Journeys

Something I’ve noticed recently is how often the stories I write involve someone going on a journey. In Too Many Princes, the title characters went on a quest. In The Seven Exalted Orders, two of the characters were running away from the others. In the sequel, The Eighth Order, which the publisher has been sitting on forever, they also chase someone across the countryside. In The Grimhold Wolf, a character was abducted and the other ones went to rescue him. In Masters of Air & Fire, the characters’ home was destroyed and they had to search for another one. In The Weight of Their Souls, the characters were traveling home after a war. In The Tower in the Mist, soldiers are taking their prisoner to a special prison — on the other side of a haunted forest. In The Grove of Ghosts, the MC is traveling to break a curse.

Only in The Magister’s Mask, The Necromancer’s Bones, and The Gellboar did everyone basically stay at home and do stuff there. That’s three out of eleven tales involving some sort of travel.

I must confess, I feel like I’m starting to repeat myself with the journeys. My current WIP, Fang Marsh, starts with the main character on a journey. Now that I’ve thought about it, I’m going to have her arrive at a destination and stay there. This will make some other parts of the plot easier. For one thing, the villain and her henchmen will be able to find her!

What do you guys think — am I worrying too much about this?

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Sky Warriors Summer Sale

Pardon this brief commercial announcement. My publisher, Sky Warrior Books, is having a summer e-book sale, now til Friday, July 31st. All E-Books are half-off.

Dragon’s Hoard cover

I have a story in this anthology, which is all about dragons and treasure.

Cover to the MG fantasy novel, Masters of Air & Fire

Here’s my juvenile fantasy novel, Masters of Air & Fire, a family drama where the family are dragons.

Another recent release is The Grimhold Wolf, a Gothic-style werewolf novel.

And don’t forget The Seven Exalted Orders, my best selling book for Sky Warrior!

Follow this link to get the code: https://www.facebook.com/events/486968021477427/

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Grimhold Wolf Review

I’m doing a happy dance! My gothic fantasy, The Grimhold Wolf, has just had its first substantial review.

The reviewer is Brian Triplett, a casual acquaintance who writes for The Examiner. Check it out!

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Dragon’s Hoard Anthology

Here’s a preview of the cover for the fantasy anthology, The Dragon’s Hoard. It’s coming out sometime this summer, from Sky Warrior Books. Yes, I have a story in it! As you might guess, it is told from the dragon’s point of view.

Dragon’s Hoard cover

This has been a really good year for me, publication-wise. Not only did my middle grade dragon fantasy Masters of Air & Fire come out on February 2nd. Not only did my gothic werewolf novel, The Grimhold Wolf, come out February 13th. The Dragon’s Hoard will be the second anthology issued within 8 months months that includes one of my stories. This brings me to four publications within twelve months.

For some of you, it may not sound like much, but for me this is outstanding productivity. The only thing that would make it better is if a few of you could help me out with reviews, tweets, shares, and any other way you can think of to boost my signal. I can provide review copies.

If you’d like to find out more about my books, just click here. E-books and paper are available from Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.

Regardless how much or how little you can do, know that I appreciate the friendship and support I get from all of you bloggers out there. You are the best!

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Dragon On

My final post of 2014 will be a recap of my stories and works in progress, because everyone knows New Years Eve is all about recaps. Or was it kneecaps?

Anyway!

For me, this was one of those years when a bunch of stuff I had written over a long period of time all found homes at once. They are starting to come out through the end of 2014 and into 2015. First up is The Complete Guide to Writing for Young Adults (Vol. 1), from Dragon Moon Press. I wrote a chapter, not the whole thing! Gabrielle Harbowy, the editor here, was also the editor for my 2012 novel, The Necromancer’s Bones.

I mentioned in my last post that I started Wyrmflight to support my middle grade fantasy, Masters of Air & Fire. And I’ve been crowing that finally the novel will be published by Sky Warrior Books. Joyce Reynolds Ward edited. The expected release date is February 1, 2015. No purchase links yet — stay tuned.

I’ve completed edits with David Lee Summers on a gothic werewolf fantasy, The Grimhold Wolf. No release date yet. I’m also in early discussions about editing an anthology for Sky Warrior in 2015 or 2016. And once I clear my head from Silver Marsh (see below), I’ll begin work on a sequel to The Seven Exalted Orders.

The last half of 2014 has been devoted to finishing Silver Marsh, another YA fantasy. During this time I’ve also been inspired (sometimes by comments on Wyrmflight) to produce a pair of short stories featuring our favorite creatures. “On Dragonwings” is about a young man who gains enough courage to forge a path despite his parents’ objections. “The Dragon’s Ghost” is about a dwarf woman whose average-sized husband is abducted by evil dwarves and she sets out to rescue him (with a bit of help from the being in the title). These short stories are out on submission, along with a few others of mine.

Plus, there’s a new story I’ve just started working on. Literally, yesterday, I started working on it. It doesn’t even have a title yet, but the POV character is a dragon. What can I say? They’re my obsession.

The last thing coming up in early 2015 is RadCon, a science fiction convention that I’ve been attending for years in Pasco, WA. The author guest of honor is Jim C. Hines, and I’m looking forward to sitting on panels with him. I know most of you who follow Wyrmflight aren’t in the region, but someday I hope to meet you, too.

Finally, a big cheer to all of you who consistently comment and mention me in your blogs. David Summers, Nila White, Nicola Alter, Shannon Thompson, Laura Palmer, Jennifer Eaton and M. Q. Allen. You guys are the best. Happy 2015, everybody!

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If, Part 5

Can you stand one more? If a dragon wrote the book…

A rare white sea dragon wishes only to roam the waves in peace, but an obsessed ship’s captain just won’t leave him alone. After resentless pursuit, the dragon is finally forced to take a stand in self defense.

…Which novel is it?

By the way, the answer to last Tuesday’s puzzle is Yu-Gi-Oh! But Pokémon was a very good guess.

Also, I received this notice from the Cricket Magazine Group. “Our upcoming issues of Spider and Ask both feature dragons. Dragons have been included in fictional literature for centuries and many different cultures have their own version of dragons. Ask, the magazine about science, history, inventors, and more, asks what it would take to make a real dragon. Spider, filled with fun stories, poems, and activities, tells the tale of a little girl who finds a dragon. Could dragons have actually existed? Read both sides and decide for yourself!”

This is a topic I’ve covered myself, so check them out at www.cricketmag.com.

Last but not least, I’m thrilled to relate that I’ve finished the edits on Masters of Air & Fire, the middle grade fantasy that I podcast in 2012. Hope the editor likes what I’ve done with it, because I need to get started on my next edits, for the gothic werewolf novel The Grimhold Wolf.

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