Episode 163: Sebastien de Castell – Play of Shadows

A chat with award-winning fantasy author Sebastien de Castell about Play of Shadows, Book 1 of Court of Shadows, set in the world of his popular Greatcoats series.

Website
decastell.com

X
@decastell

Facebook
@decastell

Sebastien de Castell’s Amazon Page

Amazon Links for Play of Shadows
Amazon.com
Amazon.ca

About the Book

Swordplay, magic, intrigue and friendships stronger than iron: the first book in a new swashbuckling fantasy series by the bestselling author of The Greatcoats

Damelas Shademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel.

He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of Vixen, the most feared duelist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the magnificent Operato Belleza and tricks his way into the company of actors. An archaic law provides temporary respite from his troubles–until one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out the dreadful truth: the city’s most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer.

With only the help of his boisterous and lusty friend Bereto, a beautiful assassin whose target may well be Damelas himself, and a company of misfit actor who’d just as soon see him dead, this failed son of two Greatcoats must somehow find the courage within himself to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids comes for his head.

Oh, and there’s the that matter of the Vixen waiting to duel him…

About Sebastien de Castell

Sebastien de Castell  had just finished a degree in Archaeology when he started work on his first dig. Four hours later, he realized how much he actually hated archaeology and left to pursue a very focused career as a musician, ombudsman, interaction designer, fight choreographer, teacher, project manager, actor and product strategist. His only defense against the charge of unbridled dilettantism is that he genuinely likes doing these things and that, in one way or another, each of these fields plays a role in his writing. He sternly resists the accusation of being a Renaissance Man in the hopes that more people will label him that way.

Sebastien’s acclaimed swashbuckling fantasy series The Greatcoats was shortlisted for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy. the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut, the Prix Imaginales for Best Foreign Work and the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His YA fantasy series Spellslinger was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and is published in more than a dozen languages.

Sebastien lives in Vancouver, Canada with his lovely wife and two belligerent cats.

Episode 162: Lyn McGinnis – Amarel Mountain

A chat with author Lyn McGinnis about Anu Awakes, an epic fantasy series, and the most recent release in that series, Book 2, Amarel Mountain.

Website
anuawakesseries.com

Bluesky
@anuawakes

Goodreads

Instagram
@anuawakes

Lyn McGinnis’s Amazon Page

Amazon Links for Amarel Mountain
Amazon.com
Amazon.ca

About the Book

Descendants of the Tolku of the Primary Epoch, the Koru, Yakku and Yelda, now populate the planet Anu in the Secondary Epoch. The Killing Swath destroyed much of their former world and has left many unanswered questions.

We follow groups of Koru, Yakku and Yeldic characters inhabiting different regions within different societies as they unknowingly move toward the realization of many profound truths about themselves and their world.

The Living System of Tatchlan, the crowning achievement of the Primary Epoch, is revived. It is adored by some and feared by others.

The ultimate manifestation of Tatchlan on Anu is the Majastas. The transition between the death of one Majastas and a successor being enveloped by the Mantle forms a monumental backdrop for a series of dramas, leading all characters to make their way toward each other.

One of these events is the discovery of Amarel Mountain.

About Lyn McGinnis

Lyn writes:

“I live in Canada, and my first sixty-six years have included extensive exploration, education, reading, and travelling worldwide. The early stirrings of this world came partly from reading such fantasy and sci-fi classics as Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Herbert’s Dune, and Asimov’s Foundation. All this informs my personal Utopia Epic Fantasy series. Other aspects include being a member of the LGBTQ community and bringing subtle elements of my life into my work.”