Check out this author spotlight for Jon Cronshaw!

You can find all his links furthest down the page, and don’t forget to check out his books!

1. Hi! Welcome to my humble blog of all things bookish! I would like for us to start by getting to know you. Give us a short bio, please!

I’m a full-time SFF author based in Morecambe, a small coastal town on the west coast of England.

I’ve had a zig-zag career which has included working as a music writer, a political reporter, and an art history lecturer.

I spend my days writing and wrangling my nine-year-old son.

2. To get to know you just a little bit better, I’d like to ask you some this or that questions. Answer 5 of these and explain why you chose this or that, or maybe an entirely different alternative!

Cat or dog? Dogs are better than cats in every way *ducks to avoid flying objects* :p

I’m severely visually impaired, registered blind, and I’ve worked in partnership with a guide dog since 2009.

Both of my guide dogs have given me a level of confidence and independence I don’t get when using a cane…or a cat. 

Tea or coffee? As a stereotypical English gentleman, it has to be tea…followed by coffee…then another coffee…and tea. That reminds me, I need a cuppa. 


Library or museums? Difficult to say, as I love them both. But if I had to choose, nothing inspires me like exploring a museum.

I recently took a trip to Egypt and found myself in awe all the way round the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

So many objects I’ve seen in museums have sparked ideas for my fiction.

Witches or wizards? I’m a huge Terry Pratchett fan, so whenever I think of witches and wizards, I can’t help associating them with the inhabitants of the Discworld.

The wizards come across as a dusty old bores who are only interested in magic as an academic discipline to be performed only in ivory towers.

Witches help people. They’re practical and blunt, relying more on ‘headology’ than magic.

But when they do need to use sypathetic magic, it can be more powerful than any wizard.  

Book or ebook? I can’t read print anymore due to my eyesight, but I can manage with ebooks.

Plus, there’s the added bonus of an ebook not being made from pulped trees. Actually, I’ve changed my mind. Can I pick audiobooks? Last year I listened to more than 150 audiobooks. They’re my favourite form of entertainment and I usually have a novel and a non-fiction book on the go at any one time.

3. When you look for books to read, what trope or type of story will always catch your attention?

I like stories about wronged heroes overcoming the odds, of characters who live by a guiding principle that ends up getting them in trouble.

Anything fantasy with thieves, assassins, and other scoundrels get added to my seemingly infinite TBR list.

4. What do you write? Tell us about your current projects and the latest happenings!

I write SFF. I wrote five post-apocalyptic novels, two novels about coming to terms with going blind, twenty-one higjh fantasy novellas, and one high fantasy novel.

I’ve promised myself that I’m going to stick to high fantasy from now on.

I’ve built a world that excites me that can be the playground for so many different types of story.

My current project is called Trial of Thieves and is the second book in my Dawn of Assassins series.

I have to admit that I love the interplay between the two main characters, Fedor and Lev.

5. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!

Dawn of Assassins (book 1 of the assassin fantasy series).

Two friends. A master assassin. One deadly choice.

Fedor and Lev are thieves…not killers.

They lead a desperate life in the tunnels of Nordturm, conning and stealing to buy their next meal.

But when an assassin recruits them against their will, they are forced into a life they do not want and cannot escape.

If they leave, they will die. But if they stay, they must kill.

Can they survive the master’s relentless evaluation?

Is loyalty stronger than the will to live?

Will their friendship last the ordeal?

From the best-selling author of The Ravenglass Chronicles, comes a new thrilling adventure featuring a new cast of unforgettable characters.

You’ll love this high fantasy series, because these unlikely heroes have a story you won’t be able to put down.

6. What real-life inspiration do you draw from, and what are your primary fictional sources of inspiration (books, authors, films, music, etc.)? Name a few!

Living with the reality of a pandemic taught me a lot about myself and about where I draw my inspiration.

I definitely draw from real life, from people I meet, from places I visit.

Although I read a lot of non-fiction books about history, culture, and philosophy, nothing compares to feeling the wind on your face, or hearing the sounds of a city.

In terms of fiction influences, there are too many to name, but I love writers like Robin Hobb, Scott Lynch, Michael J. Sullivan, and Bernard Cornwell. 

7. What is your writing routine? If you have one, give us the run-down!

I try to write every weekday between 9.30am and 2.30pm. That can include standing at my desk and hammering out the words, or sitting in a local hotel bar outlining the next book on paper.

8. If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice as you started out on the path to becoming an author, what would it be?

Start sooner. Don’t wait for everything to be right. It won’t be.

9. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!

You can find all my links at https://joncronshaw.com

I’ve also been recording a weekly audio diary since October 2017.

You can find Jon Cronshaw’s Author Diary wherever you listen to podcasts, or visit https://anchor.fm/joncronshaw