Steven A. McKay's Blog, page 17
January 5, 2020
Another research trip to a fantastic Scottish fortress!
You may remember my blog post about a visit to Dunadd hill fort last year. It was a memorable trip I took with my daughter, and really helped me to get an idea of the place which ended up in Song of the Centurion (check out the photos HERE).
[image error]Heading back down after conquering Dunadd
Well, for my birthday this year I’m heading to the opposite side of Scotland, to check out the incredible-looking Dunnottar Castle! The current site features medieval ruins, but there’s evidence the place was in use in the “dark ages” and it’s obviously where the Picts in my Warrior Druid of Britain tales are based. The new book in the series will see some action at Dunnottar – the Picts are back, as are Hengist and Horsa, so expect some brutality and treachery as Bellicus and Duro try to survive the attentions of all these various warring factions!
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I’ve not written much of it so far to be honest, but I’m planning on making book 3 different to The Druid and Song of the Centurion so don’t expect a suicidal raid on Dunnottar by Bellicus. Which is a bit of a shame to be honest, as the place looks like it would be IDEAL for something like that! We’ll see how it develops, but I’m expecting to broaden our heroes horizons again in this book, so Arthur and Merlin will also probably return at some stage…Who knows? Not me. Yet.
We’ll be staying at the hotel by the famous golf course at Carnoustie which looks amazing
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and then onto Dunnottar. Hopefully it all inspires the new novel to be the best one yet…
Look out for it in the summer, and, in the meantime, check out Lucia and Faces of Darkness and have a great 2020 all!
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December 31, 2019
Happy New Year!
It’s Hogmanay! I hope you all had a great Christmas and Satan, I mean, Santa, was good to you!
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Thank you all so much for your amazing support in 2019. It’s been a very productive year for me, with two novels – Song of the Centurion and Lucia – being published, along with an unexpected return to medieval Yorkshire in the novella Faces of Darkness. Behind the scenes I also wrote a fair bit for that secret project I was first asked to do about this time last year – I should be able to finally share more on that in a few months!
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In the coming year I only have, so far, plans to complete the third book in my Warrior Druid of Britain series. It’s already underway and should be out in the summer, all being well. I expect the Picts and Saxons to make their presence felt once again but I haven’t really planned very far ahead – I like to come up with things as I go along after all.
There’s a small chance I’ll do another Forest Lord book – either a novella or even a full novel – as I’ve been listening to a podcast about an interesting mystery from the middle-ages recently, and it would make a great story, but it’s just an idea and may come to nothing…
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The first thing I will be publishing in the new year should be Lucia on Kindle, and as a paperback. I’m very proud of this one and I hope more of you will check it out on Audible (which is the only place you can get it right now as they bought the exclusive rights for the first 6 months). The narrator, Imogen Church, does a superb job so please do give it a go, but if you must have it in “proper” book form it’ll be available in the spring. I think it’s pretty unique in telling a Roman slave’s tale from her own perspective.
Now, I’m off to play my guitar with a beer before the bells – I hope you all have a fantastic 2020, readers, and thank you so much for all your support during 2019!
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December 13, 2019
Faces of Darkness out NOW, on Kindle & paperback
And the paperback version is live now too –
USA link – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1672331447/
UK link – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1672331447/
I hope you all enjoy it
December 11, 2019
Lucia by Steven A. McKay – Audiobook Review!
Superb, thoughtful review of LUCIA here, check it out!
Next up on David’s Book Blurg I’m reviewing Lucia by Steven A. McKay on available on Audible!
Here’s the blurb
At eight years old, Lucia is torn from the life she knew. Her village burned to the ground and parents murdered by Romans, she is kidnapped, sold and shipped abroad to the Villa Tempestatis in Britannia to serve the young Roman army officer Castus.
Faced with a bleak future of decades of servitude to her master, as well as sadistic brutality at the hands of his slave and manageress, Paltucca, she finds herself fixated by one thought alone. Fuelled by hatred and a belief that the gods saved her for a reason, she vows to never taste freedom until she gets her revenge.
As she and her fellow slaves are exploited mercilessly by the master and his ‘noble’ friends – and brutally punished for even the smallest misdemeanours – Lucia’s…
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December 5, 2019
Faces of Darkness pre-order now LIVE!
