Walter Rhein's Blog, page 11

Interview with Robert Hastings-The Red Dog Road

Can you tell readers a bit about The Red Dog Road? 
The Red Dog takes the reader through a roller coaster of emotions, profound loss, and having your life turned inside out.
Alex O'Brien has recently retired from the Marine Corp, he and Jessie are looking forward to new life away from California, the congestion and constant violence that is daily in the news. They are ready for a change and a small ranch in Montana, couldn't be any bigger. The reader learn about true friendship and brotherhood through Alex's eyes and the eyes of the other characters, this something they share and carry with them, it is a part of who they all are. The reader will also experience twists and turns and how far one individual is willing to go for justice.
What inspired you when writing The Red Dog Road?
 It was a story I was comfortable writing. I grew up in rural Donegal, Pennsylvania, on a Red Dog Road, which is where the title came from. I'm fortunate to have the ability to let myself go to places that I pray I will never have to experience. As a former career military man I understand the life long brotherhood, the sacrifice, loss. I know the dark side where we all hope we never have to go. 
Did your military background help you when you wrote this?
 Yes, all of the men and women I had the privilege of serving with, helped me with developing the characters for the book. I've known and know individuals who were very good at their jobs. I grew up shooting and hunting, not any longer, but I do shoot, I built a rifle that I enjoy taking to the range. I'm not the caliber of Alex O'Brien but I can put the round where I want it to go.
How would you best describe Alex O'Brien? 
Alex is a marine, once a marine always a marine. He's extremely proud of his Irish American heritage. Alex is grounded, calculated in his actions.
There is nothing he does that he hasn't seen the outcome in his minds eye. His skills he learned in the Marine Corp are apart of who he is. Alex has a dry sarcastic wit that isn'tappreciated by everyone. He enjoys the banter shared with Hal that goes back to their days serving together. Alex will break into song a some strange times, but it makes him whohe is.
What was your favorite thing about writing The Red Dog Road?
 Not having to worry about illustrations. I enjoyed being able to completely engulf myself in the characters especially Alex. Those who know me best say they see me in Alex. Writing through the eyes of Alex O'Brien allowed me to go to places in my mind and to approach it as if it happened to me.
What are you hoping readers get from reading this story?
 I want the reader to experience a full range of emotions and to find themselves asking what if and how would they deal with all that come Alex's way. I want them to route for and ask for more of Alex O'Brien.
Will there be more stories involving Alex O'Brien?
 Yes, I've been ask by several readers when to expect the follow on to The Red Dog Road, I'm currently working on it.
Where can readers buy The Red Dog Road?

Seven Relatively Unknown Books Worth Reading by Shane Porteous

Hello one and all, my name is Shane Porteous, I am an author but this post isn’t about me plugging any of my works, rather I would like to talk about books that I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed. Instead of talking about the works of Tolkien, King, Rowling, Martin, Clancy, Barker and Lewis, all of whom are now household names, I thought I would talk about relatively unknown books that I feel are definitely worth a read. The reason for this is rather simple, like almost all writers I love reading but rarely have a chance to talk about books I have discovered and enjoyed.

So I have decided to indulge the reader in me, I feel that all readers are on a quest to discover unknown gems of literature. I think this has to do with just how rare such a feeling is. The feeling that the story you are holding in your hands is something precious, something special, something rare. While stories like Lord of The Rings, The Stand, A Song of Ice and Fire are magnificent stories, their brilliance is common knowledge. When you discover their brilliance for yourself, you’re discovering something that millions of people have found before you. Those gems though beautiful have been read by everyone, I personally think that if you could somehow visit every book shelf in the world you would be hard pressed not to find at least one book by the aforementioned authors on it.

So my hope is that I can help you discover new books for your bookshelves (or e-reader). Keeping in mind that quality is all a matter of an opinion. The old saying, 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' comes to mind. With that said I hope you feel the same way I did when reading these books and enjoy discovering these unknown gems for yourself. So without further to do, in no particular order I present my 7 relatively unknown worthwhile reads.

Number 7. Woken by Kaine Andrews

Woken is the story of Ophelia a young woman who barely survived a savage attack at the hands of Andrew, her sister's boyfriend. Several years have passed since that horrible night and Ophelia is still haunted by what occurred. Relying on medication just to get through the days and haunted by terrible nightmares. Her only sanctuary is that Andrew has been in a coma since that night. Finding comfort in the arms of the charming Roger, things finally start looking up, if only slightly. But all of that is about to change because Andrew has woken from his coma and is ready to finish what he started.

The first praise I need to give this novel is the fact that Kaine Andrews made each of his characters matter. Ophelia is not a generic victim whose torment is exploited for the sake of performing horrific acts upon her. She is a fully realized character and grounded in reality. She isn’t some supermodel looking woman with the intelligence of a scientist. She feels like a real person, someone you could honestly meet in real life. When bad things happen to her, you actually give a damn about it, you feel her pain, you feel her fear.

Feeding into this perfectly is Andrew, the villain of the piece. Andrew isn’t a campy character, he isn’t a Halloween special. Andrew is a sick, twisted monster of an individual and at no time did the author pander or try to lighten his mood.

This is a true horror story, not something you would read to your children on Halloween night because they want a spooky story. This is dark, bloody and horrific; Kaine Andrews manages to show the brutality of violence without every exploiting or relying on it to tell his story.

Beyond these points is just how talented of a word smith Kaine Andrews is. Every word in this book feels like an ant of the same literary colony, working together to tell this story. There are no red herrings, no pandering and no fillers. Woken doesn’t rely on anything other than its own strengths, a true rarity for books these days. If you like horror that is as horrific as it is well told, you would struggle to find a better book than this one.

Number 6. Masquerade (book one of the Heven and Hell series) by Cambria Hebert.
Masquerade, revolves around Heven, a high school student, who once was leader of the cheer leading squad. Several years before the story begins she was attacked and left disfigured by an unknown creature. Still reeling from the scars both physical and emotional of that attack her life suddenly takes a positive turn when she meets Sam, the handsome new stranger of her small town. But while new love is in the air so is terror for the creature that once attacked her is back and ready to finish what it has started.

I am bending my own rules a little bit mentioning this story. I just checked Cambria Hebert’s goodreads profile to discover she now has hundreds of reviews and thousands of ratings. This doesn’t surprise me in the least for several very good reasons that I will get to in a minute. I just need to stress the fact that when I first read this book there were only a handful of reviews for it. Also another point I need to make is that ultimately this list is my opinion on things and I am not saying that people should or shouldn’t like or read certain types of genres.

For me normally, there are three things that will stop me from reading a book, Romance, an Urban Setting and Young Adult. Masquerade has all three and yet I read it from first page to last without a problem. This is because this book is the most well paced story that I have ever read. It is amazing just how well Cambria Hebert was able to pace this story without ever once making it feel disjointed or underwritten.

While it is very much a young adult paranormal romance story, I was never bored reading it, every chapter brought a new revelation, something of value to the story. It left me guessing for its entire run, something that very few books have ever done for me.

It is often said, that a good book is one that can transcend its genre and this book definitely does that as far as I am concerned. The fact that I felt engaged and interested the entire time while reading about things I normally could care less about such as teenage angst, social politics and romance shows just how great of a story is actually is.

Number 5. The Superiors (The Superiors #1) by Lena Hillbrand
The Superiors represents a future where Vampires have taken over the world and humans, better known as Saps are little more than livestock. The main character is Draven, a rather unassuming vampire that has a mediocre job and lives a rather ordinary life who one day meets a young sap called Cali, trying to run away from her predetermine fate.

There is a lot that can be said about an author that can take something as overused as vampires and actually make an engaging, interesting story out of it. Reading my brief summary of the plot you are probably thinking that such a story has been done before and you’re right it has. But putting that aside, I found The Superiors a story that honestly stands on its own merit. Lena Hillbrand has created a fascinating fleshed out world.

Draven the main character is a kind of “Joe Vampire,” he isn't some dark shadow that stalks the night or some Romeo who for some reason is only interested in teenage girls. There aren't ANY romantic overtones in this story and that is a true rarity in vampire literary.

Beyond using vampires, the story itself is just incredibly engaging, what I loved about it is that the author takes her time with the story, she doesn’t rush through it (something that quite frankly annoys me about a lot of books that are written today). Instead she masterfully crafts every inch of this world, she doesn’t so much tackle social issues as deals with them with the subtly of an assassin.

A perfect example of this for me was how the vampires, who consider themselves the master race have fallen into the same traps of the world that humans once did. The vast majority of the vampires seem no happier than their human counterparts whose jobs they took over. There is a hypocrisy there that most vampires are now realizing and only the older order, who haven’t had to take these mediocre jobs to keep the world running are not affected by this reality.

That’s what I love about this story, it doesn't represent a romantic or mystic vision and this world is dark, gritty and carries an undeniable genuineness to it. The author hasn't tried to emulate anybody; they have told their own story and told it well.

I read and enjoyed the Superiors during a time in my life when I would've rather gone to the dentist than suffer through another generic vampire story. I honestly can’t give it bigger praise than that.

Number 4. Veil of the Dragon (Prophecy of the Evarun) by Barczak
A High Fantasy story revolving around a land that has seen better days and the resurrection of the fallen King Chaelus by a boy knight called Aaron all in the hopes of fulfilling a certain prophecy.

When writing a review for this I gave it the title, Like Reading A Dream, because that is the truest way I can describe this story. There is something otherworldly about reading this, a powerful feeling that fills you from the very first word to the last. I honestly felt like a ghost in this world, watching this world through eyes that weren’t natural.

I am a big believer that works of fiction need a personal stamp and from that point of view I have never read another book before that has been told with such a strong personal style that the author represents with this story.

It is often said that a good book is one that is brought to life in the reader’s mind and if that is the case this book is the very embodiment of that. I didn’t feel like I was so much reading about this world as experiencing it. Because that is what this story is, an experience, one that I doubt I will ever forget.

I wish that I could say more about this book, but frankly I couldn’t do it justice. As I stated before this book is an experience, one that has to be experienced personally in order to understand what I truly mean.

Number 3. Reader of Acheron (book one in the slaves of Erafor series) by Walter Rhein

In a Dystopian future, reading has been outlawed and slavery is rampant. The corrupted ruling class of this bleak existence is on the hunt for the so called Reader of Acheron, all hope is far from lost however as Kikkan, a slave that took his freedom is on a journey of his own, a journey that could change the entire world if successful.

Look I got to be upfront about something before I say anything else. A huge reason why I enjoy Walter Rhein’s books is that his writing style is very reminiscent of David Gemmell’s, who is an author that I loved reading while growing up. So I am sure there is a kind of nostalgia by proxy, if I can use such a term, when I read this story.

With that said, Reader of Acheron has a lot going for it that should be judged on its own merit. Obviously as a reader I could immediately identify how dangerous of an impact outlawing the act of reading would be. But what I liked about this story and the author deserves a hell of a lot of credit for this, is that I never felt like he was trying to force a morality tale down my throat, like he was using this book to get across his own personal opinions.

Rather this was first and foremost an engaging story with fascinating characters. It is as well worded as it is well paced. I read the whole story in a single setting and afterword I found myself thinking about the meaning of the tale, the points that were so finely raised within it.

It isn’t often that I can say this about any book, let alone one written by a somewhat non established writer. This book both entertained me and made me see things about society that frankly I had never really thought about before and to me that is the mark of an excellent story teller.

Number 2. Mathion (book one in the Mavonduri Trilogy) by Jeff Shanley

Mathion is the story of Mathion, the prince and future heir of the Wolven people. His kind has been stuck in a war lasting thousands of years with the Kanin (werewolves). The story revolves around this young prince accompanied by his white wolf companion Elekan as he risks certain death to save a friend from the clutches of The Betrayer, the terrifying king of the Kanin.

The first thing that impressed me about this book was its genuine depth. There is a back story, to a back story, to a back story, to a back story. Literally tens of thousands of years that have been thought out and known by the author and it really shows while reading this story. It is rather quite sad, how rare this trait is among a lot of high fantasy writers today, considering genuine depth is the strongest corner stone of the High Fantasy genre.

But that isn’t the main reason why Mathion makes this list; it is because how it made me feel while reading it. While Mathion isn’t a children story by any means (it is after all a story about thousands of years of warfare between werewolves and medieval like warriors.) it made me feel the same way I did when I was 12 and read the Hobbit for the first time. I felt full of wonder and excitement reading about this world, a world that I had never quite imagined before.

I honestly felt like getting under the covers and reading this story well past midnight, because I was so enamored by it. Mathion is a better representation of classic heroic traits than almost any other character I have read about. I felt sad, when he was sad, I felt compelled by his conflict between duty and personal friendship. His relationship with his white wolf Elekan felt so real to me, reminding me of what I felt as a child raising a pet of my own.

With the exception of Tolkien himself, I cannot think of any High Fantasy writer that can embody the traits of classic High Fantasy as well as Jeff Shanley has with this story and considering that High Fantasy is my favorite literary genre, I think that is saying something.

It is no exaggeration when I say that I found myself thinking about the Mavonduri world almost every day for basically a full year after I had finished reading it. Mathion is one of the very few books that not only have I a re-read a number of times, it is one of the few books that I make time in my busy schedule to re-read.

People will often ask what is a good High Fantasy story? Some say a book that resonates with the real world; others will say a story that represents a world that is nothing like the real world. My answer to this question is this book, Mathion.

Number 1. Of Good and Evil by Gerald G. Griffin

Ron Sheffield is a former green beret, who fought in the Middle East but was discharged for his erratic behavior. In truth it was because he possesses powers unlike any the military has seen before. In the civilian world once more Ron becomes a hit man for the mafia in order to deal with his powers. He soon meets Amber Ash, who has powers of her own. Together they realize that they cannot escape their pasts.

While I meant what I said in the beginning of this post that these 7 books haven’t been placed in any particular order, I am going to state for the record that this book is my personal favorite of the bunch. While all 7 of these books are worthwhile reading, Of Good and Evil is simply in a league of its own.

