Guest Blogging About Fantasy Fiction Over At Sean Mclachlan's Blog

I'm guest blogging over at Sean McLachlan's blog today about Using Real Cultures in Fantasy Fiction. Hop on over and check out that post, and also the rest of his blog, which focuses on writing, the Civil War, Wild West, and travel.

No Medieval Mondays today, but I'll be back on Wednesday with a post for the Norse Gods blogfest. See you then!

The Maze of Mist out now!!!

Well, it's finally here. The Maze of Mist, my latest fantasy novel, is for sale in the Kindle store! For the first month I've priced it at only $3.99, and it's free for Prime members.

Here's the blurb:

When the heir to the throne is treated as an outcast, he has to prove himself before he can rule.

Prince Metis Itxaron is the son of a human father and a goblin mother. As heir to the Twin Thrones, he will some day bear the responsibility of ruling two peoples while protecting the kingdom from the vicious armies of the Bandit Queen and the Elves of the Great Forest.

Instead he spends his time getting drunk and sleeping with the few women willing to look beyond his mixed heritage.

In a desperate attempt to make a man out of him, his parents send him on a secret diplomatic mission to prepare for an upcoming war. What they don't expect is that he will come upon visitors from an unknown land beyond the Sea of Mist, a strange labyrinth of fog that has baffled navigators for all of recorded history.

Metis sees a visit to these new lands as an opportunity to escape his responsibilities and prove himself on his own terms.

Then he discovers that representatives from his kingdom's enemies are coming along for the voyage. . .

This is the second book in the Chronicles of the House of Itxaron series. The first volume is Roots Run Deep. While set in the same world, each title is a standalone novel.

Thanks for everyone who helped me on the cover and blurb. Much appreciated!

Medieval Mondays: Early Irish Ogam

The Great Court at the British Museum is full of interesting objects such as Greek statues and Native American totem poles. Off to one side is a simple slab of rock that many people pass by. From a distance it doesn't look like much but it's perhaps the rarest object in the room.

If you look more closely, you'll see a series of slashes cut into the rock. This is a simple form of writing called Ogam. The Irish developed Ogam in the 4th century AD. The system was simple: letters were made up of one to five slashes, either short or long, on either side of a natural edge of the rock or a carved line. Slanted lines and lines that cut across the dividing line were also used. It was generally read counter-clockwise.

This particular stone dates to the 5th century and was found along with two others, having been reused to build a later medieval fort. The inscription reads, "[stone] of Vedac, [son] of Tob of the Sogain."

Such a short inscription is common with Ogam. Like Viking runestones, most Ogam stones were simple memorials that only recorded the carver and who the stone was dedicated to. Ogam died out after a couple of centuries as it was replaced by Latin.

Seeking input on my cover and blurb

Hey folks! I'm preparing to release my next book, The Maze of Mist, which is part of the Chronicles of the House of Itxaron series. It's set in the same world as my novel Roots Run Deep but it's not a sequel. Both are standalone books.

Anyway, I've whipped this up on Kindle's Cover Creator. I'm not 100% satisfied with it so I could use some input. Too gray? What other colors could I use that go with the picture? I'm new to the cover design game.

Also, here's a draft of the blurb. Any input will be highly appreciated!

When the heir to the throne is treated as an outcast, he has to prove himself before he can rule.

Prince Metis Itxaron is the son of human father and a goblin mother. As heir to the Twin Thrones, he will some day bear the responsibility of ruling two peoples while protecting the kingdom from the vicious armies of the Bandit Queen and the Elves of the Great Forest.

Instead he spends his time getting drunk and sleeping with the few women willing to look beyond his mixed heritage.

In a desperate attempt to make a man out of him, his parents send him on a secret diplomatic mission to prepare for an upcoming war. What they don't expect is that he will come upon visitors from an unknown land beyond the Sea of Mist, a strange labrynthe of fog that has baffled navigators for all of recorded history. Metis sees a visit to these new lands as an opportunity to escape his responsibilities and prove himself on his own terms.

Then he discovers that representatives from his kingdom's enemies are coming along for the voyage. . .

Coming in July: The Maze of Mist!

Last month I finished my latest fantasy novel, The Maze of Mist, a sequel to my fantasy novel Roots Run Deep. The action takes place twenty years later and follows the adventures of Metis Itxaron, son of the human King Roderick and goblin Queen Kip, as he discovers an unknown continent and struggles with accepting his mixed heritage.

I've been busy with edits and beta reads for several weeks now. The book should be ready to go up on Kindle, Smashwords, etc, in late July. I'm still looking for cover art, though. If anyone out there knows of a good Creative Commons or inexpensive image of an old-style sailing ship sailing through the mist, please mention it here.

