Book Tour Q&A: The Words of Kings and Prophets by Shauna Lawless
- Fiction Fans
- Oct 10, 2023
- 5 min read
Today we're taking part in the book tour for The Words of Kings and Prophets by Shauna Lawless, out now from Head of Zeus! Continue reading for the book blurb and a Q&A with the author.
About the book
The sequel to the critically acclaimed The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, The Words of Kings and Prophets is the powerful new historical fantasy novel by Shauna Lawless.
Power fades but fire endures...
Ireland, 1000 AD. Clouds of war gather for mortals and immortals alike as the Irish kingdoms strive for supremacy.
Gormflaith, unhappy queen of Brian Boru, schemes to destroy the Descendants, sworn enemies of her Fomorian kind. As her plans take an unexpected turn, Gormflaith discovers her magic is more powerful than she ever realised – but at what cost?
Descendant healer Fódla dwells disguised in the mortal world, seeking to protect her young nephew – but the boy has secrets of his own. Fódla must do all in her power to keep him hidden from those who would use him for evil.
When a mysterious man comes to King Brian's court, his presence could spell disaster for both Gormflaith and Fódla – and for Ireland herself. For he is Tomas, an ambitious immortal – and he will do anything to see his plans become reality…
On to the interview...!
Thank you so much for joining us again for this Q&A! We’ll start off with one of our standard podcast opening questions–what are you currently reading or what’s up next on your TBR? What made you pick up this book?
I’m currently reading The Traitor by Anthony Ryan, which is the final book in his current trilogy. It’s a brilliant low fantasy with elements of Robin and Hood and Joan of Arc. I’ve loved every book in the entire trilogy, so as soon as it was released, I had to find out how the story finished. I’m in the last quarter of the book now and it’s getting very tense!
My TBR is endless! However, the books I’m going to read after The Traitor are, The Combat Codes and Dark Water Daughter.
How different is the final version of The Words of Kings and Prophets from the first draft?
Not very different in terms of story. Probably a lot nicer in terms of prose and flow. My first drafts are all about getting the story down. I focus on the dialogue and plot, then for subsequent drafts, I try to focus on language and making sure I convey all the motivations correctly.
Has your writing process changed since you wrote the previous book? If so, how?
Oh, interesting question. Not a huge amount, I guess. I’ve always been a fan of doing a ‘vomit draft’ which, to me, means getting the story down and then editing it into shape later.
I still do that.
I would say that my current first drafts aren’t as hideous as they used to be. A little more polished on first attempt, maybe? That being said, I still need to do several edits to get my work into the condition I want it to be. I know some writers can produce very clean first drafts and I admire them so much. If only I could do this, I’m sure my writing process would be a lot quicker.
When you started the series, did you have a clear idea in mind for how you wanted to continue it in subsequent books? How, if at all, has that changed while writing this book?
The ending has been in my head for a long time. The Gael Song series follows a historical timeline, and that has helped me decide how to plot out the story. However, from book to book, I’m never quite sure how my characters are going act, so that means I still have lots of fun. I don’t plot out too much, maybe just a few chapters ahead at a time. This means that the characters all act as they should and aren’t forced into plot narratives that are unnatural for them.
Now that I’ve handed in book 3 of the series, I can confirm that the series has ended in the way that I always envisaged.
How do you manage character growth vs consistency over a multi-book arc?
Ha! This is a question and a half. Well, I suppose the characters are going on these adventures and that they grow and change, but there are core parts of their identity that never leave them. I find character growth an interesting concept, because I find that people can and do change, but often less than they think.
Fódla and Gormflaith are such different characters, and this has been fun to explore. Fódla has changed the most, but she also wanted to change. Gormflaith pretends to change to suit her surroundings, but deep down she is ambitious for herself and that has always been the case.
If you could sit down to dinner with one of your characters, which one would it be?
Fódla. I’d be afraid to sit down with Gormflaith. She might be unhappy with a story line I’d given her and decide to burn me.
Which do you find harder, starting a series or continuing a series?
Starting. Once I’m in the flow, I get lost in my world and can stay there for very long periods of time. Thinking through a world and how to craft it on the other hand takes a lot of time. If something doesn’t make sense, it really annoys me, and I have to work through it before I can continue.
Has your favorite character to write changed from book to book?
No. My favourite character to write has remained the same. I won’t tell you who that is though!
Would you say that this book went through more or less extensive editing than your previous books? If yes, why do you think that is?
Probably less. With The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, I had no agent or publisher to start with, and I self-edited it soooooo many times. With The Words of Kings and Prophets, I had a contract and a deadline, and the months and months I had to perfect The Children of Gods and Fighting Men didn’t exist this time. However, having an editor who goes through several rounds of edits is so much better than continuous self-editing, so I don’t think this is a bad thing.
If you had to swap the roles of two of your characters, which would be more disastrous to the story?
I feel if Gormflaith and Fódla were to swap characters it would be disastrous for Fódla’s storyline. Gormflaith would be helping Tomas gain all the power he wants. Can you imagine that? The whole of Ireland would be enslaved by fire and druid spells, while they crowned themselves king and queen.
We asked you this about The Children of Gods and Fighting Men, but we’ll ask you for this book as well. Do you have a favorite quote from The Words of Kings and Prophets that you can share with us? What about this quote in particular makes it your favorite?
My favourite quote (that isn’t too spoilery) is this one. It’s very Gormflaith.
The real reason for wearing the necklace was nothing to do with Gytha. I certainly didn’t miss her glum frowns or stupidity. But for a swan to be accepted into the company of grey geese, it had to shine less bright…
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?
Just to say hello and hopefully my answers have intrigued you! If you are fans of Irish history or mythology, why don’t you give my books a go!
And finally, where can you be found on the internet if our readers want to hear more from you?
Firstly, there is my website which is www.shaunalawless.com. I also run a blog, which you can find on my website. I’m also quite active on Twitter and Instagram. If I was to have a preference, I’d love readers to join my newsletter, because I get to have longer form conversations with you about what I’m up to and progress on my novels. The link for my newsletter is – https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/113796/62156773538137319/share
Where to buy the book:
https://headofzeus.com/books/9781803282657
