Dragons, Swords, Magic, and Wizards!

The Myths and Legends Fantasy Storybundle



Kevin J. Anderson (of Dunefame, among many others) has curated a new superpack of fantasy ebooks over on storybundle, and he's invited me to take part!

These thirteen books cover a range of classic fantasy types, from epic quests, to modern retellings of classic myths, to humorous encounters with Little Folk, to lit-RPG adventures, to sea monsters, ancient curses, and saving the world. These indie-published authors include Cat Rambo, Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, Jody Lynn Nye, M.L. Buchman, J.T. Evans, Christopher Katava, Stefon Mears, Alex Singer, Meyari McFarland, Linda Nagata, and, yes, J. D. Brink!  There’s also the Undercurrents anthology edited by Lisa Mangum, stories of “what lies beneath” (proceeds from this anthology benefit the Don Hodge Memorial Scholarship Fund for the Superstars Writing Seminar).

If you’re not familiar with how Storybundle works, you name your own price and get the whole batch instantly delivered to your e-reader. For as little as $5 you get the base bundle of five novels, or for $15 or more you will receive all 13 books, enough to keep your reading life filled with magic all through the summer and beyond.

As always with storybundle, a portion of the proceeds goes directly to benefit a charity, in this case the Challenger Learning Centers for Space Science Education. When you pick up a copy of the Myths and Legends storybundle, you’ll receive a lot of great books for around a dollar apiece, you’ll support indie authors, and contribute to a very worthwhile cause. Everybody wins!

But this bundle will be available for only a limited time. In 8 days, it goes away.

Go to https://storybundle.com/fantasy to grab this fantastic deal while it lasts!

July 4th Fantasy Fiction for $0.99

For one week only, you can snag Tarnish: Thunderstrike Edition -- two books in one, normally $8.99 -- at deep discounts on Amazon.com.

The price drop begins at just $0.99 on July 4th!  

From there it'll slowly crawl back to it's original price over the next 7 days.  So if you miss it on the Fourth, it's not too late to get a great deal!

Act fast!  Click here to begin!

Epic Coming of Age Fantasy on Kindle Unlimited

For a limited summer engagement, Tarnish: Thunderstrike Edition is now on Kindle Unlimited.  This extended edition includes the 400 page novel and the prequel novella, The Prince of Luster and Decay in one volume.  Click here to find it on Amazon.

Here are the quick-version blurbs:

Tarnish

Billy Cole is the sixteen-springs-old son of Ian the Black.  Being the heir of a legend is a heavy burden to bear, and though he wears it well, it takes more than strength to become a man. And more than a sword to become a hero.  When evil rises from the Blood Marsh, Wil Thunderstrike gets his chance at both.  Epic fantasy on a more personal scale.

The Prince of Luster and Decay

Sergeant Knox leads the Head Knockers, scout-saboteurs in the war against the Dread Duke and his armies.  After an ambush kills half the company, Knox and his boys are sent on a final mission to investigate the possible source.  And though the town appears empty, something waits for them there in the darkness.  And they’ll need both heart and steel to defeat it.

Fantasy Audiobook Review and Giveaway

Audiobook Reviewer has listened to and posted a review of Tarnish: The Complete Trilogy Edition.

The general impression: "This was a surprisingly excellent fantasy coming of age story."  (4.5 stars)

I'm assuming the "surprising" part is because it was so much better than the average run-of-the-mill stuff, not because she expected it to be bad...  

Clicking any of the these hyperlinked lines will take you to their site to read the review.  And if you scroll down, you'll find there's also a giveaway for 5 free Audible.com downloads on the site!  

So why not read the review and enter to win your own 15-hour fantasy adventure?  It's win-win!

Fantasy Novel for 99 Cents!

The first installment of my Tarnish Trilogy, The Quest, is now on sale for $0.99 through the end of April.

Click these for quick links to Amazon, B&N, and just about everywhere else.

You can also get the whole shebang in one volume--Tarnish, the Complete Trilogy Edition--as an ebook, paperback, or audiobook.  (And it's ultimately cheaper that way.)

Here's quick links for the complete Tarnish on Amazon, B&N, and just about everywhere else.

Enjoy!

Last Week for Free Audiobook

We're closing on the last few days to get registered on my mailing list in time to make the audiobook giveaway.

Click here to sign up.  

