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| Listen to a sample of Vortex on audio, plus lots more in this week's Medieval Musings. |
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This weekend, Carol and I decided to try something a little different by picking up a jigsaw puzzle. Rather than go for something simple, we jumped right in with a 2,000-piece Lord of the Rings one from Ravensburger.
It now sits on our dining room table with the outside edges complete, the rest awaiting our attention. Don’t worry, though. We purchased a large piece of felt so we could roll it up and put it away when guests come over, and we need the table for eating.
Now, every time we pass it, we feel obliged to put at least one piece into place. How long will it take us to complete? I’m guessing at least a month, perhaps two, but we’ll see. We’ve already made significant progress, and it’s only been two days!
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The World of Eiddenwerthe
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To my mind, a fantasy world is not just the setting for a story but a living, breathing thing. Looking at the earth's history, you see civilizations evolve and empires that expand and collapse. My world of Eiddenwerthe is no exception.
The concept is simple—a world where a multitude of stories can be told. Are they all epic fantasy? No. And why should they be? This is, in a sense, an expanded universe (to use a movie/TV trope) where anything is possible.
Thus, I have the Heir to the Crown series, where a kingdom fights for survival, but at the same time, I have the Chronicles of Cyric, which involves solving mysteries.
Ultimately, though, all my stories come down to one thing: people. Whether they be mighty warriors or learned scholars matters little so long as readers find them entertaining.
Stay tuned. There is a lot more to come in the world of Eiddenwerthe.
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I've been asked what am I going to write next!
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Working on Temple Commander has me once again looking at medieval ships from northern Europe. Unfortunately, once we get past Viking ships, like the knar and the cog, there’s very little to go on in. There are mentions of one referred to as a Hulk, but there are no surviving examples, and the only proof that they ever existed comes from legal documents and pictures.
We know a bit more about ships that plied the Mediterranean, which are great for story elements in the Shimmering Sea, but this particular tale takes place on the northern coast of the Petty Kingdoms.
Perhaps I shall just have to invent my own?
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Listen to a Sample of Vortex on Audio!
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Congrats to Carolyn for winning last week's giveaway. I guess I shouldn't be surprised with how few of us put leftover candy in the freezer for later.
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| Which of the these social media platforms do use. |
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| As an author, I am on most of them, but for personal use, I tend to go to Facebook first, especially the reels. |
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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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Temple Commander is going well and currently sits at just over 30,000 words. Thanks to my outline, this one is almost writing itself, although there are a couple of details that weren’t in my original concept. As often happens when I’m writing, I picture the scenes more as a movie or TV show than a book, and all I’m doing is describing what I imagine.
Does this help or hinder the writing process? That’s hard to say. Most of the time, this process works for me, but occasionally, I can’t find the words to adequately describe what my imagination tells me should be happening. In those cases, I tend to go with a simpler description, then return to it later for polishing.
Thankfully, it works well for me.
~~~~~
Here's yet another peek at Guardian of the Crown!
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The old knight stared out from the walls of Bodden. "Are you sure?" he asked. "I don't see anyone."
"Most assuredly, Sir James," replied the sentry. "There are three in total."
"Is one perhaps Lady Aubrey?"
"I'm afraid not, sir."
The trio advanced until Sir James could finally see them. "That's the archer. What was her name again?"
"Sam."
"Funny name for a woman, that."
"It's short for Samantha, Sir James."
"Who's that with her?"
"Another ranger would be my guess, along with an Orc."
Sir James squinted, hoping it would improve his sight. "Would that I were younger. In my youth, I could’ve spotted a robin at two hundred yards."
"Indeed, Sir James."
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Favourite 5-Star Review of the Week:
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Evil Intent is Lurking!
An amazing story of the aftermath of the war and the beginnings of rebuilding. Magic, treachery, swordplay and investigations are among the many diverse events taking place in Weldwyn, Merceria, Norland and Dungannon.
Yes, there’s adventure (and danger) in the Clan holdings. Attempted murders and fraudulent claims play significant roles in this glimpse into what is happening to Bennett’s characters, while evil intent is lurking. And the newest threat may be coming from the east!
So much drama packed into one tale. A page-turner and well worth reading.
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The wind howled and knocked the naked tree branches together, rattling them like bones in a basket. Jeth would know - he’d seen his mother at work. She was dead now, dead and burned in a pyre...
Jeth knows only three things - his mother is dead, his home will be taken from him, and his best chance for survival is to find an apprenticeship as a witch.
Fleeing the only home he's ever known, Jeth evades his neighbors, struggles with his magical powers, and accidentally makes a bargain with a faerie.
Now, all he has to do is travel with the creature to the next town over -- and then he'll be free to start a new life, a different life.
Or was his future already set in stone?
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Amarie’s legendary magic could incinerate her enemies, but it’s her sword she trusts most.
While running from the men who killed her family, she learns of an ancient text locked within the Great Library that might be the final key to understanding her curse. During the daring theft, a stranger inserts himself into her scheme. Kin’s roguish good looks and boundless charm threaten to distract her, but she has no intention of landing in the city jail.
Kin’s life, riddled with shadows and death, is as dark as his soul.
He embraces his power, given by a wicked master, but when he meets Amarie, she shatters the walls he’s built, piercing his solitude with vibrant light. But if she learns he hunts the power cursing her family, he will lose her forever.
Trusting him might be the only way to destroy the world’s most sinister evil. Unless Kin’s master finds her first…
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After countless years of preparation, Mission Terra Firme One is finally ready to commence and give Earth the answers about the planet Neighbor that it has long waited for,.
The TSS Cartographer's First Officer, Baldwin “call me Win” Tavares, believes he might just be able to touch his hand to that rocky ground and that’d be enough for him to learn everything there is to know about their old Neighbors, the things they’d done and what they’d left behind.
But not everyone is as kind-hearted or has such noble intentions, and Neighbor holds more mysteries than anyone could have imagined. Exploring it might open the gates for a flood that threatens to drown everything, and Win must make decisions that hold his life, and that of all around him, at stake.
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Embrace the (B)light...
It's been fifty years since the sun died over Ashathar. Blaike, born in the blight, is one of the "touched", devoid of power, and forbidden from following the Lightweaver Path.
The "touched" still serve the brightlands, working the mines to extract sunstone and deliver it to the Lightweavers, the saviors, preservers, and rulers of Ashathar.
When it's discovered someone has stolen the power of the largest sunstone ever extracted from the mines, Blaike is exiled from the brightlands.
Ming Yue lost her twin brother to the blight when they were just children, then her father tasks her to create an elixer that might save her brother, but there's no guarantee he survived among the blighted.
Even if he is alive, would he remember her at all?
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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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