Konn Lavery's Blog: Posts from konnlavery.com, page 45
September 21, 2017
Top 7 Tips for Series Writers
Check out the Top 7 Tips for Series Writers on Scribbles, Quibbles, & Scrawlings website. There are 7 authors including my contribution. The authors are:
Rob Boffard
Jenna Greene
Konn Lavery
Rebekah Raymond
Kelly Charron
Tyner Gillies
Pat Flewwelling
Top 7 Tips for Series Writers
The post Top 7 Tips for Series Writers appeared first on Konn Lavery.
September 18, 2017
Interview with Simon Rose
Check out the interview I had with Calgary author Simon Rose. We chat about behind the scenes of Mental Damnation
We cover the following in the interview:
You mentioned Reality: Part 1 of Mental Damnation originally being released in 2012, care to elaborate?
Now you have Dream, Part 2 of Mental Damnation. What makes this release different from the original edition?
With the re-telling of the story, will it still attract the same fanbase?
What is the age range for the Mental Damnation series?
There is also a third book in the original series, will that see a second edition?
Do you have anything else in the works?
Do you have anything else in the works?
The post Interview with Simon Rose appeared first on Konn Lavery.
Simon Rose’s New Series: Shadowzone
Today we welcome back Calgary author Simon Rose, who has published fourteen novels for children and young adults, seven guides for writers, almost 100 nonfiction books, and many articles on a wide variety of topics. Earlier this year he released Twisted Fate, the second installment of the paranormal Flashback series. Today, we’re looking at Simon Rose’s New Series: Shadowzone.
So what’s the Shadowzone series all about?
Simon Rose’s New Series: Shadowzone
The series involves the discovery of a grim dystopian version of Earth that’s ruled by a totalitarian dictatorship, the threat of a deadly virus, and a race against time to save the lives of millions. Without giving too much away, here’s a synopsis for each of the novels.
While watching intense flashes of lightning during a violent storm, Ben experiences mysterious and disturbing visions of another world, one very different from his own. In the chain of events that follow, Ben encounters Charlie, a girl from a dark version of Earth, a planet doomed by the effects of environmental catastrophe, where the leaders will stop at nothing to complete their deadly mission.
On a doomed version of Earth, the sinister schemes of the Ministry are moving ever closer to completion, with dire consequences for the inhabitants of two worlds. For Ben and Charlie, an unlikely alliance, unexpected reunions, and the mysterious prophecy of the Chosen One offer a glimmer of hope, with the ever-present prospect of betrayal, as they embark on an unpredictable journey into the unknown.
In a dark parallel world, following attacks by its most determined opponents, the Ministry has been forced to change its plans. Yet the ruthless Director-General is prepared to sacrifice anyone to achieve an entirely new beginning, no matter what the cost. In a deadly race against time, as events spiral out of control, Ben and Charlie must risk their lives in a desperate attempt to save two worlds from destruction.
What inspired you to write these three books? What’s the story behind the story?
The original idea was about someone capturing mysterious images on a video camera of a person that no one else could see. It was around the time that a local hospital was about to be demolished. I imagined that my character was filming the event and captured the image of the person stepping seemingly unharmed from the rubble as the building came down. The idea of capturing unexplained images on film was something that I’ve continued working on and it also inspired me to write The Time Camera, which was published in 2011.
For a while, that’s all I had and it was one of those ideas that I was never sure would come to anything. It was early in my writing career and I put it aside and worked on other stories, but I’d periodically add another element to the story about the camera and the mysterious individual. At one point, I decided that the person that the boy caught on film wasn’t a ghost but from another dimension or perhaps a parallel universe and they were attempting to contact him for some reason. I then began to add details of this other Earth and the reasons for the connection to our world, and it went from there. An initial concept involving kidnappings from hospitals didn’t quite work, so instead I developed the idea of a deadly virus, which was a good fit with the type of government running the other Earth. Once that was all in place, I was able to get to work.
Was it always going to be a series?
