I received some great news today that I’m mighty proud to share. The City of Seven Gods was chosen as a finalist for Foreword Indies Awards’ 2016 Best Book of the Year in the fantasy category. That’s a real nice honor for a little author like me. Over 2,000 titles were entered for competition, and the fantasy shortlist includes just fifteen. I’ve never received recognition from Foreword before, and it’s kind of cool that The City of Seven Gods qualified for both their fantasy and LGBT categories and was singled out for fantasy, bring a little queer into the fantasy “mainstream.”
I wouldn’t have minded if the book got a finalist spot in both categories, though that would have been greedy. 🙂
Here’s some info and buzz about what I can now call a critically-acclaimed, sleeper novel. The story takes place in the fictional world of Qabbat’lee, where a young priest and a barbarian mercenary must refashion themselves after their lives are uprooted by betrayal.
Kelemun was bought from his peasant parents to tend the inner sanctum of the house of Aknon, where wealthy men pay mountain sapphires to behold the beautiful servants of the god. Chosen to bring offerings to Caliph, Kelemun captures the fascination of the young prince Praxtor who has never been denied anything his heart desires.
Ja’bar was hired to roughhouse wayward proselytes for the high priest Aknon-Horheb. In Qabbat’lee, it’s good paying work for a Stripeling, a jungle savage in the eyes of the city natives, and if he’s stingy and stays out of trouble, it will buy him a plot of river land.
But the splendor of Qabbat’lee is a mirage disguising a grotesquerie of corruption. When Kelemun and Ja’bar’s threads of fate entwine on a night of chilling betrayal, their only hope for redemption and survival may lie in one another.
“★★★★★ A fascinating look into mythology.” ~Kaelan Rhywiol
“★★★★★ One of my favorite reads of 2016. A brilliant story…and a must read!” ~Frédéric Michaud, for The Jeep Diva
“Peters delivers another world rich with details from the ancient past, and with a compelling LGBT twist.” ~The Novel Approach
Foreword will announce its 2016 Best Book winners in June. In the meantime, you can pick up a copy at the Bold Strokes Books webstore, or any of your favorite booksellers. 🙂
