M. Edward McNally's Blog, page 2

H&V and ENT.

Two quick things,

First, congrats to Karin Cox for winning my stop of the Heroes & Villains Blog Hop – her guesstimation of that the first draft of The Channel War ran 162,349 words was closest to the mark, as the real figure of 142,880 (yes, sometimes my subsequent drafts get a bit longer than the first). thanks to all who entered.

Second, thanks to Ereader News Today for featuring The Sable City among today’s FREE titles.

Back to work on Volume Six, hope everybody has a good day. And as always, thanks for reading.

Heroes and Villains Blog Hop, May 3rd-6th

Hello, and welcome to the sablecity blog – the home page for The Norothian Cycle epic fantasy series, and the 20th stop on this weekend’s Heroes & Villains Blog Hop.

My article on the topic of Villains, and specfically John the Red, ran a couple days ago to save space here for the giveaway/contest – which is remarkably simple as befits my level of technological incompetence.

First off, Book I of the Norothian Cycle – The Sable City – is presently FREE from all major e-book retailers, including of course Amazon US & UK – other linkes may be found here. Feel free to download a copy if interested, and get to know the aforementioned John, a feisty Island Guilder by the name of Tilda Lanai, a man-eating Lamia, a broken-hearted samurai…the whole mandatory “cast of thousands” to round out any good Epic Fantasy of the Musket & Magic persuasion.

The next four volumes of the Cycle are Death of a Kingdom, The Wind from Miilark, Devil Town, and The Channel War, and for the H&V Blog Hop, I will be giving away an e- copy of each to the person who can come closest to answering the following “How many jellybeans are in this jar?” style question:

The final word count of The Channel War is  146,789. What was the word count of the first draft?

That’s it, feel free to leave a guesstimated word count as a comment on this post, and please do leave an address (twitter, e-mail, facebook, wordpress, whatever) where I can contact whoever comes closest to the pin after the weekend, and arrange to get you copies of the full Norothian Cycle in your preferred format. The winner will also be posted here Monday, and I will list all guesses in order for the sake of verification. That’s it, easy-peasy.

Thanks for stopping by, and please do have fun continuing the Heroes & Villains Blog Hop, checking out what everyone has to offer, and hopefully finding some new authors you may enjoy. And as always, thanks for reading.

- Ed McNally

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Participating authors in the Heroes & Villains Blog Hop, May 3-6 2013.

1.) Nyki Blatchley
2.) Martin Bolton
3.) Debra Brown
4.) Adrian Chamberlin
5.) Mike Cooley
6.) Karin Cox
7.) Joanne Fay
8.) Peter B Foster
9.) Ron Fritsch
10.) Mai Griffin
11.) Joanne Hall
12.) Jolea M. Harrison
13.) Tinney Sue Heath
14.) Eleni Konstantine
15.) Kyle Lewis
16.) Paula Lofting
17.) Liz Long
18.) Peter Lukes
19.) Mark McClelland
20.) M. Edward McNally (you are here)
21.) Sue Millard
22.) Rhiannon Douglas
23.) Ginger Myrick
24.) Dave Pilling
25.) E M Powell
26.) Kim Rendfeld
27.) Terry L Smith
28.) Tara West
29.) Keith Yatsuhashi

One man’s Hero is another man’s Villain – John the Red

Later this week (beginning Friday, May 3rd), I will be taking part in a blog hop with multiple fantasy, sci fi, and historical fiction authors relating to the topic of Heroes & Villains. There will be contests and/or prizes for readers at every stop, as well as articles relating to the topic of Heroes and Villains, from different perspectives.

For myself, I’m going to go ahead and post said article today – just to keep the actual “hop” post for the weekend a bit more “tidy.” Ergo, without further ado, here are some of my thoughts on “villainy,” and a bit about how they play out in my own work. Particularly in terms of a guy named John.

