Michael DeAngelo's Blog, page 4

Tellest Kickstarter, 2016

Hey there folks.  I’m so glad you could join us here today.  I don’t think I’ve ever had such good news to share, and I’m hoping that it only gets bigger and better as the month goes on.  We’re officially unveiling to the public that we are going to be conducting a new Kickstarter that will begin on August 15th and run for a month.  Our newsletter readers have known about this for a while, but you’re finally in on the scoop.

 

 

Tellest Legends

So, what exactly are we Kickstarting? In 2014, you helped us bring to life a collection of novellas that featured ancillary characters.  This brought them to the forefront and gave them a chance to shine like never before.  Since that Kickstarter, those characters and their stories have earned a lot of praise. It seemed like a waste to move away from that.  And so, on August 15th, we’re asking you to help us bring five more stories to life—sequels to the stories we created two years ago.  These characters are more than just heroes now—they’re legends.

But wait… there’s more!  In 2014, we were finding our feet, and a big part of the stretch goals you helped us achieve gave us some great supplemental material.  The plan for this year is to stretch into even more books.  That’s what we’re here for.  We want to give you great stories.  So for every $500 we raise past our initial goal, we’re ready to launch another book.  And you might be surprised to see how many we have.

 

A Special Deal

There’s never been a better time to be a Tellest newsletter subscriber.  Not only have they been privy to a preview of the Kickstarter for a few weeks, but they’ve also had a little extra time to partake in a great deal.

All the newsletter subscribers were given an opportunity to commit to being an early backer. That let’s us know what we’re tracking to open at, and shows us how much more we can afford to invest into our campaign.

The best news?  You can take part in this awesome deal too.  All you have to do is subscribe to the Tellest Newsletter before Monday, when another email blast will go out with the early backer submission form (and a preview of our campaign).  All you have to do is tell us you’re with us by Wednesday of next week.

Then, when our Kickstarter goes live, if you pledge at least $10 you’ll be given an extra copy of the Tales of Tellest ebooks—our big project from 2014—absolutely free. We figure, if you haven’t yet joined us, this gives you an excellent base to build off of. And if you’ve already been a fan for a while, you can indicate a friend or family member who you would like to share these fantasy tales with.

 

There really hasn’t ever been a better time to join the ranks and be a fan of Tellest.  With at least five more books on the horizon, our bookshelves are going to be plenty packed in upcoming months. We look forward to bringing you great new content for years to come!

 

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New Hero Joining the Ranks of Tellest

One of the reasons that I’m so fervently invested in the prequel stories (including novels, novellas and short stories) these days is that it really helps to establish more of the world of Tellest.  We’ve barely stepped off of the main continent we’ve been writing for—Draconis—and yet, there are still almost 1000 years of history to talk about there.  In Heart of the Forest, the novel that I chugged through for last year’s NaNoWriMo, we learn that the first men who emerged from the mountains and the underground had a huge impact on the course of history and the development of the world.  In fact, the first rule of Raleigh took hold of his country in the year 53.

Warriors and rulers and the like made a mark on the world, but it was a special group of people known as the Kalistrazi that really shaped Tellest into the place it had become.  In those first few decades and centuries, the world was constantly at risk of danger, thanks to the rifts that opened into various places.  Dragons, demons and the forces of darkness always kept Tellest on the brim of peril, but the Kalistrazi met that danger head on, and kept the realm safe.

As mysterious as the Kalistrazi were, there are only few who are known by name.  And perhaps the most interesting one of them has shown up multiple times throughout history.  But in order to know about his later exploits, it might be prudent to know about his meager beginnings.

Life was harsh for the people of Blacklehn after the convergence.  Many of the homes that were built were crude and unstable, and it took several generations for any semblance of security to be found.  Even then, survival wasn’t guaranteed.  When a lad was found in a bassinet in the middle of a snowy field, no one knew for sure whether he was abandoned, or if his parents or guardians had been waylaid by vicious beasties, and left the babe alone.

Adopted by the town of Rosburg, the lad grew up to be as mischievous as he was charming.  Bixby, a lad without a true family, was taught a little bit by everyone.  The scamp ended up earning the respect and praise of everyone in Rosburg when he won the apprenticeship of a mighty wizard.  Hanlon Alladocious officially took the lad in, and taught him in the arcane arts.  When it became apparent that Bixby was a worthy successor, he even gave him something he had been left wanting for nearly two decades: a surname.  The official heir of Hanlon, he went on many adventures, helping the wizard and his friends in Rosburg protect their little corners of the world as best they could.  And Bixby learned of the great power in him, as well, somehow turning up throughout history for at least three hundred years.

