Francesca T. Barbini's Blog, page 11

The Doctor Returns to Edinburgh!

Ok, well... not THAT Doctor. It's only little old me!In 2013 I had the fabulous opportunity to become Doctor Book for the young attendees of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Please note the row of splendid stethoscopes and white coats in the picture :)  Along with Simon Radcliffe, Tomi and Dawn, we "consulted" with our young "patients" in the children's tent. They told us their "symptoms" (aka: what they liked) and we prescribed the right "medicine" (aka: the book to read)!Isn't it just?This coming Friday 18th of August, I shall don my saving outfit and become Doctor Book once again! We start at noon and finish at 3.30PM. I do hope to see you there!

Luna's Call for Papers 2016 Out Now!

Luna's first Call for Papers, "Gender Identity and Sexuality in Fantasy and Science Fiction", is out now!When the call was announced, it had the tag line 'do we have a problem?' The variety of topics and approaches undertaken, allows us to take a deeper look into the current status of fantasy and SF in regards to identity and sexuality; as well as challenging your views, it will provide you with food for thoughts and a pulse on the market.Moreover, the papers do not simply revolve around the written words, but they deal with the issue in the publishing world at large, movies, TV, card games and even cosplay. The book comes out today, just as Worldcon 75 opens in Helsinki. Since we are there and so are some of the authors, we are offering you a great chance to buy your copy and get it signed!Let me re-introduce you to our fabulous writers and the title of their individual papers. Here they are:Clockwise from the top left:Anna Milon (Russia), English Literature, current Education Officer of the Tolkien Society. Researcher. Presenting the paper: "Bikini Armour: Women Characters, Readers and Writers in Male Narratives"Cheryl Morgan (UK) SF critic and publisher, owner of Wizard’s Tower Press and Hugo Award winner. Researcher. Presenting the paper: "Tipping the Fantastic: How the Transgender Tipping Point has Influenced Speculative Fiction"Hazel Butler (UK) MA Celtic Archaeology, Academic Researcher (Gender identity and Iron Age archaeology). Fantasy Author and Copywriter. Presenting the paper: "Badass Bisexual Babes: Shameless Titillation or Empowered Characters Embracing their True Selves and Sexuality?"Alina Hadîmbu (Romania), MA in Comparative Literature and Cultural Anthropology. Writer. Presenting the paper: "Newly Added Female Characters to Blockbuster Franchises. Gender Balancing in Otherwise Male-Dominated Fictional Worlds or a Greater Purpose?"Juliet McKenna (UK) Greek and Roman history and literature. Fantasy Writer. Presenting the paper: "The Myth of Meritocracy and the Reality of the Leaky Pipe and Other Obstacles in Science Fiction & Fantasy"Rostislav Kůrka (Czech Republic/Finland) MA Theology. Researcher, Writer. Presenting the paper: "The Magical Way Forward? Recent Changes in Gender Representation in Magic: The Gathering Card Game"Lorianne Reuser (Canada) English Literature, Greek and Roman studies. Researcher. Presenting the paper: "Subversion, Sex and Violence: Rape as Narrative Tool In ‘A Song Of Ice And Fire’"Jyrki Korpua (Finland), PHD in Literary studies and Lecturer. Researcher. Presenting the paper: "What about Tauriel? From Divine Mothers to Active Heroines - The Female Roles in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Legendarium and Peter Jackson’s movie adaptations"Kim Lakin-Smith (UK) MA in Journalism and Creative Writing, Fantasy and Science Fiction writer. Presenting the paper: "Doll Parts: Reflections of the Feminine Grotesque in Frances Hardinge’s Cuckoo Song and Neil Gaiman’s Coraline"A J Dalton (UK), PhD Creative Writing. Fantasy author with Gollancz. Presenting the paper: "Gender-identity and Sexuality in Current Sub-Genres of British Fantasy Literature: Do we Have a Problem?"And remember that our call for papers, 'The development of African Fantasy and Science Fiction' is open until 30th of November 2017.Order here now!

