2015: The Year of Galria

It's kind of silly to say this, but I've been waiting a couple months to announce this. I'm hereby naming 2015 the Year of Galria. And while that may be a fairly pretentious thing to announce and impose upon the citizens of the rest of the world (or at least, those who read this blog), I'm going to do it anyways, capiche?

What is the Year of Galria, or more specifically, WHY am I calling it that, you might ask?

Simple. This is going to be a big year for Bearion Studios and the world that is my baby.

1. Up to Five New Books this year.

Yes, you heard that right. It was not muffled by wax in the ears. I have a goal for 2015, and that's to release as many as five new books over the course of the next 12 months. Of course, this has the caveat of whether I can obtain cover art in a timely manner. Really, that's what's holding a lot back. 

That an editing.

Here's the expected release schedule that I'm hoping to stick to, but again, bear in mind this depends on whether I can find and afford cover artists for these pieces. At the very least I'm shooting to release two novellas and one full length novel this year. If I get the other two out, bonus. If not, they'll be pushed back to 2016. Release dates are all given as the earliest expected date but will more likely be later in the year!

 

THE LAST STAND: A novella that showcases Lieutenant Dane Trueshot's first mission on his own. You can read a small blurb about it over here. This story takes place between the first two LEGENDS OF GALRIA series of books. (March 2015). Read the first chapter here!

FLAME-SCARRED: A young minotaur tragically loses his home and family to wild fires that sweep across the province. Destitute and with nowhere left to turn, he heads to Mullead where a friend of his father offers him a place to stay in her inn, provided he help her build it first. Over time, he learns of something darker happening in the region that may explain why he lost his family. (April 2015)

LEGION OF SYTAREL (Legends of Galria #2): It's been a year since Dane has left the academy and become a Lieutenant in Rogust's Imperial Army. Tasked with heading up north, Dane comes face to face with the home he left behind many years ago, as well as an old enemy. Meanwhile, Xellik has become the new Warlord of Zugrul, and seeks dominion over the continent. He sets his sights on the Freedom Coalition's holdings, and begins to make his move against the settled peoples of Muriaj. (June 2015)

SERVANT OF DARKNESS: A novella that follows the travels of a dwarven thief named Dougal McMannus and his guild of bandits as they seek to rob the city of Altair of its most prized possessions. This was my 2013 NaNoWriMo winning entry, and since then it has become significantly darker and more fleshed out. (September 2015)

THE SAVAGE'S OPIATE: A tale about someone who is not a hero, of someone who has been hurt and betrayed by society and the people he was supposed to trust. Bartholomew Stoutmantle, an ursar orphaned in the dwarven republic of Olaraa, faces a great many challenges as he grows from a cub into an adult. Child abuse, harassment, and substance abuse are just a few of his demons that he's forced to deal with. This story is remarkably dark and spares no detail in showing how someone who was once good and innocent can become something so corrupted and vile. (December 2015)

2. Sylenthros' Book of Travels (tentative title)

Throughout the coming weeks I'm going to begin making posts about Galria, the world itself, and the people and creatures that inhabit it. All of these will be told from the point of view of Sylenthros Leafsblade, an elven druid that played a role in my first book. I would like to be able to release this every Thursday starting next week, so stay tuned for that.

3. Ask the Author

I'm going to be opening up my Tumblr and Good Reads accounts to allow readers to ask me anything they have on their mind. It can be story related, or more about writing as a craft, or whatever tickles a person's fancy. I want to be able to communicate with my readers, so I feel like this would be a good way to do it. Looks for a post containing links soon!

4. More art!

I've already begun work with some artists to get some artwork of the characters and my world. Expect to see a blog post every time one of them comes out

5. Making our (Land)mark!

For anyone who doesn't know about the game, Landmark the Game is a project by Sony Online Entertainment that's currently in closed-beta. It aims to be a robust building game while including elements such as PvE, PvP, dungeon delving, crafting, and game mastering to let the player realize a fully created world.

I have begun work on one of my first builds, which is a barracks from the upcoming LEGION OF SYTAREL release. I wanted to bring it to life so people could see what vision I had in my head.. at least, as good of one as I can create. Later on, I'll also be tackling a few other builds to bring Galria to life, and in all likelihood once the Game Mastering tools come out, you might see some of the characters from the books showing up on my builds.

I'm hoping that there's plenty more to come, so please keep an eye on this blog for all things Galria related.

Debut Novel: LEGENDS OF GALRIA: SHADOWS OF WAR NOW ON SALE!

After ten thousand years I'm free! It's time to- oh wait. No one is going to get that reference... :3

That's right, my debut novel finally hits electronic book shelves world-wide! LEGENDS OF GALRIA: SHADOWS OF WAR is now available on Amazon! Click the image below to head on over to the store page.

Currently, only the Kindle version is available as I'm waiting for the paperback to be mailed to me so I can approve the proof. So if you don't have a Kindle, an iOS device, Android device, or don't like reading on the computer, it'll only be a few short weeks before you can hold my book in your hands!

Isn't that exciting? I know I can't wait! :D

Want to leave a review to let me know how you liked it? Or maybe you didn't like it and you want to tell me what was wrong with it? Leave a review on GoodReads, and I'll be sure to consider constructive criticism as I move forward with the second and third books in the series. :)

GoodReads link is right here.

I'm going to start being more active with my blog and other social media. If there's anything you'd like to see, don't hesitate to ask. I'm pretty approachable once you get past my macho exterior (Again, another reference no one will get... :))

Humor in Story-telling

One thing I struggle with as a writer is incorporating humor into a text to lighten the mood or break up the endless cycle of angst (there's not actually that much angst in my writing. Really.). Most of the time, it sounds like it's been forced in, and part of the problem of writing high fantasy is that a lot of the jokes or comments I think a character would make are only applicable in a world with modern English conventions and slang.

