Hi, I'm Tim Stretton, and for better or worse I'm a fantasy novelist.
My novel
The Dog of the North was published by TOR UK to widespread indifference. Since it only received one favourable review (Publishers' Weekly US), I can recite it by heart:
Debut author Stretton skillfully chronicles court intrigue in rival city-states in this unique fantasy tale. Arren is a young boy taken from poverty and brought into the Lord of Croad's household. Beauceron, the Dog of the North, is a vassal of the Snow King of Mettingloom and obsessive in his desire to capture the city of Croad. Each plot line moves adroitly through themes of love and revenge toward a surprising climax. Stretton adeptly uses courtly, carefully structured discourse and Italianate names and places to evoke an almost Shakespearean atmosphere, providing hints to Beauceron's identity but never giving too much away. This cleverly plotted fantasy mystery is full of intelligent dialogue, enthralling characters, and dramatic world-building that will hold readers' attention to the last page.
The writer I most admire--despite three years of an English Literature degree designed to teach me otherwise--is Jack Vance, the greatest of fantasy and science-fiction writers. That's perfect in terms of my own enjoyment but less helpful in giving me a model I can never emulate.
My current novel,
The Last Free City is, to hide behind a euphemism, seeking representation.
I blog fairly regularly about my experiences as a writer at
http://timstretton.blogspot.com - why not drop by and say hello?
