Crests of the Baron’s Mortal Sins

Temple of Utu from Final Fantasy

Six families stood
At the peak of their world
Some kind and pure
Others selfish and cruel
Yet they worked in one circle
Maintaining balance
For good and ill

Six families danced
To greet a friend from afar
A man of strength
Risen from a life of show
Carrying scars of battles
One of which he masked
With a smile of malevolent benevolence

Six families fell
Their blood flowing
Down every hall and wall
No heirs to carry on
Devoured by history
Leaving behind the crests
That no living soul shall touch

Posted in Legends of Windemere, Path of the Traitors, Poems | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Celebrate International Literacy Day With Some Amazing Giveaways

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

Today is International Literacy Day 2017. The theme for this year is “Reading the Past, Writing the Future.” As UNESCO’s Director-General explains,

The world has changed since 1966 – but our determination to provide every woman and man with the skills, capacities, and opportunities to become everything they wish, in dignity and respect, remains as firm as ever. Literacy is a foundation to build a more sustainable future for all.”
– UNESCO Director-General

Fifty years ago, UNESCO officially proclaimed September 8th International Literacy Day to promote literacy as an instrument to empower individuals, communities, and societies.

Azure Fire Publishing / FSFNet Sale Event And Slack Channel

 FSFNet International Literacy Day | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's books

In honor of this, Azure Fire Publishing / Fantasy and Science Fiction Network have scheduled an A4 (Ask An Author Anything Day) event and created an open Slack channel where anyone can talk to an author member of the FSFNet community, whether…

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Monster Make 2017: Foundations Needed (Also, a Windemere Monster Poll)

Young Frankenstein Lab

Well, people wanted it, so Monster Maker is going to be returning in October.  I’m thinking having it every Wednesday and using Monday to come up with something that promotes Path of the Traitors.  Friday will connect to the poll below.

Anyway, this is an October event that involves me getting strange, unreal words and turn them into monsters or magical items/relics.  You can see some examples HERE.  I might spread it to more than once a week if I get a lot of volunteers.  The guidelines are simple:

  1. Give no more than 3 words.
  2. Use nonexistent words instead of things that actually exist.
  3. Have fun with it.

Thankfully, I’ve done this enough to get the kinks out of the system.  So, I won’t get 12 lists with 10 words each or a bunch of animals that already exist.  I mean, a gorilla is a gorilla even in Windemere.

Finally, below is a large poll for the Friday post that will highlight 4 Windemere monsters for a behind-the-scenes stuff.  I didn’t include dragons and drites because I’m sure that would win and I’ve talked about them before. I did this in 2015 for 2 a week too, so I removed the winners of that ‘Windemere Monsters’ one too.  Here we go and I hope people vote even if they don’t have words for Monster Maker.

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On the Edge of My World, on #LisaBurtonRadio

coldhandboyack's avatarEntertaining Stories

Lisa Burton

Coming at you with one point twenty-one jigawatts of power, this is Lisa Burton Radio. The only show on the air that brings you the character from the books you love. With me today is Pepper, from Vernon Hills, Ohio. “Welcome to the show, Pepper.”

“Greetings and salutations, Lisa. That means hello in human speak.”

“My bio say’s you’re a senior in high school. My understanding of humans is that’s a time of major stress and growth. It has to be tough in a small town where there’s no place to hide for a few minutes.”

“When you live in Vernon Hills, Indiana with the population size of 4,350, everyone does know the color of your underwear which was likely purchased at the local bargain bin. The overly Christian local yokels also won’t allow you to get past your tales of personal woe. Well… I’ve said enough about that, I…

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Meet Guest Author M J Mallon (Marje)…

Chris The Story Reading Ape's avatarChris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

Inspirations and Shenanigans

My new persona: MJ

If anyone had told me ten years ago that I’d be an author, blogger, keen photographer and poet I’d have rolled around with laughter at such a whimsical tale. Sometimes dreams come true and I have a new persona – MJ to prove it. I’ve always wanted to be a superhero’s girlfriend, and Spiderman’s my favourite! Dearest MJ gets up to mischief, adding unusual statuses to my Facebook page. Perhaps the like of – Marje has bungee jumped or parachuted out of a plane, or stripped as a life model, or engaged in a Boudoir Photo shoot. Oops, one of these may be true! If it is let’s keep it a secret, I love secrets. What fun! Can you imagine? One day, (if I’d been a life model or indulged in such a photo shoot)… I’d smile, an old granny, a glint of…

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7 Tips to Earning Redemption: Success Not 100% Guaranteed

C.S. Lewis Quote (Maybe. This is the Internet after all.)

