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Buy A Drop of Corruption
Read a review of Book One, The Tainted Cup
Read Lukasz's review of A Drop of Corruption

FORMAT/INFO: A Drop of Corruption was published by Del Rey on April 1st, 2025. It is 465 pages long and available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Investigators Ana and Dinios are used to unusual crimes, so investigating the disappearance of a Treasury officer from a locked room is a relatively trivial matter. It's only a matter of hours before Ana not only works out how the person disappeared, but also deduces that they have been murdered as well. But as to who did it and why? That's a much trickier mystery to solve. The culprit seems to possess an almost supernatural ability to circumvent security measures and to anticipate Ana's investigation. The only thing Ana knows for sure is that the murderer's ultimate target is the Shroud, a high-security factory where the Empire harvests the leviathan blood that drives so much of it. And if the Shroud falls, the Empire could fall with it.

A Drop of Corruption is another rousing success from Robert Jackson Bennett, at once both a twisty mystery and harsh critique of colonialism. Returning fans will settle right back in with Ana and Din's familiar cadence: Din does the leg-work, interviewing witnesses and assessing crime scenes, while Ana takes the information and works out how the pieces come together. I was glad to see how Din had grown into his role, understanding that Ana's sometimes odd requests always have a reason, and knowing what kinds of information Ana is looking for.

Even though Ana and Din are working on behalf of the Empire, this is not a book that takes the side of the Empire. Instead, it uses the mystery to examine the messy can of worms that comes from colonizing an already inhabited land. While many of those Din interviews are high level officials, there is attention paid to the common folk who get caught in the middle of the political games between the Empire and the native regional government. The story also acknowledges that there are no clean solutions to the problem, as the Empire pulling out of the colony comes with its own set of headaches and injustices.

This book never feels like a lecture, however, because the message is blended with the absolutely engrossing world-building. A Drop of Corruption continues to iterate on the weird alchemical enhancements introduced in the first book, introducing us to new weird ways people alter themselves in this world. And in the process of delving deeper into the science of alchemy...well let's say some past things that may have registered as off to some readers may start to make sense.

CONCLUSION: In short, A Drop of Corruption further solidifies Robert Jackson Bennett as an autobuy author for me. From his deep, intricate world-building to his real world commentary, every one of his books is a full meal. Even if you're just here for the mystery, you're going to have a great time. But for those who just want to lose themselves in a completely different world? You need to pick his books up.

 

 Buy The Gentleman and His Vowsmith

FORMAT/INFO: The Gentleman and His Vowsmith releases on April 15th, 2024 from Saga Press Books. It is 464 pages long and available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: To save his crumbling family estate, playboy Lord Nicholas Monterris has finally agreed to take a wife. As is tradition, that means the families of the bride and groom will be magically locked into the Monterris family manor while the magical marriage contract is negotiated and signed. To make a bad situation worse, the vowsmith for the bride's family is none other than Dashiell sa Vare, an old flame of Nicholas's who ended their relationship years ago suddenly and without warning. But all past feuds have to be set aside when people start turning up dead. Someone doesn't want this marriage to go through and they're willing to kill to make it happen. Nicholas, Dashiell, and bride-to-be Leaf have to work together to find the murderer before they end up the next victim.

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is a well-mixed blend of Regency murder mystery and queer romantasy. It takes two rival noble families and their underlings, traps them in an isolated manor house, and mixes in a little murder and a dash of ghostly apparitions. The result is a pot bubbling over with emotions, ranging from love to resentment. In the forced proximity, people are forced to confront their unspoken affections and hash out long simmering hatred. All of this is underpinned by the overall gothic tone, the dark hallways and eerie sights that leave the guests wondering if the murderer is human...or something else.

And with all this talk of passion, now is the time to mention that this is definitely a spicy romantasy. If you're not a fan of explicit scenes, don't pick this one up. Things get hot and heavy between our leads in short order, and it carries on throughout the book. Honestly, as much as I enjoyed the catharsis of two pining lovers finally satiating themselves, at a certain point I was wishing they would keep their hands off each other for five minutes so we could get back to the murder solving.

(I also want to mention that if you're concerned that the bride in this situation gets the short end of the stick, don't worry. This isn't a situation where she's being cheated on or otherwise getting left out in the cold. She's being forced into the marriage as much as Nicholas and for various reasons is perfectly fine with him wanting to be with someone else.)

I did enjoy the queer reimagining of the Regency era, with same sex pairings fully accepted. This doesn't mean Regency society is suddenly perfect. Social stratification still exists (a noble cannot simply marry a "lowly" vowsmith") and you're still expected to carry on the family name through marriage (even if it requires something like a "stud" clause for those who don't want to sexually partner with their spouse). Nobody blinks an eye, however, at the idea of same sex relationships, as long as all the other social norms are being followed.

Overall the mystery itself is a solid twisty affair, with plenty of clues and red herrings to keep the reader on their toes. There's lots of family drama to unpack, with each new revelation providing another motive for murder. I admit, I was slightly underwhelmed by the eventual reveal of the murderer at the end of the day (given the range of options I had considered), but the journey to get to that point was satisfying.

CONCLUSION: In short, do you like murder mysteries? Do you like romantasy? If you answered yes to both questions, then do yourself a favor and pick up The Gentleman and his Vowsmith

