To celebrate the re-christening of my fantasy novel, Firequeen, I am running a free giveaway. From today until Thursday you can download Firequeen for free on Amazon Kindle.
Follow this link to view it on the Kindle store!
Category: The First Covenant
Allow Me To Introduce You…
Here’s someone you might already know, or perhaps not. I was messing around on my PC – nothing exciting. Then I thought, why not see if I can recreate one of my characters? So I decided to make Kai from The First Covenant the way I’d always envisaged her.
If you haven’t read one of my TFC teasers, then what are your first impressions? If you already know Kai, does this match up with how you pictured her?
This is probably something that a writer should never do, because each reader will have their own idea of what a character looks like. But, oh well, life would be boring if we didn’t break the rules occasionally.
The First Covenant Teaser
Here’s an extract from my fantasy novel, just for you!
Arik moved deeper into the heart of the mountain. Living rock pressed in on him from all directions. Water seeped through the limestone, making the walls of the tunnel damp to his touch. It was too dark to even see which way led down and which led up. Arik had to run his hands along the smooth stone to feel his way.
A dim pinprick of light came into being far ahead of him. It had a pale, otherworldly glow to it. After a hundred steps he entered the moonlit hollow and inspected the opening in its ceiling. A narrow tunnel shot up for many leagues through the mountain to catch the light of the moon.
“Your people are more inventive than I would have guessed.” He said.
Something stirred on the other side of the cavern. It rested beneath a thin blanket of furs on a hard ledge of stone. With a groan, the creature beneath raised itself into a sitting position. Arik went to stand by the bedside and looked down at his host.
The creature’s back was bent and its skin was paler than parchment. Two bloodshot orbs blinked out into the moonlight from a disfigured skull. One side of its head had been caved in and an ugly red scar ran down its scalp and across its brow. But there was a brutal intelligence in its seeping eyes.
You can find The First Covenant on Kindle if you click here!
The First Covenant Teaser
Here’s an extract from my fantasy novel, now available on Kindle.
Lin turned his head sharply. A tangle of wiry black hair sitting on top of an angular, sneering face protruded from behind a nearby boulder. Two small hands with stubby fingers groped their way out of the shadows. Seeing that they were empty, Lin let his own hands drop to his sides.
“What do you want, Col? Have you come for more talk?”
“If it pleases you to talk, I will.” The man-like creature crawled up to perch on top of the boulder. “You know, we could use a man like you in the warrens. You have strong arms and a long reach. You would be useful when men come to hunt us and axes swing.”
“I’ll never join you in those pits you call a home, Col. I see no reason in living when all life brings is days of sneaking through dark holes, stealing sheep away from shepherds’ flocks.”
“You stole a sheep yesterday, Silvering. I was watching. You ate part of it as well. Don’t pretend to be too noble for common theft.”
He had to admit that the skulking creature was right. Lin was as much of a thief and an outlaw as Col was. Perhaps he should have taken some of the fresh mutton to share with the people in the warrens. But he quickly dismissed the thought. Col’s folk were not people, they were sick animals.
“I ate a leg of mutton, yes. Now I’m beginning to wonder how many of your creatures it takes to carry away a sheep’s carcass while you distract me.”
“It only takes two.” Col said with a smile. Lin turned and took a step away from the edge of the outcrop. “And three more ready to cut your neck if you try to stop us.”
“You’re a snake.” Lin spat.
“We’ll keep the meat fresh for you in the tunnels, Silvering. Don’t worry; we have women there to keep you warm. You won’t need to spend any more nights singing to the moon.”
A dry chuckle sounded from just below the lip of the outcrop. Lin booted a loose stone in the direction of the noise. He bent and picked up a larger rock, but when he turned to throw it at Col’s shrivelled head, there was no sign of the creature.
You can find the full ebook here!
New Covers!
Earlier this week I made a post asking for help designing a book cover. The feedback I received was so great that I thought I’d show you what I’ve come up with. Let me know if I’m on the right track or missing the point completely!
Vikingr is a historical novel about a medieval Norse explorer. I chose waves for the background because a lot of the narrative involves sailing around the land of the Rus’ and Khazar Khaganate.
The First Covenant is a fantasy novel about a woman who makes a great sacrifice in order to gain the power to have revenge on a cruel tyrant. I chose a grassland fire for the background because flames burn throughout the story and fire is the element on which the book is based.
A minor point about how the author name appears on the cover. Having my name recognised doesn’t really concern me too much, unless you think my name will draw the reader in somehow? And the subtitle is really just to fill space. My main concerns are how eye-catching the cover is and whether you can read the title.
But if everything I have just said shows how much of a self-publishing newbie I am, please don’t hesitate to tell me!
The First Covenant Release!
