I am a fantasy writer at heart. It will always be my first love when it comes to storytelling, as is the legend of King Arthur. The Arthurian legend is always the first fantasy story of magic in our world. My first novel, Forever Avalon, is based on that legend, as is my latest foray into fantasy, but this one is a YA fantasy.

Gwen Iver and Pendragon’s Puzzle takes you to the town of Camelot Cove, a quiet village on the shores of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Most people know Camelot Cove as a fishing town, but this sleepy little community has a secret. Camelot Cove is the home of the Fae—magical beings from myth and legend. From mermaids and centaurs to elves and dwarves, the community is a mixture of humans and Fae. They were brought together in this out-of-the-way place by Merlin and the Lady of the Lake under the protection of the Pendragon. The power of the Pendragon has passed from generation to generation as the guardian of the Fae for centuries. That power now waits to be passed to the next descendant of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. Gwen Iver is a fifteen-year-old girl starting her first day of high school. Surrounded by friends and facing off against her rivals, Gwen was about to begin a journey into a magical world of infinite possibilities when she unlocks Pendragon’s Puzzle.

This is a story I wrote for my great nephews and nieces, the future readers of the next generation. I usually write more “adult” fare, not graphic but enough to keep my books out of the hands of young readers. I wanted to write something that would speak to their generation. So, I created a fictional town on the UP (as its called) of Michigan where the Fae reside in secret. It was fun to combine the Arthurian legend with the magical creatures of myth and legend and bring them into a modern setting. Yes, it does have a bit of a “storybook land” theme to it, but that’s what I love about it. It’s simple yet complex in its environment. I mean a witch running the candy shop, dwarves owning a tavern, and a dryad with a flower shop. It doesn’t get any better than that. Plus, it was a challenge to use names of the Knights of the Round Table for Gwen’s friends (G Wayne for Gawain, Maude Reddy for Mordred), but I wanted to try and give it that Arthurian kick. The first name that came to me was the main character, Gwen Iver for Guinevere. It just made perfect sense to me.

Right now, I am going through the edits provided by my editor, Anna Corbeaux, and collecting the chapter art from the art students at my alma mater, Phillipsburg High School (as previously mentioned on my page). This will be an amazing collaboration between an old writer and young artists in this book. The cover reveal will be soon, but for now, I’ll keep you guessing with weekly teases on my social media posts.

As always, I hope you will take the opportunity to dive into my fantastic imagination and read my carefully woven stories of fantasy and steampunk adventures. Head over to Buy My Books if you want to read more or visit my Events page to meet me at an upcoming festival or convention, , including April 6 at the Annapolis Comic-Con! I hope to see you there!

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 fantastic worlds as he weaves through a myriad of flights of fancy in his tales.

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

Cross over The River of Souls in a fantasy novella, take flight in the steampunk historical fiction, Corsair and the Sky Pirates, and the saga continues in The Last Magus: Dragonfire and Steel from Curious Corvid Publishing. The Prometheus Engine: Book Four of the Forever Avalon Series along with his first YA fantasy, Gwen Iver and Pendragon’s Puzzle, are coming soon from Curious Corvid. Stay tuned for new fantastic stories from the imagination of Mark Piggott.