#TheNecromancer’sDaughter

It’s #GuestDayTuesday again, folks, and today we have author D. Wallace Peach visiting us with news about her latest release, The Necromancer’s Daughter. Don’t know about you guys, but I’ve never read a book by Diana I didn’t LOVE, and I’m dying to read this one! (SOOOON, My Precious!)

Thank you, Diana, for joining us today, and now … you have the floor, my friend! Take it away!

Good morning, Marcia. I’m delighted to get a slot on your blog for #GuestDayTuesday. I started my book tour about three weeks ago for my new stand-alone novel The Necromancer’s Daughter, and I thought I’d share a little about the inspiration/theme of the story.

As you know, I write fantasy novels, but there are only so many plots to go around, and we all have to share them regardless of the genre we write. So, with billions of books out there, how do we ever make our stories original? It’s all in the details, my friend, and the way we put our unique spin on them with our unique voices.

As much as fantasy is about imaginary worlds and magical beings, there are few of us who have the talent to tell an un-human story. We want to grab our readers and make them care. To do that, we need to create characters they can relate to and then put them in situations that make sense. You, my friend, are a master at doing just that.

In writing fantasy, for my themes, I draw quite a bit on the quandaries and challenges of modern life, knowing full well that the hurdles we face have been around for thousands of years in one form or another.

The theme of The Necromancer’s Daughter is the biases and assumptions we make about others without really getting at the truth of who they are as people. Does that sound familiar in our politically divided country? Or in the prejudices around race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and a host of other ways that we differ from each other? It’s a tale as old as time.

In The Necromancer’s Daughter, the division is between those who practice necromancy (the raising of the dead) and those who believe it’s demonic and against the wishes of their goddess.

One of my main characters, Joreh, is stuck in the middle with the hard task of facing his ingrained biases and really seeing people for who they are. That’s no easy task, and he has a lot on the line, including his life.

And, of course, the pages are brimming with action, escapes, barbarians, and dragons. There’s also a touch of romance and tons and tons of snow!

Thanks so much for having me over today, my friend. It was fun getting a chance to chat a little about the book! And many thanks to your blog friends for stopping by. Happy Reading.

You Can Buy The Necromancer’s Daughter HERE

BLURB:

A healer and dabbler in the dark arts of life and death, Barus is as gnarled as an ancient tree. Forgotten in the chaos of the dying queen’s chamber, he spirits away her stillborn infant, and in a hovel at the meadow’s edge, he breathes life into the wisp of a child. He names her Aster for the lea’s white flowers. Raised as his daughter, she learns to heal death.

Then the day arrives when the widowed king, his own life nearing its end, defies the Red Order’s warning. He summons the necromancer’s daughter, his only heir, and for his boldness, he falls to an assassin’s blade.

While Barus hides from the Order’s soldiers, Aster leads their masters beyond the wall into the Forest of Silvern Cats, a land of dragons and barbarian tribes. She seeks her mother’s people, the powerful rulers of Blackrock, uncertain whether she will find sanctuary or face a gallows’ noose.

Unprepared for a world rife with danger, a world divided by those who practice magic and those who hunt them, she must choose whether to trust the one man offering her aid, the one man most likely to betray her—her enemy’s son.

A healer with the talent to unravel death, a child reborn, a father lusting for vengeance, and a son torn between justice, faith, and love. Caught in a chase spanning kingdoms, each must decide the nature of good and evil, the lengths they will go to survive, and what they are willing to lose.

MY REVIEW:

(NOTE: I got my wish, devoured this book, and here’s my review.)

I’m a huge fan of author D. Wallace Peach, and have loved every book of hers I’ve read to date. Fantasy has become my favorite genre in recent years, so I was eagerly awaiting release day for this one, and crossing my fingers that I hadn’t built up unrealistic expectations. What a joke! It was even better than I hoped. I can honestly say I loved this book even more than Peach’s others, and that’s high praise, believe me.

As always, Diana’s world-building is fantastic, from the beliefs held by each country, to the descriptions of every battle … and every DRAGON! Yes, there are dragons, and they add a wonderful sense of magic that becomes totally believable as the story grows. But even better than the world or its fabulous dragons are the characters! Each is fully fleshed out in a way that made them totally real to me, complete with faults and frailties, generosities and kindnesses, strengths and weaknesses, and all the other components that go into being human. (Or slightly more than. We are talking necromancers here, so it’s a given that this world is touched by magic, even in cultures where it’s forbidden, and practicing it is punishable by death.)

I enjoyed this book with its elegant cover so much that I want to display it in my library, and am ordering a print copy for that purpose alone. Just looking at it sitting on my favorite bookshelf will make me smile every morning.

If you enjoy fantasy, interesting worlds graced with magic, and beautifully rendered characters who will live on in your heart long after you finish the last page, grab your copy right now. You won’t be sorry!

Author D. Wallace Peach

A long-time reader, best-selling author D. Wallace Peach started writing later in life when years of working in business surrendered to a full-time indulgence in the imaginative world of books. She was instantly hooked.

In addition to fantasy books, Peach’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of the arts in her local community, organizing and publishing annual anthologies of Oregon prose, poetry, and photography.

Peach lives in a log cabin amongst the tall evergreens and emerald moss of Oregon’s rainforest with her husband, two owls, a horde of bats, and the occasional family of coyotes.