Five Years Ago
Darren stood over the corpse of a greater fiend, twirling his silver sword in his hand. He took a moment to decide what he needed more, its corpse or its aura. Its skin had been as tough as stone, and it might make a good armored cloak or pair of boots. Besides that, he had eaten nothing since he’d killed that demonic turtle the day prior. The so...
2021-07-17 15:06:26 +0000 UTC View PostTen Years Ago
It had been five years since Darren and his mother descended into the First Layer of Hell. Five years since Darren had seen the light of the sun. He was ten years old, and already, the memories of the world above were fading. He didn’t remember the faces of his friends, or what it was like to play in the mud and the sand.
But he knew other t...
2021-07-17 15:06:21 +0000 UTC View PostSomeone asked for a preview of this novel, so I'm going to post the first few chapters here. My current draft is available for beta reading for anyone interested in providing early feedback. I'm hoping to have this revised and launched by September, just prior to the launch of Spellheart 7.
Smoky clouds wafted up from the mou...
2021-07-17 15:06:07 +0000 UTC View Post
My hitherto unmentioned identical twin brother Marvin Knight, (who is exactly the same as me in all ways except for the fact that his name is more marketable and he did not sell his audio rights) wants to release a novel. He's been working on it for the past few months while editing the most recent Spellheart series novels.
The novel is in a completed, readable state, but he'd like to get...
2021-07-16 22:19:48 +0000 UTC View PostSo it's been a few books since I've done one of these things. I wrote the rough drafts for books 5, 6, and 7 all at once so most of the stuff for this arc has been locked in by the time you guys see it.
We're not particularly far into book 7, but my plans for book 8 and 9 are solidifying. They're most likely going to be titled "Web of the Fateweavers and Tyrant of the Devilbeast Wilds," t...
2021-07-04 19:53:35 +0000 UTC View PostAlright, I found an artist working cheaply and I have a slot reserved for us. I did a bit of brainstorming based off my own ideas and what people mentioned they wanted to see. If any of these listings appeal to you, give them a click. You are welcome to suggest additional options in the comments. Vote for write-ins by liking them. (I reserve the right to modify write-ins so they fit our budget....
2021-06-25 03:41:51 +0000 UTC View Post
I finally got this one out the door!
Link: https://amzn.to/3gvFGUm
Link to your local Amazon store (if you don't buy off the .com site): https://mybook.to/Spellheart6
Patreon analytics are telling me you all are boycotting this short story. I figured I'd edit the last section today so people can read the whole thing in one go over the weekend. We can start with Spire of Blood and the novel version of the paladin story next.
“Hey Edmund.” Sweetwood began. ...
2021-05-22 20:05:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe two of them made love until Edmund’s eyes lost focus and he collapsed on top of Sweetwood, unable to move. She too seemed to weaken, and the two of them lay on her mossy bed clutched against each other like two vines wrapping around a single tree.
Edmund embraced her, taking comfort in Sweetwood’s company while he returned to his senses. Without opening his eyes, he reached up to ...
2021-05-22 15:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostI've got something a little different for you guys today. I wrote most of this yesterday, so it's much more recent than the stuff you usually read from me. It's going to be a short story (I'm aiming for 10k-13k words) for the Dukes of Harem Anthology.
The morning air was crisp over the Valadel Barony. The lord and his men were still asleep, as were most of the serfs wh...
2021-05-19 15:02:57 +0000 UTC View PostAs the three most recent graduates, Aron, Sasha, and Darik formed a team. Eventually, most paladins worked alone or found partners with other branches of the temple, but for their first few missions, they would work together.
“Do I really have work with him?” Darik asked, jabbing his thumb in Aron’s direction.
“Yes, you must learn to put faith in your fellow paladins.” The...
2021-03-21 20:38:03 +0000 UTC View Post
I know somebody requested Melise on Book 4, but I opted for Eltiana because she had a bigger role and I'd just done Nela for cover#3.
Well, now you get your wish! Melise gets her cover! The artist did a good job at distinguishing her from Nela while still keeping them similar enough to be relatives.
2021-03-08 19:09:39 +0000 UTC View PostAnother concept, similar to the Jabberwocky story intro. Like before, I'll likely do a few chapters of this as time allows to see how I like the world.
One rickety wooden carriage rolled across a cobblestone road. The path was windy and uneven, and the children chained to the bars of the cart felt every rocking jitter as they passed. 2021-03-07 20:23:41 +0000 UTC View Post
This is still a work in progress from my cover artist, but it's coming along nicely.
2021-02-28 03:18:01 +0000 UTC View PostSo somebody on here and a beta reader mentioned they didn't like the friendly and talkative version of Wargod Grognak. After a bit of thought, I figured I'd rewrite the scene with him as a colder, more serious character. This version is a bit more straightforward and isn't interested in being friends with Theo just yet. I'm still not sure which one I'm going to go with, but the rewrite might be...
2021-02-19 18:55:36 +0000 UTC View PostBasically, it's like playing Dungeons and Dragons, only a little more freehand. The author controls the setting and all the characters, but readers have input on how the protagonist responds to what's going on in the story using polls and comments.
