Status of The Last Stand

I've been quiet for some time now, but that's only because I've been busy trying to prepare The Last Stand, my first novella, for my beta readers. The current draft is nearing completion, and is expected to get at least one more pass for edits before it goes out to interested parties.

For those who don't know what The Last Stand is, it's a tale bridging the one year time skip between the first two books in my Legends of Galria series. It's a shorter work with less subplots, as is normal for a novella, and focuses on Dane's travels to a ravaged town called Mullead as he tries to solve the mass disappearances of nearly the entire township. The mission serves as his first time leading his troops without the help of an aide, and helps to show how he grows from a fresh recruit to a more competent lieutenant that he's supposed to be.

Here's a small excerpt from the beginning of the book:

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.

The Last Stand

A month has passed since the events of Shadows of War, and Dane takes his first steps towards becoming an officer in the military. As the Lieutenant of the 81st Mobile Infantry Division, he must make hard decisions that could drastically alter the fates of those around him, whether they be his subordinates, the civilians he serves, or the man he loves.

Dane and a squadron of soldiers set out across the empire to the remote Kelmore Province, to the village of Mullead, to investigate a growing number of disappearances and murders. As the freshly initiated soldiers work to uncover the mystery plaguing Mullead, they are beset by one set back after another as someone works to keep them away.

The closer they get to the truth, the more the shadows creep in, seeking to slide in the knife and put an end to their nosing about.

Set in the Galria universe, THE LAST STAND seeks to build off of the world introduced with LEGENDS OF GALRIA: SHADOWS OF WAR. It is a direct sequel to the first tale, and acts as a bridge between the first book in the series, and the upcoming LEGION OF SYTAREL.

I'm rather excited to announce this title, because I haven't had much of a chance to show how the Rogarian Empire works to readers, or the connections that Dane is supposed to have with his subordinates and with his partner, Aiden. One of the issues I've experienced while writing the second book is that I had no explanation for where Dane's experience as a military leader came from, and THE LAST STAND is meant to share that with readers.

THE LAST STAND is projected to be a shorter work in length, likely only novella sized (somewhere around, or less than, 50,000 words), but hopefully the shorter format won't detract from the quality one is likely to expect from the Galria novels.

There will be a giveaway tied to the release of THE LAST STAND, but I will let everyone know more about that as I get closer to the release of the book, so stay tuned!

How graphic is "too graphic"?

Recently, I finished a short novella that's designed to be an origin story to one of my original characters. It started as a project to understand why the character was who he was. For a bit of background, this character showed up in my LEGENDS OF GALRIA mothership series in one of the original drafts. He's very boorish, constantly seeking stimulation through narcotics, alcohol, or other people, and is an unrepentant Blood Knight (for those not read up on TvTropes, he's a person who loves and LIVES for battle and killing). However, I never had any idea where this character came from.

So I started writing, and as the pen flowed, I found myself writing a tale about a child who had been abused by both society and those that he should have trusted. I found myself uneasy about writing it because I don't enjoy writing about this kind of subject matter, but at the same time, I found it gave justification for how a sweet, innocent child can be twisted and broken enough times that he becomes unashamed of the murderous personality that he adopts. I began writing about a person who had tried to cope, but failed, and in turn began looking to narcotics and alcohol as a means of coping with the slings and arrows thrown at him.

Unfortunately, as I finished the story, I found that things became graphic. I spared no detail in the endless quest to fulfill the objective "Show, don't Tell", and now I have a tale that might rival "A Game of Thrones" for unnecessarily graphic text (Please don't murder me. I just find some of the *ahem* details to be bordering on hard core pornography that I'm just not a fan of).

Granted, there's nothing nearly as terrifying as incest or pedophilia which can be found in Game of Thrones, but I'm sure people would take exception to violence against children. It's a sensitive issue, and when it comes news about Child Family Services, the media is full of examples of abuse that went too far.

My issue begins with not knowing whether I should scrap the story, or merely try to salvage it and make it better. It's such a tough spot to be in at this point, because after 40k words written in the last month, I don't want to give up on the project. I like the character, and the people who have read the story as its been put out have liked the character (and actually feel sorry for him, so that's a win-win!) but as someone who is supposed to be a professional and is in the public eye as an educator, I don't know how such stories would be perceived by other people.

Have I stepped beyond the bounds of what is acceptable and made a story too graphic?

That's the real question, and one I suspect I won't know the answer to for a long time. Fortunately, since this tale in question is supposed to be a side story to LEGION OF SYTAREL, and that alone is almost a year away from seeing release, I have plenty of time to figure it out.

Right?

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... :))

Self-Publishing Concerns

I've noticed that as I do my research to see whether self-publishing my LEGENDS OF GALRIA series is the route I want to go, I'm noticing a consistent trend that makes me worried that it's not really what I want to do. At the same time though, I do feel that I could bring a breath of fresh air to the market depending on your outlook. I know that sounds egotistical but I need to have some self-awareness, right?

I've been taking the time to read some self-published books that are available over Amazon, and reading some reviews for many more. Some of the common trends I've seen are cause for concern with regards to whether people enjoy reading indie authors' works. I don't intend to name authors or their books (because I'm not in the mood for "shaming" those who are in the same industry as me), but I do sufficiently feel like some of these concerns are common enough that you could pick up any number of indie books and see one or more of them popping up.

For example, one issue I've seen is flat and unsympathetic characters that do not get enough development over the course of the story to warrant their existence. I feel that if a character is in the book as the protagonist or antagonist, they need to develop to some extent or become relatable to the reader to be worth writing. A character who is angsty throughout the work or is overly obnoxious to everyone else is not fun to read about, unless they develop into someone the reader can like. Perhaps that's a bit of a generalization, but that's the way I see it.

Perhaps the basis for that perception is what some of my beta-readers have said about earlier drafts of one of my books. The protagonist was very whiny and angsty, and there were only a few interesting characters the reader liked. When one of those interesting characters was killed, people put the book down because the MC was not worth reading about, because there wasn't enough development and he was too much of a whiner.

Another issue I've seen come up is the lack of editing. Spelling errors, grammatical errors, and improper word usage are all over the place and across a huge spectrum in terms of severity. Part of it has to do with the author not being a native English speaker. I've seen that in at least one case, and they essentially received a lot of flak for it from people who purchased the book. However, since they are a furry author, perhaps the drama and backlash is to be expected since the whole furry community is terrifying when it comes to drama.

Other authors don't have as much of an excuse for a lack of editing. It shows a lack of care or concern for their own product, in my opinion. I don't feel that there's any reason to miss errors beyond having a poor grasp of the English language. I may be a bit harsh in saying that, but I believe that much of writing has to do more with editing drafts than writing. I wrote my novel 4 years ago. Everything else since then has been edits. ;)

I'm hoping that when it comes time to start working on CreateSpace, after I've obtained a cover I'm happy with and after my beta-readers get back to me, that I won't run into reviews that gripe about my handle of the English language. Or about flat characters.

Or that my characters are too gay. Part and parcel with a GLBT offering, I suppose. ;)