Why Do Authors Need To Go To Cons?

On Monday we leave for Finnish shores. Worldcon 75 here we come! I'm laughing/crying at the logistic nightmare ahead of us: 5 cricket bags full of books! Between the early rise to catch the plane and the dragging of luggage, by the time we reach Helsinki, we'll feel like Sisyphus in the Underworld. However, the plan is to return home much lighter :) so please, make our authors (and our back) happy and adopt a book!Conventions are a big part of an author's life. I cannot imagine being where I am today without my con experience. Specifically, I am referring to book conventions/events, rather than traditional book fairs like London or Frankfurt, and definitely not ComicCons, which are a different matter altogether. The ones I go to are primarily about SF, Fantasy and Horror.That said, I also realise that I am lucky to be able to attend, as they are also one of the biggest expenses in an author's yearly schedule, which not everyone can afford, for several reasons. And what if you can't go? What will people think?With Worldcon upon us, I want to share my con experience with others and why I think that authors should go to conventions if they can. We'll look at Pros and Cons as well as tips for when money is an issue.PROs of Conventions1. Friendship. I met some amazing people over the course of the years, who are now close friends. I went to their weddings, birthday parties, dinners, etc. Some of these friends also happen to be talented writers, editors, publishers, and I realised pretty quickly that no matter how established they were, they always found time for a chat and good advice. Most importantly, these friends love what I love: the speculative fiction world; the writing of it, the reading of it. It. They love IT.  You can bounce ideas off each other, ask for beta reading, support each other's projects. It's all very positive for me, and I am grateful to have met so many amazing people.This show of support is very important for authors, believe me. Writing brings self-doubt and you need your friends to be there for you, to nudge you along the way. Other friends, generally outside the con world, don't all read my books or engage with my Luna socials, even though they know that my life revolves around Luna these days. But that's OK. I just remember that friends join your path at different times in your life, and fulfil different friendship needs - I can't possibly be talking about electric sheep and Delta Quadrant ALL the time, can I? ... -_- 2. NetworkingIt is at cons that people learn about your work. Self-published authors don't have the same budget as a publisher when it comes to marketing, so a live event is a perfect place to start.  My first ever trader's table, at Eastercon 2013 in Bradford, had 3 books on it. I had bought a nice stand-up banner, made some bookmarks, business cards, carrier bags, and introduced myself to everybody that passed by my table. I was so green, that when a couple of well-known writers stopped by for a chat, I actually asked them what they did for a living... clueless as I was *groan*. In my defence, writers are not like actors - you don't always get to see their faces. Aside from exposing yourself to that world, and sharing your expertise, you also link with people who can enrich your writing experience - editors, writers, reviewers, beta readers. It is like the Roman Forum. You need to be there to keep your finger on the pulse.And since I'm never one for baby steps, at that first convention I also took part in the programme, running what is now my regular writing workshop for younger writers. Proper commando that I am. Here is where you build your reputation, your fan base; where those who buy your books get to meet you and talk to you. And if you can get subsidised by your publisher, bonus! 3. Satisfaction :)At cons you sell your books. Nay, you SIGN your books! This brings satisfaction and recognition, as well as some money. Most con goers love to read, and they are kind towards new authors. Be yourself, share your experience and you will find that people are more than willing to give you a chance. Retaining a customer is up to you and your writing skills, of course.4. TravellingCons take place all over the UK and, of course, there are Eurocons and Worldcons. If you love travelling, this is perfect. When money is tight, and you have to choose between a holiday or a con, you could make your con the holiday, by adding a few extra days for sightseeing, for example.5. The Dealers Secret Club (not as dodgy as it sounds!)It's unspoken, but it's there. Dealers are the people I often spend most of my time with at cons. I often manage to see NOTHING except the traders' hall and the bar in the evening. I generally leave to attend Luna's programme items and launches and, if I'm lucky, some evening panels. We normally access the con before other people and end up helping to set the whole room up, not just our table. It's hard work manning a table for 8 hours straight, but it's part of my job, and I love it! We look after each other's wares and generally just look out for each other. Friends will pass by your table to bring you sustenance, allow you toilet breaks (before your bladder reaches bagpipe levels), and even a pint if you behave. ;) CONs of Conventions1. Expenses.As you establish yourself and your body of work grows, more income will be generated during conventions. But it takes time and, of course, writing time.Every con I go to means starting at a deficit. No two ways about it.For every con, you need a budget. These days, a 3-day con will need an average of £400 between hotel, food and drinks. Registration ranges between £50-120. The table can vary from the £40-50 of Eastercon/Fantasycon, to £100 of Nine Worlds Geek Fest, to the £180 of a Worldcon - and that's for the same size table. Then you need to buy stock to sell; perhaps some marketing material, carrier bags, banners.  