No one knows for sure how he managed to sustain himself for so long, but just the exploits that we know about make the tales of his adventures wondrous indeed.  For he was: super Kalistrazi mystic Bixby Alladocious.

Coming Soon – Tellest 3000

It is the year 2974.  Rhys Oberon has just stepped out of a temporal ripple, and found the last fragment of the orb from the Void that cast him through time.  What he doesn’t expect is that his coming was expected.

Tellest has become ravaged by war, and technology has become just as deadly as magic and the strain.  And to make things worse, another race of evil beings is approaching from beyond the stars.  The only hope for Tellest’s future is to gather heroes from the past.

Rhys is sent back in time, thanks to the reconstructed orb from the Void.  Once he arrives, he is tasked with finding great heroes to bring back into the future.  Tellest’s greatest champions travel 2000 years forward, and learn how to survive in the insanity that is a world of technology.

But not all of the people who come through the new temporal rift are what the history books would consider heroes.  Those with a dark streak have also jumped forward, including the nefarious Juramentado.  Still, with the fate of the world out of his hands, he joins with Kaos and Adelia Kreegan, Steel Tip and Holklund to save the world that he once tried to enslave.

A great and powerful machine known as the Artificer was built in years past to harness the magic from relics of the past.  When these devices are found and fed into the machine, it constructs humongous mechs that serve their human masters without fail.

While the war still rages on for Tellest, a greater evil will soon arrive.  If humanity wants to survive, they have to band together, utilizing technology as best they can to persevere.

The first book in the Tellest 3000 saga releases this October.

State of Tellest, March 2016 (Quickie)

Hey all.  Just wanted to give you a quick one today.  There’s nothing so imperative that I want to bother anybody, but I thought it would be nice if someone knew what I was doing.  I’ve been relatively quiet lately, with the exception of the Newsletter and the promos we’ve been doing for other storytellers of the Otherworld.

Of course, we have also had a few short stories thrown into the mix lately, and we hope to keep that up for the near future.  But there’s a little bit more going on that might spark your interest.

 

Short Stories

As I said above, we’ve been trying to make sure that there are weekly short stories available for you to read.  Now, these shorts are typically broken up into multiple parts, and that’s not unlikely to stop anytime soon.  You can get them all in one place—and early—if you’re supporting us on Patreon.  Sometimes, even if you’re not!

We started courting two more authors lately, and we’re hoping that we’ll be able to bring you some of their stories sooner rather than later.  And 2016 will also see Kevin Gallagher step back into the spotlight, as he begins to release more of his own material.  He’s come a long way, and the quality of his writing is very indicative of this.  With luck, and his help, we’ll have handfuls of stories for you throughout the first half of this year.

There’s also one other thing I want to let you know about.  Members of our newsletter were treated to an exclusive story today that features two brand new characters, each with interesting new abilities.  If you’re interested in being a member of our team, all you have to do is sign up.  You’ll get a slew of bonuses over a few weeks, including that short story (as well as a full copy of Awake, one of our Tales of Tellest that we released with your help in 2014).

 

Tellest Phase II and Longer Form Stories

Speaking of what happened in 2014, I think we’re officially calling that our opening move for Tellest.  That’s Phase I, and it’s been a very nice experience for us.  We’re on the hind end of fulfilling our rewards for all the great people who funded our Kickstarter, and paperbacks are going out this week!

With the more administrative stuff out of the way (finally), we’re looking ahead at the future.  And while we’re not quite launching specifics on the site yet, we aren’t afraid to tell you that things are moving into place a lot quicker than they did the last time around. We’re not coming forward until a substantial amount of the work is done (we weren’t happy with making people wait last time), but the pace has definitely increased.  Michael is working on four stories simultaneously, and despite that awesome feat for our slowpoke creator, he’s actually right on schedule.  With luck, we’ll be able to drop the first official details in just over two months.  By the end of May, we hope to give you a deeper look at what’s coming.  We’ll just leave you with one word, in the meantime: Sequels.

 

Super Secret Side Project

A bunch of you that follow us know that we’ve been working on side projects for years.  We’ve had Heart of the Forest up on the menu there for much longer than we care to admit, but we’re actually making a lot of progress on a related project.  In fact, we’ve recently begun collaborating with another sprite artist who we hope can help us get our vision across even better.  You’ll get some looks at his work in the first week of May.  And hopefully soon we’ll be ready to divulge more information on this project, but we hope you understand our secrecy for the moment.

