Oaky Tyree very kindly interviewed me about Oak King Holly King for the Tell Me About Your Book podcast! We talked about the literary inspiration behind the book, the challenges of fantasy worldbuilding, and some tips for historical research.
Listen on Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts!
A new episode of Right Here, Write Queer just dropped! Catch it in your favorite podcast app.
“Big guys that stab things also deserve to be soft and squishy.” Noah Hawthorne (he/they) interviews Sebastian Nothwell (he/him) about his queer romantasy Oak King Holly King, including historical research, fae folklore new and old, and the surprising discoveries that occur when creating an audiobook.
Noah Hawthorne (he/they), also writing as Aelina Isaacs, is the author of the Adventures in Levena series (beginning with Phantom and Rook) and the stand alone novel The Rebel Foxes. You can connect with him at their website: neshamapublishing.com
Sebastian Nothwell (he/him) is the author of Oak King Holly King, now available in audiobook format narrated by Gary Furlong.
The Oak King Holly King audiobook is finally here! Narrated by the incredible Gary Furlong and available wherever you find your favorite audiobooks, be it Audible, Spotify, libro.fm, Kobo, or through your local library via Libby and Hoopla.
Oak King Holly King is a queer romantasy wherein a fearsome fae warrior destined for ritual sacrifice seeks a Victorian clerk fated to save him.
Perfect for readers who enjoy…
• fae folklore
• Victorian shenanigans
• big buff guys who just wanna be soft
• sharp little guys who are tired of being kicked around
• lush fantasy worlds, liminal spaces, cozy cottagecore vibes, and queer community.
Shrike, the Butcher of Blackthorn, is a legendary warrior of the fae realms. When he wins a tournament in the Court of the Silver Wheel, its queen names him her Oak King – a figurehead destined to die in a ritual duel to invoke the change of seasons. Shrike is determined to survive. Even if it means he must put his heart as well as his life into a mere mortal’s hands.
Wren Lofthouse, a London clerk, has long ago resigned himself to a life of tedium and given up his fanciful dreams. When a medieval-looking brute arrives at his office to murmur of destiny, he’s inclined to think his old enemies are playing an elaborate prank. Still, he can’t help feeling intrigued by the bizarre-yet-handsome stranger and his fantastical ramblings, whose presence stirs up emotions Wren has tried to lock away in the withered husk of his heart.
As Shrike whisks Wren away to a world of Wild Hunts and arcane rites, Wren is freed from the repression of Victorian society. But both the fae and mortal realms prove treacherous to their growing bond. Wren and Shrike must fight side-by-side to see who will claim victory – Oak King or Holly King.
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One day only! Stock up on cozy fantasy books with the Cozy the Day Away sale!
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OAK KING HOLLY KING, a queer romantasy wherein a fearsome fae warrior falls head-over-heels for a Victorian clerk, is on sale for 50% off!
Perfect for readers who enjoy…
Head on over to Promise Press and Cozy the Day Away!
So excited to finally announce that there are THREE new stories available for newsletter subscribers!
Valentine (an Aubrey & Lindsey tale), wherein Aubrey is forced to celebrate his birthday for the first time in his whole life.
Silver & Bone (a Fiorenzo tale), wherein Enzo fulfills a promise to Fiore.
Bruises Bloom in Blackthorn Briar (an Oak King Holly King tale), wherein we see a pivotal scene from a whole new point-of-view.
In addition to these three free stories, you’ll also receive updates about beta reading opportunities, ARC offers, and new releases. (The number of readers who are to this day still surprised to discover that Oak King Holly King has a sequel? Don’t fall through the cracks like them. Be alert! Be the first to know! Be a newsletter subscriber!) You’ll never miss another book!
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And thank you for reading!
For Oak King Holly King, I had to revisit all of my previous Victorian research because I decided to set it fifty years earlier than Mr Warren’s Profession and Hold Fast – which meant all the details I’d taken for granted (trains, telegrams, electricity, etc.) had vanished. However, I also got to dip back into the medieval era, which was a treat. Most of the folklore and magic research I did online, so it’s under-represented in this particular photo.
