Summer in Celadmore

Looking for somewhere to get away to this summer? Don’t have a huge budget to spend on expensive hotels and five star dining? Well, we at Mightier Than the Sword UK have the solution – why not try holidaying in Celadmore?

Celadmore is a realm that offers a wide range of different destinations with activities and landscapes to suit even the fussiest of holiday makers.

Prince Kasna Nosfa, Rising Empire: Part2

There are beaches galore to be found in Celadmore, but the finest beaches we have to offer can be found around the sun-drenched shores of the Silver Ocean.

Queen Venetia Silvermoore, Lady of Fire

You aren’t limited to activities in the daytime either – the night skies in Celadmore are some of the finest you’ll see anywhere in the universe, making Celadmore the perfect destination for those who love to stargaze.

Raven General Misna, Rising Empire: Part 1

Our warriors are proud of the blood that flows through their veins and compete in often brutal competitions to show the superiority of their race. You may have heard rumours of the war of the Nine Kingdoms, the Dragonian Wars, the War of the East and the Conquest of Aksoth’s forces, but we can assure you, these are nothing more than unsubstantiated gossip.*

Queen Alacana Ramos, Shroud of Darkness

Of course, Celadmore has it’s quiet side as well. The plains of Celadmore are littered with abbeys and temples that offer a place for quiet reflection and escape from the rush of everyday life. There are rules about who can enter some of the abbeys and temples though, so be sure to check before you set of to visit them.

Queen Kasna Nosfa, Rising Empire: Part 1

For those who prefer a cool climate and snow sports, the Blue Mountains offer the perfect setting for ice climbing, trekking on our stunning glaciers, skiing and snowboarding, though we do advise you watch out of the wildlife that inhabits the area, some of it is more than a little unfriendly.

Prince Gruagadon Tutesk, End of Days

There are lots of historic ruins the visit across Celadmore, some more recent than others, that give you the opportunity to experience our rich history and discover some of the darker secrets of the realm.

General Rathe Bird, Rising Empire: Part 1

It’s not just the surface of Celadmore that you can explore, there are also all the cave cities and settlements that are carved into the hill and mountainsides across the realm.

Princess Kia Nosfa, Rising Empire: Part 2

For those who are much more interested in nature than in exploring the human elements of Celadmore, there are a plethora of wide open spaces to be explored and experienced and enough native wildlife to keep even the most experienced entomologists happy.

Queen Venetia Silvermoore and Queen Alacana Ramos, Shroud of Darkness

*Mightier Than the Sword UK accepts no responsibility for wars breaking out across Celadmore. If you find yourself in the middle of a battle, we advise you hide or pick up a sword.

Raven General Misna, Rising Empire: Part 3

The Chronicles of Celadmore is a fantasy book series by C.S. Woolley and features the following titles:

Rising Empire: Part 1, Rising Empire: Part 2, Rising Empire: Part 3, Shroud of Darkness, Lady of Fire and End of Days are all available in digital and paperback format from a wide range of booksellers around the world. Digital copies start from just 59p per copy (kobo).

Coming Soon

Rising Empire: Part 1

Book Reviews, C.S. Woolley, Charity, Chronicles of Celadmore, News

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Rathe Quote 01

Misna Quote 2
Kasnata Quote 02

Rathe Quote 03

Rathe Quote 02

Kasnata Quote 01

Misna Quote 1

RE 1

Rising Empire: Part 1 is the first book in the Chronicles of Celadmore series. It is a part of a trilogy that acts as the prequel to Shroud of Darkness. Though it is the first book in the series it was the third book that C.S. Woolley wrote in the series (the first two being Shroud of Darkness and Lady of Fire).

The Rising Empire trilogy wasn’t just written to provide a little history and context to the rest of the Chronicles of Celadmore, it was written as there are lots of things in the overall plot of the series that needed to be established before C.S. Woolley could write about them in later books.

“I realised part way through writing the Shroud of Darkness trilogy that there would just be too much to explain and set up if I left it until the books where the events take place. I was always going to write a book about Kasnata, but it turned out that one book needed to be three.”

Not only was the storyline for the trilogy allowed to flesh out and develop going from one book to three, but it also gave C.S. Woolley the opportunity to go back and visit some elements of the plot that she had originally discounted due to the constraints of telling the story of this particular group of people in one book.

