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Author Austin Dragon’s Beneath Siren Storms of Madness Kindle & Books Giveaway!

To celebrate the launch of the 5th book in my epic fantasy series, the Fabled Quest Chronicles—Siren Storms of Madness is our latest Kindle and Books Giveaway! It begins Tuesday, May 4th, and ends Saturday, May 15th. 

All you need to enter the Giveaway is your email! If you'd like extra chances to win and spread the word, you also have more choices.

Author Austin Dragon's Beneath Siren Storms of Madness Kindle & Books Giveaway!

For those Commenting on this page, the question is:

If you win the giveaway prize, what is the first ebook you'll get — a. author, b. title, c. genre? 

Leave Your Comments Below

The post Author Austin Dragon’s Beneath Siren Storms of Madness Kindle & Books Giveaway! appeared first on Official Website of Author Austin Dragon.

New Release! Siren Storms of Madness

LATEST RELEASE: May 4th, 2021

“We Sail to the Fantastic Kingdom of Atlantea at Last!”

The Fabled Quest Chronicles continues in Book Five.

Warrior mermaids, storm-summoning sirens, and sea serpents large enough to rise and block out the sun!

They began their caravan in the Lands of Man. They traveled through Faë-Land Minor–the land of fairies and sprites, then across Faë-Land Major–the land of centaurs, elves, and goblins. They almost died in the Great Forest.  Yet, none of those magical regions were as dangerous or vast as the Oceanus Omnis–the ocean realms ruled by merfolk, water fae, sirens, and sea monsters.

Their year-long march, guided by the man called Traveler with his shape-shifting dog, has reached its final leg in their journey along Titan’s Trail.

But what of the Four Kings and their dark allies who hunt them?

And what dangers lurk beneath the near-bottomless depths of these ancient oceans?

SIREN STORMS OF MADNESS is the fifth novel in the Fabled Quest Chronicles epic fantasy adventure!

GRAB YOUR COPY ON SALE for a limited time only!

Amazon
B&N
Books A Million
Or your retailer of choice!

The post New Release! Siren Storms of Madness appeared first on Official Website of Author Austin Dragon.

Cover Reveal: Siren Storms of Madness (Fabled Quest Chronicles, Book 5)

It's almost here! The release of the fifth Fabled Quest Chronicles novel, Siren Storms of Madness, will be on May 4th. 

They began their caravan in the Lands of Man. They traveled through Faë-Land Minor–the land of fairies and sprites, then across Faë-Land Major–the land of centaurs, elves, and goblins. They almost died in the Great Forest.  Yet, none of those magical regions were as dangerous or vast as the Oceanus Omnis–the ocean realms ruled by merfolk, water fae, sirens, and sea monsters.

But what of the Four Kings and their dark allies who hunt them?

And what dangers lurk beneath the near-bottomless depths of these ancient oceans?

Join Traveler and company on the final leg of their quest to the fabled kingdom of Atlantea. PRE-ORDER BOOK FIVE HERE TODAY!

From Book Description Page

“We sail to the fantastic Kingdom of Atlantea at Last!”

The Fabled Quest Chronicles continues in Book Five of the epic fantasy adventure series—warrior mermaids, storm-summoning sirens, and sea serpents large enough to rise and block out the sun.

What do you think of the cover to Book Five?

Write your comments below

The post Cover Reveal: Siren Storms of Madness (Fabled Quest Chronicles, Book 5) appeared first on Official Website of Author Austin Dragon.

Name Reveal: Liquid Cool Book 10!

Hello Readers!

We just finished another Kindle and Books Giveaway in anticipation of my next epic fantasy novel Fabled Quest Chronicles Book 5 — Siren Storms of Madness! It's in the hands of the editors so not long to wait.

But many have also asked. Where's Cruz?

Yes, the next Liquid Cool, sci-fi detective novel will be this year too. This time around Cruz gets a case that's a bit “James-Bond-y” in nature. Title?

You'll Never See Starlight Again (Liquid Cool, Book 10)

What Do You Think? Comment Below

The post appeared first on Official Website of Author Austin Dragon.

