Here’s the blurb from the back, just to remind you what it’s all about:

The kingdom of Evrenfels is the last bastion of magic in the world, cut off from the outside by the Great Barrier through which magic cannot penetrate.

 For centuries, the Magelords have ruled their kingdom with an iron hand while beyond the Barrier, magic and the Magelords have faded into an almost forgotten myth, replaced by low-level technology. Now all of that is about to change, for one man, Lord Falk, the Minister of Safety—the most powerful of the Magelords—has plans to assassinate the king and his heir, to break down the Barrier, and to conquer the lands beyond.

 All it will take is the lives of two innocents: Prince Karl and Falk’s own ward, a girl named Brenna, a small sacrifice to Lord Falk’s way of thinking.  One is the heir and the other is the legendary Magebane, anathema to all magic.

 But there is one thing Lord Falk hasn’t foreseen, one thing that could unbalance all of his plans—the unexpected arrival of a young man whose airship suddenly comes sailing over the top of the Great Barrier…

So, for what are you waiting? Go forth and purchase! A dozen copies for yourself, and a couple for each of your friends (oh, be generous, give them to your enemies, too) and family sounds just about right to me.

Oh, and if you’re local bookstore, through some horrendous oversight, does not have any copies, be sure to ask for it by name, OK?

I thank you for your support, and so does Lee Arthur Chane.

P.S. An interesting note about the cover. This is a scan from the actual book, and you’ll notice the text at the bottom begins “Eight centuries ago…” Most of the cover art you’ll see online says “Four centuries ago…” As do many of the online descriptions of the book. That’s because I expanded the timeline in the final rewrite, after a lot of that stuff had already gone out. Fortunately, we were able to change the actual book cover!

It’s still a ways until April, but lo and behold, I discovered the book is already listed at Amazon. Go forth and pre-order!

You know you want to.

The only odd thing about this photo: it makes the store look deserted. In fact, it was very busy and I sold and signed more than a dozen books in the couple of hours I was there.

For bonus marks, spot my daughter Alice in this picture…

I had a school reading last Friday at W.S. Hawrylak School, for about a hundred Grade 7s and 8s, and it seemed to go really well. I even got a few laughs as I read the first chapter, which was gratifying.

(And, yes, I did sing to wrap up the reading. “Me,” from the stage version of Beauty and the Beast. Don’t all authors?)

Monday, I polished up Twist of the Blade, Book 2 of The Shards of Excalibur, and sent it off to my editor at Lobster Press. Lots of rewriting to come on it, I’m sure, but I’m pretty happy with it, and with the title…because there most definitely are some twists in this one.

I’m expecting more reviews of Song of the Sword shortly: keep watching this space!

The review, by author Robert J. Wiersema, almost gave me a heart attack with the first sentence, though. It begins:

Authors who incorporate, interpret, or subvert Arthurian legends in works of contemporary fantasy take a huge risk: the failure rate of such books is staggeringly high.

Gulp. Fortunately, he continues with:

Every so often, though, a writer is skilled enough to utilize the stories of King Arthur and Camelot to significant effect. Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionavar Tapestry trilogy is definitely on the list. So, too, is Song of the Sword, the impressive new YA novel from Regina writer Edward Willett.

Whew! That’s all right, then. (Me, compared with Guy Kay? It is to blush. Although we both have a connection to Weyburn…he was born there, I lived there many years…so, who knows? Maybe it’s something in the water.)

Wiersema goes on to summarize the story (very well), and then adds:

It’s an audacious conceit and a daring subversion of the Arthurian mythos, and Willett backs it up with a taut, compelling narrative, well-drawn characters, and a keen sense of genuine peril and true wonder. It’s a powerful, fun, engaging read, and it’s the first of a series, so readers have much to look forward to.

His only caveat: he wonders if young readers may not be familiar enough with the Arthurian legend for my reworking to resonate as fully with them as I’d like, and worries that if this is the first time they run into the Arthurian cast of characters, my book could “skew” their initial reading of their legends.

I hate to sound heartless, but…I think I can live with that!