Everyone signed up by Leap Year (Feb 29) will qualify to win 1 of 3 free audiobook downloads of either Tarnish or Hungry Gods.

Meanwhile, I started a new job in the Naval hospital this week, in a new department I have no prior experience in, so I'm not getting much writing done.  On top of that, my wife just had surgery and is laid-up, so that means less escape time as well.  Hoping to crank out a few pages today, but doesn't look likely...

I'm working on Deus Ex Machina, which Hungry Gods book 2 -- it's kind of like superheroes meets James Bond in this adventure.  Going to be great fun, if I can get the time to write the darn thing...

Tarnish: Fantasy Trilogy

My coming-of-age, fantasy novel Tarnish is now available in trilogy form!  The whole thing is certainly still available in its full 130,000 word unabridged version (as an ebook, paperback, and audiobook), but since that’s equivalent to three regular novels anyway, I thought I might as well break it down into its three “acts” and see what happens.  So readers can pick up the same novel that’s been out there, or they can try it in a smaller series of books with some cool new covers (which were great fun to make).

Here’s each book’s cover and individual description:

Silver, they call it, the light of the full moon: celestial magic that changes men into beasts and calls the dead from their graves... and young men to their destiny.

Billy Cole is the son of legendary folk hero Ian the Black.  He should be marching to war, battling dragons, and rescuing fair maidens.  Unfortunately for him, the war is long over, the last dragon was slain by the Dread Duke, and all the girls in Redfield are either several years younger than him or already married.  Billy is sixteen springs old and ready for a life of valor and excitement.  So far, however, he seems destined only for boredom and manual labor in a small farm town. 

Then a scarecrow tries to kill him and a monster of swamp water and vines trudges into town and attacks his father.  Evil has risen from the Blood Marsh and Redfield needs a hero.

And while Billy has the brass to take on an entire army alone, he’s smart enough to know better.  Instead, he straps on the sword of Trevor the Red and takes the name Wil Thunderstrike—wandering hero and teller of tales—to venture into the Free Fertile Lands and find the help they need.

But the world beyond Redfield isn’t like in the tavern tales, and not everyone who carries a sword is a hero.

Tarnish is a grittier coming of age tale than you’re used to, where destiny is forged, not written.

Wil Thunderstrike’s journey into legend continues…

Forging ahead despite his earlier failures, Wil Thunderstrike arrives in the shadowy city of Fellwater in search of his prey, the bandit Mad Dog McCray.  And seeking the heroes he needs to save his hometown, of course. 

Though it’s easy to get distracted in a place like Fellwater.  Gambling on boxing matches and chasing a flirtatious pickpocket prove to be dangerous forms of entertainment.  Wil soon finds that he’s making more enemies than friends. 

Meanwhile, back in Redfield, Trevor and Ian fight to hold off the Blood Marsh and to hold the town together.  Farmers and tradesmen, however, make poor soldiers and in this small war, there will be casualties.

But all is not lost.  Wil meets a rival storyteller who promises to introduce him to just the kind of hero he’s looking for to save his home.

And only then do the real trials of William Thunderstrike begin.

The making of William Thunderstrike concludes in this action-packed volume.

Billy Cole—formerly Wil Thunderstrike, now the warrior Lockheed—has started down a new heroic career path as one of León Shimmerskin’s champions.  But the illustrious tales of the Colors Three never prepared him for his new patron’s particular brand of justice.  The path of the traveling hero, it seems, is darker than he’d imagined.

When he at last returns to Redfield, Lockheed must face the tragedies that have befallen his home and its people.  And by his own actions, he will either prevent or bring about even more of them. 

The final battle for Redfield is coming, and it will decide not only the fate of Billy Cole’s home, but that of his soul as well.

*  *  *

This series is available only in ebook form at all major retailers: The Quest ($0.99), Among the Shadows ($2.99) and Heroes and Villains ($2.99). 

Blurb Doctor: Writing Book Blurbs and Descriptions

Like most other writers, I am not confident in my blurb-writing ability. 

“Blurb,” for those of you who might not know, refers to the little description of a book or story that you read on the ebook site or the back of the book.  It’s the “sales copy,” the brief squirt of information that tells you what the book is about, just enough to get you interested without ruining the whole story for you.  And it’s hard to do. 

Recently, writing guru DeanWesley Smith has blogging about this very topic, which has been very helpful for me.  Even though I don’t find all the blurbs he’s been giving as examples all that alluring, at least the principles are there.  He uses a basic, general structure, and comments on others’ blurb-writing philosophies as well.  Strangely timely in its release, BookBub also published an article with some tips.

