Stephen Brooke's Blog: Stephen Brooke's Scribblings, page 4
July 5, 2017
Arrows of Heaven
It is time to announce the release of the next novel, another fantasy-adventure, ARROWS OF HEAVEN. This is the second Mora book, set in a quasi-Polynesian world (the same as my Malvern trilogy), and following the exploits of Teme, sister to the High King. And it is not YA, even if it sounds like it!
One of my 'typical' 60,000 word endeavors, the finished draft again coming quite quickly after a longer period of plotting and outlining (it's sort of 'paint by numbers' once I settle down to the actual narrative). Some editing and proofreading and formatting still to come, and then an official release on Sept 1, 2017 from Arachis Press.
This was written while I was in the middle of working on a longer, more ambitious 'mainstream' novel. That will show up someday. And before then, another poetry collection, VOYAGES, set to come out on November 1. More on that one later.
http://arachispress.blogspot.com/2017...
One of my 'typical' 60,000 word endeavors, the finished draft again coming quite quickly after a longer period of plotting and outlining (it's sort of 'paint by numbers' once I settle down to the actual narrative). Some editing and proofreading and formatting still to come, and then an official release on Sept 1, 2017 from Arachis Press.
This was written while I was in the middle of working on a longer, more ambitious 'mainstream' novel. That will show up someday. And before then, another poetry collection, VOYAGES, set to come out on November 1. More on that one later.
http://arachispress.blogspot.com/2017...
March 23, 2017
Release the Crocodile!
So, I have churned out yet another 'fantasy adventure,' officially set for release on June 3 by Arachis Press. Print and ebook, of course, having the title THE CROCODILE'S SON and following Qala the Pirate Queen, a secondary character in THE EYES OF THE WIND. A quick write, when I actually sat down to write, under three weeks to turn out something close to the final version of 60,000 words.
But that followed months of making notes and outlining and just plain thinking. Exactly how much time was involved I could not say as it was only one of several projects being developed. But I don't do the 'first draft and rewrite' bit; the kinks were worked out in that lead-up period.
Now editing and formatting and proofreading and all that stuff, which takes longer than getting a good draft. And we set a release date to make sure I work on this — while getting going on the next novel, of course.
But that followed months of making notes and outlining and just plain thinking. Exactly how much time was involved I could not say as it was only one of several projects being developed. But I don't do the 'first draft and rewrite' bit; the kinks were worked out in that lead-up period.
Now editing and formatting and proofreading and all that stuff, which takes longer than getting a good draft. And we set a release date to make sure I work on this — while getting going on the next novel, of course.
January 6, 2017
God of Rain
It is time to announce the release of the next novel, God of Rain, coming officially on March 13 from Arachis Press. GoR is another 'fantasy-adventure,' the first of a projected trilogy set in the Mora world of my Malvern books, and a semi-sequel to those novels.
Essentially God of Rain and those that follow it will be related stand-alone tales --- there is no 'continuing story' here. Here's the official blurb:
Hito had tired of war, of knowing he would never be more than the second to the hero Aranu. It was time he sought his own destiny, to leave fighting behind and seek more. Peace, he desired, and a wife and home. If a bit of wealth came his way, too, that was to the better. But was that what he truly sought? Should there not be more?
From the Mora homeland to the jungled valley of the Gurang, from a new life as a trader to that of a Kohari prisoner, condemned to be sacrificed to the Sun Bird, his quest carries him. And does he find love, as well? Perhaps.
In Teva, the God of Rain, must he seek who he is truly meant to be. In the end, it will be Hito himself he finds, in the first novel of a new Mora Trilogy, GOD OF RAIN.
Essentially God of Rain and those that follow it will be related stand-alone tales --- there is no 'continuing story' here. Here's the official blurb:
Hito had tired of war, of knowing he would never be more than the second to the hero Aranu. It was time he sought his own destiny, to leave fighting behind and seek more. Peace, he desired, and a wife and home. If a bit of wealth came his way, too, that was to the better. But was that what he truly sought? Should there not be more?
From the Mora homeland to the jungled valley of the Gurang, from a new life as a trader to that of a Kohari prisoner, condemned to be sacrificed to the Sun Bird, his quest carries him. And does he find love, as well? Perhaps.
In Teva, the God of Rain, must he seek who he is truly meant to be. In the end, it will be Hito himself he finds, in the first novel of a new Mora Trilogy, GOD OF RAIN.
October 8, 2016
Waves
All is set for the publication of my new novel, WAVES, with the official release date of December 5, 2016. Print and ebook versions, of course, from Arachis Press.
WAVES is the followup to my novel SHAPER and is set in the same fictional Florida coastal town of Cully Beach. As SHAPER, it is ostensibly a 'crime' novel but that is primarily to provide a plot structure on which to hang a study of characters and relationships. I.e. if you are a fan of thrillers, WAVES is probably not your book.
