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Lucy Hounsom: Author

Also writing as Lucy Holland

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05/07/15

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Author, SFF podcaster, book merchant Read More…

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One month to go until publication and I apologise

One month to go until publication and I apologise now for my plethora of Sistersong posts 😅 I was looking through the Sistersong folder on this laptop earlier and the oldest file in there dates to 2016 – the first proposal I sent to my agent about the book.

A five year time frame is not unusual in publishing (and in my case I had to finish the trilogy) so when *the day* finally comes around, it's always a bit of an anticlimax because so much has gone before. Hopefully you'll forgive me for being a bit excited that we're almost there 😊

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#Sistersong #bookstagram #instareads #writing #authorlife #upcoming #2021reads #fantasy #historicalfiction

🌊 w i l d 🌊 s e a s The foam was literally

🌊 w i l d 🌊 s e a s

The foam was literally flying — right up and across the promenade (scroll to see) Thank you to the photogenic seagulls.

#sidmouth #seaside #sea #ocean #naturephotography #wildsea #cloudysky #dramaticsky #gulls #roughseas #waves #seafoam #wildbeauty #windyday #devon #southwestengland #visitdevon

I am extremely thrilled that Sistersong is @goldsb

I am extremely thrilled that Sistersong is @goldsborobooks GSFF April pick. I hadn't seen the sprayed / stencilled edges before the announcement last week and they are *unbelievable* 😍

This edition of Sistersong is numbered, signed and exclusive to GSFF; if you are not yet a subscriber you can check out Goldsboro's page for more info about joining 😊

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#gsff #goldsborobooks #sistersong #exclusiveedition #signedcopy #bookcollector #firstedition #sprayededges #bookart #coverlove #bookjacket #bookstagram #igreads #instareads #fantasy #historicalfantasy #2021books #panmacmillan

I loved Nghi Vo's The Empress of Salt and Fortune.

I loved Nghi Vo's The Empress of Salt and Fortune. It's an incredibly clever book that reads like epic fantasy without the word count. Vo offers us snapshots of a life which – in a handful of short chapters – manages to convey a whole epic.

Hoping the followup will be equally excellent 👍

✿

#nghivo #whenthetigercamedownthemountain #fantasy #epicreads #theempressofsaltandfortune
#bookstagram #igreads #booklove #alwaysreading #bookworm #bookish #instareads #novella

𝑩 𝒐 𝒐 𝒌 ✿ 𝑳 𝒂 𝒖 𝒏 𝒄 𝒉

Please join me on April 1st to welcome Sistersong to the world. The launch will be a virtual event hosted by @cymerafestival via Crowdcast and I'll be in conversation with author Kaite Welsh 😊

It's been a bit of a journey since I wrote the first draft of the book in 2018 and I am thrilled that we've made it this far. I'm very proud of this novel and can't wait to see it out there in the shops *side eye covid*

More details and tickets at https://www.cymerafestival.co.uk. If you buy a book at the same time, it'll come with an exclusive bookplate, signed and dedicated (if you wish) and be supplied by Transreal, one of Edinburgh's best indie bookshops 👍

See you there! X

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#Sistersong #booklaunch #exclusiveevent #bookstagram #igreads #instareads #bookcommunity #fantasy #historicalfantasy #2021books #bookevent #cymerafestival #virtualevent #crowdcast

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳? 𝘈𝘮 𝘐 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴?

I think the first time I ever read of The Herlathing, the Wild Hunt, was in Alan Garner's The Moon of Gomrath. At 14, it left a lasting impression. Later came Susan Cooper's Herne. I feel lucky to have the chance to write my own version of this powerful myth. More on this soon!

Do you have a favourite Garner? He is one of a kind.

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#themoonofgomrath #alangarner #theherlathing #thewildhunt #wip #bookstagram #igreads #booklove #favouritebooks #weride #instareads #inspiration #writing #fantasy #fantasybooks #myth #mythology #celtic #oldmagic

f e b r u a r y • l i g h t Took another walk t

f e b r u a r y • l i g h t

Took another walk to stare at Peak Hill yesterday, imagining what life might have been like for the people who actually lived here in Romano-British times. The coastline has retreated since and the surrounding area is all farmland and of course most live down in the valley now instead of on a defensible hill.

This part of Devon is an interesting cross between coastal and rural. I hope I captured some of that in Sistersong – the way ancient woodland sits so close to dramatic red cliffs. One moment you're in dense trees, the next, the horizon opens up.

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#devon #southwestengland #sidmouth #peakhill #romanobritish #Sistersong #bookstagram #igreads #woodland #coastline #cliffs #seascape #cloudyday #winter #february

Another book I enjoyed recently! I recommend Hall

Another book I enjoyed recently! I recommend Hall of Smoke if you like Viking-esque fantasy, deft and balanced worldbuilding, and a central character whose voice roars even when she is at her most vulnerable.

