Sentinals Origins Part One is a Finalist in the Chanticleer International Book Awards.

The excitement is rising as I announce that Sentinals Origins Part One is a FINALIST in the Chanticleer International Book Award’s (CIBA) 2025 for OZMA Fantasy.

These titles have moved forward from the 2025 OZMA Fantasy Fiction Semi-Finalists to the 2025 Ozma Book Awards Finalists. Finalists will be recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC26.

CIBA will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday April 18th, 2026 in beautiful Bellingham, WA.

Congratulations to all the Finalists:

Abigail O’Bryan – Iron Rose
B.L. Mostyn – Heroes of Another Age
David Nos – The Final War of Wizards and Dragons
C.R. Ware – All We Have to Remember: Volume One of the Seventh Layer Saga
Crystal D. Grant – Lightshed
Evette Davis – The Gift
Helen Garraway – Sentinals Origins Part One
J.A. Nielsen – The Winter Heir (Fractured Kingdoms, Book 2)
J.C. Wade – Summer’s Reaping
Jason P. Crawford – The Trials of Poseidon
Jeffrey L. Kohanek – The First Wizard
Nikhil Prabala – The Duchess of Kokora
Nikki Mccormack – Child of Vanris (The Warden’s Son Book 1)
Palmer Pickering – Dark Town
R. M. Krogman – Sundering
Richard M Wagner – The Chronicles of Amerista: Griefold
S.G. Blaise – Eldryan Elders
Sean M. Tirman – Dreamweavers LLC
Simran Sadana – Itehas
Ted Neill – Lost Elawn
William H. Johnston – Shards of Unbroken Will

See full details on CIBA website.

👀 Series link

Wild magic is rife in the world of Remargaren and a shadowy group of dissidents have discovered how to exploit the power for their own purposes.

The goddess, Leyandrii, and her Captain, Guerlaire, must face down this new threat and protect the people from unseen dangers. As Guerlaire learns to wield his own power, three new cadets with the potential to change the world are beginning their journey to become Lady’s Rangers.

Drawn from the back streets of Vespers, a young boy is thrust into a world beyond his comprehension. Battling bigotry and violence, Birler will need to navigate the Rangers’ Academy while grappling with unexpected ties of friendship, a tantalising found family, and embrace ancient magical powers.

A heartwarming tale of friendship and family is set against a backdrop of bigotry and violence in a world where wild magic can precariously tip the balance. Birler and his new friends will have to fight their own battles, not only to earn the right to become rangers but to help Leyandrii and Guerlaire restore the natural balance and defend their world.

This is the first part of the prequel to the award winning Sentinal series.

If you enjoy fantasy books then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series or the Romantic Fantasy SoulMist series. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and also Sentinals Discovery, the first few chapters of Sentinals Awaken from Birlerion’s POV and get notified when my next books are published.

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Sentinals Destiny wins GOLD in the Global Book Awards

I am so thrilled to announce that Sentinals Destiny, the sixth book in the epic fantasy Sentinal Series won the gold medal in the 2025 Global Book Awards in the Epic Fantasy category.

The 2025 Global Book Awards for Self-Published Authors.

The Global Awards aim to discover new talent as well as recognize fine examples of self-published books. As such, we hope they will give self-published authors the recognition they deserve, whether that is in their writing creativity, or in the way they have marketed their books to attract new readers.

In this modern age of self-publishing, books need to be appraised not only by their content and writing style, but also by the way they present and market themselves to the prospective buyer, whether that is in the good ratings it has on important stores like Amazon, its book cover and description, or the number of reviews it has collected. They must also appeal to new readers so part of the evaluation included a survey asking avid readers to select the top 5 books they enjoyed the most.

The awards are grouped by category (or genre) and divided into Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Award Finalists.

Grab your copy today!

THE EPIC CONCLUSION TO THE SENTINAL SERIES

Birlerion’s leave of absence is up and it’s time for him to return to work. Before he has time to sit behind his desk, or discover the source of the brooding threat that is hovering over him, he is sent off to Terolia to negotiate with the Families for a bride. The succession must be protected and it’s time for King Anders to marry.

As he travels through the deserts, he realises that it is the Veil that is hunting him, and it wants his blood. But no one will listen to his concerns about the Veil. The healers believe he is struggling to adjust after his recent traumas. Their arguments are persuasive and overrule saner minds.

Betrayed by those he loves, driven by an oath invoked by the king, and with only Jaredion and Leyarille to protect him, Birlerion goes on the run across Vespiri, Terolia and into the islands of Birtoli, the home of the Oath. If he doesn’t discover a way to stop the Veil from killing him, it will not only be his life that is lost, it will be all of Remargaren that is destroyed.

Book six of the Sentinals Series, Sentinals Destiny, is the final book in the saga of Remargaren, a vibrant, ancient world of high fantasy suffused with magic and adventure.

Read for free in Kindle Unlimted

If you enjoy fantasy books then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series or the Romantic Fantasy SoulMist series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.

Sentinals Destiny and OblivionGate are finalists in the Global Book Awards

I am so thrilled to announce that Sentinals Destiny, the sixth book in the epic fantasy Sentinal Series and OblivionGate the third book in the Fantasy romance SoulMist series are both a finalists in the 2025 Global Book Awards.