“I got to include a lot of characters that wouldn’t have gotten mentioned too heavily, maybe as a passing name, like General Misna and General Quisla; it meant that I could reveal a lot more about the characters later on and not rush to giving everything out about them in the first book. So if you think you have each of the characters figured out by the end of Rising Empire: Part 1, you might be very surprised by the other two volumes!”

Rising Empire: Part 1 has had its own mix of reviews, however two bloggers that particularly enjoyed the book took the time to give a detailed review.

It enjoyed a great review from Book Viral:

“In such a competitive and popular genre it’s becoming increasingly hard to find truly original work, but Rising Empire proves a delightful exception as C. S. Woolley takes her readers on a magical quest of intrigue and high adventure. An enthralling read with a host of opulent characters, Woolley wields elegant prose to create an imaginatively rendered fantasy world that proves wholly absorbing. It’s certainly a compelling story which benefits from a well-conceived plot and one that’s sure to appeal to readers who revel in the intricacies of power and subterfuge as she brings the ambience of her imagined world to life. There’s no doubt that Woolley has a discerning eye for detail and understands the tropes of her genre, but it’s her characters that make for a truly notable read. There’s ambition, greed, strength and weakness to be found in them and it makes for a rich tapestry that ensures her readers will become fully invested in the trials and tribulations they each face.

An epic in the making, Rising Empire is sure to be well received by fans of Woolley and is definitely deserving of your interest. It is strongly recommended!”

To read the rest of the article please visit Book Viral.

The Leisure Zone also reviewed Rising Empire: Part 1

“Book creation ratings:

* Max. total of 30 possible *

Overall total — 29.95

— Story & characters — 10

— Cover & title — 10

— Editing & formatting — 9.95

* based on a 1-10 scale with: 1-4, poor; 5-7, good; 8-10, very good.*

The review —

I must read the last two books in this quality written series. If you like adventure, with good battling evil, and one whale of an ending, then read this book. The story flies by, and it’s a book you can’t put down. Who will win the day–the evil king or his valiant wife?

The ending of the book leaves the reader happy and anxious as we head toward the next book in this three part masterpiece. The author is to be commended for a well thought out story, that is bathed in imagery and vivid scenes. It gathers the readers and transports them to another time, long ago in a distant land.

My best advice is get the book and get comfortable. It’s well worth the investment of time and money. Happy reading and enjoy!!!” To read the whole article please visit The Leisure Zone.

You can purchase Rising Empire: Part 1 from a wide range of distributors in both digital and paperback formats, for a list of some of the major stockists please visit the Rising Empire: Part 1 page.

You can purchase from amazon, Smashwords, Kobo and iBooks* by following these links.

*Links to US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia iBooks services can be found on the Rising Empire: Part 1 page.

Did you know?

Rising Empire: Part 1 was written in just 28 days – that’s from sitting down to plan out the plot into chapters to getting the cover art down, everything edited and sent off to the printers! Rumour has it that C.S. Woolley survived on just an hour’s worth of sleep every day in order to get in done in a short space of time. She maintains, “I would have got it done faster if I hadn’t had Dexter’s Lab on in the background whilst I was writing. I can focus much better when I have the West Wing on.”

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If you already own a copy of Rising Empire: Part 1, then the fun doesn’t have to stop there! A line of Chronicles of Celadmore merchandise has been created and some of it is already available for purchase!

Rising Empire: Part 1 Mug

Rising Empire: Part 1 Poster

Chronicles of Celadmore Logo Poster

Map of Celadmore Poster

A range of notecards and other posters featuring the character faces and quotes (some of which you can see further up in this blog post) are due to be released along with a range of bookmarks and postcards** slightly later this year. The notecards and posters featuring the characters are being released to raising money for charity. 50% of the profits from every sale of the notecards and posters featuring the characters are to be split between two charities – 25% of the profits going to the Broad Appeal and 25% of the profits going to the British Heart Foundation. Though we don’t have an official release date for these yet, we do know you will be able to order them for collection at the UK Indie Lit Fest (that C.S. Woolley and Steven M. Caddy are attending) and you will be able to purchase them for delivery through this site as well as through Etsy.

** the designs for the bookmarks and postcards have yet to be released. Rising Empire Kasnata, Kia and Kasna

Advent – Day 2

C.S. Woolley, Chronicles of Celadmore, Competitions, News, Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren, Sales

As we continue with our Advent celebrations, day 2 is marked by a combination of a sale and a competition!

Yes, we love to give things away here at Mightier Than the Sword UK and, as it is the festive season, we have pulled out all the stops for day 2 (not sure what we’ll have left on day 3, but we’ll find out tomorrow!)

Through our Etsy store we have created The C.S. Woolley Bundle, a collection of 13 of her books that is on sale for just £7! ($10.50ish if you are in the USA) That’s less than 75p per book! (less than $1 per book)

But we thought that it wasn’t quite enough to make a bundle of books and have them on sale between now and the start of Christmas Day, so we have thrown in a little extra.

For every 50 bundles sold we are going to give away a 7″ Kindle Fire Tablet!

Every purchase made will automatically enter you into the giveaway, so once you’ve bought your bundle, all you have to do is sit back and wait to find out if you’ve won! Winners will be contacted via etsy once the draws have been completed. Winners will be drawn at random.

This bundle contains: –

The Chronicles of Celadmore – Rising Empire: Part 1
The Chronicles of Celadmore – Shroud of Darkness Trilogy Boxset (Shroud of Darkness, Lady of Fire and End of Days)

Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren – B eginnings
Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren – The Kevin Metis Saga
Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren – The Derek Long Saga
Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren – Filling the Afterlife from the Underworld: Volume 1
Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren – Filling the Afterlife from the Underworld: Volume 2
Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren – Filling the Afterlife from the Underworld: Volume 3
Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren – Filling the Afterlife from the Underworld: The Case of Mrs. Weldon
Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren – Filling the Afterlife from the Underworld: Hunting the Priest Killer
Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren – Filling the Afterlife from the Underworld: Murder in the First

To get your bundle and be entered into the Kindle Fire draw please visit http://ow.ly/Vm9gj.

Good Luck!

Rising Empire: Part 2 Release

News

The sequel to Rising Empire: Part 1 is OUT NOW!

Follow the continuing tale of Queen Kasnata as she forges a reputation that will last for centuries. We asked C.S. Woolley how she felt about the latest volume in the Chronicles of Celadmore and what impact the book has on the rest of the series.

“I was really excited about going back and telling the story of characters that are mentioned and not really seen in the Shroud of Darkness Trilogy. The plan for the Rising Empire novels has been in my head since I started writing Shroud of Darkness. It isn’t so much to provide backstory, you don’t need to have read them before you read the Shroud of Darkness trilogy, but at the same time, they do go a long way to establishing a lot of the history that you read about in that trilogy. I really enjoyed getting to go back and outline the events that happened before moving on with the rest of the series. There are also things in the Rising Empire books that are going to be really important later on, so I felt that going back and getting them written was the right thing to do.”

The blood moon rises and madness is unleashed.

The nine kingdoms of Celadmore are at war. The people suffer under tyrants that strive to gain land and power in the struggle for superiority.

Kasnata, Queen of the Order and Queen of Nosfa leads her armies against the people of Delma. A war she did not want to fight, but her husband, the King of Nosfa, Mercia Nosfa VI has forced her hand.

Leinad, the heir to the throne of Nosfa and son of Kasnata, is held hostage in the city of Grashindorph where revolution is beginning. Hermia, mother of Mercia and former Queen of Nosfa leads the revolution against her son, a revolution to end the wars and tyranny that their people suffer under. Kasna and Kia are safe from their father in the Oasis of Tulna, but Duke Kelmar DeLacey, Regent of Delma, still hunts for them.

Kasnata’s empire is growing and her legacy is being forged through war, not diplomacy, a mantle her people will carry down the ages.

But there is more at work than any mortal knows, their lives, though fleeting, will form the realm and the consequences of their actions will be felt for centuries to come.

