The Official Biography of Lief Sorbye Vol. 1: The Busking Years

Dragon Crown Books is pleased to present the official biography of Lief Sorbye, founder and leader of the seminal Celtic Rock band Tempest. This first in a two-volume set will be followed by Vol. 2: The Tempest Years.

From Judy Cuervo, former creative director of Time Warner Retail and widely published travel writer:

While it's not surprising that Lief Sorbye's musical journey began in 1964 with the same Beatles obsession that seized the rest of the world, The Busking Years details the colorful and often rocky road that finally delivered him to the stage.  As Tempest followers know, this is one artist who sprinkles folk, rock, Celtic, Nordic and other international flavors into his hard-driving sound for an extraordinary power achieved through familiar and unique musical instruments sitting side-by-side; English lyrics combining with his native Norwegian.  With this book, fans will quickly understand the origins of Tempest's unique vibrancy as they follow Sorbye on his vast travels.  Join him as he busks for change on street corners, crashes at strangers' (and weirdos') digs, spends days in a jail cell, dabbles in Scientology or finds a sheep's head beneath his front steps.  And marvel, no matter what the situation or ordeal, at how it's the music--always the music--that leaves the greatest impression on this trailblazing wizard.


PREORDER: Special color hardback edition, autographed by Lief, at tempestmusic.com.

Stellan Erikkson is about to become the biggest thing to hit the New York art scene since Warhol. His dark and sinister creations have landed him a showing at one of the city’s premier galleries, and the art world is abuzz with the prospect of viewing his twisted yet stunning pieces up close. But Stellan craves more. The pieces he plans to display in New York are but a trifle compared to those that reflect his true passion for the Dark Arts: works that require great sacrifice… Human sacrifice.

Stellan only dares display these gruesome portrayals on the dark web: visual symphonies of human flesh, blood, bone, and sinew arranged by his own brilliant mind into masterpieces of unsurpassed gore and beauty. Just how far is he willing to go? And how far will his adversaries go to stop him?

Dark Arts, the debut novel from Sharon Marie Provost, is a thrilling and terrifying game of cat-and-mouse pitting a brilliant and sociopathic serial killer against a cop with a personal score to settle. From the author of the terrifying short-story collection Shadow's Gate and the co-author of Christmas Nightmare's Eve, All Hallows' Nightmare's Eve, and the two-volume Shades of Love.

AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK, EBOOK, and KEEPSAKE HARDBOUND EDITIONS

Newest releases

Azrael’s Assassin

I ain't seen nothin' like it. Not in my years on the force. Not in my time as a gumshoe. People been disappearin'. And all of 'em have one thing in common. They all spend Sunday mornin's at the Compassionate Truth Temple. Not just that, but here's the kicker: These missing parishioners didn't just vanish. It's like they never existed to begin with. They've been erased from the church's records, and I can't even find a birth certificate. But Claire remembers them. She's the dame from the church that hired me to find 'em. Her father, who runs the place, won't admit to nothin'. He's got problems of his own that got him mixed up with the mob. All of it has something' to do with a serial killer who killed a bunch of people decades ago. None of it makes any sense, and my shrink thinks I'm caught up in some delusion. Maybe he's right. All I know is I need to solve this case before I really do go crazy.

Asrael's Assassin: Testament in Blood is the first collaboration between Stephen H. Provost, the author of more than 50 books, and Sharon Marie Provost, author of the acclaimed horror thriller Dark Arts: Love Me Tinder. AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK and KINDLE E-Book editions

Meteor Ridge

Who Wants to Live Forever?
Somewhere in the remote northern Rockies lies a community of men and women who have disappeared without a trace.
It's a haven for outlaws, free spirits, fugitives, and literary giants: the famous and the ordinary. They've all been thrown together in a chaotic corner of oblivion where they never age—and can never leave. Maintained for thousands of years in a state of delicate but perfect balance, it's a place where they can live forever. But at what price? Captivity? Despair? Madness? Now a sinister force is upsetting that balance. Someone with a thirst for vengeance is killing the immortals of Meteor Ridge. If you think you know the stories of men like D.B. Cooper, Ambrose Bierce, Black Bart, and Jim Morrison—you don't know the half of it.

Meteor Ridge is an alternative history science fiction thriller with some scenes of graphic violence. AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK and KINDLE E-Book editions

The Comstock Chronicles

Without Virginia City and the Comstock Lode, Nevada wouldn't have become a state—at least not nearly as soon as it did. Samuel Clemens might never have become Mark Twain. And the Bonanza TV show would never have been made. The story of the Comstock is the story of the biggest silver mining boom ever, sustained, incredibly, over two full decades. It's the story of pioneering prospectors, heroic miners, and scheming millionaires. It's the story of a city that grew from a tent encampment to a metropolis in a few short years, boasting a six-story hotel, several newspapers, an iconic opera house, brothels, churches, and a hundred saloons. Men came from Ireland, Cornwall, Mexico, Germany, and China to work the mines for $4 a day. Some got rich. Many more got drunk. Virginia City was the incubator for a new style of reporting called "sagebrush journalism," which was equal parts barroom gossip, commentary, satire, and some very tall tales. The Comstock Chronicles tells the story of the period from 1850 to 1880, when silver was king and bonanzas made millionaires of men like John Mackay and George Hearst. The author uses a chronological format to trace the development of Virginia City, Gold Hill, and the surrounding area, while touching on true tales of the intrigue and inspiration, comedy and tragedy that occurred along the way. Illustrated with numerous historical and modern images, The Comstock Chronicles is the story of Nevada's birth and unruly childhood: a story retold to preserve the memories of a time when the West was still wild and dreams were cast in silver.

