Hello to 2021! At the start of our new, and hopefully better, year, I’m presenting my updated website. I know that it’s not huge news but the site carries a lot more functionality and better handles the growing number of books that I’ve written over the course of several years. I hope you stop by and give it a look over, kick the tires and let me know what you think.
More information about new stories, interviews with the main characters, maps of the lands of Kamin, etc. are coming soon, so stay tuned!
Start 2021 with my latest book – Final Chapter of the Ray Irish Series.
Two pictures from a side project called The Circuit Rider which is a story for a new comic series called Creepsi Twisted Tales. I’ll be posting more as this Indiegogo project of mine kicks off. I’m working on several scripts between my novel writing (Book 4 of the Ray Irish Supernatural Mysteries). For your viewing pleasure, two pictures to get a feel of the story. The updates for this work will be available on the website as well.
Death Stalks the Runway: Ray Irish Mystery Case File #1 follows the shamus as he uncovers the murderer’s sinister reasons for killing one of Ray’s few friends.
Interested in other FREEBIES? Stop by my website for other downloads with backstories to my fantasy or mystery stories.
My latest book, The Bleeding Mountains, is now available on Kindle. You can get a preview below.
The young Esterblud warrior finds himself involved in a bloody coup of a small kingdom. As he seeks to atone for his mistakes, Urith discovers that his beliefs in honor and trust are seldom shared by the people he meets.
Two new books are coming this month but I wanted to turn my focus over to another project that’s in the works. I’m starting the process to have some of the Clovel Sword stories moved into a comic/graphic novel form. Getting into the younger audience is one reason for this effort. Another is I just think the world of Kamin would look so cool in a manga/anime format. Toward this endeavor, I’ve started scripting for the first web comic and finding artists in line with my vision. I give you some of the efforts below. More updates will continue along this side of my work as well as setting up a crowdfunding model to kick this project into high gear. I’d be interested in your thoughts.
The demigoddess Mivraa
Urith of Esterblud
The story lines in the comic/graphic stories will follow the Clovel Sword Saga during the time of upheaval and sorrow for Urith of Esterblud.
With the lock down in our area, I’ve made major progress in my upcoming stories.
The Curse of Blackbane and The Bleeding Mountains: Clovel Sword Saga 4 should be released simultaneously on the first week of May. While I wait for final edits, one cover is complete and another is in final revisions. When I receive the next Clovel Sword cover, I’ll make sure to post it here.
For those interested to get a jump start on the books, you can find the first draft chapters on Wattpad.
I’ve also started another book which might turn into a series. Preliminarily titled Dream Wraith, its a story of a furniture salesman who lives a dual existence within his nightly dreams. Offering escape for his mundane existence, Robert travels into the realm of Cantre’r. It’s a wild land of rival kingdoms and unexplored wilds where he’s a thief and mercenary who fights with sword and flintlock pistol. While his family and friends believe he’s going insane, they and doctors can’t explain how he wakes each morning with injuries from his nightly dream battles. Here’s the link to Wattpad for a taste of the story.
Starting on Friday morning, you can download a FREE Kindle version of my latest Ray Irish novella. Reaper Walks the Garden is hard-boiled pulp story of a rich family with deadly secrets set in the aftermath of World War Two.
With the draft nearly completed on my upcoming work The Curse of Blackbane, I’m looking for Beta Readers among those who’ve an interest in my stories. It’s the first book of a new historical supernatural dark fantasy series.
Set in the 1780s in Europe, a brutal pirate tries to escape the curse of his evil past. Hunted by one of the seven princes of Hell, Blackbane has a vision from an obscure saint which might help remove the curse. Unexpected aid from a man who calls himself the Black Monk finds him an ally. However, the fat man who attaches himself to the pirate captain has secrets of his own. Following a brutal encounter with a demon and its offspring, the men find their loyalty tested. When a French duchess becomes involved, Blackbane learns that his past continues to follow him.
I’ve combined Volume 1 and 2 into a single ebook. It’s available for FREE for visitors to my website. I hope you take a moment to download my stories to your Kindle or other ebook reader.
Well, it’s close to another Christmas (and my links to 50% off printed books are below).
