Tag Archives: The Sworn

Welcome to The Dread

by Gail Z. Martin

The Dread, Book Two in The Fallen Kings Cycle, is now available!

The Dread is the conclusion to the struggle for control of the Winter Kingdoms that began in The Sworn.  For those who have read my Chronicles of the Necromancer series, it’s the sixth book following the lives, struggles and adventures of Tris Drayke, Kiara Sharsequin, Jonmarc and Carina Vahanian, and the rest of the crew.

As plague and famine scourge the winter kingdoms, a vast invasion force is mustering from beyond the northern seas. And at its heart, a dark spirit mage wields the blood magic of ancient, vanquished gods.

Summoner-King Martris Drayke must attempt to meet this great threat, gathering an army from a country ravaged by civil war. Neighboring lands reel toward anarchy while plague decimates their leaders. Drayke must seek new allies from among the living – and the dead –- as an untested generation of rulers face their first battle.

Then someone disturbs the legendary Dread as they rest in a millennia-long slumber beneath sacred barrows. Their warrior guardians, the Sworn, know the Dread could be pivotal as a force for great good or evil. But if it’s the latter, could even the Summoner-King’s sorcery prevail?

So is this the last book in the Winter Kingdoms?  No.  But I’m going to step away from these characters for a while and give the survivors a much overdue rest  (the action of the six books takes place over the course of about two years, so they’ve earned it).  Later this year, I’ll tell you more about what comes next, but for now, I’m very excited to share the rest of the story with you and take you along on the dark and dangerous road to save the Winter Kingdoms.

Here are some extra goodies in celebration of The Dread’s launch:

  • “Like” my WinterKingdoms page on Facebook and enter to win a prize package of signed books, foreign editions and rare Advance Review Copies  https://on.fb.me/yRGfHD
  • Watch the video:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teyvxnIEITg
  • Four excerpts to get you started:
  • Excerpt #1 https://www.4shared.com/document/aypH5jjv/An_excerpt_from_The_Dread_chp_.html
  • Excerpt #2 https://www.4shared.com/document/W7IBgFfL/An_excerpt_from_The_Dread_chp_.html
  • Excerpt #3

https://www.4shared.com/document/E7QlVWJc/An_excerpt_from_The_Dread_chp_.html

  • Excerpt #4

https://www.4shared.com/document/xHN5lNvM/Dread_Excerpt_4.html

  • Order from Amazon through my link at www.TheWinterKingdoms.com and get special bonus downloads from a slew of my author friends!

And I’ll be out and about with The Dread, so catch me here:

  • Reading and signing at SheVaCon in Roanoke, VA Feb. 16 – 18
  • Launch party at Mysticon in Roanoke, VA from 7 – 9 pm in the Con Suite on Feb. 24
  • In-store signing at the Barnes & Noble at Carolina Place Mall, Charlotte NC on Feb. 4
  • In-store signing at Books-A-Million at Concord Mills, Concord, NC on Feb. 11
  • Watch for more in-store signings to come!

I’d love to hear from you—please comment on my blog or on Facebook, and of course, I always really appreciate it when you forward my posts to your friends.

I hope to meet you at a convention or signing this year.  Enjoy!

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A Life of Their Own

by Gail Z. Martin

Long-running series can be lots of fun because they take on a life of their own.  At the same time, it can be intimidating for new readers because once several books in the series are out, it can be daunting to get “caught up.”  That was the challenge I faced when I wrote The Sworn, which just came out in stores at the end of January.  It’s my fifth novel, and it’s set in my world of the Winter Kingdoms with many of the same characters as my first four books.  But I wanted to create a gateway into the world where someone new could enter without having to read the first four books (of course, I hope they’ll decide to do that later) and still enjoy the book.

Creating that kind of gateway changes how you write, because you can’t take for granted that every reader has the same collective memory about the places, events and characters.  At the same time, since you’re hoping that many of the people who’ve read your other books will want to read your new one, you don’t want to bore them by spending too much time recapping what went on before or re-introducing characters they already know.  It’s quite a challenge.

Before I wrote The Sworn, I paid attention to how other series writers handled the issue.  I noticed how they referred to important past events that had spoiler potential but which had to be explained at least in passing.  I noticed how subsequent books introduced long-running characters.  And I tried to examine from a reader’s perspective where I thought the situation was handled well and where it left me confused or bored.