And of course, petrol, flights, train tickets, you name it.To make it viable, you also need to offer new products. The people who go to these national cons are mostly regulars, and you can't really sell them the same book twice, unless they are buying a present. If you have a table just for your books, this means that you need to write and keep at it, or space your appearances out. I have published one book a year for the last 8 years, and that's hard going when you have other things to do. Of course, now that I have finished the Tijaran Tales series, and my table is Luna's table, the pressure is less, as I publish other authors and sell their books too.Finally, let's not forget the book launch. Should you decide to take that route, it is customary to offer some refreshments. It's not a rule, but we all do it, just like a host would. I did it when I was launching for myself, and I do it for Luna's book launches. The drinks price range is £100-150 for a one hour slot, unless you only offer soft drinks, in which case it will be substantially less. In my mind I see it as a nice thing to do, whether the drinks be soft or strong. I'm celebrating, I want you to celebrate with me and I am very happy to pour you a glass to toast the occasion. "What if people only come to get a free drink?" Let them - it's perfectly fine. They are listening to what you have to say; they are learning about a new book and a new author; besides, audience count is always good for morale. It's all good.  It took me some time to recoup the table money, then the table and registration money. Currently working towards Luna's next target. And will I ever be able to recoup the whole con budget from the sales at a con? I couldn't say right now; I know it's possible, but we are only 3 years old. On the other hand, you may meet someone at a con who, in time, becomes your customer - even if the sale wasn't made there and then, your meeting worked as an investment.Oh. The plus side to this is that you can offset expenses (except for booze!) in your tax return, so keep every single receipt.TIPs to save money for Self-Published Authors A) If you are a self-pub, with only one or two books out, perhaps you could double up with someone else to share the expenses. B) Often cons offer a self-pub table, where you share with similar authors. Find out if the table handler takes a commission or if you simply have to contribute towards the cost of the table. C) To save money initially, you can skip the whole table/stock/marketing material thing and try to get on the programme. It would give you some exposure, keeping the costs down.D) Get a day registration only, to ease yourself in and meet new friends.E) Save money, like you would for anything else, and try to make one con a year, perhaps one near your home, so you can save on the hotel.F) Bring food and drink from home to save buying these items at the hotel.G) Find a shorter event, closer to home, to start with. The big annual cons like Eastercon, Fantasycon, Nine Worlds, etc. run for several days and are held in big hotels to cater for numbers. Why not try 1-day events, such as Edge-Lit (or its Christmas equivalent, Sledge-Lit), or BristolCon.H) Find a book festival near you. They often need volunteers for the programme and stalls to sell books.I) If you can only afford one event a year, pick the con most relevant to what you write.J) Again, once you identify the con most suited to your genre, make that your regular annual occasion. It will be easier to network if you become a regular of a particular con.K) Associations, like the BSFA or the BFS, run regular events every year. You could start with those - a cheaper way to introduce yourself to the community.2. If the author isn't there...As we've established, cons aren't cheap for authors. By now you'll have realise that I love going to cons and I try my best to attend as many as I can (as an author and as Luna), but of course it comes at a price: financially, time, etc.. In the end, I run a business, so the number of cons I go to has of course increased since I was just an author. I am now responsible for other people. As a small business, I am not at the level where I can subsidise all my authors to attend, but at the very least I can be there, promoting their books.So, what happens if the author doesn't show? We were having this chat on FB, and one author voiced the concern that, if you are already established, fans can feel let down and organisers can think that you don't care anymore which, we know, is not necessarily the truth.And, if you are a new author, you simply remain in the shadows, outside of a most useful network. How can an author get around this obstacle? Aside from the tips I have listed above, if you can't make the live event at all, even once, then my advice is to be visible on social networks. Establish your website and add a blog or even a vlog. Be active. Engage on Twitter or Facebook, where most con goers are. Make use of Goodreads, or LibraryThing. The cons we've mentioned in this article all have annual subscriptions, forums and groups. Join the ones which are relevant to you, so as to not waste precious time, and make yourself known this way.It's not quite the same as going to a con, but it's a start. And when you do make it to one, you'll already have friends waiting to meet you.The Dark Side of discounting bulk sales.Just as I finished writing this article, Luna author and acclaimed fantasy writer, Juliet McKenna, brought a Philip Pullman article to our attention. It highlights, indirectly, one of the reasons why authors cannot always go to conventions, even if they want to.I don't want to go off topic right now, but it is worth pointing out that making a living out of writing is actually very challenging these days, and funnelling money into cons becomes increasingly hard.And, since we are discussing authors attending cons, well, if the money doesn't come in, it's not going to be easy, is it?Briefly, Pullman is the president of the Society of Authors and has spoken out before against the damage created by discounting bulk sales to places like book clubs and supermarkets. Not only does it hugely diminish the money earned by an author, he says, but it also turns books into a cheap commodity.One argument is that the collapse of the NBA, the Net Book Agreement, is to blame for this discounting of bulk sales, and a reintroduction in some form of such an agreement could help make up some lost ground. In a nutshell, the NBA, established in 1899, is a price-fixing deal between publishers and booksellers to protect the wide range that is published and stocked in shops. It prevents booksellers offering discounts on "net" price books. As you know, this is no longer the case. We are talking here about an 80-90% discount, not a regular sale. The snowball effect touches everyone as the prices are cut: independent retailers, small publishers, authors, indie authors, etc. are all affected. To conclude.Cons are a big YES for me, a chance to meet like-minded people, stand out and be known. And, in today's packed market, it's no small feat.Let me know if you have any questions and feel free to add advice or comments. Thank you!

