Author Andy’s hero is back on a new mission
Latest instalment in fantasy story by ex-advertiser man
Holidaymakers looking to load up their Kindle and fantasy fans in general will soon be able to get their hands on the second book by author Andy Livingstone.
Hero Grown is the sequel to the epic fantasy Hero Born, and will be released as an e-book through all major digital booksellers by publishing giant Harpervoyager on July 28.
Andy, a former Advertiser journalist and now a PR officer with South Lanarkshire Council, was one of just 15 new authors to be taken on by the UK office of Harpervoyager in 2014, the science fiction and fantasy arm of Harpercollins, after a worldwide call for submissions had attracted more than 5000 manuscripts.
Hero Grown is the second book in the Seeds of Destiny trilogy, and continues the story of Brann, a miller’s son dragged from quiet village life by slavers and flung into a world of terror and adventure, where he finds himself the subject of a prophesy while all he is trying to do is survive each day.
In this second book, Brann and his companions (along with some new friends) are in a land of unfamiliar culture and customs, where the young hero embarks on a mission that will threaten not just his freedom but his very soul. Meanwhile, his fate becomes linked with that of a master schemer...but will this aid him or kill him?
Hero Born was published this time last year and writing the sequel proved a very different experience.
Andy (48) said: “When I wrote Hero Born, I was trying to write a novel not even knowing if I was capable of doing it, and the first draft took me 18 months to complete.
“By contrast, I wrote the first draft of Hero Grown in 18 weeks, because I now knew the characters and setting rather than having to invent them and work on them, and most of all because this time I had a deadline to meet.
“It was a hard slog, with long hours locked away from my family because I was having to fit it around the demands of a full-time job, but it was also more exciting writing this one because it had a purpose more than just giving me the pleasure of writing a book. Voyager signed the full trilogy at the start, so I knew when I was battering out Hero Grown that there was a publication process waiting for it.
“Once the initial writing is done, the experts at Voyager swing into action and that is just as exciting a time, because you witness the skills of the experts whose keen eye, understanding and, just as importantly, interest in the book help you to take the initial draft and turn it into a finished product.
“At this time, also, the cover is designed which, in a way, helps you to feel that the book is starting to come alive and I have been incredibly lucky with the covers that have been produced for each book by Harpervoyager.”
Hero Grown will be released as an e-book by Harpervoyager on July 28, priced £1.99, and can be pre-ordered now for automatic delivery on the day of publication.