THE TRUTH IS EVERYONE LIES

Global civilisation has collapsed. Isolated pockets of humanity survive, struggling with sparse resources in an arid climate. The town of Athenia lies in flames, its thin veneer of civilisation exposed as a fraud. Having led the rebellion against Athenia’s corrupt and oppressive leaders, Finbarl and Aminatra escape with Karlmon over the Agore mountains towards a new world of promise. Does their dream of freedom and fulfilment await?

An unfamiliar land has plenty of surprises in store for them. No longer are they hemmed in by walls, deserts and mountains, while the more frequent rains add a welcome green to the landscape. On discovering the city states of Taliphia, flaunting a superior civilisation, they can even hope their journey has reached its destination. But hope and freedom need the truth if they are ever to become a reality.

Book Cover Insight

Judge a book by its cover: that’s the marketing advice. Your discerning reader will be able to tell if what lies within suits their taste by what is presented on the outside of the book. So, for an author, making a decision on your book cover is very important and as an indie author the choice is entirely my own. One thing you’ll have noticed about both books so far in the Liberty series is I don’t have characters populating the sleeve. There is no exciting scene from the action within, no personification of Finbarl or Aminatra. This was deliberate. I didn’t want to imprint on the mind of the reader my own (or the artist’s) image of the characters. Even within the text, I leave the description of both as vague as possible, just a hint at height or hair colour. This allows the reader to better project their own image of each, and builds the sense of ownership. So, my preference was for symbolic covers, something that hints at the cerebral nature of the adventures. The fist in the flame for Liberty Bound was not my idea but appeared to suitably represent rebellion in a collapsing world. A dove in a bird cage was entirely my idea for Where Liberty Lies. Deceit, deception and their impact on freedom were the concepts to capture. Not easy! Doves, that most symbolic of birds, not only represent peace but also freedom. If money were no object in this book writing game, then I would have a 3D cover (like those bookmarks that adjust their image with a tilt of the hand). The wings of the dove would flap, the surrounding cage momentarily disappear, then reappear: freedom gained, then lost again under the illusion. But sometimes life’s not fair and the budget constraints said 2D or nothing. So, the dove flies as though free, while a cage, its door open and hinting at freedom, constrains it, a metaphor for the lies that imprison us in our lives.

If you enjoy Where Liberty Lies, and think it deserves to break out of orbit, please shout about it to friends, family and bookshop owners.

Thanks

Nathaniel