Release Day: THE PRETENDER’S CROWN

My twelfth published novel hits the shelves on April 28th.
I gotta say, so far, this never gets old.
THE PRETENDER’S CROWN is sequel to last year’s THE QUEEN’S BASTARD, out from Del Rey. They’re stories of sex, politics, murder and betrayal, and in some ways they’re the most fun I’ve ever had writing. Most of my other stuff is urban fantasy, so getting to roll around in the lush, alternate-Elizabethan world of the Inheritors’ Cycle was and is a sheer joy. Complex world-building, political intrigue, unlikeable heroines…what’s not to love?
Okay, maybe that last. Belinda Primrose, heroine of these books, is to me perhaps the most interesting character I’ve written. She’s a seductress, a spy, an assassin, and a manipulator: not precisely lovable qualities. To me, though–and hopefully to others–she is at least compelling. And one of the terrific things about writing THE PRETENDER’S CROWN was finding out just how far this unlikeable character could bend before she broke.
Pretty far, it turns out. Maybe farther than even I thought, which is quite something, given that she lives in my head.
But you’re going to have to read it to find out how.
Happy Release Day.
PS: Oh, jeez, I just remembered. While you’re at it, pick up Lane Robins’ KINGS & ASSASSINS, which is also out from Del Rey on April 28th. Between that and PRETENDER’S CROWN, you should be reveling in political backstabbing for a week!