John R. Fultz's Blog, page 51

WEIRDBOOK #35 now available

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WEIRDBOOK #35 marks my third appearance in that esteemed magazine. This time around my contribution is a weird horror piece called “The Man Who Murders Happiness.”

[Click here to order the new issue.]

Every now and then I like to step outside the boundaries of fantasy and go for straight-up horror; this story is exactly such an excursion into the macabre. It was born out of the angst and anxiety of 2016, and hopefully it reaches into the deep core of human existence to explore the abiding darkness there. Or maybe it’s just a glimpse into a dark world that is a distorted parallel of our own.

Here is the complete Table of Contents:

STORIES

The Pullulations of the Tribe by Adrian Cole

The Dead of Night by Christian Riley

Mother of My Children by Bruce L. Priddy

The Man Who Murders Happiness by John R. Fultz

A Handful of Dust by Tom English

Revolution à l’Orange by Paul Lubaczewski

Fiends of the Southern Plains by Patrick Tumblety

The Pyrrhic Crusade by Stanley B. Webb

The Migration of Memories by Charles Wilkinson

Maquettes by Paul St John Mackintosh

In the Shadows by J.S. Watts

The Spot by C.R. Langille

Schism in the Sky by Donald McCarthy

To Roam the Universe, Forgotten and Free by Janet Harriett

Rejuvenate by Lily Luchesi

Vigil Night by Lorenzo Crescentini

The Tale and the Teller by Darrell Schweitzer

Dead Clowns for Christmas by by L.J. Dopp

POETRY

A Queen of Carpathia by Kyle Opperman

Queen of the Bats by Kyle Opperman

Taken from the Tcho Tcho People’s Holy Codex by Frederick J. Mayer

When Wolfsbane Blooms by Kyle Opperman

The Dinner Fly by James Matthew Byers

Strange Jests by Jessica Amanda Salmonson

SON OF TALL EAGLE – Cover Art

[image error]This just in! Feast your eyes, my friends:

Alex Raspad recently delivered his finished cover for SON OF TALL EAGLE. It is a thing of beauty.

I love how Alex evokes the colorful sky and alien rock formations of Ispiris. THE TESTAMENT OF TALL EAGLE chronicles how Tall Eagle’s people left their war-torn world and escaped to the Land Beyond the Sun. In SON OF TALL EAGLE the entire story takes place in this strange new world. It’s a realm of mysterious creatures, titanic forests, crystalline mountains, and chromatic skies.

Here we see Kai, Son of Tall Eagle, facing down a Sesthi Lord while Athri, Daughter of Thu, leaps in to join the fray. Athri is a half-human, half-Myktu warrior woman who grew up alongside Kai. She is fiercely loyal to the Son of Tall Eagle, even though his heart belongs to someone else.

The Sesthi (Horse People) are the main antagonists this time around. Kai believes peace with the hoofed horde is possible, but there are others among The People who long for the old days of endless war and red-handed glory. Dark forces linger in the deep places of this world, ready to be set free by blood, hate, and ancient Sesthi magic.

SON OF TALL EAGLE is set for release in the first quarter of 2018 from Ragnarok Publications.

 

The Great Savage Sword Re-Read, Vol. 4

[image error]My latest article at Black Gate explores Vol. 4 of the collected SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN.

“Whenever anyone steps in to replace John Buscema on pencils, SAVAGE SWORD becomes the Tony DeZuniga Show. And what a terrific show it is.”

Click HERE to read.

Goin’ Down To Texas

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Art by Jeff Jones

Hey! If anybody’s still reading this blog–which I admit to not updating regularly–thanks for your ongoing interest. I tend to only blog when I have something to say, something to announce, or something to shout about. I have two newsworthy bits today:

WORLD FANTASY CONVENTION 2017 – I’ll be attending WFC for first time since 2011. This’ll be my fourth time attending the convention–this year it’s in San Antonio, Texas. Makes me wonder if there will be some special Robert E. Howard panels going on since Cross Plains is only about 220 miles north of Alamo City. When I first discovered WFC in 2009, I immediately dubbed it my “favorite convention.” The only trouble is that it “leaps” across the globe to a new location every single year–which is part of the reason I couldn’t attend the last five conventions. So it’s great to be heading back there–I hope to see many friends old and new–and WFC tends to fire up my creative engines.