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JA Andrews lives deep in the Rocky Mountains of Montana with her husband and three children. She is eternally grateful to CS Lewis for showing her the luminous world of Narnia. She wishes Jane Austen had lived 200 years later so they could be pen pals. She is furious at JK Rowling for introducing her to house elves, then not providing her a way to actually employ one. And she is constantly jealous of her future-self who, she is sure, has everything figured out.
Find J.A. online: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Bookish Things Newsletter Signup with free short story 
Runelight links: Amazon, Goodreads
ESMAY
You know, as much as I enjoy a wickedly inventive genre blender, sometimes all you need is some good ol’ traditional epic fantasy, and that is exactly what J.A. Andrews delivers in Runelight. Part rescue quest, part treasure hunt, this is a comfortingly familiar character-driven fantasy adventure full of mystifying mysteries and mystical magic.
Runelight is one of those books that just starts with a bang and has one hell of a strong hook. See, we follow a trio of young siblings as they stumble upon a mysterious aenigma box in a cave system, only to be devastatingly torn apart when their discovery attracts unwanted attention. Fast forward 20 years to now 32-year-old Keeper Kate, who has spent the past two decades hopelessly trying to solve the inexplicable mystery of the missing magic box and her lost brother… only for a surly elf to show up with that very same aenigma box and the shocking news that her other brother, Bo, has now vanished as well; cue the drama, mayhem, and adventure!
Now, even though the hectic and action-packed start was a bit overwhelming for me, I did really like how it set up the stakes and established the core motivations and relationships that drive this entire narrative forward. Plus, Kate immediately proved to be a very rootable protagonist, though I do have to say that she felt a bit immature (girlie did not read as early 30s to me) and kept grinding my gears with her tendency to speak her thoughts out loud to herself in the early parts of the book. Still, I was just beyond intrigued by all the mysteries going on in her life, be that the mystery surrounding the mystifying magic box, the fate of her disappeared brothers, the enigmatic shadow man following them all around, or any of the confounding trials and tribulations that she has to face on this dangerous mission.
Moreover, the side characters were also very likeable to me, even if they felt a bit stereotypical in their characterisation. See, for me Runelight just shines in its wholesome interpersonal relationships, and I was quite entertained by all the fun character dynamics amongst the little unlikely motley crew that Kate assembles to go on her rescue mission. There’s a good bit of snarky banter and light-hearted teasing between the idiosyncratic Kate, Venn the surly elf and Silas & Tribal the mischievous dwarves, and I really enjoyed seeing how they overcame their differences and prejudices to work towards their common goal.
All that said, I can’t sit here and pretend that Runelight was a smooth ride the entire way through for me. See, this book is quite a chunker, and I personally felt like the pacing was really hindered by some overly descriptive passages, a couple of very repetitive (internal) conversations and a frustrating lack of any satisfying answers/revelations for way too long. I mean, yes, I burned through this 700+ page book in just 3 days, but I think that was more because of the fact that Andrews’s prose is just so effortlessly readable than out of any real investment in the story or characters.
Ultimately though, it was just very nice and comforting to be back in the world of the Keepers that I had fallen in love with when I read The Keeper Chronicles a few years ago (oh how the little easter eggs made my heart smile!), even if Runelight never reached the heights of that series for me. If you like your fantasy to be character-driven, familiar, mysterious, adventurous, and full of heart, then I would recommend embarking on this epic journey.
ŁUKASZ
Runelight follows Kate, a Keeper (a storyteller-mage) on a quest to find her missing brother and the mysterious box linked to his disappearance. It starts strong - with mystery, high personal stakes, and a promise of adventure. It also delivers a female-led buddy adventure, which is cool, since epic fantasy rarely features platonic relationships between women. Kate forms alliance with Venn, a grumpy, emotionally scarred elf. It soon turns into a meaningful friendship. There’s no romantic tension, no enemies-to-lovers, just two women figuring out how to trust and fight alongside one another. For me, Kate and Venn’s friendship is the best part of the story. Set in the same universe as the author’s Keeper Chronicles, Runelight brings in familiar lore but has a different vibe. The tone is adventurous with an Indiana Jones-style flair. Puzzles, peril, ancient secrets, you name it. The antagonist remains mysterious, and it fits the story’s atmosphere of solving a long-buried mystery. But… I gotta be honest, this book felt way too long. Like, not just “epic fantasy long,” but bloated long. A lot of the middle felt repetitive - characters rehashing the same questions, Kate talking out loud to herself (a lot), and not much actual movement on the mystery front. I kept waiting for some big reveals or momentum to kick in, and instead the book kind of… wandered. And then, just when you think it’s building to something big, it pivots into a long flashback. That was a weird choice and kind of killed the tension. I also didn’t totally buy Kate as a thirty-something protagonist-she read way younger to me-and some of the worldbuilding leaned too heavily on characters sitting around explaining things to each other. There’s definitely cool stuff in the lore and magic system, but I wanted to experience it through the story, not just be told about it. Overall, Runelight had some really cool moments, but it dragged and left too much unresolved. Still, if you prefer heart and wit over blood and grit, chances are you’ll dig this one :) Also, the audiobook narrator does a great job!
OFFICIAL SPFBO SCORE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: JA Andrews lives deep in the Rocky Mountains of Montana with her husband and three children. She is eternally grateful to CS Lewis for showing her the luminous world of Narnia. She wishes Jane Austen had lived 200 years later so they could be pen pals. She is furious at JK Rowling for introducing her to house elves, then not providing her a way to actually employ one. And she is constantly jealous of her future-self who, she is sure, has everything figured out.
Find J.A. online: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Bookish Things Newsletter Signup with free short story 
Runelight links: Amazon, Goodreads
Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Before we start, tell us a little about yourself.
Hi! Thanks for inviting me! I’m Janice, and I live deep in the mountains of Montana, which I love. I’ve been an indie author for 8 years now, writing epic fantasy. All my trilogies are in the same world, and all are at least vaguely interrelated, although you can start with any of them that you like.
Including starting with Runelight.
Do you have a day job? If so, what is it?
Not one that pays! I homeschool my three teenagers and write.
Who are some of your favorite writers, and why is their work important to you?
My very favorite book (and one of the few non-fantasy books I read) is Pride and Prejudice, so Jane Austen is definitely a favorite of mine. She’s just so good at characterization and dialogue and subtext. I love her.
What do you like most about the act of writing?
This is a shockingly hard question. On any given day, writing might be either incredibly fun and feel like stepping right into my favorite world with fascinating people living an adventure—or it could be a painstaking effort to grind out every sentence.
Since that’s not an incredibly useful answer, I’ll add that dialog is by far my favorite part of writing.
Can you lead us through your creative process? What works and doesn’t work for you? How long do you need to finish a book?
I’ve discovered that I need to plan extensively before I write or I wander off course in the book and end up with an embarrassingly large amount of words that have to be cut out and left on the writing room floor.
I average one book a year, and even though every time I swear the next one will be faster, I have yet to make that a reality.
What made you decide to self-publish Runelight as opposed to traditional publishing?
I never have sought a traditional publishing contract. When I first looked into getting published, the traditional route felt so cumbersome that when I learned self-publishing was becoming a viable route, I jumped at the chance to have more control over the process. I’ve had such a positive experience self-publishing that I don’t currently have any interest in seeking out a traditional contract.
What do you think the greatest advantage of self-publishing is? And disadvantage?
The freedom to write the books I want and publish on the schedule I want. The disadvantage is that you don’t get the marketing power of the big publishers, and it’s a heckuva lot harder to get into bookstores.
Why did you enter SPFBO?
This was my 5th time entering SPFBO. I honestly hadn’t expected to reach the finals, but every year in the contest I’ve met great authors and bloggers and was excited to do the same this year. I think the community in SPFBO is the best part of the competition.
Your book is available in audiobook format. Can you share your experience producing it and a reflection if it was worth it?
I have the privilege of working with Podium to produce my audiobooks, and they provided me with amazing narrators. It’s been an excellent experience, and I’m so glad I did it.
How would you describe the plot of Runelight if you had to do so in just one or two sentences?
Indiana Jones meets classic epic fantasy. Two women embark on a rescue mission and find themself tangled in secrets and puzzles that are centuries old.
What was your initial inspiration for Runelight? How long have you been working on it? Has it evolved from its original idea?
After reading Michael J Sullivan’s Riyria series, I really wanted to write a similar thing with two female leads. Sort of a female buddy cop idea, because even though in life it’s very common for women to have deep, long-term friendships, I don’t see a lot of it in epic fantasy.
Runelight is set in the world of the Keepers, like my other books, and the main character Kate had already been introduced very briefly at the end of my Keeper Chronicles. I thought an Indiana Jones type adventure would be fun to write, and it has been! My original idea was more of a tone than a plot, so the book has stayed pretty faithful to that.
If you had to describe it in 3 adjectives, which would you choose.
Okay, I can’t seem to do this with adjectives, so I’m taking creative license and giving you three nouns. Found family, friendship, puzzles.
Is it part of the series or a standalone? If series, how many books have you planned for it?
It’s the first book in The Aenigma Lights Trilogy.
Who are the key players in this story? Could you introduce us to Runelight’s protagonists/antagonists?
Our protagonist is Kate, a Keeper (storyteller/mage) who’s searching for her brother who’s been missing for twenty years and the magical aenigma box that was connected to his disappearance. Along with her is Venn, an elf who has a decent amount of grump and a good deal of baggage. The two women go from enemies to besties while thrown neck-deep in secrets and mysteries that have spanned centuries.
The antagonist is…well, if Kate knew that, she’d be steps ahead of where she is. All she knows is a shadow–who might be kidnapping and murdering people–has apparently abducted (or killed?) her one remaining brother.
Does your book feature a magic/magic system? If yes, can you describe it?
Keeper magic involves moving energy from living things or fire, and manipulating it into heating other things or healing things or infusing things with life.
In a past life, I was an engineer, and this magic system involves the same sort of energy transfer we use on a daily basis, complete with massive inefficiencies and generally a lot of unnecessary heat generation.
Have you written the book with a particular audience in mind?
I write all my books for an adult audience who love classic epic fantasy tropes, but want them with a character driven, more modern feel.
I also write all my books so that my kids can read them at any age. So while they’re written for adults with adult characters and issues, there’s no graphic violence or language or sexual situations.
What’s new or unique about your book that we don’t see much in speculative fiction these days?
I think the idea of the central relationship being a friendship between women (which starts out more of a prickly forced companionship) is strangely rare in modern speculative fiction. I don’t tend to write much romance, but I do always end up with a lot of found family tropes in my writing. This, though, was the first time I just focused on a flat out friendship of a human mage and an elf, learning to respect and grow close to each other despite their differences.
Cover art is always an important factor in book sales. Can you tell us about the idea behind the cover of Runelight and the artist?
My artist is St. Jupiter, and it was really fun working with her to come up with symbolic artwork that could portray the mysterious runes that Kate deals with during the book.
What are you currently working on that readers might be interested in learning more about, and when can we expect to see it released?
I’m currently working on the final book in the trilogy, and the preorder date is set for summer of 2025!
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?
Thanks so much for having me! Fantasy Book Critic is such an integral part of SPFBO, I really appreciate getting the chance to hang out with you!

 

Mark Lawrence has never been one to pull punches, and The Book That Held Her Heart might just deliver his most merciless finale yet. Everything that made The Library Trilogy special (an ambitious blend of mystery, adventure, and philosophical musing) collides violently, and with lots of powerful twists.
This time, the stakes are cataclysmic. The fate of the infinite library hangs by a thread, and Livira and Evar, once inseparable, are scattered across time. Livira is chasing answers through the labyrinthine past, while Evar is trapped in an impossible situation, kept alive through means best left unspoiled. Meanwhile, the war over the library rages on, with no simple resolutions is sight.
The Book That Held Her Heart feels darker and weightier that its predecessors. Not just in terms of stakes - though those are plenty brutal - but in its themes. The story brings in a new perspective through Anne Hoffman, a Jewish girl in Nazi Germany, tying the library’s war to the real-world horrors of book burning and historical erasure. It’s a bold move, and Lawrence makes it land. I feel the incorporation of real-world history into already mind-bending worldbuilding was a gamble, but it payed off. Ultimately, the story that has always been about books, memory, and the battle between knowledge and ignorance. 
Despite the weighty themes (censorship, history’s cyclical nature, and the cost of knowledge) the novel never drags. Lawrence balances it all with his trademark wit and clever chapter epigraphs. The ending is powerful and I needed a moment to process it.
The Book That Held Her Heart is a stunning, gut-punch of a conclusion. It demands patience, rewards rereads, and cements Lawrence as one of the genre’s most daring storytellers.

 

Official Author Website
Order The Sanguine Sands over HERE 
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Crimson Queen
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s review of The Umbral Storm
Read Fantasy Book Critic’s review  of The Book Of Zog
Read Fantasy Book Critic's interview with Alec Hutson
Read TUS Cover Reveal Q&A with Alec Hutson
Watch ATFB Interview with Alec Hutson
Watch TBOZ & TUS Video interview with Alec Hutson

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Alec Hutson was born in the north-eastern part of the United States and from an early age was inculcated with a love of reading fantasy. He was the Spirit Award winner for Carleton College at the 2002 Ultimate Frisbee College National Championships. He has watched the sun set over the dead city of Bagan and rise over the living ruins of Angkor Wat. He grew up in a geodesic dome and a bookstore, and currently lives in Shanghai, China.
 
OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: The Heart of the Heart has been found.
In the ruined palace of the Radiant Emperor the Light shard had been hidden for a thousand years, but now a sliver of its power has entered the flesh of Heth Su Canaav. Once Hollow, he has been reborn as one of the Sharded Few. Its discovery will shake the world . . . if anyone lives to tell of its existence.

For hunters stalk the refugees from the Duskhold. Powerful Sharded, unnatural sorcerers, and creatures that they cannot yet comprehend. Deryn and Heth must flee to the ancient city of Karath, where they hope answers await about who was behind the attempt to murder Rhenna Shen, and why one of the mysterious Elowyn directed them to find the House of Last Light.

The north lurches towards war, Shadow and Storm closing around the flickering Flame, while the Blood scheme in the black ziggurats of the Sanguine City, and far away something stirs in the frozen wastes where the disciples of Ice cling to an ancient faith . . .

CLASSIFICATION: The Sharded Few saga  is a unique mix of The Way of Kings and Blood Song as it provides the epic world & magic system of Brandon Sanderson’s magnum opus while also providing the character rich story found in Anthony Ryan’s debut.
 

FORMAT/INFO: The Sanguine Sands is 528 pages long divided over forty-five POV titled chapters with a prologue and an epilogue. Narration is in the third person via Deryn, Heth Su Canaav, Alia, Kaliss & a singular POV chapter (titled the Cleric). This is the second volume of the Sharded Few series.
 
April 7th, 2025 marked the e-book publication of The Sanguine Sands  and it was self-published by the author. Cover art is by YAM (Mansik Yang) and design-typography by Shawn T. King.
 

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: I’ve been besotted with this world and story since Alec Hutson first granted me an ARC of The Umbral Storm. The first book was an incredible start and it was my favourite book of 2022 alongside being FBC’s SPFBO Finalist selection. The author had gone through very trying personal situations and that’s the major reason for the 3 year wait between TUS and its sequel. But here we are and when The Sanguine Sands landed in my inbox, I was overjoyed as I couldn’t wait to see how the author upped the magnificent story that was The Umbral Storm.

The Sanguine Sands opens up with a prologue wherein we get to see a further corner of the world and within it a very creepy monastery with a wild interior design. I believe the timing of the prologue corresponds to the latter half of TUS. The story opens with our POV characters Alia, Deryn, Heth and lady Rhenna as they are the only survivors of the assassination attempt. However Alia and Heth are not longer just “hollow”. They have now newer aspects to themselves and have been given a path towards the free city of Karath. Wherein they must find the House of Last Light and learn more about the mysteries of the world. However they also have to lay low while making the journey as Rhenna wishes to know who truly was behind the assassination attempt. All of this and more machinations abide in this thrilling sequel which ups the ante in every department.

