7 day steal deal

Another special deal that lasts for a week only. You can snap up a 70% discount on my e-books from the Carentan Series, directly from my publisher’s website Double Dragon Books.

My books focus on action adventure, battles, political intrigue and magic realism. I like to include a sub-plot with a love interest and I don’t write long paragraphs of description, so my books are light reads with lots of action and short chapters. Each book is a stand-alone story in itself, so you don’t necessarily need to have read the previous books to enjoy them and they can be read in any order.

I have always loved fantasy books and some of my earlier influences include classic epic fantasy, such the Lord of the Rings, The Belgariad and the Wheel of Time. Of course, I’m also a big fan of Game of Thrones. I’m also very much influenced by YA fantasy and love to read books by authors like, Tamora Pierce, Sharon Shinn and Megan Whelan Turner.

So, what are you waiting for? Snap up a fantasy adventure e-book for only £1.30 ($1.80) – hurry, offer ends on March 10th! Available only from Double Dragon Books

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Black Friday deal

Okay, so it’s really black Saturday now, but stick with me, as my deal is a special one that lasts for a week. You can snap up a heavily discounted e-book from the Carentan Series, directly from my publisher’s website Double Dragon Books.

My books focus on action adventure, battles, political intrigue and magic realism. I like to include a sub-plot with a love interest and I don’t write long paragraphs of description, so my books are light reads with lots of action and short chapters. Each book is a stand-alone story in itself, so you don’t necessarily need to have read the previous books to enjoy them and they can be read in any order.

I have always loved fantasy books and some of my earlier influences include classic epic fantasy, such the Lord of the Rings, The Belgariad and the Wheel of Time. Of course, I’m also a big fan of Game of Thrones. I’m also very much influenced by YA fantasy and love to read books by authors like, Tamora Pierce, Sharon Shinn and Megan Whelan Turner.

So, what are you waiting for? Snap up a fantasy adventure e-book for only £1.30 ($1.80) – hurry, offer ends in 5 days! Available only from Double Dragon Books

Why we love a coming-of-age story

Coming-of-age is a genre that typically has a young protagonist who goes on a journey to find meaning to their life. We follow their moral and psychological growth from youth to adulthood with the expectation that they will face significant barriers along the way. They may make mistakes and face life or death circumstances, but the key factor is that the character learns from their experience and changes as a result.

The genre of Fantasy Fiction loves a coming-of-age story. The story arc takes our young protagonist on a journey that often starts with loss or alienation; think Harry Potter, or The Hunger Games. A common theme is the discovery of magical or special powers; Name of the Wind, A Wizard of Earthsea, and part of the quest is to discover how to use this special gift for good. This opens up the genre to that age-old battle between good and evil, often introducing a dark antagonist; Lord of the Rings, The Belgariad.

My all time favourite is The Thief by Megan Whelan Turner and its sequel The Queen of Attolia, which strictly speaking, you might not class as a coming-of-age story. However, it has all the elements that make it so in my mind; a young protagonist who faces a journey which forces him to make moral and psychological choices, love, loss – both physical and emotional – and circumstances that demand him to take responsibility not only for himself but for his family and his nation. Add to that a dash of supernatural powers, a few good fight scenes and I am sold.

We can all identify with the loss of innocence; right from the moment we discover that it is really our parents who are putting presents under the Christmas tree. As adults, our whole lives are coloured by perspectives that do not limit the imagination of the young. Somehow, we long to rid ourselves of the shackles of rational thought and return once again to that age of innocence, when life was so much simpler. So the coming-of-age story allows us to relive a life less complicated and find the answers to our own adult conundrums through youthful eyes. What’s not to love about that?

So what can I bring to bear from personal experience on this well documented genre? Well, I’m still waiting to come of age, so in the meantime I’ll just carry on writing stories.

Footprints in the Digisphere

Should you be concerned about your digital footprint?

I came across this hilarious video clip whilst researching content for a presentation I was invited to give recently about managing your online identity. The presentation was primarily pitched at university students but it occurred to me that this is something of interest to anyone who is active online. After showing the clip, several people in the audience whipped out their tablets and starting searching for their privacy settings!

Enjoy! (And beware…)