Gary F. Vanucci's Blog, page 20

SIGNED Covenant of the Faceless Knights GIVEAWAY!

After speaking with a good author friend of mine, he suggested I do a book giveaway on Goodreads to attempt to generate some fan interaction. I have followed his advice and

(you can see in the right hand column here---->) that I have gone ahead with his suggestion. I am hoping to generate some new interest and to give two signed copies of Covenant of the Faceless Knights away to some fans who are interested in reading it. I am also hoping that the fine folks who win the contest will give me reviews up on Amazon and other places!



I am excited about the direction we are taking here @ Ashenclaw Studios and hope that everyone enjoys the works as well as the quality of merchandise out there. I am trying to offer the best product I can at the most affordable prices.



So, enjoy the contest, I am hoping that it garners some new fans, some new looks and that the winners are satisfied! Best of luck to those who enter and as always, 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.

Guest Blog by the Amazing Editor--Stephanie Dagg!

Stephanie Dagg is an author and an editor and she was one of the talented people that worked on my Wothlondia Rising project. We discussed her doing a guest blog on my site with an emphasis toward the fantasy genre. She decided to share a bit of her experience editing my story and what she turned in made me blush. It was flattering beyond comprehension. I can't thank her enough for her kind words and fantastic editing talents. Please read on...









First up, a big thank you to Gary for inviting me to write a guest post for his blog. And an even bigger thank you to him for taking a leap of faith and entrusting me, a total stranger at the start of this project, with his wonderful stories to edit. I tell you, I've been completely pulled into the fascinating world of Wothlondia.







Steph tending to her hobbies: llama farming and cycling!
I've worked on all sorts of books during my 25 years of editing, most of them as a freelance, and it's true to say that fantasy is one of the more interesting literary genres. Fantasy authors are not only creative, extremely so, but of necessity also very methodical. Does that sound contradictory? What I mean is that because they're creating a unique universe, they have it all mapped out in their heads, and often physically too. I made plenty of use of Gary's map of Wothlondia during my editing, to check that when he said certain characters were heading northwest towards Greymoors from Chansuk that they were. (Editors have to keep an eye on everything!) Gary clearly knows his way around Wothlondia like the back of his hand since and he never put a foot wrong there!



Another example of fantasy writer organization. In one of the new stories, A Rose in Bloom, I felt we needed a couple more sentences in one part where a character, Ganthorpe, was rattled by the ringing of the bell for midnight. So I sent a request to Gary. Now, some authors tend to panic when an editor asks for extra material, and rattle something - anything - off. You duly slot it into place, only to find a few pages later that this new stuff proves to be inconsistent with later events, so it's back to the drawing board. Not with Gary. He sent me a well-constructed replacement paragraph that lent the clarity I was after, and mentioning Brogan the timekeeper, so I put those in. I'm currently reading Covenant of the Faceless Knights and was delighted to come across a mention of Brogan and his bells in an early chapter! Everything fits together perfectly, not only in this story but in the way all Gary's tales interact.



Fantasy has its own lexicon with words such as dweomer, phylactery, mage and goblinoid that you won't find in other genres. The language also tends to be more formal with some archaisms. I'm always delighted to come across those since I'm all for using as diverse a range of vocabulary as possible in writing. And the different races that inhabit the fantastic world have their own way of speaking. You can tell an elf from a dwarf from an ogre simply by listening to them.



Other distinguishing features of fantasy, on top of these elements of a cracking good plot, organisation and rich language, are the idea of a hero (or heroine) on a quest, the common 'humanity' of this central figure that means we empathise with him or her, the existence of magic and the supernatural, and the fight of good against evil. Alongside the quest there often comes a journey of self-discovery, and this is very much the case with Gary's characters. You'll see this strongly in the Wothlondia Rising series of short stories, particularly in Maturation Process and Reflections .



I guarantee that you will be deeply moved by the latter.



And all Gary's heroes and heroines are likeable because they're so real. We get clear, detailed physical descriptions of them and their personalities quickly emerge. We can see parts of ourselves in them, even if they're elves, or barbarians or half ogres. For example, Rose Thorne enjoys a glass of wine, Rolin Hardbeard doesn't like riding horses, Saeunn has her eye on the handsome lad from the next village, and Elec lets his personal hygiene slip a little when he's on his own. They could be any one of us... But imperfect as they are, when put to the test they'll do what's right.



Fantasy mirrors not only real people but a real world. Wothlondia has many of the same terrors and threats that we have, such as racism, dishonesty, violence and crime. I'm just grateful we don't have the added complication of Blood Rot Zombies!



In conclusion then, editing fantasy, and especially Gary's Wothlandian fantasy, is an interesting and rewarding challenge. And memorable. Here are a handful of sentences from Gary's stories that have stuck in my mind because of their sheer power or beauty:

Nimaira still lay on the cold ground, rubbing her jaw, with tears—not tears of pain, but tears of what might have been—welling in her beautiful eyes.



His eyes were reflections of the bluest of skies, quite unlike those of any ogre, whose eyes were always as black as the darkest caverns of the Subterrane.



The Paladin felt the darkness closing in on him, wresting control of his soul.



He merely stood frozen in place while a tumult of emotions bombarded him.



She had wept for countless hours and felt there should be no more tears left to cry, yet still they came, unbidden and unending.

You're going to enjoy Wothlandia Rising, make no mistake.



And who am I? Briefly I'm Stephanie, an editor and author. I was born in England, lived a long time in Ireland and am now in France with the family where, as well as writing and editing, I farm llamas and run a carp fishery. I have a book related website and an ebook editing website .







I'd like to say thanks again to Stephanie for taking such time and consideration with my stories...so much so, that she made me sound like I knew what I was talking about! She gives you a deadline as to when your work will arrive and it makes it there on time and professionally edited. Stephanie is the consummate professional and I would highly recommend her to edit any and all of your upcoming projects! Please visit her website above...and tell her Gary sent ya'!



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.

Wothlondia Rising!

I have a series of short stories about to hit the eReaders on both the Kindle and Nook for the low, low price of 99 cents! I wanted to share all of the teaser information with my fans, readers and anyone else that is interested in the Realm of Ashenclaw!

Cover to short story one by the amazing William Kenney!


I also want to thank very kindly the gracious folks who contributed to the series, including fellow fantasy author William Kenney, who provided my amazing illustrations and to Stephanie Dagg, for making me sound as though I can actually put together complete sentences! I'd also like to thank Mr. Jason Russell for having the patience to aid me in the whole process.

Keep your Eye on Ashenclaw for more info as to the release dates…. Without further ado, I give to you the teasers…

Wothlondia Rising is a series of short stories set in the original fantasy setting entitled the Realm of Ashenclaw. This series of short stories details life altering, significant events from the past that shape the course of these important characters, setting them on the path that will alter their lives forever!

Distant Familiarity is the tale of three legendary figures in the history of Wothlondia, who are attempting to recover an ancient evil that was stolen away from them. Tiyarnon the High Priest, Rolin Hardbeard and Nimaira Silvershade set out to recover the artifact that has forever altered their former companion Sadreth, turning him into an unclean lich! Can these ancient heroes find and recover the item before it is reunited with its former host?



A Rose in Bloom recounts the thrilling events of a young Rose Thorne, not yet a woman, who is trying to find her way in the city of Oakhaven. Orphaned and discarded, she finds refuge in a kind madam at a local brothel and eventually meets a man who is more than she bargains for… 



Maturation Process is the telling tale of the high elf, Elec Stormwhisper, who lives in the overbearing shadow of his Father, Keryth, and who is trying to find his way in life. Treated as an outcast and feeling alienated from his own people, he exiles himself for a decade, finding a friend in a strange place and begins to accept his own unique destiny. Will this young and inexperienced elf ever find his true calling?



Tears of Blood is the amazing recount of the attacks on the region of Stonehill by the ancient and malevolent undead that are known as Blood Rot Zombies! Saeunn and the barbarians of both Chansuk and Greymoors must find a way to stop the undead infestation before they spread their miasma all across the face of Wothlondia! It is a tale that will forever change the young barbarian woman in more ways than one…



Strength of Faith is a tale that places a young acolyte of The Shimmering One, Garius Forge, on a path that tests his spirituality and also places him face to face with a demonic presence that has the power to alter the face of Wothlondia forever! Will his reverence and devotion to his deity be enough to overcome this horrible demon?



Reflections is an exploration into the true classifications of self-image. This short and sweet tale tells of the half-ogre barbarian, Orngoth, who begins to realize the true picture of what he is and where he comes from. During a raid with his ogre barbarian kin—the Ironskulls—Orngoth has an impromptu meeting that could forever change his own destiny. Will he see his true self in time or will he continue down the path of reckless endangerment?











See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



Artwork provided by William Kenney!



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

Homage or Lack of Creativity?

With the constant re-hashing of old movies and songs, TV shows and the lackluster mediocrity of reality TV, I fear that we are a society that has all but ceased moving forward…especially when it comes to creativity. Now, don't misconstrue my point—I know almost everything has been done before—but I mean…everything?

I look at the way things are now and see many of the same things over and over. Television is a breeding ground for watching people do silly things with a few 'finding talent'–type shows mixed in. (Do people really not see this and if so, are we OK with it?) If we are not careful, you might come home from work one day, turn on the TV and watch a show about the person who sits next to you at work, watching them do whatever it is that he or she does all day…or is that already happening?



I am a fan of seeing old stories rehashed with newer technology, because let's face it—that's pretty cool. But, it has its place. If you watch and respect classic movies, such as Jaws, you really respect the filmmakers for having the creative ability to create a real sense of fear without actually showing the shark for about three quarters of the movie. Would I like to see a more realistic shark? Sure. But I don't know if it would have been done the same way today with all of the technology behind the scenes.

Putting a creative spin on an old song or movie or TV show is cool every once in a while, but I am tired of advertisements showing me scenes or commercials for an upcoming movie or TV show that I watched back in the 70's or 80's.

My real alarm is that we are not encouraging our future generation's creativity. Encouragement is integral for a young man or woman to grasp an idea by its proverbial horns and run with it. Do it and do it to the best of your abilities, I say!

Technology is a both a blessing and a curse. If it is used to make jobs less strenuous and more profitable—fine. I get it. But instead of using them as an aid, I fear that they might be used as a crutch.  So, with all that being said, what is your take on seeing media rebooted? Is there a lack of creativity coming our way? Is the future really just a repeat of the past?







See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



Photo from Stock.xchng.









All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2011 unless otherwise noted. 

Sample of Artwork

I have been lucky enough in my brief stint as an author and novice social media enthusiast, to meet some pretty amazingly talented people. One of these people happens to be a fellow author, William Kenney, whose debut novel, A Dream of Storms, is available right now on Amazon for 99 cents. Go buy it! Seriously…it's a buck!



Not only have I chatted with William and read some of his engrossing writing, but I have realized that he is also an amazing artist. So good in fact, that I commissioned him to produce some Realm of Ashenclaw artwork to use in upcoming projects. What he has produced has blown me away. I am going to receive quite a few drawings from this talented man, but I wanted to give you a taste of what we at Ashenclaw Studios have been privy to seeing over the last week or so from Mr. Kenney.







Elec Stormwhisper riding the giant eagle, Adok ~ by William Kenney








A feast for the eyes, really…





William can be reached at any of these sights below or via this email: williamkenney_author@yahoo.com



http://williamkenney.blogspot.com/

http://wkenney.deviantart.com/

www.elevenstonestudios.com









See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



Artwork by William Kenney



All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios, LLC 2011 unless otherwise noted.

Pushing Forward with the RPG Supplement

Since 5e D&D is not coming out anytime soon, late 2013 at the earliest is our guess, I am announcing that Ashenclaw Studios is still going to release the 4e adaptation of my Realm of Ashenclaw RPG supplement. Instead of giving the people a full-fledged brand new and complete character class though, we are intending to give the already completed Heroic Tier versions of the Hermetic Warrior (the name has not changed; 4e striker class design) and the Forrester (an essentials Ranger-Defender build).





Play testing is still going on and we have a few new monsters that we think everyone will absolutely love. The supplement will include a map, brief descriptions of a good portion of the land, new monsters, new themes, a few new feats and the two above mentioned classes. It will also have some fantastic sketches inside! I have an artist on board that is just blowing us away with his interpretations. The supplement is going to be available mostly as a download, but I am looking into possibly doing a print version, but have not decided for sure yet. We think that we have something really cool to share with the gamers @a very fair price (still undecided exactly, but under $10.00) and have provided enough information to allow any gaming group to run with the ideas and interact with the landscape!









See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



Photo from Stock.xchng.



All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios, LLC 2011 unless otherwise noted.

Pushing Forward with our RPG Supplement

Since 5e D&D is not coming out anytime soon, late 2013 at the earliest is our guess, I am announcing that Ashenclaw Studios is still going to release the 4e adaptation of my Realm of Ashenclaw RPG supplement. Instead of giving the people a full-fledged brand new and complete character class though, we are intending to give the already completed Heroic Tier versions of the Hermetic Warrior (the name has not changed; 4e striker class design) and the Forrester (an essentials Ranger-Defender build).





Play testing is still going on and we have a few new monsters that we think everyone will absolutely love. The supplement will include a map, brief descriptions of a good portion of the land, new monsters, new themes, a few new feats and the two above mentioned classes. It will also have some fantastic sketches inside! I have an artist on board that is just blowing us away with his interpretations. The supplement is going to be available mostly as a download, but I am looking into possibly doing a print version, but have not decided for sure yet. We think that we have something really cool to share with the gamers @a very fair price (still undecided exactly, but under $10.00) and have provided enough information to allow any gaming group to run with the ideas and interact with the landscape!









See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



Photo from Stock.xchng.



All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios, LLC 2011 unless otherwise noted.

D&D 5th Edition is Lurking…

How does that make you feel?





Me vs. Troll...




D&D is in another state of flux. What is this I am talking about? See the official announcement here on the WOTC site. The message boards have been filled with rumors, players that are annoyed, upset, and even those that welcome the new changes, whatever they may be. According to Mike Mearls, the head of Dungeons & Dragons development, this statement and many others were made and will hopefully be adhered to as a promise moving forward. Only time will tell. Here are his comments regarding the current edition:

"The announcement of a new D&D doesn't mean that 4th edition is now a lame duck. Wizards recognizes that the game still has a very loyal following, and pledges to continue supporting 4th edition during the testing cycle of the new edition and beyond. "We plan to continue offering people access to tools like the D&D Character Builder and the D&D Monster Builder to support 4th edition," Mearls said. "We're also exploring ideas for conversion tools so that some of the 4th edition characters and content will be playable with the next edition." In other words, Wizards vows it's not replacing 4th edition, but merely adding another layer of rules that will cater to the people unhappy with the latest edition's changes."

The whole article can be found HERE on Escapist Magazine.com.





Everyone has been talking about this on message boards, including a very good Forgotten Realms author you may want to get to know named Erik Scott De Bie. On his blog, he spoke of the ways he would go about implementing a 'new system. If you missed that, it can be found here on his BLOG.





I really love Erik's ideas and feel that he has given it a ton of thought. My feeling echoes pretty much everything he stated, including more novels per year AND most importantly, making the new edition be a building block on top of the current 4e rule set. Perhaps additional rules that simplify combat for those who want to speed it up and even retro-fit some of the realm-specific ideas in so that one could convert the current version to any edition of the game. Asking a lot? Maybe, but in this fast-paced video–game age, any RPG is going to need a shot in the arm in order to compete.



Can you please all of the gamers? I highly doubt it, but I would love to see them try. That's all for now. We all have a ton on information to absorb. In closing, I hope that it brings gamers together to enjoy a more broad-based, loose-fitting system that everyone can enjoy.











See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

New Map of Wothlondia

Here is the latest map of the continent, as finely detailed as we can bring it to you at the moment. I am hoping to have a color version done sometime in the near future. For now, here is what we have. Enjoy!







Map artwork by Gary Vanucci and Nicholas Titano, copyright 2012 Ashenclaw Studios, LLC.











See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

Distant Familiarity Free Excerpt

In preparation for things to come and it being Sample Sunday and all, I wanted to give my readers a taste of something new that I am working on. The name of this short story is entitled Distant Familiarity. This is part of a free short story that will be available very soon as a download. More later on when and where.



The story tells of the events that occurred just prior to the prologue from Covenant of the Faceless Knights, detailing what happened to the three former heroes now turned High Council members: Rolin Hardbeard, Nimaira Silvershade and Tiyarnon, the High Priest. As always, I hope you enjoy this brief excerpt!











.... He watched as the other two mounted their steeds. Then the gates of Oakhaven swung wide to allow them passage. Moments later all that remained of their presence was a cloud of dust, which quickly dissipated in the cool breeze of Winter's Veil. A new year was coming in Wothlondia and Tiyarnon hoped that 66 P.A. would be an even better year than the last for the citizens of Oakhaven, and for the whole of Wothlondia. 

 The three of them traveled for hours heading south along the River Divide, whose current ran in a southerly direction hundreds of feet below them. The river was used by many to bring goods and services to other towns for trade along its banks. The three bridges that crossed the River Divide, including Nature's Pass, were at extremely high points where ships could easily pass beneath them.



Nimaira repeatedly used her significant magical abilities to propel the horses forward at increased speeds for several minutes at a time to hasten their pursuit. This, of course, made Rolin feel very disgruntled. To him it was bad enough to be obliged to ride a horse at all, let alone having it run at two to three times its normal speed for minutes on end! The dwarf did not like it at all—not eighty five years ago, and certainly not today!



 Tiyarnon and the others concluded that the priests had not taken the northern bridge, as the guards or patrols outside the city would have spotted them and reported this as being the case. Eyewitnesses explicitly expressed that the group headed south out of Oakhaven the evening before last. And they most likely would not have crossed the southernmost bridge. They would be too exposed to detection as the south was barren and known to be full of wild beasts roaming those open plains. 



This all meant that they had to have traveled over the River Divide at Nature's Pass, which would have had them passing directly through the heart of Amrel and close to the forest elves who made their homes there. The elves of Amrel would have certainly noticed the acolytes within their domain, although such a route would have also given the travelers cover.  No one—humanoid or otherwise—passed through Amrel without King Dorinthal's knowledge, for his eyes were vigilant and ever-present. 



Tiyarnon confidently spurred his horse further south toward the elven-made bridge, hoping his theory proved to be sound.





See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!



Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!



Photo from Stock.xchng.



All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios, LLC 2011 unless otherwise noted.