Worldwide Kindle link –>> viewbook.at/FacesOfDarkness
Paperback version to follow!
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When a young noblewoman is brutally assaulted in her own manor house, two former outlaws decide they must solve the mystery, before things go too far…
CROFTUN, NORTHERN ENGLAND
WINTER, AD 1328
Lady Isabella de Courcy is found alone in a room bolted from the inside, unconscious, and with a dagger forced through her hand, but this is just the latest in a line of similar, terrifying incidents. For months now, she’s been stalked by some shadowy tormentor yet, bafflingly, the attacker has never been clearly seen by anyone, even Lady Isabella, and he seems to leave no trace of his movements.
Can the bailiff, John Little, along with the legendary friar, Robert Stafford, uncover the truth and, more importantly, will they be able to save the troubled victim before she ends up dead?
This new standalone novella from the author of The Druid sees the return of two much-loved characters from the Forest Lord series and is based on a shocking real-life case which remains, to this day, unsolved.
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December 1, 2019
Song of the Centurion only 99p in December!
LINK —->>> https://amzn.to/35PJ7hS
November 28, 2019
Wolf of Wessex by Matthew Harffy REVIEW
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I’ll be honest from the start and say this was sent to me for free – an “Advance Review Copy” as it’s called in the business. I have enjoyed Matthew’s writing since his first book and been hugely impressed (and inspired) by his writing career so far. So, when he asked if I wanted to take a look at Wolf of Wessex I agreed. I don’t normally read books by other authors, simply because I don’t have time and I’m always a bit wary in case I don’t like it! You see, if I think something is rubbish, I might not come out and say so because I want to SUPPORT people, not put them down. However, if I thought a book wasn’t good I would simply not review it.
The fact I AM reviewing Wolf of Wessex should be an indicator of its quality right off the bat.
So, what have we got then? Well, a dark age adventure that sees a man helping a young girl? Hmm, that sounds familiar…The similarities to my own The Druid end there though, particularly as Wolf of Wessex only really has a cast of those two characters. There are others supporting the action of course, but we only ever see the story from the point-of-view of either Dunston, our grizzled warrior, or Aedwen, the child fallen on tough times. Some might see this as a flaw – if you like epic tales filled with dozens of characters, then this may seem a bit linear. Me? I thought it worked perfectly and I was so invested in what happened to these two, living in their own little bubble almost, that I didn’t want to stop reading until I got to the end.
The near non-stop action helped too. The book starts with a bang and pretty much continues in the same vein until the final page. Now, that’s not to say it’s a constant stream of fighting and chase scenes, there are enough moments of introspection and “catching one’s breath” to keep the pacing just right. I don’t know about you, but I get drained when a story just goes from one action scene to the next, so I think the author did well to avoid that here, especially with only two characters to follow.
There are a few sections where someone turns up at the very last moment to save the day, which, if I’m being critical, might not be very realistic. But if you take this novel as almost an action movie, meant to provide some top-class entertainment and escapism for a while, this kind of thing is forgivable.
I think this works very well as a standalone novel, but it looks like it might be the start of a new series. As I say, the characters are strong enough, and interesting enough, to continue with, but Dunston is an old man here, so I’m wondering where things will go next (BTW, he reminds me a LOT of a certain other elderly warrior who fights with a battle axe, and I had to smile when he called someone “lassie”).
Overall, this is a genuinely superb novel if you are looking for a fast-paced adventure that goes from point A to point B without a lot of messing about and wordy descriptions of places and people that really don’t matter. That’s not to say the characters don’t develop – they do, particularly the girl, and the ending is satisfying for both our heroes.
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I highly recommend Wolf of Wessex to all fans of ancient/ early-medieval/ Viking fiction, you will love it I’m sure. You’ve probably seen endorsements for historical fiction books that say things like, “As good as Bernard Cornwell” – well, that’s not really the case here. Wolf of Wessex is better than the recent Uhtred outings, and I think Harffy has a real winner on his hands.
BUY it here – getbook.at/WolfOfWessex
Just to add – I wrote this review months ago. Matthew tells me he changed some of it in line with some of the comments from myself and others so…it should be even better now!
