“Visceral and vivid, Bane of All Things is a gorgeously imagined ride. I enjoyed getting to know these characters and the world of monsters and magic they inhabit. A terrific read.”
These heartwarming words came just this morning from fellow Ottawa-area scribe Kate Heartfield. She is the author of Armed in Her Fashion, Alice Payne Rides, and, coming early next year from HarperVoyager UK, The Embroidered Book.
It’s hard to believe we are just two months from Bane of All Things’ release day on Nov. 16. Even more unbelievable (and affirming) is that I have fellow authors like Kate, whom I have admired for years, sharing their enthusiasm for my work.
My publisher continues to make the rounds with the bloggers and the magazines and e-zines that might post a book review or agree to interview yours truly. In a few weeks I will be launching a giveaway on Goodreads to also drive attention to BoAT.
World Fantasy Con
Coming up on Nov. 4 to 7 is the 2021 World Fantasy Convention. As the “World” in the name suggests, this is a big deal. The Con is hosted by a different city in Canada, the U.S. or the U.K. each year. This time, it’s in Montreal – only a few hours down the road from my house. I bought my ticket way back in 2019. It will be my first time at this event and, as a debut author to boot, it should be memorable. There will be mandatory vaccinations and masks for all.
Would you like to join my Street Team?
The call is now open for volunteers to join my “Street Team” and help spread the word about BoAT. As a Street Team member, you are agreeing to be a positive and supportive cheerleader, because any debut needs all the positive press it can get!
Your participation could take any of several forms:
If you are interested in taking part in any way with the Street Team, or if you have other ideas for how you might like to help, don’t hesitate to email me: leo@leovaliquette.com
That’s all for now. Stay safe and keep reading!
Happy Monday to all my Henderson House supporters!
Howdy and happy Sunday! Just a quick update on Bane of All Things, as we count down toward that Nov. 16 release date.
A few weeks back, Fantasy Hive, a British e-zine for all things fantasy, graciously featured Tim Barber’s awesome cover design. We talked about how we arrived at this design, what it represents, and what it evokes about the story. Check it out here!
Meanwhile, the ARCs (advance reader copies in digital format) have been available for five weeks now on NetGalley. Scores of advance readers have requested the book and the reviews are slowly starting to roll in. I am glad to say the handful so far have been favourable. These reviews, most of which also post to Goodreads, are critical to draw fantasy fans to the book.
Bane of All Things also continues to populate bookseller websites around the world. It’s something else to see yourbook with your name on it searchable on the websites for booksellers from the U.K. and various other European countries, to Brazil, Singapore and Australia.
Lastly, I finished a few days ago my review of the final corrections by the proof-reader. Everything is well in hand for the final proof to head to the printer by the Aug. 6 deadline. It’s almost an actual real book!
And, very important: If you have print copies coming your way in November, please ensure you have an up-to-date mailing address on file with Inkshares. It’s been a while since you originally pre-ordered (the pre-order campaign ran from October 2018 to April 2019). You will need to log-in to the Inkshares account you created back then and check your details there.
Stay safe and keep reading!
Cheers
Leo

Hey, how’s it going! I am glad to report that the reveal of Bane of All Things’ cover last week met with widespread praise.
So, what’s next? Garnering advance reviews and buzz to make sure this book is a success … and there are things you can do to help with that.
First, if you are active on Goodreads.com, you can add BoAT to lists where it will gain more attention. There are literally thousands of existing lists, created by users like us.
Some of the lists that may be a fit for BoAT include:
I could go on, but you get the idea. You can add a book to as many lists as you want.
And you can of course add BoAT to your own Want to Read list or Fantasy or Epic Fantasy Shelf. (Creating your own Shelf for a specific genre like Fantasy or Epic Fantasy and adding a book there is also key to how Goodreads’ algorithm works to help other users find the kinds of books they want to read.)
Second, there is NetGalley.com. Publishers post their upcoming titles here. You can sign up for free as a reviewer to get an advance digital copy of a book for free in exchange for an honest review. BoAT is available there now. Of course, if you have pre-ordered BoAT, you have already paid for a copy or copies that you will receive this fall.
(If you do decide to sign up at NetGalley, you may want to use the NetGalley Shelf app on your mobile device for reading versus the Send to Kindle option. The Kindle-friendly file format isn’t available yet and the current PDF has some clunky formatting issues on a Kindle. You can read it on a Kindle, but it’s not pretty.)
That’s it for now. Your continued support is so very much appreciated. It seems like only yesterday that BoAT’s release date of Nov. 16 was eight months off. Now it’s only four and change!
Stay safe and keep reading.
Cheers
Leo