So taking a page from these notes on the subject, I’ve been reworking some of my own.  The main principle I’ve been in serious violation of has been don’t give away the whole plot.  After all, what’s the fun reading something if you already know what’s going to happen.  It’s like reading a story about the Titanic; you know how it’s going to end.

I’ve come up with a loose structure now that I’m trying out, based on DWS’s examples.  Though contrary his form, I’ve added taglines to the beginning.  Something to catch your attention, like on a movie poster; some bite-sized, quick-to-sample bait that gets the reader to the next paragraph.  Hopefully it works.   

So my experimental structure is kind of like this:

1. Tagline. (If I have one worth trying.  If not, skip it.)

2. Character/world intro. (Along with the cover, also points to the genre.)

3. Introduce plotline/conflict, but only up to the first page/chapter.

4. Raise the stakes/cliffhanger (if not done in #3) or give additional incentive to read this.

Each of these should be kept short, so the whole thing is short.  For Smashwords, you also have to provide a 400 character version, which is damn good practice for keeping it brief, and I use the same blurb in my back-of-book Fugitive Fiction Library listings.  I have read some advice from one online market saying that the more you give in your description, the better.  But that’s contrary to what DWS and others are saying, and I tend to agree with them.  I think the blurb should be short, easy to digest, and just offer enough to pique a reader’s interest. 

Applying these new principles, here’s a few of revamps. 

The Thorne Legacy

He'll be court-martialed.  If he lives that long.

Corporal Cranston Thorne is the black sheep of the family and about to be kicked out of System Guard for his selfish and reckless behavior.

His father, Captain Thanos Thorne, would like nothing more than to see that happen.  Unfortunately, he can’t stay for the trial.  A remote outpost at the edge of the system has gone silent and he must take the fleet out to investigate.

The real danger, however, isn’t at the edge of the system... 

A Writers of the Future contest finalist.

Tarnish

Being a hero isn’t as easy as the tavern tales would have you believe. 

Billy Cole has always been a quick study, be it at telling tales, brewing ale, or swordplay. 

And yet it surprises Wil Thunderstrike, his alter ego, at just how hard and fast the lessons come on his first venture into the real world of back-alley thieves, traveling talespinners, and warriors of renown.  

Wil’s quest is to find epic heroes to save his home town, but it'll take more than a sword and the inspiring tales of his legendary idols to survive the harsh world beyond Redfield.  And the further he travels into the night, the darker he gets.

Tarnish is a grittier coming-of-age story than you’re used to, where destiny is forged, not written.  

What kind of hero would you be?

The Prince of Luster and Decay

In war, men don't only fight the enemy. Sometimes they must also fight themselves.

Sergeant Knox leads the Head Knockers, a unit of scout-saboteurs in the war against the Dread Duke and his armies. They are the favorite squad among Captain Brighton’s Stormwalkers, until an ambush kills the Captain, half the company, and Knox’s best men.

Now the new Captain has new orders.  He’s sending the Head Knockers to investigate the possible source of the attack.  The town they find appears empty, but there’s something waiting for them there.  And they’ll need both heart and steel to defeat it.

This stand alone, sword and soldiery novella gives a glimpse into history of the fantasy novel Tarnish.

*

How did I do?  Any suggestions?

This last one I didn’t change at all.  I’ve already hurt myself too many times trying to fix things that weren’t broken, so I exercised restraint this time.  I’m just including here as another example.  The first line here is more about including key words and comparison stuff to say, “If you like these, you’ll like this too.”  The tagline is the second paragraph.

Hungry Gods

Avengers and Watchmen meet The Walking Dead and Pulp Fiction.  Spandex adventures for adults.

Superheroes.  Undead.  ‘Nuff said.

The country’s premier superhero team is missing.  So when a mutant monstrosity goes on the rampage, it’s Spitball to the rescue!  He’s a third-string hero today, determined to be first-string tomorrow.  And the Army may be giving him just the chance he needs.  Spitball’s been invited to undertake a secret mission into America’s heartland.  What he’s about to discover, however, is not a chance at stardom but a horror movie come to life...

Hungry Gods is a fast-paced adventure of costumed superheroes, government conspiracy theories, and flesh-eating zombies.

