Gods of Avalon Road is now available to borrow from the beautiful McGrath library.
Since my debut novel is for readers of 18 and above, it’s available only for the staff to read. But the display copy gave a lovely photo opportunity in the recently renovated library.
For a newly published novelist, there’s no greater feeling than the excitement that comes of seeing your debut novel stocked in a bookstore. It was an amazing moment to see Gods of Avalon Road among the new Sci-fi and horror releases in Waterstones – my book among such great titles in the UK’s biggest bookstore chain.
When I was twenty, I was in the midst of writing a children’s fantasy adventure story. One day after a university lecture I went into the Belfast branch of Waterstones with the aim of buying books similar to my story, both to hone my skills as a writer and to get an idea of fantasy publishers out there. Although I moved on to other writing projects and archived that particular story, the feeling of seeing my work in a bookstore never left me and became one of my ultimate goals. To go back into that same store nearly two decades later and see my book in the section where I had been browsing for inspiration, back when I was an aspiring writer, is truly a dream come true.
The launch of my debut novel, Gods of Avalon Road was a great success at Waterstones Belfast earlier this evening. It was lovely to read excerpts from my book to an audience of around 15-20 people, including a few customers who stopped by to listen while they were browsing. Thanks to Belle and Sam for setting everything up and to Emma for organising
Just a reminder that my book launch for my debut novel, Gods of Avalon Road will be on from 6-8pm at Waterstones Belfast. Hope you can come and celebrate with me! 
The hardest thing about writing fantasy is making the reactions of your protagonists ring true: as a writer, the challenge is to imagine, how would a normal human react to an abnormal situation? Gods of Avalon Road is an urban fantasy set in modern day London; the characters are everyday, people-next-door types.
One of my protagonists, Kerry, finds a 2000 year old golden artefact by the Thames. Since writing the novel, I have learned that mudlarks – people who scour the Thames for historical finds, or even treasure – need to have a permit to do so. If my main character Kerry were a real person, she would surely have been arrested for pocketing a valuable archaeological object from the Thames!
Q: Where did you get the inspiration for your latest novel?
A: Gods of Avalon Road began life as a short story. Initially it was a horror piece of around 6000 words about a student who experienced ghostly events in her new flat; she began research to find out why, discovering that pagan rituals had taken place and resurrected a long dead spirit. In the end, this piece was left unfinished as it kept getting bigger and bigger: I decided I had enough ideas to make it into a novel, but needed a new focus. A few years later, I decided to lift the three main characters and plug them into a new idea that crystallised while I was on a long walk near the Thames by Wandsworth Bridge. Inspired by a few real locations, I decided to set the story in a fictional house in Avalon Road and once the ball was rolling, the ideas began to connect into a comprehensible chapter plan, which I outlined and it took off from there.
Have you read Gods of Avalon Road? If you liked it, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, Waterstones, etc. You’d be making a very grateful author happy!
Now that it’s November, it’s officially my book launch month! Signed copies of my debut novel, Gods of Avalon Road, will be available from Waterstones Belfast and the event will run from 6-8pm. Come along for wine and a few excerpts to celebrate my new book!
Photo credit: Emma Mason
Gods of Avalon Road is set during the Mayday festival of Beltaine, but since Samhain was another important time of year for the Celtic Pagans in my debut novel, here’s a Halloween themed promo photo to celebrate the season:
The Grim Reaper has his copy of Gods of Avalon Road – have you? 🎃
While we’re on the topic, my novella Zombie Reflux is another good Halloween story, and free to read on Kindle.
Want a good Halloween read? My novella Zombie Reflux is now free to read on Kindle.
The promotion is in place until January, so if you fancy a good comedy-horror satirical read for Samhain, then enjoy!
Leilanie Stewart 