Latest news: I’m wrapping up work on two more books (hopefully to be complete by end of the year). Here are their working titles and a short description about the stories. You can find
This is Saga #4 and a full book of Urith’s adventures in the time before the Clovel Sword Chronicles. Not long after the death of his wife and father, the Esterblud warrior travels into the kingdom of Rarfell as a volunteer to fight against a tribe known as the Borrs. Before he joins the volunteers, the capital city is overrun and the king killed.
In a series of twists and turns, Urith finds himself escaping with the young queen and a new comrade. However, their freedom is short lived and Urith nearly dies. Returning to kill his betrayer, the Esterblud must grapple with his need for vengeance and the honorable ideals to help those in need. To make things worse, Urith finds himself in unfamiliar waters of diplomacy trying to stop an embittered queen from causing a war between his homeland and the powerful kingdom of Cahmais.
It is a world where the necromancer, Pirwa, extends his power over the remaining kingdoms using the cruel butchery of his undead ‘gravers’. Pirwa plans to unleash his hordes upon the last two bastions of those who follow the ways of the Chara.
The fortress island of Charax is one spot that stands in the way of the necromancer. However, the fortress is much like the society, a decaying symbol of the past. Strict social and economic stratification allows the Chara to control the island along with the help of pirates who dominate the waters.
When an offer of quick wealth leads Hilko, a young smuggler, into his betrayal. The man uses his ability to communicate with ghosts to aid in his escape. Ending up on a ship filled with pirates, Hilko slowly understands the power of the object he’s stolen. In his quest to avoid the ‘gravers’ and comrades with ulterior motives, Hilko discovers that true friendship and loyalty can come from any social class, living and dead.
Christmas Savings on MY PRINT BOOKS
Click on Graphic to receive the paperback for savings over retail.
To keep my blog refreshed on a consistent basis, I’ll be sharing my draft updates as they occur on Wattpad.
You can find most of my stories out there. I invite you to take a look if you’re interested in the development of the stories.
I’ve been working on another follow up story called Grave’s Peril that follows the Infinite Loop story arc. You can see that below. Please excuse the cover which is strictly for the draft.
Curse of Blackbane is another story in it’s early stages which is a dark fantasy based in the age of pirates. Again, just a couple of chapters available for the first draft.
As part of my efforts to engage my readers more directly, I’ve started using Wattpad to reveal my drafts as I work on a couple of books. You can find some of my finished works out there as well. I’m using just rudimentary covers for the drafts and the editing is a work in progress. However, if you’re interested in my process for writing, just stop by and give me your feedback.
I know that I’m terrible about updating this blog. I find plenty of excuses, like I need to work on the next page of a novel, did the cat just throw up behind the couch, or there’s a great anime series I need to catch, etc. But, in fairness, there is another side project that has my attention which I’ve written about before that’s recently taken quite a bit of time.
The Creepsi comic series is slowly getting traction and I can reveal more details. For those who don’t know the background, here is a synopsis I put together that will go on the second page of every issue.
My goal is to have 2-3 stories for each monthly issue. One ongoing story (about 10 pages for the main story per issue), while the other illustrated tales will run 8-10 pages. For those interested in graphic novels, manga, and comics, I hope you will stop by (and share your thoughts) as you look over the drafts in place and other tidbits I’ll be adding to the Patreon site that I’ve created.
The first issue will have my twist to an HP Lovecraft story along with my own graphic story called, The Circuit Rider. I’m adding the first page draft for you to get a feel of the storyline. I have a new artist hard at work on the first 10 pages of the Circuit Rider and I should have another soon on my other stories. Hopefully, we should have something out in April. Drop me a line or comment about your interest or helpful ideas.
Fickle Mother Nature decided to dump snow and ice on middle Tennessee recently, leading me to reflect on current and upcoming work.
As part of the constant struggle to market books as an unknown writer, I’ve added my stories to Bookshop which focuses on local indie bookstores throughout the nation.
For those who’ve been following my series, I’ve also put all of the Ray Irish Occult Mysteries into a single volume. Four books from Ray Irish arriving at Oyster City to his final confrontation against Andras. It’s available on Kindle Unlimited.
