Blog Archives
Unboxing the new books!
The new editions of my Cross series of supernatural thrillers have arrived so I made my first unboxing video! Check out the lovely new versions of The Mona Lisa Sacrifice, The Dead Hamlets and The Apocalypse Ark!
A supernatural thriller for a supernatural holiday
The Mona Lisa Sacrifice, the first book in my Cross series of supernatural thrillers, has made The Tyee’s holiday gift list! Very happy to see this. https://thetyee.ca/Presents/2024/12/05/Holiday-Book-Recommendations-Part-Two/
Update: The Mona Lisa Sacrifice also made the Fraser Valley Current’s Holiday Book Guide!
Turning pages with The Mona Lisa Sacrifice
I had a lovely conversation with Michael Elves about The Mona Lisa Sacrifice over at the Turning Pages radio show on 101.5 UMFM. We talked about the origins of the series, how difficult it is to write characters like Cross and his friends (namely Alice!), and the importance of knowing when to research the hell out of something and when to let the imagination run wild. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.
YouTube version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ShO9CtDTv0
So precioussss
I must admit that I’m enjoying all the images I’m seeing online of the new editions of my Cross books. These are some of my favourite covers yet!
More details:
Under the Cover: Behind the scenes of the Cross books
All Lit Up has published my “behind the scenes” account of creating my Cross series of supernatural thrillers. Learn about the ancient poem that was the inspiration for Cross and the first book, The Mona Lisa Sacrifice; why the second book, The Dead Hamlets, had to be a ghost story set in the theatre world; and why the third book, The Apocalypse Ark, is literary chaos.
Related
Publication day for The Mona Lisa Sacrifice!
It’s publication day for The Mona Lisa Sacrifice. I am absolutely thrilled to see the first book of my Cross series of supernatural thrillers back in print with a special new edition from Poplar Press, an imprint of Wolsak and Wynn.
The early reviews have been positive, and it’s been gratifying to see all the love and interest in the book on social media. I’ve particularly enjoyed the podcast conversations I’ve had around the book — it’s always lovely to be able to talk about books and the writing process. Here are a couple that have gone live so far:
If you’ve read The Mona Lisa Sacrifice and enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review on your platform of choice and/or spread the word about it on social media. Positive word of mouth is how most people discover new reads now, and it’s incredibly important to writers such as myself. The more people that learn about a book, the more potential readers it has. That means a greater chance of future books by the same author!
If you haven’t read The Mona Lisa Sacrifice yet, here’s a brief summary:
For thousands of years, Cross has wandered the earth, a mortal soul trapped in the undying body left behind by Christ. He’s been a thief, a con man, a soldier and a drunkard. He’s fought as a slave in the Colosseum and as a knight at King Arthur’s side. But now he must play the part of reluctant hero, as an angel comes to him for help finding the Mona Lisa—the real Mona Lisa that inspired the painting. Cross’s quest takes him into a secret world within our own, populated by characters just as strange and wondrous as he is: gorgons and dead gods hidden away in museums; faeries that live in countryside pubs, trapping and enslaving unwary travellers; and super-rich collectors who trade magical artifacts among themselves. He’s haunted by memories of Penelope, the only woman he truly loved, and he wants to avenge her death at the hands of his ancient enemy, Judas, a forgotten god from an ancient time. The angel promises to deliver Judas to Cross, but nothing is ever what it seems when Judas is involved, and when a group of renegade angels looking for a new holy war show up, things truly go to hell.
Anyway, I hope you like(d) the book. As always, thanks for reading!
Peter
From inspiration to The Dead Hamlets
I had a wonderful time talking to Ruff Radio about my book The Dead Hamlets and all things theatre — Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, performance vs. text, representation, the creative process, Ur-Hamlets and more. I actually worked in theatre a little in the past, and The Dead Hamlets is very much a love letter to those days. Many thanks to Christine Horne of Shakespeare in the Ruff for her thoughtful questions and theatre insights! I’d appreciate it if you give the interview a listen.
Here’s a bit of background to The Dead Hamlets if you’re not familiar with the book:
Something is rotten in the court of the faerie queen. A deadly spirit is killing off the faerie, and it has mysterious ties to Shakespeare’s play, “Hamlet.” The only one who can stop it is the immortal Cross, a charming rogue who also happens to be a drunk, a thief, and an angel killer. He is no friend of the faerie since they stole his daughter and made her one of their own. When it appears she may be the next victim of the haunting, though, he must race against time to save her. He encounters an eccentric and deadly cast of characters along the way: the real Witches of Macbeth, the undead playwright/demon hunter Christopher Marlowe, an eerie Alice from the Alice in Wonderland books, a deranged and magical scholar – and a very supernatural William Shakespeare. When Cross discovers a startling secret about the origins of “Hamlet” itself, he finds himself trapped in a ghost story even he may not be able to escape alive!
Vancouver Sun highly recommends The Mona Lisa Sacrifice
The reviews for the new editions of my Cross books are starting to appear, which is lovely. I’m so grateful to see these books out in the world, particularly with such beautiful new covers. And I’m very grateful to read the Vancouver Sun review of The Mona Lisa Sacrifice, which calls the book “a pleasurable, fast-moving romp through history and myth, conspiracy, and confusion.” I very much like the part where Tom Sandborn, the reviewer, says the book “is likely to find a large and enthusiastic audience.”
If you like The Mona Lisa Sacrifice or any of my other books, please consider leaving a review of them on your favourite platform. It’s the sort of thing that can really help boost a book’s profile and bring it to the attention of other readers. And more readers means publishers are likely to pick up an author’s next book, so that means more books as well. It’s pretty much a win for everyone! Unless, of course, you hate the book….
Link: https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/book-review-bc-peter-darbyshire-dan-brown-territory
Links to order The Mona Lisa Sacrifice
I’m delightful – and unsettling!
I’m grateful to see my book Has the World Ended Yet? included in 49th Shelf’s roundup of Story Collections to Delight & Unsettle. My goal in life is to be delightfully unsettling, so this is perfect!
Last chance to save on Cross pre-orders
Last call for discounts! A reminder that my Cross series of supernatural thrillers is 25% off until the end of August if you order directly from the publisher, Wolsak and Wynn. If you’re into books with immortal antiheroes that hunt down angels while solving literary mysteries AND you like discounts, then this is the series for you! https://bookstore.wolsakandwynn.ca/collections/cross-books
As I mentioned in an earlier post, it’s quite helpful for authors when you pre-order our books. The publishing environment is getting more difficult by the day (what isn’t?), and initial sales of a book can mean the difference between it reaching readers like you or disappearing without a trace. The more pre-orders a book gets, the more likely it is to get decent orders from bookstores and better placement, as well as higher rankings online. All of this ultimately translates into more readers, which in turn translates into more books by me or your other favourite authors. So pre-orders actually matter.
Also, Wolsak and Wynn says they’ll throw in some goodies like special bookmarks and such for pre-orders. I mean, who can possibly resist custom bookmarks?
Anyway, I hope you’re looking forward to the new editions of the books as much as I am. As always, thanks for reading.
– Peter
peter darbyshire 