Hanuvar at GenCon

The Hanuvar series will officially debut at GenCon in Indianapolis, Indiana, in just a few days, and I couldn’t be happier.

If you happen to be attending GenCon, my schedule can be found below, and I hope you’ll swing by to say hello.

In addition to a number of panels, I’ll be showing up for two book signings as well as a meet the author event on Thursday evening, although I probably won’t be able to turn up until about 7:00 for that (it runs from 6-10).

If you haven’t yet ordered Lord of a Shattered Land, there are many North American locations where it can be found, including directly from Baen Books, my publisher

Amazon

Baen Books

Barnes & Noble

Books-a-Million

Chapters Indigo

My GenCon schedule can be found below:

Hanuvar Charges Forward

A lot of Hanuvar related news today. First, if you can’t wait for the upcoming books, it’s possible to order an eARC of Lord of a Shattered Land right here. It’s not QUITE the final version, but it’s awfully close. You can order your own copy here.

Second, I just gave an interview to Upstream Reviews about Hanuvar and sword-and-sorcery in general, and you can read it here.

Third, here’s the inside map for Book 2, The City of Marble and Blood, once again drawn by my talented first born, Darian Jones

 

But wait, there’s more!

Hanuvar Marches On

I’ve once again neglected the web site for real world matters. Rest assured, though, I’ve been writing furiously. The first two Hanuvar novels are now with Baen, and I’m hard at work on book 3. The cover for book 1 is still being finalized, so I’ll hold off showcasing it pending the final version, but here’s a copy of the map, drawn by my first-born, Darian Jones.

It’s been a long time since I’ve consistently had so much fun writing. I think I liked writing the initial Dabir and Asim stories as well, but I was less in control of what I was doing at that point. I just hope my enthusiasm for these adventures translates into enthusiasm for those reading the works.

Anyway, here’s the map:

GenCon Schedule

I’ll be attending the GenCon Writer’s Symposium this year in Indianapolis. I hope to see some of you there.

I’m scheduled to the max most days, but can be found on the following panels in the following places on the following days. With the following people!

Thursday, August 4

10:00 Ballroom 1 Plot it Out

How do you plot out your novel, anyway? Howard Andrew Jones, Jerry Gordon, Bryan Young, David Mack, Steve Diamond

1:00 Austin/Boston Writing Tools

Tools to help organize your writing Katherine Monasterio, Marie Bilodeau, Jason Sanford, Howard Andrew Jones, LaShawn Wanak

2:00 Ballroom 1 So You Want to Write

Find out how our authors each got started, and what they recommend to new writers: Toiya Kristen Finley, Gregory A. Wilson, Jerry Gordon, Howard Andrew Jones, Steve Diamond, R.A. Salvatore

Friday August 5th

10:00 Austin/Boston Back to Pulp

Jaym Gates, Richard Byers: Howard Andrew Jones; Jason Ray Carney, S.E. Lindberg

11:00 Ballroom 1 Spit and Polish

Once you finish your manuscript, what’s next? Jennifer Brozek, LaShawn Wanak, Katherine Monasterio, Patrick S Tomlinson, Howard Andrew Jones

1:00 Austin/Boston Action

Writing action scenes, and how that doesn’t have to mean combat. Mary Fan, Jerry Gordon, Howard Andrew Jones

4:00 Ballroom 1 Sword-and-Sorcery Renaissance

Jaym Gates, Howard Andrew Jones, Matt John, Jason Ray Carney, Paul Weimer, S.E. Lindberg

6:00 Hyatt Studio 1 Appendix Next Seminar

Michael Curtis, Joseph Goodman, Howard Andrew Jones, Bob Brinkman

Saturday

1:00 Austin/Boston Submitting Your Work

Bye-bye, SASE! Modern methods of submitting work, the good and the bad. Howard Andrew Jones, Jason Sanford, Carlos Hernandez, Steve Diamond

5:00 Ballroom 4 Sword-and-Sorcery Pastiche

Howard Andrew Jones; Matt John, S.E. Lindberg

Moving to Baen

I am pleased to announce that I just signed a five hardback book contract with Baen Books, the famed science fiction and fantasy publisher, home to many of my favorite writers, like David Drake, Alan Dean Foster, and Tim Powers.

