This story originally appeared in Mindflights Magazine, was made available for Kindle last month and — I’m happy to announce — is now available in audio form.
The City on the Rock is dying. It rests on Salan, Captain of the Tower Guard, to find out why.
Even in Varda, people take time to celebrate the dark, frightening aspects of existence. In time for Halloween, here is the fourth episode of the Enchanted Forest series, “Hagflight.”
Ep. 4: Hagflight
The festival of All Hallows comes to Kalamar. Norgs don masks to honor Dibbhal, the Bogey Man. Meanwhile, Pirosha’s friend Imowyn notices the full moon, shining bright.
She promptly informs him that whenever All Hallows and a full moon coincide, a fascinating astrological event called the Hagflight can be seen in the sky from the top of Mount Doogan. But bogeys, malevolent spirits from the dark side of Faerie, stalk the shadowy path that leads to it.
“Episode 5: Invasion” and the omnibus will arrive in November.
Nocturne, Son of the Night is now available as an audiobook. The narrator, Matt Weight, did an excellent job.
In all, it took about a month and a half for auditions and approving the chapters, but the end result was well worth it.
Coming soon to iTunes.
(Click the cover to go to Amazon and sample, buy, et cetera. Other sites coming soon.)
I am super thrilled to announce that Fell Winter is available on Amazon. Kobo is figuratively giving me a heart attack with their converter, but I will–and verily–assay to get the book up on that site soon. Also, B&N.
Or in the words of my fellow Codexian Annie Bellet, cover pr0nz.
(Coming this autumn…)
An evil not seen in hundreds of years has awakened in the highland nation of Badelgard. The Ulfr – the original inhabitants of the land whose evil was matched only by their power over death – stir from their barrows.
The dead walk again at the command of an Ulfr witch. The fate of the High King and the possession of the High Throne grow more and more uncertain. Tensions flare between the lowborn commoners and the highborn descendants of the Seven Wardens.
In the middle of it all, the lowborn musician Brand Gutlaffson is thrust into a perilous chase thanks to the foolish decisions of his friend, the warrior Gunnar Whoreson. Their midnight flight takes them to the accursed land of Blackfold, where the ancient Ulfr goddess waits for Her awakening.
The cold begins to set in. But there is more to fear than darkness and snow in this FELL WINTER.
This 40,000-word novel begins the “Ulfr Crisis” trilogy.
Over the past two months, I’ve sat on this novel (not literally, of course.) Mostly, I procrastinated on writing the synopsis and query letter. I talked with my writer friends on Codex and Odyssey et al. I realized that, should I decide to submit it to publishers, I may as well have it available for the public to read. I’m thrilled to announce that I will be publishing “Fell Winter” — a novel of 40,000 words (160 printed pages) — soon . The next book, “High Queen of Badelgard,” will be available by early December this year.
COMING IN FALL 2012…
An evil not seen in hundreds of years has awoken in the highland nation of Badelgard. The Ulfr – the original inhabitants of the land whose evil was matched only by their power over death – stir from their barrows.
The dead walk again at the command of an Ulfr witch. The fate of the High King and the possession of the High Throne grow more and more uncertain. Tensions flare between the lowborn commoners and the highborn descendants of the Seven Wardens.
In the middle of it all, the lowborn musician Brand Gutlaffson is thrust into a perilous chase thanks to the foolish decisions of his friend, the warrior Gunnar Whoreson. Their midnight flight takes them to the accursed land of Blackfold, where the ancient Ulfr goddess waits for Her awakening.
The cold begins to set in. But there is more to fear than darkness and snow in this FELL WINTER.
This 40,000-word novel begins “The Ulfr Crisis” trilogy.
I’ve gotten good feedback on this series so far. I’m not happy with Kindle exposure (because they haven’t price matched the first episode to free) but I expanded to other markets this time.
The third installment in Enchanted Forest is called Dead Man Talking. Available on Amazon, Smashwords, and soon Kobo and B&N.
Today, I released “Hag Hollow,” (Amazon; Kobo and B&N) the first installment of “Enchanted Forest,” a new short story series. Kobo and BN are priced at $1.99, while Amazon is $2.99 until they decide to price match.
Beginning with the first story’s publication today, August 5, I will release a new episode every month. I will do my best to make each episode stand-alone, so that you can start anywhere and end anywhere — and yet give a sort of overarching plot for those who read them in order. For me, it’s also an exercise in crafting compelling plots in each episode.
The blurb reads:
Enchanted Forest: A New Short Story Series
In the Kalamar Forest, the line between the material world and the Otherworld is thin. Here, will o’ wisps draw unwary travelers into quicksand; the lupine Firvalg hunt in packs; giant spiders trap victims in sticky webs; and the vicious Mandragora coils through the western swamps in her never-ending search for food.
One warrior stands against the forces of darkness and decay, and the encroaching human threat: Pirosha Shortsprout–heir to the throne of Bayne yet smallest of all his people–who will be called the greatest norg that ever lived.
Episode 1: Hag Hollow
In the Kalamar Forest, norgs disappear every day. A “Gray Ghost” haunts the wood, speaking of the birth of a male to the west. It becomes increasingly clear to Pirosha Shortsprout that he must ignore his childhood warnings and do the unthinkable: cross into the deadly western swamps and visit Hag Hollow.
Add to your books on Goodreads:
I added three new articles to the Varda profile: one national profile (Badelgard); one regional profile (Westwood); and a profile of Badelgard’s ancient inhabitants.
All of these are to give the reader background for my new novel. August 2012 is the tentative release date for Fell Winter. It’s finished, written, edited, and sent to a few reviewers. I think it’s my best novel yet, and I hope you agree.
Amo Scribere / AJ Cooper 