Publisher : 47North (January 26, 2021)
Language : English
Paperback : 431 pages
ISBN-10 : 154202529X
ISBN-13 : 978-1542025294
Praise for KNIGHT’S RANSOM
“Jeff Wheeler has always been one of our more dependable storytellers. Knight’s Ransom adds to his reputation. A fine page-turner.” —Terry Brooks, New York Times bestselling author.
“With this superlative epic fantasy…Wheeler does an expert job of reintroducing his fantasy world through the eyes of sympathetic characters that fans and new readers alike will root for. This is sure to be a hit.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[Wheeler] adds elements of Arthurian legend to the start of the First Argentines series…along with splendid palace intrigues and battles.” —Booklist (starred review)
INTERVIEW
- What is on your nightstand?
A lamp which I never use. A stack of books I’m either in the middle of reading or haven’t started yet. A salt-crystal lamp which I do use. My wallet, keys, and chapstick (original flavor), and a box of Kleenex just in case. - What author would you totally fan?
I’ve actually met authors I admire and I’ve totally had to keep from fanning too hard. When I first met Pat Rothfuss at a book signing (we were at adjacent tables), he offered me hand sanitizer and said it would be my best friend. I’ve also had the super cool experience of having dinner with one of my favorite authors, Sharon Kay Penman, who writes historical fiction and who inspired me to be a medieval history major in college. She passed away recently, and I wish we had had another chance to go out to dinner together beforehand. I’ll always be one of her biggest fans. - What makes you cringe?
Being late. I hate being late. I’d rather show up a half our early than be five minutes late. Totally makes me cringe. The kids had school off this week and we went to our favorite restaurant for breakfast but because of winter road conditions, we got there 15 minutes late. The host commented on that and it made me cringe big-time, even though I tried hard to get everyone out the door on time. One of my sayings (which drives some of my family members nuts) is “early is on time.” - Do you obsessively plot out each point or just go with the flow?
I drive in the middle of this road and know people who have gone into the ditches on both sides. I generally know where the entire series is going before I start writing and provide a synopsis to my editor to show the vision. But I’m also the first to admit that the final product doesn’t precisely map to the original vision in every aspect and enjoy having the license to follow my gut during the process. Having a decent plot map in my mind is helpful but I don’t let it stop me from taking a few detours. I do, however, really try to resist the urge to invent new characters along the road that tend to jerk on the steering wheel because they want the book to be about them. I think that’s enough driving analogies for one answer. - Is there a word you love to use?
It depends on the book or the series, actually. I like finding or creating little sayings that end up getting used multiple times. In my Muirwood series, there was the exclamation “By Cheshu!” (I still love it and borrowed it from Shakespeare’s Henry V) but in Knight’s Ransom it has to be “eejit” (Irish slang for ‘idiot’). It helped me in conjuring the character of Claire de Murrow and she uses it frequently and with an Irish accent. - Also, if you have any pictures of your pet you would like to share, please attach them. My readers love animals!
We have a silkie-yorkie mix named Luke (short for Luke Skywalker…we’re big Star Wars fans over here) and he is always happy to pose for photos for his many admirers.
From Jeff Wheeler, the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Kingfountain novels, comes an epic new series of warring kingdoms, deadly family rivalries, and fearless loyalty.
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. A brutal war of succession has plunged the court of Kingfountain into a power struggle between a charitable king who took the crown unlawfully and his ambitious rival, Devon Argentine. The balance of power between the two men hinges on the fate of a young boy ensnared in this courtly intrigue. A boy befittingly nicknamed Ransom.
When the Argentine family finally rules, Ransom must make his own way in the world. Opportunities open and shut before him as he journeys along the path to knighthood, blind to a shadowy conspiracy of jealousy and revenge. Securing his place will not be easy, nor will winning the affection of Lady Claire de Murrow, a fiery young heiress from an unpredictably mad kingdom.
Ransom interrupts an abduction plot targeting the Queen of Ceredigion and earns a position in service to her son, the firstborn of the new Argentine dynasty. But conflict and treachery threaten the family, and Ransom must also come to understand and hone his burgeoning powers—abilities that involve more than his mastery with a blade and that make him as much a target as his lord.
Jeff Wheeler took an early retirement from his career at Intel in 2014 to write full-time. He is a husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeff lives in the Rocky Mountains. His books have been on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list 5 times (for The Thief’s Daughter, The King’s Traitor, The Hollow Crown, The Silent Shield, and Prism Cloud) and have sold more than 4 million copies. His novels have also been published or will be published in many languages: Italian, Chinese, Hungarian, Turkish, Polish, Spanish, Russian, and German.
He is also the founder of Deep Magic: the E-zine of Clean Fantasy and Science Fiction (www.deepmagic.co), a quarterly e-zine featuring amazing short stories, novellas, and sample chapters.
You can usually find Jeff at Emerald City Comic Con, New York Comic Con or at writers conferences.
He welcomes hearing from readers: jgwheels /at/ gmail dot com
If you are interested in purchasing signed copies of his books for friends, family, or your own collection, please e-mail: WOJWbooks /at/ gmail dot com
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