Assaph Mehr's Blog, page 54

Malcolm Xavier Downing (of Dark of the Moon, New Beginnings by Philipp Kessler)

Dear readers, tonight with me is the heir to a family of old money. A family fortune built on industries, business, and magicks.

He is here to tell us about the fortunes of love and money, of dark pasts and bright futures, and of the gods that rule our lives and power the true magick.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I was born and raised in Lincoln, NE. Lincoln’s a quiet place, always has been. Sure, we have excitement from time to time, but that is usually...

Book Review: Philip Matyszak’s 24 Hours in Ancient Rome

I came across Matyszak’s 24 Hours in Ancient Rome: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There via a recommendation by Alison Morton (of Nova Roma fame). It looked right up my alley, so I jumped straight into it. Very glad I did!

What to Expect

A witty, fictional non-fiction description of the lives of representatives of the Roman multitude, around the time of Hadrian. Matyszak takes a random day, and starting from midnight moves through the lives of the ‘little people’...

Sav (of Black Cross – Black Powder Wars, by JP Ashman)

Dear readers, tonight with me is a former city guard, turned pathfinder for the spymaster.

He’s here to tell us about his love of scouting and archery, his travels, and the arcane plague that befell his lands.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

Wesson? It’s not bad, as cities go, but growing up there was fun, to a point. The sea air is nice, although I prefer the smell of green. You know? Out in the fields and forests of Altoln. No cramped living. Less s...

Ancient News

As most of you know, I love reading news about discoveries from ancient Rome. This post collects some recent articles, as well as a short piece I wrote for Virtual FantasyCon event about using real historical detail as background colour for storytelling.

First, a bit out of In Numina. I use a lot of real historical details, subverted slightly to fit in the fantastical setting. When, during the course of an investigation Felix is invited to the mansion of a rich family, he notes a particular...

Konnon Crillian (of Song, by Jesse Teller)

Dear readers, tonight with me is a bounty hunter from the world of Perilisc. He’ll take any job though – bodyguard, a mercenary, anything – to afford the medication his daughter needs.

He’s here to tell us about taking the job of hunting one of the kingdom’s most dangerous men – together with others just as bad.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

Dragonsbane is a marvel. It’s filled with landmarks and wonderful things that a...

OMG! Best Meme Ever!

So… I was scrolling past the messages in one one my favourite Facebook groups – Grimdark Fiction Readers & Writers – when what should I see?

Someone. Created a meme. About. MY. BOOK!!

And I don’t even know them… Years of trying to push my own memes on people, and finally I have fans who create memes about Felix…

Many more to come, I hope!

(And, to answer the question in the pic, the next book – In Numina – is coming next Feb. In the meantime...

Chance Welfrey (of Dead by Morning by Kayla Krantz)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a young man, often considered the charming golden boy of his school. Yet is he just a pretty face, or does he cynically use his good looks to mask his involvements in the recent disappearance of several schoolgirls? And why does he suddenly haunt the dreams of one particular girl, a girl who seems decidedly uninterested in him?

Read on to find more from Chance.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

You like trees? You would love wh...

Book Review: Black City Saint by Richard A. Knaak

Let’s keep it short, shall we? You’re here because you like historical-urban-fantasy. So stop reading, and go get your copy now.

Still not convinced? Let me share some more details then.

What to Expect

Black City Saint is the first novel in the series from Richard Knaak. Set against the back-drop of Prohibition-era Chicago, Nick Medea is a private detective of sorts, dealing with paranormal cases.

Not that it’s as straightforward as that. Nick has a checkered past, and some...

Bauldane (of the Ivory Chronicles by James Mansfield)

Dear readers, tonight with us on the interview couch is a living skeleton. He has no memories of how he got to be this way.

He is here to tell us of the world he lives in, and what he had discovered about it since awakening in this state.

Tell us a little about where you grew up.

I cannot.

Why is that?

I awakened in the Aulaen Grey Forest. Before then, there is nothing. I have retained my memories of the world, Gaea, but know nothing of myself, of who I once was. (Bauldane removes a gauntlet...

Bits and Snippets of Writing

Not all ideas end up as a full novel. Sometime’s it’s just a flash fiction, or even a mere snippet of a story. Here are a couple of particularly delicious ones from the past few weeks. All were done as a prompt (where someone asked for it or not…) to an image.

This little techno-beasty appeared in my favourite Historical Fantasy Book Club group:

Back in more rural ages, dragons terrorised the countryside, subsisting on cows. With the advent of the industrial revolution came...