*

I am far from an expert, but I thought I’d share my learning process with the world and see if anyone else has some advice, or maybe even benefits from my experiments.

In either case, let me know!

Top Blogger's Fantasy Review of Tarnish

Some time ago I submitted Tarnish to a big book review blog-off, initiated by celebrated fantasy writer Mark Lawrence, author of the Broken Empire series.  My book went in a big batch of others to Bob R Milne, who has a reputation as a big-time book reviewer.  You can see his shining review of Tarnish and four more indie book here: Beauty in Ruins. 

Here's what he had to say about Tarnish:

This is a very odd book to talk about - on the surface, it just shouldn’t work. We have multiple narrators, between whom we switch more for narrative effect than the needs of the story. We have a distinct coming-of-age story (which I’ve long since grown tired of), where the hero hides behind the persona of who he’d like to be. We have storytelling within the story, a kind of intrusive info-dumping that interferes with the forward progression of the plot. Finally, we have a plot that seems to wander without a clear direction for much of the book, before suddenly finding its direction and racing to a climax.

Despite all that, it worked. The narrative was strong – from the language, to the dialogue, to the imagery. Brink isn’t afraid to write lengthy paragraphs and scenes, to take his time setting things up, and to show us his world. That, to me, is engaging. It draws me in, makes me read a bit more closely, and gives the appearance of depth (which, it must be said, is not merely appearance). As for the characters, the hardest aspect of writing a novel is to encourage that immediate emotional connection, to draw readers in, and make them care - and Brink does that very well. I liked Billy from the first time we met. He interested me, intrigued me, and made me want to know more about him. There was this welcome duality to him that allowed him to play the hero very well, even as he grew into the role. It’s less a coming-of-age tale and more a story of self-discovery.

There’s a lot of imagination and fantasy flourishes here as well that really caught my attention. Even small, throw-away scenes like the dream of monsters inside the tavern are full of fantastic detail, allowing you to not just ‘see’ the danger but ‘feel’ it as well. That element of storytelling within the story really won me over. It allows for things to get a bit wild, a bit over-the-top, without dragging down the credibility of the entire story. We expect people to embellish their tales of heroism because we want to be entertained as much as we want to be informed, and Brink clearly understands that.

It’s not just mindless heroism and adventure, however. There’s also a heart to the novel, a very self-aware sort of appreciation for humanity and the horrors of war. Towards the end of the story, Billy stands before an advancing army of swamp monsters and asks himself, “How monstrous can they be if they mourn?” It’s a good question, and it leads into the final evolution of Wil (the hero) coming to terms with being Billy (the boy). Sure, I would have liked a little more world building, and I would have liked more of a sense of the wider world, but those are minor quibbles to be resolved in a second book. All-in-all, Tarnish is a solid tale, a classic sort of heroic adventure that’s really pulls all the elements together in a satisfying resolution.

Writing in 2015: May Recap - Dark Fantasy, Superheroes, and Sex with Aliens

I keep checking my email for news, but there's no news to be had.  I'm checking my sales numbers every day, which are doing great and holding steady, but not on any dramatic upward rise.  How can they be when I'm not writing anything new? I realized the other day that sitting idle and not creating new stuff is driving me crazy!  That's why I'm antsy and doing the same pointless routine crap everyday with no new results.  Because I'm stagnant.  I need to be moving forward, onto the next book!  But it's not for lack of material...

Unfortunately my creative endeavors are on hold for a little while.  I have one month to accomplish two months worth of pre-deployment paperwork, planning, and training, and then I'll be in training for two to three more months before shipping out to Afghanistan.  Real life is dropping a bomb on writing life (hopefully not literally).  Once again, it's time to reassess and draw up new plans and expectations.

The month of May was far from a loss, however.  

*Photo from a couple years--and books-- ago. Not this event.*

I had my most successful book signing/sales event to date.  Each one I have turns out better than the last.  This one was on-base here in Japan at a big semi-annual bazaar.  I doubled the sales from my last one back in Texas, and am quite happy with that, though I still didn't get all the business I was expecting.  I was hoping all the young guys and gals from the ships would come through looking for books to read before they set sail, but that didn't really happen.

The biggest draw for the bazaar is Asian furniture and knickknacks, which appeals more to married folks with housing; I don't think my potential readers who sleep on a 3" x 6" rack were expecting a SF/F author to be set-up in there.  I also got a bit screwed because a big box of Hungry Gods didn't arrive in time for the event, and I sold out of what I had pretty quickly.  Postal system from the States runs slow, especially for big heavy boxes.

