The Place of Blood – Rinn-Iru
Conall Book I
by David H. Millar
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Over four hundred years before the birth of Christ, the island of Ériu is a patchwork of feuding kingdoms, wide plains, and impassable bogs. Battle, intrigue, betrayals, and courage are part of life for the Celts who call Ériu home, while from their underground halls the mysterious aes sidhe seduce brave warriors, turning men in to kings and binding them with fearsome geis.
Conall Mac Gabhann is content with his apprenticeship to the local blacksmith. Content, that is, until his family is slaughtered in their home.
Two men share responsibility for the massacre: a mad Irish king and a dissolute Roman. Conall will have his vengeance on both, or die in the attempt.
Accompanied by his childhood friend Brion ó Cathasaigh and the veteran warrior Fearghal ó Maoilriain, Conall's hunt takes him northward through unfriendly kingdoms and treacherous bogs to a confrontation beyond the ancient earthworks of the Black Pig's Dyke.
Along the way, Conall will gather an army, and come to the attention of the aes sidhe. An apprentice blacksmith could become a king with their help—if he so desires.
The Raven's Flight – Eitilt an Fhiagh Dhuibh
Conall Book II
Conall II: The Raven’s Flight continues to chronicle the epic journey of the warriors from Ériu (Ireland).
Conall Mac Gabhann and his brooding queen, Mórrígan, lead over two thousand warriors together with their followers across the narrow sea that separates Ériu from Albu (Britain). Their quest: the capture of Cassius Fabius Scaeva, the dissolute Roman patrician held responsible for the slaughter of their families.
The Ériu encounter human, natural, and supernatural foes and friends. At the mercy of the aes sidhe, a race of demi-goddesses who demand that he fulfill an ancient geis, Conall is named as the “Hand of the Goddess” and given the instrument that will crush the Na Daoine Tùrsach—a tribe of fanatical, blood-lusting priests.
They battle fierce northern tribes: the Aos na Coille, whose one-eyed king, Drostan Ruadh, opposes their presence as do the Na Mèadaidh led by the sly Finnean Mac Sèitheach. Not all are enemies. The Aos an Fhithich offer their support, although it too comes at a price.
Heroes and villains from myth, legend, and history converge in this saga set in the vast ancient forests, treacherous bogs, snow-capped mountains, and mysterious lochs of Scotland some four hundred years before the birth of Christ.
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The Sisters – Na Deirfiúracha
Conall Book III
It is 406 B.C. The Gaels tramp through the vast forests of lowland Scotland, cross the brooding moors and marshes of the Pennines, and plough the grain fields of the South. The majestic stone brochs and dùns of the north give way to the great hillforts of the south.
Cloaked in a rich tapestry of tattoos or wearing armour inlaid with iron scales, the Gaels stand as one, taunting their enemies with fierce battle-cries and insults.
In Conall III: The Sisters—the third book of the Conall series—the women take centre stage. Brighid and Danu are kidnapped on the orders of Kartimandu, a malevolent queen bent on conquering the North. Mórrígan and Conall’s blood oath promises no quarter until the young twins are returned.
Will Eachdonn Breac, betrayed by his queen—Ceana, redeem his honour on the battlefield? A merciless assassin stalks the community. Tadhg Ó Cuileannáin is given the unenviable task of tracking the killer down. A mission made worse, when the signs point to the sister of one of Conall’s closest friends. Amid, the battles and intrigue, Mòrag Ni Artair, a tall beauty and fearsome warrior, sets her sights on Conall. A clash with Mórrígan—Conall’s queen, appears inevitable.
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A Brace of Eagles - Snaidhm Iolar
Conall Book IV
“Butter-gold
and cruelly hooked, the beak ripped a ragged gash across the
newborn’s throat.”
From the ancient forest, two great eagles take wing. With amber-gold eyes, Fate and the Goddess watch, ready to guide and meddle in human lives. Conall, now Clann Ui Flaithimh’s ‘king over kings’, must complete his geis—at any cost. Conall takes another stride closer to Rome and a reckoning with Marcus Fabius Ambustus. Flat-bottomed biremes carry Conall’s army cross the Muir nIocht to crash on the shingle beaches of North-western Gaul. New enemies and uneasy alliances flourish.
Assassins, treason, and treachery thrive. Above all, Conall values loyalty. Thus, treason within the tribe sours his belly. Mercy will have no part in his response.
The fourth novel in the Conall series, Conall IV: A Brace of Eagles is a rousing epic of Celtic heroes and villains, bloody battles, political intrigue, honour, treachery, and forbidden love.
