Hey there!

I’m getting a little bit better at this whole update-your-damn-website thing, though it’s still pretty far between. As promised, I spent a few days (that turned into almost two weeks…) catching my breath, but I have been anything but idle.

Okay, maybe playing Minecraft and catching up on Castlevania was pretty idle. So sue me.

However, I’ve working as I can on the Warrior’s Trilogy, which  I wouldn’t have been able to do if I hadn’t worked quite so hard on getting the beta draft of Snowfall done during November. I’m not very far into it, since there’s sixty chapters and almost 350,000 words, but I am going through, smoothing out the awkward prose, and taking time to reflect on how I have grown as a writer in the last three years. Most of the book is being left relatively untouched, but the way I have been describing it is like if one were to build something out of wood, putting everything you know into it, and then looking at it after having learned a lot more, and seeing where it can be improved.

My pacing and prose are strong but unrefined. I am seeing mistakes that I made, things that I didn’t learn or discover until I had listened to all three of the books on audio, and techniques that I should have used but hadn’t developed until later. I am certain that in another three years, I’ll look back and see more work that needs to be done, but I think this is the final pass that I will give these books. Elias’s story is a powerful tale of heroism, personal growth, and overcoming tragedy and nearly impossible odds, but it is – and always will be – the world as viewed from a warrior.

The Mage’s Trilogy is going to be different. It is the world as viewed through the eyes of a young woman coming into her own, and presents many of its own challenges. I’ve been in the head of a warrior for the last three years, and shifting gears has been interesting. The things I have had to research, the plot and prose I’ve worked with, and the character I have developed is something that is completely different from the powerful warrior that I was able to show in Elias of Stromgard.

I can’t wait until I can introduce you to Amethyst, the princess of Lonwick and fledgling apprentice of the Master of Earth. Her story will overlap Elias’s, but it will reveal parts of the world and societies that were hidden from our hero before.

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In other news, I have also spent some time researching some video and audio equipment, as well as setting up a place in my office where I can record videos. The camera and microphone came in a week or so ago, and I spent some time playing with it, and before long I’m going to start making some videos talking about the mechanics and techniques of writing, specifically high fantasy. My goal is to put a video out every two weeks or so once I begin, but I think I’m a ways out from that still. I’d like to build up a backlog of videos, so that i can take my time editing them and give you all the quality that you deserve.

You’ll find that I tend to speak to you all as if you are burgeoning writers and storytellers, and I know that some (read:most) of you are going to be reading for pleasure, but I know that I have always found fascination in seeing how the things that I enjoy are made, the work that went into them, and the thoughts and processes behind the art. In all things that I study and work to learn, I refuse to call myself anything more than a student of the craft; to call myself a master is to say that I have nothing more to learn, and I firmly disagree with such a sentiment.

I do not believe that I will ever have finished learning what I can about any of the creative things I do, whether it be woodworking, metalworking, or writing. Creativity is the outlet of the soul, and when you learn, you keep the gate open. To cease learning is to close the gate. I pray that never happens to me, because it will be as the death of a part of myself I hold very, very dear.

If you ever have any questions for me, please, reach out. I will always respond. It may not be with an answer that I possess, as I might not know how to answer, and I cannot proofread or give developmental feedback on the work of others; my own writing and providing for my family always, always takes precedence, but if I can spend some time talking, then I am almost always available and willing.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read not only my books but the rambling thoughts and updates I post. I promise that I will continue to tell stories until I am no longer able to do so.

I honestly don’t think that will ever happen. 🙂

9th Waxing Moon of the Long Night, Year 2018