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An unlikely hero answers a princess’ call to investigate a deadly threat in the kingdom’s remote rural areas. Along the way, Bok Omat, the son of a blacksmith, and Princess Isabella, heir to the throne, form an improbable friendship that crosses class lines, even as they face dangers neither of them dreamed possible. Fred & June's Books in Mooresville welcomes Young Adult/New Adult Fantasy author Bruce Buchanan on Saturday, January 17th from 12-3pm for a book signing and meet & greet!
The Blacksmith’s Boy
Bok Omat thought his place in the Kingdom of Imarina was settled. The 19-year-old served as his rural community’s healer and helped in his family’s blacksmith’s shop. It was an unremarkable life in Imarina’s peasant class, but as long as his parents, sister, and young nephew were safe, a fine one under the protection of the Inishari royal family.
But when an ancient spell threatens Bok’s family and the safety of the entire kingdom, he answers an unlikely summons from Princess Isabella to join her in protecting all they cherish. Despite their vastly different pasts, Bok and Isabella become close friends as they race to counter this deadly incantation and the mysterious mastermind behind it.
Bok learns secrets that force him to reconsider all he has ever known about the world and his place in it. But will this knowledge come at the price of his life, Imarina’s freedom, or even his burgeoning friendship with Isabella?
About the author:
Bruce Buchanan is the communications writer for an international law firm and a former journalist. But he’s been a fan of fantasy and heroic fiction for most of his life. His influences range from the novels of Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman and Terry Brooks to the Marvel Comics stories of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko. Bruce is the author of the New Adult fantasy novel The Blacksmith’s Boy (August 2025, Wild Ink Publishing). His next two novels, the adult superhero redemption story The Return of the Cerulean Blur and the sequel to The Blacksmith’s Boy, The Queen’s Daughter, both are signed with Wild Ink for 2026. He and his wife, Amy Joyner Buchanan (the author of five non-fiction books) live in Greensboro, where their son, Jackson, is a freshman at UNCG.
Keep up with the author:
Instagram: @brucebuchanan7710
Twitter/X: @BBuchananWomble
Bluesky: @bbuchananwomble.bsky.social
Facebook: bruce.buchanan.92
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