Kneel Downe's Blog: For Who Howls the Wolf?, page 5

A FairyBlurb from An Owl's Tale - Why The Bear will Never Dance

Kneel has released this story from his NEW fairy tales book, An Owl's Tale (FairyBlurbs). First published on TheCultDen for their FairyTales Day, let us know what you think...
"We must gather wood soon." Said Owl. "For the night draws in....but first. Another Tale..."
Amelia moved Frog from his log and settled down.

"This story Is called Why The Bear will Never Dance."

Amelia cocked her head and became interest.

"Go on Wise Bird." She said.

It was a hesitant Spring....some time between the War of the Crown and the rise of the Hairless Apes....

King Bear yawned and stretched....

Beside him, stretching also, his Queen smiled and burrowed her nose into his great, powerful neck...

"Good awakenings my love." She said.

Joy...and weak sunlight was upon them as they left their cave.
Around them they could hear the rest of the Tribe waking up.
Grunted the King

"Come Wife of mine." He said... "Let us see how the Cold Time has treated our kingdom."

And paw in giant paw they padded away...

Winter had taken its toll on some of the older trees....broken now....but here and there sprouted growth anew.

All was as should be.

But then stopped the Queen and her nose was as twitch will be....
"Fire?" She said....and raced away towards the cliff crowning the valley.

And below them...stretching over half a Bear Mile was an encampment of commotion and sheds and small hungry flames.
Figures rushed calling.

The King frowned....and although they had never seen one before they both knew what lay below....

"The Hairless are here." He said....

So...the King and Queen sat and watched them all day long.
For although never seeing them they had heard many tales of this new race...
And what they saw impressed them.
They cared for their young....they understood the need for shelter and they seemed to have a hint of law..

Until the Great old King arose..
"We shall leave them be my love..now come...it is time for the Awakening Feast and." He winked. "Affection"

Things progressed as things have a habit of doing....Spring spread it's shadow into Summer and all was as good is and should be....

Then....

Then...one morning on their patrol they stopped to check on their new heighbors...
And they saw.
Vast swathes of the Old Proud Forest gone..

Hacked and slashed and chopped and burnt these wise old friends...
Only a cemetery of stumps remained.
And the Queen growled heavy and low..

"We must do something." She said...
And the King being mindful of his wife and also his duties agreed.

So it was he called for his son...

And handing his son the purple sash of friendship he said.
"Go and speak with our neighbors...bring them our kinship and concern my son."

For this was the way of the Elder Races.
This was the path of Wisdom.

An ancient power known as Negotiation...

So the son left the camp...

Days become weeks and weeks birthed a month...
But still the son did not return...

So the King called for his daughter most fair...

And handing her honeycombs most delicious he said.
"Take these to our neighbors. Thank them for their kind accomadation but tell them...."

"Tell them the year is growing old and the Father wishes to gaze upon his Son once more."
And kissing her gentle he sent her on her way....

Passed another month....yet still no word from Son and now Daughter...
And as the world wheel turned the Great Bear King felt concern grow.



Until....early one morning he slipped away from his kingdom and padded heavy towards the bustling encampment...
Bees buzzed his passing...

Drawing closer he heard bangings and clangings....almost as if these new born ones had discovered the magic of music....
Onward he strode...

As he entered the emergent town he was pleased to see the hairless ones bend and cower before him....for he was no ordinary Bear...

No....he was a King and more than thrice the size and weight of lesser Bears.
However, he tried his best to smile kindly at the inhabitants.

"Where do my children dwell?" He called out...."Their Father is here."

But none answered and so, sighing, he made his way to the music...

Up close the King noted that what little hair they had was matted and ridden with lice.....

And their teeth were as rotten as wood in water

And then....turning a corner he located the source of the music.
A crowd with crude drums and gaudy dyed robes...
Jeering.
Hollering.

And..

And....in the centre of this crowd..
His children....chained and prodded and poked and beaten with wooden staves..
Jerking. Shuddering.....

Deafening his roar...
And with swiping paws he smote all around him....
Fell the silence....and snapping the chains the King freed them both

Gently he lifted them into his arms and cradling them, as a father must always cradle his young, he turned and left this place....

When he reached his kingdom he placed them down as light as feathers are...and he cried to his tribe.
"We leave! We leave now...this hour!"

So it was that the Tribe of Bear travelled deep into the Forest..high onto the mountains. Into crevices and ravines where men would never go

And here they planted their kingdom anew.
Time passed.
Wounds and bodies healed.

But the children's eyes stayed ever dull and sad....

