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| Into the Forge cover reveal, plus lots more in this week's Medieval Musings. |
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We’ve been having some fun lately with a new Role Playing campaign, which sent me in search of 3D images to print to fill out the roster. One of the things I always find fascinating about running these games is how inventive players prove to be.
This past weekend, they explored an underground dungeon and encountered a troll. After rendering him unconscious, they managed to bind him by encasing his hands in stone using magic and then waited for him to regenerate. (Trolls regenerate in this game, much as they do in Dungeons & Dragons.)
The players, equipped with a magic ring allowing them to understand other languages, convinced him to journey to their growing village. They now have a troll named Arthur amongst their followers.
I’m afraid to think of what they might do next.
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Trolls come from Scandinavian folklore, but this article deals with them as they are written in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. (And no, before you ask, trolls are not the new race I introduced in Guardian of the Crown.)
Trolls were created in the First Age by Melkor, who was originally Sauron’s master. They were powerful creatures who turn into stone in sunlight. In The Hobbit, the characters run into a trio of trolls (Tom, Bert and William ‘Bill’), who are turned to stone by trickery.
In Lord of the Rings, they fight a cave troll in Moria. Also in that war, Sauron breeds a new race of trolls called the Olog-Hai, which were more intelligent than their predecessors, and could travel in sunlight. Accounts tell of them wielding hammers and swords and being covered in scales. In the book, they were present at the Battle of the Black Gate.
All things considered, quite a different take on Trolls that what I've written in Heir to the Crown.
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Cover Reveal: Into the Forge
Heir to the Crown: Book 10.5
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Mercerian Tales: Into the Forge explores the complex nature of Dwarven society and the grip it holds over its people. This book is best read between books ten and eleven of the Heir to the Crown series.
Releases October 17th, on the 5th anniversary of the release of my first book, Servant of the Crown. Pre-order coming soon.
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If you’ve read any of the Heir to the Crown books, you’re probably familiar with Herdwin Steelarm. In Servant of the Crown, he only appears in one scene, yet it sets up a chain of events that have lasting ramifications.
When first introduced, you learn that he’s a weapon smith and a good friend of Gerald’s. Upon meeting Anna, whom he takes to be Gerald’s daughter, he gives her a present—a short sword made of Dwarven steel. The sword becomes very important in Heart of the Crown, and later, when things go awry in Shadow of the Crown, he becomes more of a central character.
Originally, I meant him to be a secondary character, but I enjoyed writing him so much that he became more intrinsic to the entire series.
His story, along with that of Kasri Ironheart, is further detailed in Mercerian Tales: Into the Forge, coming very soon to your favourite retailer.
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Congrats to Cynthia for winning last week's giveaway. Las week's questions was a very close race between Prime Video and Netflix, with Netflix winning by a slim margin.
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| Favourite fantasy shows of 2022 |
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| Please choose all that apply (My fav's are Rings of Power and The Witcher) |
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| Thank you |
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| You are now entered to win a free ebook of your choice |
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Guardian of the Crown now sits at just over 100,000 words and is winding its way toward completion. This one not only introduces new characters but a new race as well! A primitive culture that, until now, has had very little contact with Humans (or any of the other races for that matter).
They will prove to be a crucial component moving forward, but for now, they represent a small but significant part of the story. You’ll have to wait to find out more!
~~~~~
Here's another snippet from Into the Forge. Enjoy!
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"Great heights don't kill," said Herdwin.
"Yes they do!" insisted Delsaran.
"No. It’s only the sudden stop at the bottom. The fact of the matter is there's no better way to die."
"How can you possibly say that?"
"Simple. Death comes the instant your body strikes the ground. From a height like this, it would be painless."
"Unless you strike the cliff on your way down."
"Yes. I suppose there is that," said Herdwin. "Look, you lived in the Darkwood. Surely you've fallen out of a tree before?"
"I have," said Delsaran.
"Then think of this cliff as just a gigantic tree."