Let me state the obvious, I was a huge fan of the first book and hence one might wonder how objective my review can be. Let me assure you, I was very apprehensive about this sequel as anticipation can often kneecap one’s favourites more than anything else. Alec had also written a different fantasy title in between (The Pale Blade) this series and that meant he was returning almost 3 years to this sequel. I was so wrong about having to worry as I can safely shout that this book is triply magnificent.

Once again the worldbuilding shines as we get more knowledge about the various Sharded holds but also about various geographical aspects of the world and get a nautical journey as well. The author also illuminates other races that are present in the world and here I must highlight the author’s love for turtles within his books (you’ll know when you see it). 

This book outdoes its predecessor in one more aspect, TUS’s start was said to be a bit on the slower side by some but here there’s no slowing down at all, from the moment the foursome start their journey towards Karath to the exciting climax, the plot pace is ever engaging. Another plus point in the characterization and herein the trio of Alia, Deryn & Heth get more to do. Alia particularly also gets more chapters than in the first volume. Plus one of my favourite secondary characters from the first book Kaliss gets a POV turn and her chapters are even more action-packed than the rest of the book. 

The character work has to be lauded as we get to see all three of our POV characters break out of their mould and learn to adapt to new (& frankly scary situations). I enjoyed how the author is allowing these young characters to age into the adults they will becoming. Alec Hutson is a person who knows how to keep the readers enticed with his characterization and this series is another fine example of it. 

This book similar to the first one is absolutely filled to the brim with worldbuilding and within this sequel we get to know more of the world’s history, theological past and magic system workings. I can’t reveal more because they are all huge spoilers but safe to say, most if not all of my curiosities (as spoken with Alec in our interview) were answered. I LOVED this aspect as it made the worlbuilding junkie go gaga. Lastly the ending was just perfect, it ends the story so precisely and with such a tantalizing premise that I felt the climax was better than its predecessor.

For me, there were only two minor complaints about this book. First that it ends on such a tantalizing note and now we have to wait until the third book releases to find out what happens next. Secondly I think the author kept the story with a very tight focus on the main POV characters. I thought that there was a possibility that if we could have seen more of the events in the north and it would added to the epicness of the story. However that would also detract from the plot’s tightness and maybe I would be complaining otherwise.

CONCLUSION: The Sanguine Sands is a sequel that made even a bigger fan of Alec Hutson, epic worldbuilding and fantastic characterization have been Alec’s forte but this series of his is turning out be his best one yet. If you love epic fantasy then you can’t miss out on The Sharded Few saga. 

Livira is brains. Evar is muscle. But it’s Mark Lawrence’s book, so you can’t oversimplify it like that.

Sabbers had ravaged Livira’s desert village, but she survived. By sheer luck, she got a possibility to train at the expansive library in the city of Cragh. Livira’s IQ is off the charts, so she learns quicker than anyone else.
Meanwhile, Evar Eventari and his four siblings live in the library, affected by a mysterious Mechanism, capable of transforming books into tangible experiences. They’ve been trapped there for ages, untouched by time’s passage. Each of them gained valuable skills and knowledge from the books they entered, except for Evar. He only knows that something—or someone—is amiss, and so he embarks on a quest to find them.
The story is unique in its approach to romance and time; it spans years for Livira but only days for Evar. Their storylines revolve around each other but focus on many things. Maybe even too many? Anyway, the central theme of knowledge and its power to shape reality impressed me. I found Livira’s story more interesting than Evar’s but both are strong.
The issues I have with the story tie with its length and detailed world-building that slows the pace down and requires a lot of attention. It’s possible all of this will pay off in the sequels; However, I felt some parts simply dragged. The love story between the two is quite peculiar. They’re separated briefly after their first encounter, but it doesn’t stop them from getting deeply in love. Now, it’s not insta-love the way you suspect, but it felt abrupt.
That said, the story keeps personal stakes high and twists are coming left and right, keeping the suspense high. I’m not in love with this book, but I’m interested to see what happens after THIS ending.

 

Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Robert Jackson Bennett is a two-time award winner of the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel, an Edgar Award winner for Best Paperback Original, and is also the 2010 recipient of the Sydney J Bounds Award for Best Newcomer, and a Philip K Dick Award Citation of Excellence. City of Stairs was shortlisted for the Locus Award and the World Fantasy Award. City of Blades was a finalist for the 2015 World Fantasy, Locus, and British Fantasy Awards. His eighth novel, FOUNDRYSIDE, will be available in the US on 8/21 of 2018 and the UK on 8/23.

Publisher: Del Rey (April 1, 2025) Length: 458 Formats: audiobook, ebook, hardcover

Robert Jackson Bennett has done it again. A Drop of Corruption takes everything that made The Tainted Cup great (impossible murders, weird biology, razor-sharp wit) and somehow makes it even better. There’s a new impossible crime, more unsettling biology, and, most importantly, more Ana Dolabra - the world’s strangest mind. 

This time around, Ana and her long-suffering assistant Dinios Kol are sent to the empire’s edges to investigate a treasury officer’s disappearance. And let me tell you - it’s a gruesome murder, because if there’s one thing Bennett knows how to do, it’s making sure every crime scene sticks in your brain. This one involves dismemberment, vanished body parts, and a killer who seems to walk through walls. 

Ana solves the surface-level mystery in about five minutes, but the deeper they dig, the more tangled the case becomes. The stakes turn shockingly high. If they fail, the entire empire could collapse, and leave the world defenseless against the leviathans. No pressure. Someone out there is playing a game Ana isn’t used to losing, and Din finds himself torn between his duty as her “engraver” and his growing realization that being an investigator might not be the life he truly wants.

Now, for me the series works because we follow a brilliant and fascinating character (Ana) through the eyes of a much more bland one (Din). Din is to Ana what Watson was to Sherlock - a trusted assistant with some personality but not enough charisma to carry the series. A Drop of Corruption gives us glimpses into Ana’s past and hints at what she truly is. She’s still an enigma, but things get much clearer and much more exciting. Din, meanwhile, starts questioning his place in all of this. He signed up to be Ana’s eyes and ears to pay off his father’s debts, but as he gets drawn deeper into the empire’s ugly truths, he starts to wonder if he should be fighting to save it or choose a simpler and more profitable path.

The world-building continues to impress and remains one of the most inventive things I’ve ever read. The concept of Leviathans and the horrifying ways in which their blood transforms environment is cool. Then we have the Shroud - a living, organic space with peculiar properties. And the new characters fit right into this strange, unsettling world. Mala, for example, has an enhanced sense of smell (and more), which makes her an excellent investigator but also means she’s experiencing reality in ways that most people can’t understand.

Since Bennett doesn’t do one-note villains, the antagonist is ruthless, brilliant, and broken. Their backstory is a slow-burn tragedy that creeps up on you. If I had to nitpick, I’d say that the book is sometimes too detailed and repetitive in the middle. But honestly, when the writing is this good, why would I want to nitpick?

Ultimately, I’m satisfied, impressed, and desperately hoping we get another one in the series. Because if Bennett keeps building on this foundation, we might just be looking at one of the best fantasy mystery series of the decade.

(THE SANGUINE SANDS COVER ART by Mansik Yang/YAM)

Preorder The Sanguine Sands over HEREAdd The Sanguine Sands on Goodreads
 Today we have the unbridled joy of revealing the cover for THE SANGUINE SANDS, book #2 of the Sharded Few series by Alec Hutson. Featuring  scintillating art by Mansik Yang (Yam) & snazzy design-typography by the under-appreciated & underrated Shawn T. King. 
The book will be releasing on April 7th & you can check out the gorgeous cover and its blurb below:


Official Book Blurb: The Heart of the Heart has been found.
In the ruined palace of the Radiant Emperor the Light shard had been hidden for a thousand years, but now a sliver of its power has entered the flesh of Heth Su Canaav. Once Hollow, he has been reborn as one of the Sharded Few. Its discovery will shake the world . . . if anyone lives to tell of its existence.
For hunters stalk the refugees from the Duskhold. Powerful Sharded, unnatural sorcerers, and creatures that they cannot yet comprehend. Deryn and Heth must flee to the ancient city of Karath, where they hope answers await about who was behind the attempt to murder Rhenna Shen, and why one of the mysterious Elowyn directed them to find the House of Last Light.
The north lurches towards war, Shadow and Storm closing around the flickering Flame, while the Blood scheme in the black ziggurats of the Sanguine City, and far away something stirs in the frozen wastes where the disciples of Ice cling to an ancient faith . . . 

 

Buy LAST CHANCE TO SAVE THE WORLD
Read the review of Book One: Full Speed to a Crash Landing

OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Beth Revis grew up in the Appalachian Mountains with a cemetery in her backyard, which is probably why she prefers her stories to be dark and full of twists. She’s the New York Times bestselling author of the Across the Universe trilogy, which has been translated into more than 20 languages. Beth lives in a house full of boys—her husband, son, and two massive dogs—and she forces them all to watch reruns of Firefly and Doctor Who. Visit her at bethrevis.com.

FORMAT/INFO: Last Chance to Save the World will be published on April 8th, 2025 from DAW Books. It is 133 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: It's a race against time as con artist Ada pulls off her most daring escapade yet. The target: the launching facility of a fleet of nanodrones during one of the most publicized (and secured) events in the galaxy. The mission: upload a code that will delete the secret planned obsolescence code in the nanobots planted by the company that built them, ensuring the bots fulfill their mission to clean the environmental damage on Earth. Ada's convinced government agent Rian to help her, but can she count on him not to betray her at the last minute?

Last Chance to Save the World is a fun and frenetic finale, even if it does lose a bit of the chemistry between its leads along the way. While all the books in this novella series revolve around individual capers, they've all been part of one overarching arc that we see play out in this last adventure. Once again, we're treated to the unreliable narrator of Ada, who doesn't always tell the reader everything that's going on. Is everything going according to her plan? Only Ada knows until the final chapter plays out.

I do love seeing a well-executed plan, and there's plenty of that here. Seeds planted in previous books blossom into fruition for the finale and there's always one more ace up Ada's sleeve. It's a slick Hollywood heist film ending where the real bad guys get their just desserts.

But I also love seeing evenly matched opponents in these kinds of stories, and that's where Last Chance to Save the World fell a bit flat. In the first book, Rian was a worthy foil to Ada, with his own counter-moves that she had to outfox. Here, he's little more than helpless eye-candy. Sure, we're teased that he has a plan of his own, but he never surprises Ada or has the upper hand. She's always one step ahead and we know it, which takes away the chemistry between the two characters. The heat in the romance came from the danger of knowing that Rian COULD outsmart Ada if she's not careful, and that's just not showcased here.

