Loki Wytehart's Blog, page 2

Welcome to my NEW store!

Welcome to my store.  You will find the currently released paperback books about the Kambarington saga here.  I will be running promotional sales from time to time, and will notify my Facebook friends of those sales.  I am offering discounts for my Facebook friends (message me for your discount code), and for my family...I have a special discount code for you as well.  Thank you for your support in my new venture, and as always...Welcome to Kambarington, I hope you enjoy your stay.

Cover contest

I am running a cover art contest on Facebook...if you are a friend you can vote, if you aren't a friend...friend request me (RJ Capone) and then you can vote. I will be accepting votes until Friday (4/15) and the winner will share the cover spot light with me.

I also am running a discount on book two (The Friends of the Guardian), eBook only, through Amazon...so if you are looking for a good read at a decent price, check it out.

Beginning ideas for book four, promoting books one through three, creating art work of the nations of my fantasy world, and oh yeah putting in a full week at my Monday - Friday job...plus the odd jobs around the house.... anyone have some extra time that I could borrow?

Book three teaser

“First can you tell me your full name, as we have you listed as John Doe?”
“My name is Loki Wytehart” replied the man.
“Okay, and where is your home Mr. Wytehart?
“I live in Kambarington, at Druid Lake, in the Sunneria region” replied the man.
“Okay and what brings you to Ponca City?” asked the doctor.
“Where is Ponca City?”
“Ponca City is in Oklahoma, northeast of Oklahoma City, and just south of the Kansas border.”
“What the heck am I doing in Oklahoma?”
The doctor smiled, and said “That is what we are trying to find out. Just a few more questions, and then we can chat.
“Can you tell me what year this is?”
Loki thought for a second, if he was asking what year it was that meant he was in the Other Place. He had moved to Kambarington in 1990, had been there for about ten Kambarington years so about twenty Other Place years…so that made it about…
“2010, I think, not really sure” Loki replied.
“Okay” said the doctor as he finished writing notes in the chart he was holding. He closed the chart, pulled over a chair and sat next to the bed.
“I am having the nurse bring in your personal effects so that we can try to get an idea of what happened, and see if anything jogs your memory.
“You were found along the side of Interstate 35, and since we are the nearest hospital, you were brought here.

