Gary F. Vanucci's Blog, page 17

DISTANT FAMILIARITY Continues

I felt I needed to revisit this subject to clear things up. I simply wanted everyone to know (especially new readers to the Realm of Ashenclaw series) that all of the Wothlondia Rising 99 cent short stories are prequels to my novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights (which is getting a makeover shortly--in progress--will keep you posted).




The short stories take one of the main characters and describes life-altering events approximately twelve years prior to the novel which helps place the characters on their chosen paths. I've had a few readers ask me questions regarding my Wothlondia Rising series, so I wanted to reiterate their purpose.






The events that take place specifically in DISTANT FAMILIARITY detail happenings that continue right here! Enjoy this free excerpt from my novel and I hope you come back for more!







                                                          

                                                




(If you've read Distant Familiarity, please read this!)

PROLOGUE

to Covenant of the Faceless Knights

                                                                                                 



 

            The
heavy oak door to the council chamber creaked open, swinging wide as
three battered and bruised forms entered the room. They each sat heavily
in one of the many plush chairs surrounding a conference table at the
center of the room.

"Me
thinks that could have gone better," Rolin Hardbeard sighed, wiping a
contrasting bit of dried blood from his full and white beard. Even for a
dwarf who was obviously past his prime adventuring years, Rolin was a
ruggedly built warrior, but this hour had him looking haggard and tired.
His age was evident, as was his broken spirit.

"You
have a talent for stating the obvious my dwarven friend," slurred a
beautiful half-elven woman with hair the color of polished silver
through what was quite possibly a broken jaw. Rolin managed a brief
laugh as he removed his heavy, steel helmet and ran his fingers through
his blood specked and thinning hair. His hard, gray eyes lightened
somewhat to regard his emotionally distraught friend.

"Me
dear Nimaira Silvershade, after all the years we spent takin’ down
giants and ogres, countless trolls and undead, and ye are only now
realizin’ I be a dwarf of many talents?" Rolin asked sardonically.

Nimaira
began to laugh, but the pain in her jaw immediately distorted that
laugh, twisting it instead into a grimace as tears slowly welled in her
sapphire eyes. Rolin's light hearted visage turned down sympathetically
at his friend’s obvious pain.

The
human priest, Tiyarnon, directed a weak smile at his two closest
friend’s familiar banter as he tugged thoughtfully at his ever-graying
beard. It was comforting for him to have his friends nearby at a time
like this, having dealt with the pain and guilt for so many years
himself. It also brought a bittersweet twinge of nostalgia.

How long had it been since the three of them had time to spend together outside of official duties? Tiyarnon thought. By The Shimmering One, it had been too long!  If
they survive this nightmare he silently pledged to ensure that they
would make more time for camaraderie and reminiscing in the days to
come. Tiyarnon's musings were interrupted by the arrival of a servant,
standing within the shadows of the doorway.

"My
Lords, My Lady,” he began with a reverent bow and then continued. “We
did not know you had returned; forgive us for our incompetence," spoke
the servant humbly, keeping his eyes down and bowing repeatedly from
beneath a hooded, brown robe.

Rolin
Hardbeard, never comfortable with being doted on, waved the groveling
attendant's concerns away and directed a comment toward him. “Stand up
straight ye durned fool! How many time must we be tellin’ ye that we are
folk just as yerself? Just bring Nimaira some medicinal balms, for my
beard’s sake!” Rolin barked after a short pause, then continued,
“Tiyarnon here has exhausted himself and we got nothin much left.” The
servant retreated backwards through the door, still insisting on bowing
the entire time. "And bring me some durned ale while yer at it!" The
dwarf shouted after him as the man disappeared into the hallway and out
of sight.

"Now
what do we do?" Nimaira said, addressing the topic at hand. Rolin
simply shrugged, resigned to the fact that they had given a superb
effort in their task.

"Get
some rest, and try again on the morrow. What else can we be doin?"
Rolin responded confidently, his pride obviously still at the forefront
of his façade. The dwarf, despite his age and markedly weakened frame,
was not one to give up. Stubbornness was evident in all dwarves and this
one doubly so, thought Nimaira as she shook her head in clear respect
for the brave warrior. She had witnessed that bravery firsthand hundreds
of times throughout their careers.

