Tag: Fantasy Novel

The Warder – Firebird Book Award

I’m delighted to share the news that The Warder (Blood Gift Chronicles Book Two) has won a Firebird Book Award in the young adult fiction category. Click here. Which means that both books are now sporting shiny new stickers!

I love writing stories that can be accessible to younger and older readers alike. I feel like The Warder pushes boundaries in terms of characterisation and representation, challenging familiar tropes and taking us to surprise places, both outwardly and inwardly. There’s so much scope in fantasy to be creative, and so much scope in young adult fiction to speak to a diverse audience. It’s always wonderful to hear your work is appreciated and enjoyed.

Speaking of representation, I recently wrote an article discussing some of my favourite reads with complex heroines. Click here to take a peek at my top five favourites. Return of the Mantra fits the bill, as does The Warder.

And so it’s been a busy time all round, and now I’m preparing for convention panels. I’m looking forward to BristolCon on Saturday, discussing all things worldbuilding and empires. And the week after it’s back on zoom for World Fantasy Con, travelling to Montreal from the comfort of my writing room, discussing the representation of gender, followed by a close up look at some of the classics. But more on that another time…

In the meantime, wishing everyone a great weekend!

Firebird Book Award

I’m delighted to share the news that Return of the Mantra has won a Firebird Book Award!! It’s wonderful to have recognition for the story. Affiliated with Speak Up Talk Radio in the USA, it’s an inspiring initiative linking the awards with a charity supporting women and children in homeless shelters: while books receive recognition, shelters receive gifts – win win.

I had the opportunity to be interviewed by radio host, Pat Rullo. To listen to the interview download, click here.

And to check out my author page, click here.

It was wonderful to speak with Pat yesterday, who got me thinking about various aspects of the book, my writing journey, and my creative life in general. From the African inspired landscapes in Return of the Mantra, the motivation behind the inspired mythology, to issues around representation and marginalisation in characterisation. The main character just happens to fall in love with another woman. It’s not what the story is about, it’s just part of her backstory, encompassing coming-of-age love. The story backdrop focuses on exploitation of the natural world, while along the way, exploitation of people is revealed, in particular, women and children, as well as the marginalisation of beliefs. Moving forward with the series, it interests me to see what societies go through when systems are overthrown and oppression is challenged. I hope you’ll agree that The Warder offers some insight into how characters evolve and change amid new freedoms and surrounding upheaval.

Overall, the interview got me thinking about the power of stories. Because of the charity that the awards are linked to, it seemed apt to expand on the themes of exploitation in the book, including domestic abuse and sexual exploitation. Having worked with women in various roles, in particular in a women’s refuge here in the UK, it was important for me from the beginning to have a broad range of women’s experiences represented. These are issues often not spoken about, which can leave those effected feeling marginalised. In the book I represent these issues in a non-graphic way, while focusing on messages of empowerment, and the bonds formed from people supporting one another. Together with challenging stereotypes (including different forms of love, complex women, hero underdogs, men who nurture and feel fear as well as courage…) and reflecting society, I was left with the thought of how stories can help harbour feelings of self-worth, affirmation and empowerment.

What are you reading?

 

The Warder

What would you sacrifice for the ones you love? In a land of gifts and curses, nothing is as it seems.

Return of the Mantra came to an end, but there remained questions unanswered. How did a King ever become so completely consumed? What is this ancient power that has cast a shadow over the land for so many years?

And so The Warder was born, a story that delves into these mysteries as we revisit the land of Shendi ten years on.

The release date is yet to be finalised by the publisher, but it is coming soon, and I am thrilled to finally be able to share the front cover. Like its predecessor, this has been a labour of love, revisiting my characters ten years on, further developing their personal story arcs, while introducing some new faces, and a new land, into the mix.

Expect another character-driven, fantasy adventure, with themes of wildlife and the environment, animism, magic and dragons, and being true to oneself.

Blurb

The King has been defeated and the spirit of the Mantra has been restored, Suni has been reunited with her father and all is – not quite right.