Shadowzone was originally only one novel, but once I’d finished it I immediately realized that the story wasn’t over and that I need to write more. The final installment was written very quickly and in the process I knew that I needed to expand the earlier sections too, so in the end I had a trilogy.
So of course, people need to read all three?
You could certainly just read Shadowzone, but there’s a cliffhanger ending and hopefully most people will feel utterly compelled to be read on and learn what happens next. Into The Web and Black Dawn also don’t make sense if you haven’t read the first book in the series. Taken together, it’s an exciting, fast paced adventure that I hope everyone will really enjoy.
So it’s a good idea for authors to write a series of books?
It can be, but only if you have enough material for multiple books. If readers are sufficiently interested in the story and the characters after completing the first installment, they’d usually like to read more. However, the story or theme has to be strong enough to warrant more adventures. It’s important to remember that the reader won’t appreciate any novel that’s overloaded with filler, just for the sake of creating a series, and might easily avoid any books by the same author in the future.
So where can people buy all three books in the Shadowzone series?
The books can be purchased at most of the usual places, as follows:
Shadowzone
Ebook: Amazon Canada, Amazon USA, Kobo, iBooks, and Smashwords
Paperback: Amazon, Createspace
Into The Web
Ebook: Amazon Canada, Amazon USA, Kobo, iBooks, and Smashwords
Paperback:
Black Dawn
Ebook: Amazon Canada, Amazon USA, Kobo, iBooks, and Smashwords
Paperback: Amazon, Createspace
You published these yourself, whereas most of your earlier work was traditionally published, correct?
The first eight novels were published by Tradewind Books, while Flashback, Future Imperfect, and Twisted Fate were published by Tyche Books, but my seven books featuring tips and advice for writers were self-published as paperbacks and as ebooks. I hadn’t self-published fiction before and thought it was time that I did. The Shadowzone books were finished and I believed that they were as good, if not better, than my other work. I also asked some people to read them to confirm this and then decided to go ahead with publication. A lot of traditionally published authors also self publish as well now, so it’s quite common practice these days.
Will you self publish again in the future?
Yes, I think so. The third part of the Flashback series will be published by Tyche Books next spring, but I do have several other projects that I’ll most likely publish myself as well soon.
What are you currently working on?
I always have a current project or two and right now I’m working on a historical fiction novel for young adults set in the turbulent era of the English Civil War in the 1640s. The novel’s about half finished, but I still have a lot of work to do. I’m also working on sequels to Future Imperfect and The Sphere of Septimus.
Are your other books in this similar dystopian genre?
No, although my novels are all in the science fiction and fantasy genre. The Sorcerer’s Letterbox and The Heretic’s Tomb are historical fiction adventures set in medieval England, The Alchemist’s Portrait is a time travel story, The Emerald Curse is all about superheroes and comic books, The Doomsday Mask is all about the legend of Atlantis, and The Sphere of Septimus involves the characters traveling into another world and is in the same vein as the Harry Potter series, The Chronicles of Narnia, or Lord of the Rings. Future Imperfect is a technology-driven story featuring mysterious messages from the future, and Flashback and Twisted Fate are in the paranormal genre. I’ve also written nonfiction guides for writers, including The Children’s Writer’s Guide and The Time Traveler’s Guide.
You also work with other authors, don’t you?
Yes, I do quite a lot of that these days. I’ve edited books in all kinds of genres for a wide range of writers in the last few years, offering both substantive and copy editing. I also work as a writing coach and consultant for people with works in progress or those that are struggling with writer’s block. You can learn more about some of the projects I’ve worked on that have subsequently been published are here on my website. I also offer online courses for adults and workshops on a variety of themes for aspiring young writers.
Thanks Simon, for being my guest here today and the very best of luck with the Shadowzone series. I hope the books sell thousands of copies in the coming weeks and months.
You can learn more about Simon and his work on his website at www.simon-rose.com or online at the following social media sites:
YouTube
Google +
The post Simon Rose’s New Series: Shadowzone appeared first on Konn Lavery.