Books shown here include…
• The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens – a book which inspired not just Oak King Holly King, but also Mr Warren’s Profession and Hold Fast. I don’t think Dickens would approve of what I’ve done, lol.
• The Victorian City by Judith Flanders – being half history of 19th century London and half biography of Dickens made this very useful for Oak King Holly King in particular.
• Consuming Passions by Judith Flanders
• The Time-Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer
• The Medieval Underworld by Andrew McCall
• The London Underworld in the Victorian Period by Henry Mayhew and Others – available for free on Project Gutenberg.
• How to be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman
• Food and Cooking in Victorian England by Andrea Broomfield
• Daily Life in Victorian England by Sally Mitchell
• Inside the Victorian Home by Judith Flanders
Please enjoy this sneak peek inside the Oak King Holly King audiobook!
Gary Furlong has graciously given permission to share his audition audio. This excerpt in particular allows you to hear his skillful approach to a voice that – those of you who’ve read the book will know – is more important than it may at first appear.
And if you’d like to hear Gary narrate the rest of the book, you’ve got just four days left to back the Kickstarter!
Oak King Holly King is a queer Victorian fantasy romance between a fae warrior and a mortal clerk.
Perfect for readers who enjoy…
Our audiobook narrator is Gary Furlong. If you’re a queer romance audiobook enthusiast you may recognize him from…
To claim your copy of the audiobook (alongside rewards like stickers, deep-discounted ebooks, and signed and annotated paperbacks), back the Kickstarter campaign today!
Save the date! Gary Furlong and I are going live tomorrow in the Rainbow Dragon Readers facebook group to bring you a live reading from Oak King Holly King followed by a live Q&A.
WHAT: Oak King Holly King live read and Q&A
WHEN: Tuesday 6th February 18:00 ET (tomorrow!)
WHERE: the Rainbow Dragon Readers facebook group
Can’t wait to see you there!
Please enjoy Chapter One of Oak King Holly King as narrated by Gary Furlong.
And if you’d like to help make the full audiobook a reality, please back the Kickstarter!
Blessed Winter Solstice! On the longest night of the year the Oak King duels the Holly King to turn the seasons. You can read all about it in OAK KING HOLLY KING, a gay Victorian fae romance available now wherever fine books are found. And you can read an excerpt of Shrike and Wren’s first winter solstice together below.
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As the two kings reached the centre mark, the Holly King turned to cast one final glance back up at the queen’s bower. The glimmer in his eyes froze before it ever reached his cheeks. He raised his two-handed longsword aloft in salute, then resheathed it, as to begin the fight fair.
Shrike did no such thing. Instead he cast his gaze over the crowd in a last desperate quest for Wren. He’d almost consigned himself to defeat when he spied him at last—a pale bespeckled face, chestnut locks tumbling in disarray over his brow, his dark eyes wide and deep with a longing that sang through Shrike’s own heart.
Shrike vowed to return to his arms. Then put him from his mind for the remainder of the duel.
The herald—an apple-cheeked, toad-mouthed courtier in exquisite wasp-lace—called for the combatants to take their places marked on either side of a ring some three ells wide burned into the ground. He held up the queen’s token between them. A scrap of emerald velvet, shimmering with sunbeams, a portent of the spring to come. Then he turned to the queen herself for the signal.
Shrike didn’t bother glancing back at her bower.
She gave her sign regardless, for the herald dropped the token and leapt backwards out of the fray as it fluttered to the ground.
The moment the merest corner touched the dead grass, the peal of metal against metal rang out through the cold air as the Holly King unsheathed his longsword.
Shrike did the same with his arming sword an instant after. He had time to do little else before the first blow fell from the Holly King’s blade and forced him to dive to the side. The blade sang as it cleaved the air by his head.
In its wake there came a sharp sting in the tip of Shrike’s ear. Something cold trickled down its length.
First blood.
The crowd roared in approval.
~
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Sebastian Nothwell 