"I'm
afraid it won't matter,” Nimaira admitted as she shook her head
gingerly. “You were there Rolin! You know as well as I do that we do not
have the resources or the raw ability to succeed," Nimaira continued
and winced at both that realization and her smarting jaw.



 The
thought of failure sat heavily in the dwarf's heart. Never being
comfortable with losing a battle or even an argument and always willing
to fight to the very end for his beliefs, Rolin started to protest. All
of his objections died before passing his lips as he recalled the scene
in his head and recognized that any further attempts would ultimately
end in failure. Rolin knew Nimaira was right. Neither of them knew the
answer, and both of them looked just then to Tiyarnon.

Tiyarnon
was wise and calculating beyond his years despite his shorter lifespan
compared to the others in the room. While not nearly as old as the dwarf
or the half-elf in years, they always thought of Tiyarnon as their
patriarch, as did many others in Oakhaven.  He had an
intuitive way of looking at a situation from multiple points of view,
and making the proper decision based on what was best for everyone, even
in times of personal grief. Because of that, his two closest friends
were looking to him for a solution now, during what certainly was their
darkest hour.

Tiyarnon
sighed as he ran his hands across the gray stubble atop his head, the
remains of a thick head of hair, further reminding him of his age. As he
spun his chair away from them for a moment, he caught his reflection in
the glass of the conference room window and saw the leathery skin and
prominent gray beard encompassing his face. After a moment of silence,
he sighed deeply and turned back to face his friends. 

Looking
his companions in the eyes Tiyarnon said in a steady and serious tone,
“We must appeal for help to the Inquisition,” he began.  “And not only the Inquisition, but the chapter of holy warriors that exists within the walls of Safehold.”

The half-elf woman’s eyes widened as a look of realization crept across her face, and then asked “Does that mean…?“

“Yes,” Tiyarnon said, picking up where the half-elf left off. “We must call upon The Order of The Faceless Knights."

(Special thanks to Nicholas Titano for helping me with this!) 






















 See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE
to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase
my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short
stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC
has in store in the future!



Cover art on Distant Familiarity provided by William Kenney !



All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

Do Writers Read?

I ask this very simple question because, a while back, I was not reading at all! I had a discussion with a friend and fellow author and we began to chat about not having time to read, with everything else happening in our lives—work, writing, editing, sports, romance, family, sleep—and the list goes on. I am sure you’ve all heard it all, right? I thought to myself: “how am I not reading!?” It was crazy! I used to read voraciously and it was what made me want to write myself so many years ago. So, I made a promise to myself to never let it happen again. So, I made time to read (and especially if you are a writer), I would hope you do, too.



One thing came up about twitter followers. Most of mine (and his for that matter), happen to be writers. He seemed to think that having writers follow you meant that they were only that: writers. I am here to say: nay! Am I right? Please say yes!



Writers should be reading! Plain and simple. It doesn’t have to be an exorbitant amount, but get it in while you can. It is quite simply a measuring stick, research, and who knows, it might teach you a thing or two! So, with that being said, I ask my audience of writers:



Do you make time to read?



Please comment and let us know what you are reading, too, if you don’t mind.



As a side note, I very much enjoy the site Goodreads and would highly recommend any and all of you to join the site! If you do, please friend me HERE !





















See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!




Photo from Stock.xchng



Please visit MY HOME PAGE
to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to
purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the
short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw
Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

Last Day to Get FREE eBooks!

 
LAST DAY to claim 2 (that's right, two!) SKULLDUST CIRCLE titles for FREE! 


Two great fantasy books
 FREE TODAY ONLY!
 

Please show William and I your support by downloading it to your Kindle,
phone, eReader or PC. If you need the kindle APP for your PC, simply
click the link at the top right hand section of my blog and it will
prompt you to download it from AMAZON, FREE of charge!







FREE TODAY!


FREE TODAY!







































Part two of In the Shadow of the Black Sun, Shards of S'Darin will be free. William is generating interest in his epic fantasy series by offering book 2 for free in the hopes that those who download it will also purchase Part one, A Dream of Storms for $2.99.


