Today, I have an interview with Steven A. McKay to share with you! While you're here, check out his book, The Druid!
(Warrior Druid of Britain Book 1)
By Steven A. McKay
Northern Britain, AD430
A land in turmoil. A village ablaze. A king’s daughter abducted.
In the aftermath of a surprise attack Dun Buic lies in smoking ruins and many innocent villagers are dead. As the survivors try to make sense of the night’s events the giant warrior-druid, Bellicus, is tasked with hunting down the raiders and thwarting their dark purpose.
With years of training in the old ways, two war-dogs at his side, and unsurpassed skill with a longsword, Bellicus’s quest will take him on a perilous journey through lands still struggling to cope with the departure of the Roman legions.
Meanwhile, amongst her brutal captors the little princess Catia finds an unlikely ally, but even he may not be able to avert the terrible fate King Hengist has in store for her.
This, the first volume in a stunning new series from the bestselling author of Wolf’s Head, explores the rich folklore and culture of post-Roman Britain, where blood-sacrifice, superstition and warfare were as much a part of everyday life as love, laughter and song.
As Saxon invaders and the new Christian religion seek to mould the country for their own ends one man will change the course of Britain’s history forever. . .
. . . THE DRUID.
"Steven A. McKay's archetypal villains and heroes step vividly onto the page from a mist-veiled past of legend to battle for the life of a princess and the fate of Britain.
Dark age adventure at its gripping best." - MATTHEW HARFFY, author of The Bernicia Chronicles
"The Druid is richly imagined, confident and gripping, full of memorable characters that fair leap from the page, and with a protagonist who, despite his calling, is written with just the right mix of the earthly and the unearthly, the spiritual and the realistic... instantly engaging storytelling on a par with anything you’ve read before by him there Cornwell, or Kane, or Kristian...a triumph, an honest to goodness, self-assured triumph." - STEVE DENTON/SPEESH READS
"The Druid tells a story as stunning as the cover art suggests." - SHARON BENNETT CONNOLLY, author of Heroines Of The Medieval World
"...the historical detail is seamlessly melded into a plot bursting with adrenaline and suspense...To my mind this novel is everything historical fiction should be and more." - JAMES VELLA-BARDON, author of The Sheriff's Catch
Writing Interview questions.
Why did you choose to write your book in this era?
I’m a big fan of books set in Roman Britain so this era seemed perfect. Setting The Druid in AD430 meant I could have my warrior-druid as a main character, but also include Roman centurions and things like that because, although the legions had left Britain by that time, some of their soldiers and their culture was still around. I think it’s a really interesting period and, because there’s no real records of the time, it gives an author a lot of scope to use their imagination!
Did you find researching this era particularly difficult? What was the hardest thing to find out, and did you come across anything particularly surprising?
Yeah, like I say, there’s no real written records of this time, hence the now unpopular term dark ages. But there’s still things we know – the food they ate, weapons used, types of ships they used, gods they worshipped – so that can all be used in a fictional tale to give it some proper historical foundations. I’m not sure I came across anything particularly surprising, but I think it’s interesting that so many people assume the Romans destroying the druids at Ynys Mon meant all the druids were done away with. That seems absurd to me – if something happened to the Pope, there would still be priests and bishops carrying the religion forward, right? So I’m certain there were druids, and people following them, for a long time after the legions tried to crush them.
Can you share something about the book that isn’t covered in the blurb?
King Arthur and Merlin are in it! Not for long, but they make an appearance – this was another reason I wanted to use this time period. Yes, it’s a bit earlier than most chroniclers suggest Arthur was around but, since we don’t even know if he was a real person, I think it’s fine to have him included in my series. He does play a much bigger part in the fourth book, The Bear of Britain.
If you had to describe your protagonist(s), in three words, what would those three words be and why?
One of the main characters, Catia, is a little girl who’s abducted by Saxon raiders. Obviously, I’m not a little girl and never was one, so it can be difficult to put yourself into that position and try to make the character believable. My own daughter was a similar age so I had a good starting point, but it is generally easier to write about a bunch of men sitting about being childish!
