The Next Big Thing: Shadow's Master

The extremely talented and lovely Kat Richardson tapped me for The Next Big Thing. Kat and I met at World Fantasy Convention a few years back, and we've kept in touch. She's the author of the Greywalker paranormal detective series and a good friend. Elaine Cunningham also approached me for this, so I want to thank her as well. Elaine is the author of several series, including books for Forgotten Realms and the Pathfinder RPG worlds.


Where did the idea come from for the book?
I had the basic idea for this novel back when I first started working on the concept for the series. I knew that Caim would one day return to the land of his birth and confront the forces that had torn apart his family. This book is Caim's search for answers, and vengeance.


What genre does your book fall under?
Some call it "sword and sorcery" and Amazon lists it under "Historical Fantasy" (which it isn't.) Let's just say bloody, emotion-fueled fantasy.


Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Oh, this is a hard one. I think Hugh Jackman would be a great Caim, or perhaps Channing Tatum. A young Kate Beckinsale would be my ideal Josey. Kit is the hardest one to pin down. She's ethereal (literally) and irrepressible. Maybe Emilia Clarke, because she looks so good in Game of Thrones. For the Northmen, just recruit a band of drunken Nordic hooligans.


Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I'm represented by the JABberwocky Literary Agency and published by Pyr Books.


How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
About four to five months.


What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
My series has been compared to the Night Angel series by Brent Weeks (who is an awesome guy, btw). If a book has magic and assassins, I'm down with it.


Who or What inspired you to write this book?
I had to find out what happens to Caim. And I had a desire to write about a land of cold and darkness ruled by an immortal king.


What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Well, it's got plenty of action, Northmen (think brutal, landlocked Vikings), dark sorcery, a fae girl who wants to be human, and shadow-swordsmen, and battles galore.


These are the folks Kat tagged with me:
Adrianne Wood.