Wanda and his cousin Luna are living in the valley beyond the mountains: Luna is possessed and dreams of dragons while Wanda, gifted with the ability to communicate with animals, struggles with the curse of Orag. Ntombi blames Wanda for her daughter Luna’s condition.

Meanwhile, in the town by the sea, Suni fears for Wanda, and watches over him using her gift for dreamwalking. Many, including Suni’s father, suffer from a strange affliction and the townspeople are blaming the Mantra.

Then strangers arrive from the sea bringing hope for the town: but in this land of gifts and curses, is anything what it seems to be?

***

I look forward to welcoming The Warder into the world, and will keep you posted on the release date. For those yet to read Return of the Mantra, this is a sequel but it also works well as a standalone. (Though why wouldn’t you want to read Return of the Mantra!)

In the meantime, for me more writing beckons, and Book 3…

Happy Reading!

 

Abstract Landscapes

A question came up a while ago, at a local book club: how important is place in a story? For me, as a writer, it’s essential. It’s the first heartbeat that begins the planning process. It’s the atmosphere you will be ensconced in as a reader, and the writer. It’s the place that will define the rules, the culture, the day to day life. It’s the thing that sparks my imagination the most.

Whilst in recovery from a recent illness, I’ve had more time to read. Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorofor, and Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adenyemi, are now on my list of firm favourites. Both works of fantasy, both Nigerian-American authors, the sights and sounds of Nigeria ooze colour from the pages.

I’ve talked before about how various African landscapes influenced place and culture in Return of the Mantra. It’s a subject I also incorporated into a recent guest blog I did. Click here. Books 2 and 3 venture further into the unknown world of creativity. Awaiting the edits of Book 2, revisiting the first draft of Book 3, I’m reminded of the importance of place, the importance of digging deep for those details that will bring to life a land of my imagination. I’m excited for these new lands that I can see so clearly.

Place also features in my painting life, in the form of abstract landscapes, mostly African inspired.

At Market:

Home:

Long Walk:

These three pieces are from a collection I call Perspectives, capturing snapshots of rural township life in South Africa. When I started this collection I decided on three pieces. Now it is finished, there may be more. As is so often the case, one thought generally sparks another…

 

 

 

Recovery

I’ve never had a problem with self-motivation, which, as a writer, is handy. Writing a story, finding a publisher, editing to the final draft, can feel like an uphill struggle. My first book is published, the second is in the editing stage, the third is on the first draft, and I still live by the Mantra, don’t focus on how far you’ve got to go, focus on how far you’ve come. In writing as in life, I find this a useful Mantra, none more so than in recovery.

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York Literature Festival

Last week was wonderfully busy, taking the long drive from Exeter to York for this year’s York Literature Festival. It was a fabulous opportunity to take part in a Sci-fi/Fantasy event hosted by the lovely folks of Stairwell Books, joining up with fellow authors for a panel of questions and readings from our array of worlds.

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Representation in Fiction

Writing a book is one thing. Marketing a book is quite another. In talking about Return of the Mantra I often reflect on the process of its creation: what inspired me, what the essence of the story is… It’s harder than it sounds. How to sum up the pages into a brief description? Anyone who writes will understand the pains of reducing a story into a one page synopsis, and then a paragraph long blurb. Even now, when people ask what my book is about, I struggle to find those one or two lines to do justice to the story I spent years nurturing into creation.

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Cause and Effect

A girl was walking the streets of Exeter dressed as a bee, carrying a placard with the simple message, ‘Tick Tock, Tick Tock’. She was one of hundreds of children and young people, striking from school, marching to the County Hall to deliver their impassioned message: it’s time to declare a climate emergency NOW!

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Ask the Author

I remember the days of tape recorders and cassettes, the horrifying sound of the tape being chewed, and the delicate task of winding it back with a pen. And the excitement of opening a gifted multipack of blank tapes, deciding and sorting an order to record. Gran still called the radio a wireless, and TVs sported three whole channels that could time out, leaving you with trade test transmissions.

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