Was there anything that you edited out of this book that would have drastically affected the story, should it be left in?
No, not exactly. At the time I had an agent who was trying to find a publisher for it. He loved the book and was sure he’d be able to sell it to someone, but the publishers didn’t really like the fact that my book was about a druid. They seemed to think it would work better as a fantasy, that I should add in the kind of magic you see in, say, the Shannara books, with people shooting fire from their fingers and all that. I disagreed and, in the end published the book myself, as a historical fiction novel. I think I was right to stick to my guns and it’s done very well as the reviews prove.
What are you currently working on?
I’m writing the fifth book in this Warrior Druid of Britain series. Hopefully it’ll be ready to go by mid to late summer. And then I have something very exciting to move onto, but I can’t say anything about it just yet, sorry…!
What would you tell an aspiring author who had some doubts about their writing abilities?
It’s completely natural to doubt yourself, but the main thing is to enjoy what you’re doing and don’t give up. As long as you like what you write, there’s a good chance other people will too. Not everyone can be a literary great, and it can be disheartening when you read a really incredible piece of fiction and realise you’ll never be able to write like that, but there’s always room for a great story so get writing and make it the best you can. Plenty of people will tell you Dan Brown is a terrible writer, but he’s entertained millions of people and made an amazing living, so I doubt he cares what critics say of his work.
Personal Interview questions.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I enjoy the usual things like spending time with my wife and kids - going on holiday with them is what I really look forward to. My main hobby is playing guitar though. I’m a big hard rock/metal fan so spend a lot of time playing my Gibson Les Paul guitars, trying to play drums, and writing songs.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I always kinda wanted to be a writer – it’s amazing how it’s come true! Other than that, I wanted to be a train driver or a lawyer.
What’s for dinner tonight? What would you rather be eating?
I’m pretty unadventurous when it comes to food, my wife finds it funny when we go out for a meal to a posh restaurant and I order a cheese burger or fish & chips. Tonight it’s cottage pie (mince and gravy topped with mash potato). Yum.
What would be a perfect day?
Weirdly, while everyone was feeling depressed during lockdown, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I do feel bad saying that because obviously people were truly suffering, but it meant I got to spend all day, every day at home with my family. Going walks, reading books, playing guitar, playing in the garden (my kids were 6 and 12 at the time), and writing. Apart from the fear of catching COVID, it was a very happy period for me so that’s something like a perfect day for me.
What is the best part of your day?
Probably dinner time, when all the family is home and I’ve got something nice in the oven.
Either or!
Tea or coffee: Coffee but I do like tea, especially Ceylon.
Hot or cold: Don’t mind
Movie or book: Book
Morning person or Night owl: Morning
City or country: Country, I hate busy cities, going to the centre of Glasgow is a nightmare for me!
Social Media or book: Book
Paperback or ebook: For research, paperback so I can underline and highlight, but for reading I enjoy ebooks as you can read in the dark without annoying your other half!
I was born in Scotland in 1977 and always enjoyed studying history – well, the interesting bits, not so much what they taught us in school. I decided to write my Forest Lord series after seeing a house called “Sherwood” when I was out at work one day. I’d been thinking about maybe writing a novel but couldn’t come up with a subject or a hero so, to see that house, well…It felt like a message from the gods and my rebooted Robin Hood was bornMy current Warrior Druid of Britain series was similarly inspired, although this time it was the 80’s TV show “Knightmare”, and their version of Merlin that got my ideas flowing. Of course, the bearded old wizard had been done to death in fiction, so I decided to make my hero a giant young warrior-druid living in post-Roman Britain and he’s been a great character to write.
I was once in a heavy metal band although I tend to just play guitar in my study these days. I’m sure the neighbours absolutely love me.
Check out my website at stevenamckay.com and sign up for the email list – in return I’ll send you a FREE short story, as well as offering chances to win signed books, free audiobooks and other quite good things!
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