CONCLUSION: From start to finish, the Chaotic Orbits novellas are a rollicking fun time that will leave you grinning. Now that the trilogy is complete, readers can watch Ada's plans unfold from start to finish in just a few sittings. I will always be a fan of Ada's chaotic energy, her constant shifting of conversational topics and goals designed to put her opponents on their back feet. If you're looking for a quick and easy entertaining adventure, these are just the reading snack to bite into.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joaquín Baldwin writes epic fantasy with a queer touch. As a multidisciplinary artist, he’s been recognized for his work in cinematography, photography, 3D design, and illustration, and his animated shorts have won over 100 awards. He unadvisedly decided that writing novels was the next thing on his list. While at Disney, he worked on films such as Zootopia, Encanto, Frozen and Moana. He spends an inordinate amount of time crafting the complex world of the Noss Saga. Visit him at joaquinbaldwin.com.

Wolf of Withervale links: Amazon, Goodreads
ESMAY

Wolf of Withervale is pitched as “An ambitious, sweeping saga—as epic as it is queer.”, and I honestly think that sums it up more perfectly than I ever could. It’s got ancient relics, mystifying magic, shape-shifting powers, diverse races and rich cultures, wholesome found family vibes, epic quests, all the queer love, and more mystery, intrigue and heart than you ever knew you needed.
As with any good start to an epic fantasy series, Wolf of Withervale is quite the slow-burn set-up book, but not in the boring way. From the moment I met Lago, I found him to be an extremely likeable and compelling protagonist, and I absolutely loved exploring all the mysteries and intricacies of the world together with him. I mean, I always love me a good morally grey anti-hero, but sometimes you just want to follow genuinely good people doing their best to do good things for the world and the people around them, and that is exactly what Baldwin offers.

Don’t get me wrong, Wolf of Withervale definitely has some dark aspects and there is no lack of conflict and stakes, but somehow I found this entire story to just be inexplicably cozy (which the wonderfully narrated audiobook probably also contributed to). For me, the nuanced interpersonal relationships and authentic personal inner journeys just kept me quite engaged, and I loved the found family vibes that started to develop between these loveable misfits. I mean, Alaia truly deserves the award for best friend in the world, and Bear is just the goodest boy ever.
I really enjoyed that they each have such a different background, because that allowed us to naturally get to learn all about this fascinating world as they share their own experiences and knowledge. And what a world it is! To me, the world of Noss is up there with The Wheel of Time or Stormlight Archive in both the breadth and depth of the world building, and I found myself fascinated by all the post-cataclysmic mysteries, the intricacies of the tense political landscape, and the level of rich diversity, be that on a racial, cultural or sexual level.

I mean, there is absolutely no denying that there were quite a few overwhelming info-dumps that went in one ear and out the other for me, but for the most part I think Baldwin actually did a pretty good job of balancing and interweaving the world building with the characters’ personal journeys. Especially the mysterious influence that the ancient wolf-like mask relic had on Lago kept me glued to the page, and I loved how his new-found shape-shifting powers and his transformative journey highlighted the story’s core themes of human connection, nature, empathy, belonging, and queerness.
And speaking of queerness, Wolf of Withervale is just hella gay, and I was mostly all here for it. That said, although I enjoyed the soul-deep connection between Banook and Lago, I am personally not the biggest fan of age-gap romances, and especially the whole ‘cub’ as a term of endearment made me feel deeply uncomfortable. Moreover, while I really liked Baldwin’s lush and descriptive prose in most sections of the story, I personally found the blunt and graphic way that most of the explicit scenes were written to be a bit off-putting.
Still, those quibbles didn’t end up hindering my enjoyment all that much, and I was just happily plodding along on this epic adventure. Sure, the pacing is quite wobbly, and I can’t sit here and pretend that I was really invested in the macro plot with the escalating war, but somehow I was just along for the ride (which the audiobook once again probably also helped with). And between the occasional intriguing non-Lago POV chapters and the ominously enticing (if slightly abrupt) ending, I am quite curious to see what Baldwin has in store in the rest of the Noss saga.
If you are sick and tired of all the bleak worlds filled with morally gray anti-heroes, then Wolf of Withervale will be a wonderful breath of fresh air. It’s somehow both comfortingly familiar and refreshingly diverse, and I can’t recommend it highly enough to anyone who likes their fantasy epic, slow, indulgent, character-driven, and unapologetically queer.
ŁUKASZ
The Wolf of Withervale is a curious beast. On one hand, it’s a dazzling display of creativity, worldbuilding, and queerness. On the other, it can feel like a bit of a slog if you don't have patience for dense storytelling, detailed romances, and some eyebrow-raising narrative choices.  
The story follows Lago Vaari, a young outcast who gets a magical wolf mask that changes the course of his life and his very identity. Others want it too, so Lago has to run from an empire hungry for mask's power. The setup is fantastic,  and aetheric magic system is a standout feature (well thought-out, combines science and magic, nerdy in the best way.) 
But here’s the rub: while the first half moves briskly, the story slams the brakes about midway through. The focus shifts to a romance between Lago (now going by his wolf-form name, Sterjall) and Banook, a bear shapeshifter and literal “bear” in gay culture. Now, I'm sure some readers will be here for this relationship and graphic sex scenes, but to me it dragged the pace down and sidelined the main plot. 
Still, there’s plenty to appreciate here: Baldwin’s passion, detailed world, the stunning illustrations, and the depth of thought behind every detail. The Wolf of Withervale is queer, nerdy, and unapologetically itself. It’s not perfect but it’s undeniably memorable. 
A subjective opinion: with the help of a berserker editor and some merciless tightening, this could be a true standout. As for today, I would say it's 100 -150 pages too long. 
Anyway, give it a try if you’re in the mood for something ambitious and out of the ordinary.  
OFFICIAL SPFBO SCORE

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joaquín Baldwin writes epic fantasy with a queer touch. As a multidisciplinary artist, he’s been recognized for his work in cinematography, photography, 3D design, and illustration, and his animated shorts have won over 100 awards. He unadvisedly decided that writing novels was the next thing on his list. While at Disney, he worked on films such as Zootopia, Encanto, Frozen and Moana. He spends an inordinate amount of time crafting the complex world of the Noss Saga. Visit him at joaquinbaldwin.com.

Wolf of Withervale links: Amazon, Goodreads


Thank you for agreeing to this interview. Before we start, tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in Paraguay and came to the USA to study art right after finishing high school. I’ve always been obsessed with nature, with light, and with story. The Noss Saga became this single big project where I could dump all my skills and passions, from the storytelling side, to creating maps, sculptures, photographs, illustrations, conlangs, and a whole bunch of other nerdy things. I’ve always spent my free time doing art anyway, but I was bouncing around without a particular focus, and this is bringing it all into something cohesive.
Do you have a day job? If so, what is it?
I’m an animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios (well, I’m a layout artist, sometimes director of cinematography, focusing on the camera work for animated features, which involves animating as well as other things). That’s been the day job for over a decade. I got that job thanks to my animated shorts, which were quite popular for a time and got lots of attention in the industry. As much as I love animation though, I do enough of it daily, so in my free time I want to do anything but that.

Who are some of your favorite writers, and why is their work important to you?
This list always changes depending on mood, but I draw inspiration from fiction and non-fiction.
On the fiction side, the obvious is Tolkien, but also Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, N.K. Jemisin, Jorge Luis Borges, Philip Pullman, Kim Stanley Robinson, Octavia Butler, and Patrick Rothfuss. I enjoy personal stories that dig into deeper meanings but also that transport us into well thought-out worlds, into magical places that are imperfect but beautiful.
On the non-fiction side, my biggest inspiration is Carl Sagan, but also Richand Feynman, Douglas Hofstadter, John Muir, and Robert Macfarlane. Anyone reading the Noss Saga might pick up on these influences—the entirety of it is filled with a sense of wonder toward nature, with a yearning to understand the universe.
What do you like most about the act of writing?
I enjoy the unexpected when I have a perfect plan, and then suddenly a character decides to do something different from what I intended, and they become their own living being that evolves into something unique, uncontrollable. The same goes with story itself, how the plot and even themes end up shifting as you write, and you find more depth and just let it happen. Letting it happen and entering that state of flow is amazing (if I remember to eat, at least, otherwise I realize it’s late at night already and I’m hangry).
Can you lead us through your creative process? What works and doesn’t work for you? How long do you need to finish a book?
I’m a bit obsessive, so I ended up writing 2,000 words average for the first year, till I reached a million words for the six books of the saga. To me (and this is just to me, everyone has their own way), making sure I wrote every day was important, even if it was just a few hundred words. Otherwise I could lapse into an undefined break and lose the flow. But at the same time, I do not like setting limits such as a specific word count limit, otherwise I’d be writing trash just to match an abstract number.
Another thing that was important to me was to write just to myself. I could not sustain writing this much while thinking of what people might like or not like, what would sell, what’s marketable. Fuck that. This is my passion project. I’ll make it the best thing I can, but it has to come from my heart.

