Tag Archives: fantasy

Republishing: The Scroll Thief

Book 2 in my republishing adventure, The Scroll Thief is almost ready to go and available for pre-order now.

One theft too many and their world will burn.

Malachy and his sister, Halia, have what it takes to survive the dangerous streets of Klathport, capital of the once-great kingdom of Ithian. From the moment he steals from Trask, everything goes to hell.

Trask follows the law, determined to serve the city. But the secrets he keeps and his turbulent past are about to catch up with him and the other side of prison bars could prove deadly.

Cerys plays the role of a simple travelling healer. Her mission was supposed to atone for a dreadful, long-ago act and she needs the two men to fulfil it. Instead, they unleash a chain of events which sees them hunted through city and surrounding desert by the guards, the council, a psychopathic murderer and a malevolent sorceress.

Romance, tragedy, and adventure combine in a magical land on the brink of war when past and present collide.

Pre-orderĀ here (Amazon.co.uk) & here (Amazon.com). You never know what surprises you might find…

Psst wanna win an ARC of The Treachery of Beautiful Things?

I’ve a guestpost up on The Book Pushers today, as part of their Fantasy Appreciation Week, on fairytales in modern fantasy — Fairytales in a modern dress. And if that’s not lure enough… oh all right, you can enter to win an author review copy of The Treachery of Beautiful Things!

The giveaway ends on 13th April, and it’s open internationally.

Musings on Peter Pan

A friend gave me a copy of “Peter Pan in Scarlet” by Geraldine McCaughrean yesterday. It’s one of those books I’ve toyed with the idea of reading, but something has always stopped me. I started it last night and so far I’m really enjoying it. Really. Such a pleasant surprise.

It got me thinking about a number of things, however. Why was I reluctant to read this book? A number of reasons I suppose, chief among them being the fact that I love Peter Pan. LOVE. Almost as much as I love Robin Hood (I’m also strangely reluctant to see the new Robin Hood film). And in my love of Peter Pan I’m reluctant to see that character mangled. Again.

If you haven’t read Barrie’s Peter Pan, (or Peter Pan and Wendy) you should. Not that I am a purist but Peter embodies something about childhood, youth and the wild that I think gets missed in most of the interpretations. You see, Peter, while a hero, a marvellous boy, a dazzling exciting friend, is not a very safe person to be around. And that makes adults very uncomfortable.

Peter is dangerous because Peter has no concept of death. Nor of injury or disaster. Peter can’t conceive of anything “bad” happening because it doesn’t happen to him. Ever. “To die would be an awfully big adventure” he says. And that is that. Prepared with these words, assured of his own continued existence even beyond death (because nothing, not even death, can destroy Peter), he puts fear aside. And of course survives.

Wendy and the boys can’t continue on like this, as we are reminded right from the outset “all children grow up, except one”. Peter will rescus them, no doubt about that, but only to drop them into greater perilĀ  the next moment. Continue reading Musings on Peter Pan