The first two books of my new series are already written. They star Hanuvar, the last general of Volanus. The Dervan Empire has leveled his city and carried its last few survivors away in chains. Against the might of a vast empire, Hanuvar has only an aging sword arm, a lifetime of wisdom… and the greatest military mind in the world, set upon a single goal. No matter where they’ve been sent, from the festering capital to the furthest outpost of the Dervan Empire, he will find his people. Every last one of them. And he will set them free.

Those familiar with Hannibal of Carthage might recognize the broad outlines here, inspired by a single question – what would Hannibal have done if Rome had destroyed Carthage in his lifetime? If you’re not familiar with Hannibal, just imagine a soldier of Sherlock Holmes level intellect whose genius is focused upon the protection of his people and the preservation of his culture.

These books are straight up sword-and-sorcery. They are adventures in a secondary world inspired by the ancient Mediterranean, where magic is real, but rare and dangerous and unpredictable. Those familiar with Conan of Cimmeria or Elric of Melniboné paperbacks will be familiar with how the books are structured. Each consists of smaller adventures that build upon one another, with arcs and returning enemies and allies throughout. You might also picture each book like many a modern TV series, complete with an explosive “season finale” to wrap things up.

I can honestly say that I’ve never had as much fun writing books as I’ve had writing these. I can hardly wait for you to read them. I’m delighted by Baen’s support and the incredible level of backing they’ve already provided, and thrilled that their passion for classical sword-and-sorcery matches my own. We can hardly wait to share Hanuvar with all of you.

The first book, Lord of a Shattered Land, will come to bookstores near you in August of 2023.

Advance Praise for Lord of a Shattered Land

“This wonderful work put me in mind of the stories I read when I was editing Baen’s Robert E. Howard library.”David Drake, author of Hammer’s Slammers

 “Howard Jones creates engrossing fantasy tales by combining historical authenticity with his thoughtful modern sensibilities and shapes events with his keen understanding of great adventure writers like Harold Lamb, Robert E. Howard, and Leigh Brackett.”S. Craig Zahler, novelist and writer/director of Bone Tomahawk

 “Howard Jones writes not-to-be-missed epic fantasy with immersive worldbuilding and the highest stakes for the characters, fighting for personal survival and the survival of their world.”Martha Wells, Hugo, Nebula and Locus award-winning author of the Murderbot series

 “’History, real or feigned’ was Tolkien’s recipe for a good story. Howard Jones’ new novel has deep roots in history, real and imaginary. It’s a heroic fantasy set in a deeply imagined, fantastical world, but its hero has a strong resemblance to Hannibal, especially in his tragic post-war years. The book is a riveting portrait of a hero trying to keep his civilization alive in the wake of a devastating military defeat; it’s a series of ripping yarns that collectively add up to a greater story with a deeper impact than any of its parts; it’s another triumph for Howard Andrew Jones, premier wielder of the new edge in sword-and-sorcery.”—James Enge, World Fantasy Award nominated author of Blood of Ambrose

“Howard Andrew Jones is the leading Sword & Sorcery author of the 21st Century. He’s taking the entire field in new directions, with work that is deeper, more adult, and more ambitious than heroic fantasy has any right to be. His Lord of A Shattered Land is his best work yet, a heroic fantasy retelling of one of the great tales of antiquity, the fall of Carthage and its legendary general Hannibal. It’s a rich canvas on which Jones has sketched an engrossing and fast-paced tale with a stellar cast. At the center of it all is one of the great fictional creations of modern fantasy, Hanuvar himself, whose quest to free his enslaved and scattered people is the epic story of a single brilliant mind arrayed against the apparatus of an entire empire. It’s a magnificent achievement, destined to become a modern classic.”—John O’Neill, World Fantasy Award Winning Publisher of Black Gate

“In the pages of Howard Andrew Jones’s latest epic (and I mean epic!) fantasy novel-in-stories, we meet the weary, resolute, and utterly compelling Hanuvar: great general of a shattered land. Thought dead by his foes, now Hanuvar has dedicated his life to saving his enslaved countrymen, journeying ever deeper into the heart of enemy territory. On the way, he keeps company with poets and gladiators, actors, priestesses, and circus performers—and we keep company with him. As we follow Hanuvar on his many adventures, fighting alongside him against increasing odds and unspeakable monsters (both human and otherwise), and befriending his friends along the way, somehow the light around us seems to grow more golden, the shadows more restless, the ghosts more bittersweet, and the darkness more fanged. Lord of a Shattered Land reads like a heroic classic we all grew up with, yet in Jones’s work, the familiar combines with the unknown in a heady elixir of battle, blood, magic, triumph, and tenderness.”—C.S.E. Cooney, World Fantasy Award Winning author of Bone Swans

 

 

April 2022

With the third book of my newest trilogy out, it’s been a looooong time since I’ve dropped by to update my web site.