What made you decide to self-publish Wolf of Withervale as opposed to traditional publishing?
I actually sent queries out to agents! But this was way before the manuscript was ready, way before I learned how to write a proper query, and before I learned how vicious the publishing industry can be. I was brand new to all this. In hindsight, I am so glad that I didn’t get any responses. If Wolf of Withervale had been published back then, it would not have been polished enough, it would’ve had some plot holes I could no longer fix, and it would’ve likely changed too much in the editing process in order to make it marketable to wider audiences, to the point it would not be the kind of book I wanted it to be. I’m much happier self-publishing. I get so much more control, I get to deal with the fans in a more personal way, and I can plan ahead a lot better, with my own timeline. I’m also publishing these quite fast (about every 8 months), while with trad pub I likely would’ve had to wait a decade to see the entire series out, and they could’ve always canceled it right in the middle and ruin it all. Self-pub forever <3
Contrary to many self-published authors, you went wide instead of being kindle exclusive. Why? Did it pay off?
I know my door-stopper books would do well in KU, but I despise Amazon and everything it stands for, and I have a huge respect for my readers no matter what platform or device they use to read or listen. I am probably losing a big chunk of money by not being in KU right now, but in the long run, it is about training the readers to buy direct, and once that scales up, it will compensate for the loss of income. Right now I’m still building the audience so it hasn’t reached that point, but it’s a long-term plan.
Another reason is that I never planned this project as a commercial one. I know it has commercial potential, but I will not focus my efforts that way or I’ll be trying to make money instead of making art. This way I have more control and I can deliver exactly what I want, and I’m not caged by an evil monopoly.
Your book is available in audiobook format. Can you share your experience producing it and a reflection if it was worth it?
Totally worth it! It’s been the most fun experience. Audiobooks are expensive, and it takes a while to make that investment back, but it’s something I always wanted to do. Not only did I get a killer narrator (Magnus Carlssen, who I love working with and who totally gets the mood and level of detail this world requires), but I also worked with a composer, Iain James Armour, who wrote the melodies that Magnus sings in a few spots of the book, and he also wrote the intro/outro for the audiobook as well, and is even working on a full album trilogy based on the books. This is a big project, and I wanted the audiobook to feel like its own complete piece of art, not just an additional format for consumption.
One thing I did not expect is how time-consuming the audiobook would be for me. I have to listen to so many recordings, provide notes, and use a tracking system we developed with Magnus to track the extensive amount of notes and rerecordings. But every time I get to sit down and listen to a new recording is wonderful.
Why did you enter SPFBO?
I currently have a passionate but small fan base. I need to branch out, and awards that are not exclusive to self-published books are nearly impossible to compete in since most of them are about popularity/visibility, something a publisher can handle with enough of a budget, but a single author could not. SPFBO was an award that came to my attention as soon as I got into this self-pub world, and I saw how some titles that won in previous years ended up reaching a much wider audience right away. To me, it’s about exposure, about finding people beyond my current circles that will enjoy this vast project. It’s also cool to keep track of the finalists and find new books to love.
How would you describe the plot of Wolf of Withervale if you had to do so in just one or two sentences?
When the wolf-like mask fell into the hands of young Lago, he could not guess at its powers. Now that the empire has scented the relic’s trail, Lago’s only hope of escape is to learn to wield the mask, uncover its secrets, and accept the change it brings.That’s the pre-written short blurb though. If I had to pitch it myself in an elevator I’d totally butcher it into something like, “It’s, um, about this kid who gets this cool mask, and like, magic and transformation, and like sexuality and all kinds of cool epic stuff. I made lots of maps! Did you see my maps?!?”
What was your initial inspiration for Wolf of Withervale? How long have you been working on it? Has it evolved from its original idea?
There are many ideas that coalesced into it, but the core that holds it all together came on October 3rd, 2020. I wrote a tweet that morning, which said, “Woke up at 4am with a breakthrough story idea, and makes me excited to start writing. It feels big, world-building big. I've never written anything long form, this could be it. Sending this tweet in the hopes I'll find it again a few years from now, when the story has taken form.”
I cannot tell you what that core idea was because it is massively spoilery, but it is what got me so obsessed. One month later, for NaNoWriMo (RIP, fuck AI “writers”), I began writing daily (I took that whole month to prep, outline, etc). My first draft was shit. My second one was decent. My eight or so was ready.

If you had to describe it in 3 adjectives, which would you choose?
Queer. Epic. Nerdy.
Is it part of the series or a standalone? If series, how many books have you planned for it?
It is a six-book series, all of which are written already, but in different stages of editing. Books 1 and 2 are out already (Wolf of Withervale and Masks of the Miscam). Book 3, titled Relinquished Realms, will be out early 2025 (we are working on the final edit/proofread now). Book 4 just went through all the beta readers (I need to sit with their notes and do an extensive edit) and books 5 and 6 are still with the beta readers and will require lots of work to clean up.
I published the first book only after I had already written all six. This allowed me to do retroactive edits to fit things better and to add lots of callbacks, setups, and payoffs that work through all six books. Each book averages around 190,000 words.
Who are the key players in this story? Could you introduce us to Wolf of Withervale’s protagonists/antagonists?
Lago Vaari is the protagonist, a young man who inherits the magical mask that kickstarts the adventure. He is passionate, studious, but also impulsive and a bit hot-headed.
Alaia is Lago’s best friend. She is an optimistic and opportunistic mine worker who keeps Lago in check, making sure his heart is in the right place.
The Red Stag is the main antagonist. Not really a spoiler, but there is more than one magical mask, and the Red Stag (a half human, half elk) has control of the mask of cervids, and wants control of the other masks.
There is also Ockam, a scout who comes to Lago’s aid when the empire finally catches up to him, and who becomes a kind of father figure.
And there’s a M/M love interest, a character whose name I won’t mention due to spoilers, who is my favorite character in the entire saga :)

Does your book feature a magic/magic system? If yes, can you describe it?
The magic system is tightly grounded in scientific concepts. I needed it to feel believable, particularly since we are already dealing with some impossible things like transformation. The system relies on the aetheric elements:
Imagine that some elements (Or perhaps all? Who knows?) have an “aetheric” variant, a kind that chemically reacts to other elements in the same way as expected, but they also have one particular extraordinary property. So, for iron you would have magnium (or “aetheric iron”), which provides magnetic properties to the metals it alloys with. For carbon you have soot, which is a sort of hallucinogen that allows you a glimpse into the connections between carbon-based lifeforms. Sulphur has a variant called brime, which constantly expels heat. To silver there is galvanum, which has electrical properties. And there are many more, including aether (the aetheric variant of hydrogen), which is [REDACTED, TOP SECRET]. Now imagine what it would be like to combine these precious and rare elements together, and you have an entire world of non-magical magic to explore.

Have you written the book with a particular audience in mind?
Yes. Me! But also any other queer nerds. I love geology, paleontology, chemistry, zoology, and I’m dropping all these passions into this series. It’s already finding a lot of fans among scientists and sci-artists. Furries are also a core audience, with the anthro/transformation themes being so prevalent, and with the themes of gender and sexuality being so intrinsic to the story. But overall, I first had to write it for myself.

What’s new or unique about your book that we don’t see much in speculative fiction these days?
The way sexuality is woven into the plot is rare, and one of the main reasons I wanted to write this story. Yes, there are a ton of books out there now with queer casts, but sexuality as part of the worldbuilding and development of the core plot is not common. The magical masks in the Noss Saga are a medium through which to express ideas of gender, of change, of finding one’s true self or selves. The sexuality of the characters is not merely incidental, it’s extremely consequential with how the plot flows and how the major themes develop.
There is also an exceedingly large number of illustrations and behind-the-scenes worldbuilding, all available for free in the extras pages for each of the books. This is not so uncommon, but I think the Noss Saga goes way beyond what one would expect to find for extras in how extensive and polished they are.(Łukasz, feel free to add any of the images from that extras page to your post. I think readers might enjoy seeing the world map in particular)

Cover art is always an important factor in book sales. Can you tell us about the idea behind the cover of Wolf of Withervale and the artist?
The artist is the wonderful Ilse Gort, who is just fantastic. I had her in mind since the very start, and I’m so happy she was willing to read the books and do such amazing art for the covers. I actually just happen to have written a detailed post showcasing the process of the book’s cover, including Ilse’s many sketches, so you can check those sketches out here.
Although I love doing the interior illustrations for my books, I think leaving the cover to someone like Ilse really paid off. She’s the best, I love how the covers turned out, and how the clean illustrations stand on their own as their unique pieces of art.




What are you currently working on that readers might be interested in learning more about, and when can we expect to see it released?
I’m working on the final edit of Relinquished Realms, Book 3 of the Noss Saga. I’m not naming dates yet, since I want the print, audio, and ebook versions released all at the same time, and planning that is tricky, but I’m aiming for early 2025. I’m also starting work in Zootopia 2 at Disney, which also comes out in 2025 :)

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?
Thank you!
I’d ask your readers to check out the other finalists in SPFBOX! I’m just getting to know some of the authors now, and just placed their books in my to-be-read list. Check them all out, and if you like their books, tell your friends about it—word of mouth is how indie authors find new readers.

 

Tomorrow is the launch of  Graham Austin-King's Fae: The Wild Hunt Kickstarter. This is in celebration of the tenth anniversary of Fae: The Wild Hunt's publication. Here's the blurb for the book:
History becomes legend.Legend fades to myth.But some myths are a warning.
Klöss wants nothing more than to pass the trials and join the ranks of the Bjornmen raiders. But times are changing in the Barren Isles. Coastal plunder is making way for outright conquest, and war looms.
A foundling from the forest, Devin leads a simple life. But fate, it seems, has other plans. Whispered rumours tell of creatures in the moonlight, shadowy figures with eyes of amber flame. As the first battles rage, only one man seems to know the truth of the fae, but can Devin or Klöss convince anyone before it is too late?
The cover artwork is by Tomasz Jedruszek. 



The cover and sprayed edge design is by the amazing  Rachael St Clair of Claymore Covers. This edition will also sprayed edges, foiled hardboards, colour endpapers, refreshed cartography, custom chapter art & of course all copies will be signed by the author
Fae: The Wild Hunt is the first book of The Riven Wyrde Saga, a complete trilogy where the mythologised fae return to a world which has forgotten them. And as the barriers protecting the world of Haven begin to falter, Bjornmen raiders abandon coastal plunder for outright conquest. This Kickstarter, the first of three, aims to change that, with fresh cover art and a stunning special edition hardcover. 

 

Official Author Website
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Read the Charlie McCabe series interview with Craig Schaefer
Read My Sworn To The Night Cover Reveal Q&A with Craig Schaefer
Read 2020 State Of Schaefer Interview with Craig Schaefer                                              Read Celebrating A Decade Of Dark Fantastical Tales with Craig Schaefer

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The Joker had quoted something intriguing in the Dark Knight “I believe that whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you... stranger”. I don’t know if Heather Schaefer took this as a motto for Harmony Black to live by but it certainly seems to be a guiding statement for this series. Within the past three books Harmony, Jessie and team have had their backs against the wall, Harmony especially has had a horrid time with her powers being erratic as well. 

Snake Oil Bullet deals with a lot of plot threads and characters from the past seven books. There’s not a lot I can say about the main plot without spoiling it but the least I can say that a certain doctor from book 7 makes his reappearance as well as other heinous villains from the team’s past. All in all this volume has a lot going on within. This is also a book which acts as a bookend to the second arc of the Harmony Black series while also setting up a tantalizing future. 
I was thinking there would be a Hannibal Lecter-Clarice Starling going with Harmony and her tormentor-in-chief demon but the author neatly sidestepped this scenario and sets up something else. There’s also a lot of things that are revealed about Harmony’s past which set up future intrigue. The author has definitely settled the question of who the Paladin is but Harmony will have a huge part to play based on what is revealed about her heritage.  This book has some interesting action sequences and the best part is the author’s usage of mirror opposites during the climax (you’ll know what I mean when you read the book). 
The Vigilant Lock team has come a long way from where it started and with the end of the second arc. The author has shaken up the board and now things are moving slowly but surely towards the big Enemy-Paladin conflict that has been teased over both the Faust and Black series. Rest assured there will be plenty of alien & extra-dimensional trouble heading the team’s way and we the readers will be here to enjoy it. I also loved how incredibly intricate this series is with the First Story saga and yet has its own weird ongoings as well. The ending promises more carnage of both the personal and team kind but Jessie and Harmony are no pushovers either. 
Snake Oil Bullet is a fun and twisted story that uses all the pillars which have been set up in the past and creates a dark canopy for readers to enjoy. The plot is streamlined, packed with action, and twisted reveals. As a fan this book helped satiate my Harmony Black cravings while giving me more to ponder. I can’t wait for more of Harmony and whichever title Heather releases next.