So, you’ve done a lot of bad things, but now you have a chance at getting redemption. It’s something that a lot of villains don’t get. To make sure you don’t ruin this once in a lifetime opportunity, here is some advice:

  1. Avoid laughing maniacally and doing your grand villain speeches. They made sense when you were trying to instill fear in your enemies. Now, it’s kind of creepy and makes people think you’re faking this whole hero thing. Wait at least a year into your new life before doing this in a mocking way. If that’s too long then try to cover both with a coughing fit.
  2. You can only apologize and request a ‘do over’ so many times before people think you’re not taking this hero thing seriously. While it may be easier to work off instinct and clean things up later, it doesn’t win you any points. Doesn’t matter how many fruit baskets and balloon bouquets you send out. People still remember when you did bad things with a smile.
  3. Don’t smile so often when you’re doing anything aggressive or violent. You know for a fact that henchmen and goons are hired with the expectation that they’ll only be around for a few paychecks.  That doesn’t mean the hero version of you should look like you’re having fun beating them up.  Try to look serious or at least wear a mask to hide the glee.
  4. For the love of god, torture isn’t a heroic action. Intimidation is one thing, but leave the fingernails in place. Don’t even think of taking those pliers to the tongue too. Just walk away from the toolbox, buddy.
  5. None of this will come naturally after being a villain for so long.  It might be awkward to ask for tips to being a hero, so there is an alternative.  Read articles and watch interviews with those who defeated you.  Try to figure out what it is that makes them beloved and respected.  You won’t get it right the first, second, third, or . . . Let’s just say practice makes perfect.
  6. Change your wardrobe to be friendlier.  That spiky armor works to intimidate the local populace, but you don’t want kids who love you to run up for a hug.  Besides the awkwardness, you’ll go broke paying medical fees.  This could also be problem if your villain clothing was rather revealing or skintight.  Not as much as you would think, but you will be criticized for being tacky.
  7. Charity work is always a good thing. Spend time with kids, animals, the elderly, or any of the numerous groups that need help. Put a smile on their face and maybe you’ll end up smiling back.
Posted in Legends of Windemere, Path of the Traitors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Meet Natalie Ducey #RRBC

coldhandboyack's avatarEntertaining Stories

As part of the Rave Reviews Book Club, I occasionally get to host authors on their spotlight tours. The most supportive authors are chosen for this spot, and Natalie is a super supporter. I want you guys to give her a warm welcome, and don’t be afraid to use those sharing buttons at the bottom.

***

Thank you for joining me today on this fourth day of the “Spotlight” tour!

Today, I’d love to share an extension of my poetry that is very near and dear to my heart.

When passion and purpose collide.
Did you know that the simple act of piecing together a jigsaw puzzle can offer therapeutic benefits? It can, and the promising findings were impossible to ignore. While stimulating the brain, it also acts as a form of meditation, allowing the mind to relax. This simultaneous action has shown promising findings for people living with dementia…

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Is Clyde Still In There?

Alucard from Hellsing

Tomorrow I begin writing the next series: War of Nytefall.  This introduces Clyde and the rest of his Dawn Fang gang who will pave the way for the vampire society that was briefly introduced in Legends of Windemere: The Mercenary Prince.  It’s a big step, but it has a wrinkle that I just considered.

I haven’t really touched Clyde, the main character, in almost 20 years.  Nothing beyond outlines, character bios, and explaining him in passing.  This is a guy who took on my dark side while Luke Callindor was my light.  He was monstrous, cocky, and brutal, which is why I usually use a picture of Alucard from ‘Hellsing’ for him.  I haven’t accessed those traits entirely in a while even though I’ve edged near them with Lloyd.  It isn’t the same either because Clyde evolved to not be a random source of destruction, but a meticulous killer lurking the shadows.  Many of his odd kills in the games was because somebody challenged him or the GM wanted to keep him out of the action.  Clyde always found a way to get his target even if it was bare-handed.  He was nearly unstoppable and remained on the edge of losing his humanity for most of his existence.  One push is all he needed to go full monster and never return.

I’m waxing poetic here, but it’s more out of stalling.  Wiping the dust off Clyde and pouring some blood into his mouth has been a long time coming.  It has to be done since I’ve had him wait in the shadows too long.  Maybe I’m being strange, but I can’t figure out if I can handle him or get him right.  What if I let him go too monstrous and he comes off more as a villain?  What if he comes off as too weak because he takes too much of a beating or shows compassion too often?  This is such a different vein than my previous heroes because Clyde does border on villain at times.  The things that Luke would never dream of doing are on Clyde’s option list because he’s a monster battling other monsters. I’m left wondering what I can do to make sure I don’t make him a vampiric copy of Luke or, considering power levels, Nyx.  Do I use tomorrow to sit and meditate on what makes Clyde different?  Do I just dive right in?