Also available is Embremere, the first book in a new fantasy series aimed at a more Young Adult audience. Read the sample and give that one a try as well.












To celebrate the release of his latest short story "Tears of Blood", Gary Vanucci's, " A Rose in Bloom " will be free all weekend. " A Rose in Bloom " is Part 2 in the Wothlondia Rising series, (though they could be read in any order) detailing the backgrounds and personal histories of the main characters from the Realm of Ashenclaw and the full-length fantasy novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights: Beginnings .
Do yourself a favor. Grab "A Rose in Bloom" for free, then grab the
other short stories (Links on the right-hand sidebar of SKULLDUST CIRCLE ) that have been released so far at 99 cents each.
Great stories, great price.





Thanks for stopping by here and please stop on over to check out Skulldust Circle to see what we five writers have going on at all times! 










See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE
to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to
purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the
short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw
Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



Cover art by William Kenney !



All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted. All Stories related to In The Shadow of the Black Sun & Embremere are copyright William Kenney 2012.

Wothlondia Rising 4: TEARS OF BLOOD Preview

A Sizable chunk of WOTHLONDIA RISING 4: TEARS OF BLOOD! I know that there are many fans of Saeunn, the gritty, sexy and fierce barbarian from Chansuk. And who wouldn’t like a female barbarian that would give Conan a run for his money? (Well, I suppose it depends on who wrote that fight!)



This is a battle-fueled story that will sate both your blood-lust as well as tug at your heart strings. I hope you all enjoy not only the excerpt here, but the story in its entirety.



Oh, and who wouldn’t want to read a book where the main theme is BARBARIANS vs. ZOMBIES!? (I didn’t think it was you…)



TEARS OF BLOOD will be available this weekend for a paltry 99 cents!

Saeunn became
one with the horde as it rushed out of the village. With weapons in hand and an
intense battle lust etched upon their faces, the barbarians of Chansuk raced to
intercept the unknown threat. Saeunn was with her brother, Magreth, who wielded
a huge battle axe. He led and she followed, her own greatsword drawn and at the
ready. Saeunn’s weapon had been crafted by a village blacksmith only a few
years ago and was gifted to her by her father when she reached adulthood after
her sixteenth name-day. Needless to say, it was special to her. She had drawn
blood with the weapon before, but only on a few occasions.

Saeunn knew
deep down that her father accepted her as a true barbarian—naturally gifted and
uninhibited when it came to the kill. She did what she must on the field of
battle and did not let guilt or trepidation rule her actions. She knew that
Scarr witnessed and understood this from the first time she ever brandished her
weapon. But, he never voiced it. He would never speak of it, especially to her
mother.

Once Huuna
discovered that Saeunn was accompanying the counter attack, she would not be
pleased… not one bit. She had visions of her daughter marrying a warrior and
bearing him children, just as she had done, and had voiced that opinion often.
That life choice did not sit well with Saeunn, the barbarian. And Scarr knew
this, too. His daughter had always shown the fire of a warrior behind her eyes,
though he attempted to discourage her many times for Huuna’s sake.

Women were not
often sent into the vanguard, but there were more than a few of the so-called
‘fairer sex’ who could make quite an impression in that very arena.

Women of Chansuk
were no ordinary women….

 ….Then she saw
them coming.

Cover art by William Kenney

The barbarian
horde collectively slowed for a split second as they beheld the living
atrocities in greater detail. The things were bloated, rotting creatures. Skin
adorned with sores and boils dripped from their bones. They were a truly horrid
sight and an obvious blight upon the whole of Wothlondia!

The first of
the wretched creatures hit their lines. After the initial revulsion of having
seen the things up close, the barbarians responded in kind.

Saeunn and
Scarr were amongst those in the second wave of attackers. Saeunn strayed from
her group, purposefully giving ground as she wanted to swing her weapon wide.
She rushed to meet a group of the creatures head on, barbarian fury pumping in
her veins. Her first wide swing cleaved one in two across the stomach, barely
slowing on the flesh or what was inside it. She recognized this abomination to
be what the village shamans told her was a zombie, an undead corpse fueled with
evil life gifted by the demon lords of Pandemonium. But this thing looked
different from the creatures in the shaman’s tales. It was full of deadly
disease and oozed a vile corruption from its tattered skin.