September 14, 2017
Keeping Organized when Writing
Let’s face it, when writing there is a lot of stuff to keep track of. You have to fact-check, keep consistency with places, times, descriptions and events. This becomes even more complex when you are working on genre fiction like fantasy or science fiction because you introduce world building, new creatures, history and more. Managing all of this can become overwhelming quite quickly. So how does keeping organized when writing work?
Record Everything
There are primary two types of writers, there’s the ones that work with outlines and are quite systematic with their writing and then there are those that write based on impulse and intuition. Regardless of the type that you are, keeping a secondary document open (or a piece of paper nearby) while writing can become a major life saver.
What do you do with this second document?
As you are outlining or writing, write down every subplot, terminology, places, times and characters that you come up with. Specifically with fantasy and science fiction, you will want to write down items, weapons, creatures and races.
This list will be rough live document that you can reference as time goes on. It will only be complete once the novel is done.
Stylesheets
The document mentioned above can be refined and turned into a stylesheet. Stylesheets are internal documents used during your writing sessions to organize all of your stylistic choices in the book.
These can be created in spreadsheets (like Excel) or in word documents, or in a binder, whatever works best for your writing preferences. For the spreadsheet approach, you will want to have multiple spreadsheets for each category. These can be made with tabs in Excel. The tabs will be for the different types of styles to keep trach of, like characters, terms, subplots, etc.
Each of the spreadsheet tabs should have at least four columns in them:
The word
First appearance
Description
Internal Notes
Software
There are a number of mobile apps, web apps and software tools you can use to help keep organized with your novel. Googling terms like “Writing Organizer App” or “Novel Planner Software” will give some results on what you can find.
Personally I found learning a new tool to be more of a headache and it slows down my writing process. I lose focus on the writing and spend too much time fidgeting around with the tool to try and figure out how to do something. Again, this is a personal opinion, I’d rather stick to keeping notes in a document (paper or digital) just like the tool you use for writing your book.
Some people swear by organizational apps and say it drastically increases their productivity, each to their own though.
Review and Self-Editing
The points mentioned above can also disrupt the creative flow that you have when working on the earlier drafts of your novel. I for one do not like to be burdened with technicalities when producing creative work and prefer to save that for the later edits of the book.
Implement the method of recording your terms, events and characters into your writing based on what works for you. If you find it is too difficult to introduce in the earlier phases, do it later. If going back and recording everything from a completed draft is too daunting, try recording a stylesheet in the beginning phases of your writing.
Do you have any techniques for keeping organized when writing?
I’d love to hear them, share your thoughts in the comments.
The post Keeping Organized when Writing appeared first on Konn Lavery.
September 8, 2017
When is your book series done?
As a follow up from the “When is your book done?” blog post, I wanted to expand on writing series. When you are writing a single novel it is can be a bit easier to define a beginning, middle and ending. Knowing the answers to these questions is more challenging when your storyline is completed over several to a dozen books. So when is your book series done?
Defining the scope
Writing a series, it is very easy to go on a writing spree and not knowing when to stop. The plot can have a grand climax and conclusion in book one but you have some loose ends that weren’t tied up – makes for a great sequel. However as you work on book two you introduce a new character which opens a new sub plot and perhaps the book gets too long and it needs to be split into two; now you have a trilogy. This is just an example of how easily you can lose control of your series.
I’ve met a number of writers who have fallen into this trap, I too have made the mistake of doing this. If you catch yourself in this type of scenario, it is good to put on the brakes and figure out the scope of the story.
Do you have the ending figured out?
I mention this a number of times in blog posts, but it is quite critical to have some basic idea of where your story is going to go. If you don’t you may end up with writers block and have no sense of direction – you become lost at sea.
If you don’t have the ending figured out, take a step back from your series and think about it from a 5,000 foot view. Where is your protagonist going to end up? How are they going to solve their problem? What will happen to the supporting characters? Any sub plots left behind?
Stay organized
Keep track of what you are doing with stylesheets, story and chapter outlines. This will help answer some of these challenging questions. Plus writing a series isn’t done in one sitting or a couple of days, they take time to develop and keeping notes will help combat the thought gaps between writing sessions.
