Tracy Hickman's Blog, page 8

Comic-Con Day #1

While packing up to leave my fatherr’s house, Laura tried to carry out too many things at once. One of them happened to be a box of All-bran cereal. At the door of my dad’s house, it started spilling all over the floor. Laura couldn’t figure out where it was all coming from: the result was a rather large pile all over the tile and one semi-hysterical wife with the giggles.

We left on time for what we knew would be a seven-hour drive from St. Goerge, Utah to San Diego, California. We set off down I-15. Las Vegas stop at In-n-out burger for restroom and then fueled down the street at a Texaco. Laura answered an email question from our ‘Nightbirds’ editor as I continued the drive across the Mojave Desert. Two separate roll over accidents in California — both on the northbound side. The first required a med-evac helicopter on the closed freeway. The second was being tended to only a few miles further on. We arrived at Barstow and stopped for lunch at the In-n-Out Burger. Continued to a Costco in Victorville to refuel and then down the Riverside Freeway to San Diego.

The hotel we are staying at is remarkable and very convenient to the convention center. We understand that Wyatt Earp lived here at one point. We had a lovely dinner at Toscanos Restaurant in the Gaslamp quarter sharing a Salmon Risotto that was fabulous.  We discovered while reviewing the convention materials online that we could pick up our badges this evening. This would save us a considerable amount of trouble the next day so we returned to the hotel and got our papers. This convention has it’s own way of doing things and you have to know how to jump through the hoops if you’re going to make it work. Then we returned to the convention, got in line with all the rest of the ‘professionals’ (there’s quite a few of us) and, receiving the most enormous poster sized bag I had ever seen — with a ‘Batman’ movie illustration of all things — were quickly processed with our badges. We then discovered that the hall was open. The crowds were unbelievable and nearly impossible to get past even on this preview night. We then managed to make our way to the Harpercollins booth. Met Nichole of their publicity department — and a young woman who was just buying our ‘Wayne of Gotham’ book. She was going on about how cool the cover looked. I stepped up and thanked her — and she and her companion were both thrilled to meet me. I signed their book and their bag — and then took my picture with them. The booth people said that they had already sold a number of the books and were concerned if we stayed longer they would have mob.

As we were leaving, I felt a twinge in my back. Soon it felt like a back muscle seizure. It was all I could do to get back to the hotel with Laura’s help. Now we’re resting hoping that we’ll be ready for this new day.

Wayne of Gotham Autographs

In just a little under two weeks, Batman will have to confront the reality of his father’s life and death in my new book, ‘Wayne of Gotham.’ Sanctioned and commissioned by DC Comics from our original proposal, this book is a must-read this summer for any fan of the Dark Knight.

There’s no reason for you to wait for the movie to get into deep, dark Gotham excitement and intrigue. ‘Wayne of Gotham’ is coming out on June 26th.

Now, you can order your own copy of ‘Wayne of Gotham’ — each book personally autographed by me and shipped to you directly beginning on the release date of the book.

Two men separated by murder: Thomas, the rebellious doctor and heir to the vast Wayne empire, and Bruce, his son, whose life is forever altered by witnessing his parents’ murder. The slaying of Thomas and Martha Wayne is the torturous point on which Bruce turns to become Batman.

The Dark Knight’s file on the case has long been closed, the foundations of Bruce Wayne’s secret life secure in the simple genesis of a mugging gone horribly wrong.

These foundations are shaken, however, when an unexpected guest invades the grounds of Wayne Manor, raising questions about the event that ended the lives of the mother he loved and the father he worshiped, and sparked his unquenchable drive to protect and avenge.

To discover his real family history, Batman must face down old foes, his only confidant, and the evil heart of Arkham Asylum, and shoulder the new burden of a dark legacy.

Order your Autographed Batman today!

Eventide for Everyone!

Laura and I just returned from New York City and our release of “Tales of the Dragon’s Bard Vol. 1: Eventide” and what a success it was! We’ve had messages and emails from so many readers who acquired the book there. And now we’re offering copies of the book — signed by both of us and shipped directly from us to you — right here on our website.

That’s right! Order a copy of the book from us and we’ll not only ship it directly to you but sign your copy of Eventide as well!

This is the first public release of Eventide and we’ve been thrilled by the response to the book. Here is a review from ‘The Deseret News’ that we discovered from June 2nd.