Author Austin Dragon’s Siren Storms of Madness Kindle & Books Super Giveaway!

Coming soon will be the 5th book in my epic fantasy series, the Fabled Quest Chronicles—Siren Storms of Madness!

In anticipation, I’m launching my latest Kindle and Books Giveaway to celebrate! It begins Monday, February 15th, and ends Monday, March 1st. 

All you need to enter the Giveaway is your email! However, if you want extra chances to win and spread the word, you have plenty of choices–as few or as many as you like.

Author Austin Dragon's Siren Storms of Madness Kindle & Books Super Giveaway!  

For those Commenting on this page, the question is:

If you win the giveaway prize, what is the first e/book you'll get — title, author, genre, and why? 

Leave Your Comments Below.

The post Author Austin Dragon’s Siren Storms of Madness Kindle & Books Super Giveaway! appeared first on Official Website of Author Austin Dragon.

What Do You Think? (The Witcher: Article Feedback)

We’ve all probably been watching a bit too much Netflix, even before the pandemic.

Since we have a lot of high and epic fantasy fans, did any of you catch The Witcher, based on the book series? The good thing about the debut season (and most of the Netflix series these days) was that every one of its ten episodes looked like a real blockbuster movie. The scenes were truly epic looking. But when you’re spending $15 million an episode what else would you expect. (How can Netflix possibly keep spending that kind of money? But we’ll save that question for another blog article)

However, as we all know, great visuals still don’t mean that the movie is any good. Here’s one reviewer’s opinion:

The Witcher review: Netflix’s painfully transparent attempt to fill the Game of Thrones void with more blood and boobs

The Witcher’s showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich has responded to bad reviews of the fantasy series, saying: “I don’t welcome unsubstantiated meanness”.

At the time of writing, the show has a low score of 58% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

The Independent’s critic Nick Hilton described the series, which stars Henry Cavill as a monster hunter, as “Netflix’s painfully transparent attempt to fill the Game of Thrones void with more blood and boobs”.

But it was one review in particular that Hissrich took issue with. Darren Franich at Entertainment Weekly wrote that he had skipped ahead to the fifth episode without watching the first few because “life’s too short for Netflix drama running times”. He also described the show as a “borefest”.

I agree with this reviewer. I’m going to be writing a big blog article on fantasy shows as I wrap up my own Fabled Quest Chronicles epic fantasy series. But I wanted to get your comments.

Do you agree with the reviewer's opinion on the Netflix series, The Witcher? Comment Below

The post What Do You Think? (The Witcher: Article Feedback) appeared first on Official Website of Author Austin Dragon.

2020 Year-End Holiday Sales

In 2020, was the release of The Forest of Ancients, Book 4 the latest novel in my epic fantasy series, the Fabled Quest Chronicles—followed by the prequel, Quest Master! The amazing caravan of humans, elves, giants, other fae, and fantastic animals led by the mysterious human named Traveler and his “dog” continues into the Great Forest.

What's next in 2021? –because we all can’t wait to see the end of 2020. The Fabled Quest Chronicles will conclude with Books 5 and 6. Then more Liquid Cool!  Also, we shall see what surprises my writing madness brings.

Holiday Deals

It’s that time of the year. If you’ve been to my website, you’ve noticed the festive “snow” falling on each page. Here's a list of current discounts and offers in time for the holiday shopping season:

Love Box Sets? HERE are three to pick from!

…and for all titles here's my Books Page.

Want some Liquid Cool T-Shirts? HERE you are.

HERE is the page for those who asked for Liquid Cool gear.

Signing Off for 2020

So, until then, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. See you in 2021!

The post 2020 Year-End Holiday Sales appeared first on Official Website of Author Austin Dragon.

When Real Life Becomes a Dystopian Sci-Fi Horror Show

“Where did Austin go?”

