Steven A. McKay's Blog, page 4
August 28, 2024
The Vengeance of Merlin – PRE-ORDER NOW!
Hi everyone! You can now pre-order the Kindle edition of my brand new Warrior Druid of Britain novel, The Vengeance of Merlin! You will be able to read it on October 7th but I’d really, really appreciate it if you pre-order as that helps it move up Amazon’s charts and that in turn lets other readers see it.
LINK —>>https://mybook.to/VengeanceOfMerlin
There will, of course, be a paperback version but that’s not quite ready to go yet. Hopefully you’ll be able to buy it at the same time as the ebook is released. I will be doing signed copies as I always do, just email me (or message me on Facebook or X) and let me know you want one and I’ll add you to my list.
There’s no rest for the wicked so I’m now going to start writing another Tuck/John/Scarlet winter novella – if you enjoy my books there’ll be plenty for you to read in the coming months! THANK YOU ALL for your continued support, I truly appreciate it.
August 20, 2024
WARRIOR DRUID BOOK 6 – title AND cover reveal!
It’s been a couple of years now since I last published one of my Warrior Druid of Britain novels but the wait is finally over! Well, it should be come early October which is when I’m hoping to publish the sixth instalment titled The Vengeance of Merlin. The cover has been created as always by the excellent people at More Visual – check them out if you need some fantastic artwork. I hope you’ll agree with me that this cover is one of the best of the series so far, it’s very eye-catching and atmospheric!
As I say, I’m hoping to publish the book in October with the pre-order going live a few weeks before then. At the moment the book is with my editor and, while I await her instructions, I’ve started book 7 so there won’t be another two year gap between Druid novels! On top of that, I’m also expecting to publish TWO Forest Lord winter novellas this November/December – a brand new one that hasn’t been written yet, and The Christmas Hunt which I gave away for free to my email list subscribers (join HERE if you haven’t already). Both will come out in the one Kindle/paperback package, all being well, so you won’t be expected to pay twice for them, don’t worry.
I only have a rough blurb for The Vengeance of Merlin so far, it’ll probably be tweaked in the coming weeks but, for now, here it is!
The BRAND NEW instalment in the thrilling Warrior Druid of Britain Chronicles sees Bellicus of Dun Breatann facing not only bloodthirsty enemies, but also the biggest decision of his life…
AD 434 – Caer Legion, Western Britain
A heinous crime is perpetrated against the druids of Britain and a grief-stricken Bellicus suddenly finds his world changing in ways he never expected. Before he can begin to make sense of things the terrible news that the Picts have allied with the Saxons and now march on Dun Breatann together spurs the warrior-druid into action, and soon he and his companions are racing homewards.
Horsa, fearsome leader of the sea-wolves, promises to use any tactic – including torture and dark magic – against Bellicus’s terrified Damnonii people who are being slaughtered and dragged from their burnt out villages to please the Saxons’ brutal gods.
Bellicus, his friend Duro, and the great war-dog Cai will need all their bravery, experience, and cunning to stand against the insane cruelty of the raiders which even shocks their own allies in the Pictish army.
Many will fall as the fighting rages, but can bonds of loyalty, friendship, and family be enough to save Queen Narina and the people of Dun Breatann from the grim fate their enemies have planned for them?
This new Warrior Druid of Britain adventure is sure to delight lovers of fast-paced historical fiction, especially readers of Peter Gibbons, Griff Hosker and Bernard Cornwell.
Saxons and Picts come together to conquer Northern Britain, but when the war is over they must face the vengeance of Merlin!
Don’t forget THE DRUID is just 99p in the UK this August so grab that now if you haven’t read it yet. Free worldwide if you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber! Also, my latest novel Sword of the Saxons is on special offer at £1.99 in the UK so, again, grab it now while it’s cheap.
August 7, 2024
July 4, 2024
Sword of the Saxons is out NOW!
SWORD OF THE SAXONS is out today!
I had a great time writing this one – Alfred the Great had such an interesting life and so many exciting things happened in Wessex at that time so it made my job much easier than it might have been. If you enjoyed The Heathen Horde I think you’ll love this one. Please do buy a copy on ebook or paperback HERE and, as ever, leave a review wherever you can if you enjoy the read!
If you would like to read a review of the novel before you dive in, you can find an absolutely stunning one from David’s Book Blurg HERE – “To say it’s a 5* read is an understatement so lets go ahead for a David’s Book Blurg first and say its a 5* PLUS read!..it just ticks so many boxes and is so beautifully executed.”
I’ll take that!
I hope you will check out the book today, and perhaps even share my social media posts about it? Shares and reviews are always a MASSIVE boost, so thank you in advance to anyone who can help me out! Thank you too if you pre-ordered the book, it’s very much appreciated.
Cheers!
Steven
July 3, 2024
April 24, 2024
My new book with Matthew Harffy!