Once upon a time I regularly created content here, but as I may have mentioned, I’ve decided that if I’m going to be spending time writing I’d rather be drafting stories. And so I have been. One complete volume of Hanuvar’s adventures is circulating among publishers, and I’m halfway through the rough draft of its sequel volume. That’s a lot of work to have achieved in less than a year, especially since I’m not a particularly fast writer, and I’m pleased with that, although I’ll be more pleased when I sign a contract.

I’ve mapped out enough content for four full books, wrapping things up in a fifth or sixth. We shall have to see how it all develops. Right now I’m enjoying writing more than I have in long ages, and I have high hopes that readers will like what I’ve created.

When the Goddess Wakes

With the trilogy complete and soon-to-be available on bookstore shelves, reviews are starting to roll in. I hope you’ll help spread the word!

I just saw a new one come in from Andrew Mather at Quill to Live. He began by telling people they needed to stop sleeping on the series, and concluded with: ” the three books in The Ring-Sworn Trilogy add up to a winning equation, and I think the series is criminally under-read. Jones has gifted me with one of my favorite casts of characters of the last few years and I am very much excited to see what he does next. If you like sword and sorcery fantasy, you are doing yourself a great disservice if you don’t check these out – especially now that the third and final book is out.”

In other news, I’ve been out and about talking about the series, my writing, favorite books, Tales From the Magician’s Skull, and my new not-so-secret writing project. You can find those interviews

Here, at Dicegeeks

And over here, at FanFiAddict.

Coming up, I’m scheduled to have an AMA over at Reddit Fantasy on September 3rd. I’ll have links as that gets closer.

As always, please help spread the word! I want more readers!

 

 

Farewells

July 30th we had to bury an old family friend. Sometimes you have a pet, and sometimes you have a friend who happens to be a dog, and that’s how it grew to be with Keena.

The shelter found her on the streets alone at around two months, and we adopted her and brought her into the family. She remained just a little nervous for years and years, but eventually grew to be confident and, later in life, even assertive.

Most dogs are alike on many basic levels, so it always surprises me how very different they can be on that template. I mean, most love their walks and are happy to see you when you’ve been gone, and they live to go out and smell things. But they still have individual personalities and develop their own habits and some are simply just more fun to be around, like Keena, who so easily brought us smiles. When Keena was really happy she’d go and grab her red rubber bone and frolic around with it. Later in life she’d get your attention and lead you to the red carpet in the kitchen, where we finally figured out that she wanted to wrestle. Only on that rug, though. Nowhere else in the house would do.

A New Year

Yesterday I finished reviewing copyedit changes on book 3, wrote my dedication and acknowledgments, and returned When the Goddess Wakes to St. Martin’s. I’ll see it again after it goes through proofreading, and then not again until I see advanced proofs. I’m pleased with it, and I think you’ll like it. It should be on bookstore shelves at some point this summer, and I’ll make sure to alert everyone when that’s about to happen.

It’s been a rough year for a lot of people, and I’m not going to bore you with too many details of the negative here, because I know so many who have suffered a great deal worse. Before it was clear to us here at the tower just how bad things might get with the virus it looked for a time that we’d have to relocate, but my wife found a wonderful new job here in town after having to leave her former position, and she was able to start work at the new place by the late autumn. So, we experienced several stressful months, but it has all worked out.

Turnover

Monday I turned over the text of When the Goddess Wakes to my editor at St. Martin’s. Over the next little while I’ll be waiting for his feedback, and the feedback of a few more important beta readers. Over the years I’ve developed a network of really brilliant friends who are giving of their time and energy and wisdom, and they help my work immeasurably.

While it lifts my spirits to cross this threshold, the race doesn’t feel over, since I know there will be final tweaks and adjustments. I’ll probably take a few days off to relax once the entire copyediting pass is complete (or maybe not — any more I tend to be compulsively working on story construction or outlining even when I’m not writing) but for now I’m turning my eye to other projects.