LUCIA

“Lucia is a story that is at once desperate and uplifting, a story that touches you deep in your soul.” – Sharon Bennett Connolly, author of Silk and the Sword

Lucia is my first full-length novel to be picked up by a major publisher, in this case Audible Studios. They bought the audio rights and produced it with the hugely talented voice actor Imogen Church narrating. It came out on October 22nd 2019 and was only available as an audiobook from Audible for the first 12 months (Kindle and print editions followed in October 2020).

This was my first standalone novel and it’s quite different to my other stuff. Usually I write about big, tough men fighting and wandering about Britain, meeting interesting folk and adventuring.

Lucia is not like that. This novel follows the life of a little girl, growing into adulthood as a slave within a Roman villa in Britannia.

I think it’s unique, and I hope listeners/readers will really enjoy Lucia’s tale.

LINKS:

Worldwide Kindle, paperback and audiobook

Summary

At eight years old, Lucia is torn from the life she knew. Her village burned to the ground and parents murdered by Romans, she is kidnapped, sold and shipped abroad to the Villa Tempestatis in Britannia to serve the young Roman army officer Castus.

Faced with a bleak future of decades of servitude to her master, as well as sadistic brutality at the hands of his slave and manageress, Paltucca, she finds herself fixated by one thought alone. Fueled by hatred and a belief that the gods saved her for a reason, she vows to never taste freedom until she gets her revenge.

As she and her fellow slaves are exploited mercilessly by the master and his ‘noble’ friends – and brutally punished for even the smallest misdemeanours – Lucia’s longing for vengeance only grows stronger. Despite warnings from her loyal friend, Sennianus, that her hatred won’t bring her happiness, she continues to plot the downfall of Castus and Paltucca.

When Paltucca performs an unforgivable act, cruelly destroying a chance of happiness for Lucia, the manageress seals her own fate and unwittingly becomes her own undoing. But what will become of Castus? Risen within the ranks and trusted by the master, Lucia must decide whether or not to exploit her power and risk everything to fulfill her lifelong desire.

PRAISE FOR LUCIA
“Lucia…makes the reader re-evaluate the way they think and feel – and takes them to a depth of their soul they probably have never visited before. Steven A. McKay has written a truly riveting depiction of the life of a slave. If you only read one more book this year, it should be Lucia.” – Sharon Bennett Connolly, author of Silk and the Sword

“A compelling 5* story from McKay, an author who continues to amaze me with his writing.” – David’s Book Blurg

“McKay changes gear and slips easily into a different world and commands it from the start. This is the Shawshank Redemption of revenge stories.” – David N. Humphrey, author of Valguard – Knight of Coins

“An incredibly moving story that’s written extremely well. I highly recommend this book” – Endo The Road Book Reviews

Summary

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