Persistence Pays Off

Artwork by R & D Studios.

My fantasy trilogy, 'The Last T'En', was a finalist in two US awards and won a national Australian award.

Even so, it is possible for an author to be orphaned. The line finishes, the editor moves on, the agent retires and suddenly, even though they've sold internationally, the author has to start all over again.

During this dry patch, I never stopped writing and I read voraciously, trying to work out why I loved certain authors' books.

The more I wrote, the more I was sure I was on the right track. I set out to write the kind of books I wanted to curl up with on a Sunday afternoon, ripping reads that transported me to other worlds, where ordinary people found the inner strength to battle incredible odds.

And now my agent, John Jarrold, ( Go John!) has sold a three book fantasy series.

PRESS RELEASE –THREE-BOOK DEAL FOR AUSTRALIAN FANTASY NOVELIST

John Jarrold has concluded a three-book deal for Australian fantasy writer Rowena Cory Daniells with Christian Dunn of Solaris, the mainstream genre imprint of Games Workshop’s publishing division, BL Publishing. The series is entitled King Rolen’s Kin and the first book, provisionally called BYREN’S BANE, is due for publication in early 2010. The deal is for World English Language rights.

The books follow the lives of three of King Rolen’s heirs, when their kingdom, Rolencia, is invaded by their ancestral enemy, Merofynia. A sweeping fantasy adventure, the narrative explores the eternal questions of ambition, trust and betrayal.

Rowena Cory Daniells first became involved in speculative fiction in 1976. Since then she has run a bookshop, then a graphic art studio where she illustrated children's books, had 6 children in 10 years, sold nearly 30 children's books and a fantasy trilogy (The Last T’En) internationally, established R&D Studios and served on the management committees of state and national arts organisations. She lives by the bay in Brisbane with her husband and children, and has a Masters in Arts (Research).

Contact John Jarrold for further information: e-mail: j.jarrold@btinternet.com phone: 01522 510544.

8^th December 2008

Persistence pays off. Keep writing, keep growing as a writer and believe in yourself.