Cormac

Cormac and Julian Redstone

Cormac was a human orphan from birth. His mother died while delivering him, and his father was so distraught over the loss of his wife decided that he wanted nothing to do with the one that was responsible for her death.
He was raised in the Concordone region by a farming family that for some unknown reason, felt compelled to take him in.
His step father was not a loving man, and forced Cormac to sleep in the barn when he became a teen, as the family shack was “too good for a bastard child such as him”.
His step mother had more than enough love, and would always comfort Cormac after one of his step fathers “lessons in life “which was what he called the beating he got for something he did or didn’t do.
What Cormac did receive from his step father was enough hard work to bulk him up into a very strong young man. His muscle tone was very good as a result of the daily physical labor that his step father required of him as payment for his room and board.
When Cormac was old enough he decided it was time to leave the farm, while his step father was in town getting supplies.
His step mother and the other five children of the family gave him what they knew the step father would not miss, as a way of showing their sorrow in his leaving.
Cormac never begrudged the others in the family. He knew he was not born to this family, and every day was a blessing with how the others treated him.
He never saw the others again after that day, but as fate would have it, the step father was returning home before Cormac reached the end of the farm.
The step father was glad to see the “boy” leave, but the belongings he had didn’t belong to him and he could leave the same way he arrived…naked.
When Cormac refused, the father (with a definite air of alcohol on his breath) took a swing at Cormac. Cormac stepped away from the swing, but followed up with a swing of his own.
Years of pent up anger were in his swing, and when Cormac connected with the step fathers chin…the impact lifted the step father three feet off the ground and landed him ten feet back. The man was knocked out cold.
Cormac traveled from town to town, picking up odd jobs to get food or lodging. When he saw that someone was down on their luck, he shared half of what he had.
He was cleaning the stables for a nobleman in the Mattesonia region when the nobles’ son came into the stables and chose to show Cormac that vagabond travelers were well beneath his noble stature.
When the lesson was over, and the nobles’ son had been trounced with very little effort by Cormac, the nobles’ son asked Cormac if he would like to stay with the family and learn proper fighting techniques…though his style seemed to work so far.
Cormac lived with the family for about two years. It was enough time for him to learn how to fight while riding a horse, how to use a sword or a mace, and how to defend himself with a shield.
Hand to hand fighting, it was decided, was not necessary for him to learn, as he seemed to have that lesson well in command.
The noble, a paladin for the governor of the region taught Cormac some of the skills that paladins possess and when Cormac was ready to leave the family, the noble had Cormac go to the regional training grounds for paladins to complete his training.
The ideals of the paladins seemed right to Cormac, (honor above victory, death before dishonor) and he was a sponge to all that the trainers had to show him.
He mastered all forms of fighting, be it on horseback or foot, hand to hand or with a weapon, on offense or in defense.
When he was ready to leave, the head trainer offered him a position as a trainer, but Cormac felt that his service was to the people and not to those that served nobles, so he began his travels…again.
His journey took him to all of the regions in Kambarington, and he never turned his back on those less fortunate than him.
He earned his way guarding caravans or rich merchants, but never stayed with them after they reached their destination. He never felt attached to anyone or any group.
His travels took him to a region east of Kambarington, to the Elf kingdom of Argyle, where he heard of an academy that trained a high level course in warfare.
It was very hard to qualify for enrollment, and even harder to complete. The graduation rate was two percent of all that entered.
Cormac tested to see if he could qualify, and was surprised to find that he scored the highest of all of the entrants. This only made it harder as now he was a target for the other students and the instructors.
Two years later, Cormac finished the course as top graduate, undefeated in any form of combat…by student or trainer.
The offers of employment were many, as every noble that attended the graduation waged a bidding war for his service. Cormac refused them all, and left the academy with nothing more than what he had arrived with, but he sat a little taller in the saddle of the horse that he had been awarded.
Word of his feats traveled the land quickly, especially the tale of his helping a family rebuild their farm after bandits had burned it to the ground for not paying for protection.
He even followed the bandits and came upon them as they were attacking a caravan of nomads. With sword swinging in a blur, and using the techniques from the academy, he rode into the fray.
With his efforts, the bandits were killed, but he was injured in the battle. The families of the caravan had suffered great injuries from the bandits, but they cared for him as one of their own.
After Cormac was able to recover from his wounds, he went from injured to injured applying the skills of a paladin…the laying of hands.
His relentless, selfless acts saved many lives that day and he is forever remembered by the caravan that he saved…for they were the first of the Freeman.
After the Great War, Cormac was sent to a small town in Pennsylvania, where as a member of the National Guards he met Loki, who had just joined the unit after finishing some active duty time in the Army.
The two became friends, and Loki introduced Cormac to Syrus and Drake and role playing games. The four became best of friends, spending weekend’s role playing, or just being together.
Cormac made a career of the military, and his training was that of an infantryman, with a secondary as a mortar man.
The military seemed a very good fit for him, though he couldn’t say why it felt like a comfortable fit for him.
Being a Guardsman meant he serve the state first, and was used to assist residents during a natural disaster…such as floods.
He saw much “action” helping families during a recent flood, and helping those less fortunate always seemed second nature to him.
During the Second Baltazor event, Cormac met with the Freeman, to try to persuade them to join arms against Baltazor, and that was where he met the leader Julian Redstone.
It was during that meeting that she recounted the tale of the day the stranger rode into the fray as their caravan was being attacked, and that stranger was Cormac.
Because of her tale of his heroic, the Freeman did join arms with the Alliance of the Races, and they were instrumental in the war against the Horde.
Julian was so taken in by the actions of Cormac (both from their earlier encounter, as well as during the Second Event), that she offered him membership into the Freeman, and later became his wife.
After the defeat of Baltazor, Cormac settled down with Julian Redstone and they built a home at Druid Lake…one of three in the lake valley.
He even took her last name as his own, as he never had a last name, since he never really belonged to any family.
The solitary orphan had finally found a community that called him friend, and someone to share his life with.