November 14, 2019
Steven A McKay: Warrior Druid of Britain (Review)
“…enjoyed the fact that he showed how after the Romans left there were still remnants there, not just the houses falling down that you get in some books, but real people, with real knowledge and skill.” Nice double review of The Druid and Song of the Centurion here from Robin Carter at Parmenion Books – check out what he has to say!
(The Druid)
Northern Britain, AD430
A land in turmoil. A village ablaze. A king’s daughter abducted.
In the aftermath of a surprise attack Dun Buic lies in smoking ruins and many innocent villagers are dead. As the survivors try to make sense of the night’s events the giant warrior-druid, Bellicus, is tasked with hunting down the raiders and thwarting their dark purpose.
With years of training in the old ways, two war-dogs at his side, and unsurpassed skill with a longsword, Bellicus’s quest will take him on a perilous journey through lands still struggling to cope with the departure of the Roman legions.
Meanwhile, amongst her brutal captors the little princess Catia finds an unlikely ally, but even he may not be able to avert the terrible fate King Hengist has in store for her.
This, the first volume in a stunning new series from the bestselling author of Wolf’s…
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November 8, 2019
Faces of Darkness cover reveal!
Following Song of the Centurion in September, and Lucia in October, I expect my new Forest Lord novella Faces of Darkness (starring Little John and Friar Tuck) to be available in late December.
Below is the cover art, along with a blurb that will probably change.
The book runs to about 30,000 words, making this the longest novella so far. It’s more of a mystery than an action adventure, but I think anyone who enjoyed Friar Tuck and the Christmas Devil or Wolf’s Head will like this too, and it’s set in winter, so PERFECT Xmas reading material!
When a young noblewoman is brutally assaulted in her own manor house, two former outlaws decide they must solve the mystery, before things go too far…
CROFTUN, NORTHERN ENGLAND
AD 1328
Lady Isabella de Courcy is found in a locked room, unconscious, and with a dagger forced through her hand, but this is just the latest in a line of similar, terrifying incidents. For months now, she’s been stalked by some shadowy tormentor who leaves death threats, disturbs her sleep during the night, and assaults both her and her pets. Yet, bafflingly, the mysterious attacker has never been clearly seen by anyone, even Lady Isabella, and he leaves no trace of his movements.
The bailiff, John Little, eventually becomes convinced that Isabella – either mentally unsound, or perhaps possessed by the devil – is causing all the trouble herself, and her husband agrees with this conclusion. Can they, along with the legendary friar Robert Stafford, uncover the truth and, more importantly, will they be able to help the troubled victim before she ends up dead?
This new standalone novella from the author of The Druid sees the return of two much-loved characters from the Forest Lord series and is based on a terrifying real-life case from the 1980’s which remains, to this day, unsolved.
October 21, 2019
LUCIA is out today!
If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know most of my books have been self-published, apart from The Abbey of Death which was a novella. Lucia is the first full-length novel to have been bought by a major publisher, in this case Audible. They hired an absolutely top-class narrator, Imogen Church, to read it and the cover art is just stunning.
UK LINK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lucia/dp/B07XTN1H3G/
USA LINK – https://www.audible.com/pd/Lucia-Audiobook/B07XTPCHRL
If you have a spare Audible credit I hope you will give this a listen – it’s over 11 hours so good value.
If you DON’T have an Audible account, no problem – you can get Lucia for FREE just by giving their monthly trial a go! Simply sign up using your regular Amazon details and listen to Lucia then, if you aren’t planning on listening to more audiobooks, just cancel the trial. It’s easy and there’s no strings attached or hidden costs. Try it!
There WILL be ebook and print versions but not for six months so please, give the audiobook a try. It will be epic I’m sure.
It follows our hero, Lucia, who is taken by the Romans as a child and sent to be a slave in Britannia. The book tells the tale of her life and as far as I can tell, it’s pretty unique in giving a voice to a slave-girl of this period.
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Finally – I have completed the first draft of my new Forest Lord novella, Faces of Darkness, starring Friar Tuck and Little John. It’s a little bit different – a mystery kinda thing – but readers of the previous books in the series should get a kick out of it. I hope…
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