A second and
third pestilent wretch appeared and moved toward her. Part of her could not
help but be impressed by the speed at which the bulbous creatures scrambled.
She slashed her sword across in a downward, right to left motion, all but
severing the head of the nearest zombie. It hung loosely by a strand of flesh,
and then landed with a squishy sound upon the damp ground, followed by its
body.

The third
zombie slammed into Saeunn, knocking her back a few steps and probing for flesh
to bite with its keen-edged teeth. It continued, following its impetus, which
the woman had anticipated for she fought on instinct. Saeunn rolled backwards
with the creature’s momentum, extending her sword straight out while holding it
tightly and near the top of the hilt, halfway up the weapon’s blade, giving her
better control of its weight.

The undead
wretch skewered itself upon her sword. But instead of recoiling, the zombie
continued to push toward her, further impaling itself and refusing to yield,
wanting only to reach her flesh. Saeunn pulled her blade free, exchanging the
placement of the weapon with her own left foot, which she used to keep the
thing at bay. She shoved out with tremendous force, thrusting the creature
rearward to gain space and using that inertia to once more propel herself into
a backward roll. She sprung to her feet before the thing could move toward her
and spun in a complete circle. Her greatsword followed the arc and slashed
through the zombie’s neck with significant force, causing its head to fly away,
rolling toward another fray not far from her. She paused to witness the battle
for a split second as she was given a brief reprieve.

Saeunn heard
the slashing of swords and axes biting into zombie flesh. She listened to the
screams of dying barbarians and heard the invigorating roar of battle cries
that instilled a morale boost to the servants of The Champion.

Saeunn followed
the bounding skull of the zombie and watched as another of them charged,
tripping over it and stumbling forward. It had the misfortune of sprawling into
the devastating dance of the pair of axes belonging to her father, Scarr. He
had managed to stay close to his daughter in the skirmish and kept an eye on
her. He grunted a few times as he swung those axes in a rhythmic pattern,
continuing to chop the zombie to pieces in a way that made it look as though he
were dancing and not fighting. Not once did any of the creatures advance past
his defenses and never did the man’s weapons cease their hypnotic pattern of
destruction.

I hope you enjoyed the sample! 



See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE
to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to
purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the
short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw
Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



Cover art by William Kenney !



All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

A ROSE IN BLOOM Excerpt for Sample Sunday

I wanted to give you all another sample of A Rose in Bloom for FREE here to see if this will whet your appetite! This scene has a bit of intrigue and romance for anyone who enjoys that sort of thing. (a few of you ladies have asked me for some romance, so here it is!) This involves characters in my novels including Ganthorpe Randolph and Rose Thorne. I hope you enjoy the excerpt!














 He strode respectfully past the women gathered in the antechamber of the
brothel, who were all gawking at him, and he smiled back at them with his
charming grin. Then he suddenly turned to Marielle, who was escorting him to
the room.

“Sorry for my delay,” he apologized as he tossed a golden coin toward
her. She caught it and smiled, never even looking at it.

“A peace offering?” she asked him sarcastically, rolling the coin over
with her fingers.


Cover art by William Kenney


“Of course,” he answered, bowing before her. “My Rose is a delicate
flower and is not to be plucked by any but me, as per our agreement.”

“I have my own stream of coins—save it for your girl,” she answered, flinging
the gold coin back to him. He caught it deftly, his hand navigating the space
quickly. Then he shrugged, never really getting used to the boldness and candor
of the woman. He certainly admired her business sense and merely nodded in
response. She was a surprising one.

“Besides, you may need it to stem a lashing,” she added with a chuckle,
knowing Rose would be none too pleased at his tardiness.

“Very well,” he finally managed to say, licking his dried lips before
turning the corner of the hall and climbing the staircase to the next floor.
Marielle watched as he paused at Rose’s door, removed a red rose from beneath
his jacket, and then knocked lightly.

“It’s about damned time!” he heard from within, and he grinned.

Marielle quietly retreated, leaving him alone in the hallway. He opened
the door and found the most recent of his infatuations sitting in a chair,
drinking a glass of wine. She frowned at him as he entered and he handed her
the flower.

