Hi everyone! Petrik from Novel Notions here.

We have an exciting post today. Novel Notions will be hosting the cover reveal to The Severing Son by Vaughn Roycroft. This is the author’s debut, and it is the first book in The Sundered Nation trilogy. For those of you who missed this cover reveal yesterday, my friend Philip Chase has done a great spoiler-free review and cover reveal on it on his YouTube channel. Other than that, I will mention that Vaughn has been very supportive of my YouTube channel as well. It’s honestly really cool to see his debut being published soon ever since he mentioned it to me for the first time. I haven’t got the chance to read this book yet, but I certainly will do it ASAP. Without further ado, here’s the GORGEOUS cover reveal to The Severing Son by Vaughn Roycroft!

Cover art illustrated by John Anthony di Giovanni

Cover designed by Three Star Smoked Fish Co

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Title: The Severing Son

Series title: The Sundered Nation (Book 1)

Author: Vaughn Roycroft

Publishing date: 18th October 2022

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Publisher: self-published

Formats: eBook, Paperback

Page count: 518

Instagram: @vaughnroycroft

Twitter: @VaughnRoycroft

Official Blurb:

Tales of the Bringer of Urrinan had been told for generations, but never had the prophecy felt so near to so many. Elan wasn’t sure if she even believed one man could cause the sort of upheaval that would change the world. And yet, just as the prophecy foretold, dark forces were on the rise—including the many Spali warbands raiding across the borderlands.
It was in pursuit of one such warband when Elan’s host discovered the hidden compound of the Outcast. She’d heard how the former chieftain of the mighty Amalus Clan had been unjustly accused of murdering his rival. How the conflict had begun over a woman. How the Outcast’s son—born of that same woman—perfectly matched the prophecy’s foretelling of the Bringer.
Prophecy aside, it seemed that fate had led Elan into the midst of a legend. Because of a choice made in the heat of battle, Elan found herself bound to an outlaw hunted by friend and foe alike. Whether she believed in the prophecy or not, she found herself entangled with a lone figure who vowed to seek the sort of upheaval that might just change the world.

Paperback Full Spread:

Author’s note for the cover reveal:

As for John’s work, the piece features one of my two protagonists. Her name is Elan. The piece portrays a pivotal moment that John picked out himself. I am blown away by how perfectly he captured the moment. It looks exactly like the vision I have in my head, if only more vibrant. What I love about the piece is that it invites you in, rather than keeping you at arm’s length. It doesn’t take much to imagine oneself there, marching to battle. It’s evocative and intriguing at once. I couldn’t be happier. JAD nailed it, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with for book two.

The inspirational seeds for this story where planted fifty years ago. No exaggeration! It all started with my 6^th grade teacher, Mr. Raymond, who gave my reading group copies of The Hobbit. I finished the book so swiftly, and was so enthusiastic, Mr. Raymond went out and bought me a boxed set of The Lord of the Rings (out of his own pocket!). Throughout that first reading, he met with me to discuss the books. In one meeting he mused that Rohan may have been a tribute state to Gondor, much as the Goths were to Imperial Rome. The idea sparked my imagination and I have wanted to write a story from the perspective of the Goths ever since.

Telling this story has been the most profound journey of my life. At its core, the story is about the Goths striving to be accepted as part of the so-called civilized world, but I ended up exploring the question of who, in society, gets to define the borders between civility and barbarity. After all, the Romans has some pretty barbaric societal customs and mores (widespread slavery, for example). I utilized Chosen One and prophecy tropes as levers to explore how dogma and zealotry often become tools, used by both true believers and the secretly skeptical to advance their own ends. Besides all of that, I just wanted to write about cool horse warriors and swords with names.

I can’t thank you enough for helping me to unveil The Severing Son and JAD’s stunning work to the fantasy community. You do so much for our community! It’s very much appreciated.

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I want to give my special thanks to Vaughn Roycroft for allowing Novel Notions the honor and pleasure of hosting the exclusive cover reveal for his debut novel: The Severing Son. As fantasy enthusiasts and self-proclaimed connoisseurs of book cover art, it means a lot for me and all of us here at Novel Notions to be given this opportunity.

Lastly, thank you to everyone for taking the time to read this post!

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You can pre-order this book from: Amazon 

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Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

My Patrons: Alfred, Andrew, Andrew W, Amanda, Annabeth, Casey, Diana, Dylan, Edward, Elias, Ellen, Ellis, Gary, Hamad, Helen, Jesse, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Kristina, Lana, Leigh, Luis, Lufi, Melinda, Meryl, Michael, Mike, Miracle, Nanette, Neeraja, Nicholas,  Reno, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Scott, Shawn, Xero, Wendy, Wick, Zoe.