Here are the covers (and the back-cover copy) for each:

Johnny Cash: The Man in Black

When country music legend Johnny Cash took the stage at Folsom State Prison in 1968, he solidified the public’s perception of him as a rebel who followed his own path. Born in Arkansas during the Great Depression, Cash endured poverty, the death of his older brother, and a difficult relationship with his father. He turned to gospel and country music to express the pain, and after many years of struggling, his songs of hardship and hope would finally reach the ears of those waiting for an artist who represented them, ordinary people fighting to survive.

Johnny Cash’s career spanned almost fifty years, with thousands of songs, hundreds of albums, and even a telvision show to his name. Even after his death in 2003, new albums continue to be released, and the 200t bipic Walk the Line brought “the man in black” to life for a new generation. From spiritual hymns to rock ballads, his influence transcended all genres and “the voice of America” lives on.

Buy Johnny Cash: The Man in Black from Amazon.com.

Andy Warhol: Everyone Will be Famous for 15 Minutes

In the 1960s, Andy Warhol became the most famous creator of a new style of art called pop art, which transformed mass-produced items of popular culture into fine works of art. From Campbell’s Soup cans to photographs of Marilyn Monroe, Warhol’s willingness to use anything and everything from the mass media in his work expanded the range of subject matter available to artists. His avant-garde films, artistic usage of American icons, and unconventional social life made him a controversial figure, both greatly admired and deeply reviled. A trendsetter rather than a trend-follower, a dispassionate observer of both the seamy and celebrity sides of life, Warhol was a true American rebel.

Buy Andy Warhol: Everyone Will be Famous for 15 Minutes from Amazon.com.

Guess I’d better get busy and write the second book…

The art work is by Allen Douglas, and I like it a lot.

Here’s the blurb from the Amazon.ca page (where you can already pre-order the book…and where, obviously, some people have, because it has a remarkably high rating for not actually being in print yet):

Before the Lady called her, Ariane’s life was a mess. Two years ago, her mother disappeared. She bounced around different foster homes until her aunt finally took her in. The meanest clique at her new high school has decided to make Ariane their prime target. And to top it all off, she is having frightening premonitions, and they are becoming more intense. The moment water touches her skin, she sees visions of a lake, a lady, and a sword. When a staircase opens up in the middle of Wascana Lake and the water begins singing to her, she has no choice but to answer the call.

Ariane learns that she descends from the Lady of the Lake, and soon the stories she thought were legend become a real life nightmare. She and her unexpected companion, Wally Knight, are charged with finding the scattered shards of Excalibur before Merlin can get his hands on them. The infamous magician, known in this world as software tycoon Rex Major, is trying to recover the pieces of Arthur’s sword so he can reforge it and restore his limitless power. Suddenly, Ariane’s life seems to have a purpose and a clear direction – but how can a troubled teen and her brainy sidekick outwit the ancient, ruthless sorcerer?

I’m excited about the upcoming release of Song of the Sword and can’t wait to write the rest of the series. It’s going to be a blast!

Here’s the description from the back of the book:

“The Bounty was a British ship visiting Tahiti in 1789 when some of the crew overthrew the captain, William Bligh, and set him adrift in a tiny boat with sailors loyal to him. The mutiny resulted in a number of trials—both of the men who mutinied and of Bligh for losing command of his ship. These fascinating events have been the source for numerous Hollywood movies, most recently The Bounty. In The Bounty Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie, Edward Willett explores the famous case and the movies it inspired.”

There’s also a nice blurb:

“The mutiny on the Bounty is one of the most misunderstood events in maritime history. Here, Edward Willett reveals the true events behind that episode, and attempts to explain why these have been obscured from popular memory by filmmakers who rarely let the facts get in the way of a good story. But, as Willett shows, the truth—if less romantic than fiction—is equally fascinating.” – Timothy G. Lynch, PhD, Assistant Professor, Maritime History, California Maritime Academy, California State University.

I daresay it’s the only book I’ll ever write which has Mel Gibson on the cover!