Sarah Ash's Blog, page 19
August 2, 2012
Drakomancer Chapter 4!
A new chapter of Drakomancer for September can be found here.
June 28, 2012
The Young Magus… by Marcelle Natisin
Returning to the world of ‘Drakomancer’ (original working title ’A Shiver of Silver’) I couldn’t resist adding a link (with the artist’s kind permission) to some sketches that she drew when musing about Kaspar Linnaius’s obscure and mysterious origins. (And Kaspar Linnaius would be the last man to reveal anything about himself and his childhood, even to his emperor!) So ‘Drakomancer’ is my response to readers, like Marcelle, who asked me for more about the Magus (I wanted to find out more too!)
June 24, 2012
New – Drakomancer Chapter 2!
I’ve just added Chapter 2 of Drakomancer in Extracts. Enjoy! And if you’d be interested in a free preview of Chapter 3, just contact me by the usual means (contact below) and I’ll be happy to send it to you.
June 5, 2012
Drakomancer…new free extract!
Times are not easy for the mid-list writer at the moment. But I’m so heartened to hear from readers that they are enjoying the Artamon stories – thank you for getting in touch! And, as I mentioned earlier this year, I’m slowly, steadily writing Book 4, the direct sequel about Gavril abd Kiukiu that follows on after the end of Children of the Serpent Gate. More news – and another extract – soon!
There’s also another fantasy novel ‘out there’ doing the rounds – I haven’t been idle! – and then there’s Drakomancer. I began to write this under the title A Shiver of Silver three years ago (for reasons that will soon become clear) with fans of Kaspar Linnaius in mind.
Drakomancer is set in Francia (or, to be accurate, a little kingdom of Francia called Sapaudie) and in Allegonde at least a hundred and twenty years or so before Lord of Snow and Shadows takes place. It’s not finished – but if I have enough reader interest, I’ll be happy to continue it.
So rather than have these first chapters languishing unread on my hard drive any longer, I’ve decided to share them with any readers who would like to try another story set in the world of Artamon. I’m putting up the first chapter here for starters. If you would like to read Chapter 2, please contact me via the contact page and let me know. (One chapter every month for starters…)
December 14, 2011
Return to Azhkendir – an occasional work-in-progress blog
What's In A Name?
Names are very important to me when starting out on a new story. If the name I've chosen for a character or a place is wrong, then the story often stalls until I change it and get it right.
Gavril started out as Tian Andar. That name just didn't suit him at all. Because all my fantasy stories feel more like alternate histories, I want to give each country an identity of its own – and names to match. So it made sense for Gavril – the son of an Azhkendi ruler and a Smarnan artist – to have an Eastern European name.
And now that I've returned to Azhkendir and am writing – for my own pleasure (and I hope that of all those of you who have been kind enough to ask me 'What happened next?') – I find myself introducing new characters and searching diligently for new names that will suit them.
So here are a few Azhkendi names (originally from Eastern Europe/Russia) and their meanings:
Larisa Nagarian (daughter of Gavril and Kiukiu) – sea bird, sea gull
Vartik – friend of Vassily, Bogatyr Askold's younger son
Kion – martyr (Ninusha's son with Anders)
Krasa – beautiful (Gavril's roan mare)
November 4, 2011
LORD OF SNOW AND SHADOWS on 50-page Fridays on Suvudu
Nothing raises an author's spirits more than the news that their editor is promoting their work on-line. My thanks go to Anne Groell for these kind words as Lord of Snow and Shadows gets this week's spotlight on Fridays on Suvudu. Do drop by and see what she says…
http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/11/del-rey-spectra-50-page-fridays-sarah-ash.html
October 15, 2011
Song For a Naming Day – illustrated by Marcelle Natisin
Here http://www.sarah-ash.com/short-stories is the first of the short stories that are linked to the Artamon novels. Others will follow…
Song for a Naming Day was first published by Newcon Press in 2010 in The Write Fantastic Anthology 'Anniversaries. ' My thanks go to Ian Whates and Ian Watson for their editorial expertise! Find 'Anniversaries' and other excellent publications at:
http://newconpress.co.uk/category/anthology/
The new, specially commissioned and gorgeous colour illustration is by Marcelle Natisin; see more of her work in progress, including the original sketch at: www.scribbleymark.tumblr.com
Thank you, Marcelle – I sincerely hope that we can work together on more projects!
August 25, 2011
A Dragon from Sue Leach
I'm always thrilled to receive new art that relates to my stories, so I was really excited to see this splended dragon from artist Sue Leach; thank, you, Sue!
(With its horns, it looks as if it might be an oriental dragon, or even… a Tide Dragon…)
July 6, 2011
Erin M. Hartshorn's A-Z of Women Authors of Science Fiction and Fantasy
I was delighted to be approached by author Erin M. Hartshorn to be part of a new A to Z series on her blog. Each post will discuss 3 to 4 women authors of science fiction and fantasy.
I'm honoured to be included alongside C. L. Anderson, Eleanor Arnason, Catherine Asaro; many thanks, Erin, and I'm looking forward to reading about many other authors in the genre every Wednesday!
