This will be short and sweet. The weather is still wild and awful. I’m tired of all the rain, but I hope we keep plenty around for the summer.
I saw Happy Death Day and liked it. It’s like a horror-comedy version of Groundhog Day. I liked it enough that I saw the sequel, Happy Death Day 2U, which has enough set up that it could turn into a sci-fi action/adventure, which would be a weird but awesome turnaround.
What I’ve Been Reading I’ll talk about that in the next newsletter. On to the Swords of Spring Super Sale on Epic Fantasy!
Grab a book! Deeply discounted and all that!
Epic Fantasy Fanatics (EFF) has put together an awesome deal running from March 1 through March 7. It’s the Swords of Spring, and the offer features so many wonderful fantasy stories, all of them for only $0.99. There’s everything from yours truly with A Warrior’s Path, Michael Sullivan with Death of Dulgath, Alec Hutson’s Crimson Queen, and . . . well, you get the gist.
The weather here in North Carolina was weird last week but in an awesome way! It was in the mid 70s for most of the week with some wonderful sunshine. Wish I could have enjoyed it more, but my work keeps me inside. Then Friday happened, and the temperature plummeted to the 30s.
Oh, well. Spring is nigh in these parts.
So, let’s see. What have I been up to? Well, I saw the Super Bowl, and unlike everyone else, I loved it. I liked that old school defensive struggle. Yes, yes. I get scoring is exciting, but watching a well-coached defense blow up plays can be equally fun.
I didn’t see any movies this time, but I am in the midst of bingeing on Babylon 5. I never saw this show when it first came out, and I’m enjoying it a lot. Sure, the special effects and some overacting made me cringe early on, but the writing, the dialogue, and the political machinations are wonderful.
I still have the boxset for books 1-3 on sale for only $0.99. A monster murdered his family. A malevolent king enslaved him. A ruler of nightmares torments his waking thoughts. They’ll all learn that a nerd from the 80s makes a terrible enemy!
I’m also still letting y’all know that Wilde and the Sons of Deceit, book 4 in the Chronicles of William Wilde remains a new release, and the audiobook is narrated by Nick Podehl. Here’s the quick blurb: William and his allies have done well so far against the Servitor’s might, but they’ve also royally pissed him off. He’s hellbent on answering their attacks with one of his own. If he doesn’t, he’ll have to face the wrath of his god, Lord Shet.
Monsters seek out macguffins. Gods awaken. And an epic battle is in the offing.
I also have The Castes and the OutCastes, the Complete Collection for $0.99, my Audible #1 Bestseller with over 8500 Five-Star ratings. All 3 books, 5 short-stories, and over 1400 pages of a world of heroes, myths, monsters, and a schizophrenic goddess intent on destroying the world!
I’m not sure how much longer I’ll leave the boxsets so under-priced, so if you’re interested, now is the time to get them. Or read them on KU!
What I’ve Been Reading I’m in the middle of reading House of Assassins by Larry Correia. This is the followup to his excellent Son of the Black Sword. The books are about a warrior who is essentially a priest. He’s called upon to kill demons whenever they exit the ocean. As a result of where they come from, large bodies of water are considered evil. It’s also draws somewhat on Hindu mythology.
The weather here in NC has been awful. We had a giant snowfall in the middle of December, which was fun for about 2 days. Then it just became a bunch of dirty crap. Then it started raining. And raining. And kept on raining. Right now, there’s sunshine, the first time I can remember seeing the sun in about 3 weeks. That’s not fun and reminds me of the midwest where I grew up. Love the midwest and my home town of Cincinnati, OH, but I hate the winter weather.
Speaking of Cincy, my Bengals flamed out this season. It’s terrible being a Bengals fan.
But Cincy is in my heart, which is why I set William Wilde in my home town with a high school based on the one I attended (although mine was all boys and the fictional St. Francis is coed). Or at least the first few books are set in Cincy. Then the series becomes a portal fantasy with links to hidden islands, draws in Rukh and Jessira, the main characters from my Castes and the OutCastes series. Then William Wilde expands further to connect to another world; this one gods, legends, and myths.