I also, believe it or not, sold some ebooks from my table!  I had some certificates printed up which I filled out with Smashwords coupon codes that the customers could use once they got home, paying a discounted rate at the sale.  Worked out great!

I actually intended to write up a big post about my thoughts on the event and holding signings in general, but who's got the time?!  Not me, unfortunately.  Working 13-hour ER shifts, preparing for war, and spending time with the fam leaves little time for blogging.

This month I also got two more books into paperback editions: Dreams of Flying and The Prince and the Darkness.  Both retail for $11.99, and they have a combined total of 360 pages, two novellas, six short stories, and two different sneak-peeks at Hungry Gods.  Great fun in bite-sized packaging.

(The "sex with aliens" from the title of this post, by the way, refers to the short novel Invasion inside Dreams of Flying.  The life of a superhero...  *Sigh*)

As I posted and "tweeted" about previously, May also saw my heroic fantasy, coming-of-age novel Tarnish published in an audiobook edition.  It's 15 hours of awesome storytelling narrated by Todd Menesses, who lives in New Orleans but sounds like he's from fantasy England.

What about my stats and word count recap?  Well, just as I start getting into a good routine, some earthquake hits and screws up my nice trend.  (We did, in fact, have two earthquakes here this month, too, but I'm referring to the deployment.)  I will leave here in July and not return to my home and family until well into next year.  So there goes my 12,000 words a month goal and the nice streak I had going.

Aside from the nice accomplishments above, I did get 5300 words written in May, some of it on the next story I intend to float around to magazines.  But the blog series I started this year may be ending right here and now.  I'll continue to track any work I get done, but I probably won't be spending any more precious time blogging about it.  My writing efforts are about to get much more focused, and things like marketing, social media, etc. will be taking a seat even further to the rear than they already have been.  Doing these things take time away from the most important aspect of writing: WRITING!

(In fact, it amazes me how much time and energy I see spent on Facebook and Twitter by people who say they are "writers" -- when do they write stories or books if they're always online gossiping?)


So that's my "writing recap" and probably the last of that series.  But looking to the future:

I still hope to write Twilight of the Gods by the end of the year, which is the prequel to Hungry Gods and Identity Crisis: Book Two.

And I continue to simplify and focus my writing career goals looking forward.  I think if I do these rather easy things for the foreseeable future, I'll be doing pretty damn well for myself:

1. Publish 2 to 3 books a year, every year.

Period.  This year I've already gotten out Hungry Gods, The Prince and the Darkness, and Dreams of Flying, and it's just now June!

2. Double my overall sales from one year to the next.  

This one I have less direct control over, but I think it's a realistic and ultimately successful expectation.  I figure if this trend does continue--selling twice as many books this year as last year, and twice as many next year as now--then I could be making a decent living from writing in about five years, maybe even enough to ween myself off of a day job.  Not a Hollywood, one-in-a-million instant best-seller story, but a realistic goal and certainly one I can live with.

Increasing the availability and media forms of my work help accomplish this.  This means not being exclusive to one outlet (*cough*cough* Amazon *cough*) and diversifying with ebooks, paperbacks, and audiobook versions, as well as writing in multiple genres.

3. Continue to work both sides of the fence: indie publishing and getting stories into magazines and anthologies.  My story  "Green-Eyed Monster" has been picked up for Meerkat Press's "Love Hurts Anthology" and I have a couple more in circulation with high expectations.

4. Focus on the single most important aspect of writing: WRITING. 

But what about marketing?! you might ask.  In my opinion, over-rated.  But if you want to make real money, start up your own indie book marketing outfit.  I bet the marketing side of the indie author boom is making five-times what indie authors themselves are making.  Every Tom, Dick, and Harry has their own "book marketing and tweeting service" that they're happy to let you pay them for.  And I'm not convinced they help all that much.  But that's just me.

When I get half a million words out there, I'll start marketing.  Until then, what's the point?

Okay, that's it for me.  This post has been two or three that I've had in mind combined to "save time," but I've sure been out here on the patio typing away for a long time.  In fact, the sun is now cloaked behind some grey clouds and a nice, moist breeze.  Looks like rain...

