Don’t you just love reviews that start with those words? I do…at least when they are talking about one of my books.

When I have a new book out, I am in a state of total panic, worried that this time I’ve made a muck of it, that no one will like it, that the story will be totally rubbished by incredulous reviewers who can’t get past page 5. I’m torn between ignoring the internet, pretending it doesn’t matter if no one ever reviews the book, and googling furiously in the hope that someone has.

Every book is the same. Every publication date results in nail-chewing, chocolate-raiding terror on my part. Yep, eating chocolate helps a little, but the relief doesn’t last…that only comes when I have a good review. Then I know at least one person likes it!

And the odd thing is that every time my initial reaction to that first favourable review is total disbelief. Really? You liked it that much? Are you sure you read my book?

And the week the last book of a trilogy comes out is the worst of all. Because until I have produced an end that satisfies (most) readers, I really haven’t reached my goal. The Stormlord trilogy is over half a million words in length. That’s a long journey to keep a reader interested, and I am both touched and a little astonished that people stay with me — or rather with my characters — over the space of several years and that many words to find out what happens.

So to all of you who have bought book three, Stormlord’s Exile, and who have read it — or who intend to read it — thank you.

And what did the first reviewers say this time around?

“Themes of family and identity dominate a story line that is both intimate and world-spanning. Series fans will love the exciting action and well-developed characters; new readers will want to seek out the earlier books.” (Publishers’ Weekly)

“Stormlord’s Exile is everything that its predecessors were and more.”
(Rob Will Review)

“This fast-paced read, full of action-adventure and danger, is a fitting finale to Larke’s Stormlord trilogy.” (Romantic Times)

“Just could not put it down. Glenda Larke’s writing is one that is a pure joy to behold, it’s clear, it has great passion and the characters not only stand on their own two feet but they’re people that you’d like to hang around with (for the most part.)”
(Falcata Times)

Whew. I can breath again. For those of you who haven’t started the marathon journey, here’s a little bit about the story to entice you to embark:

The stormlord’s land is an arid one, where water is everything – currency, status, security. It could even be the world of our future. It is certainly the world of Shale Flint, a barefoot village boy kidnapped and manipulated for a talent he hardly understands, and of Terelle Grey, a runaway from a snuggery who goes looking for freedom and finds herself caught in an invisible trap. It’s a land where wars are fought over water, a place of cloudmasters and waterpainters, desert drovers and salt miners, scholars, sand dancers, red dunes and dark water tunnels. It’s a culture where warriors use insects as deadly weapons and rainlords kill with water…

Happy reading!