—

The Norothian Cycle is my foray into Epic Fantasy of the kind that made me fall in love with the genre as a young reader, but at the same time I did not want to make it “YA.” Not that it is “Adult” in the sense that term is typically used. To be totally honest, the “Dark” movement so prevalent in a lot of Epic Fantasy today is not quite my cup of tea. I do agree that the simplistic, “Black & White, Good vs. Evil” motif that rules a lot of the foundational works of the genre is a bit tired. However, it seems to me that the reaction in a lot of instances has been to make *everybody* in a fantasy book into a “bad guy,” only of varying degrees.

Not that moral relativism and characters being forced to compromise whatever values they hold can’t make for fascinating reading – some of the best writing in any genre is about precisely that. But just in my own opinion, I find a lot of contemporary “Dark Fantasy” tends to lose my interest at the point where everyone on every side of any given struggle is so morally compromised that it hardly seems to matter who “wins” in the end. In the hands of a great author, that can still be an engaging circumstance to read about, but I mean a really great author. Most of the time, if there is little to separate the heroes from the villains, I check out of the story. A world full of people acting purely out of self-interest reads more like the national or local news to me than it does fiction.

I began writing my own epic series with the intention of fiddling with some of the traditional fantasy tropes, mostly in a fond and friendly way as I do still love the genre. When it comes to Villains (mustache twirl), I intentionally went a little farther afield. Yes, there are still some baddies of the traditional Epic type – there are dragons bent on accruing wealth and power, devils intent on harvesting souls, and plenty of people looking out for number one, no matter the cost to anyone else. But there is also a guy named John.

I won’t try to summarize the character as he has developed throughout the course of what are presently five books, from John Deskata to John the Red (title of the forthcoming Book VI). But I will say that while I always had him in mind as a sort of foil for the MC’s, to me his “villainy” results from him operating at cross-purposes to most of the characters. There is a large-scale struggle going on throughout the books, and John finds himself on the opposite side of it as are most of the cast. But apart from that, most of his traits would probably lead him to be seen as a “good guy.” He is a soldier and an officer – concerned for the welfare of his men and unwilling to commit them to any service he will not do himself. John leads from the front. He’s brave, determined, and loyal to the cause he serves, though that cause does tend to shift under his feet. All in all, he would be a good guy to have on your side, and not the sort of person you’d want to see set against you.

Of course, John does have some…foibles, let’s say. Some issues he is working through. And at one point at the end of Book III (The Wind from Miilark), he does one particular thing that might be classified as unforgivable. But to be honest, I’ve been a bit surprised that one action has not received more reader backlash than it has. For a lot of readers, it seems to have made John the “Villain” a bit more interesting. And really, maybe that is the point. Being or doing bad can be forgiven. Being uninteresting, not so much.

—

Thanks for reading, be sure to come back for the Heroes and Villains blog hop over the weekend. As always, if you’d like to read The Norothian Cycle and get to know John, Tilda Lanai, and the rest at first hand, volume one (The Sable City) remains FREE on all major venues. (The Amazon US link is under the button over there –>, all other links can be found hither.)

The Channel War, and…Carthage?

Thanks much to Hamilcar (you know – Hannibal’s Dad) for his review of The Channel War, Book V of the Norothian Cycle.

“So what separates this epic fantasy series from the hundreds of other ones available for your Kindle?  For me, it is the complexity of the conflict and the “grayness” of the characters.”

And do check out all Gen’l Barca’s book reviews over a wide-range of genres and styles, which I find always makes things more interesting.

The Channel War LIVES!

New addition to the family.

The Channel War, Book V of the Norothian Cycle, is now available.

I will be taking a nap.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C4YU0R8

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00C4YU0R8

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-channel-war-m-edward-mcnally/1046372725

The Channel War, in 38 lines.

So barring disaster or Acts of Dragons, Book V of Norothian Cycle – The Channel War - should be available right after the weekend, on April Fool’s Day (funny how that works out).

A friend suggested this idea by way of a “preview,” posting one line of dialogue from each of the 38 chapters. I admit, it’s a weird idea, but I sort of found it amusing, and so here you go. Hope to see you next week when I’ll be posting (gasp!) active links to where the book can actually be had, but until then, here is the entirety of The Channel War, via the mouths of those characters living it.

