Book release: war of the seven by brad towers.

Read war of the Seven here

As a book editor, it’s very exciting to see an author you’ve worked hard with succeed in publishing their first book. And, with more to come! I was very privileged to have been apart of the journey that saw this story grow from the draft to the published. It is a passion project that has been given a lot of love and I’m so glad to see it come to fruition.

Though I have known these characters and this world and watched them grow for a little while now, it’s amazing to see it shared for the world. From my very first read through of the manuscript, to reading the final product, I have loved stepping into this world. High fantasy, complex characters and a wide range of lands and culture, it’s certainly an immersive read!

I have gotten good at picking out where plot lines are going and spotting potential twists, but this story had a few surprises for me, which I loved. I won’t reveal any spoilers, but my favourite characters of the book also surprised me—for reasons I didn’t expect.

While this book has some expected hero’s and ‘good guys’, it is not everything you expect it to be. I loved the new and engaging way the orcs are treated and described. They are not the traditional, mindless bad guys of other fantasy novels. Instead, I often found myself looking forward to their chapters and perspectives. It is the benefit of having such a variety of characters and species, having that many POV’s could have been too much for such a complex story, but it only adds to the world. There a knights, vampires, pirates as well as witches and wizards. There is intrigue and grand battles. There are betrayals and surprising allies forged in this story. If there’s any part of a reader that enjoys fantasy, they’ll find something to love here.

Read this, fall in love with the world, and then come back for more.

In seven years, the Vengeful One will come. He'll shatter the world of Ethasar into pieces. And none of the gods are strong enough to stop him.

Their only chance is for one god to wield all their powers. The other six must die. And so, Ethasar’s seven kingdoms clash in a great war that will decide the fates of their gods.

When her king is murdered by an enemy spy, Frida, a brave and skilled pirate captain, leads the seafaring Islanders to war. Days later, a treacherous captain sinks half her fleet and allies himself with the vampire queen. With her forces greatly weakened, Frida must prevail over fierce orcs and powerful giants, chivalrous knights and bloodthirsty vampires, elusive desert assassins, and the legions of an ancient empire. If she fails, the sea god dies.

War of the Seven is perfect for fans of David Estes, John Gwynne, and Brandon Sanderson. Blending together epic fantasy and powerful music, the book includes nine original songs set in the realms of Ethasar.

A note from the author: This story is meant to be Big, Fast, and Fun, with strong characters, plenty of twists, fast-paced action, and a touch of humor. It does not contain literary prose, a “deep and dark” atmosphere, excessive gore, or romance.

Writing Prompts #2

Don’t want to work on the manuscript? Don’t have a manuscript? Use these prompts to keep your writing skills sharp. Flesh out ideas and characters, try a new style, and just get that one idea that may never be a full manuscript down on paper.

Theme: Dialogue

Write a conversation between character A and character B. It starts out casually, but due to a misunderstanding, becomes an argument. For this conversation, you can only use she said/he said dialogue tags.

(A great way to learn to let the dialogue do the talking.)

Write a scene in which several characters develop a plan for a super-secret heist or jailbreak. Use only Indirect Dialogue (ID).

(A great way to condense scenes that are too big or end up as info-dumping. See my post on Styles of Dialogue in Fiction, which is the previous one.)

Write a conversation between character A and character B, they are trying to apologise to each other, but don’t want to say “I’m sorry.” Neither of them are willing to be forthwright and are trying to get the other to crack first.

(A great way to practice making sure your conversations feel real and not forced, and to ensure the things that are left unsaid, are still clear.)

Take an existing scene or short story of yours and remove all dialogue tags, and for 3rd person narratives: ‘he thought’/‘she wondered’ tags with italicised thoughts. Play around with Free Indirect Dialogue.

(A great way to step back from your scene and characters, to see things from a different angle or prespective, and to just try something new!)

Share your responses in the comments, or keep them for yourself! Happy writing!