Drake Goodsoul

Drake and Beth Goodsoul

Drake Goodsoul, a Dwarf, was born and raised in the Ippswich town of Draketown, named for the Dwarven clan Drake which he was the fifth son of. It was his dream as a young dwarf to be a Bard, a traveler that brought news of the world and music to the residents of the towns that he visited.
He studied music at a very young age, and soon discovered that when he played, people stopped what they were doing, and gathered around. His voice, whether singing or telling a tale, was soothing and very compelling to listen to.
He mastered the wind instruments, the fife being a favorite because of the tone of the notes it played. He was also talented with the string instruments, and was always seen with a lute handy.
His voice though was his crowning achievement, able to sing any note on the scale. His voice teacher said his voice was magical, and there were times that magic was needed.
When he became a young lad of a dwarf, and old enough to leave Draketown, Drake started to travel all over Ippswich.
He was a talented listener, and was always able to pick up tidbits of news to carry with him to the next town.
Word soon spread of the Bard with the magical voice, and soon people were meeting him at the entrances to the villages or cities, when he was spotted in the area.
Meals were never bought, and lodging was never needed, as the villagers always shared what they had and some family or another would house him for the duration of his stay.
It became a mark of honor to be able to say that Drake Goodsoul ate or slept at a resident’s house.
When he had visited all of Ippswich, he set his sights on the other regions of Kambarington. He crossed the Gulf of Tonika and started his ventures in the Sunneria region.
It was during a visit to the Elf capital of Honsayo that Drake met Loki, as his mother (the Druid) insisted that he spend the night with them, so that she could catch up on the news of the areas that Drake had visited thus far.
Drake spent a week with the Wytehart family, learning some healing magic from Casandra (healing was always a good thing to know).
Loki’s father taught Drake some defensive maneuvers as these were also handy when one travels alone, as does a traveling bard.
Drake and Loki spent many hours talking of their different childhoods and their dreams in life, and thus became very close friends.
Loki would accompany Drake to a few of the nearby villages and towns, and when it came time to venture to the rest of Sunneria, Loki returned home.
Drake visited the majority of the known towns, cities and hamlets in Kambarington, and because he kept a map and journal of his visits, he is believed to be the first person to have an almost complete map of all of Kambarington.
These items were kept by Harkin though when he was sent to the Other Place and with his memories blocked he remembered little of the places that he had seen prior to the Great War.
During one particular visit to a village in the Susquehonia region, Drake made two families, that were bitter rivals, so mellow and relaxed with his songs…that the two families decided that so much hatred was shared by the families that it threatened the village itself, and they came to a truce.
The village celebrated with a feast for a king, and the drink flowed into the morning of the next day. Drake was told that if he ever needed anything, he had to just return and it would be given.
After the Great War, Drake was sent with his Watchers to a city in Florida (in the Other Place), where he grew up loving music (for some unknown reason). When he became a young adult, he had taken a job as a road hand for a blues band that was traveling the East coast.
It was during a stopover in a city called State College, Pennsylvania that Drake met the woman that would become his wife.
Leaving the band, to settle down in the area, Drake took a good paying job in a paper mill, just to be with this woman.
He also joined a local band, and the shows that they put on in the local pubs and taverns, were always sold out.
Whether he sang or played guitar, the crowds were mesmerized by his music. He was with this band until his return to Kambarington.
When the mill closed its doors, he took a job in a city called Williamsport…where he met and became friends with Syrus and Loki.
They started playing a role playing game about dungeons and stuff and spent quite a few hours every other weekend living in their fantasy world…or so they thought.
After the defeat of the demon Baltazor, Drake and Beth settled down in Druid Lake, to be near their longtime friends.
Beth turned their home into a way station for travelers, with the help of some Dwarves that had relocated to the hamlet.
Being on the main road between Roguetown and Honsayo, and with visitors coming to visit the spirit of the lake, business was going quite well.
In fact a second floor to the main building and a two floor addition was soon needed and built.
Some that came to visit ended up staying, so the way station was home for them until they could build their own homes and get established.
Drake decided that the traveling was over, and he was a regular at the evening meal, entertaining with a song or a tale or just playing an instrument.
During the day, he can be found sitting on the front porch of the Drakes Inn (as it was now known) greeting the passersby, and just enjoying the serenity of life at Druid Lake.

