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Friday 15 July 2016

This blog has now moved to Wordpress


If you've been wondering why I haven't been posting on this blog recently - it's because I've moved!

I'm currently working on an exciting new project - an epic fantasy romance. The novel is going to be a stand-alone door-stopper - an exciting epic fantasy adventure, with a powerful love story woven in!

Read my latest posts and updates on www.samanthacharlton.com


Friday 23 October 2015

Book Review: The Liar's Key (Book #2 The Red Queen's War)

Liar's Key was a great read. It's one of those fantasy tales you get in lost in. Lawrence's Broken Empire is once more brought vividly to life through the eyes of Jalan, the feckless Prince of the Red March and grandson of the feared Red Queen. 

The story picks up where it left us after the first book in this series, where we find Jal back to his old womanising ways in Trond, in the far north.

It seems as if the journeys, and ordeals, he has just come through have not changed him after all. Against his will, he is drawn into another adventure, travelling south with two vikings, Snorri and Tuttugu. Snorri, who now holds Loki's Key, is determined to find the door, and unlock, the door that will lead him to death and allow him to retrieve his dead wife and children from the afterlife.

It's a doomed quest, and Jal knows that from the start. Still, he once more finds his fate tangled with Snorri's. Along the way, they are joined by Kara, a Norse witch, and an orphan boy, Hennan.

Just like the first book, this really is Kalan's story. He tells us he's a coward with a bad character and we almost believe him... almost. It's true, some of his behaviour ranges from self-serving and greedy to arrogant and vain, but what truly emerges is a young man who has no idea of his own worth; a young man who lacks self-knowledge because at a certain point in his childhood something truly terrible occurred that would change him forever.

I loved the first book in this series, but I think I enjoyed this one even more. The writing is tight, fast-paced, and with just enough description to bring this world to vivid life. There are 'villains' at every turn, every one wants something, even those we think are a force for good. Looking forward to the next one in the series!

Five stars *****

Purchase a copy of The Liar's Key on Amazon.

Building an epic fantasy trilogy

A momentous occasion (for me, at least). I have just published the last novel in my epic fantasy trilogy: The Palâdnith Chronicles.


It’s been quite a journey – one that started in 2009, when I began sketching out the idea for the series. In the time since I began the trilogy, I have moved country twice, shifted home four times and had a number of other ‘distractions’ to deal with.

However, in the end, I got there!

One of the things I really enjoyed while writing this series, was learning the craft of building an epic fantasy trilogy. I use the world ‘building’ rather than ‘writing’ because – believe me – writing is the easy part!

Epic fantasy novels usually come as part of series. Readers seem to prefer it, and a series gives writers the chance to delve deep into the world they’ve created. However, creating, building and writing a fantasy trilogy is not without its pitfalls.

Firstly, what exactly is a ‘trilogy’?
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected. They can be seen either as a single work, or as three individual works. Most fiction trilogies involve the same character or setting, whereas others are connected only by theme.

The easiest way to understand a trilogy in the context of a fantasy series, is a single story that’s basically split into three novels.

Basically, a trilogy should be like a three act play. Book#1 should be the set up and inciting event; Book #2 where all the real trouble happens and the stakes escalate; and Book #3 is the final show down with the antagonist, the climax and the wrap up (Summary courtesy of: Planning your Novel: Ideas and Structure, Janice Hardy).

The importance of planning
Yes, we’ve all have heard this before, but it really does pay to plan before you write. I don’t mean nutting out the plot in detail, but it’s essential to have a rough storyline for the entire trilogy sketched out, to ensure your series doesn’t just peter out half-way through.

Will your story last the distance? Often a story idea seems grand enough to span three books. However, when we take a good look at it, we realise we could tell the story in just one novel.

A story that just doesn’t have enough meat to fill a trilogy ends up becoming unbalanced. To quote Janice Hardy again, such a trilogy ends up looking like this: “Book One that’s all set up and feels like it’s not going anywhere, a Book Two that drags the plot out and ends with nothing being resolved, and a Book Three that feels like a slow march to the antagonist that takes way too long.”

They key is to make sure that you have enough conflict and story to last the distance. 

Conflict, conflict… and more conflict
Conflict is central to a good story – but it’s also key to planning and writing a trilogy. Not only do you need to have a central conflict that dominates the entire series, but each novel within the trilogy should have its own stand-alone conflict as well, which is resolved at the end of the book. This gives the reader a sense of resolution, while remaining aware that there is a bigger goal in sight.

