Description: The King-Killing Queen

Hi Friends, Readers & Magic Wielders,

I had a wonderful weekend. It began with a joint event with Terry Brooks at a Seattle B&N, where I discovered my speaking skills were quite rusty from almost three years of not using them. But it was fun talking to like-minded SF&F people again and signing a lot of books. I knew I missed it but not as much as I discovered I did. Then I spent Sunday and yesterday with my family, not really doing anything but relaxing, reading, eating, and I even managed to write a little. I hope your weekend was a nice one too.

Back at real work now though. I wrote yesterday and this morning in The Everwinter Wraith, beginning a new Seren Ash chapter. It’s her second to last chapter in the book. She’s one of the new characters in the series and I love her. I also spent some time with Ingram to update the Unbound II book description information for sales reps and booksellers. That anthology will be finished in its entirety this week and on its way to the printer and bindery. I’m excited to share it with all of you. More details on that coming up in the next few weeks.

But at the Brooks/Speakman B&N event, I shared a great deal about what is immediately forthcoming from me, The King-Killing Queen. I spoke at length about it. It is the project that is more than likely coming from a major Hollywood studio’s book division. It began as a novella for Grimdark Magazine’s new anthology The King Must Fall—but quickly grew into a full-length novel. At the event, I let people view the beautiful Magali Villeneuve cover art as well as a book description. While I’m not ready to share the artwork with the whole world yet because the studio may have plans for that, I can share that description. I had to write it for the Hollywood studio’s merch and gaming VP. To see if my book has any potential in those areas.

Here is that description. It is a first draft and will probably change, so keep that mind:

In this first book of a new trilogy author Anna Smith Spark calls “a dark love letter to high fantasy,” a woman discovers her unknown past carries with it a terrible future.

When Alafair Goode lay wounded during his quest to destroy Mordreadth the Great Darkness and bring unity to a splintered kingdom, a witch magicked and saved the future High King’s life to fulfill his destiny. Thereafter, all born to his line also cannot die, to be only undone by natural death.

Decades later, Sylvie Raventress is the devoted apprentice to Master Historian Kell, stepbrother to the High King. It is a life of scholarly pursuit and privilege where one day she will take her instructor’s place and write her own histories. But beside Alafair’s deathbed, Sylvie and his scions learn a surprising truth—she is no orphan but is his named heir. Worse, when he dies, the witch’s curse is no more, leaving all of them suddenly mortal and vulnerable.

With her siblings loathing Sylvie’s selection and vying for her throne, she must rely on a Fae guide, a disgraced former First Knight, and a cantankerous light-weaver to restore the fracturing kingdom and become High Queen. And yet the thing none of them know is destiny has its own part to play too.

For the witch saved Alafair Goode for her own reasons…

There you have it. What do you think? If you think this is something you’d like to read, drop a comment below. Add any questions you have. I’ve put a lot of work into this story and I’m eager for everyone to read it.

And if you haven’t joined the Newsletter subscription below, now might be a really good time to do it. A lot of information is going to be coming out over the next few months and you won’t want to miss it.

Back to writing in The Everwinter Wraith. Things are chilly for Seren, Arch Druid Aengus, the tiny gargoyle Strock, and the Ugglebakken…

Shawn

PS: The Signed Page will be carrying about 100 copies of The King Must Fall anthology. I’ll be signing them. More details on that when they arrive in my warehouse.