The Chronicles of Celadmore (in chronological order)

The Rising Empire Trilogy
1. Rising Empire: Part 1 (Exclusive to Amazon)
2. Rising Empire: Part 2
3. Rising Empire: Part 3 (due for publication 1st September 2015)

Shroud of Darkness Trilogy
4. Shroud of Darkness
5. Lady of Fire
6. End of Days

To celebrate the release of Rising Empire: Part 2, Rising Empire: Part 1 is free on kindle on 15th July ONLY.

Rising Empire: Part 2 is available in paperback and digital formats from the following retailers:

Murder in the First Released!

C.S. Woolley, Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren

It’s finally here! MURDER IN THE FIRST has landed. The 9th book to be published in the Nicolette Mace: The Raven Siren series, Murder in the First is one of the Filling the Afterlife from the Underworld books and sees Siren investigating for Fred and Harry instead of behind their backs. This particular book is dedicated to C.S. Woolley‘s grandmother.

Murder in the First starts at just £0.66/$0.99 in digital format and £3.99 in paperback.

http://mybook.to/murderinthefirst

https://store.kobobooks.com/…/nicolette-mace-the-raven-sire…

https://itunes.apple.com/…/nicolette-mace-rave…/id992577387…

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/539356

The bickering trio are back in this latest Raven Siren Case File Special! It’s a family affair as Fred and Harry come to Siren on bended knee to investigate a case that neither of them can get close to. Ryan Barlow, Fred’s brother and only living relative is in trouble, the kind of trouble that will end up with him in prison or dead, unless Siren can do something to help.

Sonya Lesner, a woman of some dubious reputation has been found murdered and Ryan is the prime suspect. Not only that, but the crime scene has been staged to send a message to one of the trio and Siren is certain that she has heard the name, Sonya Lesner, before. Of all the cases Siren has taken, there has never been more at stake as she digs into the past to try and find some answers.

Nicolette Mace is a private investigator out of necessity, not choice. With her family dead and nowhere else to turn she had to learn to stand on her own two feet and live the only way her father ever taught her to.

Life as a private investigator isn’t all big cases, excitement and arch enemies. Filling the Afterlife from the Underworld follows the day to day musings and activities of Nicolette Mace: The Raven Siren, taken from her online blog.

“My name is Nicolette Mace, but you might know me as the Raven Siren. I’m a Private Investigator living the 1930s romantic dream in this new and exciting modern age. I keep records of everything that happens; everything I have seen and done. Why? There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamed of in your philosophies.”

And we’re back!

C.S. Woolley, Chronicles of Celadmore, News, Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren, Writing

Well we’ve all been lucky enough to have a few weeks off over the Easter period. This was mostly down to C.S. Woolley disappearing off to America for three weeks with her family to enjoy the sun, sea and swimming pools over there.

Some of us have taken the time to revitalise ourselves and get ready to come back full of vim and vigor, however other amongst our number have pretty much spent most of the break time working *cough*C.S.Woolley*cough*

As many of you may have noticed there have been lots of changes made to the site before we went on holiday and some more are on the way, so watch this space for more information and a more streamlined site experience for you, the users.

End of Days is not yet cold on the presses and we have been able to celebrate the release of Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren – Beginnings. Yes, the first volume of the adventures of the Raven Siren is now out and you can see where everything started, experience the first meeting of Siren and Fred, enjoy the friendship growing between Harry, Siren and Fred and meet the eponymous villains, Kevin Metis and Derek Long, for the first time, all for just $2.99 from Smashwords, £1.99 on Etsy and $4.43 on Amazon.

Camp NaNoWriMo is continuing until the end of the month and has seen some great productivity from amongst our team as well as the different cabins they are all in for this month of intensive writing (yes, we had to split them up, otherwise no writing would have gotten done).

Of course, coming back into the office after such a break does mean that there hasn’t been a great deal of work being done today. There seems to be a lot of discussion of Arrow, Flash and City of Heroes, as well as the hashtag #dontditchdiggle that seems to have emerged from the intensive viewing of seasons 1 and 2 of Arrow. Though there are several things that seem to be hotly debated, there are a few that the office is united in:

*SPOILER WARNING* (well potential spoilers if you haven’t finished season 1)

1) We all miss Tommy Merlyn 😦

2) Colton Haynes really does have cheek bones to rival James Marsters and eyebrows to rival Peter Gallagher.