Steampunk Writers Around The World: Out Now!

Our global Steampunk anthology: "Steampunk Writers Around the World - Vol I" is out today! It's time to brush up on those language skills of yours because this is a bilingual anthology, half in Spanish and half in English. The cover artwork is by Luna artist Jay Johnstone. Jay has also created individual images for each of the stories, reflecting their unique cultural setting.Here are the stories you will find in the anthology: FOREWORD By Kevin SteilTHE STORY OF YOUR HEART By Josué Ramos - SpainEL ALFÉREZ DE HIERRO By Fábio Fernandes - Brazil HEIRS By Marcus R. Gilman - Germany PÓLVORA Y VAPOR By Aníbal J. Rosario Planas - Puerto Rico PROVIDENCE IN THE PACIFIC By Ray Dean - HawaiiLAS CADENAS INFINITAS By César Santivañez - Peru THE SWARM By Milton Davis - AfricaLA HISTORIA DE TU CORAZÓN By Josué Ramos - SpainUNMADE By Suna Dasi - Scotland/India LA MALDICIÓN DE LA ESPINA By Elaine Vilar Madruga - Cuba THE GOLDEN APPLE By Petra Slováková - Czech RepublicCUAUHTLIPOCA, EL ÁGUILA HUMEANTE By Paulo César Ramírez Villaseñor - MexicoOrder the anthology now!

Aragorn - What is new in the 2nd Edition?