The 2025 Global Book Awards for Self-Published Authors.

The awards are grouped by category (or genre) and divided into Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Award Finalists.

Grab your copy today!

Book six of the Sentinals Series, Sentinals Destiny, is the final book in the saga of Remargaren, a vibrant, ancient world of high fantasy suffused with magic and adventure.

Having survived Apologia and faced down the Angelic Assembly, Demavrian has every right to be feeling triumphant, but the threat hanging over his head from the vengeful god, Kaenera, is enough to snuff out any celebrations.

His fledglings are distraught and in disarray, Solanji’s brother is still without a soul and Solanji has no idea how her SoulBreathing works. He has no idea how to manage the Oblivion Gate and even with his Gate Wraith’s help, the burden of the soulless banging on the door may be his undoing.

Kaenera is poised to strike back and if Demavrian doesn’t learn the secrets of the Oblivion Gate fast enough, he may be the shortest lived Gate Keeper in history.

OblivionGate is the third enthralling book in the Fantasy Romance SoulMist series full of vibrant characters, political intrigue and betrayal.

Sentinals Origins Part One is Shortlisted by Chanticleer International Book Awards.

So thrilled to announce that Sentinals Origins Part One has been shortlisted by Chanticleer International Book Award’s (CIBA) 2025 for OZMA Fantasy.

The Ozma Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Magic, Steampunk and Fantasy Fiction. The Ozma Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs). These titles have moved forward in the second round from all 2025 OZMA Fantasy Fiction entries to the 2025 Ozma Book Awards Short List. These entries are now in competition for the 2025 Ozma Semi Finals. Finalists will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC26.

See full details on CIBA website.

👀 Series link

Sentinals Origins Part One achieves Chanticleer International Book Awards Long List 2025.

So thrilled to announce that Sentinals Origins Part One is on the Chanticleer International Book Award’s (CIBA) 2025 Long List for OZMA Fantasy.

The Ozma Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of Magic, Steampunk and Fantasy Fiction. The Ozma Awards is a genre division of Chanticleer International Book Awards and Novel Competitions (The CIBAs). These titles have moved forward in the first look rounds from all 2025 OZMA Fantasy Fiction entries to the 2025 Ozma Book Awards Long List. These entries are now in competition for the 2025 Ozma Short List. The Short Listers will compete for the Semi-Finalists positions. Finalists will be chosen from the Semi-Finalists and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference, CAC26.

See full details on CIBA website.

👀 Series link

Sentinals Banished wins GOLD in the Global Book Awards

I am so thrilled to announce that Sentinals Banished, the fifth book in the epic fantasy Sentinal Series won the gold medal in the 2024 Global Book Awards in the Epic Fantasy category.

The 2024 Global Book Awards for Self-Published Authors.

The awards are grouped by category (or genre) and divided into Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Award Finalists.

Grab your copy today!

Sentinal Birlerion has watched from the shadows for so long he doesn’t know how to stop. Always there when the Lady’s Captain needed him. He did what was necessary to keep those he loved from harm.

When the king banishes the Lady’s Captain, Jerrol Haven, from Vespiri and disbands the Sentinal guard, the Sentinals are at a loss, some bitter, some eager to retire, all angry at the king’s decision.

Birlerion moves to Old Vespers to watch over Jerrol’s daughter as she begins her journey to become a King’s Ranger.

Old Vespers is in turmoil, the king unpredictable, and the Sentinals are unwelcome. Unexplained deaths are occurring, and bodies begin to appear in the city streets. As Birlerion continues his search for the place he can call home, he has to step out of the shadows as he is drawn into a tangled web of deceit and lies. He must hunt down those responsible and clear the Sentinals name before anyone else goes missing.

Sustainability Matters

As Earth Day approaches, my thoughts turn to what we are doing to our planet, our home. For some time I’ve wanted to help with reforestation projects and help plant more trees. Return parts of our amazing country back to its leafy origins. To help protect those ancients forests that sustain so much natural life and can teach us so much.

I have always had a love of trees. Walking through forests, copses, elm trees lining a road, Pine firs bordering a moor, the horse chestnut tree in my backgarden (even through all its seasons!), a single oak tree in all it magnificent glory! Even the local cemetary which has many ebautirul specimens.

It’s so peaceful walking through nature, listening to the swish of leaves, the odd woodpecker or some energetic birdsong! That blackbird certainly has some lungs. But if we don’t protect our forests, nurture the trees, our children won’t get to enjoy the natural world in the way we do.

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash

With my Sentinal series books being based around a magical sentinal tree which protected the Lady’s guards for thousand of years, it seems only right that these books should should also protect and give back to the environment.

So I’ve decided to donate 20p for every ebook or print book I sell. This includes all my books, both the Epic Fantasy Sentinal series and the Fantasy Romance SoulMist series.

In the UK it costs £5.00 to plant a tree so for every twenty-five books I sell, we’ll plant a tree between us.

You can follow our progress on my sustainability page and see how many trees we’ve planted. Share the word, buy a book and help plant a tree!