 

 

In any case, we hope that you’ve enjoyed what we’ve brought to the table so far, and that you’re looking forward to more from the world of Tellest.  We’re so excited for the next big things that are on the horizon.  Thank you for helping us reach that path!

Tales of Tellest has Released!

Hello everyone!

I’m proud to announce that one of the last few pieces in our first big push—phase one, I’m calling it—is ready for purchase.  Tales of Tellest went live yesterday, bringing together seventeen different stories and four talented authors.

Best of all, I think, is the price.  At $4.99, you’re making out like a bandit on the deal.  Since each of the stories are $2.99 (less Mageborn and Awake when they’re free), you’re really being given a decent bang for your buck.  The full book is over 600 pages, and this is just the first course of these wonderful stories that feature characters from the Tellest universe.

Be sure to pick up your copy on Amazon today!

NaNoWriMo, Patreon and Tales of Tellest

Phew, now that was exhausting.

As many of you may know, I participated in NaNoWriMo this year.  It was a completely new experience for me, since most of the writing I’ve done for Tellest thus far has been pencil to paper in a notebook before it’s transferred to the computer.  In that way, I end up editing my book twice as I write it.  For NaNoWriMo, I knew that I was going to have to leave that kind of writing to the side, or I would never make my target word count in time.

50,000 words in 30 days is something that seemed a little beyond my skills, but as of today—with one day to spare—I’m proud to announce that I was able to meet that lofty goal.  I’m a NaNoWriMo 2015 winner.  Heart of the Forest is well on its way.  At that word count, we’re at about 100 pages written, and I’ve just started the twentieth chapter.  It’s still a long way to go, but I’m committing to a new task going forward, as a result of this first NaNoWriMo experience.

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From now on, I’m going to write at least one chapter of a story per week directly on the computer, just like I’ve done throughout this November.  It’ll be my writing in its rawest form, so it won’t necessarily be the best display of my ability, but it’ll fulfill my promise to you that there will always be more content from Tellest that is ready to read.

Now, this will go on to serve two purposes.  First, it’ll mean that there will be more stories to read at a quicker pace.  My guess is that Heart of the Forest will be around a forty chapter story, so I’m about halfway there.  At this rate, I’ll have it done by the end of April.  At that point, it’ll be time to sit down with it and throw in some heavy edits to make sure that it’s a story worthy of your attention.

That brings us to our second purpose.  Writing in that style gives me the golden opportunity to bring my stories to you a lot quicker than the way that I currently do.  The Tellest Patreon page is the place where chapters of Heart of the Forest are currently being uploaded every Wednesday.  You have to be a patron to get early access to those snippets, but I’m announcing today that you only need to spend $1 a month to get that access (it used to be $3).  And here’s some even better news: even if you’re not a patron, there’s a chance you’ll see some of our exclusive early content there.  There’s a 1-in-3 chance you’ll see the art we commission early, and there’s a 1-in-10 chance that you’ll get to read Heart of the Forest early.

And I guess that kind of serves a third purpose then.  The more people that we know we’re working for, the more diligent we are.  If you know anyone who wants to be a part of that, let them know.  Tellest will only grow because of it!

Last but not least, I wanted to let you know about Tales of Tellest.  We started this campaign a long time ago (it’s almost been two years!), but it’s about time that it’s wrapping up.  In the next couple of weeks, all five novellas will have been released, as well as all twelve short stories that we committed to.  At that point, we’re going to be releasing the entire collection on Amazon, followed shortly after by a paperback release.  I wanted to personally thank everyone who has been so patient with all of that, and we’re looking so forward to bringing you that piece of Tellest.

Here’s hoping for more frequent updates in the future.  With NaNoWriMo just about wrapped up, we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled broadcasts!

Cheers,

Mike

Touched, Part One

It’s not common knowledge, but I work in a facility that caters to individuals with special needs.  The community is beautiful, and it’s a great place to know that what you’re doing is making a difference. What people may not know is that a lot of the people that I see day in and day out make a difference in my life as well, even in the subtlest of ways.

I wanted to tell a story that spoke of those special people.  We might not always understand their needs or their wants, and we surely don’t appreciate all that they go through day after day.  What we do understand is that they’re beautiful in their own rights, and I wanted to express that in this story.  Because everyone has a little bit of hero in them.

Touched

-Part One-

 

A swirl of grey and blue on white, the art upon the canvas began to protrude with each substantial layer.  Over and over, the brush was set to the hemp, each bristle gently laying down the color.  It was as if the artist was merely holding the brush, letting the paint dictate the course of the expression.

The boy didn’t notice when the strangers arrived at the farm or when the mule that pulled their cart brayed with evident fatigue.

