We are delighted this month to have heard from Giles Kristian, who first came to TLC in 2005 for a manuscript assessment, in the early stages of a writing career which has since spanned 10 novels. Family history (Giles is half Norwegian) inspired him to write his first historical novels: the acclaimed and bestselling Raven Viking trilogy – Blood Eye, Sons of Thunder and Odin’s Wolves. An early draft of Blood Eye formed the basis of his submission to TLC. 11 years on, after getting in touch via Twitter, we are so pleased to share a little of his journey to publication post-TLC here. It is always a joy to hear from former clients who have gone on to enjoy success, and who take their writing careers so seriously. We wish Giles the very best of luck, and hope too this will be heartening for anyone out there considering an assessment, or feeling anxious about work in its early stages. As with so many of our now successful clients, it is Giles’s seriousness and diligence that has stood him in good stead, and he deserves every success.
Novelist Giles Kristian, on his journey to publication and experience with TLC:
“So in 2005 I was living in New York when I sent my manuscript to TLC. It was assessed by Daniel Jeffreys who, in his nine-page appraisal, opened my eyes. It was the first in depth creative writing advice I had ever received, but it was enough to make everything click in to place for me. The road to publication was long, as it so often is, and littered with heart-wrenching rejections, but eventually the manuscript was picked up by Transworld in 2007. RAVEN: Blood Eye made the bestseller lists in 2009. I’m now working on my 10th novel, having written about Vikings, the English Civil War, and having even co-written a novel with Wilbur Smith. It has been a wonderful journey. But Daniel’s appraisal still sits in the front of my writing folder, marking the start of it all. I am still so grateful to Daniel and TLC, and so glad that I took the plunge and sent my script in.”
RAVEN: Blood Eye, a synopsis
For two years Osric has lived a simple life, apprentice to the mute old carpenter who took him in when others would have him cast out. But when Norsemen from across the sea burn his village they also destroy his new life, and Osric finds himself a prisoner of these warriors. Their chief, Sigurd the Lucky, believes the Norns have woven this strange boy’s fate together with his own, and Osric begins to sense glorious purpose among this Fellowship of warriors.Immersed in the Norsemen’s world and driven by their lust for adventure, Osric proves a natural warrior and forges a blood bond with Sigurd, who renames him Raven. But the Norsemen’s world is a savage one, where loyalty is often repaid in blood and where a young man must become a killer to survive.
When the Fellowship faces annihilation from ealdorman Ealdred of Wessex, Raven chooses a bloody and dangerous path, accepting the mission of raiding deep into hostile lands to steal a holy book from Coenwolf, King of Mercia. There he will find much more than the Holy Gospels of St Jerome. He will find Cynethryth, an English girl with a soul to match his own. And he will find betrayal at the hands of cruel men, some of whom he regarded as friends…
Want to read more?
Click here to visit Giles’s Amazon page for information on his novels, with buy links.
Connect with Giles:
Twitter @gileskristian