Spinoffs vs Sequels
Has the plot evolved so greatly that the sequels aren’t even about the protagonist anymore? Or do you have new ideas that are strong enough to work as their own novel? It might be worth taking these ideas and putting them into their own novel. Spinoff novels that are related to the series can keep your work within the same universe as your series but gives you more flexibility.
Marketing a Series
Are you up to book five, six or even ten? Have you published anything else? Something to consider is taking a break from your series so you are not pigeonholed into a single storyline that you spend years working on. Ultimately if you want to get new readers they still have to go back and start with book one.
Having stand-alone novels will help bring diversity into your writing and give your readers some selection.
Separate Yourself
Series are a large investment and often you can become quite attached to them. It is difficult to let it go because of the emotional attachment. Taking some months away from the series can help you return to it with a clearer sense of direction and make some of the big discussions, like ending the series, that have to be made.
Additional thoughts?
Do you have experience in writing a series? Have any advice that you’d like to share with the readers? Feel free to share in the comments.
The post When is your book series done? appeared first on Konn Lavery.
September 5, 2017
Descending into Fall
Summer is over, another sunny time has come and gone. School will be going in and vacations are over. It is most people’s favourite time of the year. Honestly, for me, I find summer makes me lazy due to the heat and I struggle to keep focused. Patio beers or road trips sound like a lot more fun than sitting inside, working on a computer, like I do most days of the year. Thankfully I was able to capitalize a bit of the nice weather during the second half of August. Now summer is over and we begin descending into the fall.
Welcome to another edition of Unprocessed Thoughts
As I mentioned, summer was quite busy. All of August has been focused on book signings and the promotion leading to the launch of Dream: Part 2 of Mental Damnation come September 13th. July was spent working on the third installment of Mental Damnation and preparing the overall story arch of the series. I’ll have more to share about the future of Mental Damnation come next year. At the moment, the writing focus has been put into the new mystery novel I hinted at last week on Instagram:
A post shared by Konn Lavery (@_konnartist) on Aug 30, 2017 at 8:28pm PDT
In between the writing, I had some big website projects that were wrapped up at the end of August. Plus the yearly Terminus Festival in Calgary and of course, When Words Collide 2017.
As it is with every year, fall ramps up to pure chaos, deadlines and events that keep me swamped until Christmas and New Year’s. This is to be expected now that I am into my third year of full time contract graphic design and web development. With each year I get a better handle of things and manage to improve from the previous year. Who knows, perhaps I will be able to participate in NaNoWriMo this year, unlike in 2016.
Descending into the fall of dreams and reality
With fall right around the corner also comes the launch of Dream. As mentioned in a previous posts, Dream has had a massive overhaul and I am beyond excited to get the new edition out to everyone. If you haven’t checked out the events page on Facebook or on the site, all of the dates for book signings and conventions for the remainder of the year have been added. This includes some highlights like the launch of Dream, the Edmonton Comic Expo, Words in the Park and Calgary Expo Holiday Market. Check out the dates I’ll be in Edmonton and Calgary during the fall and winter.
British Columbia, I’ll be back again next year. For now it’s time to buckle up and prepare for the Fall.
Beer Note: BEAU’s Tyrannosaurus Gruit
Stepping out of my comfort zone I decided to go for a non-hoppy beer. BEAU’s Tyrannosaurus Gruit is made of berries, Quebec-grown beets and hibiscus flowers. Not normally something I’d drink, it’s got a 5.8% alcohol level which makes it not very potent and easy for sipping. Suitable for summer time. Coolest thing about it is the bright red colouring of the liquid.
My personal tastes being for hoppy beers, I’d give this a 3.5/5
The post Descending into Fall appeared first on Konn Lavery.
September 3, 2017
The Writer’s Edge: Networking for Authors Featuring Creative Edge
Networking is one of the trickiest things for authors, especially with so many in person and online options. What are the best practices and what’s most worth your time? We’re joined by Creative Edge authors and the owner himself to share their unique experiences and tips!
