Cover reveal – Robin Hood and the Castle of Bones
As you probably know by now, I’ve written another episode of The Outlaw Chronicles. This one takes place in Burgundy in the spring/summer of 1192, when our heroes are on the way home from the Third Crusade. But, I’m afraid, this is a good news/bad news scenario. The good news is the book is now written and I have had a rather nice cover designed for it . . .
The bad news is that I haven’t edited it yet and it has loads of typos, grammar mistakes and bits of less-than-inspired writing, which I need to fix before I would dare to show it to you. I’ve just started re-reading Castle of Bones and I realise that I need to spend a good two weeks working on it.
This is the bad news. I can’t get into that chunk of work for at least a month because I have a deadline on another book, my Viking novel – The Last Berserker. I need to get THAT one edited by the beginning of November, so it can be published in February. I promised my publisher that I’d do that, so I’m now downing tools on Castle of Bones to work like fury on Berserker.
Sorry – I know this is technical and boring. But this is the reality of the life of an author trying to make a living in a tough book market. And I’ve always been very bad at time-management. Anyway, I previously said Castle of Bones would be published in mid-October, but it now looks more like mid-November, at the earliest. In time for Christmas, for sure. Many apologies!
To keep you going, I’m doing this cover reveal. And if you like it, I should tell you that it was made by a friend called Nathan Clark of New Zealand. If you are in the self-pub, histfic game, and like what you see here, I can put you in touch with Nathan. His rates are very reasonable. But at the moment his website is having problems, so email me and I’ll hook you up.
This is the blurb on the back in case you can’t read it above:
Spring, 1192
Robin Hood and his band of men, travelling home from the Third Crusade, find themselves in the lush, wine-rich Duchy of Burgundy. When they are captured by a renegade knight, and taken across the River Saone to the rival County of Burgundy, they are plunged into a nightmarish world of treachery, deceit and cold-blooded murder.
While the cunning Earl of Locksley plots and schemes to advance King Richard’s cause in the two Burgundies, Alan Dale, his loyal lieutenant and personal trouvère, embarks on a private quest to rescue a damsel in distress and falls foul of the monstrous guardian of the Castle of Bones.
The other thing you can do, if you are desperate to give me some much-needed cash, is buy a copy of Robin Hood and the Caliph’s Gold. Available here as an eBook or paperback. You don’t have to read Caliph’s Gold before Castle of Bones – like all my Robin Hood novels it is a standalone – but it might get you in the mood. And Bones follows right on from Gold, taking place only a couple of months later.
Watch this space for more info about publication when I have it. And once again, sorry for the delay. Oh, and while I think of it, thanks very much to all of you who left reviews or rating for Robin Hood and the Caliph’s Gold. We’re up to 115 now, which is great. I appreciate you making the effort!
Angus you always come up with great covers. Looking forward to your new book OC
Thanks Alan! There will be giveaways in due course for the OC. Best, A