Ais's Blog - Posts Tagged "evenfall"
Starting ICoS? Wait a little longer...
If you're interested in starting In the Company of Shadows, you might want to wait a month or two. We're in the middle of editing and are mostly done with Evenfall. We will re-release Evenfall (still for free) in ebook format when done. We're cutting out about 1/3 of the word count-- rest assured that this isn't taking out anything significant to the plot. Actually, most of it is unnecessary narration or repetitive wording-- and some of it is improving upon existing scenes.
After Evenfall is done, we'll be moving on to the rest of the series. But we'll probably release Evenfall as soon as we can since it's the most egregious.
The books will be available here and at our download site, www.inthecompanyofshadows.com
Keep in mind-- we are editing this ourselves this time around. It will NOT be professionally edited, it will just be a lot cleaner than it was before.
However, if we ever self-publish this (our plan eventually) we will get it professionally edited.
TIMELINE?
Hopefully Evenfall will be re-released in the next month or so. The post-Fade anthology, 1/27, also should be available in the next month or so.
*****ALERT ALERT ALERT******
BELOW EXAMPLES CONTAIN SPOILERS!!! I tried to use the spoiler tag but they don't work on blog posts for some reason. Skip past the below pics if need be.
If you want a visual of what I mean about tightening up the story, here are two screenshots Santino and I recently took:
(click here for fullview)
and
(click here for fullview)
After Evenfall is done, we'll be moving on to the rest of the series. But we'll probably release Evenfall as soon as we can since it's the most egregious.
The books will be available here and at our download site, www.inthecompanyofshadows.com
Keep in mind-- we are editing this ourselves this time around. It will NOT be professionally edited, it will just be a lot cleaner than it was before.
However, if we ever self-publish this (our plan eventually) we will get it professionally edited.
TIMELINE?
Hopefully Evenfall will be re-released in the next month or so. The post-Fade anthology, 1/27, also should be available in the next month or so.
*****ALERT ALERT ALERT******
BELOW EXAMPLES CONTAIN SPOILERS!!! I tried to use the spoiler tag but they don't work on blog posts for some reason. Skip past the below pics if need be.
If you want a visual of what I mean about tightening up the story, here are two screenshots Santino and I recently took:
(click here for fullview)
and
(click here for fullview)
Chat recap: ICoS, 1/27, Evenfall Director's Cut, and more
Last weekend we did a chat for anyone who had questions about ICoS, Evenfall Director's Cut, 1/27, or more.
We saved the transcripts of the morning and night chats, and also pulled out all the questions/answers for those who didn't want to read the whole transcripts.
IMPORTANT!!!! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ALL OF ICOS OR 1/27! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Still here? Okay. Here are a few of the Q&A's:
1/27
*Is Kassian really in love with Ryan?
Ryan nailed it when he called Kassian out, but Kassian really does have feelings for him and wants to be with him. It isn’t as fully developed into being “in love” as he thinks it is yet though.
*Owen/Jeffrey arc: how will their story progress?
Owen and Jeffrey will both be in the sequel so their story will progress there. (Note: this wasn’t mentioned in chat but one or both will likely get POVs in the sequel)
On a side note, Jeffrey and Ryan both transformed. It was interesting in 1/27 that their stories were reflective of each other with somewhat similar themes, and that they said almost the same thing about nerds and power or lack thereof, because those stories were written completely separately from each other. We each wrote one of them and hadn’t discussed the plots with each other. We had no idea there was such a similarity until we put the anthology together and saw the same theme popping up with both of them.
SEQUEL:
Tell us everything about the sequel!
We had talked about a sequel but it didn’t come together until writing 1/27. We were talking about all the new groups, like Rift (the VR group), the Knights, the Jacobins, how the characters would react/interact, and the sequel just sort of came together.
The nerds will have a much larger role in the sequel. In fact, Ryan’s line to Kassian fits well for the theme of the sequel: A fieldie is nothing without his nerd.