The narrative follows the continued tale of 'Shaper,' Ted Carrol, surf shop owner and reluctant detective, through a troubled past and present. An old flame visits and decides to stay in Cully Beach. His lover fears to commit to the relationship for which he put aside his once-tidy lifestyle. A friend is framed and faces jail.
WAVES will stand on its own but it would help to read SHAPER first. Why not get both? :)
WAVES is the followup to my novel SHAPER and is set in the same fictional Florida coastal town of Cully Beach. As SHAPER, it is ostensibly a 'crime' novel but that is primarily to provide a plot structure on which to hang a study of characters and relationships. I.e. if you are a fan of thrillers, WAVES is probably not your book.
The narrative follows the continued tale of 'Shaper,' Ted Carrol, surf shop owner and reluctant detective, through a troubled past and present. An old flame visits and decides to stay in Cully Beach. His lover fears to commit to the relationship for which he put aside his once-tidy lifestyle. A friend is framed and faces jail.
WAVES will stand on its own but it would help to read SHAPER first. Why not get both? :)
August 31, 2016
Fields of Summer
Will you taste July
with me? It promises
to be sweeter this year
than any I have known.
Tomorrow! Or not tomorrow if you are reading this tomorrow or the next day or...anyway, September 1 is the official release date for my new poetry collection, FIELDS OF SUMMER (from Arachis Press). Available everywhere!
Well, almost everywhere, in print and ebook versions. The official back cover blurb:
Visit the fields we remember, the fields we walked in summers past. We knew joy there, we knew regret, and both have faded now into the golden hazes of memory.
The Fields of Summer wait for our return. A collection of poems by Stephen Brooke.
Your copy is waiting! :)
with me? It promises
to be sweeter this year
than any I have known.
Tomorrow! Or not tomorrow if you are reading this tomorrow or the next day or...anyway, September 1 is the official release date for my new poetry collection, FIELDS OF SUMMER (from Arachis Press). Available everywhere!
Well, almost everywhere, in print and ebook versions. The official back cover blurb:
Visit the fields we remember, the fields we walked in summers past. We knew joy there, we knew regret, and both have faded now into the golden hazes of memory.
The Fields of Summer wait for our return. A collection of poems by Stephen Brooke.
Your copy is waiting! :)
May 19, 2016
The Eyes of the Wind
My new novel, THE EYES OF THE WIND, is officially set for release on July 15. From Arachis Press and available there and everywhere in print and ebook formats.
This fantasy novel to some degree fits into the gap between my Malvern novels and the Donzalo's Destiny sequence, chronologically (There's a pretty big gap, thousands of years, there so it is quite unnecessary to read either of those, though, of course, I wish you would!)
The long form blurb:
Young Saj only wanted to deliver his wagon-load of goods and be on his way to a new life in the South. How did he end up kidnapping a willful young noblewoman?
Or was it she who kidnapped him? He wasn’t quite sure.
Facing pirates, bandits, and sorcerers, Saj finds himself seeking the four mystic gems known as the Eyes of the Wind for a mysterious priestly order. Accompanied by Marana, who may or may not love him, and the wily wizard Xit, who may or may not be a god, his quest takes him from the sea to the mountains and into his own soul.
For Saj has powers that lie within him, powers of which he is only now becoming aware.
This fantasy novel to some degree fits into the gap between my Malvern novels and the Donzalo's Destiny sequence, chronologically (There's a pretty big gap, thousands of years, there so it is quite unnecessary to read either of those, though, of course, I wish you would!)
The long form blurb:
Young Saj only wanted to deliver his wagon-load of goods and be on his way to a new life in the South. How did he end up kidnapping a willful young noblewoman?
Or was it she who kidnapped him? He wasn’t quite sure.
Facing pirates, bandits, and sorcerers, Saj finds himself seeking the four mystic gems known as the Eyes of the Wind for a mysterious priestly order. Accompanied by Marana, who may or may not love him, and the wily wizard Xit, who may or may not be a god, his quest takes him from the sea to the mountains and into his own soul.
For Saj has powers that lie within him, powers of which he is only now becoming aware.
February 10, 2016
Fourth Wall
I have occasionally done the 'breaking the fourth wall' thing in my novels and stories. This comes naturally, of course, in a first person narrative — any story told in that fashion implicitly recognizes an audience. Perhaps being able to make remarks to the audience is one reason I like that point of view!
It is a little trickier when one goes third person, particularly if it is a limited third person voice. Any aside can be jarring and pull the reader away from the story. This has not prevented me from doing it a few times. If Thackeray could get away with it, why not me? I recognize that he was writing at a time when such devices were going out of fashion and greater 'realism' was the trend. But a book is a book; it is not real life.
So why pretend otherwise? The reader is fully aware that the author exists. I like to think of myself, at times, as a storyteller sitting in the marketplace, telling tales to a circle of listeners (I've written a couple stories that explicitly make the narrator such.). In this role, I would acknowledge and interact with my audience.
A little of this goes a long way, as the cliché would have it. It's not something to use over and over, but only dropped in very occasionally. And, admittedly, there are times when it simply does not work. The thing is, the aside should fit into the narrative, help illuminate it, rather than pulling the attention of the reader away from what is going on.
