This is the moment in an author’s life that we live for. Getting your book in the mail and seeing your words in print is one thing, but when the book is finally published and “live,” it’s a whole new experience. I have gone through this four times now, and the fifth one is just as sweet as the previous four . . . if not sweeter! This is my FIRST book published through a publishing house—Curious Corvid Publishing. I’ve submitted many of my manuscripts to publishers and agents for consideration. The River of Souls was the first time someone said YES to me!

This was not a single piece of work. I had the pleasure of collaborating with a wonderful poet, Ashley Valitutto, to help tell the story through her poems. The idea was that war, strife, and bigotry weighs heavy on a person. For many people, poetry is a way of expression and therapy in hopes of dealing with pain. Her words brought my story together better than I could imagine.

I also want to thank Ravven White and Curious Corvid Publishing for taking me on as one of their authors. I met Ravven over a Zoom call, and we talked for more than an hour about my writing career, previously published books, and my works in progress. After she told me all about Curious Corvid, she offered to bring me on board. I wanted to jump out of my chair and scream to the highest mountaintop. After more than ten years of wandering the wilderness as a self-published author, I made it to nirvana. If you get a chance, visit Curious Corvid Publishing to and check out the myriad of authors writing fantasy, sci-fi-, horror, paranormal, and poetry “from the dark side” of literature.

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Across The River of Souls, the boundless cosmic lifestream that connects all worlds, a young man lay dying underneath a crumpled automobile. He hears a voice crying out for help, begging not to be left alone. Desperate to make something of his life, he offers himself to God to be there for her.

On a distant world, Malcolm Seger, a human, and his wife Alyssa, a dragonkin, moved to the parish of Fairhaven to begin a new life together after serving in what the people of Fawleen called “The Endless War.” But just when they settled in, Malcolm succumbs to deadly “dragon dust” and lies near death. Grief-stricken, Alyssa uses her magic to save her true love through the spell of restoration, powerful magic combining two souls into one. He died in one world and was reborn in another.

Now begins their new life together in a land filled with distrust, bigotry, and hatred between races. Can two people from different worlds find love and peace to show what lies beyond The River of Souls?

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The River of Souls officially releases on Sunday, August 21, but you can pre-order it now at Amazon. Pick up your copy or download the ebook today!

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Mark Piggott is an award-winning independent author of several fantasy/steampunk novels and short stories. A 23-year U.S. Navy veteran, his stories will take you from the shores of eternal Avalon to a dystopian steampunk future and other worlds.

The Forever Avalon fantasy book series—including Forever Avalon, The Dark Tides, and The Outlander War—is available online at Amazon and other booksellers. His fantasy steampunk novel, The Last Magus: A Clockwork Heart, is available through Lulu and other booksellers.

Get ready for The River of Souls fantasy novella from Curious Corvid Publishing. Coming in 2023 from Curious Corvid—the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, and The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel. Stay tuned for more new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.