Andy Peloquin's Blog

Back the Kickstarter and Bring Child of the Night Guild to Life!

I know it’s been a while since I posted, but I blame that ENTIRELY on what I’m about to post about.

For the last few months (in addition to working on RECKONER (Darkblade #7) and launching the Dragonblood Assassin series) I’ve been putting in some serious hours on prepping for this marvelous bit of goodness:

Yes, that’s right: it’s a truly spectacular Deluxe Collector’s Edition of Child of the Night Guild!

Launched on Kickstarter on Tuesday, it’s already fully funded (in just 30 hours, in fact), which means it’s GUARANTEED to become a reality.

Already, the book is truly gorgeous:

Plus, you get the Kickstarter EXCLUSIVE Jarl prequel novella, The Brightest Star:

But now that it’s funded, we get to have some fun pushing for really cool stretch goals, like sprayed edges:

More interior artwork, like these handsome lads:

An audiobook version of The Brightest Star

And so much more!

If you love Ilanna’s story as much as I do, now’s the time to get your hands on these Collector’s Editions.

They and all the other perks (digital artwork, novella, etc.) will ONLY be available through Kickstarter.

It’s already GUARANTEED to be made (because it fully funded), so there’s ZERO risk and ALL the rewards of having this gorgeous book sitting on your shelf.

Back the Book on Kickstarter Now

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Dive into my new world of Black Talon (Dragonblood Assassin #1)

Welcome to Kullen and Natisse’s story…

It’s been a long time since I’ve ventured outside of Einan, but the time has come.

For the first time in a long while, you get a peek into a new world I’ve created, new characters, new magic, new creatures, and new everything.

I can’t wait for you to dive in and experience everything there is to explore in the realm of Caernia, in the Karmian Empire’s city of Dimvein…

Kullen is the Emperor’s assassin. The sharp hand of justice. The Black Talon.

Gifted a soul-forged bond with his dragon, Umbris, Kullen is tasked with hunting any and all who oppose the Empire.

But when the secretive Crimson Fang murders two noblemen before his very eyes, Kullen must discover the truth of who they are and what they want. What he uncovers is a web of lies and deceit spiraling into the depths of Dimvein.

Natisse, a high-ranking member of the rebellion known as the Crimson Fang, has no greater goal than to rid Dimvein of power-hungry nobles. Haunted by her past, fire, flames, and the death of her parents, she sets out to destroy the dragons and those who wield them as unstoppable weapons of destruction.

Until she too finds herself buried beneath the weight of the revelations her investigations reveal…

The Empire is under siege from within, and one man, dressed in black like the night, stands at the epicenter of it all.

Get ready for one heck of an epic, dark fantasy adventure.

Find the book on Amazon here

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Awakener (Darkblade #6) is finally HERE!

I can’t believe it: the big day is upon us at last.

I started writing this book nearly a year ago–in April 2022–and it turned out to be my all-time longest, a whopping 420,000 words, nearly 200 chapters.

But it’s so exciting to see the next step in the Hunter’s journey, a reunion with some familiar faces (from Heirs of Destiny), and a visit to a corner of Einan I’ve been dying to explore for 25+ books.

So here it is:

Get it on Amazon here

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Celebrating an INSANE Milestone

Yes, you read that right.

ASSASSIN (Darkblade #1) has cracked 1,000 reviews/ratings on Amazon.

All in just under 11 months!

That’s totally beyond anything any of my previous books have achieved–I think Darkblade Avenger (the Hero of Darkness box set) hit around 700 or so over the course of 2 years.

I’m so grateful and thrilled that people are loving the rebooted/overhauled version as much as they are.

It’s proof that all the time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears that went into the rewriting of the Hunter’s story is worth it!

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SLAYER (Darkblade #3) is LIVE!

Greetings, friend!

I know it’s been a while since I last posted here.

To be honest, I haven’t had much to say that I felt needed sharing publicly on a blog.

Oh, I’ve sent out newsletters and posted to social media, but I’ve always felt that blog posts needed to be MORE.

More what, exactly, I didn’t know. But for it to be worth surviving forever on the internet, it needed to have some sort of value.

Or it had to be exciting news that I thought worth sharing.

And this DEFINITELY qualifies because…

SLAYER (Darkblade #3) is published TODAY

That’s right, the third (and longest thus far) book in the Darkblade series releases today, January 18th.

In it, you get to once again enjoy the Hunter’s clash with the Sage and Warmaster. Only there’s so much MORE!

When I sat down to write the story years ago, my focus was chiefly on the main players (the Hunter, Hailen, the Sage, the Warmaster, and Master Eldor), and everything else that unfolded around them took second stage.