—

“There are days of sun and days of rain.”

“Fire shells, Lord Mayor. Your city yields, or it burns.”

“Sometimes there is a trumpet or something, but I did not think to bring a minstrel.”

“Reveal thyself.”

“I am willing to be searched if you would like, Miss.”

“There is betrayal behind us, and trouble all around. Staying in this place is standing still with our neck in a noose.”

“What in the hell is wrong with you, woman?”

“The rest are novice priests, though experienced villains.”

“Even should nothing happen, I suppose the damage to my reputation is done.”

“Your human blood makes you so stupid.”

“There is always a pretext that will move men toward war, it is just a matter of finding the right one.”

“We do not truck with demons nor devils.”

“I know what you did to me.”

“Do not laugh. She will cut you.”

“Be a dear and shoot the archers first, will you?”

“Give their masters something to think about before they try this again.”

“I assume you have something important to say, or else I am guessing you would not have risked having someone throw a net over your head.”

“I’m not getting on a horse for a while, but I’ll be fine.”

“Seems too heavy for any sort of cooking fire.”

“Lambs have no sense but to walk themselves to the slaughter.”

“I am sure he would have liked to see you again. He would be happy you are here.”

“You cannot hope to avoid a long and agonizing war by attempting to stay out of it. You must win it, and swiftly.”

“Take a breath and relax yourself, Captain. I am here to talk, if you will stop blustering and posing for a minute’s time.”

“Handsome or not, you have to teach a boy to work for it. The fisherman does not respect the easy fish.”

“Though it is worth remembering that the anchor which is cut away, may not be used again.”

“What was that? Are you shot?”

“I stand around a lot with no real idea of what I’m doing.”

“Congratulations. It only took you a week to summon the courage to ask that.”

“And who is this little charmer?”

“What do words mean to the dead?”

“Fantastic. I suppose the whole of the Empire now knows I am the puppet of that horned bastard in Devil Town.”

“Have I told you that you talk too damn much?”

“I hate and love you so much right now I could break both your legs.”

“That sounds rather dangerous.”

“I am backing my faith with my life and my steel.”

“Time for me to bleed a little?”

“That was not the deal, Kitty.”

“A woman has to talk. Or why did you think men pick up swords in the first place?”

New Book V – The Channel War – Map

Western Noroth & NW Kandala 1396 NC

Book V of the Norothian Cycle, The Channel War is officially in the editorial/formatting homestretch, so as always big thanks to my Betas, and of course The Cyber Witch.

The plotline of this one roves around a number of different events in a number of different places, so I am figuring on including multiple maps for each “part” and possibly a few specific chapters. The main map at the beginning of the book will thus be this one, which sacrifices a lot of detail but offers a wider view of about a continent-and-a-half worth of places with funny names, for the sake of the “big picture.”

Thanks for stopping by, and I’m looking forward to getting the next installment of Tilda & Co.’s tale out to you.

Ed

The Channel War, Volume V of the Norothian Cycle. SOON!

“For every moment of triumph, for every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled.”

- Hunter S. Thompson

I thought about that quote a lot as I was finishing a draft suitable for editing of the fifth book in the Norothian Cycle. As you might guess, The Channel War is about exactly what it sounds like: War. I am something of a military history buff, which some might mistake as being a fan of war. That really couldn’t be further from the truth, as even fascination does not always imply affection. There really isn’t anything about war that I like, neither as an idea nor as a reality. But I will admit that it holds my interest.

As readers of the Norothian Cycle undoubtedly know, the first four books have brought the continent of Noroth and the characters who “live” there up to the yawning precipice of what a red dragon named Bith-Kal describes to John Deskata as a war that “will not only set dragon against dragon, but nation against nation, and man against man.” (Book III, The Wind from Miilark). By Book V that war has erupted, and there are no characters in the series who remained untouched by the strife. There were parts of the book I found really hard to write, for I have come to care more than I even realized for Tilda Lanai, Phin Phoarty, Kendall Heggenauer, and the rest of the cast o’ thousands. Delivering troubles to their doors wasn’t fun, but I felt like it had to be done to tell the story as I wanted it told. Thus the Thompson quote above, which I take to mean that even in fiction, nothing good comes without price. That price is paid in this book, and I humbly hope a bit of triumph and beauty may come with it.

