Mike Shevdon was born in Yorkshire, grew up in Oxfordshire, lived in Bedfordshire for more than 30 years and moved back to South Yorkshire, so no-one can say he hasn’t travelled.
He has been an avid reader of fantasy since his early teens, he has a bulging bookshelf going back more than thirty years. His love of fantasy started with Edgar Rice Burroughs and C S Lewis and expanded rapidly, spilling over into SF, crime fiction (usually called Mystery in the US) and thrillers. His favourite authors include:
- Barbara Hambly (Time of the Dark.)
- Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Neverwhere)
- Sir Terry Pratchett (Diskworld – all of them)
- Ursula Le Guin (Earthsea, The Wind’s Twelve Quarters, Changing Planes)
- John le Carre (the George Smiley books, The Night Manager, The Constant Gardener)
- Alan Garner (The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, Elidor, The Owl Service, Red Shift)
- Mick Herron (the Jackson Lamb novels)
- Robert Crais (the Elvis Cole novels, the Carole Starkey novels)
- Janet Evanovich (the Stephanie Plum novels)
Mike is a keen cook (his wife would use the word ‘messy’ but that’s another story) and is the inventor of Squeaky Cheese Curry. He particularly loves food from South East Asia and is on a life-long quest to create the perfect satay sauce. There are recipes here: PLACEHOLDER
He has studied martial arts for many years, including Aikido for which he earned the rank of Shodan but no longer actively practices, and archery in which he is an active participant and has been ranked as in the top 100 compou archers in the UK.
He maintains an interest in technology having been a technology professional for most of his working life, and dabbles in a variety of tech as well as supporting various initiatives. He is also a keen ukulele player and continues to enjoy playing and singing with like-minded individuals while humming along with the whales and the squid in the bass ranges.
Mike has been married for more than 40 years to the same woman, which is a testament to her patience and endurance, and he has a son who has recently been diagnosed as neurodivergent in a way that is at least partly genetically inherited. We’re fairly sure he doesn’t get this from his mother, so….
Mike draws his inspiration from the richness of English folklore and from the history and rituals of the UK. The Courts of the Feyre is a series that follows the adventures of Niall and Blackbird as Niall discovers a world of dark magic and strange creatures hidden in plain sight.
FAQs
Q. Do you have an agent? Is there someone I could contact who represents your work?
A. I am not currently represented by a literary agent.
Q. I’ve just finished Sixty-One Nails. Is there a book three (…four, five, etc.)?
A. There are four books in The Courts of the Feyre series – Sixty-One Nails, The Road to Bedlam, Strangeness & Charm, and The Eighth Court.
Q. Will there be another book after The Eighth Court?
A. Maybe.
Q. What will you be working on next?
A. I’m undecided. There will be more books and I have a number of potential projects that I’m exploring. When you read the books, you will understand why.
Q. I’m having trouble getting hold of one of your books. Can you tell me where I can find them?
A. Unfortunately my previous publisher, Angry Robot Books went into liquidation. Some of the assets and part of the business was bought by Watkins Media who set up Angry Robot as an imprint. In that process Angry Robot lost the rights to my books.
For the meantime the books are only available in eBook format and can be found on the Amazon Bookstore.
Q. Who designed your covers – aren’t they gorgeous?
The Angry Robot Books dark covers were designed by the very talented John Coulthart. The new lighter covers were designed by me.
Q. Can I get signed copies of your books?
A. Yes, I regularly visit conventions and sometimes visit stores to sign copies of my books. There’s usually a note on this site to say where I’ll be and when. If you already have a copy, bring it with you and I will be happy to sign it for you.
Alternatively, I usually have a limited number of copies which I can send out via mail. Please email me or use the contact form if you would like one of these.
Q. Where do you get your ideas from?
A. Everywhere. I read books, talk to people, go to interesting events, visit unusual places and have an abiding interest in everything and everyone. Also, one of the great things about being an author who uses real as well as imagined elements in their stories is that people send you things (see the question below).
Q. Do you have a newsletter? Is there any way I can get regular updates?
A. Why yes, I do have a newsletter which I try to update bi-monthly and which tends to include updates and news that doesn’t make it to the blog. If you would like to be included on the distribution list, send an email to mike at shevdon dot com from the address to which you would like it sent and I will add you to the list.
Q. I found this really cool historical/weird/fun thing. Do you already know about it?
A. Perhaps. Sometimes I find things because people bring them to my attention and they can end up being included in a book. Please feel free to contact me or send me an email if you think you might have come across something of interest.
If your question is not answered here, please email me on mike (at) shevdon (dot) com or using the contact form on the website and I will do my best to answer your query.