It's here! Mikko Azul's epic fantasy, The Staff of Fire and Bone, is now available for pre-order. Check out this beautiful cover!
Front cover of The Staff of Fire and Bone
Here's the back cover of the hardcover edition:
Back cover of The Staff of Fire and Bone (Hardcover)
Here's the back cover of the trade paperback edition:
Back cover of The Staff of Fire and Bone (Trade Paperback)
Pre-order your copy from your favorite independent bookstore by asking for it at the front counter, or order it from one of these fine online booksellers:
Powell’s HERE
B&N.com HERE
Amazon HERE
Kindle HERE
Mikko Azul’s stunning epic fantasy novel, The Staff of Fire and Bone, will hit shelves on the 30th of January in hardcover, trade paperback, and on Kindle. Azul, a former Marine and mother of three, has been working on the novel since 2005, and she gained renewed inspiration when an earlier version of the manuscript won awards and recognition at the San Francisco Writers Conference. She then signed with Not a Pipe Publishing, a small press in Independence, Oregon and the first publishing company in the United States to announce their acceptance of author Kamila Shamsie’s challenge to make 2018 “The Year of Publishing Women.” Azul’s The Staff of Fire and Bone will be the first of nine novels released by the company in 2018.
The Staff of Fire and Bone is set in Muralia, an elaborate and richly conceived world filled with magic and different factions living in tension. It tells the story of Cédron Varkaras, a young man who is already isolated because he’s the Regent’s son and has a Shäeli demon for a mother. Approaching manhood, his demonic powers manifest, proof of his mother’s legacy. Cédron is blamed for the devastating ground shakes that have begun tearing the world apart and he flees. Hunted by those who would kill him and others who want to exploit his powers, he races against time to find the real cause of the destruction. With little hope of redeeming himself or saving his world, Cédron must choose: become the hero that destiny has conspired to make him or join with the great demon and embrace his true heritage.
The early critical reception has been effusive. Karen Eisenbrey, author of The Gospel According to St. Rage and the forthcoming Daughter of Magic, writes, "The Staff of Fire and Bone is a thrilling tale of a misfit with a destiny to save the world of Muralia - and the power to destroy it. Like the best fantasy settings, Muralia feels both familiar and deeply strange. And the staff of the title? The most shocking and beautiful magical object I have encountered in 40+ years as a fantasy reader."
After so many years of toil to bring this world to readers, Azul has learned a lot about persevering through adversity and overcoming self-doubt. “My advice to aspiring authors is to follow your bliss,” she says, “to find bliss in your writing and your life, and to not worry about anyone’s definition of success. Relax and take the ride!”