Steven R. Burke's Blog, page 5

Book Signings

I had my first book signing of the year at Barnes and Nobles' annual local author signing last weekend. It was great to meet with other successful authors and to get their points of view on writing. It was also good to talk with up and coming writers.

I have three more signings coming up...two in March and one in April. Big thanks to my new marketing rep at Tate...he is working his magic for me. I hope that I will be able to see some of you in the near future at one of my signings. As I know many of you are not here in Utah, I am holding out hope that as my books sell more that I will be able to travel for signings.

Book 3 update...it is in the wrap up stage right now and I must say I am pleased.

Hyderabad India

I have been in Hyderabad India for a week now and I must say that the people are really nice. They are so polite and helpful. The food is spicy and good. The shopping has been really good and the work that I have been asked to do here has been enjoyable.

As this is my first trip to another country outside the US and Canada, I must say that it has been a great experience. The flight was rather long to say the least. I will say that flying Emirates made the experience more than tolerable.

I hope that I am able to come here again and visit the people. To me that is what makes the country...the people. They have a long history and are eager to share it.

The one experience that I was not all together prepared for was the driving here. To say it is crazy does not describe it. They have no fear and they know how to utilize any space available. I can say one thing for sure...I will never drive over here...I am too nice. You have to be aggressive.

India Bound

Flying to India starting tomorrow morning. After 30 hours of travel time I will arrive in India for work. Since I have never flown east of Colorado before and the only other country I have been to is Canada, this should be an adventure.

I will post some pictures either while I am there or I will for sure post some when I get back.

Going to India

In 36 years I have never traveled further than Colorado to the east and have only been to Canada. Now, for my work, I will be traveling to India in December. I am looking forward to taking in the culture and seeing the sights. My joy was tempered with my visit to the health department when getting my immunizations. Apparently you can get all sorts of illnesses that have the same symptoms. All I know is that I am going to take as much Imodium as is allowed.

It has been fun to actually get the flu from the flu shot. It is better to have it now here at home than in India. The flight is exceedingly long, so rest assured that I plan on putting that time to really good use. I will finish book 3 and I will start book 4 while traveling. It will be fun to wrap up one book and continue the story in another. I have been trying to find time to work on the books and now this opportunity presented itself.

I promise to post some pictures of my visit and to share any fun stories from the trip. I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving this coming week. Try to focus on being thankful for what you have and who you know. I am so thankful that my wife loves me in spite of all my flaws. I am grateful for my son and love him so very much. His autism makes him all that much easier to love...he is so full of personality and everyone loves him. I really love my wife...she is the perfect mother for our little boy. I am thankful to my parents, my brothers and their families, and my in-laws.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Men in Tights

As promised...here is the link to the Halloween contest for the group I put together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSTqKu...

This was quite the event and yes, our team won best group again. That is two years in a row now. Good times. Let it not be said that I was ever afraid to wear tights in public.

On the book front I am trying to knock out the last part of book 3 by year end. In the new year I am flying to India for work, so in my down time I plan to get a really good start to book 4.

Halloween

It may sound ridiculous, however, it is time to start getting ready for Halloween. Where I work this is the biggest holiday of the year. The costume contest and area decorations are intense. The competition is fierce. Last year the group I was part of won the group contest. We were the monks from Monty Python's The Holy Grail. We had the boards and did the chant. It was brilliant.

This year I wanted to up the difficulty. We are enlisting the help a very talented stage person. She has directing, writing, singing, and dancing experience. So, I bet you are wondering what on earth we are planning to do. Well, it will be a group of all men. Also, this idea is being taken from one of my favorite movies by Mel Brooks...Robin Hood: Men in Tights. That's right, we are going to do the scence called We're Men in Tights.

Go to youtube and check out what we will be endeavoring to re-create. It should be good for a laugh.

The third book is going well and I hope that it will be completed soon. If you have not checked out the latest giveaway on goodreads, do so now. I am giving away two signed copies of my first book The Broken Council.

The Orb of Nitesh

It is hard to write when summer has just now decided to make its appearance here in Utah. The weather is nice and I am glad to report that work is going well on book three. I am currently working on an exciting chapter entitled Genocide. I have struggled with how I wanted this chapter to go...it will certainly be entertaining.

Also, the book giveaway on goodreads.com is coming to an end tomorrow for the first book. I will be doing another giveaway soon, so stay tuned for details. Today I will be starting an online book club via goodreads.com. The first book we will be reading will be "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss. I just started reading the book today.

