Hi, Justin! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hi! I’m Justin Lee Anderson. I’m originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, but I spent 11 years growing up bouncing around the US following my dad’s football (soccer) career. I’ve been a professional writer and editor for most of my adult life, and my first book, Carpet Diem, was published in 2015. I now live with my wife and the youngest of our five kids just outside Edinburgh.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I loved reading from as early as I can remember. I read a lot of comics, in particular, like X-Men, Justice League and Teen Titans. I got more into books with stuff like Choose Your Own Adventure and Encyclopedia Brown when we had Scholastic Book Fairs at school – so even then I was into the same genres I am now, fantasy and mystery. The first time I can remember getting excited about writing them myself was a school assignment when I was about 9. We were asked to write a short story on one side of A4. I wrote both sides and could have kept going! The teacher had me read it out in class, and the other kids seemed to like it. Soemthing similar happened in my teens, where we were asked to write a new final chapter at the end of a book called Collision Course, that we had just read. Again, the teacher had me read mine to the class, and it also seemed to go down well. I think those were the seeds of me falling in love with telling stories.

Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!

Ooh! The first book was probably one of those Richard Scarry books you get as a young kid. I had a few of those and would spend hours on them. One that made me want to become an author? Probably Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series, I think. That was about the right age and it blew my mind. One I can’t stop thinking about: Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy. It’s so good and tragic that he didn’t live to see it published, and that we’ll never get to read any more of his work.

Your latest novel, The Lost War, is out May 16^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Twisted Scottish epic fantasy mystery

What can readers expect?

A familiar fantasy setting that takes them places they’re not expecting. I like to usurp people’s expectations, so while they might begin thinking they’re in an epic quest fantasy, they’ll find themselves in a mystery, conspiracy thriller with horror elements and character-driven drama. And they won’t see the ending coming!

Where did the inspiration for The Lost War come from?

It came from three different things. The first is hard to explain without spoiling the ending of the book, so all I can say is that I wanted to write a metaphor for a particular aspect of modern politics and culture. I also wanted to write something using a group of characters that friends and I had roleplayed over the course of about ten years. And I wanted to write something set in a country based on Edinburgh. Those three things came together to become The Lost War.

Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

There is one scene set in the ruins of Caer Amon that I wrote while I was on diazepam for my back. I literally fell asleep at the keyboard at one point. But the scene ended up one of those I was most pleased with and a few people have told me it’s one of their favourites, so I guess it worked out! Other than that, there are quite a few conversations getting into things like morality, politics and religion that I really enjoyed exploring. I’m very interested in all of those topics.

Can you tell us a bit about your worldbuilding process?

For Eidyn, it involved a lot of research into Edinburgh. I used to edit a tourist guide to Edinburgh, so I already knew a lot, but I did some specific research into the etymology of place names, which I then used to feed the worldbuilding. For example, I knew I was going to have an order of religious knights trained to fight demons. There’s a place just outside Edinburgh called Balerno, which comes from Baile Airneach, which means the place of the hawthorns. Hawthorn bushes produce white flowers with thorny branches, and so Baile Airneach became the home of the Order of the White Thorns. There are also half a dozen real Edinburgh pubs in the book, at least one character directly inspired by a real person, and a few scenes inspired by real events. So all of Edinburgh’s history, mythology and etymology fed into creating Eidyn and the world of The Lost War.

What’s next for you?

Book 2 of The Eidyn Saga, The Bitter Crown, is currently in edits and I’m writing book 3 at the moment. It’s a four-book series so this will be my focus for the next few years! After that, I have four or five ideas for what I’ll do next. All of them very different!

The Lost War is out on May 16^th (US) and May 18^th (UK) and The Bitter Crown will be out at the end of 2023, so not too long to wait to find out what happens next!

Will you be picking up The Lost War? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Justin Lee Anderson, Author of ‘The Lost War’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson
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This sensational epic fantasy follows an emissary for the king as he gathers a group of strangers and embarks on a dangerous quest across a war-torn land.​

Dragonfall by Laura Lam
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Long-banished dragons, revered as gods, return to the mortal realm in the first in this magical new epic fantasy trilogy from a bestselling author

Atalanta by Jennifer Saint
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From the beloved, bestselling author of Elektra and Ariadne, a reimagining of the myth of Atalanta, a fierce huntress raised by bears and the only woman in the world’s most famous band of heroes, the Argonauts

Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman
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Scarlet is the first book in a wildly engaging new series from Genevieve Cogman, which reinvents the beloved tale of the Scarlet Pimpernel.

The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C. Cervantes
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With unforeseen twists, romance, and a heavy sprinkle of magic, The Enchanted Hacienda  is a captivating coming-of-age debut exploring identity, unconditional family love, and uncovering the magic within us all.

The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson
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In the second installment of Juno Dawson’s “irresistible” fantasy trilogy (Lana Harper), a group of childhood friends and witches must choose between what is right and what is easy if they have any hope of keeping their coven–and their world–from tearing apart forever.

The Will of the Many by James Islington
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At the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and world-changing secrets in this new fantasy series by internationally bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington.

Loki by Melvin Burgess
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This is a retelling that is contemporary in tone, at once amusing and relatable. It is a heartfelt plea to overthrow the old gods of power and authority and instigate a new era ruled by love and intelligence.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
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Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Yarros.

Savage Beasts by Rani Selvarajah
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Savage Beasts is a propulsive retelling of the Greek myth of Medea, reimagined as Meena the daughter of the powerful Nawab of Bengal, during the rise of the East India Company.

A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand
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New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn, Claire Legrand, makes her stunning adult debut with A Crown of Ivy and Glass, a lush, sweeping, steamy fantasy romance series starter that’s perfect for fans of Bridgerton and A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
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The explosive, hotly-anticipated debut novel from the New York Times-bestselling author of Friday Black, about two top women gladiators fighting for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America’s own.

What releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post May 2023 Fantasy & Sci-Fi Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.