The Sniggard’s Revenge by Jeff Chapman

Back of the Book

Taking from a Barrow? Not a good idea.

Ethan’s family has fallen from owning a manor to scraping by on a small farm. As he approaches manhood, his prospects don’t look very promising. And Arabella, the girl he’s set his sights on, is the daughter of the Squire. Goaded by his younger brother, Ethan enters the Barrow, fights for his life with the tomb guardian, and escapes with a silver gorget.

Ethan hatches a plan to impress Arabella with the gorget. At the same time, the Sniggard, who guards the Barrow, makes plans to retrieve the stolen item. Ethan’s plans go horribly awry. The Squire stands in his way. The Sniggard kidnaps Arabella. And Ethan stumbles into Faerie.

It’s up to Ethan to fix the mess he’s created and rescue Arabella from a life of captivity with the Sniggard. But how’s a farm boy supposed to accomplish any of those monumental tasks?

The Sniggard’s Revenge is a gripping novel of fantasy adventure. If you like strong and dynamic characters, rich descriptions, magic, and trips to Faerie, then you’ll love Jeff Chapman’s The Sniggard’s Revenge.

Buy The Sniggard’s Revenge today to follow Ethan on journeys to fantastical lands and into battle with fantastical creatures.

Author Interview

1. Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey, please?

I remember some story writing assignments from grade school but those were derivative. I was probably sixteen when I started creating my own stories. These were Edgar Allan Poe-inspired stories of the weird and macabre. Fortunately, none of those early attempts has survived, but my initial interest in the macabre lingers in the darker elements of my fantasy tales. I wrote off and on over the years, more as a hobby. After surviving a serious illness, I became series about publishing. I focused on short stories for magazines and small press anthologies. I then moved on to writing novels.

2. How do you decide who your books are dedicated to?

I dedicate them to my children or in the case of two of my books, cats who played a role in the inspiration for the story or characters.

3. What was the inspiration behind your latest release?

I began what would become The Sniggard’s Revenge with a couple teenagers gambling during a game of checkers on a village street. I planned for one of them to become entangled with the magical guardian of an ancient barrow. The story developed from there in many interesting and surprising directions.

4. Do you find it hard to let your characters go when you finish writing the book?

Yes! I have yet to write a novel in which I felt that I was done with a character. All my novels are crying out for sequels because there are unfinished threads of the story outside the story arc of the original novel. I plan to revisit all these characters and their stories.

5. What was your favourite read of 2022?

The books that surprised me the most were from Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle series. I usually don’t enjoy urban fantasy, but those books were wonderful.

6. Who is your favourite author?

Am I required to pick only one person? Some of my favourite writers include Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Neil Gaiman, Brandon Sanderson, Robert E. Howard, Franz Kafka, Charles Todd, Ann Cleeves, and Michael Connelly. I could list many more. I try to read across a wide range of genres.

7. Was there a point in your life that a book helped you get through, and which one?

As I mentioned earlier, I went through a series of health crises a few years ago. I was rereading The Lord of the Rings at the time. Fortunately, it’s a very long series. Tolkien’s story gave me another world to focus on when life in my world was not going so well.

8. Is there anyone that you would like to mention and thank for their support of your writing?

My family has given me time to write, that is put up with me sitting up late with a light on. They have also encouraged my efforts and celebrated successes with me.

9. If you had the power to give everyone in the world one book, what would it be and why?

I would give everyone A Night in the Lonesome October. This is one of my favourite novels. I read it or listen to an audio version at least once a year, usually in October. The story is a fantasy/horror tale about the potential end of the world. It’s set in Victorian England and is narrated by a dog who is a familiar. It’s delightful and immensely entertaining. It also explores the value and boundless limits of friendship. The central relationship in the story is between the narrator dog and a cat who is on the opposite team.

10. What are you working on now?

I’m at work on a novel in my Merliss Tales fantasy series. Merliss is the spirit of a young woman who has been trapped inside the body of a gray cat. She had been training to become a healer/shaman, so she retains some magical abilities, but she lives as a cat. The magic which transferred her spirit to the cat gives her physical body an unusually long life. We’re talking thousands of years. Merliss aids her human companions in their battles with disease and supernatural threats. I’ve written two novels in the series (The Great Contagion and Cat Sidhe) and a short story “The Water Wight.” My work in progress is The Breath of the Sea, which is set several centuries in the future from the first two novels. The story revolves around an injured mermaid and a dying girl who befriends the mermaid. Merliss is drawn into events to protect the mermaid.

11. Lastly, do you have any questions for your readers?

What are you desperate to read more of?

Buy Link

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53331256-the-sniggard-s-revenge?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_22

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