Book review: ‘Dragon’s Bard: Eventide’ is a fun, imaginative adventure

By Ryan Morgenegg

For the Deseret News

Published: Saturday, June 2 2012 2:00 p.m. MDT

“TALES OF THE DRAGON’S BARD Vol. 1: Eventide,” by Tracy and Laura Hickman, Shadow Mountain, $23.99, 306 pages (f) (ages 12 and up)

As a fan of the “Dragonlance” saga in junior high school, I carried the red, blue and green paperback books by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman around in my backpack every day. Every spare minute, I had my nose in those books. I swore I could feel dragon’s breath on my face as I turned some of those pages.

It’s been a long time since those days. So when I found out Tracy Hickman was releasing a new book, it was with excitement and anticipation that I read “Tales of the Dragon’s Bard Vol. 1: Eventide,” which will be released this month.

It was previously available as an ebook to paying subscribers and sent out chapter by chapter. I’ve read quite a few of Hickman’s novels over the years, including some written by him and his wife, Laura, so I invested my time in it. The premise of the book looked promising: a bard stumbles into a dragon’s lair and is detected. To save his life, he agrees to tell the dragon stories from throughout the realm to entertain and appease his hunger.

The stories from the book involve the town and people of Eventide. The Hickmans include the intimate details about their lives, struggles, victories and motives. Intriguing elements include a love story, magic, secret societies, a haunted house, wishes, a town curse, a trusted priest, sword fighting, a dark horseman, several misunderstandings, lots of interesting hats, fairies, gnomes, dwarves, centaurs and, of course, dragons.

The bard is woven in and out of the narrative, but the story is not told from his perspective. Many chapters don’t even include him as a character. The story is about the people of Eventide. The book is told in third person, except for the first chapter, which is told in first person by, you guessed it, the dragon’s bard.

The tone of the book is somewhat playful, which was surprising in a good way. Simply put, the book is a fun read. It’s humorous, imaginative and filled with adventure. It is as a collection of stories that intertwine to build a cohesive plot that culminates in a solid ending. Is “Eventide” a page-turning masterpiece like “Dragonlance”? No. Will the book entertain Hickman fans looking for a fun-filled fantasy adventure book of stories? Yes.

For those worried about explicit violence, language or mature themes in this book, you’re safe. The Hickmans do a good job of staying on the family friendly side rather than adults-only fantasy. If you like clean fantasy adventure books, this is a treat.

For fans of this book, please note that two additional books may be published: “Blackshore” and “Moredale.” It appears that the additional titles are named after other towns found in the realm. There are surely many more adventures and stories yet to fall from the lips of the dragon’s bard.

More information is available at dragonsbard.com.

Pick-a-path Musical

[image error]This Gencon Convention, my wife Laura, my daughter Tasha and I will be launching a new interactive performance. So, from the people who brought you ‘Killer Breakfast’, may we introduce you to ‘Hickman’s Pick A Path Musical’ — an interactive hour and a half of story and song with the audience determining the course of events.

Change the course of the tale, join the performance on stage or enjoy the show from the audience. Will Johnny Newbie rescue the Convention? Will Lena Larp vanquish the costume judges? Does it all end when the fat dragon sings? You decide in this ALL NEW interactive musical storytelling!

For the last month — and throughout this summer — Laura, Tasha and I will be working to perfect the story paths, write the original music for the score and craft the lyrics. Then all three of us will be performing this new entertainment LIVE at Gencon 2012 for the first time. Which songs are sung — and which course the story takes will be up to the choices players make as they are called up to help fill out the roles during the performance.

This event is already over half sold out so if you want to be one of the lucky few who see the first ever performance of this event then we recommend that you get your tickets while they are still available. Seating is limited and there is no possibility of moving this to a larger venue.

In addition, if you consider our other events:

Killer Second Breakfast 2012 (Friday)
Hickman’s Batman Experience: Wayne of Gotham (Friday)
Hickman’s Killer Breakfast 2012 (Saturday)
Hickman’s XDM: Xtreme Dungeon Mastery (Saturday)

Your Opinion: Hickman Writing Webinars

Laura and I are always looking for ways of improving our Scribe's Forge Online Writing Seminars. We now have the opportunity to offer exclusive online video 'webinars' — internet-based workshops — where limited classes of up to twenty participants will sit down and discuss a focused aspect of their writing and publishing face-to-face with me over the internet. Each of these workshops will be 90 minutes long and I'll be answering your questions directly from my office via webcam. There will be more to say about this in the coming weeks as we prepare to launch this new service… but for now we need your feedback.

Which three writing and/or publishing webinars would you be most interested in attending?

Please select three of these topics/titles as your top three choices to attend. This will help us in determining which of the above courses to offer first.

We'll announce the results in a few weeks. Thank you!

The Thrill of the Kinect…

…the agony of my feet!

