I’m thrilled to have the recognition, and I’d like to thank the staff of Reader Views and especially Irene Watson, the head of this 21st Century literary organization. Reader Views is one of the top groups providing needed author-to-reader services as we enter the bright new future of publishing.

Danelle Drake wrote an excellent review of “Eclipsed by Shadow” in conjunction with the award, and I’m posting the first paragraph here:

Eclipsed by Shadow

John Royce
Micron Press (2008)
ISBN 9780972412131
Reviewed by Danelle Drake for Reader Views (12/08)

“Auburn–haired and with a streak of tomboy, Meagan Roberts was not an unusual girl of twelve – except for the lucky fact that her family kept horses.”

John Royce introduces us to one of those works that you will remember forever.  In the past few years I have read several series that have really captivated me; this story is like these great series in the fact that it has the reader drawn in, but different in the fact that most all of the facts, times, and places in this book are not fiction.  The places you visit in “Eclipsed by Shadow” were really times in our great history. “The Legend of the Great Horse” series will have you wishing the tales were never-ending.”  [read review]

The Reader Views annual literary awards honor writers who have their books published by a small press or independent book publisher. The awards are judged by a panel of independent judges, and the results will be announced by March 15, 2009.

Contact: Robert Hall
Tel: 617/301-2901
Email: R_Hall@MicronPress.com

SADDLE-UP FOR A NEW READING ADVENTURE!

October 20, 2008 | Micron Press is pleased to release the new library hardback
edition of Eclipsed by Shadow, the first volume of the new historical
adventure trilogy, The Legend of the Great Horse.

Horseman and author John Royce has crafted a page-turning mix of history and horsemanship. His engaging writing combines action, suspense and humor in a journey that brings to life our ancient partnership with the horse. Readers travel back to a time when primitive man stalked horses as prey, and witness the fascinating development of horsemanship in ancient and medieval cultures.

Eclipsed by Shadow has been named a Heartland Reviews’ 2008 GRREAT Read (Gifted & Reluctant Readers Explore Amazing Titles) and is an Independent Publisher Highlighted Title.

_____

Further information about this unique and imaginative novel can be found at www.TheGreatHorse.com. For questions or other requests, please contact:

Robert Hall
R_Hall@MicronPress.com
Micron Press | Marketing Director

Some site enhancements will be in operation soon, including a media kit including press and image downloads, and after the hardback’s release blog postings will be syndicated to the book’s Amazon page.

Also, the trilogy’s e-newsletter will soon commence publication. This monthly email will keep readers in touch with book developments and provide notifications and discounts for future volumes. I invite you to subscribe to the newsletter (and guarantee privacy of your email address).

I’m looking forward to posting more topics soon … thanks for stopping by!

In the library I discovered the card catalog (part of a different era) and lots of old books. I was fascinated by the layers of history made available simply by the passage of time and recent cuts in education funding. The remainder of my typing term was spent among cavalry manuals and yellowing books filled with lithograph images. The idea for this story grew out of those quiet hours serving “detention.”

I gained several valuable skills that semester … though, not typing. I found that by reading something interesting and then looking up related stuff to read, and then reading that, I was doing “research.” And I learned that I loved it.

The horses? It was my sister who was originally interested in horses, and had actually obtained one with the help of my horse-loving mom and a wonderful horsewoman named Sally Lasater. We had land but no horse-sense, so we faced a long learning curve that I now realize vanishes into the mists of Olympus.

During my detention I looked to see if the card catalogs had anything to say about this giant pet we had acquired, this oddly-timid tank of a creature that ate grass and pooped fertilizer and destroyed lawns by the mere act of walking upon them. I looked horses up in the card catalog to see if there was anything written about them, and there was an entire amazing world…