Congrats on Giveaway

I wish to congratulate Megan G. from California, and Edith C, from New Jersey on their winning the giveaways for the Kambarington saga.

Many thanks to everyone that entered, and also to those that added my two books to their 'to be read' list...I am truly humbled by the showing.

I will be continuing the bio's of the main characters from the Kambarington saga, and have recently begun book three (The Lost Guardian of the Lake.

I thank you all for following and showing support.

Syrus Kwik

Syrus and Carol Kwik

Born and raised in Radbend, in the Pisciania region, Syrus, half Elf and half human (a Half Elf) began early with an interest in science. At the young age of ten, he had a chance to meet Morlet the Mage, who was traveling to Ingdar for a meeting of mages and sages from all over Kambarington.
He snuck into the convention hall to hear Morlet speak about the marriage of science and magic. Before that day, science and magic were considered two separate areas of training, but Morlet was stressing that the two were tied together and could be mastered as one field of learning.
Morlet was the premier authority in the field of sci – magic as he practiced it from a very young age…and had the scars to show for it.
Syrus worked up enough courage to speak with the master after the meeting was over, and with the permission of his parents, he became an apprentice of Morlet.
Morlet taught him all that he knew, and the two were inseparable. They formed a friendship that lasted until Morlet’s death. Syrus became Morlet’s caregiver in his final years, but the two continued working on new theories and ideas until the end.
Morlet’s theory that science could strengthen the power of magic was first and foremost. Magic of old drew off the physical strength of the wielder, were as Morlet believed that the use of science could eliminate the draw off of the caster and draw off the power of the natural elements around them.
It was this new combination of science and magic that the then current Druid, Casandra Wytehart (the mother of Loki) learned from Morlet. The learning to draw from the elements was natural for the Druids, but to combine this power source with the magic spells of the Elves proved to be very powerful and useful.
No longer could a caster just cast a certain spell a certain number of times before the caster was drained. Now the caster was able to recast a spell as long as the proper element was available.
A new dawn had arrived for the use of magic.
After the death of Morlet, Syrus traveled the world of Kambarington sharing the training that Morlet had given him. He became the trainer to Elf mages, human healers, Dwarven sages, and anyone that wished to learn.
It was through a chance meeting with Casandra that Syrus met and became friends with Loki and his sister Harkin. While it was Cassandra’s wish that Loki would follow her in the Druid training, it was not to be. Harkin however did take a liking to the life of a Druid and would learn from Casandra’s Druid in training after the death of her parents. She would also learn from Syrus, the new technique known as sci-mag.
While Syrus did travel the whole of Kambarington, and the nations that bordered it, he always made a point to visit his parents in Radbend until they died.
Of all of the regions he took a fancy to Sunneria, he said it offered the most of all of the elements with which he could use to strengthen his training.
The Great War, the first battle with the horde lord, had taken its toll on the young half elf, as he saw for the first time death at a magnitude he had never known.
His use of the new magic was invaluable to the spell casters fighting the endless mass of the Horde.
The bodies of the mindless horde, as well as those of the brave young men and women that fought to defend Kambarington, was a sight that he still to this day carries with him.
After the demon Baltazor was imprisoned, it was feared that the horde leaders would seek revenge on those that put their leader in the magic prison.
Scattered attacks were heard of, but no great fronts or battles were encountered. The leaders of the races and the Kambarington Alliance felt that the four heroes needed to go into exile, someplace that they would not be known, until things settled down a bit.
It was the Druid Harkin that suggested sending the four into a dimension where they would be safe, and could be looked after by the Watchers.
So it was that Syrus was sent to the Other Place, with his “parents” to grow up. His memory of Kambarington was blocked, and he was sent with his Watchers to a small town in Ohio with a fresh set of memories that were implanted to ease his growth.
He grew up in a small town, made friends, but was considered nerdy as he was interested in science (who could have guessed). His parents bought him every science kit that Woolworths had on its shelves.
His parents would move from town to town, to avoid suspicion about their past. Every time the families gathered for a cook out, his parents were always nervous that questions of their past would betray them.
He was able to finish his schooling, and even took some science courses in a local community college, before it was time to move again.
As he grew in his new life, his Watchers had moved him to a small town in Pennsylvania, where he took a job in a chemical lab in a factory…which as fate would have it turned out to be the same factory that Loki would end up getting a job at as well.
Syrus and Loki became best friends in this new world, and Syrus had settled down and had finally taken a wife.
Science was a natural thing for him when he was in school, and he was known to still dabble with small experiments. He even had a hobby lab set up in the garage of his home.
Syrus and Loki had each been playing a role playing game before they met, and a chance conversation one evening at their job turned up that they both played.
Soon the two were spending weekends playing with a small group of other role players (which grew to include Drake and Cormac).
A few live games were also played, where the group would dress in costume and live the game first hand…for a weekend. It felt strangely normal to dress as their role playing character, and live this “pretend” life for a weekend.
After the defeat of Baltazor, Syrus and Carol (she opted to keep her Other Place name), settled at Druid Lake, on the main road between Roguetown and Honsayo.
Carol had started a “garden” which turned into a vegetable farm, while Syrus traveled to re-learn from and to train the mages, sages, and healers of the region.
Once the farm grew too big for Carol alone, Syrus decided to set up a school adjacent to their home, so that he could help with the farm.
Carol also had help from some of the Dwarves that had arrived to settle the area. The wives of the mining dwarves would pitch in to help with the gardening, and got to keep some of the produce as payment.
Syrus had a “lab” in the school, where he could continue experimenting, and one of his experiments dealt with harnessing the wind to bring electricity to the hamlet.
In the Other Place he had studied the use of wind and water to be used as a source of electricity, and had even created his own mini versions of windmills and water wheels to power motors.
He had even created basic batteries to store the excess power that was being created, and was trying to duplicate these items in Kambarington (with its limited technology).
The future was looking bright for the new inhabitants of Druid Lake.

