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[sleigh]

It's Guest Blogger Day here at the intersection of fiction and reality. Being fundamentally lazy and all, I'm handing the blog over to Joshua Palmatier today, a fellow DAW author. He's good people; you oughta check out his lj, if you already haven't...

Here you go, Joshua. Please don't let the cats escape when you leave!

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First off, thanks to Steve for “loaning” me this little piece of his LJ space. It’s a nice pad. I like all the bookshelves. *grin*

Let me introduce myself. I’m Joshua Palmatier, (jpsorrow on LJ), and I’m the author of three fantasy books currently out from DAW, all part of the “Throne of Amenkor” series. I’m also a professor of mathematics at SUNY—Oneonta in upstate New York. Yes, it’s a little unusual for a math professor to also write fantasy novels, but I actually find the two complement each other rather well. For fantasy to work, the “magic” in the universe has to have a structure, and any time you talk about structures you’re talking about math. And in order to do anything in mathematics, anything new and interesting anyway, you have to be creative. You can’t be much more creative than in a fantasy world. It all works out in the end. So I teach math, write fantasy, and in my copious spare time, also teach spinning classes at the local gym and read.

But enough about me, let’s talk about my fantasy life. *grin*





The “Throne of Amenkor” series consists of three books: The Skewed Throne, The Cracked Throne, and the recently released The Vacant Throne. They center on the life of a young girl named Varis, who at the beginning of The Skewed Throne is barely surviving in the slums of the port city of Amenkor. Through a chance encounter, Varis is noticed by a local guardsman called a Seeker, who trains her as an assassin. Throughout the course of the novel, Varis struggles with her own will to survive and what she’s willing to do (and not willing to do) to rise above the decadent and decaying slums. In the end, she’s asked to kill the Mistress of Amenkor, the ruler of the city, who sits on the Skewed Throne. But the Skewed Throne knows she’s coming . . . and it’s insane.

I like The Skewed Throne because it raises a lot of ambiguous questions about what people are willing to do to survive. I like Varis because she’s a strong character, yet vulnerable, with a clear voice, and because she has a “no nonsense” kind of attitude about life. I think you’ll like her too.





If you’d like to learn more about the “Throne of Amenkor” series, check out my webpage at www.joshuapalmatier.com. There’s a list of reviews so you can see what some other people and publications have said about the book. I think my favorite summary of the books is that they’re “urban otherworld fantasies.” The most common word associated to the books is “gritty,” as you’ll see if you read the reviews. You can also read an excerpt from The Skewed Throne, as well as The Cracked Throne. (I’ll be adding an excerpt of The Vacant Throne in the near future.)





If nothing else, feel free to hang out around my LiveJournal: jpsorrow. Add me as a friend! Leave comments! And check out my books the next time your in the bookstore and give them a try.

Thanks again to Steve for allowing me the chance to say hi and hopefully entertain you all for a spare moment or two. It was great to meet you all!

Comments

[jpsorrow.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I caught you comment over there. I'd mainly like the sales that an Oprah mention would generate, since then I wouldn't have to worry about whether or not the publisher will continue to buy my books.

But you should definitely NOT keep away from the books! I'm sure our assassins would get along nicely. And if not . . . well, I'm sure Varis could kick your assassin's butt! *grin*

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I have minions? :-)