As for new work, I’m plodding along with a new fantasy called Shadow over Charax which is nearly complete. I’ll follow up soon with other news of projects and work that’s coming.
It’s been awhile since I’ve found time to post. Finally put the fourth and final book of the Ray Irish series into publication. Highlights below from the latest on Amazon (paperback and ebook).
Otherwise, more stories are coming in the next year. There is a follow up book to The Curse of Blackbane called Under a Red Moon (hopefully Spring 2021)
And another book in the Clovel Sword Saga coming in summer of 2021 (I guess I’m trying to sound like a Marvel trailer…lol). It’s called A Blood Debt
Finally, another work is coming in the next year that I’ve been working on for a while now. Called the Shadow Over Charax, it is a fantasy story set in a world of necromancy and 16th century arms. However, humanity is falling under the control of a necromancer named Grymr who sends his Gravers upon the last bastions of civilization. The fortress island of Charax is one of the few places not controlled by However, much like the society inside, the city is a decaying symbol of the past. Strict social and economic stratification allows the Chara to control the island along with the help of pirates who dominate the waters.
Well, it’s finally arrived. I’m happy to report that No Remedy Against Death has a cover. I still expect the story to become available during the first week of November in ebook and paperback.
For those who are unfamiliar with this supernatural mystery series, Ray Irish is a hard-drinking bum who ends up working as a shamus (private detective) just after World War Two in a corrupt place called Oyster City.
As a fan of hard-boiled standards like Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade, I’ve endeavored to give Ray Irish a similar cynical outlook on life along with a underlying sense of justice. However, Irish tries to survive in a place where a demonic cult runs things while it’s members bring forth the object of their desire.
I hope you’ll get a free download of a couple of cases solved by Ray Irish. Click on the picture below to my download page.
I’m pleased to say that No Remedy Against Death will be available around Thanksgiving after wrapping it up the second draft last night. Final edits will begin in Oct. This book is the final book of the series so it took quite a bit of work (more than I expected) to wrap up the story and some of the dangling strings from the other books.
You can find them all at the link below. Additionally, I plan on an Omnibus of the series in one ebook like the Clovel Sword Chronicles.
You can start the series for only 99 cents at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, etc.
Next Up!
No rest for the weary as I have more stories to complete as well as scripts for the Creepsi Twisted Tales (comic book series) that I’m working on. The link goes to the domain and information about the series.
Coming books
A Blood Debt – Book 4 of the Clovel Sword Sagas is in the pipeline, along with Dream Wraith and the second book to Curse of Blackbane.
Well, I discovered that I’ve not been updating this blog as I intended. It’s already September, so where did the time go? Obviously, not on my last book of the Ray Irish series. It’s still not complete, not even in the final edit stage. I guess that means I’ll be pushing to have it ready by December now. It’s a disappointment but not unusual with normal life events that arise (or just plan laziness on my part). Ah, well it becomes a Christmas stocking item!
I guess I’ll leave this with links to the two books that were released in 2020 so far.
While not as great as Free Ice Cream, starting Thursday Morning 7/23/2020, the Clovel Sword Chronicles Omnibus Edition has a COUNTDOWN SALE on Amazon starting at 41% off.
Latest News from my world
Currently, the latest book of the Ray Irish Supernatural Mysteries is coming together nicely. I expect to see it finished sometime in Late August. Only a couple of chapters left and then quiet time to get the edit/beta reading done along with a cover. The story will tie up all the loose ends concerning the death of Greye La Spina, along with dozens of missing people, along with the rising fortunes of Andras, the demon taking over Oyster City.
Following the Ray Irish book, I’ll be focusing some of my energy on getting my Clovel Sword Graphic novel moving. It will involve an Indiegogo campaign. I’ve already received a commitment from the artist who’s interested in doing the panels. Here are some of the latest pictures that will provide main characters to the first story line based upon the Saga novellas.
Mivraa, demigoddess of Haligulf
Urith of Esterblud
Additionally, I have a new comic series in mind called, Creepsi Twisted Tales which requires work and funding. You’ll see updates on this in my Indiegogo campaign coming soon.