Perhaps that speaks to my lack of creativity if I can't come up with a fantasy parallel for some slang. Hmm.

The idea of breaking up one's text exists all over the place. University textbooks and especially school books break up their blocks of text by having lots of information in the margins, pictures, graphs, charts, maps, and background information in their own text blocks. It's all designed with the intent of breaking up the monotony that results from seeing the same thing over and over again. This is the same principle that guides the use of unique chapter headings and drop caps in novels. It breaks everything up. Some people might find that distracting, but for most, I imagine, this is helpful to keep a book from being boring.

Humor goes the same way. It breaks up the tension. The writer for Fullmetal Alchemist stated the same thing when she wrote the series. A lot of the more serious scenes are broken up with lots of humor, and she did it intentionally because she didn't want to have her story bogged down in negativity for too long. This is subjective, of course. Some viewers might view Edward Elric's short complex as being a stereotypical component of shonen anime, but a most astute viewer might see it as a necessary break in what would be an otherwise bleak scene. This isn't used in every serious scene, and it would be hard to give examples without spoilers, but suffice to say, she uses humor very effectively to make the story more engaging.

Go watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (or if you prefer Japanese, "Hagane no Renkinjutsushi (2009)"). Seriously. Go. Now!

Things brings me back to my own writing. I don't know how to do humor, save for my seemingly endless and rapid use of pop-culture references (Take a shot every time Tyler quotes Dragonball Z: The Abridged Series.... two shots if he tried to imitate the voice actor). Actually, don't do that, because then you'd likely be dead from alcohol poisoning.

I try to lighten the mood and break the tension in my work by using what TVTropes would call a "Breather Episode", a short chapter that's light-hearted and tries to distract the reader from the main tension and give them a break, while also providing ample world building and character development to keep it from being pointless. A lot of Dane's wanderlust is shown in these chapters, and I've used that in place of humor to break tension.

It's not for lack of trying that I don't include more funny moments, but I feel that they often fall flat on their faces or they sound stupid when executed. Playing on humor that embarrasses a character for his sexuality (or lack thereof) seems to be one of the few places I've been able to throw it in, and a lot of the rest of it focuses on conflict between characters.

Clearly, this is an area that I need to work on if I want to engage readers and not turn them off from the sheer amount of tension and conflict that's in the book. A good source of seeing how to execute this in a serious context could be looking at TVTropes and the "Crowning Moment of Funny" page of more serious works to see how "the pros" execute it. Of course, some things are harder to emulate than others. What works in Fullmetal Alchemist, for example, may not work in a purely literary medium. It might provide some insight that points in the right direction, however.

Humor is a fine line to walk in my opinion. Making it work without making it seem lame or forced is difficult, and takes a great deal of skill and editing to be able to fit it in.

Rejection

Yesterday I received a letter from an agent I had queried about a month and a have ago. I won't give a name of the agent or the organization he worked for, but I do want to take a moment to mention what was said and my reaction to it.

This agent's response began very positively, stating that my first novel, "The Legends of Galria: The Shadows of War", was a solid entry into the high fantasy genre. I was also complimented on the "novelty" of having a side of the story that focused on the growth of the antagonist. (Hurrah for small victories huh?)

For a little perspective, "The Shadows of War" focuses on the growth of the protagonist, Dane Trueshot, as he deals with the aftermath of his hometown's destruction. The other side of the story follows an orc child named Xellik Fleshgorger as he grows into a powerful antagonizing force. Both stories set the stage for the next two books in the series, and the novel is no where near as interesting when it lacks one or the other perspective.

That was the strength that this agent felt I had. However, he declined my manuscript in the end. Why would you think that is?

Its because I lack a social media presence. I don't have an active Facebook, Twitter, or tumblr account designed solely to sell my book. And why would I? I honestly believe that having social media connections before having a product is putting the cart before the horse. No one I know is going to search or read about an author or his book when there is no book to read. Writing is not an art like video game development where there's tons of hype over 2 to 3 minutes of unfinished gameplay. I think the idea that someone needs a social media presence before they can be considered for publication is flawed.

And I'm not the only one who thinks that. My literacy professor at the University of Manitoba agreed with my sentiments, and encouraged tat I simply self publish to show that there is a market for my work and to build a social media presence that way.

We're living in a time where self publishing is taking off and authors are taking power away from agents and publishers. These folks should be willing to take a risk with a new author if the writing is sufficiently strong enough. At this point, the response has pushed me more towards self publishing my works. I would have more agency over my works and I won't need to deal with agents or publishers.

Maybe self publishing is my generations road to professional publication. Back in the day, many writers would need to submit to magazines and gain a viewer ship before getting published. Who's to say? All I know is, I've got a new book I'm writing to give self publishing a try and to build my reader base. I'll show people that my books will be successful.

Sheldon Oberman Award 2013

It's so strange to think that a writer could ever become an award winning author without having been published before. It's not like writing is an industry like video games where you can be awarded with "Best of Show" or "Most Anticipated Game of 2013". But maybe I'm wrong. Sometimes it feels like I live under a rock.

That's why it caught me off guard when my novel was selected to receive the Sheldon Oberman Award from the Manitoba Association of Teachers of English. I don't exactly make it a secret that I'm a student-teacher or that I'm a writer, but to be awarded just for being exactly that and showing excellence in writing in amazingly exciting.

Here's a video of my acceptance speech for those who want to see it:

I still can't believe that I was given the award, but I'm not about to complain. Hopefully this will be able to propel my books towards publication so that I can finally get out there and be heard.