As some of you may know, Angela P  Nicholas released "Aragorn: JRR Tolkien's Undervalued Hero" in 2013 through Authors' Online (who used Bright Pen as their imprint name). When Authors' Online closed down, and was subsequently taken over by New Generation, Angela decided talk to us at Luna about a second edition. We were delighted to welcome her on board, as we thought the book was well worthy of publication. Those who purchased the first edition certainly agreed, as the 5 star reviews are still visible on various sites, including Amazon.com and .UK. And there was, of course, a glowing review from Christina Scull, who is a renowned Tolkien scholar.The second edition will be a first for our new readers, but what about those of you who already own a copy? Here's what's different about it:1) On the outside, "Aragorn" is no longer a full A4 size, but instead 276 x 203mm. The length now sits at 450 pages. It's no feather, but the content is truly worth the weight! The cover graphic was created by Tolkien artist Jay Johnstone, using Angela's custom made jewellery design. 2) We also have the e-book version, which did not exist before. 3) Finally, Angela has created a detailed list of what is new in the second edition of "Aragorn", so you can decide whether to purchase the new version or not. Please read it until the end for a good overview. The most important thing I would like to ask all of you who are interested in purchasing this book is to buy this new second edition, otherwise Angela will not receive any royalties. We cannot remove old editions of a book from Amazon or other secondhand sales site but, if you buy the first edition (not published by Luna Press), it will not be the author who benefits.This book truly has a lot to offer, and it will make you look at Aragorn in a very different light.Pre-Order now!

Allen Stroud - The Forever Man

On the 1st of January we welcomed Allen Stroud into the Luna family. Now, Fantasycon 2017 is less than two months away, and the Luna team is hard at work finalising his next release, 'The Forever Man', which will be launched during the convention. We are delighted to reveal the fantastic cover of this release, created by South African photographer and graphic designer, Karl Eklund.As you can see from the banner on the cover, Allen hasn't been idle and, among other accomplishments, managed to win an award celebrating Sir Arthur C. Clarke's centenary.When we asked Allen about the book, he told us: "The Forever Man brings together some of my experiences and ideas I had about popular fantasy stories. I always thought C. S. Lewis’ ‘Wood between Worlds’ was a concept that wasn’t explored enough and Robert Holdstock’s ideas about ancient magic and myth surrounding such places are fascinating. The Forever Man is set on an alternative Earth, with some subtle differences to our own, particularly with places like Stonehenge and characters like King Arthur. The mythical concepts and ideas in the book are carefully researched and familiar, but taken in new directions."Allen came to us with incredible writing experience, from many different fields; from books to videogames. He is a multitalented SF and Fantasy writer and academic from Bedfordshire. He worked on the computer game Elite: Dangerous with David Braben and Frontier Developments as both a concept writer and official author, publishing Elite: Lave Revolution in 2014. He then worked with Julian Gollop and Snapshot Games on Chaos Reborn, devising the world of the game and publishing The Loremaster’s Guide and Dreams of Chaos in 2016. He is now involved with their new game, Phoenix Point, set to be published in 2018. Allen is also working with World of Darkness creator, Mark Rein-Hagen, and his company, Make Believe Games, on the roleplaying game, Xenofactor.In the world of academia, Allen is a PhD student at the University of Winchester. He writes reviews for The British Fantasy Society, SFBook.com and Concatenation.org, and is the editor of the British Fantasy Society Journal.  He has also written for Total Film and SFX Magazine.The release date of 'The Forever Man' has been set for Friday 29th of September.

