Indie Saturday – Author C.M. Gray on “Shadowland: A Tale from the Dark Ages”

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Indie Saturday – Author C.M. Gray on “Shadowland: A Tale from the Dark Ages”

March 24, 2012 Leave a comment Go to comments

Today, we have author C.M. Gray featured on the blog’s ‘Indie Saturday‘ for his Historical Fantasy novel “Shadowland: A Tale from the Dark Ages” (Available on Amazon). Set in Britain’s Dark Ages, C.M. Gray adds his own spin to one of Britain’s enduring myths about a “true and only king”.

Author C.M. Gray writes about ‘Shadowland: A Tale from the Dark Ages’:

Hi, my name is Chris Gray and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce you to my writing and my book, Shadowland.

Here is a short description:

‘I have lived more years than I can remember, probably more than the sum of all your years combined. Kings have called me friend and brigands have sworn to burn the flesh from my bones even if they have to search all seven halls of the shadowland to find me.’

On the night of midwinter’s eve, a storyteller takes his listeners back to the Dark ages and a tale from his youth.

Deserted by its Roman masters, Britain has been invaded by the Saxons at the invitation of Vortigern, traitorous leader of the Britons. Now, as the tribes unite to reclaim their land, one man must rise to lead them and become their true and only king.

I have been an avid reader from an early age, consuming books from a diverse range of genres from spirituality to adventure and for a long time I read a lot of fantasy. I’m currently a huge fan of Bernard Cornwall, Manda Scott and her Boudica series and right now, I’m reading Robert Lyndon’s Hawk Quest, which I’m thoroughly enjoying. All the latest authors I’m reading write fiction based upon a historical theme, and I love that. Like echoes from the past, we get to live for a brief moment with characters from legend and breathe the air of times gone by.

Shadowland was born from all this love of reading and travelling. It mixes an interesting time in history, with a little legend, a few druids, and a big glob of fantasy! It is written for both Young Adult and adult readers.

Set in a period of Britain’s history, aptly named the dark ages because there is so little written record of the times, I attempt to fill some of the gaps that history has presented me with a story that precedes one of the greatest of British legends. I won’t spoil it by saying which legend but you will all be familiar with the legend we’re talking about.

It begins with an old storyteller weaving a tale from his youth, one midwinter’s eve and tells of a time when the Romans are finally departing Britain, recalled to defend a crumbling empire. They leave a rich and fertile Island, fractured amongst the tribes without any united leadership as Saxon invaders are arriving in fleets to ravage through the land.

These are dangerous uncertain times and when disaster strikes the lives of two young boys, Usher Vance and Calvador Craen, they set upon a journey that will not only change them both but alter the course of Britain forever.

Today I present you with Shadowland and hope you will give it a try … and that you like it. If you do, please leave a review on Amazon. Thank you:)

Shadowland is actually the third book I’ve written but the first I have published and made available on Amazon Kindle. I do have plans for two other books to be uploaded over the next few months; the next will be The Flight of the Griffin, which follows the lives of four boys who live on an old boat name ‘The Griffin.’ The story is set in a fantasy world where the boys become the unlikely heroes at the end of time after a burglary sets them on the path to finish the ‘Last Great Spell’ – a spell to stop the balance of the world tipping into chaos … They become the Magician, Thief, Priest and Fighter as a magical book guides them upon a quest, pitting them against magic, demons and ‘The Hawk,’ an evil hunter of men. It is a race against time to unite three crystal skulls while all the forces of chaos try everything to stop them! I will then upload Chaos Storm later in the year which is the sequel to The Flight of the Griffin.

“I am an Englishman, but I’ve lived outside of the UK for far more years than I ever lived there. I spent several years in Israel on a kibbutz, then in India where I just travelled around marvelling at that incredible country. I then spent many years in Asia before returning to Europe and settling firstly in Holland, then France, and now finally in Barcelona Spain, where I live with my Dutch born wife Hulya and our two children, Dylan aged eleven and Yasmin who is now six.”

Shadowland: A Tale from the Dark Ages by C.M. Gray is available at Amazon in Kindle format.

To learn more about C.M. Gray, go to C.M.Gray’s Blog or follow C.M. Gray on Twitter: @cgray129. Drop by and say hi!

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