Yes, I’m sure many of you have asked that and some may have even rightly guessed it has to do with the new COVID-19 world we’re living in. Well, it is and it isn’t. My problem is not the virus—condolences to all those who have died. My problem is the devastating harm being done to Americans—especially the middle class and working poor—as a direct result of the policies of clueless politicians with delusions of god-hood and so-called “experts.” Those who are the most vulnerable—those in nursing homes and long-term care facilities—are not being protected because politicians are obsessed with the quarantine of entire nations. The virus is killing the elderly, mostly with pre-existing conditions, not the masses. So why are the politicians and the media acting like it’s the Bubonic Plague when it’s not?

 This is not a political post because, as many of you know, my author website and emails are always partisan politics-free. You vote for whoever you want to and I’ll do the same. What I am here to lament about is the collapse of my home city and state of 30 years—Los Angeles and the once-golden state of California.

We’ve been in dire straits for a long time here in the “city of angels.” First it was the public schools for which I had joined the ed reform movement to fix as soon as I first arrived from New York back in the early ‘90s. Then there was the slow decline of civic society—faith communities, philanthropic community, and business community. The homelessness issue was also a part of Los Angeles going back to the ‘70s but exploded into every corner of the city back around 2013/2014 because the rich wanted to develop the neglected Downtown LA and the “homeless industrial complex,” both nonprofits and developers, figured out they could make a lot of money off the “homeless.” Homelessness is not about people without homes, but a mental health and drug abuse crisis that we have still failed to properly address across the country.

Then came COVID-19 and the leaders of my city and state took their madness to levels I always knew they were capable of. But what has shocked me has been the blind compliance of average people, even knowing the policies they were being asked to follow were illogical, arbitrary, and likely illegal. That is what has disturbed me. When the dust settles so many businesses will have shuddered forever in my once-great city of LA and so many people will have fled both the city and state that there will be barely anyone left, and certainly not enough to pay the high taxes to keep city services running properly. These city leaders have already chased the middle class out of the city as they did with San Francisco.

I drive around the filthy streets filled with the “homeless.” I drive around streets will with empty storefronts everywhere with “For Lease” signs and I am not filled with despair. I am filled with anger. This is 2020 in the richest and most powerful nation in the world. Why is it that I find myself in what could easily be mistaken for some post-apocalyptic, sci-fi/cyberpunk, dystopian horror TV series, with or without zombies?

To answer the question, “Where did I go?” and “What have I been up to?” I was thinking—and deciding. My writing is powered by my emotions, and they've been a bit preoccupied with the anger of watching people lose their livelihoods, everything they’ve worked for, and their businesses. So many people living with uncertainty, and held hostage by the “essential” overlords who run our city and state. (Boy, I do sound like the budding Resistance leader of some sci-fi novel.)

I spent a lot of my life in politics to the point I got so sick of it I walked away from it all in 2011. Two years later I’d publish my first book. This year, I published my twenty-fourth. I should have always been writing, but it wasn't a priority then. If you’re born with a gift—use it!

Unlike so many others, including many friends, I will not be “Escaping From LA” for Texas, Arizona, or wherever else Californians—politically left, right, and center–are escaping to. Everyone’s running away, but no one is stopping to fight in a serious way. So… that’s what I’ll do. That's what I've decided. I’m going into politics—or back into politics even though I swore, I was done with it for good. I’ll run for office in the city I’ve called home for 30 years. We all know the Edmund Burke famous quote: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” I’ll either win and pull my city out of its dystopian nightmare into a proverbial sci-fi paradise, or I’ll fail, pack up my bags, move to Sussex, and keep bees just like Sherlock Holmes.

Either way…there’s going to be an avalanche of books coming as my emotions have focus again. My creative mind never stops. The books just wait in the queue of my mind until I sit down at the laptop and write them.

So, what do you think of this post?

Leave your comments below

The post When Real Life Becomes a Dystopian Sci-Fi Horror Show appeared first on Official Website of Author Austin Dragon.

7 Essential Elements of My Fabled Quest Chronicles Series

I surveyed my VIP Readers’ Club back in 2015/16 and asked what other genre or sub-genre they’d like to see me write. Overwhelmingly the response was epic fantasy. In 2018, I published the first of my epic fantasy adventure series, the Fabled Quest Chronicles with the first novel, Through Titan’s Trail.