Exciting news! The First Covenant is now available on Kindle. It is a high fantasy novel set in an imagined world drawing on influences from Europe, Asia and medieval/prehistoric history.
I’ve already written an introduction to The First Covenant here, and you can find teasers here or here. So I won’t give too much away.
My favourite aspect of writing this book were the characters. There is a diverse cast of personalities, people with different traits and flaws. You can expect to find powerful heroes and twisted villains, with the distinction between the two sometimes becoming blurred.
Follow this link to find the novel on Kindle.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0149J3O0K?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
Cover Help
Let me know what you think of this slight reworking of The First Covenant cover!
The First Covenant (Elements #1) Teaser
Here’s a teaser from The First Covenant, an upcoming fantasy novel
Kai felt the dew creep between her toes as her foot pressed into the thick carpet of moss and wild grass. Frost crunched beneath her heel where it had formed a crystalline cage around the stems of dandelion and daisy the night before, waiting to melt in the sun’s morning rays.
Her slow journey led over gently rising and falling slopes of grey grassland beneath a hollow black sky. Ahead of her she could make out a more solid and structured darkness, rows of tall stone monoliths standing in a wide circle, each pair carrying the weight of a third across their tops.
She had begun walking from her camp on the bank of the river as the stars began falling from the sky, heralding the coming of daylight. Now she quickened her pace to reach the standing stones first.
It was imperative that when the father came, he would find her already waiting for him. Her foot dropped further than she had expected, breaking the surface of a brackish puddle and flinging droplets of brown water up the hem of her tunic.
Her balance thrown, Kai stumbled and felt the earth rise to meet her. Having come to rest on her hands and knees, wet soil staining her palms, she raised her face towards the east. A glimmer caught her eye, a reflection of light on the underside of rainclouds ripe to burst.
Kai dug her fingers into the soft slope, lifted herself and ran the last several strides to the near side of the henge. Her breath came fast and ragged as she leaned against the tall stone. She felt the cold from its face seep through her wet palm, travelling up her arm and raising the hairs on the back of her neck. With a shiver she withdrew her hand to see the dark outline it had left on the pillar.
You can find another excerpt from The First Covenant here.
Find a novel I’ve already published here.
The First Covenant (Elements #1) Taster
Here’s an excerpt from my upcoming fantasy novel, The First Covenant
The general’s eyes closed to narrow slits and he leaned forward in the saddle to inspect Tar’s face. All of the muscles in Tar’s arm tensed and he fixed his own gaze on a vein pulsing beneath the skin on the general’s neck. In less time than it took to draw breath, Tar’s spiked hand could rip through the rider’s throat.
They were both distracted by a sudden burst of light behind the general. A soldier scrambled in amongst his comrades, arms flailing wildly around him. Fire leapt up the back of his tunic and was dancing around his head like a terrible halo.
“The lady has fire.” He screamed. “She’s burning us.”
General Kaan hefted his lance, spurred his horse across the square and plunged the long point into the man’s chest. Crimson and gold flames danced across wooden roofs to the north and the air was filled with the sounds of splitting beams and cries of agony.
“Fall back to the barracks.” The general shouted.
One of the smugglers grabbed Tar’s arm and tried to drag him after the retreating army, but the old pirate’s eyes remained transfixed by the slowly blackening figure on the ground in front of him. Patches of cloth glowed red-hot on his back.
“It’s white-eyes.” He said. “She’s here.”
Keep your eyes peeled for further announcements about The First Covenant.
There is an introduction to this upcoming fantasy novel here.
Any questions? Leave a comment below.
In the meantime, you can find a novel I’ve already published here on Amazon Kindle.
The First Covenant Introduction
AN EPIC FANTASY NOVEL. ALL WILL BE CONSUMED BY THE FIRES OF BETRAYAL.
Kai is a young woman, daughter of a king. Dark forces have stolen everything from her, the lives of her family and her birthright. But she is willing to sacrifice even more in her desire for revenge.
A cruel tyrant sits on a stolen throne. He holds a terrible curse, one which will tear the kingdoms of the Bronze Isles apart. His twisted ambition feeds a spreading plague across his lands.
In the Hill Places of the mountainous north, Lin prepares to gamble his life and honour. He is a proud warrior, loved by the moon. But he would throw away this divine blessing for a chance to reclaim what he has lost.
In the midst of this world of war and flame, a man with a child’s innocence fights a desperate struggle to survive. He is searching for something that he cannot remember, a song in the back of his mind.
A shadow walks among them, a man who speaks with a silver tongue. His purpose is unclear, but his hand is felt in all their sufferings.
Find teasers from The First Covenant here or here.
Get your copy on Amazon Kindle:
Useless Book Club 