If you watched the livestream chat I did with Matthew Harffy you’ll already know the name of my next book, since I mentioned it in passing on there. Bear of Britain is the title and this follows on from The Northern Throne with Bellicus, Cai, Duro, and Eburus joining Arthur and Merlin in an attempt to take the fight to the Saxons. It was never my intention to make this series “Arthurian” as such, and I will continue to focus on Bel and Duro mostly, but some of the famous characters like Arthur and Lancelot do play a bigger part here, hence the title.
The cover art was done, as always, by my designers at More Visual but I actually contributed more than just the concept this time: the bear on the shield.
I found a similar bear picture in some online clipart and drew a version of it myself on a piece of paper which was then scanned, turned into a transparent image, and placed onto the shield by the designers. Since it’s supposed to be a shield belonging to, and painted by, a warrior rather than some highly skilled artist, I think it fits well! Who knows, I might give the drawing away along with a signed copy of the book to someone on my email list, so make sure you’re signed up by clicking HERE.
I’m expecting Bear of Britain to be published in the summer, around July/August although that all depends on how the pandemic pans out over the coming months and how much free time I get to work on it. Even when I’ve had a fair bit of time recently, it’s hard to get into the right frame of mind to be creative or this might have already been completed. But I do hope to put the book out in the summer, and then publish another Forest Lord novella around Christmas time, just as I’ve done the past couple of years. It’s becoming something of a Yule tradition!
If you still haven’t read the Warrior Druid of Britain books, check them out at the links below:
STEVEN A. McKAY - Historical Fiction Author 
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