On April 13th 1993 I was celebrating my 40th birthday in England's Lake District. It was a somewhat wet day, but we still walked up Coniston Old Man and had a picnic near the top. I was anxious that entire holiday week however, as a few days before leaving home my agent had told me that the publishing house, William Heinemann, had enquired after my first foray into writing adult fiction - my Arthurian Pendragon's Banner Trilogy. I had to wait until a week after returning home to hear that they wanted all three books. Word reached the media and our house was besieged by journalists who were convinced I'd landed a huge advance. (I hadn't.) The Evening Standard had arrived first, though, and took us out for the day - photographs and lunch in return for an exclusive interview.
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| Me - April 1993 |
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| Launching the original edition at Ottakar's in Walthamstow (1994) husband Ron, daughter Kathy & me |
Publicity for The Kingmaking was exciting, including an interview on evening TV, several radio interviews (notably an entire evening on air with Derek Jameson on Radio 2). Unfortunately the marketing momentum was not pursued. (Moral: authors do not rely on your publisher to market your books!)
A lot of water has poured under several bridges since then. By 2005, having been let down by my agent (ex-agent!) Random House dropped me. I spent two weeks sobbing, picked myself up, got my rights back and went Indie... Best thing I have ever done. I made many errors at first - a steep learning curve, but along the way my Pendragon's Banner Trilogy has consistently sold well, was picked up by mainstream Sourcebooks Inc for US/Canada publication and is now also published in German by Sadwolf Verlag.
To celebrate this 30 years' anniversary (and my 70th birthday!) I decided to re-issue the Trilogy under my own press (Taw River) with wonderful new covers designed by Cathy Helms of www.avalongrahics.org - the only bad news, these beautiful new editions are not available in the US/Canada. Such a shame - I offered the new covers for free to Sourcebooks but they turned the offer down. Their original editions are still available, though, and are just as good a read.
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THE PENDRAGON'S BANNER TRILOGY New Editions available worldwide (except USA/Canada) |
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Available USA/Canada |
So, welcome to my Party!!!
Blog Tour for The Kingmaking
30th Publication Anniversary Edition
(not USA/Canada - original edition available)
We are going to be stopping on some fabulous blogs, with many authors supporting my special events.
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| APRIL 13th 2023 |
as an extra
Amy Maroney
We have a full house (party)!
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| Coffee Pot Book Club Tour Schedule Page; |
AND THE TOUR WILL CONTINUE...
16th - 22nd April
MY HOSTS
Alison Morton 16th
Marian Thorpe 17th
Annie Whitehead 17th
Anna Belfrage 18th
Tony Riches 19th
Elizabeth St John 20th
Pauline Barclay 21st
Cathie Dunn 22nd
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Boy Who became a Man:
Who became a King:
Who became a Legend... KING ARTHUR
There is no Merlin, no sword in the stone, and no Lancelot.
Instead, the man who became our most enduring hero.
All knew the oath of allegiance:
‘To you, lord, I give my sword and shield, my heart and soul. To you, my Lord Pendragon, I give my life, to command as you will.’
This is the tale of Arthur made flesh and bone. Of the shaping of the man who became the legendary king; a man with dreams, ambitions and human flaws. A man, a warlord, who united the collapsing province of post-Roman Britain, who held the heart of the love of his life, Gwenhwyfar - and who emerged as the most enduring hero of all time.
A different telling of the later Medieval tales. This is the story of King Arthur as it might have really happened...
(contains scenes of an adult nature)
"If only all historical fiction could be this good." Historical Novels Review
"... Juggles a large cast of characters and a bloody, tangled plot with great skill. " Publishers Weekly
"Hollick's writing is one of the best I've come across - her descriptions are so vivid it seems as if there's a movie screen in front of you, playing out the scenes." Passages To The Past
"Hollick adds her own unique twists and turns to the familiar mythology" Booklist
"Uniquely compelling...bound to have a lasting and resounding impact on Arthurian literature." Books Magazine
THE PENDRAGON's BANNER TRILOGY
New Editions available worldwide except USA/Canada
Available USA/Canada
IN GERMAN
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| German version of The Kingmaking |
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Helen