The second UK author featured with his books today is
Ben Galley
Title: Bloodrush
Series: The Scarlet Star Trilogy
Author: Ben Galley
Release Date: 16th December 2014
BLURB from Goodreads
“Magick ain’t pretty, it ain’t stars and sparkles. Magick is dirty. It’s rough. Raw. It’s blood and guts and vomit. You hear me?”
When Prime Lord Hark is found in a pool of his own blood on the steps of his halls, Tonmerion Hark finds his world not only turned upside down, but inside out. His father's last will and testament forces him west across the Iron Ocean, to the very brink of the Endless Land and all civilisation. They call it Wyoming.
This is a story of murder and family.
In the dusty frontier town of Fell Falls, there is no silverware, no servants, no plush velvet nor towering spires. Only dust, danger, and the railway. Tonmerion has only one friend to help him escape the torturous heat and unravel his father’s murder. A faerie named Rhin. A twelve-inch tall outcast of his own kind.
This is a story of blood and magick.
But there are darker things at work in Fell Falls, and not just the railwraiths or the savages. Secrets lurk in Tonmerion's bloodline. Secrets that will redefine this young Hark.
This is a story of the edge of the world.
When Prime Lord Hark is found in a pool of his own blood on the steps of his halls, Tonmerion Hark finds his world not only turned upside down, but inside out. His father's last will and testament forces him west across the Iron Ocean, to the very brink of the Endless Land and all civilisation. They call it Wyoming.
This is a story of murder and family.
In the dusty frontier town of Fell Falls, there is no silverware, no servants, no plush velvet nor towering spires. Only dust, danger, and the railway. Tonmerion has only one friend to help him escape the torturous heat and unravel his father’s murder. A faerie named Rhin. A twelve-inch tall outcast of his own kind.
This is a story of blood and magick.
But there are darker things at work in Fell Falls, and not just the railwraiths or the savages. Secrets lurk in Tonmerion's bloodline. Secrets that will redefine this young Hark.
This is a story of the edge of the world.
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THE EMANESKA SERIES
Title: The Written
Series: The Emaneska Bk1
Author: Ben Galley
Release Date: 1st January 2011
BLURB from Goodreads
His name is Farden.
They whisper that he’s dangerous.
Dangerous is only the half of it.
Something has gone missing from the libraries of Arfell. Something very old, and something very powerful. Five scholars are now dead, a country is once again on the brink of war, and the magick council is running out of time and options.
Entangled in a web of lies and politics and dragged halfway across icy Emaneska and back, Farden must unearth a secret even he doesn’t want to know, a secret that will shake the foundations of his world. Dragons, drugs, magick, death, and the deepest of betrayals await.
Welcome to Emaneska
They whisper that he’s dangerous.
Dangerous is only the half of it.
Something has gone missing from the libraries of Arfell. Something very old, and something very powerful. Five scholars are now dead, a country is once again on the brink of war, and the magick council is running out of time and options.
Entangled in a web of lies and politics and dragged halfway across icy Emaneska and back, Farden must unearth a secret even he doesn’t want to know, a secret that will shake the foundations of his world. Dragons, drugs, magick, death, and the deepest of betrayals await.
Welcome to Emaneska
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Series: The Emaneska Bk2
Author: Ben Galley
Release Date: 29th February 2012
BLURB from Goodreads
Emaneska is crying out for a saviour
The only question is:
Can they kill a child to save a world?
Emaneska’s Long Winter remains as bitter as a blade between the ribs. War is fast approaching. Gods and daemons are hovering on the horizon. Long-lost revelations arrive to haunt the lives of three men.
The Pale Kings are rising.
While Farden busies himself digging up his past in the strange deserts of Paraia, the storm-clouds begin to gather for Durnus, Elessi, Cheska, and Modren.
Together with Farfallen and his Sirens, they must fight to survive against the Long Winter, the vicious machinations of the new Arkmage, and the arrival of something much deadlier than both combined. War, deception, and murder are quickly becoming the only paths to salvation…
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Series: The Emaneska Bk3
Author: Ben Galley
Release Date: 31st May 2013
BLURB from Goodreads
The sky is falling.
The world trembles beneath it.
Emaneska is crying out for a saviour.
Somebody is hunting down the Written in the wilds. Murdering and skinning them alive. Who? A mere girl. A girl who was born to rip the stars from the sky and bring them crashing down to earth. The direst enemy Emaneska has ever faced.
In the wake of the Battle of Krauslung, the world has changed. For the darker. For the stranger. Magick swells like a storm, spilling from the stunned lips of farmboys and milkmaids, burning spell books to cinders at the lightest of touches.
As Krauslung unknowingly balances on a knife-edge, tension mounts. Insidious whispers have begun to spread, drawing new enemies to the surface. Discontent, fear, betrayal… it seems that the girl is not the only enemy Emaneska must face.
Who can stand in their way? Will it be a pair of struggling Arkmages, one blind, one Written? An Albion maid, on the cusp of her wedding day? Three shadows of gods? Or will it be a ghost, a bloody rumour, lost in a dark world of murder and bitter memories?
One question above all lingers on their lips:
Where in Emaneska is Farden?
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Series: The Emaneska Bk4
Author: Ben Galley
Release Date: 31st May 2013
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North, is where the battle will take place.
North, is where Farden must go.
But to death, to glory, or to both?
The Arka have chosen their champion, and now he must lead them to the top of the world - The Spine, where the black mountains belch fire, and where the battle against cataclysm will take place upon the ice.