Don’t be afraid of conflict in your stories – layer it on and it will give your series depth. Conflict comes in many guises; it’s not just external peril or issues beyond your protagonists’ control, but conflict can also come from problems created by the protagonists themselves – actually, this is often the most exciting form of conflict.

Put your characters to the test
Your protagonists need to change throughout the course of your trilogy – however, be careful not to transform them too quickly. You don’t want them overcoming their personal demons in the Book #1, only to cruise through the next two novels without developing – this will make your story boring. The way to avoid this is to plan your character arc for all your characters (including your antagonists) over the entire trilogy.

It helps to start with giving your character a goal, and then giving him/her a fatal flaw which prevents him/her from reaching it. During the course of the story, show your character making strides forward, before relapsing, and continue this cycle right to the end.

This pattern of struggling with the flaws that hold us back in life, making breakthroughs and then having setbacks, is all part of being human. Making this key to your story will help readers connect with your characters – it will also mean that by the time your protagonists reach the end of the third book they have undergone an epic personal – and not just physical – journey.

Did I follow my own advice?
Sigh – hindsight does have 20/20 vision. If there was one thing I would have done differently throughout the writing of the Palâdnith Chronicles, it would have been to plan the storyline for all three books BEFORE writing.

The problem was that I didn’t initially set out to write a series. Originally, my tale was going to be just one stand-alone book. However, after a finishing a huge first draft, my editor pointed out that there were at least two novels in that manuscript. He also pointed out that the story clearly didn’t end with the second book, so I might as well write a trilogy.

Changing my plans half-way through meant I had to sit down and plan Book #3 carefully before writing. It also meant that I had to do a bit of extra backstory and also revisit my characters’ flaws to ensure they continued developing over the last novel in the trilogy. There were subplots to be tied up, a show down with the antagonist to build up to, and a resolution to be made.

It was hard work – but I’d do it all again. J


Are you working on an epic fantasy trilogy? What have you discovered so far about the process? Please share!


Friday 16 October 2015

THE WELL OF SECRETS - available now on Amazon Kindle!


THE WELL OF SECRETS is now available (in Kindle format) on Amazon. I am currently in the process of formatting the paperback version, which should be available in a couple of days.

THE WELL OF SECRETS marks the end of a seven year journey, as it completes the Palâdnith Chronicles - an epic fantasy trilogy about three brothers and the destiny that binds them.

I began this the first draft of what would eventually become the first two books of the series, during 2009, and finished the first draft a year later. That story was huge, and so I split it into two novels, and fleshed out the plot to create JOURNEY OF SHADOWS and THE CITADEL OF LIES. If the end of JOURNEY OF SHADOWS appears a bit of a cliff-hanger, that’s why – it was initially part one of a much bigger book!

THE WELL OF SECRETS was the hardest of the three novels to write. There were so many subplots to bring together, so many loose ends to tie up. As I began the draft of the third part of the series, I also began writing a bit of backstory. This eventually became a tale in its own right and in 2014 I published DEEP-SPIRE, the prequel novella to the series. 

DEEP-SPIRE takes place forty years before Seth, Eni and Val’s adventures, and tells the story of their mother Belythna. Writing DEEP-SPIRE was a bit of a detour, and slowed down the writing and publication of THE WELL OF SECRETS – however, I think the series is better for it.

So, seven years after I started work on JOURNEY OF SHADOWS, my own journey is now complete. It has been sad saying goodbye to the characters and world I have grown to love, but at the same time I’m looking forward to embarking on new adventures. 

What's this novel about?

The last chapter in an epic fantasy adventure begins… 

The Well of Secrets (Book Three of the Palâdnith Chronicles) is a tale of adventure, discovery, fear and courage. It's the story of three men, and the legacy that binds them. 

Seth, Eni and Val Falkyn stand at a crossroads. The Citadel of Lies now lies behind them and the Collar of Jade is lost. 

Floriana DeSanith convinces the brothers that in order to gain the skills they need to rescue their mother from Moden, they must first become Sentorân. Reluctantly, the brothers return home to Barrowthorne, to begin their training – a decision that they eventually come to regret. 

Meanwhile, an ambitious young realmlord travels to Deep-Spire with hopes of power and glory. At the same time, Edessa Delfen – who has escaped the Malwagen – begins a hunt for the man she deems responsible for the death of her lover: Seth Falkyn. 

