It's been a busy few weeks. I'm currently reading through the first complete draft of book 3 of the Bernicia Chronicles, BY BLOOD AND BLADE, and so far I'm enjoying what I'm reading, which is always a plus!
I've also been working on the formatting of book 2, THE CROSS AND THE CURSE. That's almost done now, and the paperback and Kindle version will both be available in January 2016.
I've also done a few interviews with different authors. The latest of these went live this weekend on Christoph Fischer's blog.
The week before last, I got together with Matt Bunker, from the group Wulfheodenas, and a talented photographer friend of mine, Stephen Weatherly, to take photos for the covers of books 2 and 3. Matt took the cover photo for The Serpent Sword, but this time round he is wearing his war gear, so taking the photos would prove a little difficult!
Stephen took nearly 300 photos in two hours and since then we have been going through them, selecting the best and then working on polishing them for publication. The cover for THE CROSS AND THE CURSE is nearly ready and is looking fabulous. I'll be revealing it soon, so watch this space.
In the meantime, I have started to receive some endorsements from great authors who have read advance copies. It is always scary when others read your work for the first time. Getting great reviews and comments from readers is wonderful. Having other authors enjoy it and being prepared to endorse a book, is an amazing feeling. I am over the moon with the quotes I've received so far, so I'll leave you with some of them here!
"A tale that rings like sword song in the reader's mind. Warriors, shield walls, the carnage of the war as it tears at a land that is not yet a nation. Beobrand is a hero to stand shoulder to shoulder with and his story is one to be told round the hearth fire on a dark night. Harffy knows his genre inside out and The Cross and the Curse proves it."
Giles Kristian, bestselling author of God of Vengeance and the Raven series
"The Cross and the Curse is a terrific novel that strikes just the right balance between fact and fiction, the plausible and the romantic, and it illuminates the Dark Ages like the bolt of lightning in its first few pages: in rare and unexpected ways. Top stuff."
Toby Clements, author of the Kingmaker trilogy
"The best historical fiction enables the reader to simultaneously live in the here and now and the then and there. Matthew Harffy has this skill in abundance. He peoples his work with everyman and everywoman, allowing a bridge across the centuries, a meeting place. Matthew Harffy’s first novel, The Serpent Sword, was superb. The second book, The Cross and the Curse, is every bit as good. He is one of the most accomplished and exciting voices in the field today. I love his novels."
Martin Lake, author of A Love Most Dangerous and The Lost King series
Read Martin's complete review here.
"Harffy’s debut novel, The Serpent Sword, was first rate and it’s often with trepidation that a reader will wait for Book Two in a series in the hope that it will pick up the banner and carry it forward. The Cross and the Curse does that eminently. I reviewed The Serpent Sword from the point of view of emotional reveal and I am pleased to see that Harffy continues to use this metier in order to give his characters real dimension. It allows the reader to peel back the layers of Dark Age society beyond the implicit violence. His wordage is skilful and beautifully wrought, rather like a perfect damascened sword. Harffy is a writer to watch …"
Prue Batten, author of The Gisborne Saga and The Triptych Chronicle
“Like an oyster which grows a pearl through the irritation of a grain of sand, so Beobrand develops as a person through the horrors he witnesses and fights with, over, and against. We see his humanity, we see pieces of ourselves, and we love him for it. Matthew Harffy has created a gritty, authentic world, home to a hero who shows us the complexity of what it means to be human – the darkness and the delight. The Cross and the Curse is historical fiction at its finest.”
Stephanie Churchill, author of The Scribe's Daughter
I've also been working on the formatting of book 2, THE CROSS AND THE CURSE. That's almost done now, and the paperback and Kindle version will both be available in January 2016.
I've also done a few interviews with different authors. The latest of these went live this weekend on Christoph Fischer's blog.
The week before last, I got together with Matt Bunker, from the group Wulfheodenas, and a talented photographer friend of mine, Stephen Weatherly, to take photos for the covers of books 2 and 3. Matt took the cover photo for The Serpent Sword, but this time round he is wearing his war gear, so taking the photos would prove a little difficult!
Stephen took nearly 300 photos in two hours and since then we have been going through them, selecting the best and then working on polishing them for publication. The cover for THE CROSS AND THE CURSE is nearly ready and is looking fabulous. I'll be revealing it soon, so watch this space.
In the meantime, I have started to receive some endorsements from great authors who have read advance copies. It is always scary when others read your work for the first time. Getting great reviews and comments from readers is wonderful. Having other authors enjoy it and being prepared to endorse a book, is an amazing feeling. I am over the moon with the quotes I've received so far, so I'll leave you with some of them here!
"A tale that rings like sword song in the reader's mind. Warriors, shield walls, the carnage of the war as it tears at a land that is not yet a nation. Beobrand is a hero to stand shoulder to shoulder with and his story is one to be told round the hearth fire on a dark night. Harffy knows his genre inside out and The Cross and the Curse proves it."
Giles Kristian, bestselling author of God of Vengeance and the Raven series
"The Cross and the Curse is a terrific novel that strikes just the right balance between fact and fiction, the plausible and the romantic, and it illuminates the Dark Ages like the bolt of lightning in its first few pages: in rare and unexpected ways. Top stuff."
Toby Clements, author of the Kingmaker trilogy
"The best historical fiction enables the reader to simultaneously live in the here and now and the then and there. Matthew Harffy has this skill in abundance. He peoples his work with everyman and everywoman, allowing a bridge across the centuries, a meeting place. Matthew Harffy’s first novel, The Serpent Sword, was superb. The second book, The Cross and the Curse, is every bit as good. He is one of the most accomplished and exciting voices in the field today. I love his novels."
Martin Lake, author of A Love Most Dangerous and The Lost King series
Read Martin's complete review here.
"Harffy’s debut novel, The Serpent Sword, was first rate and it’s often with trepidation that a reader will wait for Book Two in a series in the hope that it will pick up the banner and carry it forward. The Cross and the Curse does that eminently. I reviewed The Serpent Sword from the point of view of emotional reveal and I am pleased to see that Harffy continues to use this metier in order to give his characters real dimension. It allows the reader to peel back the layers of Dark Age society beyond the implicit violence. His wordage is skilful and beautifully wrought, rather like a perfect damascened sword. Harffy is a writer to watch …"
Prue Batten, author of The Gisborne Saga and The Triptych Chronicle
“Like an oyster which grows a pearl through the irritation of a grain of sand, so Beobrand develops as a person through the horrors he witnesses and fights with, over, and against. We see his humanity, we see pieces of ourselves, and we love him for it. Matthew Harffy has created a gritty, authentic world, home to a hero who shows us the complexity of what it means to be human – the darkness and the delight. The Cross and the Curse is historical fiction at its finest.”
Stephanie Churchill, author of The Scribe's Daughter
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