BLURB:
In a world where cities float, airships sail the skies and
mythical creatures are summoned in a pinch, Celes Vale is distinctly average.
Living in the shadow of his talented cousin and his powerful aunt and uncle,
Celes is resigned to a future of soot, factories and well, more soot.
But on the night of his twelfth birthday everything changes. A blinding light, a whispered voice and in an instant Celes becomes the first ordinary child in history to develop magic, sending him on a fast-track ticket to the greatest of the floating cities, Gardarel. Boasting grand, elegant buildings wrought from shimmering white stone, the entire city appears as though it has been built from light, and so it has come to be called the Kingdom Lights.
Though some welcome Celes, others want the dirt-ridden up-start off their city preferably head first. Nowhere is this clearer than in the attitude and actions of the beautiful and haughty Lady Ban and her sneering nephew, Marcus Blackwood. But Blackwood, with his gang of goons and unimaginative one-liners, is soon the least of Celes s problems.
With a little magic and a lot of detective work, Celes and his group of Scurriers and Wisps unravel the dark truth behind Lady Ban s prim, perfect smile an alliance to the villainous Wardens and the masked man who leads them. However, in his attempt to expose Lady Ban, Celes unwittingly stumbles onto an even darker conspiracy a plan that could lead to the complete destruction of Gardarel itself.
But on the night of his twelfth birthday everything changes. A blinding light, a whispered voice and in an instant Celes becomes the first ordinary child in history to develop magic, sending him on a fast-track ticket to the greatest of the floating cities, Gardarel. Boasting grand, elegant buildings wrought from shimmering white stone, the entire city appears as though it has been built from light, and so it has come to be called the Kingdom Lights.
Though some welcome Celes, others want the dirt-ridden up-start off their city preferably head first. Nowhere is this clearer than in the attitude and actions of the beautiful and haughty Lady Ban and her sneering nephew, Marcus Blackwood. But Blackwood, with his gang of goons and unimaginative one-liners, is soon the least of Celes s problems.
With a little magic and a lot of detective work, Celes and his group of Scurriers and Wisps unravel the dark truth behind Lady Ban s prim, perfect smile an alliance to the villainous Wardens and the masked man who leads them. However, in his attempt to expose Lady Ban, Celes unwittingly stumbles onto an even darker conspiracy a plan that could lead to the complete destruction of Gardarel itself.
INTERVIEW:
1. What is
your favorite television show? Friday Night Lights. I live in England and so
know nothing about American Football but this show taught me so much about
heart and inspired me greatly. It still stands as one of the greatest fictions
ever.
2. What is something you’ve lied about? I never told anyone I was a writer and told everyone I was in my room playing video games all the time. It came as a real surprise when I eventually told people of my publishing contract
3. Who is the last person you hugged? I had a very tearful patient who was going through a difficult time with the loss of her father. I gave her a hug, which I think is sometimes better than all the medication in the world.
4. What is the story of your first kiss? Emily Gladwish, 2005. I was a late bloomer, and I invited her over to watch the Brother’s Grimm. She had very bushy hair and I thought she was my girlfriend right there and then! What a fool I was as she started dating Tim Denman the next week!! Still stings ten years on.
5. Do you like kissing in public? I’m really against public displays of affection, I just thinks it’s OTT (Over the top!)
2. What is something you’ve lied about? I never told anyone I was a writer and told everyone I was in my room playing video games all the time. It came as a real surprise when I eventually told people of my publishing contract
3. Who is the last person you hugged? I had a very tearful patient who was going through a difficult time with the loss of her father. I gave her a hug, which I think is sometimes better than all the medication in the world.
4. What is the story of your first kiss? Emily Gladwish, 2005. I was a late bloomer, and I invited her over to watch the Brother’s Grimm. She had very bushy hair and I thought she was my girlfriend right there and then! What a fool I was as she started dating Tim Denman the next week!! Still stings ten years on.
5. Do you like kissing in public? I’m really against public displays of affection, I just thinks it’s OTT (Over the top!)
EXCERPT:
With his
immaculately polished shoes, carefully preened suit and even more carefully
preened moustache Jaime Milton was the last person one would expect in the
sooty factory city of Midgard. His father, Lord Milton, Sr., a great wobbly man
with fat flapping fingers like purple bananas was a close second.
It was a brilliant
June morning and the city of Floating City of Midgard was alight with life.
Jaime walked through the weathered cobblestone streets and watched as houses
flung their windows and doors open, lapping in the sunlight. Jaime had not been
here for two years and yet the City of Factories was exactly as he had
remembered; there were rows of homes huddled together, tightly packed into the
little street as high rising billows of smoke sailed into the sky. The
cobblestones of rose-tinged granite underfoot were boisterous and uneven and
Jaime had to be extra careful so as not to fall over as racing children zoomed
past, chasing one another furiously through the street. Some were covered in
soot whilst others were rosy clean but, he noted, all were breathless.
Jaime
Milton couldn’t help but smile.
“What are
you smirking about?” barked Lord Milton, Sr. as his son pushed him through the
streets in a beautiful silvery wheelchair.
“Just
thinking about the first time I came to Midgard,” replied Jaime. “It was a…”
“I didn’t
ask!” announced Lord Milton, Sr., brandishing his polished walking cane. “Always
answering questions I didn’t ask! And stop your smiling! There’s no reason to
smile!”
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
A resident of the sleepy coastal town of Bexhill, East Sussex,
England. Steven graduated in the summer of 2013 from the University of
Southampton with a Bachelor of Medicine Degree and a Master’s Degree in Global
Health from Sussex University – where he spent the majority of his time in
Shawcross writing this novel!
In between writing and dreaming Steven is a medical doctor and
has worked at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and the Princess
Royal where he fights the system with quirky lanyards.
Steven’s debut novel steampunk fantasy The Kingdom Lights is out on October 17th published by Neverland
Publishing.
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Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the interview
ReplyDeleteLooks great, thanks for having me!
ReplyDeleteSteven
nice interview
ReplyDeleteI liked the book blurb and excerpt best.
ReplyDeleteI love the blurb and Excerpt. I would love to read this book. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDelete