Gavain's Proving Available For Free This Weekend

Gavain's Proving is available for free this weekend (Saturday, May 17th through Sunday, May 18th) from Amazon.com. The last free give away at the beginning of the month was very successful, so I've decided to offer it for free again!

This also marks the end of my experiment with enrolling Gavain's Proving in the Amazon KDP Select program. Within the next week I will be submitting Gavain's Proving to Smashwords for full distribution to all of the retail outlets it services. Because Amazon requires that you remain exclusive with them while enrolled in KDP Select, I won't be able to stay enrolled and take advantage of Smashwords as well.

Now stop reading this post, and grab a free copy of Gavain's Proving!

Gavain's Proving Give Away!

I'm pleased to announce that starting Wednesday, April 30th through Friday, May 2nd, Gavain's Proving will be available FOR FREE from Amazon*. If you haven't had the chance to check out this Saga of Thorns Novella, this will be the perfect opportunity--and if you haven't had the pleasure of reading any of the Saga of Thorns, this is the perfect jumping off point!

So spread the word and remember to go to Amazon between April 30th and May 2nd to get Gavain's Proving for free! Don't forget to post a review after you've read it!

*Available in Kindle format only.

Available Today: Gavain's Proving!

Available at Amazon.com

I am thrilled to announce that Gavain's Proving is now available for purchase at Amazon.com! As part of the KDP Select program, Gavain's Proving will be available exclusively at Amazon for 90 days, after which it will be opened up to wider distribution through Smashwords.com and its subsidiaries. Below is the book's description:

When Gavain learned that he was going to be assigned his final test as a squire before becoming a Wyvern Knight, he expected that his Proving would be a routine mission--escorting a noble, leading a border patrol, or perhaps even coordinating an assault on a bandit camp. He never imagined that his Proving would require him to explore the deadly Wastes south of Valdaran, nor that what he would discover there would be far worse than his superiors suspected. If Gavain cannot survive his Proving, all of Valdaran may be doomed…

Gavain’s Proving is a prequel to the Saga of Thorns. Set a year before the Saga of Thorns begins, if you have yet to read Laeryk’s Proving, Book One of the Saga of Thorns, Gavain’s Proving is a perfect place to begin exploring the world of the Saga of Thorns.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped make this latest release possible; even though I handle the majority of my publishing on my own, it would be impossible for me to release anything without family and friends who beta read, offer critiques and suggestions, or simply allow me to babble out loud at them while I brainstorm ideas or work through various issues with the story.

Laeryk's Proving, Now At A Reduced Price!

To celebrate the release of Gavain's Proving, I've reduced the price of Laeryk's Proving at Amazon and Smashwords (and eventually at all the other retailers, once the price change goes through Smashwords' distribution channels). Now you can enjoy Laeryk's Proving for the low price of $2.99!

The End of the Tunnel Is In Sight!

I am extremely pleased to report that Gavain's Proving has finally gone into final layout. 

This means that the manuscript is done, with no further edits to be made before publishing (and unless egregious errors are discovered, none after publishing either). I finished the final changes yesterday after one last review, finding only a few minor corrections. The only corrections that need to be made now are any that crop up while reviewing the layout in the document I will be submitting to Amazon.

It also means that all that is left are things like building a hyperlinked table of contents, additional little bits like author's notes, the map of Aerth (readers of Laeryk's Proving will recognize it immediately), and some preview materials I am placing at the end of the book for Laeryk's Proving.

I'm very happy. It's stressful just before a release; there's an instinct (especially when you're publishing without a separate editor) to go over your manuscript one last time to make certain that you haven't missed anything. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I probably will do a quick search through the manuscript to hunt down certain words and make certain they're consistent. However, at this point time my manuscript has entered into diminishing returns. The changes I make now won't necessarily make the book stronger, and will probably prompt me to review it further, making changes again, and again, and again as my initial instincts war with corrections that I've made. Honestly, at some point it all just becomes a delay-spiral, and counterproductive. Having made that decision to say, "It's done," is a huge relief. These last final steps are important, but not very stressful for me. Building a Table of Contents is pretty simple, preview materials are easy to generate, and layout is almost automated. It's not as if I'm doing a roleplaying game layout, which often layers backgrounds, borders, images, multi-column text, and shaded text-blocks within a page.

So what does this mean in terms of release? When will the final book be available?

Soon. Very, very soon.

I'm fighting the urge to rush it off as soon as possible; sure, my birthday is this week, and it would be awesome to tell everyone that they can buy it as a birthday present to me. On the other hand, there's something to be said for timing. Rushing things for the sake of a single day (which happens to fall right when most people are trying to plan out Valentine's Day plans) just isn't worth it.

So right now, I am estimating release on February 18th, the day after President's Day. I'll probably upload the final file late on the 17th, so Amazon might show it as available before the 18th, but I won't be making any "Hurrah!" noises until that day. 

That's all for now. I can't wait for everyone to get their chance to read Gavain's Proving! Thanks for sticking with me this entire time!

New Character Overview and Gavain's Proving Preview!

The cover for Gavain's Proving is here, and I think it's turned out quite nicely! Many thanks to Don Saunders for another great job!

With the cover here, we're getting ever-so-closer to the release of Gavain's Proving! Keep your eyes peeled to this website and to Amazon.com in the coming weeks when the novella is released!

In the spirit of previewing Gavain's Proving, I've decided to do a new character overview, this time featuring one of the new characters from Gavain's Proving, along with providing a small section of the novella.

(Caveat: This preview material is from a nearly-complete manuscript. While the general content of this preview will appear in Gavain's Proving, there may still be grammatical errors or typos that haven't been caught, and the wording may be altered slightly.)

I hope you enjoy this character overview and preview of Gavain's Proving, coming soon to Amazon.com!

Burr of Kolnjar

Nation of Birth: Valdaran
Gender: Male
Eye Color: Slate gray
Hair Color: Blonde
House: None
Religion: The Church of Alluman
Gift: None
Physical Characteristics: Burr is a thin and wiry fellow, built more for speed than brawn. He has the standard height for a Valdaran man, standing at about 6'-3" but weighing only 180 pounds. He wears his hair in short, military style common among the Valdaran guardsmen. His time in the Wastes has left him with a tan, weathered look to his skin.
Personality Traits: Burr can be an abrasive fellow, particularly when he feels needlessly saddled by some duty or chore. He is quick to mock anyone who lets their pride get in the way of asking for help. Burr's years as a scout have caused him to move quietly as a reflex where ever he goes, and he keeps water with him even when he is in Valdaran.
Personality Quirks: Burr dislikes showing respect for his superiors, often responding to their orders with sarcasm even as he sets about following commands. This has gotten him into hot water over the years, but his skills as a veteran scout on the southern border of Valdaran have always managed to get him through any reprimands relatively unscathed.

Burr is the eldest of three children. His father was a hunter, and his mother a tanner. Burr spent his youth hunting the woodlands and mountains of Valdaran beside his father and, eventually, his younger brother Hrojimm. Burr preferred to spend his time in the wilderness and away from the city-folk of Kolnjar; his sarcastic attitude often made trouble for the young man. Thinking that life in the Valdaran military would curtail his son's penchant for letting his mouth get him into trouble, Burr's father suggested that he go to Wyvernholme and volunteer for the guard.

Burr soon found himself serving as a scout in the Valdaran guard, his honed hunting skills making him a natural for the role. Initially the guard assigned Burr to the western border, but his attitude quickly proved problematic whenever he was required to interact with the Deldanari merchants that frequently traveled into Valdaran for trade. The captain of the western border keep had Burr re-assigned to the southern border, believing that it was unlikely that Burr's attitude would prove a problem for the hrimthaar than inhabited the Wastes.

It was in the Wastes where Burr's talents for scouting flourished, and he quickly mastered the techniques needed to survive in the inhospitable Wastes. Burr became the most accomplished scout on the southern border, capable of ranging further than any other scout at the border keep. Most of his fellow guardsmen learned to adapt to Burr's sarcasm, and the captain of the border keep, Captain Jarloss found that he cared more for Burr's talents than he did about the scout's abrasive tongue.

Recently, Burr has found the reports of increased hrimthaar activity near the pass leading into Valdaran from the Wastes troublesome. He has lost many friends as the officers and nobles in Wyvernholme have ordered more and more scouts sent into the Wastes to confirm the hrimthaar activities. This has made Burr's attitude of late even worse than normal. And learning that Jarloss intends to send Burr into the Wastes to babysit some brat of a squire hasn't helped either...

Gavain's Proving - Preview

Gavain shifted uncomfortably as the goat’s saddle rubbed his inner thighs raw. While he knew how to ride a goat, Gavain much preferred wyvern saddles, which placed the rider in a position where they leaned forward on the wyvern’s back, reducing the amount of drag the rider’s body placed on the wyvern’s speed. After years of training, his body had comfortably adjusted to the wyvern saddles. He could ride on one for hours without discomfort. Goat saddles were a different matter entirely.

Alluman, it feels like my thighs are on fire!

If Burr was experiencing any discomfort, he didn’t show it. The scout led the way through the twisting mountain path with an ease that proved the experience of which Captain Jarloss had spoken. Though the keep was close to the border, the pass down to the Wastes twisted and wound its way around multiple mountains. A wyvern could have flown the distance in a matter of minutes, but on goatback the journey took several miserable hours.

Just find something to keep your mind occupied. “Maybe we should start talking about what sort of survival skills I’ll need to learn in the Wastes,” Gavain suggested to Burr, wincing as his goat jostled him to one side.

“Why?” Burr asked.

“I need to learn about the Wastes, don’t I?” Gavain asked through gritted teeth.

Burr pulled his goat to a stop with the reins and turned to face Gavain. “Where are we?”

“On the pass down into the Wastes.”

“So you do in fact realize that we are not yet in the Wastes?” Burr asked. Gavain repressed the urge to throttle the scout. If Burr noticed Gavain’s irritation, he paid it no mind as he continued. “You recognize that we are still in the mountain pass, where mountain streams provide plentiful water, and small game is abundant to fill our bellies? That the most dangerous predators are wolves, which stay away from people for the most part, and maybe a bear or two? And even if there were more dangerous hunters about, this pass is patrolled regularly, so we can trust that it is relatively safe.”

“What is your point?” snapped Gavain.

“My point? This isn’t the Wastes. The Wyvernpeaks will take care of you. Surviving in their wilderness isn’t that difficult. The Wastes won’t take care of you. They want you dead, your bones bleaching the cracked ground. How do you imagine it will feel being in the Wastes?”

“Dry. Hot. Uncomfortable.”

Burr snorted. “Only the tip of the truth, m’lord. Only the tip. You think it will feel dry? You’ve lived your whole life in the mountains where the air is thick with moisture. You don’t know dry. Hot? It is as if there were a lens put over the Wastes, making the heat of the sun a thousand times worse than what it should be. Uncomfortable? You’ll spend your time wishing for even a second of cool breeze, only to curse the dusty wind that scours at your skin and makes ‘discomfort’ into misery. Truth is, you’ve only looked at the Wastes through a piece of glass. The reality of the Wastes needs to be experienced, and until that happens any talk about what you’ll need to learn is moot. You need to learn everything.”

“Have I done something to offend you?” Gavain demanded. “Alluman as my witness, I’m truly sorry if I have. Why are you treating me like this?”

Burr watched Gavain for a long moment. “The Wastes are no place for games. The hrimthaar are not to be taken lightly. I’ve lost three friends, each good scouts skilled at surviving in the Wastes, all of them trying to provide more confirmation that the hrimthaar are preparing to attack through this pass, and yet the Wing Lords demand that another scout go out and risk his life. To make things worse, they’ve saddled me with you, someone who knows nothing about the Wastes. You’re likely to get me killed with your ignorance, all just because someone thought throwing you into a completely unfamiliar environment was a good test of your abilities, even though you will likely never set foot in the Wastes again.” Burr shook his head and spat on the ground in disgust. “Have you done something to offend me? Being saddled with you offends me!”

“I didn’t ask for this to be my Proving!” Gavain’s voice was hot with his anger and his frustration toward the scout. “But don’t assume that I’ll be such a burden to you! I’ve spent my whole life taking lessons from others. I’m a good student. If you’d just tell me what I need to know, I’ll learn it!”

“You still don’t get it,” Burr said with a sneer. “Let me try this another way. The packs on your goat have plenty of water and food in them for our mission, correct?” Gavain nodded. “Wrong,” Burr snapped. “You think those are enough supplies. So does Captain Jarloss. You both think that because you’ve never experienced the Wastes, never had your throat burning for more water because the very air sucks the moisture from your body. You don’t know how to conserve your water - you’ve never needed to! I can’t begin to explain how to get water in the Wastes because you aren’t going to be willing to accept what needs to be done to find the water! Hells, look at your equipment!”

Gavain glanced down at himself. He wore the traditional metal-studded leather armor that all squires wore while waiting to earn the right to wear the wyverbone plate armor worn by full Wyvern Knights. A pair of steel bracers adorned his forearms. His bow was slung onto his back, a quiver of arrows hung from his right hip. His sword was belted on his left hip. 

“What’s wrong with my equipment?” Gavain demanded.

“Your armor is thick leather, designed for the cold of the Wyvern Peaks.” Burr gestured at his his own simple leather armor. “My armor is only as thick as it needs to be to provide protection, and it was cut to allow as much air as possible to keep my body cool. Your armor will broil you, making you thirstier than you otherwise would be - which is already damned thirsty. Your bow? The game in the Wastes are small, smaller than most Valdaran rabbits. When you miss your mark - and you will, no matter how skilled an archer you are - how will you replace your broken arrows with no trees to supply wood?”

Gavain opened his mouth to reply, but thankfully Alluman gave him wisdom enough to stop himself. Burr never broke stride.

“I use a sling when I’m in the Wastes. Is it because I can’t shoot a bow? Alluman piss on that idea, m’lord. I’m Valdaran through and through. I can hit a target with the best of them. I use a sling, because if there is one thing the Wastes is happy to provide, it’s stones. So long as I can take the time to look around me, I’ll never run out of ammunition.” Burr pulled his spear from where it rested on his back. “As for your sword… If we are forced to fight the hrimthaar you’ll learn just how little use that blade is when your foe can keep out of your reach and still strike at you. Of course, you might not realize it until a hrimthaar spear is already buried in your chest, with me dying beside you because I’m supposed to keep you alive! So I ask you, m’lord, do I have any reason to be offended by all of this?”

Gavain considered his next words. “You will not always get along with everyone you must deal with,” Penevyr had once told Gavain. “Even your fellow Wyvern Knights will contain men who offend you with their every breath. You push that aside, get past it, and realize that whether you like someone or not is immaterial next to your duty as a Wyvern Knight. Look to your friend, Laeryk. It is plain to anyone who can see that he and his uncle despise one another, and yet both swallow it because they must. If those two can work together, no matter how dysfunctionally, then you should be able to work with anyone.”

It wasn’t Gavain’s fault that his equipment wasn’t appropriate for the Wastes. Squires were expected to wear their standard armor and weapons during their Provings. It was unfair that Burr would judge him so harshly just because - no. Those were excuses. Gavain’s Proving was beyond the norm for a squire, and he was certain that Penevyr would have accepted modifications to Gavain’s equipment due to the circumstances. Gavain hadn’t realized how inappropriate his equipment was for the Wastes, and Burr should have said something before they left, but Gavain was gaining the sense that Burr didn’t like to volunteer information. He wanted to be asked.

“I’m not trained to use a spear,” Gavain said carefully, “so I’ll have to stick with my sword and hope that we avoid conflict with the hrimthaar.” Burr snorted. Gavain ignored him. “I hunted with a sling when I was too young to draw a bow. If you have a spare I can practice as we head down the pass. As for my armor…” Gavain paused. “It’s probably too late, but is there anything we can do to mitigate its drawbacks in the Wastes?"

Burr gave Gavain a weighing look. “The spare sling I can manage,” he said finally. “And just as well you think about avoiding the hrimthaar than foolishly planning to fight them. As for your armor… that’s a lost cause. You could avoid wearing your bracers, but any modifications to let that armor breathe better would render it worthless in a fight.”

“Then I’ll just have to suffer the consequences,” Gavain said. “Is there anything that I can do now to prepare myself for when we first enter the Wastes?”

“You a religious man, m’lord?” Burr asked.

“My name is Gavain, and yes.”

“Pray that it’s a cloudy day. Maybe it will cool the Wastes down somewhat.”

“Does it ever get cloudy in the Wastes?” Gavain asked.

“It would be a first time, but you can pray for it anyway,” Burr said as he started his goat down the pass again. Gavain followed him in silence.

Laeryk's Proving is Available on Amazon and Sony Reader!

Two more retailers have been added to the list of places where you can purchase Laeryk's Proving directly for the eBook device of your choice! Now Amazon Kindle users and Sony Reader users can purchase through their device's online stores rather than needing to go to Smashwords and then port the book to their device. Hopefully this added convenience will allow more readers the opportunity to check out Laeryk's Proving.

Kindle users will also discover that their copies of Laeryk's Proving can be lent to family and friends for up to fourteen days, though the book will be unavailable to the original user for that same period of time.

End of March Madness Sale

March Madness Sale Ends

The March madness sale for Laeryk's Proving is now over (as is my bracket). I would like to thank everyone who took advantage of the coupon to purchase my book for free at Smashwords. I was delighted to be able to share my hard work with all of you. Many thanks also to those of you who shared my posts about the sale on Google+ and Facebook. It is nice to have such wonderful friends/followers/readers. I am still looking over the response to the coupon to determine how successful it was, but I would love any feedback people might have regarding the coupon. In the future I hope to offer sales that will reflect on my other retailers' websites. If anyone has ideas for new sales themes, I would be happy to hear them in the comments section.

Reviews

I am still looking for reviews for Laeryk's Proving. Whether you would like to review the book for your personal blog, a review website, or just post a review on the book's sales page for the retailer where you purchased the book, I'd love to hear everyone's feedback. Please post your reviews and feedback, and leave a comment to let me know where to find them!

If anyone happens to know of someone who either reviews fantasy books on a regular basis, or wants to get started going so, feel free to send them here to the blog so they can get in touch with me. I would be more than happy to preview a review copy for them.

New Retailers

New retailer information will be coming soon! I will probably have a new post tomorrow to reflect the updated retailer list. Keep an eye out!

First Draft of Gavain's Proving Completed & Other Things

I have a few different topics I want to talk about today, so without further ado I'll jump right into them.

Gavain's Proving is Nearing Completion

Gavain's Proving has quickly expanded from a short story into a novella. Today I finished writing the last scene for the story, much to my delight. Next week I will put the novella through revision and editing. I've read through most of the scenes before, and I don't think much revision will be needed. I have a mock concept for the cover started. I'm not completely happy with the way the cover is going, but I have a few ideas that I think will clean the cover up and make it eye-catching.

My original estimation of mid-March was obviously off, but I'm feeling confident about an early April release, assuming I can get the cover finished by then. Despite the increased length from short story to a novella at just over 20,000 words, Gavain's Proving will still be a free release, at least at first. Either way, I'm excited that I'm so close to releasing a second title!

New Retailers

Smashwords.com has distributed Laeryk's Proving to multiple retailers already, but the book is still absent from what I consider to be some key retailers. One such retailer is Amazon.com, which Smashwords distributes to in limited quantity. I had planned on waiting things out, but upon further consideration I've decided to use Amazon's KDP program (Kindle Direct Publishing) to publish Laeryk's Proving on Amazon.com, allowing Kindle owners to purchase the title direct from Amazon's catalog rather than only at Smashwords.com. This should make it easier for Kindle owners to find Laeryk's Proving (and Gavain's Proving once it is released), and hopefully increase sales of the .mobi version of the book.

I am also looking into including my books in the Google Play Books catalog, which will not only add an additional international retailer to the list of retailers my books are available through, it will also help make Laeryk's Proving appear in more search queries, something I'm very excited about. I'm going to hold off on publishing through these retailers until after March due to the March Madness Sale that is still going on, but expect to see them added to the roster very soon.

The March Madness Sale Continues!

If you haven't had a chance yet, head on over to Smashwords.com (click the link on the side of the blog) and use coupon code WW37F to purchase Laeryk's Proving  in the format of your choice TOTALLY FREE!! The coupon code is valid until March 31st, so hurry and get a copy for yourself now - or, heck, get a copy for your friends and loved ones! Free books are always a great thing!

March Madness Is Here!

Basketball fans in the United States are probably all familiar with March Madness, and have been thinking about their brackets all season long. In my house, March Madness became an annual event for my family a few years back. My wife, Lisa, loves March Madness, and she brought the excitement of the tournament to the rest of us. Everyone in our house come up with a bracket, and often times we're at odds with one another as we flip channels to simultaneously watch as many games as possible. With my family gearing up for some major basketball fever, it seemed only appropriate to share our excitement with everyone.

MARCH MADNESS BOOK SALE!!!

Sure, the first four aren't playing until the 19th, but most people have been planning their brackets for a while now, waiting for the seeds determined on Selection Sunday to actually commit their predictions to paper. Since you'll likely have those brackets filled out rather quickly, why not spend the rest of the time before the games start reading... you know, to combat all those hours of watching the television turning your brains to jelly?

And if you're going to read, I can't help but suggest Laeryk's Proving, Book One of the Saga of Thorns! To prove how much I'd recommend it, I'm going to show a little March madness myself, and give Laeryk's Proving away for free.

That's right. FREE.

Once again, FREE.

Just enter coupon code WW37F at Smashwords.com (click here) when you make your purchase, and receive a 100% savings on a great book! This isn't the free sample -- this is the full book, available for download in the format of your choosing for ALL devices, 100% FREE!

This coupon code will be good until the end of March, but buy the book now and download it whenever it is convenient to read! I mean, you need something to do during the cold, grey hours between games, right?

REVIEWS WANTED

The Laeryk's Proving book pages are looking pretty lonely right now, but I know what would make them more cheery -- user reviews! If you've read Laeryk's Proving, please provide a review, even a short one, letting everyone know what you thought of it! I would love some feedback from my readers, good or bad, so please take a moment after finishing the book to provide some!

A Slow Week Means It's Time For Updates!

I'm still recovering from a minor surgical procedure I had on Friday, leaving me away from my desk for the moment. Consequently, I have less "new" material to discuss, so I thought that instead I would talk about some irons I have in the fire for the future. Since I am away from my desk, and the computer I normally write these posts from, I've decided to try out the Blogger app for Android on my phone. Please excuse any typos; Autocorrect can be a real pain. I'll try to clean them up when I'm at my main computer again.

Laeryk's Proving Free Sample

Yesterday I uploaded a free sample of the first fourteen chapters of Laeryk's Proving to Scribd.com in epub format. Yes, I know, Smashwords offers a free sample in multiple formats, including epub, already. My thinking went like this: Not everyone knows Smashwords, and not everyone is going to click on a link fo an unfamiliar site, and register an account with that site, all just to read a free sample. And sure, I have thus nifty button on the side of the blog which will load the sample into a new window for visitors to read... but what about those people who don't have time RIGHT NOW to read the sample? Out of sight, out of mind, right? So instead, I have a free sample ebook available on another site which is fairly popular, and can help promote my book. And if I find other websites where I can upload the sample, I have it ready to go on my hard drive. (In fact, if anyone has a recommendation, please post it in the comments!) If you want to check it the sample, click here.

Gavain's Proving

Anyone who contributed to the kickstarter might remember this title. Gavain's Proving is a short story featuring one of the main characters from the Saga of Thorns, and is a sort of "prequel" for Laeryk's Proving. I had hoped to be into editing this week, but I hadn't anticipated how slow my recovery would be. I anticipate this sort story being released sometime mid-March, as a free release.

Laeryk's Fate, Book Two of the Saga of Thorns

The sequel to Laeryk's Proving, this book is still in the early draft phase. Working on promotional material has taken my attention from this draft, but I plan on getting right back to it by next week. I wish I could provide some spoilers, but since book one has only been out for a month, I'm going to assume that any spoilers I released right now would make no sense. One thing I will say, is expect for considerably more attention to be focused on the Triumvirate.

Blood On The Thorns

I read a lot of Dragonlance when I was younger, and I enjoyed the short story anthologies they released for that series. Blood On The Thorns (which is only a working title) is an anthology set in the world of the Saga of Thorns, focusing on some of the main character's histories, and also on showing some areas of Aerth that I'm not planning on showcasing in Laeryk's books. Most of the short stories are still in the planning stages, but one (Rivals, featuring Arngrim Icehart, Laeryk Thorn, and Gavain Whiterose) is already in the draft stage, and another (The Fall of Kaerodan) will make use of material I had written for Laeryk's Proving, but ultimately decided to exclude despite liking them. I don't have an ETA for the release of this anthology, except "sometime before Laeryk's Fate."

Children of Llothora

H.P. Lovecraft is one of my favorite authors. Anthologies of his stories full my bookshelves, and I carry his complete collection with me wherever I go. Children is a sort story I wrote with the intention of imitating Lovecraft's style, and it was my first attempt at getting published, submitted to the same magazine where many of Lovecraft's stories first saw print. Unfortunately, my submission was too late for consideration, as they had already selected a year's worth of stories to print, but if at first you don't succeed... Since it has been a few years, and I would like to think that I've grown as a writer, I'm going to look thus story over again and decide if I want to make any changes. Then it will just need a cover, and will see publication! I'm skating this for "sometime after Gavain's Proving" in terms of a release date.

The Sound With Teeth

Is another Lovecraftian inspiration. This story draws heavy inspiration from Lovecraft's The Colour Our of Space, and is currently in the drafting stages.

No Other Novels?

So you might be wondering, "3/4 of what you posted here are sort stories! Don't you have any other novels planned out that aren't Saga of Thorns books?"

Of course I do. I'm just not ready to talk about them! When they're more concrete I'll let loose a hint or two, buy right now the Saga of Thorns is my main focus. Keeps your eyes peeled though, as I might have more to say sooner than you might think!

Magic in Laeryk's Proving: Part Four

This will be the final post highlighting the magical "Gifts" in Laeryk's Proving. This final post will discuss the Vordanitar Gift, the last of the three Gifts practiced by members of the Triumvirate. If you missed any of the previous posts, check them out below:

Magic in Laeryk's Proving: Part One
Magic in Laeryk's Proving: Part Two
Magic in Laeryk's Proving: Part Three

The Vordanitar Gift

The Vordanitar Gift allows its Gifted to see, communicate, and Compel the spirits of the world. While the other Gifts focus on the transmutation of energy and the body, The Vordanitar Gift allows for the transmutation of the very world itself, albeit in a limited fashion. To accomplish these amazing feats, the Vordanitar must locate, communicate with, and then Compel a spirit appropriate to the effect they wish to create.

In some ways, the abilities of the Vordanitar and Vordanitariin seem even more limited than those of the other Gifted, but appearances are deceiving. A Saritar can transmute energy to create a blast of flame, but will quickly tire if asked to sustain the magical fire. An Alkesarimiin could create an Elixir which transmutes their body so that they can breathe fire, but this ability will end once the Elixir's effects have worn off. The Vordanitar seems limited in comparison in that he must first find an existing fire and its spirit, and then use his Gift to Compel the fire-spirit to change its fundamental nature and attack the Vordanitar's opponent, but once the Vordanitar has Compelled the fire-spirit the drain upon the Vordanitar's Gift is minor, and the created effect will persist for as long as the Vordanitar chooses to continue Compelling the fire-spirit.

Vordanitar and Vordanitariin learn to be resourceful when approaching a situation, for they lack the flexibility of the other Gifted, but once they have found an application for their Gift their mystical stamina is nearly limitless. Most Vordanitar exhibit a sense of calm wisdom, an attitude promoted by the Triumvirate's training and by their need for quick, but rational, thinking during a crisis situation. Many Vordanitar also prefer to learn skills which produce less of a dependence on their Gifts, providing them with more options when presented with a problem (and giving them greater knowledge on how to solve those problems with their Gifts).

The Nature of Spirits

The world of Aerth is filled with a variety of spirits. Every naturally-occurring thing possesses a spirit attached to it, from the smallest stone to the greatest of men. These spirits remain invisible to the majority of humanity, fulfilling their function to keep the thing they are attached to true to its nature. A fire-spirit keeps a flame hot and bright until its source of fuel is exhausted, and then makes certain that it burns out, consuming the fire-spirit in the process. A stone-spirit knows that the rock it is attached to is meant to have a solid form, endure against the elements, and stay in its place unless an outside force exerts upon it. A steel-spirit keeps the sword blade it is attached to sharpened until it would naturally dull. A wind-spirit pushes the wind it governs in the proper direction, never deviating from its path. Much of what we would think of as "physics" are really the effort of the various spirits working to keep the natural order of the world as it should be, existing for their appointed time and fading once the thing they are associated with ceases to exist. Even humans and other living things have spirits attached to them, though these spirits are difficult to perceive. Spirits of living creatures work to keep the natural biological processes of their associated creature functioning, and even have some limited influence on the thoughts of the creature, providing them with a set of instincts appropriate to the creature.

It is the nature of humanity to shape the natural world, forever changing the landscape of Aerth in its wake. Men gather stones and build walls, they cut down trees to build houses, and they farm soil to grow new plants. In each case, the spirits of the world adapt to the changes men inflict upon them. The spirits associated with the individual stones used to make the wall might join together to create a new spirit associated with that wall, remaining a unified spirit until something happens to again separate the stones from the wall. The spirits of the soil and the plants work together to become a farm-spirit. And when a new child is born, the spirits associated with its parents split a portion of their essence from themselves to create a new spirit for the baby.

Seeing Spirits

The Vordanitar have the ability to perceive the spirits of the world, making. To their eyes, the world is crowded with an ubiquitous number of spirits, rendering the Vordanitar nearly helpless while trying to process the information, unless trained to limit their vision. Unlike the Saritar, who must train to use their Gifts to perceive energies, the Vordanitar must train to see only those spirits and energies they wish to see, ignoring the rest.

A spirit typically appears to be a humanoid entity similar to whatever it is associated with. A wind-spirit is vaguely humanoid in shape, but amorphous and translucent, without any defined features. A fire-spirit appears made of flame, their voices crackling as they go about their natures. The spirits of a human or any other living creature appears similar to the creature the spirit is associated with, but faded, almost ghostly. 

Communicating With Spirits

Spirits are not, by and large, wonderful conversationalists. It is the nature of a spirit to focus almost exclusively upon whatever they are associated with, paying little attention to the world around them. A Vordanitar can attract the attention of a spirit for a brief time through his Gift, allowing the Vordanitar to speak with the spirit. Such communications are telepathic in nature, though spirits associated with creatures capable of hearing sometimes pay better attention if the Vordanitar also speaks aloud to the creature. Speaking with a spirit about anything that does not somehow relate to whatever the spirit is associated with is pure folly; the odds of the spirit having ever taken note of something else are negligible, at best. A spirit associated with a stone wall will almost never take note of what happens across the street from that wall. A bird-spirit won't have noticed anything that the bird itself did not notice (and in many cases will only have noticed something that directly affected the bird). A resourceful Vordanitar will use the limited perceptions of spirits to their advantage, questioning the wall-spirit about someone who climbed the wall (violating the wall's nature for keeping people away from a space, and thus attracting the spirit's notice), or they might ask a stream-spirit about the people who stopped to drink from the stream's waters.

Compelling a Spirit

The true power of the Vordanitar Gift lies in its ability to exert the Vordanitar's will upon the spirit, forcing the spirit to act in a way not normally in keeping with its nature. The amount of energy expended by the Vordanitar to do this is minimal so long as the change does not violate the spirit's nature overly much. Asking a fire-spirit to spit flames at an opponent is a relatively minimal change for the fire-spirit (which is simply directing its nature in a new direction), but asking a tree-spirit to make an oak tree uproot itself and walk is a feat beyond the power of most Vordanitar, though having a tree branch move to grapple a foe is quite manageable. Once the spirit has been Compelled, maintaining the Compelling takes almost no effort on the part of the Vordanitar, no matter how difficult the original Compelling was. A Vordanitar may Compel multiple spirits at a time, but each Compelling requires at least some of the Vordanitar's attention, creating a natural limit on the Vordanitar based on their ability to multi-task.

Compelling the spirit of a human or other living creature is difficult, as the Vordanitar must not only contend with the spirit, but the will of the creature it is associated with. The more sentient and aware a creature is, the more difficult it is to Compel their associated spirits. In the case of humans and wyverns, it is nearly impossible. When a Vordanitar manages such a Compelling, they find it difficult to do more than affect the function of the creature's biological systems. A Vordanitar might Compel a spirit to stop the beating of an enemy's heart, but the struggle to Compel the spirit means that there is probably a better way to kill the foe, such as Compelling an air-spirit to suck all the oxygen from the victim's lungs.

Compelling a spirit requires a spirit to be within sight for the Vordanitar. If the Vordanitar cannot perceive the spirit, the Compelling ends, even if the Vordanitar was originally close enough to Compel the spirit. Because of the ability for humans to perceive things without directly looking at them, a Vordanitar need not keep their eyes on a spirit at all times to maintain a Compelling, but they must remain aware of the spirit and within line of sight of the spirit.

The Great Spirits

Certain Spirits exist on Aerth which seem to govern multiple, lesser spirits. These entities were once worshiped as gods by humanity, and with good reason. The power of a Great Spirit far exceeds that of a regular spirit. A Great Spirit holds dominion over every lesser spirit within its purview, and their scope is vast. Such Spirits are not simply associated with any one thing; they are concepts, and elemental forces. The power of even the least of these Great Spirits is beyond the ability of any Vordanitar to safely Compel. Should an impudent Vordanitar even attempt to Compel a Great Spirit, that Spirit will quickly destroy the Vordanitar. The sole exception to this rule is the Arakon, the leader of the Triumvirate. The Great Spirits will never destroy an Arakon outright for attempting to Compel them, but they will struggle against the will of the Arakon, and if the Arakon's will should falter, death will be imminent. Even the Arakon is unable to change the nature of Great Spirit, instead Compelling the Spirit to share its power with the Arakon.

Two Great Spirits were once worshiped in Valdaran, the Sky Father and the Skar. The Spirit known as the Sky Father governs all the skies over Aerth, except for those covering the Sharynwyn Marshes. The Skar represents the great mountain itself, but also governs the other mountains of the Wyvern Peaks. There are some in the Triumvirate who hypothesize that Alluman might be the collective Great Spirit of humanity, but no Arakon is known to have had contact with Alluman to confirm that this relatively-new deity truly exists.

While there is no true hierarchy among the Great Spirits, it is known to the Triumvirate that the Great Spirit of the Sharynwyn Marshes dwarfs the other Great Spirits in power, causing the other Spirits to flee at its approach. No Arakon has ever survived an attempt to Compel the Great Spirit of the Sharynwyn Marshes, and only the original Witch Queen of the Sharynwyn Marshes is known to have survived communicating with the Spirit, though it is unknown how she communicated with the Spirit, though she clearly has made some sort of accord with it.

Artifacts of the Great Spirits

At rare points in history, some Great Spirits have agreed to split a fragment of their power off from themselves, shaping that power into a physical object which was then carried by a champion of that Spirit, connecting the champion to the Spirit and its power. These artifacts are exceedingly rare; only a handful have ever been created, usually at the behest of an Arakon during a period of great need. Nearly all such artifacts were eventually reabsorbed by the Spirit which created them, though a few are said to persist. Legend says that the twisted black staff carried by the Arakon is an artifact of Great Spirit, though none of the legends agree as to which Spirit created the staff. Other tales speak of a Crown of Shadows which was lost ages ago, but again no legend states which Spirit donated its power.

