Today I’m pleased to welcome debut author, Taran Matharu, author of The Novice, onto the blog.
Secret 1 - The Novice is a blending of everything I love about fantasy; taking all my favourite elements and adding my own twist and spin to each.
Secret 2 - The first 50,000 words of The Novice were written in the space of one month, when I took part in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). The second half was written in the back of juddering buses as I explored the Australian Outback.
Secret 3 - An early, unfinished draft version of The Novice was read over 1 Million times on Wattpad within four months, 3 Million in six months and 5 Million a year later. I guess you could say it went viral!
Secret 4 - When I came up with the idea behind the Summoner series,I was actually in a bookstore. I was hunting through the fantasy shelves with a specific kind of book in mind, but couldn’t find anything remotely similar. I went home and wrote the first chapter as soon as I got in.
Secret 5 - Racism and class division are major themes in my books. The inspiration for that comes from my own experiences as a child, as one of the only minorities in the private school I attended.
Secret 6 - As of today, The Novice is being translated into 11 languages! That’s pretty cool. I’m also half Brazilian so I get to chat with my Portuguese translator sometimes.
Secret 7 - I just became a full-time author, which is a dream come true! This one isn’t really a secret, I’ll tell anyone. It’s the best job in the world.
Published May 5th by Hodder Children’s Books
Book Summary
Fletcher was nothing more than a humble blacksmith's apprentice, when a chance encounter leads to the discovery that he has the ability to summon demons from another world. Chased from his village for a crime he did not commit, he must travel with his demon to the Vocans Academy, where the gifted are trained in the art of summoning.
The academy will put Fletcher through a gauntlet of gruelling lessons, training him as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire's war against the savage orcs. Rubbing shoulders with the children of the most powerful nobles in the land, Fletcher must tread carefully. The power hungry Forsyth twins lurk in the shadows, plotting to further their family's interests. Then there is Sylva, an elf who will do anything she can to forge an alliance between her people and Hominum, even if it means betraying her friends. Othello is the first ever dwarf at the academy, and his people have long been oppressed by Hominum's rulers, which provokes tension amongst those he studies alongside.
Fletcher will find himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with nothing but his demon Ignatius to help him. As the pieces on the board manoeuvre for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands ...
The academy will put Fletcher through a gauntlet of gruelling lessons, training him as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire's war against the savage orcs. Rubbing shoulders with the children of the most powerful nobles in the land, Fletcher must tread carefully. The power hungry Forsyth twins lurk in the shadows, plotting to further their family's interests. Then there is Sylva, an elf who will do anything she can to forge an alliance between her people and Hominum, even if it means betraying her friends. Othello is the first ever dwarf at the academy, and his people have long been oppressed by Hominum's rulers, which provokes tension amongst those he studies alongside.
Fletcher will find himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with nothing but his demon Ignatius to help him. As the pieces on the board manoeuvre for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands ...
To find out more about Taran Matharu:
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