Sometimes you do things simply because they’re fun and you’re curious how it’ll turn out. Turning my epic dark fantasy novel, The Sciell into a hardback book was one of those passion projects. I’ve heard hardback books don’t do well for small press authors. Make sense since we struggle to get our titles into bookstores….
Christmas snuck up on me. Anyone else feel like that? I can’t believe it’s next week. I haven’t even done my New York tradition. I usually take an evening to walk from 34th to 57th Street, enjoying the Macy’s windows and then the light show on Saks Fifth Avenue. Just walking up 5th Avenue at night during…
My publisher and I have been having a long…discussion about a category for one of my series. Often, my Merging Worlds series gets comments like it’s great for adults and young adults or teens would enjoy this. Whenever I’m at a conference, teens are the ones grabbing my books the most. But, I don’t market the…
It’s 60 or so years after the apocalypse. Countries are trying to rebuild society. War puts the world in chaos. This is life in my WIP, Book 4 of The Merging World Series, The Sciell’s Legacy. The world is dangerous for everyone. Characters build their own villages to stay safe. Several questions come up while…
You’ve probably had this happen. You get an idea but you ignore it because it’s a pain. The idea leaves you alone but it never really goes away. After awhile, you try it just to see how it would turn out. For months, a voice has been telling me to redesign the covers for The…
In my stories, I don’t put a lot of emphasis on holidays mostly because they’re post-apocalyptic. The characters aren’t going to stop and celebrate when they’re so focused on surviving. Actually, they might. Holidays are something solid when the world has been turned upside down. Would characters in The Merging Worlds series celebrate something similar…
Diving headfirst into building a new dark fantasy world is like a choose your own adventure story. I’m not only enjoying the twisted ride, I’m in charge of it. I’m talking about the 4th and final book in The Merging Worlds series. 100 years has passed between books 3 and 4. Since then all hell…
My characters can be viewed as monsters depending on who’s judging them. I enjoy writing demons, monsters, creatures… They grow to embrace their “other” side. Most of the world sees these characters as abominations. They have little trouble killing someone they believe deserves it. The Del’Praeli are worse. They’re animals in human form. They’d eat…
With The Lost Sciell’s, Book 3 of The Merging Worlds series, release date this summer, I’ve been designing images. Those who subscribe to my newsletter got a first look at some cover designs. I’m in the process of updating the maps. Let’s take a look at how they’ve evolved over this series. I won’t be changing…
The post, Why Do We Write Horror got me thinking. How in the world did I get into dark fantasy? I’ve dealt with this topic over the years mostly because I find it so fascinating. We’re supposed to be afraid of the dark. Why do you like dark stories? Why Do We Like Horror? The…