The raid on Sinskrill was a success, but the battle is only just beginning. William realizes the stakes at hand. He still has to find a way to prevent Lord Shet, the god of the mahavans, from returning to Earth from the faraway world of Seminal. If he doesn’t, Arylyn will be destroyed. But strange visions plague his mind: an albino monster who infects William with anger. It is Sapient Dormant, the Overward of the necrosed and tasked by Shet to recover a long lost talisman of power. The Servitor of Sinskrill also advances his own plans. He’s learned Arylyn’s location and will do whatever he can to bring a crippling blow to the magi.
Serena struggles with her own path, torn between loyalty and love for William and a desire to see her family safe. Rukh and Jessira seek to provide balance to the magi. Only they have the skill and training to keep Arylyn safe, but their memories of their shared past life on Arisa remain fragmented, and their greatest allies, their Kesarins—Aia and Shon—are nowhere to be found.
And on Seminal, Lord Shet schemes, certain of his coming victory.
What I’ve Been Reading Not much since the last time I sent a newsletter. I finished Will Wight’s excellent Cradle series. It is so much fun and worth a try. But right now, I’m in the middle of the Fourth Element Trilogy by Kat Ross. I’m early into the story, but it’s set in an empire drawn from ancient Persia. There’s an Alexander the Great threat on the horizon, but the main thrust of the story is about a young woman, Nazafareen, bonded do a demon named Darius. She’s a Water Dog, humans able to control demons. Except the demons look like humans and act like humans with the same emotions and fears. They just happen to be much more powerful, and they invaded the empire several centuries ago. A religion arose based on that invasion, but it may be based on a lie. It’s well-written and the characterizations are strong. I hope the rest of the series is as good as the first 20% that I’ve read.
What’s it about? Hmm. Tough one to categorize, but let’s start with the world, which is complex and definitely on the epic scale with a diverse range of races and religious pantheons. Given the wealth of various species, in some ways, it reminded me of Martha Wells’ Raksura series. As for Kari, the main character, she’s wonderfully complex. She’s a resurrected demon hunter with a whole bunch of problems that comes with that and being an anthropomorphic dragon.
Merry Christmas! Even if it’s a day late and a dollar short!
What I’ve Been Doing
Not a whole lot. I saw Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, which was an absolutely fun movie. It was my favorite Spiderman movie, and it was also one of my favorite superhero movies of all time. I’m pushing hard on William Wilde, book 5. Speaking of William Wilde, some news! William Wilde and the Sons of Deceit, book 4 in the series, releases on Jan. 8. It’s up for preorder, including the audiobook, which is narrated by Nick Podehl once again. Here’s what it’s about:
The raid on Sinskrill was a success, but the battle is only just beginning. William realizes the stakes at hand. He still has to find a way to prevent Lord Shet, the god of the mahavans, from returning to Earth from the faraway world of Seminal. If he doesn’t, Arylyn will be destroyed. But strange visions plague his mind: an albino monster who infects William with anger. It is Sapient Dormant, the Overward of the necrosed and tasked by Shet to recover a long lost talisman of power. The Servitor of Sinskrill also advances his own plans. He’s learned Arylyn’s location and will do whatever he can to bring a crippling blow to the magi.
Serena struggles with her own path, torn between loyalty and love for William and a desire to see her family safe. Rukh and Jessira seek to provide balance to the magi. Only they have the skill and training to keep Arylyn safe, but their memories of their shared past life on Arisa remain fragmented, and their greatest allies, their Kesarins—Aia and Shon—are nowhere to be found.
And on Seminal, Lord Shet schemes, certain of his coming victory.
What I’ve Been Reading The Disaster Artist. My boys asked me to read this, and I’m in the middle of the book. Tommy Wiseau is impossible to describe, and his movie The Room is hailed as the best, worst movie ever made. Listening to my kids talk about it reminds me of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. As for The Disaster Artist, it’s a behind the scenes look at the making of this simultaneously hilarious and weird movie.
I’m also reading Unsouled by Will Wight and absolutely loving it. It reminds of leveling up games and is as fun but better than his House of Blades trilogy.
What I’ve Been Reading
Mike Shel is a fantastic author. I’ll start with that because while his debut, Aching God, is a quest book, which sounds 1980s, and it’s definitely an homage in that sense, it’s a quest book in which the characters are older, wiser, and have earned their rest. Unfortunately, the world turns and calls them back to action. In this case, it’s Auric Manteo, a one-time adventurer. In the beginning we learn some of Auric’s past, and Mike’s descriptive prose, his ability to insert backstory is so seamless that it’s a joy to read.