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Art by D’Achille

SON OF TALL EAGLE has been moved to an early 2018 release date by Ragnarok Publications. The good news is that artist extraordinaire Alex Raspad is returning to do another spectacular cover illustration. This second volume of the TALL EAGLE series will also feature a few interior illustrations, following the tradition established in the first book. Ragnarok now has way better distribution than they did in 2015–which means that the publication of SON OF TALL EAGLE will see both books finally–finally!!!–getting into bookstores across the land. That means the first book will finally get the attention it deserves (via the distribution it deserves)–and the fact that there are TWO books will only help establish a presence. Will there by a third TALL EAGLE book? I’d love to write it. But we’ll have to wait and see. Each of these books is a self-contained adventure; you don’t have to read them in order unless you’re a stickler for that kind of thing. (I usually am.)

[image error]Meanwhile, in short fiction news, my story “Ten Thousand Drops of Holy Blood” will be appearing in SKELOS #3-due out later this year. There was an unexpected delay between the first and second issues, but SKELOS #2 is going on sale in about a week or two.

I also have two stories schedule for upcoming issues of WEIRDBOOK: A horror tale called “The Man Who Murders Happiness” in WB #35 (coming soon), and a rollicking fantasy called “The Veneration of Evil in the Kingdom of Ancient Lies” is scheduled for WB #37 (coming this fall).

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Art by Zdzislaw Beksinski

My “big weird fantasy” A FEW ODD SOULS is still making the rounds–trying to find an indie publisher with the cajones to release it. I may have hit paydirt, but these things can’t be rushed, so it’s too early to say.

Meanwhile, it’s time to ask: What am I going to write this summer? It will either be a completely new novel, or a summer “off.” I really don’t know at this point. Uncertainty isn’t a bad thing: It’s the gateway to freedom.

 

We’re All Mad Here…

I wrote a piece for the RagnaBlog about how writers are mad–gloriously mad!–and why that’s a good thing for people who like to read books. 

Click Here to Read It…

Weirdbook #33 now available

WEIRDBOOK #33 is now available.

Contents:

•The River Flows to Nowhere by John R. Fultz

•The Amnesiac’s Lament by Scott R Jones

•Trance Junkie by Bruno Lombardi

•Bad Faith by Will Blinn

•Dwelling of the Wolf by Franklyn Searight

•The Ruby Palace by Jessica Amanda Salmonson

•The Screams at the Keyhole by Garrett Cook

•Diary of an Illness by C.M. Muller

•Teatime With Mrs. Monster by James Aquilone

•Train to Nowhere by Adrian Cole

Plus plenty of weird verse from Donald W. Schank, S. L. Edwards, Ashley Dioses, K.A. Opperman, Darrell Schweitzer, and Frederick J. Mayer.

 

The Blade and the Audient Void

THE AUDIENT VOID #2 is coming soon. Among the various dark treasures inside you’ll find “The Penitence of the Blade.”

Set in the World of Zang, it is the story of Torador, a warrior who wants to lay down his sword—to forget the terrible things he’s seen and done. Retirement brings him to the decadent metropolis known as Emeran Thah, the City of Sultans, where addiction is a way of life and dreaming is a full-time job. The dark secret he discovers there will bring him face to face with infinity.

“Yael of the Strings” from the SHATTERED SHIELDS anthology explores in greater depth the society of Sharoc, where Torador fought his wars in the name of the Griffon Queen. These two stories are a subset of the Zang Tales, the “Sharoc Tales” if you will. I have an idea for a novel set in Sharoc. That idea may or may not grow into an actual book, but it will almost certainly inspire more Tales of Zang. They seem to rise from my subconscious every few years like ocean pearls. Zang is a great place for return visits, especially when you’re looking for magic.

 

Update: SON OF TALL EAGLE

Art by James Ayers

The past few weeks has been a real whirlwind of psychic, creative, and personal energies. I have finished the first draft of the new book, SON OF TALL EAGLE, which continues the story of The People after their migration to Ispiris, the Land Beyond the Sun.

Taking a few days away from the manuscript right now before I dive into the revising/editing phase. This is when I get the story and the words and everything else ready for the world to see. Finishing the first draft is an endurance race, then it’s time to slow down and refine that raw energy that I’ve captured on the page.

Art by James Ayers

Getting back into the TALL EAGLE universe after six years was NOT easy, but it turned out to be extremely rewarding. I had been “carrying” this story around in my head for years, and yet it still surprised me in the writing of it. There was one character who wasn’t even in my outline/notes who came out of nowhere and became vital to the story, taking on a central role and driving the action in a way I had never expected.

