Book Tour Q&A: Starbinder by Mark Timmony
Today we're taking part in the book tour organized by Escapist Book Tours for Starbinder by Mark Timmony! Continue reading for the book blurb and a Q&A with the author.
About the book
Forged in betrayal. Tempered by the stellar winds. Chosen by the stars.
For five hundred years since the Sundering, the order of the Shaluay Starbinders has been dwindling. With their Starwells lying dormant, key artefacts of their order lost and their seers driven mad by the powers that broke the world, only one hope remains to the man who leads them; a fifteen year old girl.
Born to a clan of Wanderers, Reiana has been raised by a harsh grandmother who blames her for the death of her daughter, Reiana's own mother. When bandits attack the clan's camp, Reiana leaves the safety of the caravans to pursue the abductor of her younger cousin, heedless of the dangers.
But when a creature of the Void takes notice can Reiana's own untapped abilities save her, or will the truth of a betrayal see her lost forever?
Starbinder is an action-packed prequel novella to The Blood of the Spear. If you like flawed heroes, fast-paced storytelling, and intricate world-building, then you'll Love Mark Timmony's character-driven introduction to the epic fantasy series, The Eye of Eternity.
On to the interview...!
Thank you so much for joining us for this Q&A! We’ll start off with one of our standard podcast opening questions–tell us something great that’s happened recently.
Hi, thanks for having me! I recently released an updated edition of The Blood of the Spear, Book One of The Eye of Eternity Series, of which Starbinder is a prequel novella. It has an updated map and specially commissioned chapter icons, and the hardback has a case cover – I’m thrilled with how it’s turned out.
What are you currently reading or what’s up next on your TBR? What made you pick up this book?
I’m currently reading a few books, but one of them is The First Binding by R.R. Virdi. I picked it up because people have been raving about it and a mate wanted to do a buddy read.
How do you spend your free time when you’re not reading or writing? Do you have any hobbies or interests that you can talk to us about?
Outside of writing I do a lot of reading. Otherwise, I like to play mmorpgs – I’ve been a long-time player of World of Warcraft.
Who are your favorite current writers and who are your greatest influences?
Current favourite writers would be Alec Hutson, Phil Tucker and M.L. Spencer. My greatest influences are Janny Wurts and Robert Jordan.
How much do you plan when you write? What’s your writing process like?
When I started The Blood of the Spear, there was little in the way of planning done. I knew the start, and the end and I kind of had an idea of were to go to in between.
Starbinder was different again as it grew out of a prologue that I had written many years ago. I didn’t have to plan much for it, it expanded into a novella quite naturally.
Now that I am working on The Pillars of the Sky, the sequel to The Blood of the Spear, there is a lot more planning going on – planning for this book and for the rest of the series.
What comes first to you when you’re writing, the world, the characters, or the storyline?
Generally, an idea for a story comes to me first. A goal I’d like to see so character I don’t even know yet reach. Once that has solidified in my mind, I start to think of a world to set it in. Once the world is fleshed out – or at least has a template for me to work from – I start to the think of the characters to build the details of the story around.
How different is the final version of this book from the first draft?
Well, the first version of this was only twenty manuscript pages long! It was also written in omniscient narration instead of tight third person, and only had three characters in it.
It’s grown significantly, there are more characters now and the story has changed to better fit the world of the Eye of Eternity that grew in the writing of The Blood of the Spear.
In your opinion, what kind of reader would like this book?
I think readers of epic fantasy – some have said classic epic fantasy – would enjoy Starbinder, and the greater series of The Eye of Eternity. Readers of Robert Jordan, who influenced me immensely, and even Steven Erikson (Andrew at Andrew ‘s Wizardly Reads has described The Blood of the Spear as The Wheel of Time written by Steven Erikson lol) would hopefully find something familiar yet new within its pages.
What would you like readers to take away from this book?
I hope they take away that excitement you get from a new story that you know is only the beginning and can’t wait to jump into more.
Is there anything you can tell us about any current projects you’re working on?
I’m currently working on The Pillars of the Sky, book two in The Eye of Eternity. I’m also working on the worldbuilding for a space fantasy a la Stars War/Dune/Warhammer, but book two is the focus at the moment!
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions for us! Do you have any parting thoughts or comments you’d like to leave for our readers?
You’re very welcome and thank you for the opportunity. If any of your readers are interested in Starbinder they can grab the eBook for free by signing up to my newsletter at https://marktimmony.com/signup/
And finally, where can you be found on the internet if our readers want to hear more from you?
I can be found at my website: https://marktimmony.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marktimmony/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkTimmony
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marktimmony
Where to buy the book:
Amazon Paperback: https://geni.us/v1Ocap
Amazon Hardback: https://geni.us/hFWnz6
You can also get this at The Broken Binding and get a signed bookplate too:
https://www.thebrokenbinding.co.uk/product-page/starbinder-hb-mark-timmony