Author Spotlight on Fantasy Author Kate Murdoch

Is the ability to read minds a blessing or a curse? 

When Antonius’s father dies, he must work to support his family. He finds employment as a servant in the Palazzo Ducal, home of Conte Valperga. Sixteenth-century Pesaro is a society governed by status, and Antonius has limited opportunities.When a competition is announced, Antonius seizes his chance. The winner will be apprenticed to the town seer. Antonius shares first place with his employer’s son.The two men compete for their mentor’s approval. As their knowledge of magic and alchemy grows, so does the rivalry and animosity between them. When the love of a beautiful woman is at stake, Antonius must find a way to follow his heart and navigate his future. The Stone Circle is available at Amazon. 

 

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Becoming a Published Author

1. Your life changes in a multitude of ways. First of all, you have a ‘voice’, on social media, in interviews and posts. This is important, because whatever you say remains in the ether forever and tells the world about the kind of person you are.
2. Unlimited hours just to write seem like a distant dream. From the aforementioned social media and other promotion, to trying to line up author events, your time is corralled, parcelled and divided.
3. You make lots of new friends, both online and in real life. All of a sudden your world becomes full of unlimited possibility. It’s exciting and rewarding. To connect with other authors at a similar stage and further ahead is both enjoyable and necessary.
4. You’re forced to abandon parts of your life that are superfluous or draining—there’s just not time and you’re stretched mentally and emotionally.
5. Life feels full to the brim, which takes some adjustment, but is ultimately positive.
6. You feel strangely exposed after having put so much on the line, professionally and personally. I recently had a dream that I did an acrobatic show on a suspended swing, naked in a body stocking. I think this says it all.
7. You’re excited about the next phase—next book, current project, whatever life is going to throw at you. You feel at once vulnerable and strong.
8. Post launch, your family may resent all the attention the book has taken from them and may not want to hear anything about your writing for a while.
9. At some stage, someone will approach you in person and tell you how much they loved your book. Their face will glow with enthusiasm. In this moment, all the years of struggle and hard work will feel worth it. You’ll feel (almost) ready to go through it again with the next book.
10. You’ll realise that achieving a long-held dream, whilst satisfying, isn’t something that makes your life perfect. The heavens don’t open, ethereal harp music doesn’t start playing, and you still have to make the school lunches and put on endless loads of washing. You need to attend to things that were neglected whilst you were trying to birth a novel and come back to reality. At the same time, there’s much to be relished in the new identity.

Kate Murdoch is the author of Stone Circle. She exhibited widely as a painter both in Australia and internationally before turning her hand to writing. In between writing historical fiction, she enjoys writing short stories and flash fiction.

Her short-form fiction has been published in various literary journals in Australia, UK, US and Canada.

Stone Circle is a historical fantasy novel set in Renaissance Italy. It was released by Fireship Press December 1st 2017.

Her novel, The Orange Grove, about the passions and intrigues of court mistresses in 18th century France, will be published by Regal House Publishing in 2019.

To learn more about Kate you can visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.