There is a great maturity to Gerald G. Griffin’s writing, one almost never seen in MOST author’s work regardless of whether they are well known or not.

The sheer scope of this book is impressive, dealing with the paranormal, terrorist cells, the mafia, government conspiracies, secret societies, doomsday plots and much more. But more impressive than the scope is just how deftly Gerald G. Griffin handles all of these themes. This book easily could have come off as muddled and incoherent and yet nothing could be further than the truth, it is just flawless how well told this story is.

With startling effortlessness Gerald G. Griffin accomplishes mystery without frustrating his reader, he deals with real world issues, but does so in a way that doesn't require expert understanding of the world’s politics and yet clearly shows a great understanding of such politics himself.

I cannot stress just how much I recommend this book to any mature reader. It truly boggles my mind that this book isn't on the New York Times best seller list. With that said I am proud to say that apparently this book is going to be turned into a movie! It makes me genuinely happy to know that this magnificent book is finally getting the treatment it so richly deserves.

So there you have it, those are my seven recommendations. I appreciate you taking the time out of your life to read this post and I honestly hope that I have helped you to discover some literary gems.

Stencil Press is Proud to Announce the Release of “Nine Heroes”

Stencil Press is proud to release its first Heroic Fantasy short story anthology: “Nine Heroes.” “Nine Heroes” is a collection of short stories from some of the most exciting fantasy authors working today. Proceeds from the work will go towards promoting the Heroic Fantasy Facebook group. The hope is that this book will generate sufficient funds to allow the members of Heroic Fantasy to promote the work of new and upcoming writers.
Stories include:
Black Sword by Janet Morris and Chris MorrisThe Act of Sleepless Nights by Walter RheinTo Kill a Myth by Jesse DuckworthNo Life Too Small by Douglas R. BrownTo Live by Tom BarczakDozen by Shane PorteousJust One Mistake by A.L. ButcherWitness to Death by Teel James GlennThrough the Sting of Fairy Smoke by R.A. McCandless
“Nine Heroes” is currently available on the Createspace Bookstore and will be available through other retailers such as Amazon shortly. Please visit the create space “Nine Heroes” page and help us out by clicking the blue Facebook “like” button available there.
Review copies of “Nine Heroes” are currently available. To request a review copy, please send an email to walterrhein@gmail.com. Please include a link to a recent review. Reviews should be posted on Amazon, Goodreads, and your personal blog (if applicable).
Also please check out the other works by the authors of “Nine Heroes” which are currently available.
The Sacred Band by Janet and Chris MorrisTo learn more about Janet and Chris Morris, please visit their web page at: ThePerseidPress.com
The Reader of Acheron by Walter RheinTo learn more about Walter Rhein, please visit his web pages at:StencilPress.comStreetsOfLima.comHeroicFantasyWriters.com
A Song of Betrayal by Jesse DuckworthTo learn more about Jesse Duckworth, please visit his web page at:HarrenPress.com
The Rise of Cridon by Douglas R. BrownTo learn more about Douglas R. Brown, please visit his web page at:Epertase.com

Veil of the Dragon by Tom BarczakTo learn more about Tom Barczak, please visit his web page at: TomBarczak.com
How Gods Bleed by Shane Porteous
The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles by A.L. ButcherTo learn more about A.L. Butcher, please visit her web page at:LibraryOfErana.Wordpress.com
Songs of a Warrior Priest by Teel James GlennTo learn more about Teel James Glenn, please visit his web page at:TheUrbanSwashbuckler.com
Tears of Heaven by R.A. McCandlessTo learn more about R.A. McCandless, please visit his web page at: HighlandRogue.blogspot.com
Other Contributors:
Copy-EditorKing’s Envoy by Cas PeaceTo learn more about Cas Peace, please visit her web page at:CasPeace.com
Front Cover ArtistJason PedersenTo learn more about Jason Pedersen, please visit his web page at:JasonPedersen.com

Nine Heroes Cover Reveal

Hey Folks,Here is the front cover of the upcoming Heroic Fantasy Short Story Collection "Nine Heroes."  I think it turned out pretty awesome!  The cover is not quite final because I'm awaiting some art from Tom Barczak that will go on the back cover (and also be the first image on the inside of the book).  I figured Tom's image would work better than a bunch of text, so I'm putting it on the back.  Here's the full spread so you can see where it's going to go:
I'll post a larger image of this soon just so you can all double check it and make sure I spelled everyone's name correctly!
The artist responsible for the background image is named Jason Pedersen.  You can check out more of his work here.  My guess is that if you've spent any time on the "Heroic Fantasy Facebook Page" you will have seen some of his artwork gracing the covers of some other books. 
Currently Cas is editing this and I'm hoping to have it available in early February.  I'm pretty psyched about the cover and I hope you are too!  It's great to see this project come to life!
For those of you who have forgotten, here's the original post about this book.
That's it for now, the next time I mention this it will be to tell you where you can get your copy!