This sequel is a standalone novel and you don't have to read the first book to understand the second, although I certainly won't complain if you do! I like loosely knit series like that.

I finished my latest book!

Time to celebrate! This morning I finished The Maze of Mist, a sequel to my fantasy novel Roots Run Deep. The action takes place twenty years later and follows the adventures of Metis Itxaron, son of the human King Roderick and goblin Queen Kip. This sequel is a standalone novel and you don't have to read the first book to understand the second. I like loosely knit series like that.

Since I've been revising as I've been going along, this one is just about ready to send off. In the meantime, I'm dancing like the peasants painted by Pieter Bruegel the Younger!

And now that I'm done, I can get back to Medieval Mondays. Stay tuned!

Busy writing!

Hello everyone! I've been a bit remiss with my Medieval Mondays posts. I'm working on The Maze of Mist, a sequel to my fantasy novel Roots Run Deep. For those of you familiar with the first book, the action takes place twenty years later and follows the adventures of Metis Itxaron, son of the human King Roderick and goblin Queen Kip. Those two, of course, were the protagonists in Roots Run Deep, but now they're aging and busy with affairs of state, so it's their son who gets all the fun!

This sequel is a standalone novel and you don't have to read the first book to understand the second. I like loosely knit series like that.

Anyway, as you can see from the word count meter on the righthand column, and getting close to being done. Once I passed 80% my productivity really picked up and I don't want any interference from other projects. I should be done by the end of the month and back to regular posts.

Writer's website taken by Chinese domain squatter

Author Sean McLachlan over at the Civil War Horror blog has an interesting post about how Chinese domain squatters have taken over his former website. Now his own blog is outranked by a Chinese real estate website using his personal name. Not fun!

He's asked the blogging community to help out by mentioning him on their blogs and hyperlinking his name to his blog like I did in the first line of this post. A writer deserves to be searchable by his own name!

Sean McLachlan is the author of the novel A Fine Likeness and a bunch of other books. He's guest posted a few times here, including one of the most popular posts for this blog on the accuracy of medieval handgonnes.

Nice review of Roots Run Deep

Croft Fantasy Book Reviews has done a nice review of my fantasy novel Roots Run Deep. Here's a snippet:

"What attracted me to this story was that it focused on a Goblin character, which was nice for a change. I really liked the descriptive passages of the Kip’s world.  Vibrant scenes that build a dark and realistic world. Kip is a good strong character. She takes the reader through the story and I found her an engaging believable character."

Woohoo! Several reviewers have commented how they liked Kip, a smart-mouthed goblin in a world run by humans. A big part of her appeal, I think, is that's shes an ordinary person who rises to do extraordinary things. She's a small-time thief, mediocre sorceress, and bad gambler who is cornered into a position of having to be the leader of her people.

The reviewer also had this to say: "I did feel the plot shot forward a bit fast at times, this left me feeling a little disorientated."

Hmmm. Yes, this isn't the first time I've heard this. Something to watch out for. A good writer learns from his reviews. 


Well, off to write the All the Gods are Human, Book Three of the Timeless Empire series!

Guest blogging about military fiction

Today I'm a guest blogger over at Jeff Hargett's Strands of Pattern writing about writing military fiction. Pop on over and check it out. Also check out the other posts for some great writing advice!

Guest blogging about military fantasy

I'm guest blogging about military fantasy over at Sean McLachlan's Civil War Horror blog. And of course I'm mentioning my new fantasy novel Hard Winter! It's already had two sales in the first 12 hours it's been available! Now if I can only keep up that momentum. . .

My new fantasy novel out now!!!

It's finally out! Hard Winter went live on Amazon in the wee hours of this morning. It should soon be up on Amazon UK and the other Amazons. I'm also uploading it to Smashwords and their distribution will get it on Barnes & Noble, the Apple store, and other venues.

His past has been erased, his future is uncertain, but he knows one thing—in the coming revolution he must choose which friend to support and which to betray.

The Dragonkin have ruled the human race for centuries, but now the eastern territories have broken away and a blight has left thousands of humans destitute. Assassinations and riots plague the cities.

While the empire’s future is in peril, one man struggles to reclaim his past. Recorro lost his wife to the Gatherers, shadowy beings that prowl the streets on moonless nights. Those who witness their passing are forever changed. Recorro can remember nothing about his wife beyond the fact that she existed.

Aimless and struggling with despair, Recorro joins the army gathering to crush the rebels. What he discovers there may answer all his questions, and topple the empire he swore to uphold.

This is Book One of the Timeless Empire series. Book Two, At the Gates, will be released in July. Thanks to all my beta readers!

Shorter blurb

The consensus on my writers groups and the KDP Forum is that my blurb is too long. I've come up with a shorter one. Try this on for size:

His past has been erased, his future is uncertain, but he knows one thing—in the coming revolution he must choose which friend to support and which to betray.