“You are rather behind schedule,” Rose interjected, expecting some kind
of explanation, but none was forthcoming.
“A rose for my Rose,” he
smiled, bowing low and ignoring her remark. Then he moved in and kissed her.
She shoved him away playfully before giving herself over to him. She kissed him
deeply for a long moment as they fell to the bed.










“I have a proposition for you,” Ganthorpe began, as they lay next to one
another a few hours later.

Rose leaned up on her elbows and stared at him intently with her gray
eyes.

“I’m listening,” she told him.

Then she rolled away to sit in the chair adjacent to the bed and tasted
another sip of her fruity wine. A moment passed and she placed the glass down
on the desk, stood and stretched and then looked expectantly at him. Her raised
eyebrows instructed him to continue voicing his current notion. He swallowed
hard, fighting through the obvious distraction she presented to him, her supple
body shimmering in the dimly lit room, but he was up for the challenge.

“I know that you have certain skills—”

“Well, of course I do,” she snapped, cutting him off and responding to
what she thought he meant. He shook his head and continued.

“Not what I mean. You have a certain flair for… pilfering goods in the
marketplace,” he observed simply, drawing an inquisitive look from her. “The
Trade District, my dear,” he clarified.

She turned a puzzled look his way and frowned, not quite sure what he
was talking about. It was clear that he wanted to converse, though. She pulled
a light silken robe over her elegant frame and sat in the chair facing him,
still unsure what he was getting at.

“You know my meaning,” Ganthorpe said, his eyes turning icy as they
regarded her.

Then she panicked, sensing something serious about him that she’d never
seen before. His tone was altogether different, too, and somewhat intimidating.
Rose tried to remain calm, steadying her breathing, but she could not help shooting
a surreptitious glance his way. She slipped a small knife out of the drawer of
the table behind her, thinking the man to suddenly be other than she had
originally perceived him to be.

“Is this some kind of threat?” Rose asked, wondering if she had stolen something
from him inadvertently and that now, perhaps, he meant to make her pay. She’d
been the recipient of many betrayals from others, promising one thing or
another, but this one hurt most of all.

He laughed in response to her question as if to dismiss the absurdity of
the accusation. However, her paranoia was mounting and she did not see it as
such.

“Yes,” he answered, half smiling again and moving toward her.

Rose, now terrified, dove at him clumsily with the tip of her knife
extended. He slid to the side, caught her by the arm and forced her slash downwards
and into the goose down that filled her bedding beneath the linens. He then
twisted her wrist and placed his thumb in an uncomfortable area, forcing her to
relinquish the dagger.

“And no,” he finally added. He admired the speed at which she had
launched the attack. Then he steeled his face again, trying to remain calm
after the inevitable flood of adrenaline through his veins. “Did you mean to
kill me?” he asked incredulously.

Rose nodded slightly, then shrugged and winced in pain at the wrist-lock
still held in place. He hadn’t even realized he still held her and so released
her immediately, moving off the bed to stand away from her.

“By the gods, girl—calm down! I’m not going to send you to Archinon!” he
cried, throwing his arms up. He was referring, of course, to the home of the
gladiatorial arenas in southwestern Wothlondia. That was where the law-breakers
and other miscreants taken captive by the Watch were sent by caravan monthly to
receive judgment for their crimes in one manner or another. King Tallaruk,
Archinon’s fierce ruler, was a sadistic but fair king, Ganthorpe considered,
thinking the man to be a bit like himself in this regard.

“What then?” Rose questioned him, flustered and gesturing wildly to strengthen
her position.

“Keep your voice down,” he instructed in a commanding, whispered tone.
He closed in on her again and stood facing her. Then he sat on the bed,
beckoning her to sit too. She did so, reluctantly and vigilant, holding his
gaze steadily, a tentative contemplation registering behind her gaze.

“I have eyes everywhere in this city,” he began to explain. This
confused and surprised Rose at the same time.

“Who are you?” Rose asked him, whispering now.