Then comes the meat of the story, the steady sense of increasing dread. The quest that feels like a horror movie with tension driving the plot. I won’t say anymore, except to say that it’s a wonderful book.
What I’ve Been Doing
I saw Creed 2, which was a lot of fun. In a lot of ways, it’s like a merger between Rocky III and Rocky IV but waaay better than both. It’s about Victor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago, the Russian juggernaut who killed Apollo Creed in Rocky IV and of course, Adonis Creed, the son of Apollo. The two are destined to repeat the tragedy their father’s started. It starts out like Rocky III with Adonis winning the heavyweight crown, and like Rocky III, instead of Clubber Lang, we have the menace of Victor Drago looming in the background.
Adonis and is fiance are expecting their first child, and instead of celebrating the upcoming birth of his baby as well as the fact that he’s the heavyweight champion of the world, he has Victor on his mind.
The actor who plays Victor, Florian Munteanu, doesn’t get to say much, but he has a presence that can’t be denied. He dominates the screen when he’s on. It was surprising, but I’m looking forward to seeing him in other movies.
Other things that happened. Hmm. Let’s see. My van was totaled when I was heading north for Thanksgiving. Luckily, no one was hurt, including the other driver, who simply took his eyes off the road and crashed into us at a stop light. We were a 1/2 mile from our destination, Paula Deen’s restaurant, in Pigeon Forge. Oh well. After it was all said and done, the insurance covered the van, we eventually replaced it with a newer vehicle with less miles, and we still went to Paula Deen’s.
The Buried Goddess Saga by Rhett Bruno and Jaime Castle A cunning thief. A stubborn knight. Only together can they save a broken kingdom.
Self-proclaimed “World’s Greatest Thief”, Whitney Fierstown, and the steadfast knight, Torsten Unger, are thrown together. This unlikely duo must overcome the Queen’s treasonous brother, steal back the prince’s missing soul, survive the horrifying monster lurking in the darkness . . . or die trying.
Book one, Web of Eyes, is on sale between Dec. 4-6 for only $0.99.
Book two, Winds of War, releases on Dec. 4, and is on sale for $2.99 between Dec. 4-Dec. 9.
Both books are also available as audiobooks and narrated by the awesome Luke Daniels. With WhisperSync, they’re only $7.47.
I also write, and here are my books (so far):
The Castes and the OutCastes: An Asian Indian Epic Fantasy Trilogy
The Chronicles of William Wilde: A YA Epic Fantasy Series
Mihir over at FantasyBookCritic posted an interview with me and Andreas,the artist for the new cover art for the Castes and the OutCastes. We shared our perspectives on how the new artwork came about. All along, working with Andreas was a fantastic collaborative experience.
I’ve been posting the new artwork for The Castes and OutCastes every now and then, but here are all three new covers, finalized and ready to go. So excited by how they turned out!
Once again, it’s time for my semi-monthly update on what’s going on in my world. Exciting, right?
WHAT’S NEW IN MY WORLD?
I don’t have any new books coming out, but November will hopefully be a different story. That’s when William Wilde and the Sons of Deceit, book four of The Chronicles of William Wilde should release. Look for it in either late November or early December (I hope). I’m putting the finishing touches on it right now. What’s it about you ask?
Good question. Here’s the blurb
The Servitor of Sinskrill has learned the location of Arylyn. He’ll stop at nothing to see the island destroyed. William must find a way to fight off an invasion he knows is coming. The Overward of the necrosed, Sapient Dormant, awakens. He has fresh prey in mind: William, who he infects with anger. Serena finds her place on Arylyn and will do anything to save her home. Rukh and Jessira train the magi of Arylyn to fight. And Lord Shet on the faraway world of Seminal has plans of his own. Mysteries are slowly revealed. Who is Cinder Shade and how is he related to Rukh? Then a whole bunch of battles take place, stuff gets blown up, and the Kesarins, Aia and Shon, charge into the fray.
William Wilde was always meant to include the characters of The Castes and the OutCastes, and, yes, it can be thought of as a continuation of sorts of that series. And Seminal, a world of ancient legends and myths, of epic stories and lies, will figure prominently in my future writings.