Review of "Junk Head:" Stop Motion Indie Animation Film

I came across a link to this film on Facebook the other day and hit play not knowing exactly what I was going to see.  It seems like you see a lot of garbage on Facebook, and I was a little put off by the 30 minute running time.  However, it only took "Junk Head" about five minutes to grab me, and it was well worth watching this little film.  At the time I watched it, this movie had received over 150,000 hits.  Now, a day later, it's nearly at 300,000.  All this means is that a quarter of a million more people have seen this indie animation than the latest Hercules film that cost 70 million dollars.  My thoughts are that some studio executives should give the animator in charge of "Junk Head" 70 million dollars...but such a thing would mean there is justice in the world.
You have to be a little bit careful when watching independent films on the internet.  Honestly, throughout the whole running time I felt a little trepidation in not knowing if something absolutely horrific was about to happen.  I usually don't get that feeling when I'm watching major studio releases because you know nothing traumatic would ever get past the censors--but such things are the bread and butter of indie films.  To be fair, that sensation of not knowing is pretty exciting, and there are two moments that I can think of in "Junk Head" that would probably have been hard for a studio to give the green light to.  One of them involves a tail that looks like a face (it's disgusting), another involves a tail that may just be a sexual organ (and an extreme close up that's kind of comical).  Neither of these scenes were deal breakers for me.
"Junk Head" deals with a futuristic world of complex design.  There are levels upon levels of labyrinthine structures that descend, seemingly eternally, to the center of the earth.  On the top level live the most advanced creatures, and one of these is sent on a mission to explore the nether regions (although even his commanding officer calls the mission "risky" because they don't know how far down the levels go).
Taking one final look at the sky (nice, haunting image) our hero plummets into the darkness, only to be blown up by a crew of mummy looking figures who somehow reminded me of the "sand people" from Star Wars.  The mission is over, but the surface dweller's head is recovered by scavengers on a lower level and given a new body with a face that resembles the mask worn by Michael Palin in Brazil. The upper level explorer suffers from a case of amnesia as he settles into a new routine of junk collection, walking among the dusty stairs and corridors of a forgotten, decaying civilization.
Oh, and there are some pretty nasty monsters that come to chase him.
To be honest, this is a darn haunting little flick.  I found myself reflecting on it throughout the evening after I watched it, and throughout the morning of the next day.  Don't be fooled by the fact that it's stop-motion animation, this isn't a film for children.  In fact, it's one of the most creative uses of stop-motion animation that I can think of.
One of the remarkable things about this film is that it's clearly just a sliver of a larger universe.  According to the web page where I discovered it, the animator labored on this film in his free time for four years in order to bring it to life.  The detail is astonishing.  I was especially impressed by an early scene where dust fell off an extending walkway.  It's little moments like that which make this free little movie a treat.
There are several versions of this film floating around the internet.  I've embedded the "English" version here.  I have to say that the dialogue is minimal, which is good.  This is a story of ambiance and emotion.  The translator decided to throw the F-bomb in there a couple times (which was unnecessary) but it didn't bother me really.  Some of the "comic effect" scenes seem a little strained, but for the most part this is a pretty tight and effective little narrative.
I'm glad to see a project like this is getting attention on the web, and I hope this filmmaker catches a break from this film and finds funding to complete this project.  All this 30 minute short needs is a little bit better titling at the beginning and it will fit seamlessly into a big budget production (and "big budget" for this guy would mean about a hundred thousand dollars).  Isn't it sad that for the price of the latest "Hercules" film that bombed, you could give a tremendous start up to 700 artists who are capable of producing a film like the one embedded above for virtually no money?  You'd think such things would be happening all the time.
Anyway, as far as I know, there's no discussion of this film anywhere, so feel free to chime in below.  I'm curious to hear what you have to say.  As far as I'm concerned, this was one of the more entertaining films I've seen in a long time!

Janet Morris Announces the Release of “The Reader of Acheron” by Walter Rhein

Perseid press is proud to release “ The Reader of Acheron ” by Walter Rhein. “Reader” is the first book in the “Slaves of Erafor” series. The novel is a heroic fantasy that takes place in a post-apocalyptic dystopia in which reading has been outlawed and human exploitation is prevalent.
Janet Morris is the editor of the work, and is famous for being one of the more celebrated contributors to the “Thieves World” shared universe. The first three Thieves World novels: “ Beyond Sanctuary ,” “ Beyond the Veil ” and “ Beyond Wizardwall ” have also recently been re-released from Perseid.
Walter Rhein is most well known for his novel “ Beyond Birkie Fever ” which was selected for the 2012 Chippewa Valley Book Festival. His first novel “The Bone Sword” was published by Rhemalda Publishing in 2010 and is scheduled to be re-released by Harren Press in February 2014.
“ The Reader of Acheron ” is the beginning of a fairly ambitious project, and further stories in the series are in development.
[Feel free to copy the text of this post and propagate it on your personal blogs, your facebook pages, twitter, or any other relevant social media...heck, print out flyers and post them on your local street corners :) oh, and don't forget to "like" and "share" this!]