His father, a rugged man who had been greyed by years of toiling in the field, swept the sweat from his brow with his wrist and let go of the plow he was dragging.  He clapped his calloused hands together and wiped them on his britches as he began away from the field to meet the unexpected visitors.

“Morning,” the man said.  If he was exhausted from his labors, they did not show.  “You’re a long way from civilization.”

“Aye, that we are,” the well-dressed man of the pair with the wagon agreed.  He seemed far more beaten by the travel than the farmer was by his work, and his eyes begged for sympathy as the men converged on the same spot at a fence that penned the field.  “We’ve been traveling a while and thought that Sungarden was much closer.  It’s our first time this far west.”

“You boys from Raleigh?” the farmer asked.

A nod shook the man’s head.  Streaks of silver were apparent in his dark hair, and his brow was weathered with lines.  “Business has been slow these past few months, and I thought a change of scenery might help with that.”  A moment of silence the merchant was uncomfortable with passed between them, and he swallowed away his disgrace.  “I’d hate to ask this, but we are without food or drink.  I was hoping—”

The farmer was already nodding before his guest had finished speaking.

A weary smile crept to the merchant’s face.  “That’s a relief.  The kindness of strangers isn’t something I’m akin to on these roads.”

“A long way from roads, I’m afraid,” the farmer said with a knowing dip of his chin.  “We’ll settle you in for the day, and in the morning, we’ll set you in the right direction.”  He turned and waved, leading the strangers toward the farmhouse where his son still sat.  The merchant and his traveling companion were separated from the farmer by the fence, but they walked beside each other.

“Is it just you and your family here?” the merchant asked.

“Just me and my boy,” the farmer replied.  “His mother left us a while back.”

“I’m sorry to hear—”

“This your lad?” the farmer interjected.

The merchant turned, looking at his companion, a stout fellow still barely in his youth.  His thick brow and scruffy face were offset by his closely cropped hair, and he seemed altogether displeased with the conversation, the travel, and perhaps everything else the world happened to offer.  The older fellow still managed a smile.

“Not mine, no.  Just another down-on-his-luck trying to see if he can change his fortune.”

The lad huffed when mention of him was complete, shaking his head and averting his gaze from either of the two older fellows.

“Afraid you’ll not find too much luck out this way,” the farmer said.  “The nobles of Sungarden have been a little ignorant of domestic wares.  They’ve been preferring goods from overseas, places like Astranar or Lustra.”  The lines on the visitor’s face were more prominent then.  He shook his head.  “I’m sorry.  I don’t even know what it is you’re selling.  You can tell I’m a bit weary of that city.  They haven’t exactly been good to my boy and me in recent months.”

Cracking the widest smile he could, the merchant tapped his hand on the fence.  “It’s all right.  I shall pray for a drought in the other continents.  You’ll have your crops sell again, good sir.”

The trio of men arrived just before the farmhouse, the mule and the wagon behind them.  The boy was acutely aware of their presence but gave no indication he knew they were there.

“Afternoon there, young fellow,” the merchant spoke.  When he received no response or even an acknowledgement, he turned toward the farmer, who was subtly shaking his head.  “Doesn’t take too kindly to strangers, does he?”

“It’s not that,” the farmer said.  “It’s just–”

“No matter,” the merchant said with a wave of his hand.  “He has his reasons, and I shan’t press the matter further.”

The farmer nodded and left it at that.  “After we get your carriage over to the barn, we’ll get you set up in my room.  I can spend the night with my son.”

“We couldn’t put you out like that,” the merchant said.  “If the barn is good enough for Tess, it’s good enough for us, too.”

“Nonsense.  It can get plenty cold here in Daltain at night.  Those walls in the barn let the chill in.  We’ll see you’re well taken care of.”

The merchant squared his jaw and nodded again.  “You’re far too kind.  Do you see a lot of folks that lose their way and need a hand?”

“Not particularly.  Don’t see much of anyone these days.  Getting my boy to town is a bit of a challenge, so we mostly just make ends meet with what we have on the farm.”

“Well, there are worse ways to earn a meal, I suppose.”  The merchant patted the mule on the side of its neck.

“That old girl all right to be in the barn?” the farmer asked.

“Only if we won’t be imposing.  I don’t want to put out your livestock on account of her.”