I love stories where characters question their beliefs - beliefs are so woven into the fabric of the self that when they're shattered or undermined, it makes for a powerful and moving experience. For me, Hall of Smoke does this so well. Hessa is a woman it's hard not to root for and I can't wait to see where her journey takes her 👊

Have you read any epic fantasy recently that keeps the best bits of the genre but provides a fresh take? I'm always looking to fall back in love with it again after reading the same old same old as a teenager!

✥

#hallofsmoke #hmlong #titanbooks #epicfantasy #viking #epicreads #bookstagram #booklove #igreads #bookcommunity #instareads #bookish #femalewriters #speculativefiction #recommended

Well obviously I had to write my own version of Th

Well obviously I had to write my own version of The Twa Sisters ballad ;)

In fact Sistersong has three short stories buried in it, mostly because I love the idea of stories nestled within stories. It breaks the narrative up and allows you to foreshadow certain plot developments...

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#Sistersong #bookstagram #bookquote #igreads #instareads #inspiration #twosisters #FolkloreThursday #folktale #folkballad #murderballad #historicalfantasy #stories #storytelling

What do you think of epigraphs? I really enjoy se

What do you think of epigraphs?

I really enjoy seeking out the perfect quote to set the mood of whatever book I'm working on. Sistersong obviously had to include a nod to the ballad that inspired it, but it's Hurston's quote that best expresses the theme and underlying message of the story. Often misattributed to Maya Angelou, I read it as a powerful cry – saying something like: I exist, my story is as real, as valid and as precious as yours and I want the world to hear it.

I couldn't believe how lucky I was to stumble across the Borges quote in Labyrinths. It just perfectly summed up Starborn.

Haven't yet found epigraphs for the work in progress, but I'm always on the look out.

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#Sistersong #starborn #epigraph #bookstagram #borges #zoranealehurston #igreads #instareads #bookquote

🗺Map Monday🗺 I stumbled across another eye

🗺Map Monday🗺

I stumbled across another eye wateringly gorgeous map of early Britain and this one is perfect because it shows all the places that I reference in Sistersong like Isca, Lindinis, Durnovaria, Vectis, Old Sarum etc - all of which as you see are identifiable by their current names (though Salisbury isn't quite on the site of Old Sarum).

It's a familiar landscape but very different too, what with control shifting between the British tribes, Romans and later the Saxons. I've enjoyed exploring this era and hope the book brings it to life for you as well.

Huge thanks to @manuscriptmaps for letting me share their work. Do go check out their page for more amazing art. You can actually buy this map too!

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#Sistersong #Britannia #map #maps #cartography #vintagemap #art #illustration #oldmap #bookstagram #2021reads #igreads #instareads #historicalfantasy #englishhistory #britons #saxons #romanbritain #earlymedieval

Corfe Castle last September. I can't wait to go da

Corfe Castle last September. I can't wait to go daytripping again when lockdown eases. I have a whole list of places I want to visit. Like a return trip to Tintagel, seeing the Lost Gardens of Heligan, exploring St Ives and the Cornish coastline. Funnily enough my next book is set in Cornwall...

Do you have any places lined up?

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#corfe #corfecastle #dorset #daytrip #ruins #ruinedcastle #exploring #westcountry #cornwall

Next up in my quest to read more novellas: The Emp

Next up in my quest to read more novellas: The Empress of Salt and Fortune. This is my first Nghi Vo and doesn't it sound fantastic:

❝At once feminist high fantasy and an indictment of monarchy, this evocative debut follows the rise of the empress In-yo, who has few resources and fewer friends. She's a northern daughter in a mage-made summer exile, but she will bend history to her will and bring down her enemies, piece by piece.❞

Anyone read this one?

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#nghivo #tor #novella #fantasy #theempressofsaltandfortune #bookstagram #igreads #instareads #coverlove #booklove

𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓘𝓶𝓫𝓸𝓵𝓬! Tr

𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 𝓘𝓶𝓫𝓸𝓵𝓬!

Traditionally celebrated on February 1st, ancient pagans would today have been welcoming the goddess of spring and rebirth, Brigid or Bríg, into their homes. She is also associated with fertility, healing and smithing.

As part of the Imbolc festivities, Brídeóg dolls were woven and, in some communities, carried by girls from house to house. The villagers would knock at each door and Bríg would be invited in to bless the household. A bed was made for her and food and drink provided. She was later Christianised (as many Pagan deities were) as St Brigid of Kildare.

Today heralds the end of winter. And though I'm sure we've a few months of chill still to go, daffodils are coming up and the days are not quite so short. I'm very happy to be welcoming the spring after such a dark season.