In other words, don't use it to comment about something else. Don't take the audience away from the story — you might not get them back. Ideally, such digressions will serve the plot, leading the reader right back into it.
Do not be afraid to reveal yourself. That is my point here. You, as the author, exist. You are part of your story and there is no reason to pretend otherwise, to follow some conceit of 'realism.' It's not real. It's a book. You made it up.
Stephen Brooke ©2016
BTW, the official release date for my third and final Malvern novel is set for March 12. I shall be at the Will McLean Festival that weekend (a folk music gathering in central Florida) but I will have books with me!
It is a little trickier when one goes third person, particularly if it is a limited third person voice. Any aside can be jarring and pull the reader away from the story. This has not prevented me from doing it a few times. If Thackeray could get away with it, why not me? I recognize that he was writing at a time when such devices were going out of fashion and greater 'realism' was the trend. But a book is a book; it is not real life.
So why pretend otherwise? The reader is fully aware that the author exists. I like to think of myself, at times, as a storyteller sitting in the marketplace, telling tales to a circle of listeners (I've written a couple stories that explicitly make the narrator such.). In this role, I would acknowledge and interact with my audience.
A little of this goes a long way, as the cliché would have it. It's not something to use over and over, but only dropped in very occasionally. And, admittedly, there are times when it simply does not work. The thing is, the aside should fit into the narrative, help illuminate it, rather than pulling the attention of the reader away from what is going on.
In other words, don't use it to comment about something else. Don't take the audience away from the story — you might not get them back. Ideally, such digressions will serve the plot, leading the reader right back into it.
Do not be afraid to reveal yourself. That is my point here. You, as the author, exist. You are part of your story and there is no reason to pretend otherwise, to follow some conceit of 'realism.' It's not real. It's a book. You made it up.
Stephen Brooke ©2016
BTW, the official release date for my third and final Malvern novel is set for March 12. I shall be at the Will McLean Festival that weekend (a folk music gathering in central Florida) but I will have books with me!
October 30, 2015
The Tower Released
Officially released this weekend by Arachis Press, THE TOWER is now available pretty much everywhere. This is my latest poetry collection --- my fourth chapbook of poems and my fifteenth book to be published. It can be purchased directly at:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/stephen-broo...
PDF and EPUB version are also for sale at the Arachis Press shop. Or it should be available at various retailers in both print and ebook versions. If not already at their sites, it will be appearing soon.
The next book, number sixteen, will be the second novel in my Malvern series, the sequel to COAST OF SPEARS. It should appear around the beginning of 2016 and is titled VALLEY OF VISIONS. The third and final Malvern novel, HERO FROM THE SEA, will come when I finish writing it --- which means there might be other releases before it appears.
http://www.lulu.com/shop/stephen-broo...
PDF and EPUB version are also for sale at the Arachis Press shop. Or it should be available at various retailers in both print and ebook versions. If not already at their sites, it will be appearing soon.
The next book, number sixteen, will be the second novel in my Malvern series, the sequel to COAST OF SPEARS. It should appear around the beginning of 2016 and is titled VALLEY OF VISIONS. The third and final Malvern novel, HERO FROM THE SEA, will come when I finish writing it --- which means there might be other releases before it appears.
October 15, 2015
Tower Giveaway
Through Sunday October 18, Arachis Press and I are giving away ebook editions of my new collection of poems, The Tower, before the official release, in EPUB format. Get yours at our store at Lulu (our printer): http://www.lulu.com/shop/stephen-broo...
Just put it in the cart and you will be charged nothing when you check out. And, as long as you are there, you might as well look at our other titles!
Just put it in the cart and you will be charged nothing when you check out. And, as long as you are there, you might as well look at our other titles!
May 12, 2015
Coast of Spears
My newest novel, COAST OF SPEARS, is now set for release on July 1 by Arachis Press. I am characterizing the book as a ‘fantasy adventure,’ but the fantasy element is actually fairly modest. It is certainly less prominent than in the ‘Donzalo’ novels, which border on high fantasy.
Expect the usual ebook and print editions, which should be available at the Arachis Press website (http://arachispress.com) before the official date and elsewhere sometime later.
COS follows the protagonist, Michael Meleager Malvern (which is a name he has coined for himself to fit into ‘high society’), from being cast away on a savage coast, to finding conflict and adventure, and ultimately searching for meaning and love among those he meets there.
There will be more Malvern books, by the way. But so many other projects to take my attention in the mean time!
Expect the usual ebook and print editions, which should be available at the Arachis Press website (http://arachispress.com) before the official date and elsewhere sometime later.
COS follows the protagonist, Michael Meleager Malvern (which is a name he has coined for himself to fit into ‘high society’), from being cast away on a savage coast, to finding conflict and adventure, and ultimately searching for meaning and love among those he meets there.
There will be more Malvern books, by the way. But so many other projects to take my attention in the mean time!
