I’m really happy to let you know that I’m working on a new historical fantasy series for adult readers, called Warrior Bards. The first novel, Harp of Kings, will be published by Penguin in the US in 2019, with two more books to follow. An audio book contract is looking very likely, and of course we are hoping the series will also be published in Australia and in other parts of the world – I will post updates in due course.
It’s been rather a slow road to get to this point. Some of you will know the personal and professional reasons for my taking so long between books this time around. I’m sorry I can’t give you a new novel in either 2017 or 2018, but I’m delighted to have a contract at last and a wonderful new project to work on. The Warrior Bards story has some links to previous series – the picture may provide a hint – and although it is not part of the Blackthorn & Grim series, you may find out what happened next for those two well-loved characters.
Harp of Kings begins with a sister and brother arriving on Swan Island to compete for permanent places among the island’s team of elite warriors and covert operatives. Over a lengthy training period, Liobhan and Brocc will not only be assessed against each other, they will need to prove themselves against the sons of chieftains and war-leaders. The competition is fierce; only two or three out of the twenty trainees will be chosen. Liobhan knows she has what it takes, and as the only woman among the twenty, she’s determined to prove she can be the best. Even if her fellow trainee Dau, a young nobleman, thinks she should stick to singing and playing the whistle – she’s good at both – and forget about fighting. But when the opportunity comes for Liobhan to demonstrate what she is made of, it’s in an unexpected and challenging form. The tests and trials that lie ahead take Liobhan and Brocc far from the island, and pit them against forces both human and uncanny.
