Posted by Meg
Last week, Peat and writer Myke Cole sat down with John Anealio of Functional Nerds.
The podcast covers the publishing industry, Peat and Myke’s experiences getting published and more! Check it out here.
Posted by Meg
Peat recently did an interview for a Turkish blog. I just read the interview, and it’s has some really great unique questions on the topics of Peat’s inspirations, storytelling and who he would be if he lived in Thesa. There’s also some great information for Turkish fans about upcoming releases.
You can check out the translated Turkish post or read the original English version. You can also check out the Turkish release of The Warded Man published by Epsilon. Happy reading!
Posted by Meg
Peat received this amazing email from Jason, who was deployed in Afghanistan when he first read The Warded Man.
Dear Mr. Brett,
As I understand you must receive just an abundance of emails every day from avid readers and fans, so I do not expect a quick reply but thank you for your diligence in eventually responding to all of your emails. I just wanted to take the time to thank you for your great writing. I first laid hands on your book, The Warded Man, while in Afghanistan. A friend of mine had offered to let me borrow the book (it is very customary for soldiers while deployed to trade and lend books during downtime if any).
Before reading your book, I was not very keen to that particular genre of writing but your book changed my whole perspective on fantasy novels. I thoroughly enjoyed the development of Arlen’s character and easily related to him given my circumstances at the time. Arlen’s reclusiveness that derived from necessity and his utter perseverance against all odds, his complete dedication to his goal despite the cost, is something I could relate to while deployed. Not many soldiers are willing to talk about it, but the worst part about being deployed was the feeling of loneliness. Have you ever felt alone in a crowded room?…it¹s like that but times 10 and add bullets.
As I understand you gave away several signed bookplates to 500 lucky readers, which I think is absolutely outstanding and shows a true dedication to your fans. I was unfortunately not able to request one, as I was not in the country at the time (and didn’t have the best internet access). I would be greatly honored if you were able to send me a signed copy of your book The Warded Man, I would of course pay for the hardcover and S&H. Your book definitely helped me during a hard time and I would like to have some keepsake to remind me of the joys of reading. Since reading your book I cannot get enough and read fantasy novels nonstop. I hope this email reaches you in good spirits and I eagerly await the next book and possibly movie.
Respectfully,
Jason
It’s always incredible to hear from people who are able to find strength and solace in an author’s books. Peat wrote back to Jason and since he already has The Warded Man, we are sending him a signed copy of The Desert Spear. Many thanks to Jason for letting us share his story on the blog.
Posted by Meg
Like I said in the fan art blog post, fan art can come in all different mediums allowing fans to tap into awesome amounts of creativity. Birte, from Germany, has created some incredibly unique compositions inspired by The Desert Spear. This is what she had to say:
I wrote this piece after reading The Desert Spear, and it shows one important aspect of the storyline: the fight against the demons, but not on the actual combat level, but more on a level of the mind. The music sort of describes the concentration and the fear as well as the determination that drives the characters to act.
Each instrument represents one individual character: the flute is Leesha, the violin is Rojer, the cello is Jardir and the piano is Arlen / the painted man. I chose the flute for Leesha because for me it is a very female and strong and clear instrument. I can think of no other sound that might fit her better. The violin for Rojer explains itself. What else could be better? Jardir got the cello because I felt he needed something deeper, yet an instrument that still sounded very melodic and would be able to play difficult and fast scales and figures. I also believe the sound of a cello is quite sexy.
Arlen / the painted man got the piano, because he is the most complex character. By giving him an instrument with two lines in the system I sort of wanted to show his two identities: Arlen and the painted man. The piano is also an instrument which can be played very virtuously. It shows his strength and knowledge and his way of moving but also his solitude, as the piano is often used as a solo instrument, and only very rarely as an equal to any other instrument in a larger group (not counting accompaniment for any other solo instrument).
It begins with sundown. Rojer loves the sun and daytime so much, that of course he notices the approaching night first. Next is Leesha and after her Jardir. The last one to greet the night is Arlen. The joyful major of the day soon becomes a dark and melancholic minor. Everyone is readying themselves for battle. The long part with the repeating fast octave figure paints the picture of fear, excitement and expectation. Each character to his or her own extent, changing slightly at the end of the figure.
Jardir is the first to start his mental dance in the fight against the night. With sure movements, that are nonetheless very elegant and lyrical, he dances with his spear. Imitating Jardir’s last musical movement Arlen is next to stand up to the demons. His is a slightly more brutal approach in the beginning that still seems to lead to something simple. He then again is imitated by Leesha in his last movement. Her melody is not at all brutal: after stumbling a bit with Arlen’s method, she quickly finds a sure and straight way to fight in her own way. Rojer is last to develop the will to fight. There is actually a small intermezzo, showing again the anxiety of the men, Leesha being the one who is keeping the balance before the “nervous breakdown”. The flute is gliding above the tangled melody of the other instruments and is sort of the one thing the ear can really concentrate on for a moment. The others are never absent till then. Suddenly Rojer appears with a complicated high figure. At first he seems nervous and a bit unsure but very soon he discovers a small motive that is quickly picked up by the others, thereof guiding the battle that everyone fights on his own and all at the same time, but still this motive I call “courage motive” pops up again and again until the piano, that has temporarily vanished, seizes a solo. It shows the loneliness and determination of the painted man; his solitude and his exact and deadly movements that flow like water.
In the end all the instruments come back. I wanted to show that, in order to achieve something, everyone has to be pulling into the same direction. They have to stand together, at least in their determination.
Posted by Meg
Check out this new fan art video compiled by fan Nessa on youtube. Take a look! You might recognize a few things … or discover some new ones!
Thank you Nessa for creating this awesome video!