 

Book links: Amazon, Goodreads
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: SUSAN BARKER is the author of four books. Her third novel, The Incarnations, was a New York Times Editors’ Choice and Notable Book, a Kirkus Reviews’ Top Ten Book of the Year and shortlisted for the Kirkus Prize for Fiction. An excerpt from her fourth novel, Old Soul, won a Northern Writers’ Award for Fiction in 2020. Susan currently lives in Manchester, where she is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons (January 28, 2025) Length: 352 pages, Hardcover Formats: Audiobook, ebook, hardcover, paperback
Old Soul is darker, sharper, and far more sophisticated than typical horror. No cheap thrills here - just an unnerving sense of inevitability creeping in with every page. Readers willing to handle a slow burn, a literary structure, and nuanced characters will love it.
The novel opens with two grieving strangers - Jake and Mariko - meeting in an Osaka airport. They share drinks and talk just to discover they both lost someone they loved under similar, rather horrific, circumstances. Their loved ones died thousands of miles apart, but each had met the same enigmatic, dark-haired woman beforehand. Oh, and one more thing - their internal organs were reversed.
From there, Jake starts a globe-spanning journey. Obsessed with the case, he’s collecting testimonies from people who’ve lost someone to the woman. Each of them reads like a miniature horror story.
Meanwhile, the woman herself is out in the Badlands, luring her next victim and she needs to hurry up. Immortality isn’t as glamorous as folklore would have you believe, and rotting from the inside is no fun.
The alternating perspectives - Jake’s investigation and the glimpses into the woman’s present build a slow, creeping dread. To me, this narration feels elegant and eerie. The horror here is intelligent, and creeping, with moments of near-cosmic dread. Despite the book’s sophistication, it never feels pretentious. It’s gripping and visceral and never gets lost in its own literary ambitions.
A few words about the mysterious woman. She is, without question, evil. But not in a theatrical way - there’s no excess, no unnecessary cruelty. She does what is required to survive and moves across centuries and continents under countless names, always ready to trade lives for immortality. She abandoned family long ago. Human connection, belonging - these are irrelevant. All that matters is survival. This relentless, almost inhuman focus makes her alien, but also fascinating.
Some books sink their teeth into you slowly. Old Soul goes straight for the bone. This is literary horror in the best sense - dark, sophisticated, and unsettling in a way that lingers long after you turn the last page.

 

Book links: Amazon, Goodreads
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Publisher: Length: Formats:
Dark academia by Craig Schaefer? Yes, please. Especially the kind that leans hard into the dark. Castaways delivers good story, some eldritch horror vibe, and strong coming-of-age arcs.
Amy Nettle is a classic down-on-her-luck protagonist. She’s stuck in a dead-end life with limited way out. And when things go really south, the mysterious black envelope arrives. Suddenly, she’s whisked away to Saunders Academy, a magical school on a storm-tossed island surrounded by carnivorous mermaids, towering leviathans, and an ever-present sense that something is very wrong.
And if you flunk out? You get sent back to your old life without your magic, your memories, or even the promise of escape. And no one here wants to go back.
I’m a huge fan of Schaefer simple and concise writing. And characters. Amy and her new friends are coming of age in the middle of a mystery that keeps getting bigger and more terrifying. There are hints that this school - and whatever forces control it - are tied to the broader Daniel Faust/Harmony Black universe, and that may suggest an even larger conflict on the horizon.
For fans of Schaefer - it’s not as dark as other series, but it does get dark here and there.
Magic school has never felt this dangerous, and I loved every second of it. Now, where’s the sequel?

 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: 
Bill: When not writing, Bill is a product manager for a company that tests food using analytical chemistry and microbiology. Bill currently lives in the greater Chicago, IL area with his wife, goblin (aka toddler) son, & daughter.
Dewey: When Dewey isn’t heads down into drawing or writing, he works as an instructional designer for a major learning management systems company developing online courses. Dewey lives north of Houston, TX with his wife and two dogs while his adult children are off on their own.
Find them online: The Willow Wraiths
The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword links: Amazon, Goodreads

ESMAY

Sometimes you just want to turn off your brain and escape into a wild adventure, and that is exactly when books like The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword can come to the rescue. It’s a tongue-in-cheek middle grade fantasy full of action, whimsy and humour that will undoubtedly speak to the hearts of many fantasy lovers, even if it didn’t totally manage to capture mine.
Now, when you have a story with the premise of a 13-year-old grumpy chronicler in training and a hyperactive 12-year-old would-be-champion setting out on a quest guided by a peg-legged, sword-wielding rooster to help save a crying mushroom from an evil sorceress in a haunted forest, you know it’s gonna be a wild ride. And honestly, The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword is everything it promises to be, and I found myself effortlessly breezing through the pages. 

Despite what the cover and title might make you believe, Tanna is actually not the main protagonist/narrator of this heroic tale (thank all that is holy, girlie and I did not get along), and instead we see it all unfold through the eyes of the grumpy Galdifort. For me, this worked extremely well, especially because I deeply related to his utter exasperation with Tanna’s annoyingly loud, excitable, and slightly brash personality. To me, he almost read a bit neurospicy (though that is never confirmed in the text), and I found it highly amusing to see him desperately trying to stick to the rules while Tanna just ran into chaos every opportunity she got.
That said, I personally felt like there was a lot of missed potential for more nuance, depth, and emotional complexity for these characters, and I soon found myself having a hard time staying engaged in their adventures because I just didn’t care for them. Especially for a story that challenges these young characters in so many unexpected ways, I found the lack of character development to be a bit disappointing.
Don’t get me wrong, not every story needs to be a deep character study or deliver deep philosophical messages, but I think other middle grade stories I have read (like Amari and the Nightbrothers or Nevermoor) just set the bar way higher for me in terms of impact and nuance. Moreover, I felt like this book sometimes had a bit of an identity crisis, with extremely youthful storytelling (I can’t see another CRASH!, BOOM! or ‘fopdoodle’) being mixed with long, convoluted sentences and hectic, violent action sequences that felt confusing regardless of the age of the intended target audience.
Maybe I just wanted this story to be something it was never meant to be, and I have a feeling my little quibbles won’t really bother most other readers. Plus, I think it really shows that the authors had a blast writing this story, and I can’t sit here and pretend that the irresistible chaotic charm of The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword didn’t get to me in the end. I absolutely loved the illustrations, the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Galdifort’s aunt and her legendary champion had me eagerly turning the pages, the tongue-in-cheek way that the authors poke fun at the silly conventions of the fantasy genre had me cackling quite a few times, and honestly… how can you not love a peg-legged rooster wielding swords and spitting fire?; Peggs is the true MVP!
And although this adventure wraps up in a satisfying (if slightly rushed) way, the enticing epilogue promises much more danger, mayhem and fun to come for our dynamic duo of unlikely heroes. While I personally didn’t end up loving this story as much as I desperately wanted to, I have a feeling that The Chronicles of Tanna the Champion by Galdifort Quillpen will make fans come back time and time again for more exciting, heartwarming, feel-good adventures to get lost in.
LUKASZ
The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword tries to be a quirky, offbeat fantasy romp with an eager heroine, a reluctant sidekick, and a peg-legged rooster who may or may not be hiding a blade. It’s got humor, it’s got adventure, and it’s got an ominous creeping fog. On paper, this sounds like a fun, middle-grade fantasy. In execution? I found it a bit underwhelming.
The biggest issue is that the book doesn’t quite commit to anything fully. The humor is present but not sharp enough to be truly funny. The adventure is in motion but rarely feels urgent or exciting. The magic system has some interesting ideas - time-based gods, song magic - but the story barely scratches the surface. Even the villains, including the ominous Thistle Willow and her foggy menace, feel more like background threats than real forces of tension. Galdifort’s grumpy Chronicler POV is a nice twist, but it doesn’t do enough (deeply subjective) to elevate the story beyond standard fare.
Younger readers new to fantasy might enjoy the lighthearted tone. Since I'm usually looking for something with more depth or originality, this one didn’t leave much of a lasting impression.
OFFICIAL SPFBO RATING

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: 
Bill: When not writing, Bill is a product manager for a company that tests food using analytical chemistry and microbiology. Bill currently lives in the greater Chicago, IL area with his wife, goblin (aka toddler) son, & daughter.
Dewey: When Dewey isn’t heads down into drawing or writing, he works as an instructional designer for a major learning management systems company developing online courses. Dewey lives north of Houston, TX with his wife and two dogs while his adult children are off on their own.
Find them online: The Willow Wraiths
The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword links: Amazon, Goodreads


Hello guys, thanks so much for joining us! Would you tell us a little about yourselves, and what made you want to start working together?
Bill: Hallo! Thanks for having us. Not only are we super grateful to even be named a finalist in SPFBOX (and the first ever middle grade book!), we are thankful y’all even want to chat with little ol’ us.
But to answer your question, I’m Bill Adams and I’m a middle grade and adult SFF writer. Aside from The Tenacious Tale, I have an adult dark fantasy series called The Divine Godsqueen Coda that I’ve been working on for mannnny years, and just released the first book, The Godsblood Tragedy, this past summer.
Dewey: Hello, I’m Dewey Conway and I’m a middle grade writer and illustrator. TTToTTT is my first book, but I also illustrate a little on the side and have been starting to branch out into commissioned art.
Bill: It’s an interesting journey we had together. We first started off as critique partners. I sent out the call in 2017 on social media and Dewey was one of the first to answer it. At the time, I was working on a draft of TGT and Dewey was on a first draft of TTToTTT. Not only did we click right away on a writing basis, but on a personal one too. We’ve become very close friends over the years.
Dewey: Arus brought Bill into my life, for sure. We have a dynamic that creatively works really well.
Bill: We really do work together well. I’ll answer it a bit further below, but I truly believed in the story Dewey had started. There was so much there, so many great things about it. I knew that as a middle grade age reader, I would have eaten this story up. I also knew that Dewey was getting a little discouraged by the querying process and seeing as we collaborated really well on altering some of the story over the years, I basically begged him to let me take a crack at an edit of it.
Dewey: I was done. This story and the characters within (especially Galdifort) are shards of my soul, so to have it rejected time after time by agents during querying was discouraging, for sure. I had shelved it for a bit before Bill coaxed me into bringing it back out. We’ll get more into that later.
Bill: It was a journey for sure to get to the self-pub point, but there’s no doubt in my mind, we put out the best story we could, one that would draw in readers not only at middle grade age, but adults too.