Conspiracy Newsletter Sign-Ups and Free Audiobook Offer

image from aquarianradio.com

There's a lot happening on my side of the universe, and much of it I'm trying to get done before I get swallowed into a black hole.  What the hell does that mean?  For those who don't know, I'm on a countdown to a deployment into the Middle East and trying to tie up a lot of loose ends before I get there, and I'm nearly done.  Obviously, this whole life-altering change of venue will have a big impact on my family and "real" life, which come well before my writing life, so...  A lot of gear-changing going on right now and for the near future.   

For today, I'm just here to post two things of many that have been happening lately:

1. My new "Conspiracy Newsletter" now exists, which you can sign up for in the left upper corner of this blog, and/or by clicking this link.  I can safely promise not to bombard you with emails through this medium, as I will barely have time to write new material, much less mess around with cyberspace.  But from time to time, I will use this as a means of keeping in touch with my readers and those interested in what book is coming next, when something new is out, and with occasional priority offers and deals.

2. Which also includes a first crack at a free download of the new TARNISH audiobook, narrated by the talented Todd Menesses.  In the next few weeks I'll be sending out my first Conspiracy Newsletter and including a chance at a limited number of free downloads, so if you're not on the list yet, I suggest you sign up!

I've also produced a couple more paperback editions of ebooks recently, and also had my most successful book signing event to date just a couple weeks ago, but haven't had time to blog about them.  I obviously have other pressing matters to attend to, which I should actually be working on right now.  So, I better be signing off for now...

But don't you forget to sign up!  Thanks for reading!

A Fantasy Epic Comes to Audiobooks

At long last, my 400-page coming-of-age fantasy adventure TARNISH comes to life as a 15-hour audiobook!

This book was contracted for a long time to a voice producer who was stricken with a bad case of Real Life and became too busy with his day job and family to complete the contract.  But I hold him no ill will for not being able to finish and he and I were brothers by the end.  And it all turned out great in the end anyway, for next I found Todd Menesses, who is a tremendous voice talent.  He's done an amazing job with TARNISH and we're already talking about him doing HUNGRY GODS next.

So if you're into listening to your fantasy adventures, give this one your ears!

Amazon.com

Audible.com

iTunes

Writing Blurbs: Tarnish

Writing blurbs sucks.  It’s ten times harder than writing a novel.  Maybe a hundred times, because you have to take a book that required tens of thousands of words to write—maybe over a hundred thousand, as in the case of Tarnish—and sell it in only two or three hundred words.  I don’t know anyone who thinks that an easy task or actually enjoys it.  It is an interesting challenge, kind of a story puzzle to solve, but it's more stressful than enjoyable. 

This weekend I spent a few days reworking the blurb for my fantasy novel Tarnish.  This is a very long and complex book, layered with multiple view point characters and various subplots.  (Hmm, I need to take a look at how George R. R. Martin—or more likely, his publishers—handle Game of Thrones and the Song of Ice and Fire books.  Of course, those blurbs don't have to say squat anymore, everyone already knows what they are and they sell themselves.)  

So how to compress 130,000 words of story into an engaging paragraph or two that gives potential readers enough to decide they’d like the book? 

I don’t have a good answer.  But I do know the blurb needs to be engaging and offer the potential reader a taste of what they’ll like most in the book.  What is it about, who’s the main character, what’s the primary conflict?  But to say too much or ruin the surprises is not a good thing either.  Less is often more.  So here’s what I came up with and I think it’s a vast improvement over the last one (though there’s always room for more):

Being a hero isn’t as easy as the tavern tales would have you believe. 

Billy Cole has always been a quick study, be it at telling tales, brewing ale, or swordplay.  And yet it surprises Wil Thunderstrike, his alter ego, at just how hard and fast the lessons come on his first venture into the real world of back-alley thieves, traveling talespinners, and warriors of renown.   

Wil’s quest is to find epic heroes to save his home town, but it'll take more than a sword and the inspiring tales of his legendary idols to survive the harsh world beyond Redfield.  From the inns of Hobb’s Turn to the port city of Fellwater, he’ll chase brigands and join pickpockets, fight with constables and street thugs, find romance and fall from grace, all while trying to discover  his own true nature and forge his destiny.  Tarnish is a grittier coming-of-age story than you’re used to, blending elements of traditional high fantasy with a darker, less forgiving perspective on right and wrong. 

What kind of hero would you be?