But as I took a closer look at the story for the Darkblade reboot/rewrite, I realized that I had done the Elivasti people an injustice. I dropped an entire race of people into my world and barely scratched the surface of who they were.

SLAYER rectifies that!

Now, you get to peel back the layers a little and see the people beneath the masks.

The lore, myths, and legends that followed them through the centuries.

The magic they inherited from their Serenii ancestors.

The secrets they guard with their lives.

The hopes for their future.

You’re going to LOVE seeing deeper into the world of Einan, even if it’s just this one secluded little corner, and getting a taste of a broader, greater fantasy world overall.

May it bring you many happy hours of reading!

SLAYER (Darkblade #3)

The Hunter has set his sights on new prey.
Abiarazi. Master manipulators, bloodthirsty, and cruel. Demons of nightmare.

His hunt for the monstrosities prowling among mankind takes him to the top of the highest mountain peak on Einan…
…where he stumbles across an ancient city and people forgotten by time.

Amidst the ruins and relics of a long-dead race, his vendetta against the demons will drag him ever-deeper into a millennia-old war for conquest and an enslaved nation’s desperate fight for freedom.

His skills as assassin will be put to the ultimate test: battling an enemy even he may not be strong enough to kill.

Yet should he fail, the cost will be high, for the first victim to die in the ensuing bloodshed will be the god-touched boy he has sworn to protect—a child with the power to either shatter or save the world.

Get it here!

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Behold the Artwork for PROTECTOR (Darkblade #2)

I hope you’re sitting down…

…because the cover for PROTECTOR (Darkblade #2) is going to knock you flat.

I’ve gotten EIGHT covers done for the Darkblade series (just missing a few later-in-series covers that I’ll have to plan once I outline the books), but I think this one is probably my favorite.

Not only does it make the Hunter look totally badass, but it also brings in something totally epic—something I didn’t initially have in the original storyline.

Let me explain…

In the original Hero of Darkness version of Darkblade Assassin, the First of the Bloody Hand wielded a sword that was pretty much a longer, bigger version of Soulhunger.

Straightforward, no frills, just another of those Bucelarii weapons, but in the hand of the demon.

But that didn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Otherwise, why did he need Soulhunger?

So when I sat down to rewrite the series, I knew I had to change things up.

I gave the First a sword that wasn’t like Soulhunger, but had a sort of “corruptive magic” that poisoned/rotted its victims from within.

Which is why the Hunter almost died even after the iron was cleansed from his body.

Cool addition, right? When I moved on to PROTECTOR (Darkblade #2), that was pretty much the end of it (after the Hunter buried it outside Voramis). One magical sword—okay, I like it, now time to keep going.

But then my cover artist came up with the design you’ll see below, and I KNEW I had to change the story to fit in something REALLY COOL.

Are you ready?

Check it out:

IT’S A FREAKIN’ MAGICAL SWORD.

I’m not going to tell you how or where, but when I saw this cover, I immediately found a place to write in a super cool sword like the one he drew.

And yes, now magical weapons are going to be a THING in the Darkblade world.

The First’s sword was the first he’ll encounter, but there will be many more to come.

I’ve already found a really cool way to add one into SLAYER (Darkblade #3), and of course you know about the Scorchslayers in SAVIOR.

But you’ve got all kinds of cool things to look forward to now—and it’s all thanks to the artist who drew this cover.

REMINDER: Just 11 more days

PROTECTOR (Darkblade #2) launches on Friday, Oct 22nd.

Mark it on your calendars–just a few more days to go…

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Serial Killers vs. Assassins: What’s the Difference?

In one of my recent Facebookposts, people have begun debating whether the Hunter could be considered aserial killer because of how many people he’s killed. That, of course, led to somefun exchanges about the differences between serial killers and assassins—of whichthere are a notable few.

Let’s be clear: assassins and serial killers both murderpeople. Multiple people. In that, they find common ground.

But there are three pretty important distinctions that set the two apart:

Motivation – Serialkillers are usually in one of four categories: visionary (psychotic breaksleading them to believe they have a “divine” or “higher” calling),mission-oriented (justifying their actions as being driven by a purpose ormoral cause), hedonistic (killing for the “thrill” of it, often psychosexualgratification), and power or control (exerting power over their victims,typically because they felt power or control taken away from them, particularlyduring abusive childhoods).

Assassins, hitmen, and contract killers, kill because they’vebeen hired to do so. They often don’t directly know either party (client ortarget) and carry out the kill with methodical detachment. Assassins may have serial killer traits,but aren’t classified as serial killers because there is a monetary incentiveand typically a lack of emotional motivation.

Victimology – Serialkillers choose their own targets, usually for a specific reason (depending onwhich category they fall into). Assassins, however, don’t. They take on thetask of killing their targets due to someoneelse’s desires. For them, there is no personal motive to execute theassassination; they’re simply being paid to do so.

