Hi everyone, Petrik here! I won’t bother you with long introduction. Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames ended up being not only my favorite debut of last year but also one of my favorite fantasy debut of all time. I’ve read and reviewed (which is currently available on Goodreads. I will post it on the blog during the book’s publication day.) its sequel, Bloody Rose, which comes out in two weeks managed to live up to the high quality that the first book set, maybe even better! It’s one of those series where I practically became a walking advertisement for. Ever since I finished KotW last year, I knew that that it will proceed to win awards and Nicholas Eames did it. KotW won David Gemmell Morningstar Award for the best fantasy debut category and now, without further ado, here’s my interview with Nicholas Eames about his upcoming book, Bloody Rose.

1. As usual, I’ll start by asking about your newest book. Without spoilers, tell us about Bloody Rose.

Bloody Rose follows a young girl named Tam Hashford who’s been raised on tales of glory and wants nothing more than to escape her sleepy city and her overbearing father. When Fable, the world’s most notorious mercenary band, rolls into town, she jumps at the chance to sign on as their bard, but she soon discovers that being a hero isn’t as glamourous as she’d once imagined. It’s a story of family, friendship, and people trying to outrun their pasts in order to shape a legacy of their own.

2. What were the biggest challenges you faced while writing this book? Was there any criticism from reviewers about Kings of the Wyld (if any) that you took into consideration?

None that I took into consideration, but plenty of them were addressed by accident. Bloody Rose takes itself just a bit more seriously than its predecessor, and is probably better off for it. The characters are deeper and the stakes are higher, but it manages (I hope) to stay fast-paced and fun throughout. The biggest challenge in writing it was clearing my own mental hurdles. As praise for my first book piled up, I feared I’d never be able to match it, and that the second book would inevitably disappoint people. Thankfully, that doesn’t seem to be the case!

3. Each member of Kings of the Wyld has their role inspired by real music bands. Was it the same for Fable?

It was!  Albeit in a different way.  Whereas the members of Saga were representative of various members in a band (drummer, bassist, etc.), each member of Fable embodies a different genre of 80’s music. Cura represents the moody rock, Brune the heavy metal, Freecloud the lovelorn pop, and Rose the rebellious punk.

4. What kind of inspiration did you have, and what kind of research did you do, for Bloody Rose?

It was mostly just listening to a whole lot of 80s music. Artists like Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks, Kiss, Guns and Roses, Queen, The Cure, and so forth.

5. What’s your most memorable moment as an author so far?

I’d have to say reading from the opening pages of Kings of the Wyld while Guy Gavriel Kay (my favourite author of all time) was sitting a few rows away. It was pretty surreal. A close second would be having dinner with Sebastien de Castell and Christian Cameron after an event we did in Toronto. I admire them both as writers and people, so that was pretty damn wonderful.

6. I’m going to ask you the most dreadful thing. Based on both content and covers, which book do you love more? Kings of the Wyld or Bloody Rose?

Very, very tough question, but I’ll say Bloody Rose.  Not only is the cover’s colour-scheme more eye-catching, but I was able to explore the characters more this time around, most especially Tam and Rose. Also, reading parts of KotW brings a tear to my eye, but there’s a few scenes in Bloody Rose that leave me sobbing.

7. Last question! Any rough estimation on when the last book will come out?

Not a clue. A few years, I’d guess.  I’m a very, very slow writer, and something of a perfectionist, despite the fact that my books are far from perfect! I’d rather take longer to craft something amazing than rush a book out the door. That said, I also don’t like to disappoint people—especially editors!—so getting this series done is my top priority!

Best of luck, Nick! Thank you for doing this interview with me and as always, I’ll be a champion for your books!

Thanks, Petrik!

Bloody Rose official release date: August 28th, 2018

You can pre-order the book with FREE shipping HERE! (less)