tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7727694476862219082026-05-04T00:02:46.286+01:00Award winning author of fantasy and historical fiction for young readers.Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comBlogger332125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-30968334074062152642025-05-29T12:55:00.007+01:002026-05-02T16:42:55.942+01:00

Hello everyone!I've been writing fantasy stories since I was seven years old, but it was another 30 years before my debut novel was picked off the slush pile by Harry Potter editor Barry Cunningham.Song Quest went on to win the UK's inaugural Branford Boase Award (2000), and has since enjoyed several later editions with Chicken House, Scholastic US, and Catnip, becoming the

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Love audiobooks?Then I have some good news! You can now listen to my short tale of Queen Boudicca for older readers 'Empire of the Hare' on Audible. You will need about half an hour to listen to the whole story, which is just perfect for a coffee break.Audibleor get it from AmazonThis story of the British warrior queen's last stand against the Roman invaders was shortlisted for the Library of

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-74003886630055691792025-01-01T16:41:00.004+00:002025-01-01T16:41:50.805+00:00

 * Wishing all my readers a very happy and creative New Year *I painted this unicorn and her rider for the front cover of my Spellfall sequel, Spell Spring.Find out more about these books on the Earthaven page. 

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According to the National Literacy Trust, kids (particularly boys) are not reading for pleasure these days, preferring to get their thrills from films and online games instead. In response, Faber have launched a competition to find action-packed, filmic books for this readership. If they had not already been published, I might have entered some of mine, which are tried and tested to suit the

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Good news!You can now listen to my second novel Spellfall in audiobook format, thanks to Apple's audio project using digital narrators. The complete book is about 8 hours long and costs about the same as a cup of coffee. You can listen to a free sample here.SPELLFALL audiobookBoth of my Earthaven titles - Spellfall and the sequel Spell Spring - are also available in paperback

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-68491300275782847612024-04-12T16:58:00.002+01:002024-04-12T16:58:21.534+01:00

With all the stormy weather we've been having this winter, we definitely need a spell for spring... so here it is!Spell Spring* only 99p/99c until 1st May *This long-awaited sequel to Spellfall celebrates the Blossoming, when the giant soultrees of Earthaven burst into flower. Unlike trees in our world (which are fertilised by insects such as bees or beetles), Earthaven's blossoms need to be

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Midwinter the fairy host did ride,souls of men to their saddles tied,when brave Rhianna challenged their lordto a bloodless duel for the Sword."Rhianna Pendragon, it's time for you to choose, " Lord Avallach said. "You can ride your fairy horse back to Avalon with us now, or you can choose to stay in the world of men with your own people. But be warned. If you stay, you might never see your

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Download the first three 'Hoofprints' (chapters) of my most popular novel I am the Great Horse - free for epub!Prince of MacedoniaIf you enjoy these chapters, you can read the rest of Alexander the Great's epic story straight from the horse's mouth in either paperback or ebook:I am the Great Horse(age 12 - adult)I am the Great Horse was first published in hardcover (2006) by

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-69252678292862090852022-12-18T14:01:00.003+00:002022-12-18T14:01:53.031+00:00

Wishing all my readers a magical festive season!If you haven't met King Arthur's daughter and her fairy horse, here's a free Kindle prequel story for you to download and read over the holidays.Horse of Mist(free for Kindle)And if you enjoy this short story, the good news is there are four full-length novels (available as both ebook and paperback) featuring Rhianna Pendragon and her friends, as

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-72636755795442399642022-05-20T10:04:00.001+01:002022-05-20T10:04:05.514+01:00

I can hardly believe it has been 22 years since I nervously climbed up on a stage in London before the great and good of UK children's publishing to receive the inaugural Branford Boase Award from Jacqueline Wilson, one of the judges that year.Song Quest plus Branford Boase AwardMy editor Barry Cunningham, who famously discovered JK Rowling's Harry Potter, also received an award to recognise his

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-29347908134288756572022-01-08T12:50:00.001+00:002022-01-08T12:50:33.105+00:00

 January special offer!Download the ebook of my latest historical novel "The Horse Who Would Be Emperor" for only 99p / 99c.Kindleepub (Apple, Kobo, Nook or other store of your choice)paperback also available.

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 King Arthur's daughter Rhianna Pendragon would like to wish all her readers a magical festive season! Free short storyHorse of MistFind out more about the Pendragon series click here.