“I am Ganthorpe Randolph—the soon-to-be-Assistant Mayor of Oakhaven,” he
announced clearly to her, boasting proudly as if the deed had already happened.
Then he modified his tone and spoke words meant to gauge a reaction. “That
could mean a much busier schedule and a public image that may add up to less
frequent visits on my part,” he went on, watching intently the expression on
the young woman’s face. He noted the hint of disappointment there, for he was
extraordinarily skillful at reading even the slightest change in body language
or mannerisms, as well as the most insubstantial of vocal fluctuations. It was
one of his many gifts.

“I am aware of these things,” Rose answered, pursing her lips and then
biting the lower one as she turned away from him briefly.

“Ah, but what you do not know—and what no one but a select few know—is
that I run the Thieves’ Guild, an organization of pickpockets and rogues here
in Oakhaven!”

Rose spun back towards him, letting the information sink in. She
recalled in the recent past having been approached by thugs and footpads on the
street on numerous occasions, threatening her and worse, but she had never
suffered any repercussions. She had simply ascribed their words as empty
threats from wretched men. Now she was beginning to picture a different
scenario.

“I want you to join us… join me,” he went on. She grimaced at first and
then placed a hand to her chin in a contemplative posture for a moment,
followed by a long bout of silence. “I will tutor you personally in the ways of
the underworld and you will have riches beyond compare,” he added as
encouragement.

“I—but, what of Marielle?” Rose asked, sincerely concerned with how her
Madam might react to the news.

“I will make it worth her while,” Ganthorpe replied, smiling that wide grin
that seemed wolfish to her now, with just a hint of the boyish charm that was
more familiar.  “I know what it is like,
Rose, to have nothing and to have to steal to survive.”

“I own enough coin now,” she lied, fending off his accusation, but Ganthorpe
recognized the hint of falsehood beneath her words. He detected the slight variation
in her voice, even though she’d masked it expertly. But rather than pursue that
line of thinking, he shifted the focus of the conversation once more to something
less antagonistic.





Finished Cover

  “Besides, you can’t help yourself, can you?” He asked rhetorically,
already knowing the answer. For he knew exactly how she felt, as he thought them
to be truly kindred souls. He was slightly older than she, but the excitement
of perpetrating the heist or the pick-pocket was without comparison.


“I do have a strange desire to pilfer,” she admitted with a sheepish
grin.

“Well? What say you?” he asked her, crossing his arms over his chest. Rose
simply moved forward, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

“So, you don’t want to kill me anymore, I hope?” he asked, pushing her
back to witness her reaction.

“Not at the moment,” she winked. He could not tell if the threat was truly
meant behind the smile that followed. It was one of the things that had attracted
him to her in the first place. He was inwardly happy at the news and relaxed
again, confident that he had made the correct decision in bringing up the
subject after all.

“There is nothing quite like the thrill of using your skills to relieve
a wealthy merchant of his wares, eh?” he asked her again, raising an eyebrow.
“Now, all I need is to teach you how to use that dagger of yours,” he added
sarcastically.

“I can use one just fine,” she retorted, producing a hidden blade from
somewhere beneath the loose fitting silk robe she wore and holding it to his
neck. It was a very thin knife blade, like that used to skin a piece of fruit, and
was small and very lightweight. She had removed the handle, leaving only the
sharp steel behind. “You see, I am not without certain skills of my own.”

She pulled the knife away from his neck and tossed it on the desk.

“I see that I have underestimated you, Rose,” he smiled, obviously
impressed. Her actions further supported his decision to invite her. “It won’t
happen again.”

“A girl’s gotta protect herself, right?” she said, removing her robe, this
time genuinely disarming herself. “Would you like to check me for further
concealed weapons?”

“Truly remarkable,” he laughed as he grabbed her by the neck and kissed
her hard on the lips. “A Rose with thorns,” he observed, holding her at arm’s
length.

“You have no idea,” she replied. As she shoved him forcefully onto the
bed, some of the goose down billowed out from the tear of her failed assault.
They remained intertwined until the sun appeared from behind distant clouds in
the eastern sky. 















I hope you enjoyed the sample! See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE
to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to
purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the
short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw
Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



Cover art by William Kenney !



All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

Embremere-New Young Adults fantasy by William Kenney!

My friend and fellow author William Kenney has a new book out and is promoting it on Goodreads today. Please take a look at the post as I have copied it here for my audience to see and maybe lend him some support! Go buy it!