Book 3 Working Title

It has been a while since I have posted...the year has turned out to be much busier than expected. I did make a trip back to my home town, Colville WA, two weekends ago. It was great to visit my small town which always feels like home to me. I was able to visit the local library and donate a set of my first two books. Then I visited what I referred to as the "new" high school. A student quickly reminded me that I graduated in 1994, which was 17 years ago. I defended myself by saying that when I graduated I was the first graduating class from the "new" high school. This opened myself up to questions that honestly made feel older than I wanted to. A student asked if they had computers when I was in school. The sad part is that I did take a typing class my freshman year...on a type writer. They then proceeded to ask if the Internet was invented yet when I was in school. Of course the Internet was there...we just had dial up. Crickets...no one had heard of dial up. Needless to say I was taken aback by the questions, however, I was glad that high school students were actually paying attention. I talked to a couple English classes for an hour about writing and getting published. I was then treated to talking to a college prep English class for another hour. I have to say this was extremely rewarding to see the interest students have in reading and writing. There is real hope for the future. I also was interviewed by the local paper, The Statesmen Examiner, and was asked a question I had not been asked yet, "what is the title of your third book?" Well, in answer to that question, the working title is "The Orb of Nitesh". This is obviously subject to change, but it will likely stick. This is the typical answer any author gives, but I am hopeful it will stick. As far as a status update, I am nearing the end of book 3. I have 3 or 4 chapters left before I call it good. I plan on continuing on to book 4, which also has a working title I will release once I have written the first chapter of that book. If you have not checked out my website, check it out today -http://theguardianchronicles.tateauthor.com. Please feel free to check me out on http://www.goodreads.com. Also, the books are available through amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing, and Borders.

Book 3 Chapter Exerpt

The Forest of Renshaw

The orcs made their noisy march north through the eaves of the eastern edge of the Black Forest. They did not venture further into the woods because of the uneasy feeling that it gave them. They all felt like they were being watched and that the trees were moving in unnatural ways. General Tomo's army was moving at a feverish pace because they were supposed to reach Queen Kishi at the base of Mount Lamont in the next three days. General Synan's much larger army had been reduced to the same size of General Tomo's because he was at the front of the assault on the southern cliffs. General Synan ordered his troops to stop when they had reached the middle of the western cliffs. He had his soldiers begin work on setting up a new base camp further into the thick black oaks of the forest.

General Tomo's army did not look back at those who remained behind in the enchanted forest. Even though the orcs were united under Kana, they were still divided by their different tribes. They remained loyal to the general leading their particular army and did not fraternize with anyone outside their respective clans. The guardian had realized that it was no good in trying to make them get along, so she felt it was time to divide them up. She felt confident that by moving the three orc armies into positions in the north, west, and south that they would finally be able to have a balanced attack. She knew that this would give her minions the best chance of finally gaining some ground against the stubborn forces that ringed the cliffs of Landen.

As Tomo's troops began their work, they discovered several old dilapidated buildings that had not been used for many years. Rust appeared to have done its work over centuries of neglect and lack of use. As the general's commander made his way through these structures he has a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Commander Nolan looked closer at the rustic color on the walls and discovered that it was actually blood. A soft hoot of an owl over head made the stout leader jump. He cast his eyes about to see where the ruddy bird was. He started to back away from the building as the atmosphere around him seemed to be closing in on him. As he turned his attention to his troops who had watched him entered the eerie place, he noticed that they all had frightened looks on their faces. He felt invisible hands reaching for him.

"What are you dogs looking at?" blasted Commander Nolan Sugguk harshly. He was trembling slightly at the unexplainable oppression around him. He shrugged as though he was trying to ward something off.

"There are shadows or spirits in that place" replied one of his soldiers as he pointed to the buildings the commander had just left.

"What are you on about? There's nothing back there! Back to work!" barked the commander sharply.

The soldiers dispersed slowly while muttering beneath their breath about the evil spirits they thought were all around them. They did not try to hide their disapproval of making base camp in such an accursed place. They believed that the elves had twisted the forest to attack anyone who was not of their own race. Not a single soldier paid any attention to the commander who had returned to the buildings again. Commander Nolan was determined to discover what had happened in this place. He also wanted to rid himself of the owl who kept on hooting at him.

"Nolan! Why are you wasting time in there?" bellowed General Tomo in his deep, reedy voice.

"Do you see something moving in the shadows?" asked the commander unabashed by his general's rebuke.

"What are you on about?" asked the general with a hint of concern in his voice. He had seen something moving in the shadows and did not feel like admitting it. One of them had to hold themselves together. An unnatural chill sent shivers down his spine as he watched his commander.

"Look at the walls…they are covered in blood. How is that possible? This place has not had a living soul in it for centuries." Nolan was the most accomplished orc tracker and was able to determine the age of something without much difficulty. He was bewildered by the scene in front of him because the blood was clearly not elven and was likely a thousand years old. The really strange part was that the blood had not been removed by the elements or the passage of time.

"This place reeks of elven magic and treachery! Let's get out of here" urged the general darkly. His eyes shifted about quickly as he scanned the shadows for an unseen enemy.

"There! Did you see that? There are spirits or something in the shadows. This place has been marked with a dark curse. Something truly evil occurred here many centuries ago." The commander had completely lost his composure and spoke at a feverish pace before going silent.

"You are a cheerful one. If this place is cursed like you say, then why don't we leave? I will order the troops to stay away from this place." The general began to back away slowly as he scanned the shadows for unseen demons.

The two leaders did not notice the Seda who were encircling the massive orc army while they had been distracted by the cursed village of Kylrilion. They did not realize that this was one of the villages of the extinct Eldar. Commander Nolan knew that the place had never been inhabited by elves, but he could not determine who had actually lived there. While the Eldar were not exactly elves, they were the forerunners of the elves who inhabited the black forest. This was partly why the commander could not positively identify the blood. The orcs had stumbled upon the threshold of the most cursed dwelling in any land in Tuwa. An unbelievable act of barbarism had taken place here and had marked the entire village with a curse. Anyone or anything that entered the city would suffer an excruciating death. If the two orc leaders had been paying attention, they would have noticed that even the Seda avoided the dwellings.

One of the soldiers who had watched Commander Nolan earlier approached the general on his right side. He was slightly out of breath because of the haste he had made in order to reach Tomo. He had come to inform them of the Seda forming a wall behind them. His eyes were drawn to a surreal scene unfolding itself before him. General Tomo and the messenger watched as the commander was lifted high into the air by some invisible force. Then with a sickening crunch, Nolan was twisted like a wet towel. His body went limp and fell to the ground with a thud. He had died the instant he had been wrenched in opposite directions. His blood spilt all over the ground as he lay broken in the middle of the stained dwellings. A black mist rose from the blood on the ground.

"No one is to come near this place...got that? I want everyone assembled right now!" ordered General Tomo angrily. His pride had blinded him to listening to his fears, which had warned him to leave the unholy grounds they had trespassed on.

"General, I have come to deliver a message…" began the shaken messenger. He had temporarily forgotten his original purpose while watching the gruesome spectacle.

"Right…get on with it then!" shot the troubled general. He eyed the soldier with a dark, lethal glare.

"The Seda have formed a line directly west of us as though they are there to prevent us from going into the forest" the soldier replied quickly.

"Like I said…gather everyone together and we will discuss what needs to be done next!" ordered the general with deafening finality. He had not really heard what the messenger had said…he was still thinking of what action to take. He had been shaken by the horrific death of his faithful commander.

　

After nearly an hour of Tomo's troops gathering together, he addressed them. "I wanted to bring you together to discuss some rules that will need to be followed for your own safety. Commander Nolan demonstrated for me what happens when you venture into the cursed village to the west…you die! No one is to go near that area." His voice echoed ominously as he spoke.

"Commander Nolan is dead?" shouted one of the commander's soldiers in utter disbelief.

"Yes, he got too nosy for his own good and paid for it with his life. A good lesson for the rest of you…when I tell you to do something, you do it!" The considerable muscles around his neck bulged as he strained to control himself.

"What about those wretched spirits from southern Renshaw?" another soldier asked as he looked over his shoulder at the moving spectral creatures.

"They are of no concern…they are merely blocking our way so that we do not go farther west into the forest." Somehow this is nothing to quell the rising fear that all the orcs were feeling.

"What about the ones on the river?" another soldier asked pointing toward the Blaine River.

"What are you…" began the massive general as he turned his head toward the rushing waters. He stopped speaking as soon as he caught sight of the Seda hovering along the river for as far as he could see. He then quickly looked around and finally noticed that they were completely surrounded by the treacherous creatures.