The Dragonkin have ruled the human race for centuries, but now the eastern territories have broken away and a blight has left thousands of humans destitute. Assassinations and riots plague the cities.

While the empire’s future is in peril, one man struggles to reclaim his past. Recorro lost his wife to the Gatherers, shadowy beings that prowl the streets on moonless nights. Those who witness their passing are forever changed. Recorro can remember nothing about his wife beyond the fact that she existed.

Aimless and struggling with despair, Recorro joins the army gathering to crush the rebels. What he discovers there may answer all his questions, and topple the empire he swore to uphold.

Cover and blurb of my upcoming fantasy novel

I just received the cover art for my next fantasy novel from my designer, the talented Jack Wallen of Adorkable Designs. Hard Winter is Book One of the Timeless Empire series.

I've been working on the blurb and will upload the book to Kindle Direct Publishing and Smashwords in a few days. In the meantime, I'd love to hear your opinion of the blurb, which is still a work in progress.

Look for book two of the series, At the Gates, in six weeks!

Here's the blurb for Hard Winter:

His past has been erased, his future is uncertain, but he knows one thing—in the coming revolution he must choose which friend to support and which to betray.

The Dragonkin, magical beings that are half human and half dragon, have ruled the human race for centuries through cruel caprice, but now their authority is being challenged. The eastern territories have broken away, and a grain blight has left thousands of humans destitute. Assassinations and riots plague the cities.

While the empire’s future is in peril, one man struggles to reclaim his past. He is Recorro, a human scribe whose wife has been taken by the Gatherers, shadowy beings that prowl the streets during moonless nights. No-one knows where the Gatherers come from, or what happens to the people they take, but those who witness their passing are forever changed. Recorro can remember nothing about his wife beyond the fact that she existed.

Aimless and struggling with despair, Recorro joins the army gathering to crush the rebels. His unit is a motley band of desperate commoners, including Granja, a dispossessed farmer, and Ignazio, a holy man in a world that has more faith in magic than the gods. Their unofficial leader is Silone, a charming trickster who turns out to be a member of the Syndicate, an anarchic secret society that has infiltrated the army in order to overthrow the ruling class. Silone lost a son to the Gatherers and presents Recorro with convincing evidence that the Dragonkin are behind the disappearances.

Recorro’s best friend in the unit is Labertino, an aspiring mage who was kicked out of school for lack of talent. Early in the campaign he saves Recorro’s life, which makes Recorro feel protective of the weak and bookish youth. Soon Silone and Labertino come into conflict as the former student shows his loyalty to the Dragonkin and tries to keep Recorro from joining the Syndicate’s revolution.

Fighting against disease, starvation, the rebels, and their own differences, the unit tries to stay alive while everyone around them begins to take sides.

Busy working on three different fantasy fiction projects

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm preparing two more fantasy novels for publication. Hard Winter and At the Gates, books one and two of the Timeless Empire series, are edited and ready. The covers are being designed at the moment. The artist is incorporating some medieval art into the covers that really sets the mood. Both books will be released in June.

I'm still chugging away on The Maze of Mist, a sequel to my fantasy novel Roots Run Deep and the second book in the House of Itxaron trilogy. It will be out in late 2012. Each book in the trilogy is a standalone novel but can also be read as a series.

My third project involves fellow archaeologist and blogging buddy Sean McLachlan. We're working together on a collection of short stories tentatively titled The Witch Bottle and Other Tales of Black Magic. That will be out sometime this year but I can't be more precise than that. We both have busy schedules!

Upcoming fantasy releases

It's been some time since I've given you an update on my writing. I'm hard at work on The Maze of Mist, a sequel to Roots Run Deep and the second book in the House of Itxaron trilogy. While all three books in the trilogy will be standalone novels, The Maze of Mist continues the tale of the House of Itxaron into the next generation. It will be released in the autumn of 2012.

You won't have to wait until then to read more of my work, though! I'm publishing the first two books of another fantasy series, the Timeless Empire series, within the next month. More news once I have it! The first two books are titled Hard Winter and At the Gates. Book number three, tentatively titled Occupation, will come out two months later. Here's a teaser:

His past has been erased, his future is uncertain, but he knows one thing—in the coming revolution he must choose which friend to support and which to betray.

The Dragonkin, magical beings that are half human and half dragon, have ruled the human race for centuries through cruel caprice, but now their authority is being challenged. The eastern territories have broken away, and a grain blight has left thousands of humans destitute. Assassinations and riots plague the cities.

