Category: Sword and Sorcery
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Top 3 Viking Weapons
In my books The Witch of the Sands and Black River, my main characters, the Hounds of the North, are loosely inspired by a range of warrior peoples: Picts, Scots and Vikings. Given that, I added a heavy influence of Viking background weapons in the stories. Part of the fun in the stories was supplying…
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The Witch of the Sands Released
Folks, I am pleased to announce the release of my novella The Witch of the Sands, the first book in my grimdark fantasy series The Hounds of the North. The Witch of the Sands is available on Amazon. Summary Shield Scyldmund captured his prize: the bloody head of a desert chieftain. But despite the promise…
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Cover Art: Bran Mak Morn
This week an assortment of covers for Bran Mak Morn, the Pictish hero created by Robert E. Howard, best known for his Conan stories.
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Excerpt from The Witch of the Sands
An excerpt from the grimdark novella The Witch of the Sands published in October 2014.
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Novellas Versus Novels: What a Difference a Few Words Make
One of the wonderful aspects of being an author chasing down the self-publishing route is that I can also explore literary forms that traditionally are difficult to sell, such as the novella.
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How many coppers for the head of a warlock?
When two beta readers questioned how much my band of mercenaries were getting paid to kill a warlock, I knew I had to take a step back and figure out the economic system.
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The 7 Deadly Sins of SciFi and Fantasy Writing Critique Groups
While I was recently listening to the Writing Excuses podcast on writing critique groups, a flood of memories came back to me from the various critique groups in which I have participated. With these memories of marked up manuscripts and lively exchanges, another set of memories have returned: the Seven Deadly Sins of critique groups.
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Trying to decide on a cover
Help me decide on the cover for The Witch of the Sands, the first book in the Hounds of the North series.
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Cover Art: Edgar Rice Burroughs
In honor of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s birthday this week, I am sharing the covers of a few of his books that I have on my shelves. Which one do you like best?
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Slaying the Gatekeepers
Nine months is reasonable to wait for a baby. Nine months is reasonable to write a novel. However, nine months is not so reasonable to hear absolutely no response from a traditional publisher or agent on a work submitted for consideration.
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Black River – Prologue
Craxius heard words in the river. At first, he thought it was the other soldiers from the fortress laughing about the ambush. Then he was sure that it was the whispers of a band of Northerners sneaking up on the encampment of soldiers. Finally, he heard children singing. But it was only the water rushing…
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Black River – Work in Progress
Sand lifted in a great gust forcing Shield Scyldmund to close his eyes. The fine particles blasted against his skin, sharp, at the edge of pain. It hissed as it slithered beneath the rings of his dented armor, twisted into his beard, and lodged itself into the wrinkles that masked his eyes. These fierce sands…
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