Steven A. McKay's Blog, page 9
January 1, 2022
Happy New Year, thank you & a Kindle deal!
I’m writing this a couple of hours before the year ends, (yep, I’m a real party animal, me) but by the time it’s published it will be 2022. And it’s been another strange year for us all, with COVID, vaccines, boosters and all the rest of it. Honestly, I was furloughed for the second time at the start of 2021 (my day job is reading gas and electric meters so I’m in and out of houses all day, 3 days per week) and it was something of a Godsend – not only was I still being paid, but it gave me more time to work on The Bear of Britain (which, incidentally is in Amazon UK’s Monthly Deal in January – reduced from £3.99 to just 99p so grab it HERE if you haven’t already!)
Start 2022 the right way, by getting this for just 99p!And then BOTH my children got COVID in December, not long before The House in the Marsh was due to be published, so, thanks to Scotland’s current isolation rules, I was told to stay off work which again gave me time to work on the book. However, it was pretty stressful as 1) although my kids weren’t badly affected by the virus (thank the gods!) it was still a worrying period for obvious reasons, but 2) I hadn’t really completed the editing for The House in the Marsh and I was frightened I’d catch COVID and be too ill to finish it! So, I really pushed myself HARD for those few days, getting it polished in plenty of time for the release (if you can think of 4 or 5 days being ‘plenty of time’!).
It was a strange way to end the year, but really nice to see the reviews and read comments from people who are enjoying the book. It’s doing nicely in the charts too, hitting number 1 in some Amazon UK charts and even managing the same in the USA which is unusual for one of my novellas. Really gratifying and exciting for me to see!
Generally, my year was a good one – we welcomed our puppy, Pippi, to the family, and she’s been a wonderful little friend for us all. So well behaved, apart from the little ‘presents’ she sometimes leaves for me in my study…
She’s the boss.I also continued to learn and try to grow in my hobby as a musician, with a new electronic drum kit and my first ever new Gibson Les Paul – something I’ve dreamt of for thirty years! I should really record another musical trailer for the next book since I have this new gear to play with…
Beautiful!So, 2022 is upon us and another 12 months awaits. I plan on writing another Warrior Druid of Britain novel, hopefully another Tuck/John/Will novella for Xmas, and who knows what else might come up? 2021 did see the release on Xbox/Playstation and PC of the game, HOOD – Outlaws and Legends, which I did all the writing for so maybe I’ll get the chance to do something else like that? I’d love to, if anyone needs a writer for their game or other big project!
Finally, I just want to say a sincere and heartfelt “Thank you” to every one of you who’s bought or read my books via Kindle Unlimited in 2021, and left reviews for them too. I am truly humbled to know so many people really enjoy my writing. Thank you all!
Roll on 2022, and may it be a happy, safe, and FUN year for us all!
PS, remember the location in The Northern Throne called ‘The Dumpling’? It was the big hill where Narina appeared on her chariot during one of the battles. Well, I visited there today with my family (including Pippi!) so look out for a few photos from the trip in a day or two. It might help you visualise the scenes in the book a little better. It’s just a shame it was SOOO muddy and one of us fell right over into it, more than once.
Not me, lol!
December 24, 2021
The House in the Marsh by Steven A McKay – Review
First review for The House in the Marsh, check it out!
Today I’m reviewing The House in the Marsh by Steven A Mckay, The House In the Marsh is a medieval Christmas mystery with a ghostly twist and is a novella in The Forest Lord series.
Here’s the blurb,
For generations, stories have been told about the ruined old house in the marsh outside Wakefield. Stories of hidden treasure, sinister night-time cries, and ghostly figures doomed to haunt the lonely estate for all eternity as punishment for some terrible crime.
This Christmas, it seems the old tales might just turn out to be true…
England, AD 1330
John Little, a bailiff living in Yorkshire, has little interest in ghost stories, having seen enough horrors among the living to bother much about the dead. The strange accounts from his fellow villagers have everyone talking though, and it’s not long before he’s asked to accompany a group of curious locals on nocturnal visits…
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December 2, 2021
Pre-order The House in the Marsh!
You can now pre-order the Kindle edition of my new Tuck/John/Scarlet novella The House in the Marsh. Paperback edition will follow although I don’t have a firm date for that yet – hopefully before Xmas, but stay tuned for more.
For the past few years I’ve been publishing a winter/Xmas story and this time it’s a bit more special as the publication date is December 24th – Christmas Eve! I hope everyone downloads it and enjoys the tale with a mince pie and a foaming mug of ale before a roaring fire. Or at least a warm radiator and a can of Carling/glass of Lambrini.
This one isn’t based on a true crime story, like the last couple (Faces of Darkness and Sworn to God) but it IS kinda based on a real medieval ghost story from London. Find out which one by reading the book!
You can pre-order the book HERE. I really hope everyone enjoys it and it brings a little light to your winter!
November 25, 2021
New winter tale – title and cover reveal!
Since I completed The Bear of Britain I’ve been working on a new Tuck/Little John/Will adventure. Set, as is now my tradition for these, in winter, the novella has a loose connection to yuletide but this time around there’s even a Christmas ghost! Or is it something even more sinister…?
The title, if you haven’t already noticed, is The House in the Marsh and I asked my cover designers to come up with some artwork that wasn’t TOO similar to the cover for Faces of Darkness. I think they did a great job! It’s not the most striking of covers, there’s practically nothing going on, but that’s kinda the point. I think the title and the stark image fire the imagination, and hopefully readers will buy the book to find out what happens.