In the sequel, part of Ryan’s story arc will be realizing he is a force to be reckoned with on his own. He has power, he isn’t just a helper. Part of his issues with his self-esteem and not believing someone like Kassian could want him is that he was always the support guy, the helper guy, the sick kid, etc. No one at the Agency saw him as someone with power.
Also, the only teaser we’ll give: DARK SIDE.
*Will Ryan be the main POV in the possible sequel, or will Boyd and Hsin still be the main characters? (and related question: how are you going to write the sequel if Kassian and Ryan are both Santino’s characters and they have POVs?)
There will be multiple POVs. Ryan will be the main one, Boyd will also have one. Hsin may not have a POV but he is still a main character. The POVs will be a bit more balanced like it was in Interludes (as opposed to Evenfall which was much heavier on one POV) but it will be a continuous story like Evenfall, Afterimage, and Fade (not episodic like Interludes).
*Will there be new characters joining the Lexington Defectors group?
There will be some new characters in the new organization and at the Agency. One of the new characters is actually going to be a bit star struck by the idea of the Lexington Defectors. They made quite the reputation for themselves at the Agency. They’re legends now.
EVENFALL DIRECTOR'S CUT:
*How is the Evenfall edit going?
Pretty well. We set a date for ourselves to release it on May 26. That would be the free version that is just edited by us. We will then slowly start working on a version that would be for pay: a more professional edit that would likely include bonus content and extras which would then be self-published, to include both ebooks as well as paperback/print copies. There is no deadline set for self-publishing. As we plan it, even when the for-pay version is available, there will still be the free copy for those who can’t afford or access it.
*Where is the split between volume 1 and 2 of Evenfall: Director’s Cut?
Volume 1 ends after the briefing before Monterrey, volume 2 starts with the bus ride where they’re both hot and pissy.
******
To read the rest (there are a LOT more questions!) and find the links to the full chats, go here: 4/5/14 S&A Chat Recaps, at my tumblr blog
We saved the transcripts of the morning and night chats, and also pulled out all the questions/answers for those who didn't want to read the whole transcripts.
IMPORTANT!!!! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ ALL OF ICOS OR 1/27! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Still here? Okay. Here are a few of the Q&A's:
1/27
*Is Kassian really in love with Ryan?
Ryan nailed it when he called Kassian out, but Kassian really does have feelings for him and wants to be with him. It isn’t as fully developed into being “in love” as he thinks it is yet though.
*Owen/Jeffrey arc: how will their story progress?
Owen and Jeffrey will both be in the sequel so their story will progress there. (Note: this wasn’t mentioned in chat but one or both will likely get POVs in the sequel)
On a side note, Jeffrey and Ryan both transformed. It was interesting in 1/27 that their stories were reflective of each other with somewhat similar themes, and that they said almost the same thing about nerds and power or lack thereof, because those stories were written completely separately from each other. We each wrote one of them and hadn’t discussed the plots with each other. We had no idea there was such a similarity until we put the anthology together and saw the same theme popping up with both of them.
SEQUEL:
Tell us everything about the sequel!
We had talked about a sequel but it didn’t come together until writing 1/27. We were talking about all the new groups, like Rift (the VR group), the Knights, the Jacobins, how the characters would react/interact, and the sequel just sort of came together.
The nerds will have a much larger role in the sequel. In fact, Ryan’s line to Kassian fits well for the theme of the sequel: A fieldie is nothing without his nerd.
In the sequel, part of Ryan’s story arc will be realizing he is a force to be reckoned with on his own. He has power, he isn’t just a helper. Part of his issues with his self-esteem and not believing someone like Kassian could want him is that he was always the support guy, the helper guy, the sick kid, etc. No one at the Agency saw him as someone with power.
Also, the only teaser we’ll give: DARK SIDE.
*Will Ryan be the main POV in the possible sequel, or will Boyd and Hsin still be the main characters? (and related question: how are you going to write the sequel if Kassian and Ryan are both Santino’s characters and they have POVs?)
There will be multiple POVs. Ryan will be the main one, Boyd will also have one. Hsin may not have a POV but he is still a main character. The POVs will be a bit more balanced like it was in Interludes (as opposed to Evenfall which was much heavier on one POV) but it will be a continuous story like Evenfall, Afterimage, and Fade (not episodic like Interludes).
*Will there be new characters joining the Lexington Defectors group?
There will be some new characters in the new organization and at the Agency. One of the new characters is actually going to be a bit star struck by the idea of the Lexington Defectors. They made quite the reputation for themselves at the Agency. They’re legends now.
EVENFALL DIRECTOR'S CUT:
*How is the Evenfall edit going?
Pretty well. We set a date for ourselves to release it on May 26. That would be the free version that is just edited by us. We will then slowly start working on a version that would be for pay: a more professional edit that would likely include bonus content and extras which would then be self-published, to include both ebooks as well as paperback/print copies. There is no deadline set for self-publishing. As we plan it, even when the for-pay version is available, there will still be the free copy for those who can’t afford or access it.
*Where is the split between volume 1 and 2 of Evenfall: Director’s Cut?
Volume 1 ends after the briefing before Monterrey, volume 2 starts with the bus ride where they’re both hot and pissy.
******
To read the rest (there are a LOT more questions!) and find the links to the full chats, go here: 4/5/14 S&A Chat Recaps, at my tumblr blog
Director's Cut: Evenfall Volume 1 available
The Director's Cut version of Evenfall, Volume 1, is now available for download at inthecompanyofshadows.com! Volume 2 of Evenfall DC will be out by the end of the summer. We'll get the pdf uploaded to GR for download, too, probably tomorrow.
Cool but what the hey is Director's Cut?
tl;dr answer: We're revising/updating the entire series, splitting each book into two volumes, and re-releasing them (still for free!) online. Eventually we'll publish but we needed to do this edit first.
It's just Sonny and me editing so it's definitely not perfect but we think it's also improved on the original.
Improved how? GIVE ME PROOF!
Well, Bossypants, for example the Lou scene now has audio, we cut about 100,000 excess wording of narration and other craziness, and some of the key scenes were generally revised to make more sense.
But it also meant some of the scenes you knew from the previous versions got some minor uplifts, too, that we think helped build the hesitant intimacy Boyd and Hsin developed slowly over the course of Evenfall.
For example, have an excerpt!
"No—" The word wrenched out of Boyd. "Don't."
Sin leaned back in surprise, seeing raw terror in Boyd's face. He looked one heartbeat away from tearing away from Sin and fleeing the room.
Baffled, Sin could only stare. He had no idea what could have caused such an extreme reaction, especially in someone so unemotional as Boyd, and he felt a brief flash of impatience. He didn't know how deep the laceration was or how much blood Boyd had lost. They didn't have time for this shit; not when they were expected at the airport within the next several hours.
But the fear in Boyd's eyes stopped him.
"What if I just rip the part where the wound is?"
Even this suggestion scared Boyd. He remained coiled against the wall like a feral animal. The seconds dragged with Boyd panting harshly, not moving from his position as if he was petrified. It was then that Sin remembered that first day in the car when they'd driven along Dauphin street. The wild look, the labored breathing—the signs of post traumatic stress written all over Boyd's face.
"Fuck." Sin's breath hissed out in a slow exhale. His impatience skyrocketed, but he beat it back and tried to figure out what to do. It was only after Boyd began to tremble that Sin reached up to touch the side of Boyd's neck. "Boyd, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to stitch up your wound."
Boyd grabbed Sin's wrist but didn't shove his hand away.
"Just that area and nothing else," Sin said, keeping his voice low. He fanned out his fingers to cup Boyd's face again. This time, he moved it up in a slow caress. When Boyd's eyes closed and he leaned into the touch, Sin nearly lost his focus. He swallowed hard. "Just let me fix you."
ERMAHGERRRD GIMME THAT!
Like I said, go download it to your heart's content at www.inthecompanyofshadows.com :)
Cool but what the hey is Director's Cut?
tl;dr answer: We're revising/updating the entire series, splitting each book into two volumes, and re-releasing them (still for free!) online. Eventually we'll publish but we needed to do this edit first.
It's just Sonny and me editing so it's definitely not perfect but we think it's also improved on the original.
Improved how? GIVE ME PROOF!
Well, Bossypants, for example the Lou scene now has audio, we cut about 100,000 excess wording of narration and other craziness, and some of the key scenes were generally revised to make more sense.
But it also meant some of the scenes you knew from the previous versions got some minor uplifts, too, that we think helped build the hesitant intimacy Boyd and Hsin developed slowly over the course of Evenfall.
For example, have an excerpt!
"No—" The word wrenched out of Boyd. "Don't."
Sin leaned back in surprise, seeing raw terror in Boyd's face. He looked one heartbeat away from tearing away from Sin and fleeing the room.
Baffled, Sin could only stare. He had no idea what could have caused such an extreme reaction, especially in someone so unemotional as Boyd, and he felt a brief flash of impatience. He didn't know how deep the laceration was or how much blood Boyd had lost. They didn't have time for this shit; not when they were expected at the airport within the next several hours.
But the fear in Boyd's eyes stopped him.
"What if I just rip the part where the wound is?"
Even this suggestion scared Boyd. He remained coiled against the wall like a feral animal. The seconds dragged with Boyd panting harshly, not moving from his position as if he was petrified. It was then that Sin remembered that first day in the car when they'd driven along Dauphin street. The wild look, the labored breathing—the signs of post traumatic stress written all over Boyd's face.
"Fuck." Sin's breath hissed out in a slow exhale. His impatience skyrocketed, but he beat it back and tried to figure out what to do. It was only after Boyd began to tremble that Sin reached up to touch the side of Boyd's neck. "Boyd, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to stitch up your wound."
Boyd grabbed Sin's wrist but didn't shove his hand away.
"Just that area and nothing else," Sin said, keeping his voice low. He fanned out his fingers to cup Boyd's face again. This time, he moved it up in a slow caress. When Boyd's eyes closed and he leaned into the touch, Sin nearly lost his focus. He swallowed hard. "Just let me fix you."
ERMAHGERRRD GIMME THAT!
Like I said, go download it to your heart's content at www.inthecompanyofshadows.com :)
DC Evenfall VII excerpt
In case you didn't see this elsewhere, we're going to be releasing teasers every Sunday until the release of Director's Cut Evenfall Volume II.
(VII is tentatively projected to released on Sept 21. The actual last day of summer. We might be delayed on that depending on some situations...)
Evenfall Volume II: Director's Cut
There was a lull after Sin spoke. He cleared his throat, ran a hand through his hair, and crossed the space between the sofa and bed. It was difficult to not to stare at the swell of Boyd's ass beneath his thin black boxers.
"Lift up a bit," Sin said, voice coming out low.
Boyd's hips rose enough to clear the top of the pillow.
Sin ripped his eyes away from Boyd's ass and tried to focus on the matter at hand. He curled his fingers around the bottom of Boyd's shirt and pulled up. The fabric skimmed along Boyd's back and, inch-by-inch, revealed a long swath of his pale skin. The process dragged out due to Sin's fear of startling Boyd, which made it seem more like an unveiling than the simple action of checking his partner's injuries.
"Arms."
Boyd extended his arms, and Sin pulled the shirt off. He dropped it on the bed in grabbing distance of Boyd's hands.
"Okay?"
Boyd crossed his arms beneath his torso and held the pillow flush against him. Tension was visible in the lines of his body, and his voice wavered when he replied. "Yeah. It's a little... disconcerting, but it's okay."
Sin nodded even though Boyd couldn't see him. He cleared his throat again and allowed himself to examine Boyd's bared back.
Lean muscle stretched out beneath smooth, pale skin except for the areas that were marred by bruises. There were also tattoos on the back of each shoulder--Latin words that did not automatically translate for Sin. Mea maxima culpa and corpus vile.
He brushed his fingers against the words before he could stop himself but then guided his fingers down to drag along a vivid black and purple bruise that spanned from Boyd's neck to the rhomboid muscle. There was also a rose-colored splotch that started on the left side of his spine and extended down to the tailbone. Darker contusions were sprinkled along that bruise.
(VII is tentatively projected to released on Sept 21. The actual last day of summer. We might be delayed on that depending on some situations...)
Evenfall Volume II: Director's Cut
There was a lull after Sin spoke. He cleared his throat, ran a hand through his hair, and crossed the space between the sofa and bed. It was difficult to not to stare at the swell of Boyd's ass beneath his thin black boxers.
"Lift up a bit," Sin said, voice coming out low.
Boyd's hips rose enough to clear the top of the pillow.
Sin ripped his eyes away from Boyd's ass and tried to focus on the matter at hand. He curled his fingers around the bottom of Boyd's shirt and pulled up. The fabric skimmed along Boyd's back and, inch-by-inch, revealed a long swath of his pale skin. The process dragged out due to Sin's fear of startling Boyd, which made it seem more like an unveiling than the simple action of checking his partner's injuries.
"Arms."
Boyd extended his arms, and Sin pulled the shirt off. He dropped it on the bed in grabbing distance of Boyd's hands.
"Okay?"
Boyd crossed his arms beneath his torso and held the pillow flush against him. Tension was visible in the lines of his body, and his voice wavered when he replied. "Yeah. It's a little... disconcerting, but it's okay."
Sin nodded even though Boyd couldn't see him. He cleared his throat again and allowed himself to examine Boyd's bared back.
Lean muscle stretched out beneath smooth, pale skin except for the areas that were marred by bruises. There were also tattoos on the back of each shoulder--Latin words that did not automatically translate for Sin. Mea maxima culpa and corpus vile.
He brushed his fingers against the words before he could stop himself but then guided his fingers down to drag along a vivid black and purple bruise that spanned from Boyd's neck to the rhomboid muscle. There was also a rose-colored splotch that started on the left side of his spine and extended down to the tailbone. Darker contusions were sprinkled along that bruise.
DC Evenfall VII excerpt: teaser Sunday #3
"Hsin."
Sin's eyes snapped open and his hand shot out, clamping around Boyd's wrist so tightly the skin pinched and circulation cut off.
Boyd's heart stopped. He froze in place and struggled to find his voice. "Hsin, it's just me. You were having a nightmare."
There was not even a flash of recognition in Sin's face, but after two terrifying beats of silence, his hand loosened. He blinked and sucked in a shaky breath before his eyes focused. "What are you—Did I hurt you?"
"No, you didn't. It's okay."
"You shouldn't have—I told you—" Sin's words came out amid guttered breaths.
"It's okay." Boyd touched Sin's shoulder. "Nothing happened."
A shudder went through Sin's powerful frame and, instead of answering, his long fingers tightened on Boyd's wrist again. With only the briefest of motions, he pulled Boyd forward so he was next to Sin on the bed.
Boyd's breath caught.
"Please don't do that again," Sin whispered.
Sin's eyes snapped open and his hand shot out, clamping around Boyd's wrist so tightly the skin pinched and circulation cut off.
Boyd's heart stopped. He froze in place and struggled to find his voice. "Hsin, it's just me. You were having a nightmare."
There was not even a flash of recognition in Sin's face, but after two terrifying beats of silence, his hand loosened. He blinked and sucked in a shaky breath before his eyes focused. "What are you—Did I hurt you?"
"No, you didn't. It's okay."
"You shouldn't have—I told you—" Sin's words came out amid guttered breaths.
"It's okay." Boyd touched Sin's shoulder. "Nothing happened."
A shudder went through Sin's powerful frame and, instead of answering, his long fingers tightened on Boyd's wrist again. With only the briefest of motions, he pulled Boyd forward so he was next to Sin on the bed.
Boyd's breath caught.
"Please don't do that again," Sin whispered.
