Book release: War of the Weeping Sky
When the powerful city-state of Dranak declares its independence, the Emperor of the ancient Ankuan Empire is faced with a choice: negotiate with his vassal, or put the rebellion down by force. Caught in a war that should never even have begun, only the young Daquah Imharet can see a way out. But it isn't only her people's ancestral enemies she must convince of this; it is her very own family.
Taking place just months after Rebellion of the Raging Sun, War of the Weeping Sky is the harrowing conclusion to the epic Ankuan Trilogy. For millennia, the Ankuan Empire has been the sole uncontested power on the continent of Oasara. Now, not even its two greatest champions can change the tide. Try as they might, Verhan and Tentar cannot win this war alone. Treachery takes its toll, and in more ways than one.
Great news! City of the Seventh Moon has been entered into SPFBOX: the tenth run of the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off!
I'm extremely lucky to have gotten through the lottery this year, and get the chance to take part in this awesome competition hosted by Mark Lawrence, the author of the Broken Empire trilogy.
I'm especially grateful to all the youtubers and bloggers who are judging this competition, and I wish the other authors taking part the best of luck!
Exciting News:
Indie Ink Awards
Not long ago, I was given the great opportunity to become one of the judges for the Indie Ink Awards. This is a relatively new award for fiction books (@indieinkawards) by self-published authors and small presses, but also for marginalized authors. I'm thrilled to be able to assist in the judging process, and help bring more attention to other talented authors!
I've chosen four books to review so far, but I might review more. Expect a few video reviews on here and on my YouTube account when the results are in!
Book release: Rebellion of the Raging Sun
When the talented inventor Zyrus Imharet is summoned to the ancient fortress-city of Kar Tunor, he looks forward to his task; to build the greatest weapon the Empire has ever seen. Instead, he finds himself in the middle of a city under siege, where different factions vie for power. Who is behind it all, and can he stop them before the city falls?
Rebellion of the Raging Sun takes place four years after the events of City of the Seventh Moon, continuing the story in the furthest frontier of the Ankuan Empire. Not all characters are who they once were, and no one really knows who the enemy is.
First book fair entry for City of the Seventh Moon — 108 votes!
I'm honoured to announce that more than a hundred people have voted for my book in its first online book fair! I would like to thank everyone who voted for my story out of all the different contestants and hope they enjoyed reading the book.
When he is hired as the champion of the noble Urwilar family, Verhan knows that his main job is to fight the other families’ champions to settle political disputes. What he doesn’t count on is the beautiful Mistress Morani, his sponsor’s daughter, as she puts him up against the most formidable opponents to prove his worth. As he struggles to win her favour, he lands in the middle of a secret war between the nobility and the criminal underground of a very dangerous city. Caught between these two opposing conspiracies, he finds that winning duels as a champion is the least of his problems.
City of the Seventh Moon is set in a Persian-inspired empire with Renaissance-level technology and incorporates both mystery and swashbuckling elements. Blending fast-paced action sequences with court intrigue and plans within plans, this story is perfect for readers who enjoyed the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson and the Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.Write your text here...
Book release: City of the Seventh Moon
City of the Seventh Moon Kickstarter
Short Summary
When he is hired as the champion of the noble Urwilar family, Verhan knows that his main job is to fight the other families’ champions to settle political disputes. What he doesn’t count on is the beautiful Mistress Morani, his sponsor’s daughter, as she puts him up against the most formidable opponents to prove his worth. As he struggles to win her favour, he lands in the middle of a secret war between the nobility and the criminal underground of a very dangerous city. Caught between these two opposing conspiracies, he finds that winning duels as a champion is the least of his problems.
Are you an avid fantasy reader who has become bored with staple pseudo-medieval settings, of reluctant chosen ones and a returning evil overlord? Are you looking for something casual but also fast-paced and engaging? And do you like being surprised by twists and turns you never see coming? Then this book might be for you. Blending high fantasy with mystery and political intrigue, and spiced up with gritty, close quarters fight scenes, City of the Seventh Moon tries to break away from the standard fantasy formula.
About the author
My name is Antano Sparreboom, and I'm a Dutch author currently living in the Netherlands, but I mostly grew up in France. Next to writing, I'm also a social worker. Creating a fantasy world requires imagination, but I believe that writing realistic characters requires experience with real people, to really know how people talk.
As for when I thought of the idea for this book, I'm not sure. But I do know that my interest in fantasy came from my love of history. I was obsessed with the Greeks and Romans as a child, and I remember that I started off writing alternative history. And to me, most fantasy is a form of alternative history, often inspired by medieval or ancient Europe, combined with a sprinkling of mythology. The fantasy formula is simple; take a kingdom inspired by medieval England, make up a prophecy, and just add dragons. As a child I loved this formula, but as I grew up I decided to try something different. History is still the best inspiration for fantasy, but this doesn't have to be European history.
Enter my interest in Persian history. I learned that the ancient Persians were the first to come up with human rights (including for women), more than two and a half millennia ago. They created a stable Empire where all languages and religions were tolerated, and a complex ruling system that inspired both the later Greek and Roman forms of government. These ancient Empires also inspired the premise of my story: imagine if a Persian Empire had survived for more than three thousand years? What kind of ruling system would it have? What threats would it face, and would it overcome them?
What We Need & What You Get
So what will you be contributing to, exactly? Selling a good book costs money in different parts of the design process. Some of that I have paid myself over the past four years, mostly for a variety of beta readers to read earlier drafts of the book and give feedback until even the editor thought it was publishable. Writing a book is the easy part; rewriting is what takes the most time. That said, because of all that time spent (re)writing the book, I can assure you that 95% of the work is already done and you’re absolutely getting the best story that I could provide you.
But the work beyond writing is a different story. A competent cover artist is necessary to sell the book, as is a good editor, and ordering copies of the book in bulk so you’re only paying for the book and not the distributor (making it cheaper). Many of the rewards are custom made and need to be delivered to you, and a website needs to be hosted to keep fans up to date on news. In total, I need to raise a total of €1500.
Cost Breakdown:
Cover: € 300
Development editor: € 100
Map: €40
Book printing costs: € 643
Delivery costs (estimated): € 200
Business card: € 40
Additional costs (website and trailers): € 100
Indiegogo fees: € 75
Total: +- € 1,493
