Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Skyborn: Cover, Book Description, and Release Date!

My publisher, Penguin Random House, now has a page up for Skyborn, the third book in the Thrones and Bones series. It has a high resolution version of the amazing cover by Justin Gerard, as well as the book description and my crafted-for-book-three author bio. I reproduce that here, because...cool!

Hardcover $16.99

Sep 06, 2016 
352 Pages 
Middle Grade (8-12)

For fans of Lloyd Alexander and Brandon Mull comes the epic conclusion to the acclaimed Thrones and Bones fantasy-adventure trilogy that began with Frostborn.

Find the Horn. Free the City.

The chase continues for the legendary Horns of Osius. Thianna and Karn’s quest to retrieve the horns from those who wish to abuse their power takes them to Thica, an ancient land where two tyrant queens reign supreme and where years earlier Thianna’s mother was labeled a traitor. Soon the two heroes are caught up in an epic battle for control of the kingdom, one that puts their very lives at stake. The only way to overthrow the queens is to beat them at their own game. But with an entire empire against them, how can Karn and Thianna hope to compete—or better yet, survive?

The novel includes instructions for playing the board game the Queen’s Champion, a Thican timeline, and King Herakles Hammerfist’s recipe for the Best Spanakopita Ever. Visit ThronesandBones.com for additional games, maps, character profiles, and more!

Praise for the Thrones and Bones series

“Future fans of Tolkien and George R. R. Martin can happily cut their serial-fantasy teeth on this first book of an eventual series.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A powerful, fast-paced tale. . . . The setting is rich, the characters well-defined, and the danger ever-paramount.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lou Anders drew on his adventures traveling to Greece in his twenties to write Skyborn, combining these experiences with his love of adventure fiction and games (both tabletop and role playing). While he has yet to ride a hippalektryon, creating his own board games for Frostborn, Nightborn, and now Skyborn is one of his favorite indulgences. Anders is the recipient of a Hugo Award for editing and a Chesley Award for art direction. He has published over 500 articles and stories on science fiction and fantasy television and literature, and regularly attends writing conventions around the country. He resides with his family in Birmingham, Alabama. You can visit Anders online at louanders.com and ThronesandBones.com, on Facebook, on Tumblr, and on Twitter at @Louanders.

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Top 10 of 2015

Thrones and Bones books have popped up on two lists at Aleksandra's Corner.

Nightborn, book two in the series, is #7 in her list of the Best Books I've Read in 2015.

Skyborn, book three in the series, comes in at #9 on her list of the Top 10+ Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2016.

I'm thrilled to be on both these lists, and also to show off the Skyborn cover (art by Justin Gerard), which has started popping up online.


Monday, December 07, 2015

Frostborn: 2016-2017 Young Hoosier Book Award Nominees

My novel, Frostborn, book one in the Thrones & Bones series, has just been listed as a nominee in the 2016-2017 Young Hoosier Book Award Nominees in the Middle Grade category. The Young Hoosier Book Award is administered by Indiana Library Federation. Each year the YHBA committee selects twenty titles in the category of Picture Books, Intermediate, and Middle Grade. Indiana students serving in grades K-8 then vote on their favorite book. Any Indiana student can vote, provided they have read 5 of the 20 books in the Middle Grade category. I'm thrilled to be on this list, alongside many great works, including books by friends Jonathan Auxier, Holly Black, and Brandon Sanderson.

This is the third awards nomination for Frostborn. The novel was previously nominated for Children's Literature Association of Utah's Beehive Book Award and is a current nominee in the Nebraska Library Association's Golden Sower Awards.




Thursday, December 03, 2015

Holiday Shopping Event for Educators

This Saturday, December 5th, I'll be at the Barnes & Noble at The Summit from 8am until 10am as a guest author at their Holiday Shopping Event for Educations. B&N will open one hour early just for educators, who are invited to enjoy drinks and snacks from the Cafe, and then receive 25% off books, games, toys, music, movies and more. 

Teachers and librarians, come help me drink their coffee dry, mingle, and get rune-stamped and autographed Thrones & Bones books!

And if you're not an educator, it's still a good time to grab a copy of Frostborn or Nightborn for a Holiday gift! 


Tuesday, December 01, 2015

Podcast/LiveCast: One Fantastic Week

Today, I was honored to be a guest on the One Fantastic Week podcast, which livestreamed a Thrones & Bones-related interview with me, after which I joined hosts Samuel Flegal and Peter Mohrbacher in critiquing a succession of very interesting artist portfolios. You can watch the entire thing here!