As they travel north in a warship clad in iron, the Krauslung they leave behind is crumbling. Not under the onslaught of the girl and her daemons, but from within, under the force of greed and poisonous ambition. It seems there are too many battles to fight.
Now, with the Sirens silent, the frozen north in uproar, and the responsibility mounting, Emaneska’s champion must face a choice.
Can he tread the tunnels of Hel to save the world? To save a woman more ghost than alive? To claim the armour he has always longed for?
For salvation lies in the hands of a Knight fifteen-hundred years dead, and in the red-gold armour of a certain mage.
Salvation lies with Scalussen.
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AUTHOR INTERVIEW
What is your name, where were you born
and where do you live now?
My name is Ben Galley, I was born in
Cambridge, England, and I now live on the south coast, in the very small and
bucolic city of Chichester.
Did you always want to be a writer? If not
what did you want to be?
Always, ever since I could remember. I
wanted to be the youngest author ever published, which was one of my first big
dreams. However, I did get a little distracted by wanting to be a fast-jet
pilot in the RAF, as well as a bass player.
Did it take a long time to get your
first book published?
I published my first book, The Written,
in late 2010, which was about 18 months after I started writing it. Not bad, in
my opinion, for my first book, especially as it involved teaching myself to
self-publish as well along the way!
Do you work another job as well as your
writing work?
I’m pleased to
say I'm a full-time fantasy author and self-publishing consultant.
What is the name of your latest book,
and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?
My latest book is called Bloodrush, the
first book in the Scarlet Star Trilogy. It’s a dark,
western YA fantasy set in an alternate 1867, packed full of magic, politics,
and guns.
Who is your publisher? or do you self
publish?
I'm a proud self-publisher, having
published by first book in 2010. I'm also now an even prouder self-publishing
consultant, helping fellow authors to get their books onto shelves, and
teaching them the tips and tricks of self-publishing at my site www.shelfhelp.info.
How long does it usually take you to
write a book, from the original idea to finishing writing it?
Since first publishing in 2010, I've
been getting faster with every book I write. Writing my latest sequel Bloodmoon
has taken barely 3 months from conception to the finish line. Bloodrush, the
first in the series, took about 5-6 months.
What can we expect from you in the
future? ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?
I’m actually
branching out into children's books, in a project called Truth & Tails,
which is designed to eradicate prejudice. There are also new fantasy audio books
coming out as well, from my first dark fantasy series - The Emaneska Series. And
of course, Bloodmoon, coming out in July of this year.
What genre would you place your books
into?
All of my books are fantasy books,
though The Emaneska Series is darker, with medieval flavour, halfway between
grim dark and epic fantasy. With the Scarlet Star books, again they are dark
fantasy, but this time with weird west and YA fantasy elements.
What made you decide to write that genre
of book?
Weird west and western fantasy has
always intrigued me. The idea of supplanting the usual medieval themes with
iconic western tropes works incredibly well in my opinion. It’s also relatively unexplored, and I think it’s time we
investigated it more!
Do you have a favourite character from
your books? and why are they your favourite?
I can't help but pick one of my newer
characters: a blood and whiskey-drinking prospector called Lurker. He's the
silent type, an old soldier, but he's got a tongue sharper than a dagger when
he’s been at the flask, and a one-eyed magpie for a pet. Love him.
If you had to choose to be one of your
characters in your book/books which would you be? and why?
That would have to be Farden, the main
protagonist from The Emaneska Series. He's a master mage with a dubious moral
compass and a deep passion for fire and swords. Deep down, all he wants to do
is get it right, but it’s never as simple as that.
How long have you been writing?, and who or
what inspired you to write?
I've been writing since I could first
scribble, and I wrote my first book at the age of 11. I then took a break as I
worked through school and college, but after picking up Neil Gaiman's American
Gods and having the idea for Emaneska pop into my head like lightning one day
helped me get back on track. I haven't looked over my shoulder since.
Do you have a certain routine you have for
writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?
Whenever I'm giving writing advice, I
always say you need a clear and focused mind, and a space to call your own. If
you're not concentrating, for whatever reason, you're bound to trip over
yourself and get distracted. Writing needs your all.
Do you basic plot/plan for your book,
before you actually begin writing it out? Or do you let the writing flow and
see where it takes the story?
That's the other half of my writing
advice. I'm an avid planner, and pretty much how every scene and chapter is
going to go before I launch into the first sentence.
Have you ever suffered from a
"writer's block"? What did you do to get past the "block"?
I rarely, if ever get it. So much so
that I don't quite believe in it. That comes from planning, and making sure I'm
fully in the writing zone before getting stuck in. There are sections that I
find hard of course, but that deserves a little concentration, and perseverance,
to push through. Or, a little external stimulation from reading or listening to
some music.
Which format of book do you prefer,
ebook,hardback, or paperback?
I like to publish in both print and
eBook, as I don't think it's right to ignore either audience. Personally? You
can’t get better than a trusty ole paperback.
What piece of advice would you give to a
new writer?
The sky's the limit now that we have the
technology and ability to publish on our own. Now a new writer can write
fearlessly, knowing that there is always an avenue for their book at the end of
it. All you have to do is make sure it's the best damn book you can possibly
write, right there and then, and do it the justice it deserves with hard work
and professionalism.
If you could invite three favourite
writers to dinner, who would you invite and enjoy chatting with?
Charles
Dickens, Terry Pratchett, and JRR Tolkien. That would
be fun as hell.
What do you do to unwind and relax? Do
you have a hobby?
When it comes to relaxation, I like to
spend time gaming, watching films, hitting the gym, playing bass, and the
occasional bit of surfing, when I can.
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