiveness, but her frustrations at the people she’s lost and the different groups that have tried to manipulate her over the years (including her own allies) leave her with very little trust.
One drawback of this last book is that there were a few too many betrayals and twists, to the point where the unexpected became a bit expected. The author has made some great plot swerves in the past that have completely upended the status quo. With the end of the series in sight, however, I was ready for a more straightforward final ending.
CONCLUSION: The Diabolic series has been a great YA sci-fi adventure. It doesn’t pull punches and features an unapologetically brutal heroine who will always do what it takes to protect the ones she loves. Those who like court maneuverings with the occasional literal backstabbing would do well to check this series out!
Official Author Website
Today we are super excited to be a part of the Shadow Debt Cover reveal courtesy of Storytellers on Tour & William Ray.
This is book III in the Tales Of The Verin Empire series and each book of this series can be read as a standalone.
The cover art & design is provided by Ramona Marc and you can checkout the blurb alongside the stunning cover below:
Today we are super excited to be a part of the Shadow Debt Cover reveal courtesy of Storytellers on Tour & William Ray.
This is book III in the Tales Of The Verin Empire series and each book of this series can be read as a standalone.
The cover art & design is provided by Ramona Marc and you can checkout the blurb alongside the stunning cover below:
Official Book Blurb: Glynn Sorley is sheriff of Keat’s Field, a tiny settlement in an otherwise lawless frontier. With the discovery of diamonds, her town is flooded with fortune-hunters looking to strike it rich. It’s also a target for competing colonial powers, savage goblin tribes, and outlaws.
A rustler on the run from the law stumbles across his father’s mysterious legacy – a weapon of immense magical power. He uses it to ravage across the territory as the notorious outlaw Gentleman Jim.
But the weapon’s power comes at a terrible cost, and Keat’s Field may just have to pay the price…
This third Tale of the Verin Empire returns us to the world of Gedlund and The Great Restoration. It explores a frontier trapped between competing nations, where goblins reign and a lone sheriff fights to keep the peace.
Drawing inspiration from L’Amour’s Comstock Lode, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and our own late 19th century, Shadow Debt continues William Ray’s bold, critically acclaimed reinvention of classic fantasy in a world of memorable characters and unique perspectives.
A rustler on the run from the law stumbles across his father’s mysterious legacy – a weapon of immense magical power. He uses it to ravage across the territory as the notorious outlaw Gentleman Jim.
But the weapon’s power comes at a terrible cost, and Keat’s Field may just have to pay the price…
This third Tale of the Verin Empire returns us to the world of Gedlund and The Great Restoration. It explores a frontier trapped between competing nations, where goblins reign and a lone sheriff fights to keep the peace.
Drawing inspiration from L’Amour’s Comstock Lode, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and our own late 19th century, Shadow Debt continues William Ray’s bold, critically acclaimed reinvention of classic fantasy in a world of memorable characters and unique perspectives.
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