Review of "Beyond Sanctuary: Author's Cut"

A Very Sophisticated Heroic Fantasy
This is one of the most sophisticated fantasy books I’ve ever read. It’s one of the few fantasy books I’ve come across that indulges in an eloquent, poetic style of writing that suggests rather than explicitly states its meaning. In fact, I was a little disoriented by the style at first, but as I continued along with the adventure of Tempus and Nikodemus in their pursuit of a ruthless, powerful foe, I found myself becoming more and more comfortable simply surrendering to the rhythm of the language.
Much that happens in “Beyond Sanctuary” is of the “blink and you’ll miss it” variety. There are moments of “real time” intensity to be sure, but, especially early in the novel, hugely important plot points can be swept up within a few sentences or paragraphs. A torture scene, for example, takes about three sentences even though it’s a moment that has repercussions that echo until the end of the book. These are all interesting choices on the part of the author, Janet Morris, and as I write this, reflecting on the book, I have to concede that they were effective ones. The “torture” scene is just as reverberating as if Morris had spent pages and pages skillfully relating every painful detail. To achieve the same effect with an extremely minimal amount of words is remarkable.
This is not to say that the book is short. It’s a lovely, hefty volume that is packed with instance after instance of concise and effective storytelling. Reading it is a very hypnotic experience, and some of the sections only seem to make sense within the context of historical literature. Tempus evokes personalities from the Illiad--not one character in particular but the general perfume and thunder that must have accompanied a hull full of warriors sailing off to war in a rickety vessel. “Beyond Sanctuary” is a story of heroism, but more importantly the responsibility of leadership, as well as the burden. This novel is not the typical Hollywood dreck that paints everything in broad strokes of white or black and leaves no concern over contradiction or irregularity at the end. Instead, Morris elects to live in the gray zones, and the consequences of that choice cause the characters to linger like ghosts at the fringes of your thoughts. There is more glory in reality than in the cartoon version of heroism we’re too often forced to swallow.
If you’re still not quite sure of the ride you’re in for, just have a look at the expertly matched cover artwork. The jumble of warriors tumbling from the heavens in a knot of limbs, horses and chaos is exactly the kind of fray you’re likely to find yourself in the midst of within the pages of “Beyond Sanctuary.” Don’t be too discouraged if you pick up this book and find yourself confused for the first ten or twenty pages. It takes a while to find the thread, but nothing good comes easy.
This edition is the “Author’s Cut” of the original 1985 release, and it’s interesting to note that although this book is approaching its 30th anniversary, it seems as fresh as a new release. “Beyond Sanctuary” evokes a classic mythos and succeeds in achieving that rarest of literary feats: timeless relevance. Pick it up and enjoy the ride!