I had just set two world records: one in the javelin and one in the dash and it looked like I was well on my way to setting another in the long jump. My first attempt had resulted in a scratch over the foul line — to the disappointment of the stadium filled with enthusiasts — but my second attempt had definitely set a record. It was then, on my third attempt, that disaster struck. I was making my approach run and my launch was good … but as I landed I pulled something in the back of my knee. I was able to participate in the discus throw, with disappointing results, but I had to forfeit the hurtles.

Not that I'm complaining. Last year my oldest son and his wonderful wife came by our home with what they termed our 'combined birthdays, Christmas, Father's Day, Mother's Day and likely also President's Day, Groundhog Day and Arbor Day' present: an XBox 360 complete with a connect. This also came with a copy of Dance Central 2 and was, I believe, not only a superbly thoughtful gift obtained with incredible shopping and hunting skills at 4am on Black Friday by my son, by the way) but was also their way of saying I needed to get away from the keyboard and do something physically active for a change.

Laura and I have been using it ever since with the window curtains closed. That's because while we do not mind them seeing us 'bowling' in our living room there are other Kinect activities which are probably best kept out of our neighbor's view. Our youngest daughter Tasha, for example, came home for a visit one afternoon to find her mother and father both gyrating to Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way.' It took her twenty minutes to stop laughing at the mere thought of my 'snap and hip' move. Yes, we regularly delete the pictures of us taken by the all-seeing Kinect eye.

I have gotten used to talking to that now ubiquitous eye above my television and have even stopped saying, "Good evening, HAL' whenever I address it with my commands. That we now get to visit Disneyland on the Xbox through this wonderful device as well as video conference with our grandson through it from time to time just makes it all the sweeter.

However, now that I'm sidelined for a while with my pulled tendon, we are back to bowling (which we love). And, as a reward for myself when I finish a chapter during the day, I settle onto the couch with the controller and enter that amazing other world that is 'Skyrim'.

I may not be setting any more Olympic records for a while … but I can swing a broadsword with the best of them!

New Years Revolutions

The year 2012 is just dawning on the horizon filled for Laura and I with new and, in may ways, life changing possibilities. In the past I have contented myself with 'resolutions' but given the scope of the changes in my life and the new directions that writing is taking, I think 'New Years Revolutions' is more appropriate of an approach to this upcoming year.

So, for all of our friends out there looking toward what this new year will bring, here are a few of the 'revolutions' which we will be engaging in over the next year.

Knights of the Red Band:

This is our most exciting news for the new year. Laura and I are pleased to announce an agreement with DAW books regarding a new fantasy series we will be developing and writing called 'Knights of the Red Band.' This is the story of a world of eternal daylight and eternal night, where humanity lives on the dusky 'red band' separating the two. When an ancient evil rises to retake the world it once enslaved, a group of young, idealistic warriors is recruited into a revered and legendary order of Knighthood. But they soon discover that the reality of war is very different from the stories they were raised on … and that the question of right and wrong may be more difficult to answer than they believe. The great thing about this new trilogy is that YOU will be able to follow its development from the very beginning through its completion. We already have a website and facebook page set up for the project and will be posting to both at each stage of the novels development. From initial concept through final release, you'll have a ringside seat at our creative process.

Lakota Dragon's War:

When Dragons and Airships fought the War Between the States… This is the world of 'The Lakota Dragon Wars'; the epic struggle in the western skies between the steam, brass, bigotry and romance of a lawless western expansion set against the might of dragons mastered by the Lakota tribes of the American Plains.

Laura and I are also excited to be launching this new online series this summer. In addition to our Dragons Bard series of fantasy subscription novels, we will be opening our new series of steam-punk novels set in the American West exclusively in ebook format. You can read more about the history and background of this new series … and even build your own life-sized  replica 'Lightening Gun' at our exclusive Lakota Dragons Website.

Scribe's Forge Changes:

We will be making some important changes to our Scribe's Forge Online Writing Seminars.

SEMINARS PRICE INCREASE: The one you need to be most aware of is that there will be a MAJOR price increase coming on January 6th. If you have been contemplating getting into the seminars, I would highly recommend doing so before the increase — which will be tripling our current prices for a years access to our seminars.
 WORKSHOPS DISCONTINUED: The Writing Workshops will also be discontinued at that time to allow me time to address my very heavy writing schedule next year. We will be reworking our workshop system through the coming year.
SCRIBES FORGE PUBLISHING CHANGES: We will also be changing our Scribe's Forge Publishing program; instead of advising you on how to set up your website, we have determined it is more time and cost effective for us to set up the website for you as a turn-key system. Yes, this means that you can have your own web-publishing website, fully functional, designed and implemented by us that allows you to publish your own serial novels online in the same way as our Dragonsbard series. Additionally, we will be offering Scribe's Forge Ebook Translation services that will take your text and will not only convert it into the most popular of ebook formats, but do so with advanced layout styling that sets your book professionally above the crowd.