The last section of The Channel War is now being edited, and I hope to have it available by the first of next month, which turns out to be April Fool’s Day, 2013. There is something so right about that. Oh, and the cover by Tamra Westberry looks a little something like this:

Norothian Cycle Map: Tartheagu. Plus Channel War Update

The northern nation of Tartheagu continues to be referenced with increasing frequency as Book Five of the Norothian Cycle - The Channel War – rolls along, but it has thus far only appeared on maps in large scale without much detail. In order to rectify that, here you go.

This map displays the far northwest corner of the continent Noroth, with most of the Empire of the Code visible to the south, and the coastal edge of the Il-Tasardom of Kantantanalace on the eastern edge. The Tarthagars and Kantans, it may be recalled, jointly invade the western half of Old Daul (southeast of this map, visible here) way back in Book Two and occupied a region known as The Protectorate. By Book Four the T-K alliance has fractured, leaving Tartheagu in sole occupation of most of those lands.

In other news, Book Five remains in progress. The first “Part” (roughly a third) is with Beta readers, the second is going out to them this weekend, and the final part should be ready for editing within the next several weeks. Tentatively then, still shooting for a March release, likely toward the end of the month. But it is getting there.

Does Valentine’s Day ever feel like the End of the World?

Cheer up, Emo Kids. The seven authors of the Eclective are offering THE APOLCALYPSE COLLECTION for the low, low price of FREE, today through Saturday on all Amazon platforms. Fell FREE to help yourself to some tales about the End of All Things.

My own contribution is a post-apoc style short story called “Seeds,” goes a little something like this:

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The body was stiff and we could smell the dry rot even through our respirators. Specs stood watch and I rolled it for a pat-down. It was definitely a feral, male, hard to guess age but with skin all cooked and paper thin. No obvious injuries, but ferals tend to just drop dead after a while with their lungs full of grit, or because they got hungry enough to eat the straggly, poison plants out here. The body was too far gone to drag back to the Feeders, but the pat-down turned up a shotgun with the barrel sawed off, some home-load ammo, and five knives though only two that weren’t all rusty. Box of matches, broken compass, and the can.

I held it out so Specs could see it. It was about the size of the fifty-round drum load on his XM8 assault rifle, but a scratched-up silver color. Made out of metal and screwed shut about three-quarters up the side.

“What you got there Meats?” Specs asked. He’d flopped his respirator aside just long enough to pop the left-side end of the throat tube from his camel pack into his mouth, while squeezing the belly pouch through his fatigues and camo gear. You’ve got to carry the nush the Feeders cook up like that so your body heat keeps it from turning solid. Specs sucked a mouthful of the brown paste through his tube and put his respirator back in place.

“Don’t know,” I said. “Looks like a can.”

Specs doesn’t give me as much crap as a couple of the others in our billet do for being stupid. He looked around the hills again before stepping over and hunkering down, pushing at his goggs to straighten his glasses on his nose inside them. His eyes are so bad, they are why the Priests sterilized him. Don’t want to pass on being blind-as-a-feral-at-noon to the next generation Up the Hill. They did me because I’m stupid.

I holstered my .45 and got a good grip on both ends of the can, but even with the tack pads on the fingers my gloves wouldn’t grip the smooth metal. I took them both off while Specs gave the hillside another glance, and still had to squeeze the can against my chest and tense up my shoulders before it loosened enough to unscrew. When it did I held out the bottom part and me and Specs blinked down at a bunch of itty-bitty little beige things.

“What’s that?” I asked, but Specs just stared at them for a while before he answered, voice still muffled through his respirator though it sounded like he was whispering anyway.

“Those are seeds, Meats,” he said. “Those are seeds.”

——-

Like I said, the rest is free, US, UK, and all Amazon venues.