Shaking his head, the farmer made his way to the gate that opened into the field.  “No livestock to speak of, unfortunately.  Our last cow was taken by the heat last year, and I haven’t had the money to get to market, let alone purchase a replacement.  It was good eats for a few weeks anyway.”  He struggled with the latch for a few moments, tugging with all his strength to no avail.  “Galvan, be kind,” he spat, evoking the god of crafts.  “This bolt won’t budge anytime soon.  Would you mind waiting here while I gather a mallet?”

“Patience is the least we could offer you in repayment,” the merchant said.

Leaping up the stairs, the farmer pulled the door open and disappeared within.

His visitors left the mule by the fence, content to graze while the merchant and his apprentice ascended the steps of the farmhouse.  The merchant wiped his brow and swept his gaze about the fields.  “This is a good life,” he said.  “Self-sustaining, no one to lord their opinions over you – much better than what we deal with.”  He leaned on the railing and watched the farmer’s lad continue to paint.  “This place must keep you quite happy, eh, son?”

The boy kept painting away, only a fleeting breeze returning any sound to the merchant.  He looked at his companion and raised his eyebrows, a weary shrug and a crooked grin explaining there was no sense worrying about the lack of acknowledgment.

“What do you think?” he asked his apprentice.  “Might not be a bad place to settle for a while before we head home.”

He didn’t say anything either, dropping to his rump on the stairs.  Leaning against the opposite railing, he stared off toward the cart.

“I can’t be the only one around here who speaks,” the merchant laughed.  “What a miserable existence that would be.”

“I don’t want to go home,” the apprentice finally returned, rubbing his shoulder.  “What’s waiting for me there?”

“What’s there for us on the road?”

The lad squared his jaw and stared off down the path they had just walked, the wagon’s wheels having flattened the grass in long stretches.

“So what is it then, young fellow?” the merchant asked again.  “Would you say you enjoy this place?”

Again, faced with silence, the merchant just shook his head.  He rose from the steps and made his way down to where the grass met with the railing, just beside the beaten dirt path.  He plucked an emerald blade there and eyed it intently.  He straightened it between his thumbs and brought it to his lips.  After a pair of awkward attempts, he blew out a shrill whistle, the grass shuddering between his fingers.

The farmer’s boy turned his head, and for the first time, the merchant could see his icy blue eyes.  They didn’t quite land on him, but when he made the grass sing again, the lad brought his hands to his ears, crooking his neck as if trying to locate the sound.

“I don’t ever want to go home again,” the merchant’s apprentice said.  When he was met with only the braying of the donkey in response, he cleared his throat.  “I’m sure there’s money to be made out here.”

The blade of grass, soggy and tattered by its use, was discarded to the dirt path.  The merchant made his way back to the top of the steps and braced himself against the pillar that held up the roof.  “I admire these bouts of optimism,” he finally said.  “But maybe we’re in the wrong business.”

“We can’t give up now.  Not yet.”

“Well, let’s ask the boy.  If he says not to, we won’t go home.  But if he’s as quiet as he has been, well… it might be best if we heavily discount our wares.  Let’s make enough money to buy provisions for a trip home.  What do you say?”

The apprentice said nothing, his lips curling into an uneasy scowl.  His eyes were fixed on the path, tracing every step back from where they had come.

Walking beside the porch, the merchant let his hand slap against the weathered balusters, the white paint giving way to their natural color.  He reached the corner of the building, peering up at the boy and his craft, the painting obscured just enough by each post that he couldn’t see the details.  Back on the stairs, his companion had perked up, observing the interaction with building anticipation.  He stood and braced against the railing.

“What do you think, boy?” the merchant asked.  “Is there any reason for us to stay in this area?”

The farmer’s son kept painting for a moment, but sensing the proximity of the guest, he turned his head, looking out the corner of his eye.

The merchant arched his eyebrow, waiting for the first real interaction with the child.

But there was none, and the silence was deafening.  The child turned back to his easel and continued to paint.  The merchant looked to his companion, a defeated grin upon his face as he shrugged the slight away.

“Hey,” the young apprentice snapped from the stairs.  “You just been spoken to.”  When he wasn’t acknowledged either, he started forward a bit faster.

“Calm yourself, lad,” the merchant warned.

His companion was not prepared to heed those words.  “You deaf?”  He reached out and touched the young man, spinning him about.

The farmer’s boy was about the same age as the apprentice, but there was innocence about him.  He looked untouched by the elements, unburdened by the troubles of the world.  Averting his eyes immediately, he still remained silent, but he rocked back and forth in his seat.

“What’s wrong with this one?” the visitor said, a toothy grin stretching his lips.  “Too frightened to even look at me?”

“Leave him alone, lad,” the merchant called out.  “Get back here.”