Why Publishers Are Rejecting Your Manuscript

Every now and then I see these articles shared on Facebook where writers lament the fact that their work is rejected by publishers.  These articles all have the same kind of approach and have titles like "dealing with rejection" and "what a writer does to ease the pain of a rejection letter" or something similar.  Almost all of these articles have the same sort of passive "woe is me" attitude which reflect the universal misconception that all rejections happen because the work "was not good enough."  The truth, folks, is that the publishing world is extremely screwed up, and that's something to remind yourself of whether you are considering writing as a career, or you are currently making a go of it in the bloody trenches.  Here is a list of things you should remember when your manuscript is rejected:
Your ability to write is less important than your marketing plan:  Pretend you're a publisher.  Kanye West or Bill Clinton or somebody comes to you with a manuscript.  Do you even have to read it before you know you're going to publish it?  No you don't!  Those people are famous and no matter how terrible their writing is, they have enough media influence to ensure the book will be profitable.  If rejection letters were honest they'd say, "you're a great writer, but the fact is that you aren't famous and we don't live in a society in which books are a viable means to profit unless they are written by somebody famous."Lots of publishing houses are run by idiots:  Just because somebody's got a "Master's Degree" in English doesn't mean they know anything about English.  We've all seen those episodes of American Idol where singers show up who have spent tens of thousands of dollars on fancy musical degrees only to demonstrate they can't sing a note.  Just because somebody managed to get a loan from a bank to start up a publishing house doesn't mean they know anything about writing.Lots of publishing houses can't do much for you anyway: Really, when your book is accepted for publication all it means is that the book will be edited and you'll get a cover.  That represents maybe a $1000 investment (and is probably done for a lot less than that in many publishing houses).  Fewer and fewer places offer advances these days, and most books never earn enough to actually start paying royalties.  If you aren't famous, publishing houses aren't going to spend much money on advertising (they'll probably spend nothing as a matter of fact).  Also, many publishing houses offer a contract where you'll only be seeing 5-10% of the return (as opposed to 100% if you self-publish).Publishers overextend themselves:  The playing field is so tilted in the favor of publishers that they are often scrambling to acquire as many projects as possible.  However, even with their minimal investment they can get behind and go out of business.  This is usually preceded by a "Uh-Oh" moment where they start rejecting everything that comes through the door.  Although they're never going to send you a rejection letter that says, "we've been making bad decisions and we are in grave danger of going bankrupt."  Nope, the rejection letter always blames the writer.The rejection letter always blames the writer:  Very few people are self-aware enough to realize when they are in fact the problem and not the people that surround them.  For some reason, there's this authoritarian hierarchy in place in the world of publishing where the writer is on the bottom rung.  It's bullying, quite frankly, and it has probably been put in place because insecure, brow-beaten writers are easier to control than self-confident ones who understand their own value.  If you need your publisher to stroke your ego, then you're probably not in the place you need to be mentally to have a book become successful.  Hey, your boss never says, "you're doing great and our company would go broke without out."  Why not?  Because your follow up to that statement is "can I have a raise?"Snarky general attitude in publishing and literary studies:  What the hell is it with literary circles anyway?  The internet is half the problem because you get these people who have never received a dime for a single word they have ever written, yet they prattle on for hours berating talented, hard-working writers who have actually tasted success.  Even in the face of overwhelming evidence of mediocrity, these people continue to spread absurd axioms about "what you have to do" in publishing.  These are the type of people who are unwilling to build a fan base by publishing with an "indie" house because they're sure their manuscript can only be published by Penguin...as soon as the folks at Penguin come to their senses.  Look folks, the ONLY reason a person berates you for accepting a contract with a smaller publishing house is this: JEALOUSY!!!There is no definitive and accepted method for evaluating a manuscript: Here's a little fact for you, for about two hundred years after his death, Shakespeare's sonnets were generally considered to be "second rate" by the literary community of the time (the guy didn't even use the correct rhyme structure for crissake).  If effin Shakespeare couldn't get a pat on the back for his sonnets, what makes YOU think YOUR work will be universally praised?  There's no scientific evaluation of manuscripts that infallibly separates the good ones from the bad ones (heck, even the reading public that BUYS these books cannot seem to separate the good ones from the bad ones).Most publishers are unwilling to take risks:  Although most publishers say they want manuscripts that are going to be "the next big thing" they are all more likely to actually publish books that are retreads of familiar vampire or zombie themes.  The majority of people in the world have the same passive attitude where they don't take the necessary steps to achieve the goals they have set for them in life.  These are the same people that resolve to lose 10 pounds every...single...year...and never do it.  Should you really be upset when a person like that doesn't like your book?  Submit your novel to a person you respect who is capable of achieving his/her goals.  When they acquire the rights to the novel, your goals become their goals remember! These days I'm fortunate in that I have good working relationships with Perseid and Harren Press, and I was fortunate to be able to work with Rhemalda Publishing before they ceased operations.  Rhemalda was courteous when they closed shop, and reverted the rights to my best selling book "Beyond Birkie Fever" back to me.  I didn't even look for a new publisher for that book since it was already selling well (why should I share the proceeds with somebody who did nothing to make the book successful?).
A writer should never get "down" about having a book rejected.  These days there are so many publishing houses that if you are truly committed to becoming successful as a writer, you will find a home for your work.  Once your stuff is out there, you can build a fan base and get to that point where publishers will be afraid to reject you because they know your work is profitable.  It's not magic though, it takes time and hard work to get there.

