Introducing Castles of Steel and Thunder

If you’re a regular reader here, you’ll know I recently shared the news that I’m about to publish my first novel, a Young Adult fantasy inspired by the legends of Caithness. Over the October holidays, I was a very busy bee, proofreading typeset proofs and finalising small details with the wonderful assistance of Jen at Fuzzy Flamingo, who is helping me get my book out into the world. As the release date creeps ever closer (I’ll keep you posted on this here, and also via my mailing list, which you can sign up to at the end of this post), I wanted to take the opportunity to share the cover and the blurb for the novel with you. It’s all at once an exciting and a nerve-wracking experience. Anyone who says they aren’t slightly terrified about putting their first novel ‘out there’ is either a very, very confident person – or is possibly telling a few lies!

Without further ado, then, introducing Castles of Steel and Thunder (I’ve decided to use my full name for my novel writing, to separate it from my blog – and also because it possibly sounds a bit more ‘writerly’ than plain Gail Brown does. Who knew I’d come to appreciate my middle name after all these years, eh? Thanks for the foresight, Mum and Dad!)

In Caithness, in the time of faeries, Sysa Steel lives a secluded life with Grey, her Grandfather.

That all changes when Grey takes Sysa to a faerie mound and she disappears into a strange, mysterious world.

Once there, Sysa discovers the truth about her family and a quest for vengeance that threatens their existence. Meeting Brodie and Lavellan complicates things, while answers seem to lie in the stories Grey told her as a child.

With everything at stake, Sysa must challenge the force of the Castle of Thunder.

In a world full of magic, is the power of stories the greatest power of all?

Age range – secondary school age up (for information – contains kissing and romance.) Also entirely suitable for an older audience who enjoy tales of an other-worldly nature, and anyone with an interest in the folklore of Caithness.

More details coming soon!

Gx

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