With a harrumph, the apprentice nodded.  Before he began away, though, the farmer’s son turned back to his painting.  A cone of silver was prominently displayed atop a mismatched background of varying blues and darker purples.  A sliver of green was painted at the top of the canvas.

“What is any of that supposed to be?”  When he wasn’t answered, the apprentice scoffed and shoved the canvas off the easel.

The boy froze, his lips parting before his work had even landed upon the wooden porch.  With a smug grin, the apprentice strode back toward the merchant.

“Fall down,” he heard, as quiet as a whisper behind him.  “Fall down!”

He didn’t even have time to turn toward the farmer’s son before he fell upon him with all his weight.  Struggling against that attack, he could feel the boy grasp him at his shoulders.  Smothered into the wooden planks of the deck, the apprentice groaned.  “Get off of me!”

The door to the farmhouse swung open, and the boy’s father rushed outside.  “What’s going on out here?”  He leapt over the merchant’s apprentice and hoisted his child away.

“No,” the boy said.  “No, it’s not done!”

Setting the lad down by his fallen canvas, the farmer stood between his kin and the new arrivals.  His son sat beside his work, rocking back and forth, avoiding eye contact with anyone after that but whispering again and again, “It’s not done.  It’s still here.  It’s not done.  It’s still here.”

The merchant swallowed away the tension in the air and offered up a miniscule nod.  “We’ll be happy to stay in the barn.”

 

*          *          *          *          *

 

Before the merchant had reached the dining table, his mouth was watering.  Aromas mixed together into a delightful medley the likes of which he hadn’t enjoyed in some time.  As he rounded the corner, he saw just how bountiful the meal was.

Bowls of berries and vegetables were scattered across the table, flanked by warm breads and hearty meats.  The merchant detected the gamey scent of venison, which explained the heaping portions of food on the plate.  Set before each chair was a dark drink as well, a tangy waft emanating from each mug.

“I was beginning to think you were going to hide out in the barn until morning,” the farmer said.

Pulling out the wobbly chair, the merchant sank into it.  “The thought had crossed my mind.  I’m sorry for what happened out there.  It’s not often—”

“Water under the bridge.  It wasn’t the first time that happened, and it certainly won’t be the last.  My boy is… special.  His mother said he was touched.”

“That’s why he’s so quiet.”

“He stays invested in his paintings.  It’s one of the few things I’ve found that keeps him calm and collected.  Sometimes I can get him to help me with a few chores on the farm, here and there, but more often than not, I’m just trying to find a way to keep him occupied so I can finish them on my own.”

“I take it the boy’s mother didn’t pass away.  She simply left?”

The farmer nodded.  “Guilt, I suppose.  She thought she was responsible for his condition and disappeared one night.  She didn’t even leave a letter, but all the signs were there.  The restless yearning, the declarations of wrongdoing I hadn’t seen.  Her mind had already brought her far away.  It was only a matter of time before her heart took her there as well.”

The merchant looked to the lad, who scraped a metal fork across the ceramic plate, separating his vegetables and meats into smaller and smaller piles.  Once they were apart, he ate only the meats.  “You could have done the same, you know,” he said.  “But you didn’t.  You’re a good man, and though he probably doesn’t speak his gratitude, I’m sure he shows it to you on countless occasions.”

“There are good days and bad days.  Sometimes I could swear I’m getting through to him.  There’s a way he tilts his head or looks at me when I’m sure he understands every word I say and what I mean when I say it.  Other times it’s those paintings and nothing else.”

The boy’s chair squealed as he pushed himself from the table.  “You’re not done with your dinner,” his father declared.  If the boy was concerned with that notion, it didn’t show.  He was already on his way out of the room.  “As I said, some days are better than others.”

“There’s certainly more to him than meets the eye, though,” the merchant said, tearing off a hunk of bread.  “He knows what he likes.  He made sure he ate every strip of meat, but those vegetables are still there.  Berries, too.”

A resigned chortle rattled up from the farmer’s chest.  “If only that could help on the farm.  He has a knack for certain things, though.  Sometimes he’ll pull me inside before a rain I didn’t even know was coming.”  He pressed his own plate away and crossed his arms over his chest.  “How about your apprentice?  He seems a troubled lad.  He’s not punished, I assure you.  How could he know my boy was touched?  No need to hide away in the barn.”

“I think he’s more embarrassed than anything.  If not by his behavior, then surely by how easily he was throttled.”

“Nothing to be ashamed of there.  I’ve lost my own battles with my son.  The older he gets, the harder he is to keep rooted and out of trouble.”