It’s 2020 and we’re coming to the end of this six-novel series–already with its own prequel, Quest Master. Book 5 is done (Siren Storms of Madness to be released later this year) and I’m writing the final novel – Kingdom at Titan’s End. Yes, seven books in less than three years.

So let’s review some of the essential elements of my unique epic fantasy adventure series with a touch of the paranormal, a little sci-fi, and heaps of mythology featuring races and monsters that have always been there but rarely seen in other books.

1. Introduction to a Realistic Fantasy World

World-building can make or break a story, especially in fantasy. With Lord of the Rings and the like, the bar has been set high for any writer to create a well-developed and believable world. It may be a magical world but there are still laws of nature and a rule of the universe that governs it.

With the debut novel of the Fabled Quest Chronicles in Through Titan’s Trail, we start out in our world (the Lands of Man) and we join our characters as they travel into these magical lands. Of course, they have to cross a barrier into this realm that only a bona fide caravan master can do.

Much of the first book is spent in the Lands of Man with the Kings' Caravan—a triennial royal caravan that attracts nobles and commoners from all across the Seven Empires. The ultimate goal is limitless treasures. The likely outcome is death.

Hobbs becomes the everyman who is the first character we meet and relate to as we get a stark taste of the true danger of this upcoming quest through the series of villages and, later castle kingdoms. The Lands of Man is familiar to us, but we know that it is by no means the world they will be traveling to led by the mysterious Traveler and his dog—a dog that is not really a dog at all.

A key decision in the world-building of this series is how detailed did I want to get. Should I spend two pages describing a wooded area or the villages along Caravan Row or the city of Ironwood? With the settings of a Tolkien-like fantasy world in the collective consciousness of most readers, I settled on a more minimalist approach—paragraphs rather than pages and explain as we go or through the dialog.

Through the six main books and the prequel, we experience how vast, dangerous, and diverse this world beyond the empires of humans truly is. Fables and myths are fact in the magical lands. But in the world of magic they travel to, trees can smile, yawn, and talk; others can crawl or eat you.

2. A Great Cast of Characters with Depth

The most important aspect of any novel is the characters. That’s who we look forward to, invest our time in, care about, or love to hate. Without great characters, no reader is going to stay until the end of the book, let alone to the end of a series.

Traveler. The dog. Hobbs. King Aereth. Lady Aylen. Maiden Gwyness. Pangolin. Quillen.

Our main character, Traveler, is mysterious as a caravan master, which in itself is unusual. A human whose knowledge of Titan’s Trail surpasses even fae they meet along the way. But they learn that he is far more than a caravan master, and his animal companion is much more.

None of these characters are one-dimensional and they grow to know and trust each other as their quest moves along the Trail. As with any character, they have their strengths, weaknesses, and fears. We also learn that the motivations for some of them on the quest are not only about acquiring riches for themselves or their kingdoms.

In the Fabled Quest Chronicles, we meet our main characters in the first book but in each book, we’re adding, and sometimes losing characters.

In Book Two, In the Shadow of the Kings, we begin to meet the non-human members of Titan’s Caravan in their quest to the fabled kingdom of Atlantea. Like the humans in the story, there is the wonder of meeting fae races we know—brownies, gnomes, elves, giants—and those we don’t—Tree Shepherds, fae-bloods, the darklings, and a dwelf.

Greenwig. Grakdar. Eothor. Dr’as. Dr’amal. Strag. Ammon. Bragg. Lyre. Taylos. Shadu-mun.

However, we also see the tension between the races of fae can be far more divisive than humans. They may be a caravan of equals but comprised of many fae races that have been blood enemies for ages. Again, they are fortunate to have this special human as their guide, trail master, and internal diplomat to ensure old hatreds among them don't turn from dirty looks and avoidance to anything more.

The series gives us time to really get to know our main characters and explore all these facets. However, with such a large cast, I don’t overwhelm the reader with turning every minor and auxiliary character into a major one. Our main characters remain the main focus of the series.