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Retribution - Díoltas
Conall Book V
“Witch!”
Tullus gasped.
“You are not that fortunate, Roman,” came the
menacing reply.”
**Don't miss the spin-off novels!**
The Dog Roses: Na Feirdhriseacha
A Conall Series Spinoff
The Blood Queen: A 'Bhanrigh Fuil
A Conall Series Spinoff
As with all self-published authors—and a good few traditionally published writers—my challenge can be summed up in one word—marketing. Or, how best to promote both author and product? Above choosing a media channel(s), however, a core question for me is “what is the best use of my time?” Like many independent authors, at this time my books do not generate sufficient sales revenues to justify me being a full-time author. Hence, time is a precious, limited commodity.
With five books published and two scheduled for 2022, my primary marketing focus remains product quality. In this, my group of beta-readers and accumulating book reviews form the primary benchmarks of the quality of the story and writing—or at least how it is perceived by readers. Along with many self-published authors, I face the challenge of encouraging readers to write a brief review and give a star rating. Most of the reviews I get are excellent. There is just not enough of them. I have given books away based on the promise of a review, yet it is rare that the recipient fulfils his/her side of the bargain. I found the “old” Goodreads Giveaway (https://www.goodreads.com/) program to be reasonably effective but it is hard to justify the fees now required to participate. Recently, I did two NetGalley promotions and that seemed to be good value with respect to money spent vs. reviews obtained.
It should go without saying that published books should be well-edited and have as few typos as possible. It annoys me to see a badly edited book, especially from an indie author. It is a challenge to be accepted as an author without giving traditional publishers, reviewers, and authors, ammunition to criticize or stereotype us. I see no excuse for not achieving what I term technical excellence. My first three books were edited by someone who had an excellent command of English, although not a professional editor. I write strategies and reports as my “day job” so my level of knowledge of style and grammar was already high. My beta-readers added a further layer of editorial review. For my latest books, I engaged a specialist historical fantasy/fiction editor—Andrew Noakes (https://andrewnoakes.co.uk/). It was well worth the money. I only wish I had engaged Andrew earlier for the earlier novels. Totally objective edits and genre insights are invaluable.
As a rule, I believe in engaging experts for specific tasks. This is costly but improves the end-product. High-quality cover art and interior formatting are critical for the success of any novel. I have seen too many books where poor artwork has made me choose an alternate. Readers need to be drawn to the book and the first impression is usually the cover. Ida Jansson of Amygdala Design (http://www.amygdaladesign.net/) is responsible for the amazing cover art for the novels and has also taken over the interior formatting. Poor interior formatting, eBook and print, can be a real turn-off. My map illustrations are drawn by well-known fellow Belfast-born international artist Michael McEvoy (https://bit.ly/2HZtxHF). Michael is “old school” and draws his illustrations by hand, which goes to add to the ancient ambience of the novel.
How to build an audience? To date, I have tinkered with Facebook and built up my Twitter account to 11,000+ “followers.” I also commissioned a great video trailer (https://youtu.be/c4ZwNBBQMrs). So far, all have had a negligible impact on sales. More positively, I participated in my first author event in 2018—The East Texas Book Bash, Tyler, TX. I judged it to be highly successful from several perspectives—new sales (during and post event), raising awareness, and getting to know my market much better. I also find that the readers who attend these events are well-informed and more likely to provide a review. This channel goes to the top of my marketing priorities for 2022. COVID drastically impacted author events but I’m optimistic that these events will resume in 2022. The challenges are cost and logistics. Within state, it is a long but manageable drive and overnight accommodation; out-of-state, then it becomes flights and the cost of sending books and marketing materials in advance.
Finally, I find it amusing that due to my age, I’m considered someone who can offer sage advice to younger authors. Yet, I have only been writing for less than ten years. At an author event, one promising young author asked me about marketing and promotion. After going through a litany of possible options and channels, I came to realize that she had one great advantage over me—her age. My advice was—do not give up, keep writing, and keep improving the product. Time is on her side. I need luck to be on mine.
Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, David H. Millar is the founder, owner, and author-in-residence of Houston-based ‘A Wee Publishing Company’—a business that promotes Celtic literature, authors and art.
Millar moved from Ireland to Nova Scotia, Canada, in the late 1990s. After ten years shovelling snow, he decided to relocate to warmer climates and has now settled in Houston, Texas. Quite a contrast!
An avid reader, armchair sportsman, and Liverpool Football Club fan, Millar lives with his family and Bailey, a Manx cat of questionable disposition known to his friends as ‘the small angry one!’
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This sounds like a good series. Thanks for sharing,
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