Collaborative work is… Well, it’s not for everyone. But you’ve pulled it off. What does it take to successfully co-write a novel? And what was the process for The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword ?
Bill: The key for us was trust. Because we started off as critique partners, we learned each other’s styles. Learned how to give feedback. But most importantly, we learned how to bounce ideas off of each other. For me, trusting in that other person implicitly is the biggest way to be a success, because let me tell you, this self-pub industry is not really set up for co-authorship. The systems/processes in place are difficult enough for one author, let alone two.
Dewey: Collaborative work is actually simple. The issue comes with ego. That’s where collaborative work derails. Bill loved this story, loved all the characters, brought to it elements that were missing, and I knew I could trust his intentions. And he knows he can trust me…we’re in this together, baby!
Bill: Ha! Very true, very true. But to bring it back some, early on, the draft Dewey shared with me had spots where I really thought changes could make it even better, one being that Tanna (a girl) was originally Tanner (a boy). After reading the whole draft, I came to Dewey with the idea of swapping gender because we always see boy heroes in stories, and if he wanted to appeal to a larger audience, I felt having a girl be the hero (while keeping Galdifort the grumpy chronicler a boy), the story would really open up for some excellent character dynamics and growth. And Dewey really seemed to agree. This is what I mean by trust. Dewey knew I had the best interest of the story at heart.
Dewey: This was a huge change, and I had to really mull it over, but it just made sense. Tanna was Tanner, but when we shifted him over to Tanna, everything just clicked. The dynamic we needed between Galdifort, who is perpetually grumpy and doubting, with a girl who was genuinely, over-the-top optimistic about everything in life was what the story needed.
Bill: Fast forward to Dewey agreeing to share his creation, we began to outline what we would need to do, not only changes, but how we can successfully launch this story.
Over the years of my writing journey, I really honed my editing skills, so I took our draft and ideas and went to work doing a full-blown edit from the ground up. I aimed to maintain the middle grade voice Dewey is amazing at, plus his penchant for humor and inherent grumpiness in Galdifort, and meld it with a more streamlined story arc, elevating the prose just a smidge so it would also draw in adult readers, while ironing out any kinks.
I’m also a project manager by trade, so I’m very diligent on timelines, on organization, etc. I may dislike it, but I also had been quite active on social media (but really love the indie community there!), so I took on a more ‘business’ role while Dewey remained fully on the ‘creative’ side.
Dewey: This story would not have happened without Bill. 100%. It would be living in my files somewhere under a folder title “Oh Well…”. Bill says he “honed [his] editing skills”...let me clarify. He is THE editor of editors. His eye for story, sense, emotion, and what feels right are beyond scope. BUT the more important part of this is his delivery. He edits with the objective of making the story the best it can be. And, to be honest, I’m a 100% sensitive creative soul, so taking criticism of my work is hard sometimes. I think Bill is one of 3 people that I can take authentic criticism from and listen to that, even if it fundamentally changes the outcome of the work. He is authentic, and this authenticity is a key to our collaborative success.
When Bill finished that final edit sweep, and I re-read it, I went to work on the illustrations and cover. I love drawing, and these characters have always had a certain feel to them that I love to illustrate. Bill had a plan, and we decided to publish on my birthday (April 2) back in January of this year, so I had to get to work on the illustrations, which was a challenge to complete. But nothing has been more satisfying than getting the book out, having it received well, and (most importantly) read by young readers who may now go on to read more fantasy!
Do you have a day job? If so, what is it?
Bill: As mentioned, I’m a project manager, and I work for a company that does food chemistry on food and beverage products. I also had a teaching license in ages past.
Dewey: I am currently an Instructional Designer for a major Learning Management platform, but before this, I taught 5th and 6th grade students for a gazillion years.
Who are some of your favorite writers, and why is their work important to you?
Bill: First and foremost is Richard Adams (no relation sadly) and his seminal work Watership Down. It is the first ‘big’ book I ever read, and he once said something along the lines of ‘a good book is one that is enjoyed when you are six and when you are sixty’ and this really rang home for me as an aspiring writer, especially in the middle grade level. I’m also a huge Terry Brooks fan, as his Shannara books are what got me into fantasy as a teenager in the 90s. Yes, Tolkien is the king, but without Brooks, I don’t think I’d be as big a fantasy fan as I am (I also met him a couple years back and he is one of the nicest people ever!)
Dewey: Well, I have to mention Tolkien. The Hobbit was my first fantasy book I read (I actually played Bill the Troll in a school play haha). This really got me interested in fantasy, but I tend to go for the safe fantasy, the kind that makes me wonder and isn’t necessarily filled with violence and gore. I also love Terry Brooks, but I started with his Kingdom For Sale series as well as the Krondor series by Raymond Feist. I am a huge fan of graphic novels, and Jeff Smith’s Bone is a big influence on me as an artist and author.
What do you like most about the act of writing?
Bill: Writing, and creating fantasy worlds, is my source of joy. I just love the creation part, just that feeling that anything can be done. It’s also an escape from the real world. It’s tough out there, especially now that I’m a parent, so I find solace in these made-up characters/worlds. I also weirdly enjoy the editing phase. I know most people loathe editing and prefer drafting, but I like being able to put meat on the bones and really make scenes pop.
Dewey: I love the creative process as a whole, but sometimes it can be frustrating. It’s a water well that, when it’s full, it’s go go go! I love to sit and just type it all out (more about that below), and the peaceful solitude of writing is so nice. The problem is often finding time for that peaceful solitude.
Can you lead us through your creative process? What works and doesn’t work for you? How long do you need to finish a book?
Bill: Ha, this is where Dewey and I are complete opposites. I’ll let him talk about his process, but let’s just say he’s a planner and I’m a pantster. My outlines are literally a couple of key ideas/concepts/outcomes that take place in each chapter. That’s it. I am a full-on ‘let the characters lead me’ type of writer. I know where things are meant to go, but I have to let my characters do as they will.
Dewey: I do like to plan things out. I like outlines…big chonky outlines with details and asides and rabbit holes into the arcane. I like scribbles on the side of the paper and post-it notes scattered from random thoughts during the day. I want to know the direction my characters are going, every step they’ll take to get there, the motivational arcs outlined, etc. All the stuff. Which, of course, makes this a tedious process.
Bill: When I am in the throes of writing, I can churn out 2k or more words a day and string those back-to-back. If all things are going smooth, I’ve finished 150k drafts of my adult series in a couple of months. However, life isn’t always perfect, so I’d say for me, it would take me about 6 months to have a complete first draft. But again, that’s for my adult books. I think I did the edit of Tanna in little under than 3 weeks, and that’s starting from scratch. It’ll be interesting to dive into book 2 (which we have just started recently) as it will be an all-new ballgame for both of us!
Dewey: Book 2 will be interesting to be sure. I’m super excited about it. I’m not as prolific as Bill, but I get the job done. Eventually.
What made you decide to self-publish The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword as opposed to traditional publishing?
Bill: Oh, we tried traditional publishing… To be honest, I still don’t know how we didn’t get a single partial request on this story. It baffles me because we queried for well over a year. Well, let’s be honest, I queried and tried to keep all the rejections away from Dewey’s ears, haha. But I think I queried over 50 agents in that time and I lost count of how many manuscript wishlists had something akin to this story. Truly baffling, but hey, that’s life, right?
But I was in the same boat with my adult series, and one of my other long-time critique partners (also found from that same call out on social media) went the self-pub route, so I had a brain to pick. It just seemed like the right thing to do because I really wanted people to read more stories. So, when Tanna didn’t get a sniff from agents, Dewey and I came to the conclusion we just had to do it ourselves. I think that worked out pretty well?
Dewey: And I’m a control freak. Did Bill say that already? Haha. Bill is so good to me. He did keep the rejections hidden, which is so annoying. But back to control freak, I like to have my hands on every step of the process. Bill and I have a vision in mind, and by golly I’m not going to have someone tell me my illustration doesn’t work, the chapter font is too big, or I need to change a character’s motivation. Nope. If we’re going to do this, we tell and present the story our way.
What’s your favorite and least favorite parts of self-publishing?
Bill: Marketing, plain and simple, is my least favorite. It’s such a creative drain having to feed those algorithms just to hope that someone likes your story enough to read it, maybe give it a review/rating. It destroys my creative well. After releasing Tanna, I had my adult release to look toward, so I didn’t really notice it as much because I was editing, formatting, etc. But post release of my adult in the summer (Tanna was in the spring), I just felt so empty, so devoid of wanting to write. And that was frustrating because writing is my happy place (my favorite part of self-pub because I make the deadlines). I just knew I had to keep going each day with a post or whatever just to remain relevant when all I wanted to do was crawl into the fetal position and burrow my way out of post release blues and write.
Dewey: My favorite part of all this is when we get a review that someone’s child loved it! That makes this grumpy little heart just happy as a clam. My least favorite has to be all the technical aspects of publishing. I realize it has become simpler, but there’s a lot to it.
Why did you enter SPFBO?
Bill: I’ve been following SPFBO for about 5 years or so when I read Senlin Ascends. I had learned it was originally self-pubbed and part of this comp. When the decision was made in 2020-21 to go the self-pub route, I decided to really dive into indie books, and now, I almost exclusively read self-pubbed books. And I used this comp as a source to find good indie reads. Dewey can add something if he likes, but I was the driver of entering as he wasn’t familiar with it at the time. I knew having a middle grade book in the comp, where middle grade and YA to an extent are usually overlooked, would help get eyes on our story. I figured why the heck not.
Dewey: Bill has his finger on the pulse of the indie community. I’m not very active with social media, and he has really developed a considerable amount of respect amongst our peers. He knew about this contest, told me he was entering us, and that was it. It was only when we hit the semi-finalist stage that I perked up about it, because, to be honest, I just didn’t know how special this contest was. And it’s hard when you’ve been rejected so many times by traditional agents to have positive thoughts, so I really didn’t think we would go anywhere until I listened to our semi-finalist judge, Brian Bell, talk about Tanna and all the nice things he said about reading it. It made me pause and listen to Bill, who never stopped believing. I am just beyond grateful to think our peers find our little tale a good read.
How would you describe the plot of The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword if you had to do so in just one or two sentences?
Dewey: In The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword, would-be Champion Tanna teams up with her reluctant Chronicler-in-training, Galdifort Quillpen, to secure her first quest in an offbeat, pig-filled town. When an eerie fog and rumors of a dark sorceress threaten the townsfolk, the two—guided by a peg-leg rooster—must embark upon an adventure to gain a first quest and uncover the true dangers awaiting them in a shadowy, haunted forest.
What was your initial inspiration for The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword? How long have you been working on it? Has it evolved from its original idea?
Dewey: I was initially inspired to make the story a graphic novel, way back in the late 90s. It was a tale of 3 monks who were setting out to find the perfect quill. The monks were named Tanner, Galdifort, and Lasser. Over time, that all changed until I created a comic called Monks back in the 2000s, where Tanner was the last of his kind, being pursued by an evil sorcerer’s enclave for the demon he unwittingly was holding at bay. This is the comic that introduced Cobbs and Wink, characters both still in the story. When I began teaching 5th grade students, I was inspired by that age group and the innocence of the stories they read, so I shifted and tried my hand at writing middle grade. From there, it became the backbone of what it is now.
What genre does it belong to?
Dewey: This is middle grade fantasy fiction.
If you had to describe it in 3 adjectives, which would you choose?
Dewey: Heroic
Bill: Heartfelt
Dewey: Humorous
Is it part of the series or a standalone? If series, how many books have you planned for it?
Bill: It is the first of a proposed trilogy. Without spoiling much, a Champion (what Tanna is inspired to become) has an item called an Elemstone, which gives a Champion extra powers so to speak. And as the would-be-Champion progresses, they get a piece of the Elemstone, or triad. Kinda like the TriForce in Legend of Zelda. So, three books, three pieces of Elemstone.
Who are the key players in this story? Could you introduce us to The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword’s protagonists/antagonists?
Dewey: Let’s see…
Protagonists:
● Tanna the Tendersword: a bold, optimistic would-be-Champion determined to prove herself by finding her first quest
● Galdifort Quillpen: Tanna’s Chronicler-in-training, he’s pragmatic and grumpy who very reluctantly goes along with Tanna, he’s also our POV
● Peggs the Rooster: a mysterious, peg-legged rooster who acts as an unconventional guide, who may hold a secret himself
Antagonists:
● What’s-Her-Name (Thistle Willow): A mysterious and feared sorceress whose presence brings darkness and the ominous Fog Blight
● The Fog Blight: A supernatural, creeping fog rumored to put people under her control or lure them to their doom
● Fechus, Scratch, and Mulch: A trio of mischievous creatures known as Throgs who appear in the fog, in league with Thistle Willow
Does your book feature a magic/magic system? If yes, can you describe it?
Dewey: Yes, the magic system in this story is based on time. The gods presented are the Three Scribes, who represent past, present, and future. They are said to provide the Champions of the land of Handover (that’s the name of the kingdom) with magical might, empowered through the Elemstones (Bill mentioned that earlier). There’s also an antithesis magic, represented by our antagonist, Thistle Willow. Our next two books will dive into this a little more.
Bill: You’re forgetting song magic, Dewey! Both Thistle Willow and a secondary character named Byrna (Galdifort’s friend and crush) use songs to manipulate the things around them. We plan to explore further with this in the other two books like Dewey mentioned above.
Have you written the book with a particular audience in mind?
Bill: Kids, 100%. Brian Bell (our sub-judge on Team Chase) made a great point, this book is a wonderful gateway for kids to get into fantasy as they grow. That’s exactly what we set out to do! But let’s not forget, this book has a lot for adults to love too. So we like to say it’s for all ages.
What’s new or unique about your book that we don’t see much in speculative fiction these days?
Bill: As I mentioned above, making Tanna (a girl) be the hero and Galdifort (a boy) be the more cautious, bookish type is something you don’t see all that often. We also wanted to show healthy admiration for people not the same as them. Galdifort’s aunt is his idol and she’s the most famous Chronicler in his world. And Tanna wants to be like Cobbs, the famous Champion Galdifort’s aunt chronicled for. We thought it very important for kids to see that you can root for and want to be like people who aren’t like you or don’t look like you.
Dewey: In addition to what Bill said, I think what’s unique or might surprise the reader is that the story is told from Galdifort’s point of view, even though the title is The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword. Tanna is a player in Galdifort’s story as a Chronicler. His grumpy perspective is something I think most would not expect.
Bill: I mean, we also have a peg-legged rooster companion that may or may not have a sword within said peg-leg…


