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: Randolph School

Friday, I raced the weather to go to Huntsville and give two talks on writing to about eighty 7th graders at Randolph School. I visited Randolph last year as well and it was fun to return. Although the then-impending weather meant the school had an early dismissal and I was in a hurry to get out of there. So after the second talk, I quickly signed copies of Nightborn, then leapt in my car and raced to beat the snow and make it home. The snow started coming down when I was minutes out of Huntsville, but I got ahead of it. It turned to rain and didn't snow again until I reached home.

Meanwhile, Saturday was a great day. My son and I went to meet two 5th grade fans from Vestavia Hills Elementary Central at Starbucks who wanted to have hot chocolate with the author. We talked about the books, and we played two games of Charioteers (from Nightborn). Fun!

Reflections from the Road: Vestavia Hills Elementary Central

Yesterday, I got to visit with the students at Vestavia Hills Elementary Central. I arrived in the morning, walking into a busy project-in-progress in their library, but was quickly swarmed by kids wanting their Scholastic Book Fair edition of Frostborn signed and personalized. This library is clearly the heart of the school, with a lot of activities and interesting things ongoing on tables throughout the room and students taking advantage of it throughout the day. The library even has a 3D printer, and I got to see student-designed fabricated creations!

Then I had a nice lunch with Librarian Elizabeth Hester and several school staff and teachers. The brownies were delicious! After lunch, Elizabeth took me around the school on a whirlwind visit to most of the thirty-three classrooms, to pop in for quick hellos and pictures with students.

Finally, it was off to the gymnasium for two back-to-back presentations, one to the fourth grade and one to the fifth. These were shorter presentations than my usual, but we hit the highlights and you could tell the students were eating it up.

All told, I got to speak to a lot of VHEC students, both around the school and in the short Q&As after each presentation, and I was very impressed with their engagement, the quality of their questions, and how enthusiastic and polite they were.

Thank you to Media Specialist Elizabeth Hester, Principal Marian Humphries, and all the wonderful teachers and students for a great visit to VHEC!