Words with Travis Ludvigson author of "Iron Song"

Can you tell us a little bit about “Iron Song?”
Iron Song tells the story of Soren, a Danish warrior who is lost at sea during his first battle and washes up on a strange shore. The trials of surviving alone in the wild turn him into a Berserker, one of Odin’s fierce warriors who feel no fear and crave battle.
After returning home years later, he becomes unstoppable on the field of battle and joins a campaign to raid the land of Frankia. Soren’s battle prowess gains him both great fame and a host of enemies along the way. Then during the siege of Paris he learns of evil creatures that roam the land, and he leaves behind all that he knows to do battle with this dark foe.
This is a Viking tale that presents a protagonist who is equal parts hero and villain. Warfare during that time was a close up, brutal affair, and Soren was a man filled with bloodlust who thrived in that world and reveled in the death of others.
Although "Iron Song" deals with the Danish Vikings, my ancestors came from a place near what is now modern day Oslo in Norway. So with the Viking blood that flows through my veins, I believe I was always meant to write this story. I really enjoyed spending time doing research and getting to know those warriors and the lives they led during the dark ages of this world.
The title of the book is taken from a line in "Beowulf" (one of my favorite classic hero tales) and refers to the sound that the sword makes when set to purpose against the enemy.
"Iron Song" is the second book in The Nephilim Chronicles, a three part supernatural series that tells the story of an ancient bloodline of warriors chosen to protect the world against the forces of darkness. The first book, “Yare’ Darkness Bound” is set in modern times, “Iron Song” in 885 AD, and the last book in the series will take place during the reign of the Emperor Constantine.
What's your background with writing?
I have been writing stories since I was a young boy. I have always loved the idea of bringing a story to life on paper. I wrote stories through middle and high school and then went on to take writing courses in college to increase my knowledge and skill.
I currently have multiple journals lying around that I use to keep my writing skills sharp. The pages are filled with quotations, free writing exercises, short stories and story ideas.
I wrote the first book to fulfill a personal life goal. But as soon as I started I realized that the story should become part of a series. I love writing and have more ideas than time at this point, so I see no time when I won’t be creating something new.
Who are your inspirations/influences?
I am a huge fan of Bernard Cornwell and tried to emulate him by creating battles that you can see and hear as if you were really there as you read the book.
I grew up reading JRR Tolkien and Terry Brooks and have absolutely loved the amazing worlds they each created.
With "Iron Song" in particular, I drew great inspiration from the pages of Beowulf.
What was it like working with Create Space?
I was very happy with the ease of using Create Space and Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). Both platforms were very user friendly and I would recommend them to others who choose to go the non-traditional route of publishing their work. I had full creative control as well as the ability to make updates and changes quickly and easily.
Who was responsible for the cover/book design?
I designed the covers for "Iron Song" and "Yare’ Darkness Bound."  As both an author and artist I really believe in the whole book being a part of my own vision and creativity.
What are you doing in terms of marketing/publicity?
Much of my publicity has been done online, using my website, Facebook and You Tube. I have also reached out to some of the local book stores in the area as well as talking to people that I know and those that I meet to spread the word.
What is the name of your blog and what can readers expect to find there?
My website is: The Land of the Norseman.
My website has information about my books, concept artwork that I have created, reviews of my work and my biography.
I also have a Facebook page: A Drop Of Ink.
What projects do you have planned for the future?
I have put together the outline and am currently conducting research and building character profiles for the final book in the Nephilim Chronicles.
I am also playing around with the idea of a novella based on some of the local monster lore here in Wisconsin.
Is there anything else about you we should know?
I am a veteran of U.S. Air Force Intelligence and had the opportunity to live and work with people across the U.S. and in several countries around the world.

I recently had my first sales overseas (in the UK) and hope to see my books travel around the world as I once did.
Thanks Travis!  Folks, here are the links for Yare' Darkness Bound and Iron Song!

Review of "Tears of Heaven" by RA McCandless

Angels, Demons, Pistols, Chains and Action

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from “Tears of Heaven,” the artwork suggested “Blade Runner” but the early chapters take place in a slave market. However, it didn’t take long for RA McCandless to draw me in to an exciting tale of adventure and action.
The book alternates between two stories: that of a slave called “Water Lilly” and a demon bounty hunter named Del. Initially I preferred the Del chapters, but about a quarter of the way through the novel, the “Water Lilly” chapters start picking up steam.
There is a substantial religious element to “Tears of Heaven” but this is not the literary equivalent of Christian rock. The appropriate corollary that came to my mind was the 2006 Keanu Reeves flick “Constantine” (although even that’s heavier on the religious influence than “Tears of Heaven”).
RA McCandless is a new writer with a strong literary voice. He’s got a real knack for dialogue, especially in the scenes that show what a tough cookie Del is. A few of these scenes may go on a touch too long for the tastes of some readers, but I happen to like that kind of thing. It’s difficult to delete good material for the sake of pace, and personally I’m glad that McCandless (or his editor) didn’t. It’s also nice to see an editor give a writer a little bit of slack to weave his or her own particular style of narrative.
You can tell that this is a professionally published book (it was released with Wild Child Publishing) since it has the polish of a manuscript that has been worked over several times. It’s a clean work with no grammatical errors.
RA McCandless succeeds in taking some familiar story elements and placing them in a unique and vibrant world all his own. I’ll be looking forward to seeing what happens to these characters in the future.
To pick up "Tears of Heaven" click here!