Ask the Author: Gary D. Robson
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Gary D. Robson
After focusing on children's books and nonfiction for the last 20 years, I'm switching things up. I've finally written the fantasy novel that's been trying to escape my head for a long time. It's called The Bounds of Magic, and it's scheduled for release on April 7 from Proseyr Publishing.
The book will be the first in the Tryllevær series. It's just shy of 100,000 words, and comes in at 350 pages. It will be coming out in all the usual formats: hardback, trade paperback, and ebook. The audiobook will likely be a few months behind.
The book centers around Skogaban, a young storyteller with an abusive father and a bit of unusual magical talent, and his best friend, Dacey, who has been trained by her father as a hunter/ranger. Tryllevær is a guild-centric society, but Sko & Dacey live in a small town far from the fancy guild halls.
Sko has put up with a lot of beatings from his father, and is missing four fingers from his left hand due to an accident in the forge. When Dacey tries to defend him, though, Sko’s father goes too far, throwing her to the ground and kicking her. Enraged, Sko strikes his father down with a piece of iron and flees town with Dacey, not knowing whether he’s killed his father or not. Either way, it’s not safe to go back home.
Sko discovers that his magic is quite useful, and very different from everyone else’s. When they are attacked by highwaymen on the road, he uses his magic to fight them off. For the first time, he has hurt someone with his magic, and it sickens him. Dacey, on the other hand, has no reluctance when it comes to using violence to protect Sko. When a group of young mages invite him into their new unified magic guild, he realizes he could change the way magic is taught and practiced. As he works with them, he and Dacey realize their lifelong friendship is blossoming into much more (she, of course, figures that out long before he does).
Joining the journeymen sets Sko on a collision course with Morana, the most powerful necromancer in history. When she discovers the new guild, she realizes it would interfere with her plans to take control of all six existing magic guilds. She strikes, forcing Sko and Dacey go into hiding. Are his lofty goals in magic worth it, or would he be happier marrying Dacey and going back to his childhood dream of being a storyteller?
The book will be the first in the Tryllevær series. It's just shy of 100,000 words, and comes in at 350 pages. It will be coming out in all the usual formats: hardback, trade paperback, and ebook. The audiobook will likely be a few months behind.
The book centers around Skogaban, a young storyteller with an abusive father and a bit of unusual magical talent, and his best friend, Dacey, who has been trained by her father as a hunter/ranger. Tryllevær is a guild-centric society, but Sko & Dacey live in a small town far from the fancy guild halls.
Sko has put up with a lot of beatings from his father, and is missing four fingers from his left hand due to an accident in the forge. When Dacey tries to defend him, though, Sko’s father goes too far, throwing her to the ground and kicking her. Enraged, Sko strikes his father down with a piece of iron and flees town with Dacey, not knowing whether he’s killed his father or not. Either way, it’s not safe to go back home.
Sko discovers that his magic is quite useful, and very different from everyone else’s. When they are attacked by highwaymen on the road, he uses his magic to fight them off. For the first time, he has hurt someone with his magic, and it sickens him. Dacey, on the other hand, has no reluctance when it comes to using violence to protect Sko. When a group of young mages invite him into their new unified magic guild, he realizes he could change the way magic is taught and practiced. As he works with them, he and Dacey realize their lifelong friendship is blossoming into much more (she, of course, figures that out long before he does).
Joining the journeymen sets Sko on a collision course with Morana, the most powerful necromancer in history. When she discovers the new guild, she realizes it would interfere with her plans to take control of all six existing magic guilds. She strikes, forcing Sko and Dacey go into hiding. Are his lofty goals in magic worth it, or would he be happier marrying Dacey and going back to his childhood dream of being a storyteller?
Gary D. Robson
I enjoy the writing, but I think the best thing is actually getting out on research trips, book signings, and talks. I like interacting with people, especially if we have common areas of interest!
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