You might know I do a podcast with fellow historical fiction author Matthew Harffy called Rock, Paper, Swords! We interview guests about writing mostly, and have had some really big names on like Bernard Cornwell, Simon Scarrow, Griff Hosker and TV’s Dan Jones. We also do episodes with just the two of us discussing our own writing though, so we thought it would be a nice idea to put together a book with all the tips we’ve learned from publishing (and especially self-publishing) over the years.
From the initial spark of an idea to navigating the complex landscape of publishing, this easy-to-read guide provides a roadmap for aspiring and seasoned writers alike. Learn the ins and outs of both the traditional and self-publishing routes, with invaluable advice on finding your audience, getting reviews, and managing pre-orders, giveaways, and promotions.
You can pre-order the book HERE on Amazon (it’s out tomorrow, April 25th), or read it on Kindle Unlimited if you subscribe,
OR, you can get it FREE if you are one of our Patreon TOP FANS or PRODUCERS! So not only will you get the book, you get a bonus Rock, Paper, Swords episode each month along with other cool perks and help support us with our running costs (Zoom and audio editing software aren’t free unfortunately) which is hugely appreciated. Find out more HERE.
Don’t forget Sword of the Saxons is out on July 4th. I can’t wait to see it on the shelves and I hope you all enjoy it. Book 3 will be out early 2025 and I’m really hoping there will be a new Warrior Druid of Britain novel in between then as well…
April 1, 2024
Bear of Britain 99p, and my new podcast – Mysterious Events!
Book 4 in my Warrior Druid of Britain Chronicles is just 99p in the UK all this April! Grab it HERE now if you haven’t read it yet – there’s a lot of King Arthur in this one as Bellicus and Duro help him defeat the Saxons… Also, The Druid is in UK Prime Reading just now so you can read that for FREE if you have Prime!
In unrelated news, I’ve also started a new podcast called Mysterious Events with Steven A. McKay. I’ll be looking at all sorts of lesser-known unsolved mysteries from around the world – hauntings, poltergeists, weird true crime cases, unexplained deaths and disappearances – basically anything uncanny or Fortean! No AI narrators, I’m writing the scripts and reading them myself so please do check it out. Episode 1 is available now on the major podcast outlets like Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music & Audible, as well as there being an actual video (a basic one with still images, but a video!) on YouTube too if you like that format. Give it a listen, like and subscribe, leave a 5 star review if you can, all that good stuff. Find it at the links below! Episode 1 is actually about the case that inspired my novella Faces of Darkness – it’s a bizarre unsolved death which the authorities actually described as “death by unknown event” so please do give it a listen and follow the page on social media. Thanks all!
Listen link – https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mysterious-events
YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/@MysteriousEvents1
Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/MysteriousEventsPodcast
Twitter/X page – https://twitter.com/MysteriousEvPod
February 13, 2024
Amazon KDP event in Musselburgh – pics!
Some more pics from the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing event I was part of last Thursday in Musselburgh. It was an interesting day! I wasn’t on until 11am so I left my house at about 9:30 and drove down, getting there just in time as I struggled to find the right door and a parking space. Eventually I found it but the gate was locked and no one was around to let me in. That’s when I started to panic but luckily for me a teacher at the adjoining school just happened to walk past and heard my panicked thumping on the gate! Didn’t help that I was bursting for the toilet but all was well in the end and I was setup with my headset mic in time for my panel to get underway.
It’s always great to do these, get up on a stage in front of an audience instead of sitting alone writing by myself all day! The others on the panel, Harriet Smart and JD Kirk were really easy to talk to, especially since I’ve done events with them in the past. Also huge thanks to ALLi and Margaret Skea, and the KDP staff who couldn’t be nicer and always make things relaxed. If you’d like to hear more chat about similar topics as we covered at the event, check out the RPS interview we did with UK KDP head Darren Hardy – https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/ITOQgpiD3Fb
You can also find links to the previous events I’ve done with Kindle Direct Publishing below:
London Book Fair 2014 (where I met the Queen Consort) , Amazon Academy Edinburgh , Amazon Academy Glasgow SEC
Next up for me is the Historical Novel Society HNS UK 2024 Conference where Rock, Paper, Swords will be covering the event. Bernard Cornwell, Diana Gabaldon, Elizabeth Chadwick, and one of my favourite RPS guests EVER, David Gilman, will all be there so it should be amazing!
Margaret Skea, Michaella from KDP, Me, JD Kirk, and Harriet Smart
Next up! See you there?
February 7, 2024
Sword of the Saxons COVER REVEAL & pre-order!
Book 2 in my Alfred the Great series is now available to pre-order and you can see the brand new cover art below! Sword of the Saxons will be published on July 4th but I would really appreciate it if you could pre-order as soon as possible, just to help it get more traction and hopefully boost sales of The Heathen Horde. It would also be amazing if you could share this post on Facebook, X etc. Thank you so much!
Another beautiful cover from Canelo!A war to shape the future of a nation.Betrayed by his kinsmen, his forces overrun by Danes, King Alfred of Wessex has retreated deep into the marshes of his homeland, lying in wait for his chance at redemption.