"That hardly helps."
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Finished Vortex already?
Why not give one of these great authors a try!
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Magick had once ruled The Three Kingdoms, but it is now banished and condemnable.
Twin brothers, Jaromir and Talmage have been imprisoned, but for different convictions. Jaromir wakes up chained to a table filled with dread, while Talmage is thrown into an underground labyrinth.
Jaromir devoted his life to ridding the world of magick, but now he's being tortured and his body pushed to breaking. Still, he refuses to betray the order––until his wife is dragged into the room. Jaromir is forced to make a choice. Which will he choose?
Since his parent’s death, magick has been Talmage's security through his troubled life. Now, no matter what he tries, the ghosts of his past haunt him––especially in the dark passages of the underground.
Both brothers must escape their wicked fate, before it’s too late. If one of them fails; they both die.
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All Irina ever wanted was to heal... then they showed up.
First, they killed the King. Then they made her watch as they slaughtered her parents.
Now the world will quake at her wrath.
You'll love this series because everyone needs a little magic in their life, even if it comes with a side of snarky vengeance!
The Rise of Irina is the prequel to the epic Kingdom War Series by Bestselling Author JD Ruffin.
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Baldwin Tavares is called up by the Admiral Pitch to join in their expedition to the planet Allende 1-B, also known as Neighbor. Eager to be part of something bigger than himself, Baldwin, aka Win, convinces his team to go on the expedition. They aim to find some remnants left behind on the once inhabited planet in the hopes of studying and preserving whatever knowledge they find.
Win quickly realizes the expedition is not entirely scientific. He suspects the Pacific Ocean Mining Organization, or POMO, have sunk deep into the pockets of the ship’s commanding officers, with the hopes of mining Allende 1-B for its rich mineral reserves as soon as they arrive. As such, he immediately starts investigating the ship to confirm his suspicions.
When Win finds out he was right, he races to convince the crew against any mining expeditions before it’s too late. However, little does he know something even more pressing will require his attention before he even gets the chance to tell anyone.
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How far would you go to save the ones you love?
Queen Isabella knows her daughter must wed to secure her right to rule. The sickness that ravaged their land has left the Kingdom vulnerable and now her daughter Christine can not escape her duty to find a match that the Lords with endorse.
The Lords have chosen King Radolf, a powerful ruler with a troubled past as a strategic match. Isabella senses something sinister about King Radolf, but her history of melancholy after the death of her sons makes her warnings fall on deaf ears.
King Radolf and his adviser have plans that not even Isabella can sense. They are searching for something that will alter the balance of power that King Radolf craves. If he finds it in Isabella’s Kingdom, he will unleash his plan that will explode into the Medieval Fantasy series, The Chronicles of Nadine.
As the veil between life and death is stretched thin, Isabella sees visions that lead her to an unspeakable choice.
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A lone werewolf with a nose for trouble and an instinct for attracting dangerous women.
In a moment of weakness Kyle Smithson saves Zannah’s life, cursing her forever. Now he has no choice. If he doesn’t kill her, and soon, she’ll become like him – a werewolf tainted with immortality, a threat to any human she encounters. He can’t risk it.
As Kyle reluctantly makes plans to murder an innocent woman in cold blood, he encounters the wife he’d buried centuries ago, Taenorah. Only Taenorah isn’t dead, but now a vampire embroiled in an escalating turf war. Taenorah has her own plans, and they don’t include complications from her former husband.
Kyle finds himself wedged between fixing the problem he created and the hope that he can save Zannah and get them both out of town before they’re killed.
Caught between the woman he once loved and the woman he’s trying to help, Kyle is about to have the fight of his life. All he needs is a lot of luck and a miracle. He doesn’t know it yet, but Zannah may be the miracle he needs.
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Here are some great stories just for you!
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Extra Book Deals & Giveaways
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| "Every review I receive inspires me to write more!" |
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Paul J Bennett,
Author of Epic Fantasy.
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