Veil of a Warrior - Print Cover Done!

The print cover is done and I have a release date: 11/20/14. Print and e-book versions will be available then. I'm finishing up the glossary and done otherwise. I plan to start posting up some sample chapters on the blog, but if you want to get in on the fun and adventure now, you can sign up for the Newsletter and get the first 20-something chapters to read while you wait for the book's release.

I also got Seeking the Veil, Part 1 linked with the print version (small achievement). And I have something further planned for the novelette that you'll hear about it in the coming weeks.

Unveiling the Cover - Hammerblood, Book 1: Veil of a Warrior

I finally have a cover that I feel good about. And the book is coming... (Have I said that anywhere before? Don't answer that.)

I'm still working on the cover for the Short Story and I'm doing some last pass copyedits for the book, but it is all coming together. More to come...

Short Story Progress

I'm working on the short stories that come before Hammerblood, Book 1. I *think* I found all my notes… They were a LITTLE scattered.

At times, I have to curse the muse that can wait no better than a hungry 2 year old with a good view of pizza—leaving me to record my thoughts like a mad man on any available surface or device.

Retrieving them later is like unearthing a dinosaur fossil, broken and scattered.

Newsletter Fondness of the Fantastical

The book is coming.

Say it with me: The book is coming.

Did you feel a shiver? Me too, or maybe that was a nervous shake from fatigue.

Either way, Hammerblood is almost here, and as I have looked at its release, I lament one thing: That there is only one book. Yes, it will be part of a series of four (a tetralogy), but those books will be down the line. No cliffhangers. I swear. (My wife would give me the evil eye if there were.)

Anywho, it got me thinking, this lack of multiple books. It seemed so lonely. Should I not have something else? Something to kindle the fire of your Hammerblood-hunger? And then inspiration sparked!

And what about my Newsletter? What perks can I offer to the dedicated few? Ah...even better. A plan forms.

Make Love, Not Semicolon Carnage

It's funny how life can smack you upside the head and change your perspective faster than a raging barbarian with a bad-hair day.

I was dead-set on eliminating semicolons, chopping them off at the period, throttling their little dangling comma and tossing the whole lot into the wind. They were evil things that did not belong in my holy epic fantasy prose, and had to be exorcised.

But you know what? As I neared the finish of my current edit, the sunset brilliant and touching, I ran into places where they were the only sort of punctuation that worked.

No NaNo, I’m Busy.

No NaNo for me this year. Heck, I only just recently finished the 50k word goal from the novel started for last year’s competition.

Part of me is ashamed to admit that, but I won’t feel too bad. I didn’t give up and the developing novel is something I can be proud of. It’s incredibly rough, still in that first draft stage that can make eyes glaze over with the pain of the prose and the agony of the scene breaks, but there are moments of glory that make me smile.

In keeping with the spirit of things, I will do NaNo in my own way: I will finish the first draft of Felling Abberfaun this November.

The gauntlet is thrown.

I started the month at about 76k words and estimate the book will end up around 110-120k. As of this writing (11/7/11) I’m at 83,400 words. Decent, but I need to step it up a notch. The NaNoWriMo goal breaks down to1,667 words/day. I probably won’t manage that pace. I have a few scenes coming up that will take some careful plotting. But I am starting to feel like I can get this first draft done by month end.

The sooner the better.

Once that’s done I’m ready to finally return to my Hammerblood series and revise Veil of a Warior, for what should be enough (in my humble opinion) to submit it to agents and editors. Read an upcoming post for some exciting news on that book (at least to me).

Carpe that NaNo. Write on!

The Veil of a Warrior, The Chronicles of Hestea Hammerblood, Book 1

I've just finished the 3rd draft of my epic fantasy novel at 105k words (420 book-sized pages). I'm sharing the revised prologue and the first four chapters (about 6800 words or 27 book-sized pages). I'm debating whether I should share more, but that seems like a good chunk. I'd love to hear what you think of the excerpt and if it is holding your interest or not.

It's in beta now, as I mentioned in a prior post. I will be shopping it around for some agents soon and then looking for a publisher. We'll see how this goes.

Happy reading!