I don’t want to give away too much, but I can exclusively reveal there will be some people getting knocked about by Little John, doors being kicked down, Tuck enjoying some Xmas fayre, Will taking the piss, and, well, that ruined old house with its ghost…
I’m still on track to have this published and available to buy before Christmas, on Kindle at least, so stay tuned for the pre-order! Paperback will be available at some point, again, hopefully in time for Xmas day!
If you didn’t know, this is the latest in a series of stories starring Tuck, John and Will. Click the titles to them out:
Friar Tuck and the Christmas Devil
November 24, 2021
Book Corner: Bear of Britain by Steven A. McKay
“The depth of research and thought that have gone into these books is astounding. Steven A. McKay has recreated post-Roman Britain in astonishing and vivid detail” – Check out the latest review for Bear of Britain by historian SB Connolly!
History... the interesting bits!
AD 432. BRITAIN. The winter snows are melting at last, but spring will bring more than just rebirth this year. The Saxons are coming, and that meanswar.
Bellicus, Duro and Cai have travelled south to join the warlord, Arthur, and his growing army of Britons. New friendships have been made and exciting adventures await the warrior-druid and his companions, but the threat of Hengist and his invaders casts a dark cloud over all. For years, the Saxons have been content to remain mostly confined to the eastern parts of the country, but now they are marching west, and Hengist has amassed the biggest army seen on these shores since the Romans left over twenty years ago.
Arthur – dubbed theBear of Britainby his advisor, Merlin – has never truly felt he’d earned such a grand title, but now he will have a chance to prove himself…
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November 20, 2021
The Bear of Britain (Warrior Druid of Britain Book 4) by Steven A. McKay – Review
“McKay knows just how to tackle big characters and do them justice!” Check out David’s fantastic review of my latest book, The Bear of Britain!
Today I’m going to be reviewing The Bear of Britain, book 4 in the Warrior Druid of Britain series by Steven A McKay.
This review is well overdue so I hope it’s been worth the wait!
Here’s the blurb
AD 432. BRITAIN. The winter snows are melting at last, but spring will bring more than just rebirth this year. The Saxons are coming, and that means war.
Bellicus, Duro and Cai have travelled south to join the warlord, Arthur, and his growing army of Britons. New friendships have been made and exciting adventures await the warrior-druid and his companions, but the threat of Hengist and his invaders casts a dark cloud over all. For years, the Saxons have been content to remain mostly confined to the eastern parts of the country, but now they are marching west, and Hengist has amassed the biggest army seen on these shores since…
View original post 525 more words
October 1, 2021
LUCIA special offer on Kindle UK this October!
My standalone novel, Lucia, which tells the story of a female slave’s life in a Roman villa, is on special offer this October in the UK. Just 99p!
Get it HERE.
Historian Sharon Bennett Connolly chose Lucia as her favourite book of the year and reviewed it saying, “Lucia…makes the reader re-evaluate the way they think and feel – and takes them to a depth of their soul they probably have never visited before. Steven A. McKay has written a truly riveting depiction of the life of a slave. If you only read one more book this year, it should be Lucia.”
A bargain for under a quid, right? There’s been plenty of stories told about MALE slaves in Rome – Spartacus by Ben Kane being a great example, but Lucia was the first to really describe the life of a girl who grows into adulthood while living as a slave and I think it’s an important tale. It was time to give those forgotten people a voice.
And now you can get it HERE for just 99p! It’s also FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited.
September 16, 2021
The Abbey of Death on special offer UK and Australia!
The Abbey of Death, which sees fiery Will Scaflock becoming an unlikely Benedictine monk, is in an Amazon sale for a month, in both the UK and Australia.
Just £1/$2!
“He wanted to find peace in prayer, but some men serve God best with a sword in their hand.” This was the first book I ever sold to a publisher (Amazon Publishing, so some readers probably thought it was self-published, but it wasn’t!) and, at the time, some reviewers said it was the best thing I’d written.
Check it out at the links below!
AUSTRALIA – https://www.amazon.com.au/Abbey-Death-Kindle-Single-ebook/dp/B074J3XVVV
Please note, this was NOT the last Forest Lord book, Faces of Darkness and Sworn To God followed this!
September 10, 2021
The Bear of Britain is available to pre-order!
You can now pre-order book 4 in my Warrior Druid of Britain Chronicles. The Bear of Britain will be published on October the 12th and, if you want, you can place your pre-order right now for the Kindle edition. Links below! There will be a paperback edition too, hopefully available to order on or before October 12th. I REALLY hope you all enjoy it – there’s some old and new faces joining Bellicus, Cai, and Duro this time including Arthur, Merlin, Bedwyr and a hoary old Roman decurion named Sulinus…
September 6, 2021
More of my books in Prime Reading!
THE DRUID is now FREE in the USA with Prime Reading https://amazon.com/Druid-Warrior-Britain-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B07JGMX4ZB, and WOLFSKOPF is also free, again with Prime Reading, in Germany https://amazon.de/dp/B07WCHBJ2H/ . If you haven’t read these titles, get them now!
If you’re already read The Druid and its sequels, you’ll be glad to know The Bear of Britain (book 4 in the series) is coming along nicely – my editor’s notes came in last week so I’m going over those and getting the book all polished up for release. When will that be? I’d guess within the next month so keep an eye out for the pre-order going live soon!