Visit The Writer’s Edge YouTube Channel
The post The Writer’s Edge: Networking for Authors Featuring Creative Edge appeared first on Konn Lavery.
August 30, 2017
Preview Chapter 1 of Dream: Part 2 of Mental Damnation
Available September 13th, 2017.
Chapter 1
An Era Ends
Sitting cross-legged, the motionless man exhaled steadily from his dry mouth. Eyes closed, he gradually followed the action with an inhale. His eyes remained shut, his full concentration on his breathing cycle. He ignored the cool floor and the subtle deep rumbling ambience that echoed throughout the chamber. His goal was to keep his mind as empty as possible.
Silence, he thought to himself. The man’s bottom eyelid twitched slightly, realizing that a word had entered his mind. No thoughts, he thought. Wait!
“Damn it,” he muttered to himself. His eyes slowly peeled open as he came to the realization that he had broken his moment of bliss. The concentration he’d invested into clearing his head of thoughts was now gone. A surge of frustration coursed through his veins: the slight burning sensation of anger. The same anger he’d concentrated on suppressing over his years of training as a paladin—a warrior of the light.
As descendants of a holy bloodline known as paladins, his kind had abilities that matched the angels. The power given to the paladins was from another era; an era when God believed man was worthy of such gifts. Paladins had to meditate daily to retain a connection with their lord, heightening the holy ability fused to their physical being.
When one could not focus on their meditation, it was more than frustrating.
The man scanned the surrounding space, a chamber that served as the primary meditation area in the Temple of Zeal. Large marble columns stretched from floor to ceiling in the four corners of the square room, supporting the intricately carved illustrations of winged men above. The flooring had three circular designs overlapping one another painted in the centre where he sat. He gazed straight toward the stained-glass windows filled with varying shades of beige, yellow, and red. The sun beamed into the chamber and tinted the area with the hue of the glass.
Through all my years in the temple, even with the holy gifts blessed upon me by our lord, I still can’t master something as simple as meditation. He shook his head and stood, staring directly at the centre stained-glass piece: an image of a shirtless man with a crown of thorns piercing into his head.
Despite following the practices of my mentors and the words of God, the Creator . . . the man thought to himself while marching out of the chamber. He walked beyond the circular painting toward two large wooden doors reinforced with black painted steel. He pushed the handle plates open with one hand on each door, moving them aside so he could enter the hallway beyond: a long, narrow passage with marble sculptures lining either side.
If only the temple’s spiritual training came as easy as using a weapon, he thought. Physical tasks were something the man had always preferred. Using his mind to master his consciousness seemed to be a waste of time. He had his foundational beliefs and didn’t understand the need to meditate to find anything more.
“Brother Zalphium.” A masculine voice came from down the hall. Zalphium looked up; a man was marching toward him, clad in the same matching gold-plated armour that he himself wore.
“Brother Franch.” Zalphium returned the greeting with a nod. The two of them converged, stopping merely a foot apart.
“I hope you were able to come to some sort of epiphany through your meditation,” said Franch.
“Unfortunately, no. I find my mind is unable to quiet itself enough to find what it needs to. Especially in a time like this.”
Franch brushed his red beard with his hand and sighed. “I am sorry to hear that.”
“The blade is something that I identify with far easier than delving into a mental foundation that is already seamless. It’s essentially running my mind around in circles.”
“You raise a good point. Keep in mind, though: unless you challenge your mindset, you will never broaden your consciousness. We may already out-live any normal man by several centuries, but that doesn’t mean you can brush aside any training of wisdom.”
“Yes, as our mentors have told us,” said Zalphium. “I feel it serves no purpose to me, though. I am far better off perfecting my combat skills so I can further serve the Paladins of Zeal on the front lines, spreading the word of God and cleansing the world of Dega’Mostikas’ evil.”
“If meditating is difficult at a time like this, that is precisely why you need to meditate. Eliminate your weaknesses. You must seek answers about why you remain so disturbed by it.”
Zalphium folded his arms. “Perhaps because all we did during the Drac Age was fight. I think that is all I know.”
“You’re not a soldier, Zalphium. You’re a paladin. The days of battling the draconem with swords and blood are over.”
“I’m not a soldier anymore, but I was. It becomes difficult to remove that mindset from one’s head. During the war, we had to be certain of who we were when fighting those monsters.”
“Hence why you need to meditate,” said Franch. “Face the inner demons that trouble your thoughts so they do not corrupt you.”
“You know what troubles me? Even through all the struggles we went through during the Drac Age, ending their tyranny and bringing the world out of the darkest era it has ever seen, we are still following the draconem’s steps in every way.”
“Are you referring to the vazelead exile? You do recall Saule found evidence of the reptilian people serving the last Drac Lord, Karazickle? They are not worthy of being anywhere in the charted world.”
“I know this, but is exile to the underworld really necessary?”
Franch extended his hand while turning back the way he came. “Walk with me, brother.”
The two began to move farther down the hall, strolling side by side while passing numerous closed doors on each side of the path.
Franch kept his hand behind his back and sighed. “I understand what you are proposing: that our actions mimic the harsh tyranny of the Drac Lords. Their goal was to eliminate all other life. I disagree that we are following their ways. We are only exiling the vazelead people to the underworld, not annihilating them.”
“How is exile to that harsh environment any different? You know the stories as well as I do—the heat, the winds, and the utter darkness. We both know that Saule and the Council of Just chose the underworld because they knew of its conditions, how it mutates people into fiends. No one comes out of there the same. There is something otherworldly down there.”
“The vazelead people will never return from underworld, so we do not have to worry about what they will become from the metamorphosis fumes in the air. We are preparing a banishment ritual.”
Zalphium’s eyes widened. A Prayer of Power. “But that will keep them shackled there for eternity!”
“Yes. The vazelead people are not like us; they pose a threat that must be addressed. You cannot deny that.”
“Perhaps they are an opposition, but I do not believe that this is morally any different than the actions of the Drac Lords. Do you really think God approves such actions?”
Franch shrugged. “We tried to convert the vazelead people when we enslaved them decades ago. Now that they are free, they retain little of what we taught them about the civilized world. They’re animals, not human.”
The two pushed open a set of wooden doors leading out onto a stone balcony that extended along the outer wall of the marble temple. Beyond the balcony’s cylindrical stone railings was a vast and steep mountain-scape, covered in snow and dark charcoal rocks. The sun overlooked the clear blue sky, shining down on the ice and reflecting a bright white light directly at the temple. A single dirt path in the distance led to the base of the Temple of Zeal, directly below where Zalphium and Franch stood.
I never tire of the view of Mount Kuzuchi, Zalphium thought briefly. Through the debate with his comrade, the mountain-view provided him a moment of peace.
Franch extended his hand. “The Council of Just wills the banishment of the vazelead people, and we must obey. They led us out of the Drac Age and are responsible for ensuring such a threat never arises again.”
“They also traded for witchcraft from the nymph to do so.”
“The politics with the kingdoms and nymphs is a whole other discussion. Regardless of the technicalities, you need not question the will of the Council of Just.” Franch grinned. “You were the one telling me that you don’t want to challenge your intellect, so why question clear instructions?”
Zalphium frowned. “I don’t want to challenge my mind’s moral foundation—not my critical thinking. This action does not follow the Paladins of Zeal code of morality that the Creator has given us. I may have followed orders without question during the Drac Age, but now that the war is over I do not agree with the Council of Just’s choices. We would be better off sending out missionaries once more to convert the vazelead people to the light.”
“Not if they are serving the Drac Lord Karazickle. If this is the case, they have chosen their side and we must take the opportunity to prevent another war.”
“With a banishment to the underworld? It’s practically sending them down to Dega’Mostikas’ Triangle!”
Franch shrugged. “It is a devilish landscape, I will agree with that. Not that I’ve seen it personally.”
“Subjecting them to the mutation is murdering them.”
“The Council of Just is wise, as is Saule, who was chosen to lead the council. They would have thought about conversion as well. We simply cannot take the any chances.”