Steampunk Writers: Paulo César Ramírez Villaseñor

Today we would like you to meet Paulo César Ramírez Villaseñor, one of the "Steampunk Writers Around the World" authors. Paulo has contributed the short story "CUAUHTLIPOCA, EL ÁGUILA HUMEANTE", one of the stories you will be able to read in Spanish.Above, you can see Jay Johnstone's image created for this particular story. Jay is also responsible for creating the cover of the anthology.Paulo César Ramírez Villaseñor.- Mexican writer, lives in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Founder and director of the magazine retrofuturism themed “El Investigador”, also wrote a lot of articles related. Director of anthologies “Planes B” (bubok, 2012), an auto editing project with three volumes of stories, the authors selected includes Jeff VanderMeer and Selena Chmbers. Coordinated the four volumes of “Ácronos, antología steampunk” (Tyrannosaurus books, Spain) with help of Spanish writer Josué Ramos. His writing projects come from podcasts scripts to steampunk and dieselpunk stories for Ácronos’ series.In 2014 was published his novelette “Reward: El Ojo del Diablo”, in Spain by Neonauta Ediciones; while in 2015 was part of anthology “The Best of Spanish Steampunk” (Nevsky, Spain) with his stoy “May the fifth”. Nowadays he’s part of the editorial council of Mexican e-zine “Fantastique” which is focused on literature of fantastic genre meanwhile develops other literary projects. As a role playing games fan, comics, history and mythologies lover, he tries to combine as much as its possible his profession, hobbies and passions, that’s the main reason because of his restless mind keeps running with one project after another.You can pre-order your copy on our website, through your usual outlets, or even pick up a copy in Helsinki, during the Worldcon!​We leave you with a little teaser of Paulo César Ramírez Villaseñor's story. Enjoy!CUAUHTLIPOCA, EL ÁGUILA HUMEANTE‘¡Aguanta un poco, todo va a salir bien!’ El hombre apenas si me miró pero pude notar claramente en susilencio que no creyó en mis palabras de aliento. No sabía qué hacer, así que únicamente intentaba darle un poco de ánimo a aquel personaje que se encontraba tirado en el escritorio de mi oficina. Las heridas en su cuerpo eran notorias, una en la pierna y dos en el tronco justo del lado izquierdo, mostrando la carne quemada y la sangre que no dejaba de salir a borbotones; signo inequívoco de que se había enfrentado a los infantes de marina.

Steampunk Writers: Petra Slováková

Today we would like you to meet Petra Slováková, one of the "Steampunk Writers Around the World" authors. Petra has contributed the short story "THE GOLDEN APPLE", one of the stories you will be able to read in English.Above, you can see Jay Johnstone's image created for this particular story. Jay is also responsible for creating the cover of the anthology.Petra   Slováková   first introduced herself to the readers with a short story in the magazine Pevnost. She won several prestigious literary competitions – for example, the  Karel Čapek Prize. She published a book of poetry entitled Básně (Poems), a  book of short stories named Železonoc a jiné podivnosti (The Iron-Night  and Other Oddities), a book of two novellas Cvrček v krabičce (The Cricket in A Box), and is currently working on a steampunk trilogy Ve službách královny (In the Service of the Queen). The first part of this trilogy is called Démon z East Endu (The Demon of East End) and came out in 2015. The second book is planned for late 2016. She is the artist, author of many short stories and a leading figure in Czech steampunk community.​You can pre-order your copy on our website, through your usual outlets, or even pick up a copy in Helsinki, during the Worldcon!We leave you with a little teaser of Petra Slováková's story. Enjoy!THE GOLDEN APPLEThe steam train huffed across an expansive country of woods and meadows, deep within the dreaming Slavic heart of Europe. They say of Moravia that it displays the splendour of ages long past, when the land prospered. The women there were beautiful, the men brave and fearless. Even though the revolution sweeping across the countryside had created factories, monstrosities with belching poisonous fumes, one could still find wild brooks, untamed by dams and dykes.