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The trees are turning gold, and the world seems just a little bit more magical at this time of year. There might be a good reason for that enchanted feeling. Did you know that trees can communicate underground via their roots, and will even send help if one of their number needs nourishment or is threatened? This is known as the Wood Wide Web and was the concept behind my 2000 novel

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 For those of you who are curious about debut books and authors, this is how it all started for me.My first book Song Quest was originally published in 1999 by Element Books, and went on to win the inaugural Branford Boase Award, presented annually to the author and editor of an outstanding debut novel for young readers published in the UK that year.Song Quest (Element

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-53205632620170538092021-06-18T17:15:00.006+01:002021-06-18T17:15:58.955+01:00

Emperor Caligula's favourite racehorse Incitatus "the Swift" eats gold for breakfast, attends the Senate, and has 18 slaves to look after him... and that was just the start of his rise to fame.Read the incredible story of the horse who became heir to the Roman Empire!Now available in paperback from Amazon.The Horse Who Would Be Emperorpaperback UKpaperback USFor more great horse stories, see&nbsp

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-49034977917311423622021-04-20T18:54:00.005+01:002021-04-20T18:54:54.027+01:00

Following in the hoof prints of my Alexander the Great novel I am the Great Horse, I'm delighted to announce the publication of a brand new novel telling the story of another famous horse from history... meet Roman challenger, Incitatus the Swift!Incitatus - the horse who would be EmperorEmperor Caligula's favourite racehorse eats gold for breakfast, attends the Senate, and has 18 slaves to

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-8066593737314745472021-01-07T14:16:00.002+00:002021-01-07T14:18:53.525+00:00

Since we are now back in lockdown (for the third time), and the only fun journeys we can make are imaginary ones, I have another special offer for young readers.Book 1 of my Pendragon Legacy series Sword of Light is now only 99p for Kindle!SWORD OF LIGHThttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Sword-Light-Pendragon-Legacy-Book-ebook/dp/B08776B5SQ/Join King Arthur's daughter Rhianna Pendragon and her friends on a

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-59357378109748589482020-11-22T17:47:00.000+00:002020-11-22T17:47:06.876+00:00

WPA packhorse librarians, Kentucky, 1935-ish(image: public domain) This year, we've all come to appreciate what is essential to our lives - and it's not always what the government thinks. Yes, we all need food, and sometimes we need medicine. But books are also essential items in my view, and so are libraries - without my local library, I might never have become a reader or a writer, and my

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November is never exactly fun, and this year we have a second lockdown to make it hardly worth the 30 days on a calendar. My writing room calendar has a rather weary-looking unicorn making its slow way through the stars, and I feel much the same myself. Seems the best method of escape this month is through the pages of a book, which can whisk you through the back of a wardrobe into Narnia,

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-6173275431995870792020-10-22T15:07:00.000+01:002020-10-22T15:07:24.107+01:00

It's been a tough year for many people, and things were pretty tough in publishing even before the dreaded virus and its associated emergency rules locked down half the world. The latest casualty of this summer is the small but passionate UK publisher of historical fiction, Greystones Press, which has sadly now closed its doors, taking my YA Genghis Khan novel Bone Music out of print,

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-30640902844593081692020-10-05T16:19:00.002+01:002020-11-04T17:05:39.195+00:00

Apologies for the lack of recent posts on this blog. I have an excuse! I've been busy finishing a new book... not saying anything else about it yet, since it's about to start looking for a home.Meanwhile, back in the real world, it's been a really strange year. Apparently, we still have last year's Evil Virus lurking in the shadows to worry about, but since I'm 90% certain I had the bug back in

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-31741775853871372212020-08-18T16:11:00.001+01:002020-08-18T16:13:17.783+01:00

Or should that be proof-reading? You'll see both, and sometimes also 'proof reading' as two words. My 1984 Oxford dictionary favours the hyphen, though most people these days seem to use 'proofreading' as a single word (I suspect it has become a single word in later editions of many dictionaries). So why does it matter? You all know what it means, right? Or maybe what it used to mean. My

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-16871275593439838932020-08-01T17:39:00.003+01:002020-08-02T19:54:08.411+01:00

The unicorn has added a third collection to my Ampersand Tales series of short fiction. As with my earlier fantasy and science fiction collections, this book contains seven stories - plus a short bonus story about King Midas' wife. (The king who got the golden touch, remember him? Sounds good in theory, but he did go through rather a lot of wives...) FREE DOWNLOAD 3rd & 4th August! short

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-55216782477912434652020-06-27T17:00:00.001+01:002020-08-13T16:48:32.467+01:00

Out there in the Real World, there are rumours you have an Evilvirus on the loose (which I imagine as an invisible chimera, waiting to fry everyone with its fiery breath if you get too close... that's within "one metre plus" in England, or two metres in other parts of the UK because clearly Welsh chimeras breathe more fire than English ones). Meanwhile, safe here in unicorn country, things

Katherine Robertshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-772769447686221908.post-32108695136114357752020-06-08T13:58:00.000+01:002020-06-17T15:11:55.979+01:00

Pendragon Legacy Book 1: Sword of Light Meet King Arthur's daughter, Rhianna Pendragon, as she sets out to find her father's sword Excalibur and challenge her dark cousin Mordred for the throne. Read the ebook for only 99p / 99c Kindle epub Paperback also available Sword of Light (age 8-12) Books 2, 3 and 4 of this series are also available in ebook and paperback with

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