Maybe this is pre-project jitters since this is the opener and I won’t really get to the true Clyde until Chapter 1.  He has to get buried in the prologue and then Mab needs to convince Prince Tempest to let her dig him up.  Might up it from 50 to 100 years that Clyde has been trapped.  500 too much?  I’m rambling now to distract from my own doubt and worry.  It’s possible that I release him and find myself trying to wrestle a rabid tiger on steroids too.  He’s been itching for his chance and I can always feel him poking around out of boredom.  Clyde even managed to slip a bit into The Mercenary Prince if you pay close attention.

So, what do other people do when they’re about to take on a long overdue character or one that kind of scares them?  Is this a unique problem for me?

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Smorgasbord Book Promotion – Air Your #Reviews – Richard M. Ankers, Judith Barrow and Sacha Black

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Refresher: Queen Trinity & the Chaos Elves

Mordor

I’ve mentioned the chaos elves and Trinity a few times in regards to their origins, but this is the perfect time to do it again.  It’s been a while and new visitors might not know about this part of Windemere.  We’ll separate it by eras too:

Birth of the Chaos Elves

Look ago, the Elven Gods were born from Solar the First One and set about creating the mortals they would look over.  There were already humans, orcs, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, and a few other species. During the creation phase, a group of Orc Gods slipped demon blood into the mixture and the elves came out as the monstrous Hejinn. They wiped out the orcs and enslaved the entire world. The gods were kept at bay when they corrupted one of the most powerful dragon deities and unleashed it on the others to cause a pocket dimension war that lasted centuries.

Eventually, some of the Hejinn regained their humanity and helped the resistance to overthrow the others.  A spell was cast that changed those who helped free the slaves into the common elves, winged elves, and sea elves.  There was also a larger group of Hejinn that simply stayed out of the fighting and were planning on joining whichever side ended up winning the rebellion.  The gods weren’t happy about this act of apathy and turned them into the chaos elves.  They were forced to live on the northern continent of Shayd, which was filled with storms, undead, and a few demons.  It was harsh and barely livable, but the chaos elves made a life there.

Influence of the Baron

Between their birth and the Great Cataclysm, the chaos elves weren’t loved by the rest of the world.  It wasn’t pure hate, but they weren’t trusted.  They had a habit of playing tricks on others and causing trouble. It’s the reason they were named ‘Chaos’ Elves.  A few blossoming kingdoms were destroyed by their antics, which were done for attention and entertainment.  After all, they were isolated on the northern continent and nobody would trade with them.

When the Great Cataclysm happened, a hole opened between Shayd and the Chaos Void where the demons lived.  Baron Arthuru Kernaghan came through and extended his ancient prison to cover the royal castle of the chaos elves.  He is the reason their life became even worse.  The Baron summoned demons and his sadistic son to enslave the chaos elves to the point where their souls broke.  Think of the worst stuff you could do to an entire species and he did it and worse.  After they were pummeled into the ground, he rebuilt them into assassins and spies that the rest of the world feared.  As far as the rest of Windemere knew, the chaos elves went from malicious pranksters to terrifying killers that lurked in the shadows.

Age of Queen Trinity

All of the rulers of Shayd were the Baron’s puppets until a little girl with the power to use 3 magic-enhancing gems was born.  She was protected and raised by an old woman who believed she was the key to them leaving the shadows.  When the time was right, the girl killed the current ruler and took the throne.  She couldn’t defeat the Baron, but she made a deal that she would use her incredible power for him as long as he stopped the pointless killings of her people.  All punishments that the chaos elves earned for failure where also inflicted on this girl who continued to grow in magic and physical power.  This is why the chaos elves love Queen Trinity more than any other ruler in their history.

Most of her greatest adventures are in the Legends of Windemere series.  Yeah, this is a cop out, but she never really got to test her abilities until Nyx.  Being a channeler, she never had a real challenge in terms of magic and living on Shayd requires a lot of physical training.  The harsh landscape has made the chaos elves faster, stronger, and more durable than the other elf species.  As their leader, Trinity has embodied this toughness, which has been a true headache for Nyx.

Future Windemere

Trinity still did evil things in the name of the Baron, which is something she has to come to terms with.  It was for her people, but it also makes it hard for her to move from villain to hero.  Path of the Traitors will reveal more about the chaos elves’ plight and future if they do manage to earn their freedom.  A lot of it depends on how much of Trinity’s reputation can be changed.  Will she be welcomed into the global community or shunned like long ago?  Well, it really hinges on the champions defeating the Baron.  He isn’t going to let them go so easily if he manages to win.

Let’s add a little fun here:

Ask a chaos elf question if there’s anything on your mind.  I’ll answer them in a weekend post.

Posted in Legends of Windemere, Path of the Traitors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments