Tag Archives: fantasy

Farewell February Freebie!

From now until 11:59 p.m. PST Feb. 28, I’m offering Acceptance as a free e-book to celebrate the end of February and the approach of spring! If you are a fan of sword and sorcery or darker fantasy stories, definitely check out this piece. The Augur’s Rose Series #2 will be out some point thisContinue reading “Farewell February Freebie!”

Scene Building: Setting The Pieces Into Motion

We’ve discussed the pieces that are needed to build a good scene, but now we are going to dive into the actual process so we can see them in action. I will be using the very first scene in chapter one from a book I wrote in junior high — let it never be saidContinue reading “Scene Building: Setting The Pieces Into Motion”

Acceptance Cover And Blurb Revealed

  After much blood, sweat, and tears (so many tears), I’m pleased to reveal the cover of Acceptance, the first story in The Augur’s Rose Series. I drew and painted it in Photoshop CS4 using my Wacom Bamboo tablet. The process included many layers,  various reference photos for the lovely hooded crow (Vidar), and aContinue reading “Acceptance Cover And Blurb Revealed”

In Need of a Fun Read? Give ‘The Wizard’s Gambit’ a Read

I may be a little biased — having had a window-of-sorts to see this novel grow into its finished product and being friends with the writer — but I think I can safely say many readers will find “The Wizard’s Gambit” to be a hilarious, enjoyable read, plus it has Littlehammer in it! With feudingContinue reading “In Need of a Fun Read? Give ‘The Wizard’s Gambit’ a Read”

The logistics of war

This post is in honor of Memorial Day. Thank you to all who have served, including those who paid the ultimate price. Writing a novel containing a war is perhaps one of the most challenging things to do, particularly if you, due to your characters, are in the thick of the conflict, which is veryContinue reading “The logistics of war”

World-building Series: Diversity

Diversity is the spice of life and has brought humanity several great things from tasty foods, fun festivals and a variety of sports to different arts and music. However, diversity can serve as a double-edged sword, resulting in conflicts, because — let’s face — it humans often have a fear of “otherness.” Whether that “otherness”Continue reading “World-building Series: Diversity”

You know what’s fun? Euphemisms

“Where’s Ol’Daisy, Joe Bob?” asked Bobby Ray upon entering the milking parlor. “She kicked her last bucket.” Joe Bob continued to squirt milk into the milk pan as he sat next to Ol’Trixie. “EH?” “You know, she exited the barn for the last time… is eating in a greener pasture on a farm upstate.”  Continue reading “You know what’s fun? Euphemisms”

Partial Review: Attempting to use Evernote

I had downloaded Evernote several months ago, but had never really messed around with it until this week. So far, I’m seeing a lot of potential for this program and its nifty Firefox add-on — I have yet to use the Android app — as a writer. I’ve set up separate notebooks for each ofContinue reading “Partial Review: Attempting to use Evernote”

World-building Series: Courting (Valentine Bonus)

As we celebrate the overly commercialized Valentine’s Day, I decided to do a themed piece for the day and settled on a world-building related topic, because to be honest, I’m not the most romantic person in the world so a how-to-write romance is a little out of my league. However, courtship is an important topicContinue reading “World-building Series: Courting (Valentine Bonus)”