I learn a lot from paying attention to how other authors handle certain types of plot issues.  It brings a whole new dimension to the way I read, because on one hand, I’m reading for plot and action just like a “regular” reader.  Then the writer side of me is busy looking under the hood to see how the other author handled the “mechanics” of the story.  I guess it’s like eating out at a restaurant when you’re also a chef.  You enjoy eating food that tastes good, but you can’t help wanting to peek into the kitchen to see how it’s cooked!

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News on The Sworn

by Gail Z. Martin

The Sworn is on bookstore shelves, and I am in bookstores doing signings and meeting with readers.  I really enjoy going to stores and conventions because it’s fun to talk with other people who enjoy reading.  It’s also fun to see how books find their way into people’s hands.  Many times, the person who will buy a signed book from me is buying for someone else.  I can’t count the number of times someone has said, “wait right here, I need to bring my {wife, sister, daughter, husband, brother, son, etc.} over to meet you—he/she likes that kind of book.”  I’ve seen people call someone on a cell phone or drag them down the mall or across the store because I’ve got “their kind of book.”  It’s also fun to think of my books being someone’s present for a birthday, Christmas, or another holiday or a care package sent to troops overseas.  I remember one man came into a bookstore just before Valentine’s Day last year with his son.  The man looked lost, and I asked if he was looking for a gift.  When I told him about my books (which I happened to be signing that day), he lit up like I had just solved his problem and bought all four that were out at the time!

Books are often considered to be less personal than a gift of clothing or jewelry, but picking the right book for someone is intensely personal if you really want to find a book that the person will care about.  It also often requires the buyer to set aside his/her preferences to get something the other person will enjoy.  The gift of the perfect book is a statement that the giver really knows you well.  It’s fun to be part of that chain!

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The Two-Faced God

by Gail Z. Martin

Postcards from Liminal Space—January was named for Janus, the two-faced god.  It makes sense.  It’s a month when we look forward and backward, when we’re nostalgic over what’s ending and tentatively excited about what’s beginning.  I can relate.  I’m wading into beginning a brand new series—new characters, a new world, a whole new world building exercise.  At the same time, I’m getting ready for the launch of The Sworn, which is the newest book set in the world of the Winter Kingdoms.  So I’ve got a foot in old and new, and it’s a little strange.

It’s really exciting to flex my imagination and bring a whole new cast of characters to life.  My mind is becoming a very crowded place!  And it’s also fun to work out their history, the culture and society, the beliefs and mythology—I’m exploring brand new territory, and once I find my way around, I’ll bring you with me.  At the same time, the beginning of any new journey is unsettling, because the traveling always changes the traveler.  Should be interesting.

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New Books by Our Resident Bloggers

The Sworn by Gail Z. Martin is now in stores.

As plague and famine scourge the winter kingdoms, a vast invasion force is mustering from beyond the northern seas. And at its heart, a dark spirit mage wields the blood magic of ancient, vanquished gods.

Summoner-King Martris Drayke must attempt to meet this great threat, gathering an army from a country ravaged by civil war. Neighboring lands reel toward anarchy while plague decimates their leaders. Drayke must seek new allies from among the living – and the dead –- as an untested generation of rulers face their first battle.

Then someone disturbs the legendary Dread as they rest in a millennia-long slumber
beneath sacred barrows. Their warrior guardians, the Sworn, know the Dread could be pivotal as a force for great good or evil. But if it’s the latter, could even the Summoner-King’s sorcery prevail?

The Sworn is Book One of The Fallen Kings Cycle, and it picks up the adventures of Tris, Jonmarc and the Winter Kingdoms gang six months after the end of Dark Lady’s Chosen.  There are all new challenges, lots of dark magic and the biggest threat Margolan has faced in 400 years.

You can read the first chapter of The Sworn by clicking here

Or, you can listen to Gail read from Chapter One by clicking here.

Crossed: A Void City Novel by J.F. Lewis is also available now.

You can purchase Crossed from Amazon by clicking here.

You can also read an enlightening guest post on Greta by clicking here.

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Freebie Friday from Gail Z. Martin

Enjoy a sneak peek of The Sworn: Book One in The Fallen Kings Cycle, available from Orbit Books in February, 2011.

https://www.chroniclesofthenecromancer.com/TheSwornExcerpt.html

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