“I think my lad’s problem is he’s used to being beat,” the merchant sighed.  As he spoke the words, the revelation of why his apprentice was so vehemently against returning home hit him, as though a veil had been lifted from his eyes.  “He’s not had as compassionate a father as your boy.”

“That’s a tricky spot he’s in.  The life you’ve given him is better than what he had, no doubt.”

The merchant nodded.  “But still not the life he wants.  “He wants to go home, but he doesn’t know where that is.”

Both men reflected on their respective wards, finishing their meals in relative silence.  When the food was gone from their plates, the farmer set aside one for the guest who had not come to dinner.  The merchant followed him to the kitchen, sinking his flatware into the wash basin.  They looked out the window, the afternoon sun obscured by dark clouds.

“About time we had a decent rain out this way.  Maybe we’ll even get some water in that dried up well,” the farmer said.  “Crops have been slow to grow this season.”

“And goods have been slow to sell,” his guest added.  “Could it be as we’re getting older, we’re losing our touch?”

Though the notion was bitter, the farmer noted the merchant’s intentions were not.  “We should get out there with your lad’s food before we see a downpour.  No doubt it’s time to bring my boy’s latest masterpiece inside as well.”

As they made their way back through the dining area, he passed the leftover plate to his guest.  Together, they walked through the house, the windows on that side offering considerably less light.  When they emerged on the porch, the farmer’s son was nowhere to be seen.

“Hmm, now where’d that boy get off to?” he hummed.  He glanced over at the far end of the porch, noticing the easel and the canvas were still present.

“Does he do this often?  Disappear without warning?”

“Not particularly.  He usually stays wherever he’s most comfortable: in his room or right here.”  He narrowed his eyes as he reached the canvas, though, kneeling down for a better look.  The silver cone had grown darker, and the rest of the picture became clear.  A wave of realization washed over him, and he flipped the canvas.  “We’ve got to find him and get your lad.”

NaNoWriMo, Worldspinner, Bear Mountain Books and a Wedding!

Hello there, fans of fantasy and friends of Tellest!

This next month-and-a-half is definitely going to be a busy one for us. Let’s get the most awesome news out of the way first.  Rhianna and I are getting marriedon Saturday!  In a lot of ways, Tellest brought us together, so I thought that this was a fair place to announce the happy occasion.  We’ve got some wedding-related goodies that we’ll be posting on the site in the next few weeks as well, but other than that, we’ll probably be a little quiet until we’re back from sunny Florida.

Luckily, I’m leaving you with a decent amount of news as well!

 NaNoWriMo
National Novel Writing Month

First off, I’d like to formally announce my first ever entry into NaNoWriMo.  For those who don’t know what it is, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month.  It’s a challenge for authors to write at least 50,000 words in the 30 days of November.  Those of you who have been following Tellest for a while are probably well aware that it is a real challenge for me.  The Fall took me almost half a year to write, and it didn’t even have 50,000 words in it by the time it was complete.  I’m committed to the attempt though, and I’m going to give it my all.  In November, I’ll give you more information about the story I’m writing, and give you previews and excerpts so that you can join in on the fun as well!

We’ve also got some very cool collaboration news to talk about.  Earlier this year I began working with some fine folks at Worldspinner.  Their Kickstarter absolutely crushed it last September, and they’ve been making great strides to bring a wonderful product to the world.  It’s a worldbuilding tool that both gamers and authors can use to help with that process.  It’s an amazing tool with a lot of potential to make your tabletop games, your world lore and your stories in general exponentially more robust.  I’m just freelancing at the moment, proofreading and offering up some smaller plots that may randomly show up, but I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of their huge story!

Last but not least, I’d like to direct your attention to Bear Mountain Books.  They’ve graciously decided to take the cover for Mageborn and poll their readers about it.  So far, it seems that the cover image itself is appreciated, but the font and even the logo may be a little confusing.  I love what Bear Mountain Books and Maria Schneider are doing for authors (and for readers) and I encourage you to give the site a gander.  And you might as well like theirFacebook page as well—you’ll be the first to know about deals, reviews and book cover polls like the one running for Mageborn.

State of Tellest, September 2015

Hello folks!  It’s been four months since we last talked about the future and what’s being planned for the months to come here at Tellest.  It’s the perfect time, right before a busy Fall schedule to really get into the thick of it.

 

Tellest Art

Alright, this is a tricky one.  We told you back in May that things weren’t looking good, but we’ve actually been doing pretty well.  The Tellest Patreon has a few more patrons,  and we’ve been able to continue some collaborations with some of our favorite artists. With luck, as of right now, our current setup will carry us through the end of January—though you will see the curtain drawn back on one of our other projects.