The scourge of the heathen horde that has ravaged the kingdom for decades is at its peak. Led by the fearsome Viking warlord Guthrum, the fate of the men, women, and children at their mercy appears all but sealed. But underestimate the great king at your peril…
Gathering allies and bannermen to his cause, and building a strategy that will hopefully ensure victory, Alfred sets out to undermine the strength of the complacent invaders, and establish Wessex as the greatest territory in the British Isles.
A final showdown awaits. Not only with Guthrum and his savage warriors, but with destiny. As the battle lines are drawn, the destiny of not just Wessex, but of every Anglo-Saxon in Britain, rests firmly on Alfred’s shoulders.
An utterly ferocious and gripping adventure, covering the fascinating middle years of Alfred the Great’s reign, one of Britain’s most influential monarchs.
February 2, 2024
Blood Roses by Douglas Jackson REVIEW
September 1939. A city ruled by fear. A population brutalised by restrictions and reprisals. Amid the devastation, another hunter begins to prowl. What are a few more deaths amid scores of daily executions?
Former chief investigator Jan Kalisz lives a dangerous double life, forced to work with the occupiers as he gathers information for the fledgling Polish resistance. Even his family cannot be told his true allegiance.
When the niece of a Wehrmacht general is found terribly mutilated, Jan links the murder to other killings that are of less interest to his new overlords. Soon, he finds himself on the trail of a psychopathic killer known as The Artist. But, shunned as a Nazi collaborator, can he solve the case before another innocent girl is taken?
I’ve not posted a book review on here for AGES, mostly because I don’t get time to read fiction these days, what with all the research I have to do for my own novels. Douglas Jackson has been one of my favourite authors for years though, and we’re hoping to interview him on Rock, Paper, Swords so, when I noticed Blood Roses was his next release I thought I’d take a look, mostly based on how fantastic the cover art is. I’ve read plenty of non-fiction books about World War II, but never a novel (Victor and Commando comics don’t count, right?), and the premise for this sounded utterly compelling. A serial killer operating in a city that’s just been taken over by the Nazis? That’s all kinds of messed up, and should offer plenty of moments of excitement and fear! So I made the effort to find time to read this advance copy of the book, kindly sent to me by my own publisher, Canelo. I’m very glad I did, as it’s a great read!
We have a Polish soldier, Jan Kalisz, injured during a battle with the Germans and sent home to return to his previous job as a detective in Warsaw. The city has been occupied by the evil Nazi overlords though, and Jan, along with his fellow Poles is not treated well at all. The Jews are, as we all know, treated even worse, and throughout the book we really do get a sense of just how cruel the Nazis were and how they dehumanized their victims. None of the German characters are likable or pleasant. One or two are less nasty, but even those guys are bastards – I mean, Josef Mengele, the infamous butcher of Auschwitz and subject of Slayer’s classic thrash metal song “Angel of Death” is one of the nicer Nazis here!*
This is all good though – I know sometimes authors feel like they need to show characters as more rounded, more grey than simply black or white, but in this situation, where the Germans were part of an all-powerful occupying force, facing the constant hatred of Warsaw’s inhabitants, it’s easy to believe the characters on both sides are quite realistic and having extreme feelings all the time.
Soon we discover that one of these jackbooted stormtroopers is even MORE of a complete bastard than his comrades, as he goes on a killing spree, targeting teenage girls who he…Well, I won’t say too much. I’ll just say Douglas Jackson has a very disturbing way of writing these scenes, something I’ve noticed before in his writing. I found myself skipping certain paragraphs here as I found them unsettling. Trust me, you’ll be wanting this maniacal serial killer, dubbed ‘The Artist’ by the people of Warsaw, brought to justice just as much as Jan Kalisz does.
There are some great twists within the story, and the ending is satisfying while again leaving the reader somewhat unsettled. I won’t spoil it for you, but we are left with a moral question at the end and I’m a big fan of that sort of thing – force your reader to think, don’t just tell them what to feel.
Douglas is a master of historical fiction, giving the reader just enough of his research into the actual history without it ever becoming boring or overbearing, and he can certainly write a great action scene as well as a great main character. This is the first book in a planned quartet and I can heartily recommend it. It’s exciting, claustrophobic and disturbing at times, but ultimately it’s a hugely satisfying and thrilling read. Do yourself a favour and check out Blood Roses HERE, and then read Douglas’s other novels. You can find my reviews of some at the links below! Oh, and look out for our interview with Douglas on Rock, Paper, Swords sometime in the coming weeks.
* I’m not sure if he’s ever named as Josef, and I don’t think the real guy served in Poland as a Nazi in 1939 but I’m guessing that’s who it’s supposed to be, I mean, Dr Mengele, who else would it be…? Update: I asked Douglas about this and he said: “The events happen while Mengele was recovering from wounds received during the invasion of Poland, so he was definitely in a position to be on leave in Warsaw.” So there you go!
If you’re interested in my own news, look out for the cover reveal for the second book in my Alfred The Great series on February 7th. The design is another Canelo triumph, including a great endorsement from my old mucker Gordon Doherty! Sword of the Saxons, sequel to The Heathen Horde, comes out on July 4th.