 Visit our Scribe's Forge website for details of these changes.

But Wait, There's More Revolution to come:

Don't forget the following FANTASTIC events we are anticipating this year:

DRAKIS III: BLOOD OF THE EMPEROR will be released this summer.
"WAYNE OF GOTHAM", my upcoming Batman novel is scheduled for release this May.
DRAGONSBARD: BLACKSHORE will be released this spring to our subscribers AND we will be taking subscriptions for our final Dragonsbard novel: Moredale later this year.
DRAGONSBARD: EVENTIDE is scheduled for its first mass-market release this summer as well.

We have our conventions, our newsletter and will be looking at introducing our own 'video channel' of quick writing advice in the coming months.

So join us in our New Years Revolution! We look forward to quite an exciting year.

[image error] Join the forum discussion on this post

New Years Revolultions

The year 2012 is just dawning on the horizon filled for Laura and I with new and, in may ways, life changing possibilities. In the past I have contented myself with 'resolutions' but given the scope of the changes in my life and the new directions that writing is taking, I think 'New Years Revolutions' is more appropriate of an approach to this upcoming year.

So, for all of our friends out there looking toward what this new year will bring, here are a few of the 'revolutions' which we will be engaging in over the next year.

Knights of the Red Band:

This is our most exciting news for the new year. Laura and I are pleased to announce an agreement with DAW books regarding a new fantasy series we will be developing and writing called 'Knights of the Red Band.' This is the story of a world of eternal daylight and eternal night, where humanity lives on the dusky 'red band' separating the two. When an ancient evil rises to retake the world it once enslaved, a group of young, idealistic warriors is recruited into a revered and legendary order of Knighthood. But they soon discover that the reality of war is very different from the stories they were raised on … and that the question of right and wrong may be more difficult to answer than they believe. The great thing about this new trilogy is that YOU will be able to follow its development from the very beginning through its completion. We already have a website and facebook page set up for the project and will be posting to both at each stage of the novels development. From initial concept through final release, you'll have a ringside seat at our creative process.

Lakota Dragon's War:

When Dragons and Airships fought the War Between the States… This is the world of 'The Lakota Dragon Wars'; the epic struggle in the western skies between the steam, brass, bigotry and romance of a lawless western expansion set against the might of dragons mastered by the Lakota tribes of the American Plains.

Laura and I are also excited to be launching this new online series this summer. In addition to our Dragons Bard series of fantasy subscription novels, we will be opening our new series of steam-punk novels set in the American West exclusively in ebook format. You can read more about the history and background of this new series … and even build your own life-sized  replica 'Lightening Gun' at our exclusive Lakota Dragons Website.

Scribe's Forge Changes:

We will be making some important changes to our Scribe's Forge Online Writing Seminars.

SEMINARS PRICE INCREASE: The one you need to be most aware of is that there will be a MAJOR price increase coming on January 6th. If you have been contemplating getting into the seminars, I would highly recommend doing so before the increase — which will be tripling our current prices for a years access to our seminars.
 WORKSHOPS DISCONTINUED: The Writing Workshops will also be discontinued at that time to allow me time to address my very heavy writing schedule next year. We will be reworking our workshop system through the coming year.
SCRIBES FORGE PUBLISHING CHANGES: We will also be changing our Scribe's Forge Publishing program; instead of advising you on how to set up your website, we have determined it is more time and cost effective for us to set up the website for you as a turn-key system. Yes, this means that you can have your own web-publishing website, fully functional, designed and implemented by us that allows you to publish your own serial novels online in the same way as our Dragonsbard series. Additionally, we will be offering Scribe's Forge Ebook Translation services that will take your text and will not only convert it into the most popular of ebook formats, but do so with advanced layout styling that sets your book professionally above the crowd.

 Visit our Scribe's Forge website for details of these changes.

But Wait, There's More Revolution to come:

Don't forget the following FANTASTIC events we are anticipating this year:

DRAKIS III: BLOOD OF THE EMPEROR will be released this summer.
"WAYNE OF GOTHAM", my upcoming Batman novel is scheduled for release this May.
DRAGONSBARD: BLACKSHORE will be released this spring to our subscribers AND we will be taking subscriptions for our final Dragonsbard novel: Moredale later this year.
DRAGONSBARD: EVENTIDE is scheduled for its first mass-market release this summer as well.

We have our conventions, our newsletter and will be looking at introducing our own 'video channel' of quick writing advice in the coming months.