And although healthy and fair they would never do anything without being told to...
Mankind had a word for this.

Indoctrination....

"That is an ugly word." Said Amelia..

"Yes child it is....later on men would come to rename it as Government..."

Amelia started...

"My father worked for the government." She said..
And Owl was shocked...for the girl never ever spoke of her past.

"Child?" He said.

But she had become as distracted and shook her head....

"Nothing Owl...nothing...it was as if another dream had entered my eye...."

So Owl continued.

"And that child is why the Tribe of Bear will never ever dance again."

Amelia was sad.

"To never dance is an awful thing"

"But child, they do...they dance for the Sun and the Moon. For the pools and the trees...they dance for themselves.

But never for any other"

"That must be beautifull to see." She said....

And Owl smiled.

"Oh it is my sweet one....it truly is."

"It is getting late." Said Owl. "We must gather wood and once the fire is full and true we shall share further tales..."

Amelia grinned...

"What is next?" She pleaded as pleading is and was...

Owl regarded her...

"Next child...next we must speak of spiders...."

BUY THE BOOK NOW

OF INTRODUCTIONS AND METACOMMENT...

Friend of TheBlurb and member of TheInfected, Steve Taylor-Bryant, introduces the new website with some commentary on publishing and Kneel...


In my previous incarnation I was a man of ideas looking for a world of words, a being of sales looking for a home, an unpredictable droid searching for a way into a predictable situation. I am not a novelist, I have 3 started manuscripts but tire easily when having to work for myself. I like other people, I like their commitment to their projects, and, if I'm completely honest, I like to take credit for other folk's blood, sweat and tears. This inevitably brought me to the community you all know as the "self published author", a tag I hate, as it makes it incredibly difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff. So you have a book? Good for you! If I don't know about it how the hell am I going to be able to read it? So many writers of talent lack belief or ability in marketing themselves, are too scared to offend friends by pushing a link to their product and I get that, I really do. A few years ago when I was beginning the aforementioned journey I met Kneel Downe. A genius with a pen, a top bloke, a soulmate, but he was so immersed in his universe and his characters he seemed to struggle with marketing what is an incredible storytelling form.

This brings me to a question I was asked on social media. How do self published writers get themselves known? Well Kneel had all the answers, he just didn't know it at the time.

Kneel is a generous artist (I really wanted to say lover then!) and whilst, like all creators, he loves his characters, he encourages others to join. Whether that is through his fan club, The Infected, or via his friends, the job gets done. Far too often people become a bit precious about their work. They become insular and blinded by control. Whatever floats your boat but I can tell you, from experience, you can't do it all on your own. Even the most successful authors have teams of hard working folk in the background. The writer has the idea and transfers that vision to the page. That is where it should end in my opinion. An editor takes a look and does the corrections that are required, maybe referring back to the author with some notes on possible changes, then an artist makes a cover, someone is responsible for publishing either in print or digital or both, which, in itself, is no mean feat by the way, then the word must be spread. I'm shattered just writing this, imagine doing it all on your own?

Then you come to different issues that not every author will come across, but many will, "The Universe and what to do with it". Kneel doesn't write conventional novels, he creates vast landscapes where anything can happen and eventually links back to a single event. Each book is different. Each book creates a vibe that needs listening to. Each book spurs a different project. Amelia's Song is currently being adapted as a fairytale style comic, Kurt Lobo and his debut solo outing, The JackPort Killer, is now an audiobook made by one of the most reputable audio companies in the world, and the media rights for the criminally insane superheroes are currently available for a screen adaptation. Now tell me it can all be done on your own!

My point is this. Don't be scared to allow others into your vision. Don't be frightened to let your grip loosen as trusted comrades come into your life. Concentrate on the important thing - the words. With a little help the rest will take care of itself. Kneel is a genius, a visionary unlike any other I know, and I am both humbled and proud to be a small cog in his huge wheel,so please enjoy this new and improved home for Kneel's universe, explore and wonder at the various tangents you'll be taken on. Just make sure I get all the credit...

The JackPort Killer Audiobook is here

Hello, remember this?

It's Christmas eve and it's done.  

The audiobook is live!  If you picked a perk that included the audiobook you should have an email from the VirulentBlurb team with a link to pick it up.

If you want to buy extra copies they will be available from Spokenworld on Monday and on Audible and iTunes in the New Year.

So all that remains is to say thank you to a few people:-

To Kneel Downe for writing such a wonderful book that just begged to be turned into an audiobook.

To Steve Taylor-Bryant for managing the project from the start, finding the voice, organising the studio and the funding campaign, getting everyone to the right places at the right times and holding everything together.