Howdy! It’s with great pleasure and excitement that I reveal, at long last, the real cover for Bane of All Things!

But wait, there’s more!
As I have noted before, Bane of All Things is meant to be the first of four books. I have finally landed on a title for the series – A Silence of Worlds. (I will dig into the meaning behind that in a future update.)
Now, about this cover
It’s been a long time coming, this cover reveal – decades, even. I’ve had plenty of ideas over the years of what could be the cover for this story, drifting between a particular tense action scene, or some dramatic posing of my main characters.
When cover designer Tim Barber of Dissect Designs asked me about it a few months back, I sent him a pile of ideas and descriptions. He wanted to avoid the overused fantasy cover concepts that crowd the shelf. But still, it had to be true to the story.
Tim further brainstormed with Inkshares CEO Adam Gomolin and Deputy Publicity Manager Noah Broyles, who will be driving the book’s launch and who has, of course, read it.
“I was basically grilling Noah about what he would see if he was holding the book in his hands,” Tim told me. “He described rocks at the edge of water, a fortress/castle at the edge. Cold, but not snow. An unforgiving place. To me, this is how I pictured what he described. When I showed it to him his reaction was, ‘Yes, that’s it, that’s what I saw.’”
That scene is found in Chapter Three, where our two main characters, Ryn and Josalind, arrive at their destination – Dragon’s Claw Abbey. I asked Noah why he considered this particular image so powerful.
It’s all about atmosphere
“The arrival at Dragon’s Claw Abbey was potent for me in terms of both the striking imagery and what it meant for the characters,” Noah said. “I imagine the reality of being a convict is no more vivid than when you first come in sight of your prison. This place is not only the end of the world as far as civilization is concerned, but also the end of the world for Ryn and Josalind. Or so they think.”
It’s a foggy morning in that scene, not a stormy night, but Tim’s fantastic design captures the scope and atmosphere of the story as a whole. There is a storm coming. What Ryn and Josalind don’t yet realize when they first set eyes on Dragon’s Claw is that it’s already begun.
What’s next?
The awesome Avalon Radys, Inkshares’ Director of Editorial and Publishing Operations, will start sending out ARCs – Advance Reader Copies. These go to reviewers and established authors to build advance buzz and net (hopefully) favourable reviews for Goodreads, Amazon and so on before Release Day. We also want to bag a strong quote from a known name in the fantasy genre to add to the cover.
I can’t wait until November when the final product will be in your hands!
(P.S.: Noah has a novel of his own coming out in September, The House of Dust, a southern gothic horror described by one reviewer as being “full of nightmarish imagery wrapped in elegant prose.”)
Cheers
Leo
Hello Everyone,
Well, the 2020 All Genre Manuscript Contest has officially come to a full close and, unfortunately, Beyond the Masquerade wasn’t chosen. Because of this and the fact that the campaign is nowhere near the pre-order goal, I have decided to end the campaign and reevaluate how I am going to move forward.
Thank you all for your support. It didn’t turn out the way I would have liked but, I believe it was still worth it. I’m still going to keep the book page up through Inkshares to get information and my work out to you all so follow if you want to stay in touch.
Thanks again for all the support and good will.
Kelsey Rae Barthel
Dear Henderson House Supporters,