Free Fiction Preview and Another Prison Break from Amazon

Just a quick note on new re-releases:

Puppet Theatre is out again, this time including not only the fun, 60's-Batman-esque short story "Puppet Theatre", but also the first four chapters of Hungry Gods.  You can find this ebook FREE just about everywhere except Amazon ('cause they don't play free without strings attached).  Here's a few links where you can find it now.  You might also find it elsewhere soon enough, as it spreads even further to where good ebooks are sold (and given away):

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Kobo

My gritty, coming-of-age, fantasy novel Tarnish is once again free from the Kindle Select pact that I'd signed in blood.  Which means you don't have to get it from Amazon anymore, you can find it just about anywhere else you buy books or ebooks too.  And the audiobook is well over halfway done, richly told by a master of voices, Todd Menesses.  (Click his name for a link to his own website.)  Here's a few links for Tarnish, too, though you'll find it at some more locales as news of its freedom spreads throughout the land:

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Apple iBooks

Summer Movie Fantasy

Since my sword and sorcery novel Tarnish is making its last discount round on Amazon this week, I thought I'd repost this fan-casting I did for the eventual Hollywood blockbuster that will be made from the book...

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Let's plan a blockbuster movie for summer of 2015, shall we? This is a "fan cast," which is where people who day dream about a movie being made from their favorite book, TV show, comic book, etc, come up with who they'd like to see play the roles of the characters involved. I haven't gotten the call from Hollywood quite yet for Tarnish (hint-hint, Hollywood), but I thought it would be fun to do a casting call to fill the roles of the main characters of this fantasy novel.

My thinking is not restricted by time and space, and I'm not even limiting this casting by talent -- one of these guys isn't even an actor! But here's my thinking...

Billy Cole/Wil Thunderstrike - 1st choice: I don't know any teenage actors - in fact, I generally don't care for teenage actors. They fill teenaged roles and probably get to thinking they are hot shit even though they can barely shave or drive. So I'm thinking a good actor for Wil would be a 16 to 18 year old Henry Cavill from Man of Steel and Immortals (I didn't even realize he was in Immortals till I started doing this blog post). Tall, strong, dark hair, intense. I think a younger Cavill would fit the bill nicely for our hero. (Though I think he told Jay Leno that he was a chubby loser when he was young -- hey, weren't we all?) In this pictures he's even wielding a spear -- perfect!

Billy Cole/Wil Thunderstrike - 2nd choice: Well, I suppose I should try to pick a teen actor too, barring time travel and fountains of youth. Browsing the internet for candidates... I kinda like Shia LeBeouf as an actor but i don't think he's got the physique to be Wil Thunderstrike, son of Ian the Black. So I picked this dude named Robbie Amell based solely on this picture from some fan-chick's website. But to be honest... I don't like his attitude.

Leon Shimmerskin - 1st choice: We need a guy who can pull off powerful and arrogant and nigh unstoppable. I think Mickey Rourke's big comeback in recent years with The Wrestler, Ironman 2, and Immortals shows he can be that big, muscular badass. He might be a shy bit older for the part now, but since we're not limited by the barriers of time, let's shade him back a few years but keep all the power and intimidating glare.

Leon Shimmerskin - 2nd choice: I suppose Chris Hemsworth does have some experience as a charming yet powerful, blond-haired fantasy superhero...

Ian Cole - 1st choice:  I have rewritten this a year after its original post.  In a flash of wisdom, I realized that Liam Neeson would make an awesome Ian Cole.  Though his talents might largely go to waste, since Ian isn't very talkative.

Ian Cole - 2nd choice:  This close up of writer Alan Moore, who penned the graphic novels  Watchmen and V For Vendetta, looks pretty dead on for Ian Cole.  And while in real life I think he is very tall, he's also very thin, so he might need a body double.

Trevor LeRouge: The aging and balding bard whose whit was as fast as his blade -- Paul Giamatti seems a perfect fit! A real actor who looks like a real person. (That's a compliment.)

Jade: Cunning yet cute, Jade is a thief and Wil's love interest. Again, I don't know any raven-haired teenaged actresses I would trust with playing my characters. Fortunately the internet is full of folks who do, so... Let's see here... Okay, one young lady who is now twenty and I have actually heard of is Nickelodeon actress Victoria Justice. She's got the look for sure, so let's give her a shot. Get her agent on the phone...

Mum Picklebriar: Mysterious stranger in the black hat, a storyteller with a gravelly voice and grit. I can see Russell Crowe in this role. In this pic he even comes with his own black hat.

