Let’s give a big welcome to author Beverly Twomey as she reveals the cover of her upcoming middle grade fantasy THE NECROMANCER’S RETURN. This is the sequel to THE NECROMANCER’S APPRENTICE, which is only $.99 in the month of October. Be sure to check out the cover’s artist and designer Luisa Galstyan.
What was your main inspiration for the Necromancer books?
It started with a pun, “The dying art of necromancy,” followed by a tweet regarding what it might look like to explore a Necromancer who is great at his job but not people skills. I wanted to write something fun and a little spooky with lots of action, adventure, and skeletons. I’ve grown ever so fond of this little world and am delighted to be able to return to it.
Without spoilers, what’s one thing you think fans of The Necromancer’s Apprentice will be particularly pleased to see in The Necromancer’s Return?
I think they’ll really enjoy the new dynamics between my two main characters and the Necromancer. Noah and Tamsyn are very different from Georgie. They’re confident, less afraid of confrontation and really throw the Necromancer for a loop by calling out his faults to his face.
What were some of you favorite books when you were a teen?
My top 4 series were Redwall, The Lost Years of Merlin, Inkheart and The Squire’s Tales. All of these have an aspect of whimsy with a lot of heart which is something I strive to have in my own work.
At what moment did you truly begin to feel like an author?
When I held my first printed book in my hands. It was such a rough time in my life but to be able to tangibly hold The Necromancer’s Apprentice, see the size and shape of it in actual book form, was and remains incredible.
What is your favorite part of the writing process? What is your least favorite part?
I love to brainstorm and world build. I love to ask myself the Why of it all, such as “why does a small mountain village need a Necromancer?” Finding all the connecting threads and pulling them together is immensely satisfying to me.
Ironically, my least favorite part is often drafting. I know this is often many writers favorite part and I’ve gotten better at this through multiple books but those first words on the page are hard. It takes me easily 3-4 drafts so I know that those early words will be very far from where they ultimately end up. At the end of the day, I simply have to buckle down and write my way out.
What is the single best piece of advice you have for young writers?
Read! Read books, graphic novels, manga, articles, anything and everything you can get your hands on. Through reading, you can learn your own likes, dislikes, what works and what doesn’t, tropes, pacing, genre expectations and more. If you want to write a book, you simply must read them.
What is next for you in your writing career?
I have a couple projects in mind. I have the outline of the next Necromancer book, a project that I’d like to query to traditional publishing, and another possible sequel. At the moment, I’m throwing myself fully into Marketing Mode and after about a month of that, we’ll see what words arrive. Books are like wizards, they arrive precisely when they mean too.
THE NECROMANCER’S RETURN blurb:
In an actual circus, twelve-year-old Noah is the oddball.
While the rest of the Florian family paints, tumbles, and carves their mark into every performance of Waldo’s Wandering Wonders, Noah struggles to be seen—especially with his Unfortunate Habit of accidental invisibility. When a new puppet master arrives, taking over the circus with his eerily lifelike marionettes, Noah and his family are quickly entangled in the magician’s villainous schemes.
After a harrowing escape, Noah and his teen sister, Tamsyn, are desperate to find help. Yet the reclusive wizard known as ‘the Necromancer,’ along with his haunted companion are far from the heroes they had in mind. Together, this strange traveling troupe must face grave robbers, reanimated skeletons and travel to a long-lost mining town whose buried secrets rumble underground. The strings of fate are tightening fast, but which of our wizards will find the courage to face their fears before they are torn apart?
THE NECROMANCER’S RETURN promises familiar faces, new friends and foes, and the courageous strength of wonder.
THE NECROMANCER’S APRRENTICE blurb:
Georgie would do anything to help his father – even learn the dying art of necromancy.
Twelve-year-old Georgie works hard to care for his grieving father while keeping his nosy younger cousin out of trouble. But when his father begins to decline even further, Georgie decides to bring back the one person who could do it all, his deceased mother.
The local Necromancer is an awkward and solitary man with an ancient black cat and a literal skeleton in his closet. With a few words, he can cause a dead sparrow to fly, stop an animated skeleton in its place, and even speak to the dead themselves. Georgie is quickly swept away into a world of skeletal horrors, abandoned graves, and wizard duels where woodland creatures arm themselves against the undead. But can he convince the Necromancer to resurrect his mother in time?
THE NECROMANCER’S APPRENTICE is a whimsical take on the process of grieving and learning to live again.
The Necromancer’s Apprentice is on SALE during the month of October! Digital eBooks are available in US and Canada for 0.99 cents all month long!
About the Author:
Beverly Twomey was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. For over ten years, she has worked as a used bookseller, which has greatly expanded her personal Tolkien collection. When she is not lost in the stacks, she can be found drinking vast amounts of tea, snuggling with her two cats, reading fantasy novels, writing in the wee hours of the morning, and plotting ways to play more Dungeons & Dragons.
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