[image error] Embremere-New Young Adults fantasy novel released today! Event for William J. Kenney




Date: April 18, 2012    09:11PM -- April 25, 2012    08:11PM
RSVP by: April 25, 2012    08:11PM
Venue: US
Type: other
Website: http://www.amazon.com/Embremere-ebook/dp/B007V9B66U/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1334779942&sr=1-1
Added by: William Kenney
descriptionHelp me celebrate the release of my new fantasy book, Embremere! Take a look at the cover and read a sample on the Amazon page. Enjoy!



Description:



From the writer of the In The Shadow of the Black Sun saga.

Book One: A Dream of Storms

Book Two: Shards of S'Darin



comes a new fantasy novel.



The majestic city of Embremere had been built on an immense platform high above the surface of the lake, with the poor and

criminal element creating their own society below it in a world they called The Under. Into this world, Grivvin Lo'Rynin is exiled. He is the last of the Wychan, Embremere's high order of wizards who have, over the generations, lost their power. And now he is an outcast.



As fate would have it, a young girl named Lyrica pulls him from the churning waves that night, saving his life and dragging him along on a dangerous adventure facing whirlpools, dragons and the grey-skinned fish-men called the Cuda, who cruelly rule The Under.



Can Grivvin survive in this strange land long enough to unlock the secrets of Wychan magic and seek revenge on the nobles that branded him useless?



What dark secrets lie at the bottom of Lake Embremere?



Cover, content and story all copyright William Kenney 2012 









See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

What is Pinterest?

Seriously... What is Pinterest?





My wife is crazily addicted to the site. She enjoys looking at kittens, funny pics, recipes, dresses, clothes, shoes, etc. and I have found her on there for several hours at a time. She is obviously not the only one! I have spoken to some people at work (mostly the ladies, mind you) who enjoy going on Pinterest for the same thing. Just browsing the pictures for anything that strikes their fancy.







I have to hand it to the creators...the idea is pure genius.



I want to know what we can do as authors to connect with other authors/artists/creative people to help promote each other there or share links to your own sites, etc. I have just started posting pics of book covers of mine and a few other authors and want to know if anyone wants to start doing this sort of thing with me.



If interested, please leave me a comment with a link to your Pinterest page and your amazon page and we will go from there.



My Amazon author page is HERE and my PINTEREST page is HERE . If you post up here with a comment, I will do my best to Pin your site ASAP! Happy sharing!









I hope you enjoyed the sample! See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

Short Stories vs. Full Length Novels

I was just mulling over the idea of the short story vs. the full length novel and have found some interesting differences from many people. The results are so different it is staggering. During some random questioning, I have found that almost equal amounts of those polled enjoyed both and for good reasons.







Artwork provided by William Kenney
Short stories are, well…short! Some people only have limited time to read and want a close-ended story that has a beginning, middle and end reached quickly as to move onto the next one. Those who enjoy novels do so because they enjoy immersing themselves into lengthy reads and feel that they want as much bang for their buck as possible. These are all excellent answers and ones that I cannot refute or argue.







I actually considered the idea of serializing my series/stories for a few weeks, thinking to offer small amounts of content like they did in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Reason being you give them a small taste and have them come back for more, kind of like modern comic book series. I ultimately decided against this and wanted to deliver classic trilogies (or even an as yet undefined number in a series) to give the reader some meat upon which to chew. However, I am finding that my short stories are doing well enough to merit their efforts (though I always hope for more!)



What does the audience think when it comes to series/novels/short stories/novellas/etc.? What do you want out of your stories?









I hope you enjoyed the sample! See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

Confessions of a Video Game RPG’er

Hello blog-o-sphere! Since I haven't given you anything meaty to chew on in a few weeks, I have been holding onto this one for a while and finally decided to let it go. Let me know what similar experiences you may have with regards to video gaming.







Dungeons and Dragons Online Load Screen
I can say that honestly, I have an addictive personality…without question. When I smoked cigarettes (up until about 2004-2005ish, I can’t remember when I quit), I was all in! I smoked something fierce. It wasn’t until I decided that enough was enough that I quit. And in all honesty, I would have started back up again if it wasn’t for my son’s face when he told me how proud he was of me when I did it. But, I digress. Point is, I did the same thing with video games.



