Big Books of 2026

Eric Kent Edstrom's Blog, page 24

February 6, 2012

Undermountain: The Official Book Trailer

I'm thrilled to present the official book trailer for Undermountain.








 Let me know what you think!

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Published on February 06, 2012 10:55

January 24, 2012

There Are Two Stories In Every Book




If you're reading this, you already know how it feels to be absorbed in a great book. You love being transported to a cool world filled with magic, mystery, romance and adventure. You read for many reasons: to have vicarious experiences, to escape the stress of school or work, to care about something.




I'm so grateful I got the reading bug early on. I remember having this aha moment reading one of Anne McCafferey's Dragonriders books, when I said to myself, "Oh my god! This isn't a fantasy novel, it's actually science fiction!"




My mind was blown.




I remember getting teary-eyed reading The Hunger Games when Katniss sings to Rue. Just thinking about it still gives me a little lump in my throat. 




But you know what I remember more than the stories themselves? I remember where I was when I read them. For the Dragonriders it was summer of 1982 or '83, in my bedroom, windows open, the sounds crickets filling the air with their endless white noise. We didn't have AC, so to cut the humid heat I relied on a little oscillating fan. The thing was filthy with dust. At the end of each swing of its head, gears in its body clicked a few times before it figured out it was time to go the other way.











Next to my bed was a paper cup filled with ice water, a digital alarm clock, a bunch of guitar picks, and a reading lamp. Each night, I'd lie there reading, immersed in the fantastic world that sprang from Ms. McCafferey's mind.




There's one more detail. The smell of the pages. Actually all those paperbacks had that smell, didn't they?




I tried to start The Hunger Games at least three times before it took. I struggled with the present tense, the full immersion in a world with no explanation. The fact is, I always hate starting books. I'm never really into them until I've gotten forty or fifty pages in. But I made myself get that far, and once I did ... well, I just kept reading until the end.




And where was I when I read it? In bed, of course. But there was no oscillating fan, no crickets, no sweltering heat. I have my own house now. I had the cup of water, the digital alarm clock and the guitar picks. But I have AC now, and that old fan was tossed in the dumpster long ago. The only clicking came from the buttons on my Kindle. 




There are so many other books I remember in this way. I could go on and on. Maybe it's why I tend not to re-read books. Because I'm afraid I'll overwrite an already perfect memory.




For me, there are two stories in every book, and I remember them both.


Eric is the author of Undermountain, available from these ebook retailers.

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Published on January 24, 2012 10:08

January 19, 2012

Progress Report

I'm going to update my process report for book 2. I think I'm at about 40% with the outline. Yesterday I hit a bit of sticking point that required me to do some world-building, backstory development. If I do it right, most of that work won't show up in the books to bore you. It's kind of like drawing a person. You need to understand how the skeleton goes together, but in the final drawing you don't see the skeleton.





I've also completed another interview, which should be up next week. I'll be sure to post a link when that goes live.



Book one is getting good reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Still only one over at Nook and Smashwords. I don't know if any have sold through the iBookstore or Kobo. The way that reporting works, I probably won't know for quite some time.



Several people have asked about a printed version of the book, and it's coming. I'm putting the whole manuscript through another proofreading pass. Several readers have kindly emailed me with the errors they've uncovered. I figure I'll give it another polish before committing any copies to paper. Once the proofread is finished, it'll only take me a day to make the corrections. Then I've got to figure out how to get it formatted correctly for print. I had planned to do it myself, but now that I'm so deep into book 2, I don't want to get distracted. I've got to find a skilled book designer and get into their schedule. Who knows, if the backlog is too great, I may end up doing it myself anyway.



Finally, one of my characters has somehow managed to set up a twitter account. I think it's kind of hilarious. Here are some selections:



"@ekedstrom Obviously, we don't think of ourselves as bigfeet."



"The US population has just slightly more women than men. If true, your civilization just might have a chance. http://t.co/2pZXDnFj"



"You should see the fleas we have on Ig. Not like these little ones here on Earth."



"Some things just make you scratch you ear and go 'hmm.' Idiots, for instance."

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Published on January 19, 2012 08:55

January 17, 2012

Insane Parkour

One of the characters in my book, Wa, is practitioner of the insane sport of parkour, or free running. Here's a taste (sorry about the ad at the beginning). Please do not try these stunts at home or anywhere else.







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Published on January 17, 2012 08:07