While the empire’s future is in peril, one man struggles to reclaim his past. He is Recorro, a human scribe whose wife has been taken by the Gatherers, shadowy beings that prowl the streets during moonless nights. No-one knows where the Gatherers come from, or what happens to the people they take, but those who witness their passing are forever changed. Recorro can remember nothing about his wife beyond the fact that she existed.

Aimless and struggling with despair, Recorro joins the army gathering to crush the rebels. His unit is a motley band of desperate commoners, including Granja, a dispossessed farmer, and Ignazio, a holy man in a world that has more faith in magic than the gods. Their unofficial leader is Silone, a charming trickster who turns out to be a member of the Syndicate, an anarchic secret society that has infiltrated the army in order to overthrow the ruling class. Silone lost a son to the Gatherers and presents Recorro with convincing evidence that the Dragonkin are behind the disappearances.

Recorro’s best friend in the unit is Labertino, an aspiring mage who was kicked out of school for lack of talent. Early in the campaign he saves Recorro’s life, which makes Recorro feel protective of the weak and bookish youth. Soon Silone and Labertino come into conflict as the former student shows his loyalty to the Dragonkin and tries to keep Recorro from joining the Syndicate’s revolution.

Fighting against disease, starvation, the rebels, and their own differences, the unit tries to stay alive while everyone around them begins to take sides.

Welcome to the Origins Blogfest!

Courtesy Wikipedia

On Mondays I usually have my series Medieval Mondays. Today, though, I'm participating in the Origins blogfest, telling the world how I got into writing. Medieval Mondays will actually be on Tuesday this week. I'll be talking about the Hexamilion, a six-mile wall the Byzantines built to try to stop the Ottoman Turks. Did it work? Come back tomorrow and find out!

My story is a pretty typical one. I got inspired to write because I grew up on science fiction, fantasy, and roleplaying games (anyone else out there a Gamma World fan?). I didn't write for a long time, though, because most of my creativity got sucked into my archaeology studies. Archaeology couldn't quite satisfy me, though. So much is left unknown. When you visit a place such as Avebury or uncover some spectacular find like the Sutton Hoo ship, pictured above, you're only learning a tiny percent of the story behind it.

So I got into writing to tell my own stories. One thing my readers often notice in my tales are the layers of personality my protagonists have. They are conflicted, multidimensional, often hypocritical, and nobody knows them completely, not even themselves. This is what makes people interesting, and as much as I love my field of study, archaeology will never be able to give us this.

More places to buy my books!

In the past few weeks the number of places to buy my books has dramatically expanded. My fantasy novel Roots Run Deep has always been available directly from Double Dragon Publishing, and the various Amazon incarnations such as Amazon and Amazon UK. It's also available at Barnes & Noble, and 8for those of you who like using Paypal) Fictionwise.

My mystery/thriller Murder at Mcmurdo is available direct from LL-Publications, Amazon, Amazon UK, all the other Amazons, and Barnes and Noble.

My latest book, a short story collection of RPG-inspired tales called Down in the Dungeon, was released by Writers Exchange Ebooks, and is now available at Amazon, Amazon UK, all those other Amazons, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

So now there are more ways to read the stuff by yours truly! More books coming soon!

Upcoming releases

I've been a bit too quiet on this blog lately. I've been very busy at work and finalizing two upcoming releases. One is Down in the Dungeon, a collection of my short stories inspired by classic RPG gaming. So many fantasy authors are inspired by roleplaying games and try to hide it. Well, I don't. I revel in it! This ebook has a wonderful cover designed by Laura Shinn. It will be coming out within a month from Writers Exchange E-Publishing.

I also have a short story titled "The Witch Bottle" in the upcoming anthology Love and Darker Passions. This will be published early next year by Blood Moon, the horror imprint of Double Dragon. It's based on some research into a real item of folkloric magic called, you guessed it, the witch bottle.

If you haven't sampled my fiction yet, I already have two books available. My fantasy novel Roots Run Deep follows the adventures of a female goblin struggling her way out of a slum in a human-dominated world and becoming a leader for her oppressed people. My mystery/thriller Murder at McMurdo tells the tale of flawed man trying to make things right for his wife and himself while trying to solve a murder.

So while I've been a bit quiet of late, I haven't been sleeping! And you're getting a medieval post later this week, so stayed tuned!

More Medieval Weapons in the American Civil War

Earlier this week we had Sean McLachlan blogging about Medieval Weapons in the American Civil War as part of his virtual book tour for his new Civil War novel.

He didn't have enough space to say everything he wanted to, so he's done another post over at his own blog titled Lancers in the American Civil War. Go on over and check out this interesting post!

I didn't realize there were lancers in that war. The term "lancer" brings to mind the cavalry of the Napoleonic Wars, like this French lancer I nabbed off of Wikimedia Commons. I bet the Texan Confederates didn't have such snappy uniforms!