Cooling Off Period – Serialkillers typically experience an emotional “coolingoff period” between kills. During this period, they’ll blend into theirlives once again, acting as if everything is normal. This period may last forhours, days, months, or years. During this time, they’ll feel a growing urge tokill until they finally succumb again.

Assassins, however, have no need for a cooling off period because there is no emotional investment in the kill. They are unemotional and pragmatic, carrying out the kills methodically. They can go from one kill to another without delay because of their detachment from the target.  

There are plenty of arguments to be made about methodology,professionalism, means of choosing targets and setting up the kills, and so on.But at the end of the day, it’s these three differences that are mostnoticeable between serial killers vs. assassins.

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Assassin (Darkblade #1) is HERE!

After MONTHS of waiting (less than patiently, in my case) and plotting (for world domination, of course), the day has finally arrived.

Assassin (Darkblade #1) is launching TODAY!!

I’m so excited to put this new-and-improved Hunter of Voramis into your hands. It’s going to feel like the same character you fell in love when you first read him, but so much MORE SO–more in-depth, more well-rounded, more human, and more badass. It’s the Hunter you love reading about, but in a story that feels brand new and familiar at the same time.

Join me on this new journey–it’s one hell of a ride, and you’re going to love it!

All in Voramis know the legend of the Hunter.
Relentless. Immortal. Death walking. The greatest assassin who ever lived.

Pay the master killer his due and the Hunter will execute any target, carry out any contract, no matter how impossible.

But when the Bloody Hand crime syndicate harms the innocents under his protection, they foolishly make an enemy of the one man they can’t afford to anger. The price of the Hunter’s vengeance is high—paid in blood and eternal damnation. Not even an army of crooks, cutthroats, and demonic creatures of nightmare can stand in his way.

He’s far more than just one man…he’s the Keeper-damned Hunter of Voramis.

“Darkblade Assassin is a masterful thrill ride that delves deep into the heart and gut-wrenching soul of a killer.” — ML Spencer, Author of Dragon Mage

Click here to dive in now!

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Take a Look at the Brand New Darkblade: Assassin Cover

And prepared to be amazed!

Honestly, this is, hands down, the coolest cover of any book I’ve had done to date. It nails the ambience of the story, the character, the color palette, the vivid contrast–everything–to absolute perfection.

Just SIX MORE DAYS until Assassin (Darkblade #1) is here, and I’m champing at the bit for those LOOONG days to pass faster.

I can’t wait for the new-and-improved Hunter story to be released out into the world, and I’m so excited by the idea of putting you through the TORTUROUS WRINGER once again.

And yes, I absolutely doubled down on all the gut-wrenching, heart-shattering moments. Which you’ll soon see for yourself…

But first, a look at the cover!

I had a big Cover Reveal hosted by the amazing Petrik Leo on Novel Notions, complete with a Q&A about the cover creation process, what went into crafting this awesome artwork, the search for an artist, and more.

Head over to THIS POST and read through the entire journey until you get to the epic cover at the end.

And be ready for a jaw-dropping, HOLY S*** moment!

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You Know You “Want to Read” This!

I’m soexcited, and I know you are, too.

Just undertwo months until Assassin (Darkblade #1) is released, and I’m already feelingthat buzzing I get when putting a new book or series out into the world.

You knowthat feeling: excitement, nervousness, anxiety, worry, and eagerness all rolledinto one.

Something I’veworked so hard on making (with my own two hands) will soon be read by all, andthat’s a pretty epic feeling.

So I hope you’ll forgive me for talking about it this early—I just can’t help myself, I’m so excited.

Like THIS excited:

Over the nextfew weeks leading up to the launch date, I’m going to be emailing some awesomethings: snippets from the book, a look at character art, updates, excitingnews, and so much more.  

The firstthing to share: Assassin (Darkblade #1) has a BLURB.

It maychange or get tweaked, but the current incarnation is EPIC and DARK andrevenge-y—just the way we like it.

To see theblurb, head over to the book’s Goodreads page and check it out.

While you’re there, please PLEASE click “Want to Read” to add it to your Goodreads shelf (see, silly pun in the post title!). That kind of public visibility is HUGE for marketing the book, and it can make an enormous difference for me come launch day.

Assassin (Darkblade #1) on Goodreads

What do youthink of that blurb? Sufficiently epic for the Hunter’s relaunch?

I know younoticed there’s no cover yet—that’s coming up soon, when I’ll be doing a coverreveal on Novel Notions in late June.

But atleast for now, you can enjoy the promise of the blurb: the Hunter is going tokick some serious ass.

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