 

Our Other Projects

So, over the course of the next several weeks (probably starting around the middle of November, really), you’ll start to see these other projects taking place.  They’re smaller pieces to the bigger puzzle that is Tellest, but I think they’ll add to the overall tapestry, and make it a lot more cohesive and fun to venture to.  It’ll be the first step in a few new directions for the universe, and I hope it appeals to a whole heck of people.  In any case, stay tuned for that.

 

Kickstarter and Tales of Tellest

We’re at the point now where we are just about done with our commitment to the fine folks that backed us on Kickstarter so very long ago.  I’m still hopeful that I’ll be able to get everything out this year, hopefully by Christmas, but we’re still wrapping up the last three stories:

Touched‘s first draft is complete, but I have it in the hands of an expert right now who is working on verbiage and dialogue that would be suitable for this particular story, which happens to deal with someone who is on the autism spectrum.  I want it to be tasteful and entertaining, and this professional is doing me a huge favor by lending her hand to the world.

Midwinter Requiem is Rhianna’s first big writing dabble in the world of Tellest.  She’s telling the story of a dwarven people who have been mentioned before in the series, the Coldwhistle clan.  She’s nearly complete with her draft, and then we’ve decided that I’m going to take it and throw my own touch on it before sitting on it for a week or two, finishing it up and then sending it to our editor.

Finally, we have Keeper of the Void, a kind of cohesive set of bookends that loosely ties all of the stories we told during these last two years together.  It deals largely with time and space, and we’re working this into one of those side projects we talked about earlier. I just finished this story this morning, so it needs to be typed up and edited before it’s good to go.

I’m really hopeful that these stories will be ready to go out before the end of the year.  With luck, about 98% of our Kickstarter backers will receive their rewards—we have one big holdout, being the audiobook version of The Fall.

 

The Future of Tellest

Those few months ago, I told you that the plan for the future of Tellest was to continue with both the novellas and the feature length novels that follow the huge ensemble that we have in place. I’m happy to say that everything is going according to plan.

The first feature length novel was a slow burn to start—I was starting with some fresh characters for a prologue—but now we’re roaring forward since we’ve stepped back into familiar territory.  I’m going to try to keep these books to a reasonable length, as well.  The Enemy Within was over 800 pages before we culled it down, and even in its finished form, I think it’s a bit much.  Not to mention, there was a lot of time invested in that story, and in that time, a lot of attention disappeared from the first two books, which had already been released on Amazon.  As of now, the plan is still to do about five books in this “series,” but I’m going to play it by ear as best I can.

As for the novellas, and what I’d probably end up calling Tales of Tellest, volume two, they haven’t had their “official” start just yet, but they’re coming together a lot more decisively.  I have a whole rainbow of notebooks in my desk that are just waiting to be scribbled in, but the notes are taking shape on my computer.  I know where the characters are going, I have some rough ideas of what the titles will be, and I know the breadth of this second volume of stories (hint: there’ll be more than five novellas this time around).

With luck, since I’m picking up the pace again, we’ll be able to really put pencil to paper on these stories relatively quickly.  It’s easy to get discouraged, but I’m thinking positive again.  The stories should flow fairly well since they’re familiar, and I’ve been getting some really good vibes about the direction I’m taking.

 

The Tellest Community and the Mageborn Audiobook Contest

I’d also just like to say how happy I am that the Tellest community is growing so well.  In the last several days, the amount of newsletter subscribers went up quicker than I could have imagined.  I’d like to welcome all the new fans—I hope we give you a lot of entertainment for years to come!

Finally, there’s the matter of the Mageborn Audiobook giveaway.  I just wanted everyone to know that the winners have been chosen. We sent out messages to those who did win.  If you didn’t get a message, don’t be discouraged—we’re going to try to hold these contests about once a month.  There’s plenty of cool swag to go around!

 

That’ll about do it for this State of Tellest, but as you can see, things are really beginning to come together.  Keep an eye on us and be prepared for some awesome new things to happen here at Tellest!

Mageborn Audiobook Giveaway!

Today, I’m announcing a small contest with 10 winners—with one catch: you have to be a subscriber to the Tellest Newsletter.  Each winner will earn a credit to get their own copy of the Mageborn audiobook for free.  Once you sign up, respond to the welcome email with the name of the floating continent in The Fall (hint: it starts with an S).

I’ll tally everyone up on Monday the 28th, and pick—at random—our ten winners, reach out to them and explain how to receive their free books.

Best of luck to all who enter, and thank you for being fans of Tellest!