"Archers! Take aim at those foul spirits and fire!" ordered General Tomo sharply.

The archers got into formation in a circle around the entire orc army and took aim at the Seda. They pulled backed their bows and targeted what they thought to be the heads of the spirit creatures. The air was instantly full of the sound of arrows whirring through the air followed by dull thuds and clanks as the projectiles missed their targets. The powerful spirits were unaffected by the superfluous attack and turned a solid black color which blocked their view of the world outside the spectral prison.

"What devilry is this?" shouted one of the archers as he looked back at his general.

"It appears that our weapons can do nothing to these spirits…I actually wish we had that mad high elf with us. At least they are not attacking us. What concerns me is why?

" thought the general darkly. He did not like the fact that he was completely surrounded by an enemy that he could not kill or even hurt as far as he knew.

"You there…see if you can make through those specters" barked the general aloud as he pointed distractedly at a soldier near the Seda.

"What? Are you asking me to try and breach that spirit barrier?" the disbelieving soldier asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry…you misunderstood me. Let me put it to you another way" said the general with a nod to someone behind the reluctant warrior.

The soldier was shoved violently by a gigantic berserker into the spectral barrier. The Seda responded with great ferocity. They grabbed the unwilling volunteer and ripped him apart…limb by limb. Within a few seconds the unfortunate warrior was in pieces on the forest floor and his blood was smeared over all the foliage. As the orcs drew closer together in horror, a shriek tore through the skies above Tomo's army. Everyone looked up to see huge eagles flying high through the air over their location. They seemed to be carrying something in their gigantic talons, but no one could make out what they were holding.

The clear sky soon became less sunny as strange objects began to obscure the sun. Several boulders the size of a horse smashed into the unsuspecting orcs with tremendous force. Many orcs were pulverized by the aerial attack and panic spread quickly among the ranks. Many of the archers on the fringes of the army turned their arrows on the eagles, but they were too high for even the most skilled among them. Many of the missiles came whirring back to the ground to hit several of their comrades. Some of the foot soldiers broke through the line of archers and made a break for freedom through the Seda barrier. Each fleeing soldier met a gruesome end.

"Order!" barked General Tomo as he tried to regain some semblance of control. He watched several of his soldiers get torn to pieces by the Seda and knew that the situation was out of his control.

As the general cast his eyes around at the mayhem that had overtaken his troops, he heard a loud thud behind him that made the ground shake more than the boulders smashing into his ranks. He wheeled around to see the biggest white bear he had ever seen in his life staring down at him. Mahon, lord of the white bears, was up on his hind legs which made him stand as tall as a giant. As the bear's emerald green eyes looked into General Tomo's, a chill went down the spine of the massive orc leader. He was so entranced that he failed to notice the bear's huge paws coming together toward his head. With a sickening crunch, the general was suddenly a foot shorter. General Tomo's limp body swayed on the spot and fell to one side. Mahon raised his bloodied paws into the air and let out the most deafening roar any of the orcs had ever heard.

The Seda could no longer restrain their urge to punish the orcs, so they gleefully joined the fray. Several hundred white, brown, and even black bears burst through the specters unharmed to join the battle. The giant eagles stopped their barrage of boulders because of their allies down below. They went into dramatics dives and tore at the leaderless fiends with great delight. The ground became redder as the battle wore on and looked like a massive reddish black dot from the sky.

Book Signing at King's English

I am excited to announce that I will be doing my first book signing at The King's English Bookshop here in Salt Lake City, UT. It will be January 11th (Tuesday) at 7 pm. There will be at least one other local author, so please come on out for this event for those of you who are local. I am very excited for this event and hope that more signings will come. I will bring my camera for pictures and will post some pictures here, on Facebook, on Goodreads.com, and other social networking sites. I will also try to get some of the pictures on the official website: www.theguardianchronicles.com.

Also, anyone who has read one or both of the books and would like to do a review, please submit that to me. I will get that posted on the official site. Cannot guarantee all reviews will be posted, so get them in to me soon. I really appreciate the support and the positive feedback as well as the constructive feedback.

I am pleased to say that I am about 30 pages away from finishing the first draft of book 3. For now, the tentative title of book 3 is "The Orb of Nitesh". I am very pleased with what I have written thus far and I am excited to post a chapter for you all to view here soon. I really hope to have that ready for this weekend, so stay tuned!