WHAT HAVE I BEEN UP TO?
I went to DragonCon this year as an attending pro, which was absolutely fantastic. I met some really great people, fellow authors and artists. It was phenomenal to be surrounded by so many people who shared my nerdy interests and got all my geek references. I also met some wonderful people who enjoyed my books so much that they came to DragonCon and wanted to meet me. That was an incredibly humbling experience and also really, really cool.
At DragonCon, I shared a house with Bryce O’Connor, author of Child of the Daystar. Think Conan in dragon form mixed with the Punisher. Raz, the Monster or Karth, is really that badass. I wish I could steal him. Dyrk Ashton was also at the house. He’s the author of Paternus: Rise of the Gods. The book is reputedly urban fantasy, but truthfully, Dyrk’s books are more epic in scope than just about any epic fantasy out there. They’re fast-paced, fun, but with characters who have a chance to live. Plus, Bryce and Dyrk are awesome guys.
We had such a great time at DragonCon. One of my best weekends in years. Miss it already.
Otherwise, like I mentioned up above, I’m putting the finishing touches on William Wilde, book 4. I also created a glossary for it. Portions of it will be placed at the end of each ebook. I also created a summary for each book, and those will go at the beginning of each book.
While I was doing this, I realized how complicated William Wilde has become. I thought it would be a simple adventure story, but nope, it decided to expand and explode in detail and depth. All sorta griping aside, I really like how William Wilde is turning out. I think it’s far and away my best writing, and I especially like how well aspects of The Castes and the OutCastes have been woven into the story, but man, one day I think I need to write a standalone novel that really is just that simple and straightforward.
That’ll have to wait, though, because I’ve got other stories to write first, and they’re all threatening to be even more complicated that William Wilde and even The Castes. I don’t get to watch much TV, but in August, I needed a break from writing and life. I ended up watching Justified. It’s about a US Marshall stationed in Miami who gets the sideways promotion/demotion to the eastern Kentucky office out of Lexington. It stars Timothy Oliphant and features an absolute stellar cast of actors and writers. I cannot recommend this show highly enough. The writing and acting is simply superb. After watching Justified, most every other show seems bland and boring.
Football season started. Go Bengals! They won’t, but I like to fantasize (get it) that they will.
Also, a friend of mine, JC Kang, has a finished series for sale, The Dragon Song Quartet, listed for only $0.99. It’s a promo and gives you over 1700 pages of Asian influenced epic fantasy. JC has also launched a new series, Masters of Deception. It’s set in the same world as his original series, and the first book is also discounted at $0.99 but only through Sunday, October 7th.
This is a word of warning. This is the glossary through book 4. Yes, I know, book 4 isn’t out yet, but it’s in the final stages of editing, so this is the information I used through that book. There aren’t many spoilerish items if you’ve read through book 3, but any earlier, and yeah, there’s a lot of spoilers.
To find the glossary, scroll along the top menu, go to ‘Worlds’ and drop down to the World of William Wilde, you’ll find the glossary. Or you can just click on the link.
Rukh nodded and drew her into his arms. “What do you know of Jareth, Wren, Sinder, and Brin?”Jessira stiffened. The names caused her joy and pain in equal measure.
“You know who they are, don’t you?” Rukh asked. “I can’t see their faces. I only know the names.”
“They’re our children,” Jessira told him.
“And two are dead.”
His words fell like a stone, and Jessira could only nod. Pain at what they’d lost stole her voice. After a moment, she managed to collect herself. “They were born without flesh and yet were mortal.” A tear leaked down her cheek.
Rukh traced the tear. “You’ve known all along?”
“I knew,” Jessira said. “It came to me when I first entered Meldencreche.”
Rukh tilted up her chin. “You carried the burden of their loss alone. Why not tell me?”
“They are only names until you remember their lives,” Jessira replied.
Rukh hugged her. “It’s why I came here, to remember all I lost, so when we see our children again, I’ll know them.”
Jessira stepped out of his embrace and took his hand. She tugged him forward. “Let me show you what stirred my memories. It’s a mural of the Lord of the Sword and the Lady of Fire. You’ll know who they are when you see their faces.”