3. A Solid Main Conflict with an Arc

Not just the plot but the conflict—a believable one our characters face.

Quest fantasy or fiction is by no means new. J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic high fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings was written in stages and published in 1954. Homer’s The Odyssey, one of ancient Greek epic poems about the main protagonist’s Odysseus' 10-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War, while battling mythical creatures and facing the wrath of the gods, is from 8th century BC.

A group of people going from A to B—that’s the plot. But what’s the conflict that unfolds over the course of the series? Is there an overarching evil overshadowing them? Is each book a new set of challenges to overcome? That’s why we’re reading, turning the pages (or swiping the screen on our e-reader), eager for the next. In the case of the Fabled Quest Chronicles, it’s both.

We also see the inner struggles within our main characters. Doubt over the destiny they are to fulfill. Fear that they will not be able to live up to responsibilities to themselves or the group. Both awe of their quest along the Trail and terror of what creature they may face. Questions of whether they can succeed where so many others before them have failed. Much to consider over a year-long march from the Lands of Man to the ultimate destination of Atlantea across vast landmasses and sailing a great ocean.

The key to every good story is conflict. Fantasy fiction is no different, where the stakes are often higher for your characters, and the story usually stretches across multiple books in a series.

Moreover, none of these conflicts are contrived. In this world, large creatures or armies are dangers often easiest to deal as they can be seen and their roars heard for the men to rise up against and face with weapons in hand. But what of the dark spell cast in the wee hours of the night, or something on the Trail not noticed. Nonaction can have as much of a disastrous consequence as action. The overarching conflict and the many others, external and internal, large and small are all explored in this saga and make for good drama and reading.

In Book 3, Comes the War Wizards' Wrath, Titan’s Caravan thought their main villain was dead but learned otherwise. But as the reader, did we really believe he was dead? No, and the characters probably didn’t think so either—especially Traveler. As the title suggests, they have to battle war wizards, goblins, and…elves.

4. Monsters, Monsters, Monsters

In Book 3, Titan’s Caravan finally has all the members of its team—both human and fae. So in one sense, their quest really begins with Book 4, The Forest of Ancients, the caravan has reached the Great Forest, also known as the Giant Forest for obvious reasons, and we learn that it’s the fae that are more scared of than the humans at first. A twenty-foot squirrel. A thirty-foot ant. A giant snake with a forty-foot mouth? Yes, even the eleven-foot giants of the caravan are scared of that. Then there are rumors of powerful elfin and fae caravans disappearing without a trace.

A fun aspect of the series was writing about mythological beasts that I’ve always wanted to see in books but never did. There are hundreds of them but fantasy books only give us the same half dozen or so all the time. Boring!

Tolkien created the race called orcs. I created a few fae races myself—Tree Shepherds, a form of leshies, the fae-bloods, and Mr. Bragg, the dwelf. But without my creations, Ancient Greece and Rome, and the Middle Ages have given us enough monsters to fill volumes.

Each of the Fabled Quest Chronicles novels has their own glossary titled Quillen’s List of Races, Beasts, and Monsters of Myth and Magic. That’s a lot of fae races, fantastic beasts, evil creatures, and a handful of demons. Likely, I’ll have to create a companion compilation of all the glossaries of the series when done.

But again, we touch on the magic of world-building. I’m not simply throwing in a new sprite or creature just to do. They are a part of this world just as birds and insects are an ever-present part of ours, all the living beings, albeit mythical, are part of the magical lands of Pan-Earth. Most of Titan’s Trail winds through uncivilized plains, forests, and seas so why wouldn’t one encounter this “wildlife.”

Also, I hinted at it a few times through the series and in previous blog articles. This monster mythology is Euro-centric, which by no means I use as a pejorative. Asia, Africa, Australia, North America—all have their own mythology too. Ancient China is my personal favorite and my Sleepy Hollow Horrors, when it continues, will touch on some of the ancient Native American mythology. So more Fabled Quest Chronicles, perhaps?

5. A Great Cast of Auxiliary Characters too

We spoke of the monsters. Ogres, rocs, trolls, and manticores.

