The Last Stormlord
Book of the Month for March

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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Yep, that’s it. My mega, mega news.

In the U.K. The Last Stormlord has been chosen by Waterstone’s*
as their sf Book of the Month!

According to what I understand, this means…
“the book has fought off stiff competition within its publication month
and was selected by a panel of Waterstone’s booksellers”
and…

  • it will be featured as the SF/F book of the month within the SF/F section in March…
  • and will be included in their 3 for 2 offer…
  • it also means my book will be available in more Waterstone’s stores than normal…
It also means that a lot of people – especially the lovely folk from Orbit – have faith that you, the readers, will love it. Fingers crossed they are right.


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*Waterstone’s is a large UK book chain

Piracy and other stuff

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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I’ve noticed an increase in the pirating of my books. As fast as one gets taken down, some sod of a book-thief asked for a site to put it up again. You want a free book, go to a library.

Piracy is stealing. Don’t do it. If you want to know why (apart from the fact that it makes you a criminal): see this article by Shiloh Walker.

And to all of you who buy books, I adore you. Over in UK, on the day that The Last Stormlord became available on Amazon, it sold out!! However, they have copies again now…

In the meantime, I anxiously await a review of Stormlord Rising from Australia, or a comment from someone who has actually finished it. Some 15 or so people have told me they think it is fabulous “so far” …but I haven’t heard from anyone who has actually got to the end yet. My nails are down to the quick…
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Some of that news I promised you…

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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Some time ago I said that I’d had some snippets of exciting news. The biggest bit comes later this week, and for me it’s over the top, but more of that probably on Thursday.

What I want to tell you about at the moment doesn’t actually happen until the end of the month and into April, and it is this: Borders.com has a blog called Babel Clash for Sf/F readers and writers. And it is one helluva fun place to be.

And I am delighted that they have asked me to blog over there from March 30th to 12th April. During that time you won’t find me here much! I am so looking forward to this… The moderator, Morgan, does a fabulous job of throwing out topics to argue.

Another author will be on at the same time, Celine Kiernan, who’s an Irish YA writer and artist, and just looking at her books makes me want to be a young adult all over again…
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Review time in the US

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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With The Last Stormlord out in the US, the bots are trolling for reviews and here is the first one they found, from Stefan Raets. The whole review can be found here on Fantasy Literature, which has to be one of best and most comprehensive review sites around. A lot of work is put into this site, and it shows.

Anyway, here’s a couple of extracts from the review:

Sometimes you find a fantasy novel that’s not extremely original, but is so much plain fun to read that you just can’t help but love it. The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke is one of those books…

…this novel is easy to love. With its smooth storytelling style that should go over very well with fans of Brandon Sanderson, and an overall theme — water shortage and conservation — that’s acutely relevant in today’s world (how rare in a fantasy novel!), The Last Stormlord is a tremendously entertaining read that’s easy to get sucked into, hard to put down, and never boring. Recommended.

I am still waiting for the first review or email from Australia or…anything… about Stormlord Rising.
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Weekend Breakfast

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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And you had something boring like fried eggs for breakfast this morning?

This is what was on our breakfast table. It’s a Kelantanese dish (Kelantan is one of Malaysia’s northern peninsular states, known for its good food).

It goes by the name of Nasi Kerabu, which translates as Salad Rice. And a very complete meal it is too, all wrapped in waxed paper and costing just US$1.00 in our local open market down the street.

The rice is coloured with the juice of a common wayside flower.
There’s a small fried fish flavoured with tumeric, half a salted duck egg, some prawn crackers some coconut fried with spices, some green sprouts.

So what did you have for Saturday breakfast?

Win a copy of THE LAST STORMLORD

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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This one is more for US/Canadian readers.

One of the disadvantages of living where I do is that I don’t meet too many fantasy writers. Regular readers may remember that when one did pass this way, Maria V. Snyder, I pounced on her and we had a lovely day together in Melaka.

Today Maria has put up an interview with me here on her blog, and here on GoodReads, and is offering a free copy of The Last Stormlord, American edition, to several lucky people who drop by and comment. So pop over to her blog for a chanceof a free copy, or if you want to read the interview.

And, by the way, I don’t have the slightest hesitation in recommending Maria’s books. I’m in the process of reading her first trilogy, and believe me I she tells a fabulous story with great characters. She didn’t get on the NY Times bestseller list for nothing!

More weird Malaysian banning of books

Posted on by March 13, 2021
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This via Bibliobibuli here.

Who would have thought: the authorities have decided to sieze more local books from local bookshops in their ongoing attempts at intimidation (instead of going through legal means available to them to officially ban books).

This time – after 14 months of a book being on sale locally, they have decided that it may “have a negative impact on public tranquility/morals/public safety/relations between the country and foreign nations”… and have siezed copies in Melaka.

How intelligent. And strange that I have heard nothing of the 14 months of mayhem this book has brought to the streets…

Later: Come to think of it, if one wanted not to have a negative impact on the way one was regarded internationally, it might be a good idea to stop raiding bookshops. Because, y’know, it makes you look sort of…immature.
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