To Neil Gardner and Spokenworld Audio for the amazing recording and audio production.  It really is something special.

To Howard Carter for composing us some original music - it really makes it complete!

To Greg Patmore for being the voice behind it all and bringing the old wolf to life.

But most of all - thanks to you.  The funders who gave us the money and belief to make the whole thing possible. 


Merry Christmas Blurbians.

THE 2015 CALENDAR IS HERE!!

Available for only £9.99 (plus postage) on LULU until the end of January 2015.

The JackPort Killer Audiobook Trailer is here!

Earlier in the year Steve Taylor-Bryant, CEO of DreamCage Media Group, met up with Kneel Downe to work out the marketing needs required for the next few months. As always happens when they get together, a half hour meeting was dragged out for three days of liquid libation and, instead of sorting a simple marketing task, a new project arose. It was decided an audiobook was needed to give Kneel's famous creation Detective Kurt Lobo a voice. Our friends at the Audie Award winning Spokenworld Audio were selected for production and a voice was found in the form of Greg Patmore. A crowdfunder was set up to pay some of the production costs and the recording went ahead.

The audio version of The JackPort Killer is still in editing with the golden touch of Neil Gardner tweaking a few things, but DreamCage were given a snippet in its raw form to whet the appetite, which produced this! I am sure you will agree with us that the project is even more exciting now!

LOBO GETS A VOICE

Today the Wolf Gets a VOICE!
Yes, the day has finally arrived when we get our voice of the wolf, Greg Patmore into the studios at Spokenworld Audio to get The JackPort Killer reading done for the audiobook. We're all incredibly excited here and will let you know how things go!

FILLTheVOID IS FINISHED

WE'RE DONE!

Thank you to everyone who gave to #FILLTheVOID.

Special thanks go to Trev, Ian and Ben for their tireless efforts in the final push.

Thanks to the guys at Under A Banner and to James Knight for giving us rewards to use.

Huge thanks goes to Starburst Magazine for launching our campaign all those days ago and to TheCultDen and Haddonfield Horror for keeping the campaign in the public eye.

And thank you to campaign manager (and agent) Steve for getting everything and everyone together in such a successful way.

Now, the hard work starts. We'll get all the non-audiobook perks out this week if you haven't received them already.

Then we'll get Greg Patmore into the Spokenworld studios and get the future of Kurt Lobo underway.

#FILLTheVOID IS RUNNING OUT OF TIME

A word from our Crowdfunding Campaign Manager Steve

Got any Alms for an ex-leper?

We aren't quite at the stage where a God-given hero has come down and saved us yet. With only a few days left I have to say that you lot have been beautiful! But we are struggling now. Time is running out and we aren't even at 50% yet funded yet.

I am not beyond begging, so picture me in my loin cloth hopping about with my cup out as you walk past ...

I need you to dig deeper and see if you can spare us some more change, maybe put that spare kidney on a quick 'Buy It Now' 24 hour EBay sale? Hassle your family members to contribute? If they don’t, sell them on EBay? Tweet, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, G+ our plight and beg your friends?

Our friends at www.thecultden.com have offered to post sci-fi and horror books out to the next five people that pledge £10 so as well as the pledge materials they/you purchase you'll also get some free stuff!

Please, PLEASE, help us? Come on Obi-Crowd Fundobi you’re our only hope!

SPORADIC IS OUT NOW

SPORADIC (adj.) occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated. 
Staccato lay lines in the universal map...

Tributes and tribulations...

Statements and stories...

Punk poetry...

Welcome to SPORADIC.

Discover the building blocks of a universe you already know and the beginnings of others you don’t. This is the visionary mind of Kneel Downe in its rawest form, spewing nonsensical flows of genius...

This is creation.

SPORADIC can be viewed as an anthology or collection of the brief explosions of imagination that Kneel Downe writes on Twitter. Concepts. Ideas. Short stories, poems and works in progress. A glimpse into his online notebooks. Many of these sparks grow into something larger...many more don't. Here for your pleasure are the ones that haven't...yet.

Find SPORADIC on LULU and AMAZON.  

FILLTheVOID FEATURES ON A PODCAST

Head of the FILLTheVOID campaign team, Steve Taylor-Bryant, got interviewed about it this week on the GrumpyHawk Collective podcast, Your Nerd is Showing.

Have a listen to the interview here (it's the final 10 minutes of the cast, but the rest is really worth a listen too)

YOUR NERD IS SHOWING

Huge thanks to GrumpyHawk for giving us the chance to talk about the campaign!