I can now unveil the beautiful cover for The Scroll Thief, coming 24th February 2009.
It’s by Anne Cain and I could not have imagined anything more perfect for the story.
The cover shows the main characters Malachy and Cerys. It captures my ideas of them just perfectly.
The book will be released as an eBook on the 24th of February, 2009 and in print about ten months later.
Malachy and his sister rely on his talents as a thief to survive the dangerous streets of Klathport, former capital of the once-great kingdom of Ithian. Stealing a few papers should have been a simple job. Instead, it nearly costs their lives and throws them into an improbable alliance with a shape-shifting official, a desert tribeswoman, and a healer of enchanting beauty.
Cerys is far more than a simple healer—and the roots of her mission go deeper into the past than anyone can know. She needs Malachy’s skills to recover a stolen scroll, one that can be used to rewrite history and, in the wrong hands, release the dark powers of the Demon Realm.
Her mission was supposed to atone for a dreadful, long-ago act. Instead, it unleashes a chain of events which sees them pursued through city and desert by the fearsome Dune Witch and a killer known only as His Lordship. Romance, tragedy, and adventure blend in a tale of a magical land on the brink of war, and five unlikely allies who, by putting their lives—and their hearts—on the line, have the opportunity to finally set things right.
But at a terrible cost.
Warning: Contains scenes of graphic violence and torture, captivating magic and beauty, two dashing heroes, three gutsy heroines, several love stories and a heartbreaking sacrifice.
Here too, is the trailer, although I will be updating it shortly to include the cover.
Take care,
Dee Gentle
PNR Reviews & Features Editor
Paraphernalia
and its a nice review too… “a wonderful start to the series”
Also up to day is the almost infamous “ghost post” at Texty Ladies. I mentioned in my interview with Jane about various ghost sightings and she asked for more information. She opened the call last week to Texty Ladies readers and the result is up today. It makes for some interesting and spooky reading!
A few more edits for The Scroll Thief are underway, and I’ve seen the design for the cover. It’s gorgeous… no.. it’s GORGEOUS! 🙂
The Wolf’s Sister: a Tale of the Holtlands is available now from Samhain Publishing Ltd., and it’s turning out to be quite a day. I even got “Paperback Writer” played for me on our favourite radio station Dublin City’s Live Drive programme – we’re big fans and tend to text in a lot. What an amazing feeling to hear the presenter talking about my novella, and telling people to go and buy it!
Many things inspired this story. I’ve always had a fascination with wolves, their social structure and the way literature and culture has largely vilified them. Dublin zoo has a wolf pack. In their large enclosure they can be quite difficult to see but occassionally you catch glimpses. One corner in particular, up opposite the gorilla enclosure if you’re ever there, offers a particularly good view. However, we did discover something about the wolves in Dublin zoo. Clearly the sound of keys means food, because if you do jangle a set anywhere near them, the one or two animals you thought you could see suddenly becomes nine or ten! They melt out of the landscape, suddenly alert and waiting.
Also in Dublin zoo there is a very elderly snowy owl. My fascination with this bird began when I read David Edding’s Belgariad as a teenager. Maybe devoured might be a better word. I read them all in about two weeks. Polgara was the first female figure in fantasy literature who I remember being thoroughly impressed by. There was no doubt that she could handle whatever was thrown at her. And the owl was soon a firm favourite along with the wolves. Imagine my delight when, at the stage of saying Dada and Mama, I took my little girl to the zoo and standing in front of the same aviary, looking at the same bird, she came out with “Owl”.
Another thing I associate strongly with The Wolf’s Sister is a song. It wasn’t around at the time I was devouring any Eddings, Feist and Brooks I could lay my hands on. But when I was reworking this story in its current incarnation, I came across it and it was like the final piece of the puzzle snapped into place. It’s the soul of The Wolf’s Sister. It’s called “Nature’s Law” and its by the Yorkshire band Embrace.
Excerpt from The Wolf’s Sister: a Tale of the Holtlands
She skidded to a halt where the trees descended into a gully, hoping the edge might offer an advantage. She grabbed a hefty branch from the ground and faced her pursuers. Five of them, all men.
“She’s waiting for her Fair One friends to drop out of the sky and save her!”
The wind stirred the leaves overhead.
Drop out of the sky, Shan. Please! Do as he says and save me!
Nothing happened. She heaved in a breath.
“Leave me alone.” She clenched her teeth, her knuckles white where she gripped her makeshift weapon.
Their laughter roared in her ears. They couldn’t imagine that anything could hurt them, least of all one small woman, so outnumbered. The first walked forwards, a knife in his hand. The irony of it twisted in her stomach—Jeren, sister of the Scion of Jern, heiress to River Holt, killed by a bunch of drunken louts from a hole like Brightling’s Dale? It wasn’t going to happen. She would not allow it!
Jeren lashed out. The impact of the wood on his arm jarred through her. His bone shattered.
She didn’t pause. They weren’t going to line up and politely attack her one by one. The other four scrambled forwards, a ragged pack who, sensing danger, would rely on their numbers. She crouched low. There were too many, despair told her. The foremost caught her arm and she saw the flash of a knife. Pain exploded in her side.
An unearthly shriek came from above her and something white plummeted into the face of the third man, beak and talons rending his flesh. He fell beneath the screeching owl, flailing wildly. Anala hurtled into the one with the bloody knife, her whole body her weapon. They tumbled down the gully, man and wolf, a cacophony of screams and snarls.
The other pair faltered. They were staring at Jeren in horror now, their faces pale with dread. No, not at her…past her, above her…
Shan unfolded silently from the tree branch and dropped to the ground, his sword already drawn.
“Run away,” he told them. His voice rippled like the breeze through the leaves. “Run away now.”
—————–
Competition Time:
If you’d like a chance to win a copy of The Wolf’s Sister:a Tale of the Holtlands why not pop a comment on here to tell me about the things that inspire you, the things you love or even your favourite animals?
I did some interviews and promo a while ago so with only a week left, its all arriving at once. Don’t worry. I’ll pipe down again soon.*
Raine Delight posted an article I wrote on Fantasy cunningly entitled “Why Fantasy?” and another interview which also includes a different except of “The Wolf’s Sister”. Warning for those at work – there are some scantily clad ladies in the site header. Actually, that might be an enticement for some of you.
I also got a stonking review from the wonderful Ciar Cullen – I’m so thrilled about this one.
Long is a master at characterization. Deep characterization, in a short book. Madness, longing, love, desperation, motivation, hurt, betrayal–it’s all there for each primary character. Even Anala, my favorite character (a wolf). Sniff. Because the characters are so real, the relationships are believable. Somehow Long creates connections between her characters seemingly out of thin air. And then you connect–Shan is so loveable in a manly way that it’s heartbreaking when he gets into mortal danger.
I love her description–just enough to give you the sense of the cold fantasy world without boring you. I also loved the tone of this book–serious, a bit morose, deep, desperate. In contrast, the romance is uplifting and brings light to the story.
The lovely Jane from Texty Ladies interviewed me lately – Check it out here for more information on R.F. Long than you could ever really want to know… 🙂