We spoke of the races. Elves, goblins, fairies, centaurs, fauns and satyrs.

Secondary characters can be as important as the main ones because they are the ones our main characters interact with. We learn more about our protagonists, the world, the conflicts, the goals.

In Book 5 to be released, Siren Storms of Madness, Titan’s Caravan for the first time leaves behind the landmass for the vast oceans and dark seas of the magical lands. It represents the last leg of their quest before reaching Atlantea. The marching is over, but it means Titan’s Caravan must become Titan’s Crew and sail their own ship—or sail as passengers aboard others.

If we thought the magical lands had many races, that was nothing compared to what lives in the oceans–merfolk, water nymphs, water elves, other water fae, sealife, and sea creatures.

Titan’s Crew has more enemies, more allies, and those whose true loyalties are never quite clear. These secondary characters have comparatively less page space than our main characters but their power over the fate of Titan’s Crew is no less significant. Traveler tells them directly: die on the seas, and no one will ever see you again.

Chief of all secondary characters is the villain. The most important of all secondary characters for our protagonist(s) is the villain. In the Fabled Quest Chronicles, we have a villain that embodies the chief conflict and, though human (in a way) is the chief monster of the series. As one reviewer aptly described: “Oughtred is plain psycho.”

Traveler assembled the most amazing caravan of humans and fae ever to travel to Atlantea. King Oughtred and his sons, together known as the Four Kings of the Kingdom of Xenhelm, with their dark allies plan to conquer it.

6. Magic

If it’s fantasy, it has to have magic.

Wizards, Spell-casters, magic-makers, sorcerers, sorceresses, witches, necromancers.

When you say magic, that’s what most think of—a wizardly old man in a long robe with a long staff and maybe wearing a pointed hat. However, in the series, I spend much more time with another aspect of magic–not of people but of the realm and lands itself. At the beginning of the series, when they cross for the first time from the Lands of Man into the magic lands there is a section where Traveler leaves them for a few days as a magical sleep overtakes them and their bodies get acclimated to the realm’s magic.

We also learn that for humans, time doesn’t move the same as it does in the Lands of Man, which could very terrible consequences for any that do return and don't fully understand the “way of things.”

In Quest Master: The Boy Who Would Be, the Prequel to the series, we see a young Traveler seek to join a caravan to the magical lands through Titan’s Trail. He is only nine years old and this is before the Kings’ Caravan is ever formed.

Magic can be wonderous, but it can also be horrific. Many of us would have quit any desire to travel to the magical lands, but Traveler never does. He doesn't start out as a caravan master-in-training. He starts out as a human healing assistant. In the novel, we read about all his trials and tribulations from the Lands of Man to Atlantea and even other worlds. Traveler becomes a human who can even best a star elf in a sword fight—as rare as a human caravan master who can even gain the respect and loyalty of fae.

In the final novel of the series is where we really see the work of sorcerers, or war wizards in full splendor, or evil.

7. Good Endings

One thing you’ll never get from me is a bad ending to any book, no matter the genre, or series. Don’t you hate that in books, TV series and movies? I do too. A bad ending can taint the entire work making one ask: why did you waste my time? That’s how important it is.

I write Book 6, Kingdom at Titan’s End—the end of the series. Book 5 ends on such a cliff-hanger that I didn’t think it fair to have you wait a year or more to learn what happens. My mind is already firmly entrenched in this universe so I will see it to the last page.

I haven’t gotten there yet, but when I do write that last chapter and last page, I know I will be a little sad. One can’t write half a million words or spend well over 2,000 pages with a group of characters and not feel that way when that journey ends. You know you will miss them…until you decide to read the whole series again.

For all those of you who urged me to try my hand at the fantasy genre, away from my main sci-fi writing, what do you think?

How would you rate the Fabled Quest Chronicles? What do you like most? What do you think of my unique take on the epic fantasy genre?

The post 7 Essential Elements of My Fabled Quest Chronicles Series appeared first on Official Website of Author Austin Dragon.

The Dragon’s Den: Pick the Title For a Techno-Thriller!

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