I played Neverwinter Nights, Diablo 2, Temple of Elemental Evil and even tried Dragon Age recently (just to name a few) and LOVED them. Then I was addicted to the MMORPG’s. I played Dungeons & Dragons Online and eventually migrated to the grand-daddy of all MMORPG’s: World of Warcraft (Or, World of Warcrack as it is affectionately known in certain circles.) I did not play them; I immersed myself in them.







A WOW Screenshot for guild website Home Page
Here is the allure of it: Go to your PC, log in and get immediate gratification. You do not need to wait for other people (for the most part), and you can work at your own pace.



Table top gaming, of which I am a huge fan, requires patience, teamwork and social skills to get the most out of them. Video games can be played alone. It is a strange, sexy and compelling dynamic. And again, keep in mind that these are my experiences, yours may be completely different.



I played these RPG video games to the point where I wanted to be in their worlds more than my own. I was to the point where I cared more about how much gold I had than how much money I had in my own checking account. It was bad.



My point of this is to be careful. Know your own personality. Know your family needs. Make a schedule and stick to it if necessary. Video gaming is not worth losing your family, girlfriend, boyfriend, loved one.



Also, and this is a BIG also: I do not blame the video game companies! I cannot state that enough. It’s not their fault; it was mine! I am taking personal responsibility for my faults and addictions. On a side note, just because some bands play devil music does not make me want to worship the devil. You decide what you do. Always. Capishe? You are the captain of your own brain-ship; drive it responsibly.



There you go. I shared my experience and said my peace. I will probably expand on this in later blogs or re-hash certain experiences with you all too if you want to hear them.



Now, does anyone have a similar experience that they can share?



Of course you do—Lemme’ hear ‘em









I hope you enjoyed the sample! See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

Confessions of a Video Game RPG'er

Hello blog-o-sphere! Since I haven't given you anything meaty to chew on in a few weeks, I have been holding onto this one for a while and finally decided to let it go. Let me know what similar experiences you may have with regards to video gaming.







Dungeons and Dragons Online Load Screen
I can say that honestly, I have an addictive personality…without question. When I smoked cigarettes (up until about 2004-2005ish, I can't remember when I quit), I was all in! I smoked something fierce. It wasn't until I decided that enough was enough that I quit. And in all honesty, I would have started back up again if it wasn't for my son's face when he told me how proud he was of me when I did it. But, I digress. Point is, I did the same thing with video games.



I played Neverwinter Nights, Diablo 2, Temple of Elemental Evil and even tried Dragon Age recently (just to name a few) and LOVED them. Then I was addicted to the MMORPG's. I played Dungeons & Dragons Online and eventually migrated to the grand-daddy of all MMORPG's: World of Warcraft (Or, World of Warcrack as it is affectionately known in certain circles.) I did not play them; I immersed myself in them.







A WOW Screenshot for guild website Home Page
Here is the allure of it: Go to your PC, log in and get immediate gratification. You do not need to wait for other people (for the most part), and you can work at your own pace.



Table top gaming, of which I am a huge fan, requires patience, teamwork and social skills to get the most out of them. Video games can be played alone. It is a strange, sexy and compelling dynamic. And again, keep in mind that these are my experiences, yours may be completely different.



I played these RPG video games to the point where I wanted to be in their worlds more than my own. I was to the point where I cared more about how much gold I had than how much money I had in my own checking account. It was bad.



My point of this is to be careful. Know your own personality. Know your family needs. Make a schedule and stick to it if necessary. Video gaming is not worth losing your family, girlfriend, boyfriend, loved one.



Also, and this is a BIG also: I do not blame the video game companies! I cannot state that enough. It's not their fault; it was mine! I am taking personal responsibility for my faults and addictions. On a side note, just because some bands play devil music does not make me want to worship the devil. You decide what you do. Always. Capishe? You are the captain of your own brain-ship; drive it responsibly.



There you go. I shared my experience and said my peace. I will probably expand on this in later blogs or re-hash certain experiences with you all too if you want to hear them.



Now, does anyone have a similar experience that they can share?



Of course you do—Lemme' hear 'em









I hope you enjoyed the sample! See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.