Bookaday: The Crown Conspiracy by Michael Sullivan

The Crown Conspiracy - Fantasy

They killed the king. They pinned it on two men. They chose poorly.
There is no ancient evil to defeat, no orphan destined for greatness, just two guys in the wrong place at the wrong time...Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles until they become the unwitting scapegoats in a plot to murder the king. Sentenced to death, they have only one way out...and so begins this tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.

Purchase Info: Kindle | Amazon | Nook | Signed Copies


Author Info:
Born in 1961 in Detroit, Michigan Michael Sullivan began his writing career when he was just ten-years-old. After falling in love with Lord of the Rings, he sat down at his sister's manual typewriter to create a similar tale and wrote seven novels in his youth. Serious writing began in 1985 as a creative outlet while raising his family in rural Vermont. Over the next ten years, he wrote six-novels in various genres from mystery to literary fiction but obtained no traction in the publishing world. Disheartened with the process, he quit writing for nearly ten years.

Michael's writing spark re-ignited in 2004 when he read Harry Potter with his dyslexic daughter. He fell in love with the story and decided to write something "just for fun" with no intention of publishing. Drawn to the concept of a multi-book series with an overarching story, he started what would later become the Riyria Revelations.

Finding the project compelling and rewarding, he sold his successful advertising agency in 2006 to pursue writing fulltime. He finished all six-books before seeking publication, allowing him to weave multiple story lines told as episodes, each containing its own conflict and resolution.

Signing with an independent press appealed to Michael's desire for greater creative control (Michael's artwork graces the cover of each novel), and accommodated his desire to publish the books on an aggressive one every six-month schedule. The first book, "The Crown Conspiracy", released in October 2008 quickly gained a following by both avid fantasy fans and those who traditionally avoided the genre. Crown's success is due in large part to an active on-line community with multiple review sites praising the work as a fast, fun read that returns to the hallmarks of conventional fantasy. The first printing sold out after fourteen months and a second print run produced in January 2010.

Michael currently lives in Virginia, just outside Washington DC, with his wife and three children. He is currently working on editing the last three books of the series and has plans for other non-Riyria novels once the series completes in April 2011.


AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

2010 Fantasy Book Critic Top 12 Novels as of First Quarter (The Emerald Storm)
2010 Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Finalist (Avempartha)
2010 Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Finalist (Nyphron Rising)
2009 Winner of Book Spot Central's Fantasy Tournament of Books (Avempartha)
2009 Top 10 Books by Dark Wolf Fantasy Reviews (The Riyria Revelations)
2009 National Indie Book Award Finalist (The Crown Conspiracy)
2008 ReaderViews Annual Literary Award Finalist (The Crown Conspiracy)
2007 Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Finalist (The Crown Conspiracy)


BOOKS OF THE RIYRIA REVELATIONS

The Crown Conspiracy (October 2008)
Avempartha (April 2009)
Nyphron Rising (October 2009)
The Emerald Storm (April 2010)
Wintertide (October 2010)
Percepliquis* (April 2011)

Contact Info:

Michael's website: www.michaelsullivan-author.com
Michael's blog: http://riyria.blogspot.com/
Michael's twitter: @author_sullivan
Michael's publisher: www.ridanpublishing.com