The two continued to walk on the balcony, following it along the outer rim of the temple. Franch kept his gaze to the floor as Zalphium stared out at the mountains.
Zalphium brushed his dirty blond hair from his face and looked over to his comrade. “Do these questions ever haunt your mind, Brother Franch?”
“No. I put my trust in Saule’s leadership.”
“How did he discover this knowledge about Karazickle and the vazelead people, though?” asked Zalphium. “Where is the proof? I’ve never seen a vazelead champion the Drac Lord’s winged-moon symbol.”
“True, but they spoke a weak form of Draconic before we discovered them. There’s one link.”
“How do we know Saule’s sources regarding Karazickle are credible?”
Franch stopped in his tracks and turned to face Zalphium. “I am your temple brother, and you’re lucky I am also your friend. That kind of talk amongst the other paladins would be met with rehabilitation.”
“I know.” Zalphium folded his arms. “That is why I am asking you. I know you are on my side.”
“To answer you, no we do not. I don’t think anyone knows how he found that information.”
“That is what makes me sceptical of the whole thing. Which is also why I do not want to be a part of it.”
“It’s already in the process as we speak. From what I heard, the last tribe was gathered at the base of Mount Kuzuchi, near Kuzuchi Forest. The rest of the paladins in the temple will be joining our brothers and the Knight’s Union at the top of the mountain.”
“I will pass.”
“This will not look good to the others, Zalphium. You should include yourself in the ritual. We need all the manpower we have to channel the banishment prayer.”
“I have full faith that our brothers are capable of finishing it on their own. I cannot fully invest in something that I do not believe in.” Zalphium gestured to the far end of the temple, where they were headed. “I’d rather practice my agility in the chamber of endurance.”
“That will be there any other day.”
“I am sorry, brother. I cannot join you. I must stick to my beliefs.”
Franch stopped in his tracks and nodded. “You are bold, Zalphium. I admire that greatly—but it makes you a fool at times.”
“As I said, I have my core principles from God. I will not stray from them. I believe this banishment is against everything we stand for.”
Franch smiled. “As any paladin must do. It is why we were blessed with divine powers from the Father.”
Zalphium placed his hand on Franch’s shoulder. “Indeed.”
Franch patted his brother’s arm. “I must prepare with the others. We leave on horseback within the hour.”
“Go now. I will see you when you return.”
The two bowed before each other and parted ways, Zalphium continuing to the chamber of endurance and Franch returning to the doorway they’d come through.
He sees my view but doesn’t understand it, Zalphium thought to himself while marching down the pathway. His hands were clenched. The discussion had upset him, knowing that he could not convince his friend of the error of their ways. If not Franch, he would be unable to convince any of the Paladins of Zeal that he was right. And by not participating in the vazelead people’s banishment, he would prove himself to be an outcast amongst his own kind.
I’ll be a reject. The thought made him sick. He simply did not understand how they could not see what he saw.
Thank you for reading!
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Dream: Part 2 of Mental Damnation is available September 13th, 2017
If you’re in Edmonton on this day, join us for the live reading and launch event.
The post Preview Chapter 1 of Dream: Part 2 of Mental Damnation appeared first on Konn Lavery.
August 28, 2017
Calgary Comic Expo Holiday Market
I am pleased to say I will be in Calgary for one more time this year, in November I will be joining the comic expo holiday market on November 25-26.
More information can be found on their website.
See you then!
The post Calgary Comic Expo Holiday Market appeared first on Konn Lavery.
August 27, 2017
Dream: Part 2 of Mental Damnation Signing at Chapters Strathcona
I’ll be heading over to Chapters Strathcona (Whyte Ave) for a signing of Mental Damnation: Dream. Drop in for a meet & greet the author, artwork, and of course, the books themselves.
When and Where:
Saturday, Actober 28 from 12:00pm – 4:00pm
Chapters Strathcona
10504 82nd Avenue,
Edmonton, AlbertaT6E 2A4
The post Dream: Part 2 of Mental Damnation Signing at Chapters Strathcona appeared first on Konn Lavery.
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