That’s the great thing about writing: It’s always a process of discovery. When I wrote THE TESTAMENT OF TALL EAGLE, I didn’t use an outline at all. For this sequel (which is also a standalone book) I did start with an outline, but halfway through I realized that the outline wasn’t complete–there was now more to the story than I had planned. It grew organically, like a sacred herb in rich earth. As the old saying goes, this story “grew in the telling.”

Art by SanJulian

The story takes place 22 years after Tall Eagle broke the Circle of War by leading his people into the Land Beyond the Sun (with the help of the Gray Ones known as the Myktu). The People were changed not only by their transition to a new world, but also by the mental bonding they experienced with the Dreamers of Mharinu. Now Grey Ones and humans have blended into a sub-society sharing River Village with Tall Eagle’s transplanted tribe.

I don’t want to give way any of the plot details, but the story is told from the point-of-view of Kai, the Son of Tall Eagle. He is twenty-two years old, having been inside his pregnant mother’s belly during The Crossing, and is about to begin his adult life as a husband and father. Like his own father, Kai has been trained to ride the great Opyds of Mharinu–the giant eagles who willingly serve the Gray Ones. This sets him apart from the other men of River Village as a sky-riding hunter.

Art by Enrich

The appeal of making this a series was the thrill of exploring Ispiris, a world with many fantastical aspects that were barely touched on in the first book. THE TESTAMENT OF TALL EAGLE was firmly grounded in actual Amerindian history and culture–whereas SON OF TALL EAGLE sprouts from strong fantasy-based roots. It’s the “other side of the coin,” so to speak. Once I got comfortable with the world and its rules again, it was full speed ahead. When the new lead characters came to life, the story took on a shape and a form all its own.

As soon as I’m finished with revisions and edits, the manuscript goes to Ragnarok Publications, who will hopefully have it in stores sometime next year.

Upcoming Tales…

The second issue of SKELOS is set for release this fall.  My sword-and-sorcery tale “Ten Thousand Drops of Holy Blood” is slated to appear in the issue, along with a whole bunch of other cool stuff (including a new Howard Andrew Jones story!).  SKELOS #1 drops in July.

WEIRDBOOK #33 will also feature a story of mine–a slice of Weird Noir called “The River Flows to Nowhere.” This one slides more toward the horror side of the dark fantasy spectrum, but the neo-contemporary setting did not limit the potential for deep weirdness. WB #33 is slated for an October 2016 release (#31 and #32 are both available now).

To Write Or Not To Write…

Art by Alex Raspad

I know–I haven’t posted anything here in quite awhile. Why? Haven’t had much to say.

So what’ve I been up to?

A period of soul-searching and contemplation. Another year of full-time teaching—this makes 10! Now summer approaches with its blessed late mornings and the siren call of a writing project humming in my brain.

Wasn’t sure what I wanted to write next. Or IF I wanted to write anything at all.

THE TESTAMENT OF TALL EAGLE has been out nearly a year now. During that time its publisher Ragnarok signed a big distribution deal with IPG. What does that mean? It means Ragnarok books now get major-league distribution in bookstores across the world. Ragnarok stepped up its game.

I had a dream when I wrote the first TALL EAGLE book–a vision of a series that could be read in any order. Together each novel would form part of a bigger picture, but each one would also be a stand-alone saga. TESTAMENT OF TALL EAGLE ends with the People living in the Land Beyond the Sun—the land of the Myktu, the Sesthi, and the Opyds. So there is literally a whole new world to explore and discover in a second book.

This is how SON OF TALL EAGLE was born. I’ve pondered the possibility of writing it for several years. Now it’s official: This summer I’m writing a second book in the TALL EAGLE series–pursuing that dream of a series of standalone novels. A sequel, yes, but also far more than that. A fresh perspective and a broadening of vision.

Art by Enrich Torres

It took awhile to make up my mind; a while for the stars to align; an even longer while for me to figure out the right path. I always thought I could do way more than four books in the TALL EAGLE series. And maybe I will.

The trick is to do them one at a time.

Take your time, do it right.

So TALL EAGLE is now officially more than just a novel, at least in my mind. It’s a series. The first one I’ve done since the Books of the Shaper. Here’s a new chance to do a series the way I’ve always wanted to do it—thanks to the support of Tim Marquitz and Team Ragnarok.

Now is the time for SON OF TALL EAGLE.