Morlock: Even though Morlock the archer is about the closest of Shimmerskin's trio to Wil, I had a terrible time trying to envision an actor to play his part. Then someone struck me as perfect: David Wenham, who's cool scratchy voice was Dilios (the narator) in 300 and played the ranger Faramir in the Lord of the Rings movies (so he's got some bow experience too).

Crow: As I was writing I envisioned a thinner version of Danny Trejo with a long ponytail, covered in tattoos, and swinging a huge mallet around. Machete is more than qualified to be Crow!

Lockheed: General scumbag and scruffy waste of space: Lockheed. Let me take you back to Heat with Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Val Kilmer. There was one lesser character who made an impact as a villainous creep that the audience really wanted to see dead. I'm talking about Waingro, played by Kevin Gage. "The grim reaper is visiting with you."

Brother Fabien: The "Boy Preacher," a young man who is both doubtful and a leader of the community. He's actually a more complex character than may be let on in this first novel. To fill his holy shoes I'm picking Jay Baruchel, who voiced the hero of How To Train Your Dragon. Young Mr. Baruchel would bring Fabien a great awkward dorkiness (no offense), a young guy who would like to break certain social barriers and "get the girl" but can't. Actually, thinking of him in this role gives greater depth to Fabien for me, which is amazing!

Jenna Knox: The musical heart of Redfield, and a lovely brunette, I can't think of anyone better suited to play the part and draw a crowd than Katy Perry herself.

Mad Dog McCray: This one image struck me as great for the weathered and wild face under the dog cowl of Mad Dog McCray: William Fichtner as bad guy Butch Cavendish in this summer's Lone Ranger. Fichtner is a fantastic actor, almost always playing smaller strong character parts, and it'd be awesome to have him as part of a Tarnish movie. Pull him right out of this picture, slap a dead dog on his head, and we're ready to shoot!

The Swamp Man: The mysterious cloaked master of Blood Marsh. The first thing that actually comes to mind is the Crypt Keeper, but we're not going for comedy here. And though it's not quite right either, I always liked the cloaked and cow-skulled creatures from Time Bandits too. So somewhere in between there...

Gromlins: Maybe we can borrow the Gremlins and spray paint them in appropriate colors for the film.

Redfield, Hobb's Turn, and Fellwater are all towns chocked full of characters, but the above castings cover all the biggest parts for sure. There's also a lot of actors I really like who don't appear here -- you can't just stuff all your favorites into one movie if they aren't right for the part, right?

Just another $100,000,000 and maybe we can convince some producer to go with this! I hope everyone will come out and see it -- and bring your 3D glasses!

If anyone else has any ideas on actors for these characters, I'd love to hear them!

Holiday Sales and Giveaways: Fantasy and Superheroes

This week only I have four different books enjoying a Christmas season sales bananza!

Today marks the beginning of the end of discount deals on the coming-of-age fantasy novel Tarnish.  Sunday to Sunday (December 14 - 21), Tarnish will benefit from a Kindle Countdown Deal.  It'll start out at just $0.99 for the first half of the week, then roll up to $2.99 for the second half, which is still half price!  At the end of the week it'll return to $5.99 where it's likely to stay forever.  (I've got too many new books to write to keep messing with this one, so get it cheap while you can!)

US Tarnish Countdown here.

UK Tarnish here.

Monday through Friday, the 15th through the 19th, the superheroic short story "Puppet Theatre" will be free to download on Amazon.  Yes, free, so why not??!  It also includes a sneak peek (first chapter) of my new novel Hungry Gods.

Puppet Theatre free in the US here.

Free in the UK here.

And as I've already posted, my newest novel Hungry Gods (superheroes vs zombies, but probably not in quite the way you'd expect) is up for pre-order now through January 31st.  During this pre-order period it'll be at $0.99 instead of $5.99.  You can find the ebook for pre-sale on these sites:

Amazon

Amazon UK

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Apple iBooks  

And the fourth book on this sales roster is the GoodReads Giveaway for the paperback of my contest finalist novelette The Thorne Legacy.  Click below to put your name in the hat to win one of ten signed copies.  Ends tomorrow, December 15th!   

GoodReads Giveaway!

Finally, these fun Santa images were lifted from this article, which has artists and source links, as well as 28 more images of cool Christmas Santa mayhem.