When a new discovery comes to light, the brothers’ focus changes once more. Instead of continuing their training, they set of on another quest – this time in search of the mythical 'Well of Secrets'. 

However, there is far more at stake than the brothers realise… 

The first two installments of the Palâdnith Chronicles are both available on Amazon (Kindle and paperback editions). 

Journey of Shadows (Book One of the Palâdnith Chronicles) 
The Citadel of Lies (Book Two of the Palâdnith Chronicles) 

Goodreads paperback giveaway - be in to win!

To celebrate the launch of THE WELL OF SECRETS, the final installment in the Palâdnith Chronicles, I am running a giveaway on Goodreads. 

There are 3 paperback copies of JOURNEY OF SHADOWS (Book #1 of the Palâdnith Chronicles) up for grabs. The competition ends on 25 October, so make sure you don't miss out.



Goodreads Book Giveaway

Journey of Shadows by Sam J. Charlton

Journey of Shadows

by Sam J. Charlton

Giveaway ends October 25, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter Giveaway

Wednesday 7 October 2015

DEEP-SPIRE is available for free!



Deep-Spire - the prequel novella to the Palâdnith Chronicles, is now available as a free PDF download.

I wrote this novella before embarking on Book #3 in the trilogy - in order to provide myself more background on the setting of the third book: the fortress of Deep-Spire. It's set around 40 years before the beginning of my trilogy, and focuses on the conflict between two magical orders: the Sentorân and the Esquill.

Download your copy here. Enjoy! :-)

Here's what the novella's about:

“Only the dead have seen the end of war.” ― Plato

Belythna Arran is a sorceress.

She is one of the Sentorân, an order charged with the protection of Palâdnith – a land that has seen too much blood-shed in its history. She pledged, at the age of thirteen, to dedicate her life to the Sentorân – but as the years pass she begins to realise that the walls of Deep-Spire, the order’s stronghold, have become a prison.

Once, powerful and respected, the order has fallen into stagnation.

The rulers of Palâdnith no longer seek their council, and the people view the sorcerers with distrust.

However, the greatest threat to the Sentorân, and everything they stand for, comes from within.

Riadamor, an ambitious young sorceress, rebels against the order. Her act is a catalyst for a series of events that bring the Sentorân to the edge of doom.

Belythna, who entered the order at the same time as Riadamor, struggles to come to terms with a changing world, and her place in it. As Deep-Spire edges towards war, she must decide who she really is, and where her loyalties lie.

DEEP-SPIRE sets the scene for the first novel in the Palâdnith Chronicles, JOURNEY OF SHADOWS (Shortlisted for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards, 2014). DEEP-SPIRE is a tale of duty, choice and self-discovery.
 

Download your copy of Deep-Spire here.


Tuesday 6 October 2015

THE WELL OF SECRETS - available to pre-order now



The WELL OF SECRETS is available for pre-order on Amazon!

The publication date is 17 October  2015, but if you can't wait till then, make sure you order your copy now.

To celebrate the upcoming launch, I will be running an Amazon free giveaway, and a Goodreads giveaway of JOURNEY OF SHADOWS, the first book in the series. Watch this space for more details - coming soon!

Back to the trilogy - The Palâdnith Chronicles has been quite a journey.

I began this the first draft of what would eventually become the first two books of the series, during 2009, and finished the first draft a year later. That story was huge, and so I split it into two novels, and fleshed out the plot to create JOURNEY OF SHADOWS and THE CITADEL OF LIES. If the end of JOURNEY OF SHADOWS appears a bit of a cliff-hanger, that’s why – it was initially part one of a much bigger book!

THE WELL OF SECRETS was the hardest of the three novels to write. There were so many subplots to bring together, so many loose ends to tie up. As I began the draft of the third part of the series, I also began writing a bit of backstory. This eventually became a tale in its own right and in 2014 I wrote DEEP-SPIRE, the prequel novella to the series (available as a free PDF download on my website).

DEEP-SPIRE takes place forty years before Seth, Eni and Val’s adventures, and tells the story of their mother Belythna. Writing DEEP-SPIRE was a bit of a detour, and slowed down the writing and publication of THE WELL OF SECRETS – however, I think the series is better for it.


So, seven years after I started work on JOURNEY OF SHADOWS, my own journey is now complete. It has been sad saying goodbye to the characters and world I have grown to love, but at the same time I’m looking forward to embarking on new adventures.