The most famous (if such a term can be applied to relics largely unknown outside of bard songs and the halls of the Triumvirate) is the sword called the Sharynwyn Fangs. This weapon was created by the Great Spirit of the Sharynwyn Marshes as a sign of its accord with the first Witch Queen, and was often carried by the Witch Queen's personal champion. The sword carries a grave price for its power, demanding that life be taken whenever the sword is drawn; should the sword's wilder fail to claim a life with the blade, the Great Spirit lays claim to the destiny of someone dear to the wielder, causing that dear one to die early as payment for defying the Great Spirit's agreement. The Sharynwyn Fangs has rarely been seen outside of the Marshes, but all members of the Triumvirate are required to learn of the sword, for it is known to be the most powerful of such artifacts, and too dangerous to remain outside of the control of the Witch Queen's champion.

Scarcity of the Vordanitar

The Vordanitar Gift is dying out in Aerth. Only a dozen children are found each year with the potential to develop a full Vordanitar Gift, and many of these will fail to fully awaken their powers. No one knows why the Gift is dying. Some feel that humanity is moving away from the spirits, and thus losing their ability to perceive and Compel them directly. A few blame the Church of Alluman for this, saying that the Church's refusal to accept the existence of spirits has lead its followers to refuse to believe in spirits and thus make them incapable of perceiving them. Others say that it is not just the Vordanitar Gift that is dying, but all of the Gifts. The Vordanitar Gift only heralds what will happen to the other two Gifts. Regardless of the reasons, the rosters of the Vordanitar within the Triumvirate grow empty, forcing these Gifted to rely on the Elixirs of the Alkesarim to sustain them lest old age claim the ability for new Vordanitars to be trained.

The Other Gifts

In days gone by, every Vordanitar possessed one of the other Gifts. A minor Saritar Gift was most common, though in truth it was only a shade more common than the Alkesarim. In modern times, the only Vordanitar who still possess minor secondary Gifts are those who dare not miss a single dose of their youth Elixirs, lest age devour them instantly. Those few Vordanitar who are found each year show no sign of any secondary Gifts at all, and even the older Vordanitar who possess secondary Gifts report that it is growing increasingly difficult to use those secondary Gifts.Many in the Triumvirate say that this is further proof that the Vordanitar Gift is dying out.

Thanks For All The Birthday Wishes!

Yesterday was a double birthday in our family. Both myself and my step-daughter share the 13th as a birthday. This week has been filled with birthday wishes from friends and family, and the busy schedule has kept me from putting together the last Magic in Laeryk's Proving post. I'll get it posted as soon as I have time, I promise.

In the meantime, as a mini-update, Smashwords has been hard at work distributing Laeryk's Proving to other retailers. To date, it has shipped to Kobo, Sony, Apple, and Barnes & Noble, and I'm hoping it will be shipping to a few other retailers either today or tomorrow. Each retailer takes a different amount of time after receiving ebooks to make them available on their website. Apple, for example, manually reviews all books from publishers and distributors to make certain they meet their requirements, a process which can take upwards of two weeks depending on their current backlog. I've been checking daily to see where Laeryk's Proving has appeared.

So far, only Kobo has the book listed, but hey, that's a great start! Kobo represents approximately 46% of the marketshare in Canada, and roughly 50% in France! (Marketshares reflect January and Spring of 2012, respectively.) This gives Laeryk's Proving a chance at some international exposure, and I'm pleased to see my book for sale at their site!

If you use a Kobo reader, of a Kobo reader app, and have been waiting for the chance to buy Laeryk's Proving at your preferred retailer, just click here to go to the entry for Laeryk's Proving.

If you use a different ebook device, and you're still waiting for Laeryk's Proving to show up at your retailer, why not pass the time with a free sample, available in formats compatible with all the major eReaders, from Smashwords.com? Just click here to go to Smashwords.com and download the free sample, or go ahead and make a purchase!

One last thing before I go, even though I often forget to say it amid all the birthday wishes I receive this time of year, Happy Valentines Day to everyone who celebrates it! I hope your day is full of all the things that you and your loved ones enjoy most!

Laeryk's Proving is Premium!

Laeryk's Proving has been approved for Smashwords' Premium Catalog, which means that it will soon be distributed to a number of new retailers, including Apple, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, and more!

This is thrilling news, because it means that even more people will potentially discover Laeryk's Proving and get a chance to try it out! The book has already been generating some interest at Smashwords' website, so I'm excited to see what will happen when it receives an even larger distribution.

Unfortunately, Smashwords and Amazon appear to still be working completing their technical integration, so there is no time frame for when Laeryk's Proving will appear in the Kindle Marketplace. While this is unfortunate, Kindle users shouldn't feel left out in the cold. As I'm typing this post, Laeryk's Proving is happily loaded into my phone's Kindle App, and it looks great!

"How," you ask? Simple! I downloaded it from Smashwords.com!

If you're holding out on buying the book because you want to see it from a different retailer, please don't. The .mobi file is available for purchase and download right now, and it took no effort to set it up in my Kindle app. I just moved the folder from my phone's Download folder into the Kindle folder and voila!

CLICK HERE to visit the Laeryk's Proving page at Smashwords and purchase the book in whichever DRM-free format you prefer! Hey, while you're there, why not check out some other Smashwords authors and see if there's anything else that you like? Having more authors to try out is always a good thing, in my opinion.