Writing course / book three

I am on module 8 of 19 in the writing course, and have learned some interesting things...as well as confirming some of the things that I already doing are correct.

I have the plot and storyline for book three worked out (the current title will be...The Lost Guardian of the Lake) and the storyline will be...well you'll just have to wait and see what I come up with.

I have received a few very helpful reviews from books one AND two that will help me with book three. I was planning on only doing a five book saga...but lets see where life takes our heroes from Kambarington.

Reply from Amazon concerning reviews...

I have found that Amazon is not very outright clear in their emails concerning reviews...however below is their reply to me concerning people who did not purchase the books through them but want to leave a review...

Hello ,

Thanks for contacting us about the missing Customer Reviews. For privacy reasons, I can only discuss specific Customer Review removals with the person who originally posted the review. However, I can tell you that reviews are removed from the Amazon.com website for one of three reasons:

1. The review conflicted with our guidelines (http://amazon.com/help/customer-revie...). This includes reviews which were posted as promotional content.
2. The review was removed by the customer who submitted the review.
3. We discovered that multiple items were linked together on our website incorrectly. Reviews that were posted on those pages were removed when the items were separated on the site.

If you are the reviewer, please contact us from the account you used to write the Customer Review. We will then be able to provide you with additional information about why your specific Customer Review was removed.

We hope to see you again soon.


Best regards,
Ahkeel P

I recommend that if you attempt to leave a review, begin it with "I purchased this book at the book signing" or "I won this book through a giveaway". If they deny your review contact them via email and contest the denial.

Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy your visit to Kambarington.

New to the blog thing

As many of you know, I am a person of few words (smirk....ok maybe I have a FEW words), and being new to the blog thing I will try to update on a regular basis.
I accept comments and reviews, good or bad, as these help me improve.
I am currently on Module 5 of my writing course, and have begun Book three in the process. Not sure yet where Kambarington is heading, but I have a general idea of where I want it to go, so we'll see how this all works out.
Thank you all for supporting me with your words and purchases...you are why I do what I do.