It’s very clear that one of the things readers are in unison about is the character, Maureen Summerglass. An 82 year old lady seems an unlikely choice for a heroine, but it appears to be one that has worked with readers and for that I’m really glad.
I did a guest post for A Fantastic Librarian where I talk a lot about the origin of Maureen and how she became one of the novel’s lead protagonists. If you’ve enjoyed her in the book, I tk you might find her origin interesting.
I’ve been loving the reviews The Four Realms has been getting. Even the ones that have had criticisms have been thoughtful and honest. I keep worrying that inevitably there will be one I don’t love, that will hit some previous unknown painful truth. WarpcoreSF have published their review and have said some very nice things such as “Maureen Summerglass is my favourite old lady character since Granny Weatherwax” and “a thoroughly enjoyable mystery that mashes up modern urban fantasy with [Minor Spoiler] and a more traditional fantasy world that’s in a state of gradual modernisation”.
The review does give away a minor spoiler but I know just how hard it is to talk about the book without mentioning it. I also don’t think the minor spoiler ruins the read so much as gives you an idea of the scope of the over-arcing story I want to tell across four books.
Check out Ros’s excellent review here
The good folks over at My Bookish Ways have an interview up with yours truly where I talk about The Four Realms, as well as some of my influences. I also reveal a famous face that made me go completely fanboy and what I’m currently working on.
Check out the interview here
It seems a lot of you are now getting to the end of the book if the messages I’m receiving are anything to go by, and by the sounds of it you are loving the book. Thank you for all the kind words, they are the secret best thing about being an author!
As a debut author from a small press, getting word out is hard. I don’t have a publicist and my morals stop me from ever sockpuppeting. I’m working like buggery trying to promote the book and help it find its readers but something that will help immensely is if those of you who’ve read it add an honest review to either Amazon or Goodreads. This will help other readers make an informed decision on whether to buy it or not. It doesn’t need to be more than a couple of lines but will help more than you could ever imagine. Thanks once again!
Someone recently told me that New Salisbury was ‘a bit like Chester’ in the way it put modern shops into old buildings. They’re not far off. I’ve been to Chester but it wasn’t the inspiration for the fictional city. However, over at The Civilian Reader today I’ve done a Guest Post on “The Worldbuilding of The Four Realms”. Hopefully it should be a good insight into how the rather unique world of Venefasia and the city of New Salisbury came about.
Be sure to check it out. If you’re a worldbuilding nut, it should be an interesting read!
Ever wondered what books authors were looking forward to? Or what books they read this year that they got excited and geeky about? Well, Fantastical Imaginations asked a bunch of them just that and collated their answers into a couple of blog posts. Part 1 has gone live, and hiding amongst the list of authors (including Mark Lawrence, Anne Lyle and Myke Cole) are my choices.
Part 2 is due to go live today, but I’m spending it on Salisbury Plain on an Army firing range (more on that in the future – if I make it back alive!), so keep checking back with them.
Just a quick reminder (because I forgot to say in my previous post), that along with the extract, Manga Manaic Cafe are running a competition where you can win not only a copy of The Four Realms, but the ENTIRE Anarchy Books back catalogue!
That’s a pretty sweet prize. Be sure to take part!
So Stefan over at Civilian Reader kindly took the time to interview me about the book. Hopefully I gave some sensible answers that made for an interesting read. Be sure to check it out if you want to find out some details on The Thieving King, you want to hear the Eva Mendez story (surely everyone has heard this one by now), or want to know about the first fantasy story I ever wrote.
Be sure to check it out over at The Civilian Reader
What better way to celebrate Xmas than a seasonal extract from the novel. And the fine folks over at Manga Maniac Cafe have got you covered with an exclusive extract. In it, you’ll get introduced to the mysterious Mr West in a very snowy New York City. Be sure to check it out, especially if you want a taster of the novel.
With the novel officially out on Boxing Day (the best Xmas present of all!), I’ve got a very busy holiday lined up, but I hope everyone has an excellent Xmas.
One little known fact about The Four Realms book cover by Matt Cauley was that it was actually constructed as several different layers to allow for the animation seen in this video. Darren Byers is responsible for this excellent book trailer. Feel free to repost, retweet, and embed to your hearts content!