Virginia City Then & Now

The story of the Comstock Lode can be told in words, but communicated just as powerfully in pictures. Virginia City and the surrounding area helped give birth to modern Nevada, and anyone who knows where to look can see the unique story of the Comstock unfold before their eyes. Much has changed in a century and a half. Buildings have been lost to fire and rebuilt. Fortunes have been made and lost. Mines have been carved out and abandoned. Men and women have come and gone, with the population swelling as high as 25,000 before settling down to a fraction of that, with fewer than 1,000 residents remaining. But many remnants and relics of bygone days remain, monuments to a time when silver was king and bonanzas made millionaires out of miners and bankers. Virginia City Then & Now uses hundreds of historical and contemporary photos to tell the story of the Comstock's growth, decline, and modern renaissance. Images displayed side by side show the Wild West of the Comstock boom, years of neglect in the mid-20th century, and the modern National Monument that draws thousands upon thousands of visitors each year. Virginia City Then & Now is a study in contrast and consistency, a road map of where to look for the guideposts of history and unlock the treasures they still hold.

Explore historic Virginia City and the region with this two-volume set by Stephen H. Provost, AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK and FULL-COLOR KEEPSAKE HARDBOUND EDITIONS.

The Road to Adventure Begins Here!

Dragon Crown Books, Ltd. publishes select titles from established and emerging authors of note. We offer distinguished works of fiction and non-fiction on a wealth of topics, available through Amazon and fine local retailers.

Fiction

Dragon Crown is your home for exciting genre fiction, ranging from dystopian science fiction like Crimson Scourge, left, to fantasy from titles such as The Talismans of Time and mind-bending horror/suspense in the Nightmare’s Eve series. From short stories to full-length novels and series, Dragon Crown has it all.

Making Magic

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Making History

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Making Magic

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Making Magic • Making History • Making Magic •

Non-Fiction

Dragon Crown specializes in non-fiction titles, offering titles on highway history (America’s Loneliest Road, part of the Highways of the West series, left), biography, sports and music. We also offer ten volumes on the 20th century history of small and middle-sized American cities—from Fresno to Roanoke—in our Century Cities collection.

Coming soon from Dragon Crown!

Lief Sorbye & the story of Tempest

Lief Sorbye’s official biography chronicles his fascinating life as a musician. Lief joins forces with Stephen H. Provost to tell his story, including a behind-the-scenes history of seminal electric folk-rock band Tempest.

Gold Rush Road: California Hwy. 49

Follow in the footsteps of the ’49ers and legends like Mark Twain, Bret Harte, and John C. Fremont on the Golden Chain Highway. Visit old old boom towns like Chinese Camp along the road from Oakhurst north across the Yuba Pass.

A dark romantasy spanning the ages

Sharon Marie Provost and Stephen H. Provost are hard at work on their second collaboration, a twisted romance of two souls bound together by love, remorse, and destiny. Available this spring from Dragon Crown.

The ACES online bookshop

The ACES online bookshop is a hub showcasing writers from Northern Nevada. Dragon Crown Books publisher Stephen H. Provost founded the ACES initiative with the goal of helping local readers discover local authors. As part of that initiative, Dragon Crown Books produced “The ACES Anthology 2023,” featuring 25 short stories and poems from authors across the region. Find the ACES bookshop at acesofnorthernnevada.com.

Meet the authors

  • STEPHEN H. PROVOST

    PUBLISHER-CEO / AUTHOR

    Stephen H. Provost writes historical nonfiction and fantasy adventures. A journalist with more than 30 years of experience and a former educator, he is the author of more than 50 books. From 1986 to 2018, he worked as an editor, reporter, and columnist at four daily newspapers in California, including as news editor at The Fresno Bee and managing editor of The Cambrian. He is the founder and publisher of Dragon Crown Books.

  • SHARON MARIE PROVOST

    CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER / AUTHOR

    Sharon Marie Provost is the chief operating officer of Dragon Crown Books Ltd., in charge of promotion, marketing, and distribution. She is the co-author of the 2023 release Christmas Nightmare’s Eve., a work that includes seven of her short stories and her novella The Last Train to Clarksville. She also wrote the foreword to Stephen H. Provost’s Sierra Highway and served as co-editor of The ACES Anthology 2023, a project highlighting the works of Northern Nevada writers. Sharon is a longtime resident of Carson City, Nevada.

  • LIEF SORBYE

    AUTHOR / COLLABORATOR

    Lief Sorbye is the lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Celtic rock band Tempest. A native of Oslo, Norway, he is working on his authorized biography, co-authored with Stephen H. Provost, to be released on Dragon Crown Books in 2024-25. Sorbye founded Tempest in 1988 after a stint with Celtic folk band Golden Bough in the early 1980s. He lives in Oakland, California, with his wife Patricia and their intelligent cats, Loki and Sigyn.

  • KEN SUTHERLAND

    AUTHOR

    Ken Sutherland is a retired broadcasting and advertising executive. He grew up in Northern California, and worked all over the United States. He now lives in Reno, Nevada, with his wife, Alene. Sutherland was selected as a top 3 finalist for the prestigious 2024 John Steinbeck Award for Fiction for his story “SWOOP!” which appeared in The ACES Anthology 2023, published by Dragon Crown. His debut novel, BALANCE: The 200-Year Journey of Andrew Crawford, was published in 2023 on Dragon Crown Books.

  • MOLLY KAZMER

    COLLABORATOR

    Molly Kazmer worked extensively with Stephen H. Provost on her authorized biography, The Legend of Molly Bolin, Women’s Pro Basketball Trailblazer, released in 2020 on Dragon Crown Books. Molly She was the first player to sign a contract in the first women’s professional basketball league, paving the way for the WNBA. She set records for the most points in a season, in a game, and in a playoff game that still stand four decades later. She currently works as a Realtor in Southern California.

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