In the wake of his success last year, Kingston author Randy Henderson is set to tour in support of his new novel, “Finn Fancy Necromancy.”
“It’s my debut novel,” Henderson said. “It will be a first book in a (three book) series.”
Henderson said “Finn Fancy Necromancy” is an adult genre novel, but is also apt for young adult readers too.
First editions hit store shelves on Feb. 10. Henderson made an author appearance at the University Bookstore in Seattle for the release. Poulsbo’s Liberty Bay Books hosted him the following evening, then Bainbridge Island’s Eagle Harbor Book Co. on Feb. 12. It marks the beginning of Henderson’s book tour for “Finn Fancy Necromancy.”
“I will be doing a tour down the West Coast hitting the Portland area and several locations in California,” Henderson said.
The tour will take him as far south as San Diego. A full schedule of Henderson’s book tour, including Northwest appearances, is online at www.randy-henderson.com.
Henderson’s debut novel humorously follows Finn Gramaraye, who last experienced our reality through the lens of the 1980s. The book picks up after Gramaraye returns to the modern world, quite different from how he left it.
“It’s basically about a young man, who is a magic user, that is wrongly accused of a crime,” Henderson said. “In 1986, as a teenager, he is framed for a magical crime and is sent to a fairy world for 25 years, and when he returns to our world, he is framed for another crime. There’s a lot of ’80s references and jokes. It focuses on humor a lot.”
Readers can also find other references from the Northwest, where the story is set.
“It’s based in Port Townsend. They visit Kingston, they go to the EMP in Seattle. They visit some local landmarks, and the feel should be familiar to Northwest readers,” Henderson said.
Henderson has written extensively within the science fiction realm, which requires considerable research. “Finn Fancy Necromancy” is Henderson’s attempt as a writer to break from the research routine and have a little fun. It therefore branches more into fantasy than science fiction, and draws heavily from the Kitsap and Olympic regions.
“I wanted to focus on having fun with the story, and not doing a lot of research, so I used the areas I was familiar with,” Henderson said. “And I love Port Townsend. It’s a great town and it begs to be a setting for a story with magic.”
Editors at Tor Books — a science fiction and fantasy publisher — found it fun too. They picked it up for a three-book deal. Depending on its success, however, there could be more books, beyond three.
“If people like it, we will continue with the series,” Henderson said. “It’s planned as the first of three books, in a potentially ongoing series.”
The novel’s release follows Henderson’s 2014 Writers of the Future award, presented by speculative fiction’s best and brightest. He was further honored with contest’s Golden Pen Award, given to the top writer of the year.
