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

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! 

Southern Writers' Showcase

On Saturday, October 17th, I'll be participating in the Southern Writers' Showcase at the Barnes and Noble Patton Creek located in the Patton Creek Shopping Center, 171 Main St., Hoover, AL 35244. The event is from 11am to 3pm, and I'll be joined by host of southern authors. Here is the event poster and press release below. Come out and see us all!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sandra Foreman

Phone:    (205) 682-4467

October Autographings & Events

At

Barnes & Noble

171 Main St.

Hoover, AL 35244

Date: Saturday October 17, 2015 @ 11:00AM-3:00PM

Event: Southern Writers Showcase featuring: Patti Callahan Henry, Lou Anders, S.L. Duncan, Hunter Murphy, Heather Jones Skaggs, Rebecca Cybulsky Walden, Catherine Pittman Smith, Kim Johnston, Shane Busby, Vita Coop, Mark Glick and Todd Gerelds. 

Every hour authors will host a 10-minute quick talk about their latest title followed by a Q&A session and signing. There will be several author stations throughout the store so make sure to stop by them all!

Link: http://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780061721017-0 

Title List: 

The Idea of Love- Patti Callahan Henry

Throne and Bones Frostborn- Lou Anders

Throne and Bones Nightborn- Lou Anders

The Revelation of Gabriel Adam- S.L Duncan

The Salvation of Gabriel Adam- S.L Duncan

Imogene in New Orleans- Hunter Murphy

Images of America Bluff Park- Heather Jones Skaggs 

Images of America Hoover- Heather Jones Skaggs

Images of America Vestavia Hills- Rebecca Cybulsky Walden

Images of America Mountain Brook- Catherine Pittman Smith

Haunted Shelby County, Alabama- Kim Johnston

Haunted Talladega County- Kim Johnston and Shane Busby

Hearing Colors: The Birth of Anniston- Vita Coop

Serpent Kind- Mark Glick

Woodlawn- Todd Gerelds 

***ALL EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC***

Nightborn on Tour: The Nightborn Launch Event

Last Saturday, July 18th, was the launch part for Nightborn. We held it in the afternoon at the Barnes & Noble at the Summit Shopping Center in Birmingham, Alabama. Despite the best efforts of the weather--there were reports of hail!-- we had a great turn out. Thanks to all the booksellers who worked to make this happen and to everyone who came. Here are some of the pictures from this wonderful event.

The Frostborn Launch Event

This past Saturday, we launched Frostborn in style at the Barnes and Noble Booksellers at the

Summit Shopping Center in Birmingham, Alabama. I'm deeply grateful to Community Relations Manager Pam Tindal and to the entire B&N staff, and to all the people who came out and supported the launch. As I said at the event, last week marked the culmination of a journey that began decades ago, and apart from my marriage and the birth of my children, feels like one of the crowning moments of my life thus far.

For over a decade now, I've been speaking 6 to 10 times a year to audiences all over America (and sometimes overseas), telling them how amazing other people's books are. This is the first time I've ever really done it for myself. T'aint easy! I'm deeply grateful to everyone who came and helped break me in to this new phase of my professional life.

It was an amazing launch for the Thrones and Bones series. So many friends, acquaintances, and new faces too. It was an amazing time. I signed books for over an hour!

And everyone who bought a book got it not only signed but stamped in Norse runes, and went home with all four of the custom trading cards in "series one" of the Thrones and Bones collectable card set. I hope everyone had as good a time as I did.

So, how did we do?

Before:

After:

I would call that a success!

Frostborn has arrived!

Today, I am a published author.

This has been a very long journey across many years. But today, Random House Children's Books, through their new imprint, Crown Books for Young Readers, has released Frostborn,my debut novel, and the first book in the Thrones and Bones series. Frostborn is a middle grade novel for boys and girls ages 8-12, inspired by Norse mythology and my love of fantasy worlds. There is an amazing website that Random House has built at www.thronesandbones.com as well as the series Facebook page. You can also follow Thrones and Bones news on Twitter @ThronesandBones.

The book has been garnering multiple positive reviews, including a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly, and it currently has a rating of 100% on Goodreads.

For those in and around the Birmingham, Alabama area, they'll be an official reading/signing and launch of the Frostborn tour at the Barnes and Noble at the Summit Shopping Center on Saturday, August 9th, at 4 pm. You can find out about this event here and you can order Frostborn from B&N here.

Barnes & Noble Launch Event

Swords & Dark Magic: The Magic is Unleashed!

My Eos anthology, Swords & Dark Magic, co-edited with Jonathan Strahan, is now IN STOCK at Amazon, B&N, Borders, etc... and is available for the Kindle, B&N ereader/Nook, and in iBooks. And I'm sure you can get it at fine independents like Borderlands Books as well. (See this indiebound link).

Once again, the Table of Contents:

• Check Your Dark Lord at the Door" — Lou Anders & Jonathan Strahan
• Goats of Glory — Steven Erikson
• Tides Elba: A Tale of the Black Company — Glen Cook
• Bloodsport — Gene Wolfe
• The Singing Spear — James Enge
• A Wizard of Wiscezan — C.J. Cherryh
• A Rich Full Week — K. J. Parker
• A Suitable Present for a Sorcerous Puppet — Garth Nix
• Red Pearls: An Elric Story — Michael Moorcock
• The Deification of Dal Bamore — Tim Lebbon
• Dark Times at the Midnight Market — Robert Silverberg
• The Undefiled — Greg Keyes
• Dapple Hew the Tint Master — Michael Shea
• In the Stacks — Scott Lynch
• Two Lions, A Witch, and the War-Robe — Tanith Lee
• The Sea Troll's Daughter — Caitlin R Kiernan
• Thieves of Daring — Bill Willingham
• The Fool Jobs — Joe Abercrombie