Some real publishing news: we’re launching Scildan Press. This will be the imprint for the series of fantasy novels coming out this October.
Expect to see the first three books in the series:
- The Ghost and the Vipers
- The Seer and the Vipers
- City of Vipers
- plus the prequel novella Sisters of the Scildan
appearing on launch day next month. Further details on each of the books will follow during September.
Books four, five and six are in the pipeline. You can also expect a free novella, The Ghost of the Outlands to arrive with the series.
Why Scildan Press?
Using the name for the imprint came as a late inspiration while editing Sisters of the Scildan. The word comes from the Old English ‘scildan.’ Derived from proto-Germanic roots, scildan is the verb ‘to protect’ or ‘to shield.’ I borrowed it first for the Emperor’s school for bodyguards; the Sisters of the Scildan. When this became the title of the novella, it seemed a good fit for the new publishing imprint.
The word has a number of variations in old Germanic and English records: sċieldan, sċeldan, sċeoldan, as well as skildijaną, derived from skelduz.
But why choose an Old English word nobody uses any more?
It’s a very unsubtle nod toward Professor Tolkien, language scholar and grandfather of the fantasy genre. A little Anglo-Saxon seems appropriate for a fantasy imprint. It appeals to the twelve year-old me reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time. You can expect more borrowings from Old English, Eastern philosophy and Khosa throughout the novels.
The series will go on sale initially through Amazon in ebook and paperback.