As I prepare for Thrones 1-3 to release any day now, I have posted my first video on my new YouTube Channel: @shaunstevensonbooks! I had the chance to speak at a Preteen Retreat in Arkansas and while there, I was able to do some work on Thrones, so I decided to show you what my cabin looked like as well as share my Fall Reads, Releases, and Ramblings!
THRONES Books 1-3 Releasing October 2023!
It’s finally here! Yes, books one to three of Thrones are coming October 2023! I couldn’t be more excited for you to re-experience books 1 & 2 of one of my favorite series, and I absolutely cannot wait for you to experience book 3: Skin of the Dragon Lord! That book has been five years in the making, and now it’s finally right around the corner!
So what have I been up to over the past few years? Well, I’ve still been writing, but I took a detour to finish my Masters of Divinity degree. That took a lot of my time from writing, but now that I’ve graduated, I’m hard at work creating new Worlds of stories for you to enjoy!
If you haven’t read the Thrones series before, you’ll want to check out books one and two: Secret of the Lost King and Sword of the Broken Son. Each one of these books has meant so much to me, and to the many of you who have read them! I often receive emails asking me about what’s next, and now it’s finally here in Skin of the Dragon Lord. This is the longest book yet, and I think the most exciting of all three!
In Secret of the Lost King, Jack and Molly must rescue Ellie from the clutches of the evil Morogh, ruler of the Kingdom of Tanniyn. In order to save Ellie and dethrone Morogh, they’re going to have to find the Lost King of Tanniyn and discover the secret he has been hiding all this time.
In Sword of the Broken Son, a few years have passed, and Molly, Jack, and Ellie soon find themselves fighting for the sake of the Kingdom when a threat from the North invades. They’ll have to turn to old friends and enemies in order to find a way to defeat the growing evil right under the castle stones.
In Skin of the Dragon Lord, Ellie embarks on a quest to discover the identity of the Dragon Lord, who may hold the key to stopping a cataclysmic event threatening the very existence of everything Jack, Molly, and Ellie have worked so hard to preserve. However, no one could have guessed the plans of an old enemy who will stop for nothing to destroy them all.
One of my favorite aspects of these books in the opportunity to explore a story from Scripture as Jack, Molly, and Ellie discover them for the first time. They see how God has been at work in history, and even up to their present day.
So if you’re ready to dive back in to the world of Tanniyn in Thrones, now is the time! Your perfect Fall Fantasy Read is here! See you soon!
Fights in Style
What have I been doing today?
Well, writing The Barren Prison, book 2 in The Runners of Abra series. It’s been a while since I’ve had time to write, but today was one of those days when I finally sat in the chair and wrote words.
One of my favorite things about writing this series in particular is the wide variety of fighting styles and action set pieces I’m able to play with. As I was working on an action scene, I realized that a fight with Escrima Sticks fit the moment perfectly. And for research, I went down the rabbit hole of YouTube to find videos of double stick fighting as it’s also called. Escrima Sticks are a fast moving style that has been used in the Filipino martial arts called Arnis Eskrima.
The Barren Prison has been a challenging story to tell, but I’m so excited about where the story is heading and how it’s all turning out! Hopefully you’ll be able to read it sooner rather than later!
Professional Pirates
A few weeks ago I had the chance to play as the pirate captain at summer camp in the official summer camp play. Complete with sword fights, plot twists, and of course rousing piratical musical numbers. I’ve always loved pirate stories, and the chance to write one and then act in it was a blast. A cannon blast of course.
So what else have I been up to? Well, writing away on THE RUNNERS OF ABRA. If you haven’t had the chance to check out my ongoing serial novel yet, definitely check it out. It’s been so much fun to write a world full of monsters, mysteries, and of course some adventurous mayhem. Book one, THE LAST RUNNER, is close to wrapping up, and I’m so excited for book two in that world.
Secret of the Lost King has officially been re-released under my publisher, Lost Realms. We did a lot of work on that book to tighten it up and I was even able to add some new content to that story. So if you’ve already ready it, you may want to check it out again! My editor is diving in to book two, Sword of the Broken Son, and I can’t wait to get you book three, Skin of the Dragon Lord. I left Jack, Maggie, and Molly in some pretty interesting places at the end of book two. Book three promises to be quite the ride!
In the meantime, check out THE LAST RUNNER here!
5 Things You May Not Know About SECRET OF THE LOST KING
Secret of the Lost King, book one in the Thrones series, is one of my favorite stories I’ve ever told. It took over a year to plan, write, edit, and finally release. Stories may begin with one single idea, or grow out of a thousand ideas smashed together and producing something new. But no matter how much planning an author may do, surprises always lurk in the back pages of an author’s mind. And sometimes, stories begin to take on a life of their own.
And so, I present to you: five things you may not know about Secret of the Lost King.
1. Mrs. Keswick was named after the street where my mom grew up.
When Mrs. Keswick walked up the stairs of the orphanage and appeared on the page, Keswick seemed to be the right name for her. My mom grew up on a road called Keswick, and the name fell right into the story and has since stuck. Although, when I started writing, I didn’t know Mrs. Keswick was a “Mrs.” until I discovered the secret past of Mr. Keswick. Something for book two perhaps…?
2. Secret of the Lost King was originally written as a stage play.
Every year, I take a small team of actors to put on a five-act play at a summer camp in Washington state. In summer of 2015, we performed a stage version of the book for 100 grade school students in first to third grade. Monsters are always a staple in every play for the camp, and we had a blast creating the spider creature from the Library of Secrets. It actually shot webbing at the actors, had movable pincers, and could scuttle back and forth. It was also five feet tall. #ArachnophobiaAnyone?
3. The spider creature from the Library of Secrets is unofficially named Mr. Juicy.
A few years ago, I had a spider puppet in my hand and asked a friend’s four-year old daughter what she thought it should be called. She thought about it for a moment and then said: “Mr. Juicy.” I definitely smirked as I wrote the creature into the Library of Secrets. And I definitely, unofficially, named the monster Mr. Juicy.
4. Jack was inspired by the fatherless state of many kids in America.
According to the US Census Bureau, in 2014, “23.6% of US children (17.4 million) lived in father absent homes.” (Click here for more info). So many children throughout America are living in homes where a father is 100% absent. Jack grew up in a place where he never knew his parents, and throughout the book, Jack keeps asking the question: What kind of parents did he have? Where did he come from? And what factors have made him who he is today?
Many kids ask these same questions. Many kids are asking: where do I belong? Who cares about me? I wanted Jack’s own journey to reflect that as well. And, maybe, Jack will find out some of those answers in the future.
5. My favorite part of the book is Chapter 28.
Why is Chapter 28 my favorite? I won’t give anything away about that wonderfully spoilerific chapter, but I will say this: Chapter 28 was the culmination of the book in my mind. Readers may find a different point that matters the most to them, and that’s quite okay — that’s the nature of literature — but for me, Chapter 28 will always be the moment where the story falls into place.
Bible stories are fascinating things. And so often, we don’t know the whole story. In fact, there’s a lot to the story of the character at the center of Chapter 28 that we don’t always hear about growing up. And where that character ends up is a whole tale unto itself.
If you haven’t had the chance to read Secret of the Lost King, you can pick up a copy on Amazon.com!