Cover art is always an important factor in book sales. Can you tell us about the idea behind the cover of The Tenacious Tale of Tanna the Tendersword and the artist?
Dewey: I did the cover art, and the design came while I was eating dinner one night. I suddenly saw Tanna leaping into action, head on, ready to face whatever perils await her while Galdifort stood behind her, an expression of complete doubt and subtle fear. That image stuck with me and so I sketched it out, placed them square in the Dwimmerleaf Forest (where Thistle Willow dwells), and added Peggs. I wanted them to be front and center for the story, so a prospective reader knew from the start that this tale was all about adventure with a plucky hero. The idea to add the silhouette of Thistle Willow behind them came a little later when I realized I needed to also convey danger. For the lettering of the title, I drew a font that I imagined Galdifort would draw (he is a Chronicler after all) and placed it on a leathery, silver lined plaque.
I think it catches the eye, for sure, but I wanted it to tell the reader what they were in for: a fun adventure with unconventional characters.
What are you currently working on that readers might be interested in learning more about, and when can we expect to see it released?
Bill: I’m currently putting the final touches on book two of The Divine Godsqueen Coda, hoping to reveal the cover in the next month or so, and release around February. I’m also working on a Sci-fi novella that I want to release in December. My guy Dewey is working on my cover as we speak! Then comes my part on Tanna 2!
Dewey: I’ve been doing some illustrations for indie authors lately, but I’m currently working on Bill’s cover for his novella. Tanna part 2 is also on the horizon!
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?
Bill: First off, again, thank you for having us, this has been great! Second, thank you to team Fantasy Book Critic for being judges and championing indie authors! But yeah, I suppose I just want to say to everyone reading this interview, please go out and support the rest of these finalists, all the semi-finalists, all the 300 authors who submitted and made the comp (as well as the almost 300 who didn’t in the lottery), as well as any indie author. I know TBR lists are unfinishable, but support and hype goes a long way for us little authors. Thank you!
Dewey: Yes, thank you! I am excited, thrilled, nervous, and humbled by everything that’s happened. There are so many incredible authors with amazing stories and to even be mentioned in the same breath as them is just unbelievable. I’ve learned the indie community is one of the most welcoming and hard-working group of creatives, so please support them. Again, thank you for reading our interview and being a champion. Smack gobble!

Book links: Amazon, Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mike Carey is the acclaimed writer of Lucifer and Hellblazer (now filmed as Constantine). He has recently completed a comics adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, and is the current writer on Marvel's X-Men and Ultimate Fantastic Four. He has also written the screenplay for a movie, Frost Flowers, which is soon to be produced by Hadaly Films and Bluestar Pictures.

Also writes as Mike Carey

Publisher: Orbit (March 4, 2025) Length: 310 pages Formats: audiobook, ebook, paperback

Finally, something fresh. Once Was Willem is part medieval horror, part dark fairy tale, part found-family adventure.

Our narrator, Willem, was once a regular 12-year-old boy. Then he died. His grieving parents let a sorcerer bring their dead son back to life. Since Willem has been in the ground for a while, what rises from the grave is… not ideal. He’s stronger, uglier, and-despite still having his memories-not exactly welcome back at the dinner table. His parents panic, the village does what angry mobs do best, and Willem, now Once-Was-Willem, finds himself on the run.

Banished from the only home he’s ever known, Willem finds a new life in the deep woods, where he befriends a group of monsters who, like him, have been cast out. Meanwhile, the sorcerer, Cain Caradoc, is busy setting up shop in a fortress built on the bones of a sleeping angel and preparing a mass sacrifice of children to fuel his quest for godhood. Eventually, the terrified villagers realize that only “monsters” they ran off can save them. Oops.

This book is dark, and it has some truly stomach-churning moments, but it never feels dreary. It’s sharp, self-aware, and laced with a dry, biting humor that makes even the bleakest parts go down easy. Willem himself is an excellent protagonist/narrator: a lonely, tragic figure with a surprising amount of warmth. You want him to find belonging. You want him to win. And when the time comes to face Caradoc, you really want him to rip that smug sorcerer apart.

If you like your fantasy a little twisted, your heroes a little ugly, and your villains really vile, Once Was Willem is absolutely worth your time.

 

Buy The Raven Scholar

FORMAT/INFO: The Raven Scholar will be published on April 15th, 2025 by Orbit Books. It will be available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Every 24 years, seven contenders from seven warrior temples match wits and blades in a series of trials designed to pick the next emperor of Orrun. It's a tradition that has largely ensured a peaceful transition of power for over 1500 years. But this year, one of the contestants is murdered on the eve of the competition. High Scholar Neema Kraa is charged with solving the murder, plunging her into a web of palace secrets. It isn't long before Neema realizes that people will kill to keep their secrets - and the only path to survival might be becoming emperor herself.

The Raven Scholar is an intricate, mesmerizing tangle of palace intrigue. This is a story with secrets upon secrets upon SECRETS. It's almost too many secrets, except that they are so carefully woven together, it makes the plot a delight to unwrap. Each revelation casts new light on past actions and motivations, while still keeping you guessing as to who the actual murderer is. If you're just here for the murder mystery alone, you'll have plenty to keep you entertained.

All of this is supported by the very deliberate pacing of the book. The Raven Scholar takes its time setting up the story. Lead character Neema Kraa doesn't arrive on the scene for multiple chapters, and the murder itself doesn't take place for well over 100 pages. But every chapter leading up to the murder is all in service of setting up the cast of characters, their relationships, and some very important recent historical events that personally affected everyone.

Most importantly, the story itself never drags, constantly making me want to read more. There are some doozy revelations that left me wide-eyed as I encountered the dark secrets in a character's past or realized the implication of new information. Again, it borders on too many things, but it's all so deftly woven together, it stopped short of feeling overstuffed.

I also applaud The Raven Scholar for being a story that is brutal and bloody without being gory and grim. Make no mistake, people will die and some very bad things will happen, but the author cuts away before it becomes too much. She also balances it out with a thread of humor strung throughout. Characters like the mischievous Fox warrior Cain or the ever dramatic Sol help break up the doom and gloom with some much needed levity.

 I also have to shout out the magnificent use of the narrator in the story. While Neema is the lead character and the story is told in third person, this is being recounted to us by another. I won't spoil the surprise of who, but suffice to say it is deployed wonderfully. The bulk of the story follows Neema, but every now and then it swings away to follow other characters for a little bit, in a manner fully justified by the choice of narrator.

Neema herself is a scrappy, if brusque, lead. But most importantly, Neema is smart and she is competent, two of my favorite things in a protagonist. Her intellect and drive have made her one of the foremost scholars of her day. Unfortunately, her background of hailing from a backwater town prevents her from being able to easily navigate the political waters of the court. It's not that she doesn't understand the game, it's that the elite courtiers would rather shut her down than play the game with her at all, no matter how high she rises.

CONCLUSION: The Raven Scholar checks every box of things I love in a book. It has a compelling lead, a mystery that truly keeps you guessing, and a brutal competition for the throne. This is the kind of book that when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about wanting to read it. I powered through the final 200 pages in one sitting because I simply couldn't stand dragging it out any longer. I had to inject this book into my veins as soon as possible, and now I'm staring at that most dreadful fate: waiting for the next book. But given how amazingly well done this first book was, I have every confidence that I will devour the sequel with equal speed.