🌸

#Sistersong #imbolc #imbolg
#gaelic #celtic #pagan #paganfestival #brigid #goddess #rebirth #spring #bookstagram #igreads #instareads #historicalfantasy #bookquote #2021reads

My children* all together 😘 Should historical

My children* all together 😘

Should historical fantasy not be your thing, I did actually write some full on epic fantasy. I must have been mad to tackle a trilogy, but I picked book three up the other day, had a nostalgic flick through and it's really not too shabby.

It's a shame they didn't quite find their audience, but I still receive kind messages from readers every so often, which makes me very happy. And I learned so much while writing them.

*excludes cat children

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#bookstagram #mybooks #authorlife #worldmakertrilogy #Sistersong #instareads #igreads #booklove #alwayswriting #fantasy #historicalfantasy #epicfantasy #paperbacks

Posted @withregram • @hoskins_cartography Siste

Posted @withregram • @hoskins_cartography

Sistersong doesn't have a map, but I stumbled across this gorgeous hand drawn one of the Briton & Saxon kingdoms. You can't see Dumnonia where the novel is set, but you can just spot the Welsh kingdoms of Gwynedd and Gwent, both of which – like Dumnonia and Kernow – resisted the Saxon advance for quite some years.

Wessex grew to be a great power, as illustrated here, and eventually did control the whole of the westcountry. It has a fascinating history. Thanks to @hoskins_cartography for letting me share.

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#map #cartography #anglosaxon #wessex #britannia #briton #earlymedieval #dumnonia #devon #Sistersong #bookstagram #igreads #instareads #historicalfantasy #englishhistory #celtic #folktale

Happy birthday to my sister @lauramadeleineauthor.

Happy birthday to my sister @lauramadeleineauthor. Here's a nice photo of us taken a few years ago with my cousin at a family wedding. The original fairly desperate caption reads, "we could all still be teenagers, right?"

😅

I'll be talking about some of the COOL HISTORY tha

I'll be talking about some of the COOL HISTORY that helped me create the 6th century setting of Sistersong. Coming from writing secondary world fantasy, it was actually quite a surprise to discover just how many stories are lurking behind the face of history...and how I could use this mixture of fact and supposition as inspiration for a plot.

Example: I knew I wanted a third POV to set the sisters' story in context. I knew that person would in many ways be invisible as far as the ballad (and history) was concerned.

Enter Gildas, whose treatise on Britain contains a fiery attack on five contemporary British kings, one of whom is the mysterious Constantine.

Who was Gildas' Constantine? Most historians think he was Constantine Corneu, the son of Cado, a 6th century Dumnonian king. But some argue that Gildas referred to a leader of the Damnonii – a completely different tribe based in Scotland.

Gildas despised Constantine for reasons he enumerates in his treatise. So already we have the basis of a story here, what with the enigma of Constantine's identity + Gildas' opinion of him.

It's the sort of tenuous history that's a real gift to writers. Muddled facts and dates and names built around a kernel of truth. Gildas certainly existed. Someone he disapproved of called Constantine existed. But the rest is a tapestry with trailing threads that can be picked up and woven into something else – as humans are wont to do. I am clearly no exception...

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#Sistersong #bookstagram #2021reads #2021books #igreads #twosisters #englishhistory #gildas #dumnonia #celtic #history #6thcentury #writing #writingresearch #storytelling

I'd been meaning to acquire this novella for ages,

I'd been meaning to acquire this novella for ages, so was thrilled to stumble across a copy sitting in the bookshop just before lockdown.

"Found family wuxia fantasy"? Sign me up. I mean I'd have bought it for the cover alone – beautiful artwork by Sija Hong.

🌸

#zencho #sijahong #coverlove #bookjacket #bookstagram #booklove #igreads #instareads #theorderofthepuremoonreflectedinwater #tor #novella #wuxia #foundfamily #fantasy

𝙎𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜 has a new

𝙎𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜 has a new publication date – 01/04/21. Which means it's now less than 10 weeks to go 😱

I am sitting on a bunch of related news that I can't share yet but I'm so excited about. Seriously excited about. Watch this space!

In the meantime, if you've read the book in arc form, please do take a few moments to review it, whatever you thought. It all helps!

And remember it's available to pre order in hardback, ebook and audio formats 😊

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#Sistersong #bookstagram #igreads #instareads #bookquote #historicalfantasy #folktale #retelling #thetwosisters #fantasy #fantasybooks #celtic #pagan #anglosaxon #westcountry #2021reads #panmacmillan

Hands up who isn't going out 🖐 [Insert vaguely

Hands up who isn't going out 🖐

[Insert vaguely melancholic Basho-style observation on rain]

#rain #rainyday #january #winterrain #raindropsonglass #stayinghome #windandrain

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