Three new novels for your reading pleasure!

Hi, Brian.

I'd like to announce the release of my latest novel, a YA portal fantasy called The Withered King.

When Colin Cameron's dying father entrusted him with the protection of his baby sister Effie, neither anticipated that Colin and Effie would one day stumble through a portal into the kingdom of the Green King. There, the king's winsome daughter’s first words to Colin are a proposal of marriage and the entire kingdom mistakes Effie for their long promised savior, the Spotless Maiden. 

The ancient scrolls say that only the Spotless Maiden can defeat their great enemy, the Withered King. Colin is not about to let his little sister ride to war against a demon king, but not everyone in the Green King's kingdom is willing to take no for an answer. And saying no to the Green King's daughter's proposal is not as easy as it seems.

Mark Baker

https://gmbaker.net/

The Withered King is available through Amazon here.

I haven’t read The Withered King yet, but I just finished Mark’s historical novel, The Wreckers Daughter and enjoyed it immensely (here). ~Brian

Hi, Brian.

Thank you for the great workshops. I am pleased to announce that I’ve self-published my historical fiction novel Tangled Threads of War. It tells the story of Cecilia Ulrich and her family in a small village in Alsace France when war is declared and how they navigate through the war years.

It’s available through Indigo here and also through Friesen Press, Amazon and Barnes and Noble in paperback, hardcover or Ebook.

Maureen Murphy

Hi, Brian.

I hope this email reaches you one way or another. I still follow all your announcements, though I now live in the Okanagan Valley in BC. I should let you know that even in this far-flung part of Canada, I do meet up with fellow writers originally from southern Ontario who took courses with you. So your influence has spread far and wide. 

I wanted to let you know that I have published a second novel, Dreams of the Alhambra, the early stages of which I was working on when I attended your writing programs. 

Here's the announcement:

Following the success of her debut novel, Palmyra, a historical suspense novel that won the Whistler Independent Book Award for Fiction in 2024 and was shortlisted for several other international awards, Karen Barrow has published her second historical fiction novel, Dreams of the Alhambra. Weaving together history, mystery, romance, and magical realism, the novel follows two women connected across centuries as buried memories and ancient secrets converge beneath the shadow of the legendary Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain. 

Available in paperback and e-book through major online retailers, including Indigo, Amazon, Kindle, and Kobo. Details of her books can be found through her website www.karenbarrowbooks.com 

Thanks, Brian, and enjoy the writing retreat this year!

Karen MacDougall

Award-winning Historical Fiction Writer Karen Barrow

Dreams of the Alhambra is available through Amazon here.

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See more new books by your fellow writers  here (and scroll down).

If you’ve had a story (or a book!) published, if you’ve won or placed in a writing contest, if you’ve gotten yourself an agent, or if you have any other news, send me an email so I can share your success. As writers, we’re all in this together, and your good news gives us all a boost. Email me at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca  

See all my upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day  retreats here. ~Brian

Just released: Palmyra by Karen Barrow

Palmyra 

“I used to think the past was dead and gone, that time erased memories....”

An unexpected visitor to a cocoa estate on the island of Trinidad triggers buried memories of the mysterious deaths that plagued a prosperous French Creole family who once lived there. Now a near ruin, the once "Great House" was where Joe, the housekeeper's precocious eleven-year-old son, bore witness to half-understood incidents and undercurrents in the lives of its residents.

Decades later, his reawakened memories begin with the arrival of a handsome young stranger to the property-a catalyst which sets off a train of tragic events with consequences that reach into the present day.

Rich in historical and geographical detail, Palmyra chronicles a time when an educated elite rose from the ashes of slavery and indentureship to challenge the ruling white plantocracy and create an independent nation.

A finalist for the Guernica Prize for Literary Fiction, Palmyra is part coming-of-age story, part Gothic mystery and conjures a world teaming with divided loyalties, family secrets, and ambition.

Karen Barrow

Growing up on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, Karen's happiest hours were spent with either her head in a book or a pen in her hand. Knowing that the bohemian life of a writer would never receive parental approval, Karen journeyed to Canada to pursue other studies.

It was not long before a chance encounter with a geology student ended with raising a family in what at times felt like the far reaches of the country. During several moves, which included a delightful sojourn in Brisbane, Australia, before finally settling in the Greater Toronto Area, Karen honed the life of a professional student in search of what she always wanted to be ... a writer.

After 16 years in the Greater Toronto Area during which time she developed her writing skills and wrote two novels, Karen and her husband moved west in 2021 to settle in the beautiful Okanagan region of interior British Columbia. There she finished her third novel, Palmyra, which was begun during the initial disquieting months of the pandemic. Undoubtedly this contributed to the brooding nature of the story. 

With an unrecognizable accent and many a stamp in her passport, Karen considers herself a global citizen.

You can follow Karen here.

Palmyra is available from Chapters/Indigo here.

And see more new books by your fellow authors – and invites to their book launches – here (and scroll down).

See Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and four-day retreats here.