Kameron M. Franklin's Blog

I should have known better. I wondered if this was the line he used on every weak-willed fool he tried to lure into his cult. It didn't matter, but it confirmed my fears. What had Pelban tangled himself in this time?

"Ha! I highly doubt that," I said. "Your god considers me an idolater."

"Don't be so modest," Sahllos said with a smile. "You're more than a mere idolater. You are a priest of a false religion."

"Was a priest," I growled. I wanted to ask how he knew about my former service, but I...

View full post on Kameron M. Franklin's website »

I know I have readers who are neither christian nor religious. Most of what follows may not have relevance to you, but I do make some applications to fantasy fiction writing with regard to presenting deities and embedding messages in your story. I encourage you to read through the entire post and take from it what you can.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be...

View full post on Kameron M. Franklin's website »

I began the process of dissolving my company earlier this summer. Goldbox Media Group incorporated back in June of 2006, and for the past three years, I poured time, money, and less tangible resources into the production of an online game. It was my second job.

The decision to quit that job was not an easy one. It meant swallowing my pride. It meant asking my family to shoulder a financial burden that I had promised they wouldn't need to. It meant letting go of a dream.

I picked up an old...

View full post on Kameron M. Franklin's website »

I owe a large part of my love for fantasy fiction to my parents' bookshelves, upon which were stacked the works of Brooks, Eddings, Lewis, McCaffrey, Tolkien, and others. There was a mix of science fiction as well, but I shied away from the likes of Asimov, Bradbury, and Clarke. (I did read Chalker's Rings of the Masters series). Perhaps that is why I never got around to reading my father's collection of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series. While the Frazetta covers certainly drew my eye...

View full post on Kameron M. Franklin's website »

I think I've found the next market I will submit "Relvan's Rescue" to, barring acceptance from Black Gate. Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, an ezine that began accepting submissions back in February of this year, published their first issue at the end of June. (I just heard about it last week via Grasping for the Wind.) HFQ publishes three pieces of short fiction and two poems per issue. I read all three stories and found them to be fun, entertaining examples of heroic, sword-and-sorcery fantasy (even

View full post on Kameron M. Franklin's website »

The orange light of the campfire glinted off the spear tips thrust in our faces. I held my hands up to show I posed no threat.

"We are arrows in the dark," Pelban said. I saw him hold up his silver pin from the corner of my eye. The sharp metal point inches from my forehead persuaded me from fumbling for my own pin. Pelban's guard grunted his acknowledgment of the passphrase and spears were lowered. We climbed to our feet and followed the two men into the camp.

The guards deposited us at the centr

View full post on Kameron M. Franklin's website »

I am not a prolific writer. I like to attribute this to my struggle to maintain a regular schedule of writing, and that once I establish a habit, my productivity will increase exponentially. There is some truth to this assessment, but it is only a part of my problem. I need to train my inner editor if I really want to pump up my word count.

Your inner editor is that little voice in your head that tells you when something in your writing isn't working: plot points, characterization, and language.

View full post on Kameron M. Franklin's website »

I recently watched disc 1 of Justice League animated series' first season. I've been a fan of Bruce Timm's other DC universe productions, but found myself sorely disappointed in this particular endeavor for one reason alone: lazy writing.

How do I know the writers were lazy? Because they committed a cardinal sin of comic book writing. Rather than coming up with creative ways to foil the combined (or individual) might of earth's greatest superheroes, the writers opted to simply cripple their power

View full post on Kameron M. Franklin's website »

I ran until my lungs burned and moving my legs felt like pushing boulders uphill. The buildings on the outskirts of town had long since faded into the night. I wanted to stop, to fall to the ground, my chest heaving as it sucked in air with the urgency of a parched man lying on the bank of a mountain spring, but Pelban showed no signs of slowing as he led us toward the foothills of the Arunwol Mountains.

"Pelban…where…are we…going?" My gasping question reigned Pelban in until we both stood pantin

View full post on Kameron M. Franklin's website »

I'm a voracious reader. If you watch my "Currently Reading" widget, or friend me on Goodreads, you'll note that I cycle through a book about once a week or so. I'd probably finish quicker, but I limit myself to reading during my weekday commutes (I take a 15-20 minute ride on the light rail). Given my penchant for devouring fantasy fiction, you would think that reviews would be a regular staple of this blog.

They are not, however. The reviews I have written are restricted to genre classics. I've

View full post on Kameron M. Franklin's website »