As an author, there’s a certain loss of freedom of privacy with our writing careers. We’re expected to share our lives online with the world all in the name of self-promotion. Some authors make silly videos, others upload photos of themselves being goofy in public. I’ve always been uncomfortable with revealing too much of my life for public consumption, but in the name of transparency, I hope to do this in the future. Follow my on Instagram for my authorly hijinx.
For now, I’m posting the cover to my latest novel, The Book of Wine and Sorrow, Book 4 of The Martyr’s Vow series. I began writing what would become The Martyr’s Vow in grad school in my late 40s, when I had the delusional dream of becoming a published author.
It wasn’t all folly. I signed a four-book deal with Shadow Spark Publishing in 2021. The first book of the series, Accursed Son, was published in 2022 to some rave reviews. The other two books in the series, Mr. Penny-Farthing and Blood Family, not so much. Oh, the good reviews were there, but sales weren’t.
I wrote Accursed Son as a way of approaching my Armenian ethnicity, something I’ve felt estranged from. It’s a weird thing to be born into, this culture of genocide sufferers, pathos, and pressure. Conservative, superstitious, and clinging to tradition, being Armenian was a weird experience for me growing up.
I wanted The Martyr’s Vow to be the antidote for negative media portrayals of Armenian characters, especially from Hollywood. Armenians are depicted in popular culture as corrupt drug dealers, violent criminals, or lamb-munching foreigners. As someone who was othered growing up, these stereotypes bothered me. In writing Armand Tarkanian, I wanted to show an Armenian hero who isn’t a thug, or a douchebag businessman, or a money-grubbing hustler.
I wanted Armand to be the hero Armenian-American readers can identify with.
Unfortunately, in our sub-literate society, that didn’t work out. Turns out interest in these books didn’t manifest. So we’re left with hackneyed portrayals of Armenians being too foreign, too strange, and too unlikable.
The Book of Wine and Sorrow completes Armand’s story arc. He travels to Armenia with his bride Vonnie (one of the best characters I’ve ever written) on their honeymoon. What awaits them there is deceit, violence, and agony, mostly inflicted by an oligarch who steals memories of his victims.
The cover of The Book of Wine and Sorrow had to be special. Artist Claire Leslie illustrated a banger of a cover, one that captures Armenian culture and ancient mythology perfectly. Enjoy the cover, and if you’re interested in reading, you can preorder the book here.
Publication date for The Book of Wine and Sorrow is Dec. 15, 2025.
Eric Avedissian 