A quest might have a scene like:
"You walk into the bar and you see a blonde with shapely legs blowing a kiss at you, a redhead... 2021-02-14 14:53:22 +0000 UTC View Post
In Secrets of the Hearthwood, Nela confronted her old rival, Sharian, who was at the peak of the mage acolyte realm. Sharian defeated Nela in battle, and Sharian took great pleasure in grinding Nela beneath her heel after she'd won. (Nela wasn't wearing her armor for much longer).
Little did Sharian know, Theo would soon rescue Nela, and the tables would be turned... 2021-02-03 16:30:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Callay opened his eyes to stare at a plastered white ceiling. It took him a few heartbeats to realize what he was staring at. Normally, he slept in a rough shack that was scarcely better than a tool shed, resting atop a pile of hay and under a thatched roof. But now he found himself staring up at a real ceiling.
But his memories of the previous day soon returned to him, and before long he...
2021-01-18 20:33:48 +0000 UTC View Post“W-what do you want to show me?” Callay unconsciously edged away from the door to the warlock’s chambers.
“It’s not in there, it’s in my bedroom. Come, this way.” Lady Mimsy marched up the last of the stairs and grabbed Callay by the wrist. She hauled him down after her and they rounded two corners and a bend to come before a large pink door.
“Like it?” Lady Mimsy ...
2021-01-13 16:26:18 +0000 UTC View PostCallay followed behind Lady Mimsy and her two guards in a wide-eyed daze. If this hadn’t been the same route he took to deliver firewood to the lord’s manor each day, he might have tripped and fallen on his face on the walk there.
His excitement only grew when he realized Lady Mimsy didn’t veer left towards the servant’s entrance, but instead headed towards the main doors. Callay ...
2021-01-12 05:33:34 +0000 UTC View PostTwas Brillig in the Slithy Toves, and that meant a festival.
The sun streamed down on a small village. It was unremarkable, and rested at the edge of the Slithy Toves, but there were worse places to live than next to a swamp. Clean water passed by the village before it fed into the wetlands, feeding the people, animals, and the fields all around.
The people of the village worked the...
2021-01-06 03:55:39 +0000 UTC View PostI left the bedchambers to find Amisra, Korra, and the Hearthwood's matriarchs milling about the room, tinkering with various crafts of their own.
Sava was brewing potions, Assyrus was sharpening her ironwood weapons, Eltiana was playing with her daggers, Illiel was looking at books, and the rest were toying with objects of various size and shape.
So m...
2020-12-25 01:18:41 +0000 UTC View PostRakaren Nation: A small country under the control of a single clan. They have long been envious of Deania's wealth and power. They resisted the Cult of the Unblinking Eye for a while, until the cult offered them a piece of Deania for their cooperation. In the past they traded reluctantly with the Songstone Clan, desiring the goods of ...
2020-12-07 02:22:14 +0000 UTC View PostSam and Erula hastily descended from the mountain's cliff. Sam flew them down and they soared over the battlefield from on high, Erula worked the same spell she'd used the last time they'd led this army against a force of orcs. Rain fell from the sky sapping the strength of the orcs while strengthening the elves.
This time, Erula's spell had neither the strength nor the scope it had posse...
2020-11-07 16:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostLegacy of Vanished Friends is out! (That's Spellheart 4 for everyone who read the book while it was being released on here one chapter at a time.)
Amazon US Link: https://amzn.to/2TVlEI4
Global Link: 2020-11-05 20:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Sam scrambled over the rubble. Dean hadn't been powerful enough to push it all aside, but as a true mage Sam bounded over the debris as easily as he might once have jumped over a puddle.
His invisibility talisman had long since broken down. Fortunately, most of the orcs had abandoned their posts in the stronghold after the battle so there were few keeping watch. He spotted a cloak careles...
2020-11-04 16:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post"We had to run away." Dean moped. He'd been despondent for hours.
Sam had set him to work hollowing out a small mountain cave for them, quietly gathering branches and hunting small game. They'd set themselves up in the side of a sheer cliff face. It was a very inhospitable cave with a thousand yard drop at its mouth onto jagged stones. Anyone who couldn't fly would have to climb the whole...
2020-10-31 15:01:02 +0000 UTC View PostThe clan leaders didn't like the idea that they'd just be dead weight, so Dean just told them that his group would attack ahead of time to lure out the Bronze Skin orcs and deal with them elsewhere. The elves could fight a battle or two and subdue one of the minor keeps while the Sam, Dean, and the girls took care of the genuine threats.
With everything decided, nobody saw any reason to c...
2020-10-28 15:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostEditing book 4 is going well and I'm now at the point where I'm finalizing what will be in the published copy of the book. That means I can start work on my detailed book 5 outline. I'm sticking generally to the outline I made when I was figuring out book 1, but there's still a lot of details to work out and room for flexibility in writing the story I have in mind.
I'm leaving this as som...
2020-10-24 17:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostDespite their warm invitation, the Songstone Clan hadn't expected this group of wizards and true mages to take advantage of their hospitality as much as they had. Throwing a feast every night and celebrating with singing and dancing started to get tiring after the third month. Several new batches of wisps hatched, coincidentally matching the date of Dean's initial arrival at the Songstone Clan....
2020-10-24 15:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post