3) Archery is cool.

4) Oliver should really pay attention to #dontditchdiggle, it just never seems to work out for him when he does.

5) Barrowman makes one of the most amazing bad guys!

6) Felicity has got style on her side.

There are also a few of the office going to the City of Heroes event in May where Stephen Amell, David Ramsey, Katie Cassidy and Caity Lotz are all appearing, so I imagine that the Monday afterwards will be equally unproductive.

End of Days

C.S. Woolley, Chronicles of Celadmore, News, Writing

End of Days is OUT NOW!

Yes, it’s the long awaited the release of C.S. Woolley’s latest title in the Chronicles of Celadmore series! End of Days is the final installment in the story arc that follows Venetia and her companions as they fight against the forces of Nether Roth in the Shroud of Darkness trilogy*.

The end is here. Aksoth’s forces roam unchecked across the plains of Celadmore; the people of Celadmore have been forced to retreat to the fallen city of Grashindorph. Within the city there is trouble. Leaders of each of the countries of Celadmore seek to control the city.

Mistrust runs like a fever through the city. Scheming and corruption distract the people from preparing to stand against Aksoth in one final battle.

Revolution stirs amongst the poorest of the people; Venetia seeks to restore Gruagadon to his rightful place on the throne of Nesca and will sacrifice anything to get him there.

Harmony is so far from their grasp that the thought of victory fades as forces, beyond the control of any mortal, clash and the future of Celadmore is decided.

In this final bastion, they must find victory or Aksoth will purge the realm of light of all life.

Get your copy of End of Days, Book 6 in the Chronicles of Celadmore from the following retailers from just $2.99**:


Kindle US	Kindle UK	Kindle Australia
Kindle Canada

iBooks US	iBooks UK	iBooks Australia
iBooks Canada	iBooks New Zealand

Copies are also available in English from Amazon.fr, Amazon.com.mx, Amazon.com.br, Amazon.de, Amazon.es, Amazon.it, Amazon.nl, Amazon.in and Amazon.co.jp.

*the Shroud of Darkness trilogy contains (in chronological order): Shroud of Darkness, Lady of Fire and End of Days.

**some stockist take up to two weeks to display new titles after the day of release. Users with nook, kobo or iOS devices can download compatible copies of End of Days directly from the approved Etsy store or from Smashwords.com. For those who prefer paperbacks, you can buy direct from the printers here.

Amazon Kindle Content Issues

News

Amazon have announced today that there are some problems with Kindle book service.

“At this time, customers who have purchased a Kindle book cannot automatically download the revised content. Our technical team is aware of this issue and working to automate this process.”

The Kindle system is supposed to offer customers the opportunity to update their Kindles when publishers and authors update or revise the book files on the amazon system. This doesn’t affect new customers of books though.

“Please be assured that, the latest version of your title is what is currently available for sale on our website; hence, customers will receive the updated version only.”

March Sale!

C.S. Woolley, Chronicles of Celadmore, News, Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren, Sales

For all those ebook readers out there – Smashwords is currently running a site wide promotion with hundreds of books available with 75% off, 50% off and 25% off with the codes RAE75, RAE50 and RAE25.

Rising Empire: Part 1, Shroud of Darkness, Lady of Fire, Standing by the Watchtower, the Kevin Metis Saga and the Derek Long Saga are all available for just $1.50 with the discount code RAE50.

Follow the links below to get your hands on these ebooks at the discounted price. This offer is only until 7th March 2015 is get your kindle, iBooks, Kobo and nook book compatible ebooks whilst you can!

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/268300

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/372122

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/265323

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/334925

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/312477

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/312485

Pre-Order News!

C.S. Woolley, Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren

Just three days to go until Filling the Afterlife from the Underworld: Volume 3 is released! The proofs for the paperback have been approved, the digital editions are all ready to go!

You can pre-order the digital editions from your local amazon store at http://mybook.to/FTAFTUV3

Pre-order for just 66p from kobo http://ow.ly/JwziA

Pre-order from iBooks and Apple https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/nicolette-mace-raven-siren/id962793988?mt=11

All other digital formats and the paperbacks will be available for purchase on 28th February 2015

Mightier Than the Sword UK Publications

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