The Shadows of the Monolith: Book One
Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, Horror, Satire, Politics
Date Published: October 3, 2023
Publisher: Spinner Loom Press
“A GRIPPING DARK FANTASY THAT IMMERSES YOU IN A WORLD OF DEADLY POWER POLITIC AND CORRUPTION.” Richard Moriarty – The Sun
With each new dawn, the celestial body known only as ‘Calamity’ draws closer – and with it the end of the world. Humanity’s only hope from oblivion rests in the menhirs, towering bastions of scholarship and imagination which cast long shadows across the lands. The scholars within the menhirs devote themselves selflessly to the discovery of new magic that will help avert the impending apocalypse … or so the masses have been made to understand.
In a society divided between those with occult potential and lay citizens, Tara Langcraw is recruited into the Amber Menhir with great interest. The long-awaited heiress of a bloodline bearing the rarest of the six magical disciplines, time manipulation, she is expected to flourish within this noble citadel of learning, as are her friends and fellow recruits, Roland Ward and Peony Bianchi.
They soon find, however, that those who fail to meet expectations, or who dare to challenge the prevailing order, put more than their marks on the line. For the menhir squirms with rivalries, and those who stand against the status quo may not stand for very long.
Interview
What is
the hardest part of writing your books?
I think the hardest part of writing is
accepting when a passage, chapter, or book is done. There must come a moment in
the editing process when you let it go. You have to accept that no story is
ever perfect and that you’ve taken your tale as far as it can go, for now, by
your skill level.
I’m happy with how The Amber Menhir
went. The final product is one I’m proud of. The second book (The Eggs
Inside) is in okay shape but still on the mend. I’m hard on my writing, and
I’ve struggled more with the second (but not the third) book than the first.
I’ve got some months longer to work on it but, as I said, at some point, I’ll
have to put the tale in a reed basket and send it down the Nile. Maybe someone
rich will adopt it.
What songs
are most played on your Ipod?
You’re going to judge me. Before we go any
farther, I’d like to mount my defense. I… never claimed to have sophisticated
tastes in music. For me, it’s kinda the bubblier the better. I have gallows
humor galore outside of music… but I’m basically a thirteen-year-old girl on
the inside when it comes to sonic stimuli. Forgive me?
Right Now:
Timber, Pitbull & Ke$ha
Die Another Day, Madonna
Big Time Sensuality, Bjork
Summer Baby, Jonas Brothers
Under the Sea, The Little Mermaid Soundtrack
Do you
have critique partners or beta readers?
I have editors and a couple of beta readers.
I read passages that I’ve drafted to people more than anything else. The truth
is I don’t know many recreational readers in my personal life. That’s probably
why writing The Amber Menhir was such an isolating process for me.
Maybe, if the first book is successful, I’ll encounter a few readers/writers to
collaborate with for the next installment? I’d like that a lot.
What book
are you reading now?
I’m finishing up a reread of The Name of
the Wind (Rothfuss) and I’ve started The Secret Life of Puppets
(Nelson). For the last few years, I’ve delved almost exclusively into fantasy
books to inspire my own writing. Only now am I branching out again. I’m particularly excited about Nelson’s book.
I hear it’s bonkers. It’s rumored to start out as an austere treatment of the
history of puppets that… goes a bit off the rails, shall we say?
How did
you start your writing career?
I’ve always wanted to write a fantasy novel. A
few years ago, I ran into dangerous waters in my career. I was offered a golden
parachute to leave. That’s a rosy way of putting it anyhow. I took the offer.
After all that, I was left with the question
of what to do with my life. I considered continuing on in science. I even took
an interim position in education to keep my expertise sharp. I’m ambitious by
nature, which isn’t always a good thing. I finally turned to creative
writing.
I’d planned to try to pen a fantasy novel in
my 40s. Turns out, that plan got moved up. Maybe it came at figurative
gunpoint, true, but still I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to write The
Amber Menhir. I know it sounds
trite, but I think it was therapeutic. I’m not normally the saccharine
sort. I apologize.
Tell
us about your next release.
The Amber Menhir debuted today (October 3, 2023). I’ve drafted two of its
sequels (The Eggs Inside, Hives of Glass), and I have a rough idea of
how the last two books will go. I spend most of my free time editing The
Eggs Inside these days, and fret about it when I’m not. I want it to debut
next summer. Within its pages we see the
Amber Menhir, a famed magical school, broken and its brethren schools, the
other menhirs, slither up from all over the continent to assist their ailing
friend… But the truth is, the Amber Menhir fears the approach of these supposed
helpers, and a game of cat-and-mouse ensues. The web of deceits grows broader
and deeper within The Eggs Inside, as our heroes learn secrets that
could upturn the fragile order of their world.
I hope folks love The Amber Menhir. For those that do, they’re in
for a double-dose of venomous world-building in its sequel.
About the Author
JONATHAN N. PRUITT
The Amber Menhir, book one of The Shadows of the Monolith series, marks the debut of high fantasy author Jonathan N. Pruitt. A lifelong educator who has taught around the world, Pruitt enjoys spinning spellbinding tales of dark magic and political intrigue. When not toiling away on writing projects, Pruitt can be found traversing about the great outdoors. For more information, visit www.TheShadowsoftheMonolith.com.
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