Steampunk Writers: Elaine Vilar Madruga

Today we would like you to meet Elaine Vilar Madruga, one of the "Steampunk Writers Around the World" authors. Elaine has contributed the short story "LA MALDICIÓN DE LA ESPINA", one of the stories you will be able to read in Spanish.Above, you can see Jay Johnstone's image created for this particular story. Jay is also responsible for creating the cover of the anthology.Elaine Vilar Madruga is a storyteller, poet and playwright, with a Degree in Theater Arts, and Playwriting, by the Superior Institute of Art. Winner of several national and international awards, her work has been published in anthologies throughout the world.​She has published more than 22 titles. Among them: La hembra alfa, Editorial Letras Cubanas 2013; Promesas de la Tierra Rota, Editorial Gente Nueva, año 2013; Salomé, Casa Editorial Abril, 2013; Dime, bruja que destellas, Casa Editorial Abril, 2013; Alter Medea, Antares Publishing House of Spanish Culture, Canadá, 2014; De caballeros y dragones, Ediciones La Luz, 2014; El árbol de los gatos, Metec Alegre Edizioni, Italia, 2015; Bestia, Lugar Común Editorial, Canadá, 2015; Los arcos del norte, Editorial Gente Nueva, 2015; Carmen, la gitana del amor, Editorial Gente Nueva, 2015; Escudo de todas las cabezas, Ediciones Loynaz, 2015; Hentai, Ediciones Loynaz, 2015; Culto de acoplamiento, Editorial José Martí, 2015; Las criaturas del silencio, Editorial Sanlope, 2015; Canto de cisne, Editorial Voces de Hoy, Estados Unidos, 2016 y Sakura, Editorial Desbordes, Santiago de Chile, 2016.​You can pre-order your copy on our website, through your usual outlets, or even pick up a copy in Helsinki, during the Worldcon!You can hear all about the anthology and Elaine's involvement from the lady herself. Here are two links, one in Spanish and one in English.We leave you with a little teaser of Elaine Vilar Madruga's story. Enjoy!LA MALDICIÓN DE LA ESPINA¿Quieres una confesión, Lis? ¿Un mea culpa? Lo hice. Convertí tu cuerpo. Sacrifiqué a tu madre. El arpón escapó de mi mano antes de saber que estabas cubierta por sus gritos y escamas. Ningún perdón puede lavar mis manos, manchadas aún por la sangre de aquella que te dio la vida.

'Aragorn: J. R. R. Tolkien's Undervalued Hero'. Pre-order now!

Aragorn. Strider. King. Ranger. He is one of the most famous and celebrated characters in the history of popular literature. But how much do you really know about the man?Luna Press is delighted to announce the imminent release of the revised and expanded edition of "Aragorn: J. R. R. Tolkien's Undervalued Hero" by Angela P Nicholas. Cover design by Jay Johnstone.“The most enjoyable work on Tolkien I have read in many years” writes Christina Scull. You can read her full review of the first edition here. Christina is best known for her books about the works of Tolkien. She will soon be releasing the revised and expanded edition of her J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide forHarperCollins, alongside husband Wayne G. Hammond.When Angela decided to release this second edition, Christina was very happy to write the foreword for it, and we were simply delighted to have her onboard.This book is a biographical study of Aragorn, covering his ancestry, pre-birth prophecies, the various stages of his life, and his death early in the Fourth Age. There is particular emphasis on the struggles he faced, both physical and mental, and on his crucial role (easily overlooked or underestimated) in bringing about the destruction of the One Ring and the downfall of Sauron. There are also discussions on his appearance and on his many names and titles. Additionally, it is a detailed examination of his interactions and relationships with his contemporaries in Middle-earth, both with individuals and races. It also considers the influence of some of his ancestors on his character and attitude."Thorough" is a good description of Angela's work. I can tell you that she will make you consider Aragorn and his actions in ways you hadn't before, and serve as a powerful companion for your enjoyment of this character. Angela graduated in Latin at London University in 1971 and subsequently gained post-graduate qualifications in Librarianship (1974) and Information Technology (1989). This book is the result of her passion for one of Professor Tolkien’s most beloved heroes.The book is 450 pages long and you can pre-order it from today through all the usual channels. The official release date is the 15th of September.You can pre-order the book at the discounted price of £20 (£25 will be the regular price) ONLY on the Luna website. E-book pre-orders will also be available on your usual platform.And, if you are going to Oxonmoot this September, one of the Tolkien Society's major annual events, you have the option of picking up the book there and getting Angela to sign it for you. Simply choose 'delivery to Oxonmoot' at checkout. Last orders for Oxonmoot collection will be on the 31st of August.VISIT THE STORE NOW!