Skyborn Launch Event

Yesterday was the Launch Event for Skyborn, the third book in the Thrones & Bones trilogy. We held it at the Barnes & Noble at The Summit Shopping Center from 2 to 4 pm, where each of the previous two novels launched.

And it went fantastic! We had a huge crowd! A high percentage of kids in the audience as you can see (plus that one weird bald guy in the red shirt who seems to show up at all of my events. Don't get him started on David Bowie or role playing games.)

This time out, through the ingenuity and foresight of B&N's Community Relations Manager and the generosity of several librarians, the event counted as a Book Fair for five schools (four of which I've visited and one of which I hope to), and I'm pleased to say that we had attendees from all  five of them.

We opened the event with a short talk in which I discussed the origins of Thianna Frostborn way back in 2008 or 2009 and what bringing her narrative to a conclusion (for now) means to me. Then I did a quick reading and  Q&A. Then it was on to the signing. I signed (and rune stamped) for most of four hours and when I was winding down at 4pm, more folks showed up!

Afterwards, there was a victory dinner at Asian Rim, where we continued the tradition of incredible Thrones & Bones themed cakes (loud shout out to the bakers at Whole Foods Market, who do an incredible job.).

Thanks to everyone who came and helped make the Skyborn launch a fantastic event. Special thanks to Pam Tindal, Community Relations Manager at B&N, all the B&N staff, the staff at Asian Rim, and all the students and media specialists at the Altamont School, Highlands School, Liberty Park Middle School, Mountain Brook Junior High, and Vestavia Hills Elementary Central!

Meanwhile, stay tuned for some exciting news soon!

Happy Book Birthday: Skyborn (Thrones & Bones Book 3)

Today is the day!

Skyborn, the third book in the Thrones & Bones trilogy, is out now! The story that began with Frostborn has come to a close, as has a journey that I began over six years ago when I penned an unsold short story that first introduced the half-giant Thianna. I'm enormously proud, deliriously happy, and even a little bit sad to have reached this point.

Furthermore, if you are in or near Birmingham, then you can join with me in celebration for a special Launch Event at the Barnes & Noble at the Summit Shopping Center, on September 11th from 2pm to 4pm. They'll be a short discussion of and reading from Skyborn, followed by a book signing.

What's more, if you are from one of five Birmingham-area schools, you can come to the event and support your school at the same time.

The Altamont School, Highlands School, Liberty Park Middle School, Mountain Brook Junior High, and Vestavia Hills Elementary Central have all registered as a Book Fair for this event. This means, if you are from one of these schools or have a child at one of these schools, tell the cashier the name of your school when you purchase a copy of Skyborn (or Frostborn, or Nightborn or all three) and a part of your purchase will go to support your school!

I hope to see you there. But if you aren't anywhere near, why then, here is Skyborn at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, and Indie Bound! What are you waiting for? Perhaps an enticing book description:

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

Reflections from the Road: Mountain Brook Junior High

Last week, I visited Mountain Brook Junior High School, where I taught my ScripTips writing workshop to around 24 students from their writing club. This is a presentation where I use examples from contemporary films to teach plotting and outlining. It went over very well, though it is sad to me that the Matrix is now a classic film and not something junior high students know!

Today, I returned to Mountain Brook Junior High to give a Thrones & Bones presentation to about 60 students drawn from the writing club, the book club, the drama club, the art club, and the graphic novel club.


There were maybe 10-15 students from last week coming back and the rest new, but all with an interest in various things creative.

Both visits were a blast! This was largely due to very smart students who asked very good questions and made very clever observation. I was really impressed with all of them and had a great time interacting. And I'm sure I've met the next generation of writers.

And we sold out of Frostborn and Nightborn! So I'll be making a return visit in the next week or so to sign books for students who wanted books but couldn't get them. Thanks to Little Professor for facilitating book sales and to Librarian Susan Zana for hosting!