How Many Trees Have We Planted?

And don’t forget…

If you enjoy fantasy books then you will love my epic fantasy Sentinal series. Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.

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Sentinals Banished is live!

It’s Launch day! Sentinals Banished is live! I am so excited to share the next installment of the Sentinal series, the fifth book. It seems unreal that I have released five books in the series so far and still more to come! And another beautiful cover from Jeff Brown Graphics.

Sentinals Banished

Sentinals Banished is the fifth book in the saga of Remargaren, a vibrant, ancient world of high fantasy suffused with magic and adventure.

Sentinals Banished is set seventeen years after the fourth book, Sentinals Across Time. Although you could start the series here, it is recommended that you read the previous books in the series first.

Birlerion moves to Old Vespers to watch over Jerrol’s daughter as she begins her journey to become a King’s Ranger.

I hope you enjoy my latest book and once you’ve read Sentinals Banished it would be really great if you could leave a review and let other readers know what you liked about it. You can find Sentinals Banished on Amazon, Goodreads or Bookbub.

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And that’s a wrap!

What a year 2022 was! I’m not sure where it went, it flashed by so fast and yet I managed to pack an amazing amount of writing into it, for which I am very thankful.

🌟 Sentinals Across Time released in March 2022, and it has just been announced that it made the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) OZMA Fantasy long list.

🌟 Sentinals Discovery, a short story set in the world of Remargaren, released as part of the FREE Creatures Magic and Myth Anthology.

🌟 SoulBreather launched with the Realm of Darkness Anthology, and hit the USA Today Bestseller list on October 13th, 2022. So excited to have launched the first book in a new Fantasy Romance series and to achieve the USAT letters!

🌟 Sentinals Awaken and Sentinals Rising are now available on Audiobook, via Audible, Apple or Amazon.

🌟 Both Sentinals Rising and Sentinals Justice received a Readers’ Favorite Five Star Review, and Sentinals Rising won the Readers’ Favorite Honorable Mention Award for Epic Fantasy for 2022.

🌟 I was selected to become an Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) Ambassador, supporting independent authors to maximise their opportunities.

So what’s next? What does 2023 hold for me?

🌟 Sentinals Banished, Book Five of the Sentinals series is on preorder and launches February 23rd, 2023. Make sure you enter the launch giveaway running until release day.

🌟 SoulBreather releases as an individual ebook on January 23rd, currently on preorder, once the Limited Edition Realm of Darkness anthology is no longer available.

🌟 Narration on the Sentinals Justice audiobook by the amazing Matt Coles has begun and should be complete by March.

🌟 Narration for SoulBreather, book one of the SoulMist series will commence in April.

🌟 Book two of the SoulMist series is 60% complete and will release in the summer of 2023.

🌟 I have a standalone dystopian fantasy ready for editing and I am determined to release it in 2023!

🌟 A new series is on the drawing board, and I am excited to be writing more diverse characters in my next epic fantasy romance series. Look out for a short story coming in the summer as part of a free MM fantasy anthology introducing some of the characters. Sign up to my newsletter to keep informed as to when it will be available.

🌟 And finally, I am pleased to share that Book Six of the Sentinals series has now moved into editing! I can’t believe I’ve reached the final book of the Sentinals series. I’m not sure I want the Sentinal adventure to ever end. I love writing these characters, but at some point the story has to reach it’s conclusion.

Thank you once again for your interest in my books and for joining me on this journey. Welcome to the wonderful world of Remargaren and many others I can’t wait to introduce you to. I hope you stay for all the exciting adventures that are surely coming your way.

And don’t forget…

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Readers’ Favorite awards Five Star Review to Sentinals Justice.

Readers’ Favorite recognizes “Sentinals Justice” by Helen Garraway with a Five Star Review

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite

Sentinals Justice is a work of fiction in the epic fantasy and adventure sub-genres and it serves as the third installment of the Sentinal Series. The work is best suited to the general adult reading audience for its mature themes and moderate sexual and violent content and was penned by author Helen Garraway. Continuing the epic action-packed adventures of the high fantasy world of Remargaren, we follow the events of this particular novel into the intricacies of the court of King Benedict. Diplomatic tensions result in a meeting between Commander Jerrol Haven and Grand Duke Randolf, with an unexpected guest along the way.

Author Helen Garraway holds a lot of information together in this massive fantasy world, and it makes for a truly thrilling setting filled with political and royal intrigue, interpersonal drama, and dangerous games of secrets, warmongering, and missing persons. I really enjoyed getting to know Jerrol and exploring the various pressures he was under in such a tense situation, but the character selection is so large that everyone will find someone they can relate to in the wider ensemble cast. The dialogue was also a big part of the engagement factor in this novel for me, as I felt like I got a lot of plot-relevant information from it which kept the novel pacey and interesting despite the epic nature of the overall story arcs. Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend Sentinals Justice to fans of epic fantasy and the series so far; you won’t be disappointed.

You can read the five star review for Sentinals Justice at https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/sentinals-justice where you can also read reviews and the author’s biography, as well as connect with the author directly or through their website and social media pages.