So join us in our New Years Revolution! We look forward to quite an exciting year.

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The Spirit of Christmas

When I was a boy, I loved Christmas at my Grandfather's house. We were living in Las Vegas, Nevada at the time while my father was trying to establish an educational television system in that state. But my grandparents on my father's side, whom I knew as Grampa Sam and Nanny, lived in their home of many year in the rural community of Beaver, Utah. My brother, Gerry, and I would pile into the back of my father's Pontiac Grand Prix and tear off down the highway north-east out of Las Vegas with my mother and father in the front seats. That Grand Prix was a muscle car with sleek lines and far more engine than was necessary. It was a time before seat belts were required by anyone, including my parents — and my brother and I would gambol about the back seat like unrestrained puppies as my father sought out the boundaries of the 'Safe and Prudent' speed limit signs that flew past on our way to Christmas.

The interstate system of divided highways was barely underway then and we very quickly ran out of that luxury and continued on — at a slight reduction in speed — across the desert on two-lane highway. Eventually we climbed over the snowy and somewhat trecherous summit west of St. George, Utah, dropped back down into the valley, drove the length of the main street in town and made the long curve northward, passing through the length of every town along the way. Mainstreet WAS the highway back then. Little towns could flurish off of the traffic that moved through them. These towns would dry up and wither years later when they were passed up by the interstate, but back then they were bright with tourist commerce and neon.

Climbing up out of the desert we would hit serious snow squalls as we became a moving lesson in differing climates. The heavy snowfall in the headlights of the Pontiac flew past the windshield. My mother was concerned but I was enchanted: it reminded me of the stars going past the view screen of the Starship Enterprise on 'Star Trek' — a show regularly watched at my house. I perched myself on the center arm-rest of the back seat and imagined myself as Captain Kirk, my parents bucket seats in front of my perfecting the illusion as the snow-stars streamed past on our voyage to the distant parts of galactic Utah.

Whenever we arrived at my grandparents home, my Grandma Nan would have something on the stove for us — a simmering pot of navy beans perhaps and fresh baked bread to go with it. My grandfather's white hair would be slicked back from his forehead and his smile would beam at us.

My brother and I would often draw the 'back bedroom' in the house. Grampa's home was originally built by early pioneer settlers and the main part was constructed out of black rock stone that my brother and I were convinced was now less that three feet thick. The back bedroom was something of an archetectural aberation: it had two entry doors but both of them came from other bedrooms. You could only leave this room by going through someone elses bedroom. It also had the unique quality of having no heating mechanism whatsoever. We were certain that you could hang meat in that room and the only danger would be the meat freezing solid. The double-bed in that room was a four-poster with a soft matress and a most seriously thick pile of blankets and comforters that was unquestionably a full foot thick to ward of the arctic conditions of the room. Hot water bottles were a required skill for survival.

My brother and I loved that bed because my Grampa Sam would toss us into it with such enormous arcs that gravity was completely defied for gloriously long periods of time. Gerry and I would each take turns being launched into the air, squeeling with each toss as we flew, actually flew. We were bedroom astronauts giggling into our matress splashdown, only to scamper out of the bed once more and beg, oh, please, for just one more time.

Morning would be cold, but my brother and I had a system. We would turn up the heat first thing on the thermostat in the small hallway next to the bathroom and then rush back into the living room where there was the warmest heat register in the entire house underneat the book case. We would both get out our books, plant our feet on that forced-air vent and wait for the warmth to blow between our toes.

There were preparations to be made for the Christmas to be properly celebrated. We had to borrow my Grampa's International Harvestor Scout and drive up into the mountains to hunt down the family Christmas Tree. My father would tell us scary stories about the 'Indian Creek Monster' that lived up in those woods — but we always managed to escape with both the tree and our lives.

"Evergreen," my father would say. "It's a symbol that because Christ was born, we will live forever."

Then in the afternoon, my father would tie ropes out the back of that same four-wheel-drive scout and attach them to the front of our flexible flyer sleighs. The object here was a game from his youth where he would drive through the snow-packed streets of Beaver with my brother and I clinging to the sleighs for our lives as he dragged us around the corners of the town.

Again, this was a time without seat-belts … let alone air bags.

On Christmas Eve the family in town would all gather together at my Grandparent's home for a feast. Then we would have our Family Christmas Program. Much of the previous day had been spent by my brother and I along with our local cousins creating a puppet show of 'The Littlest Angel.' Despite a few production issues with getting everyone behind the card table and the angel's molded play-dough head falling off twice inside the cardboard box that was our stage, the applause and enjoyment of the family was enthusiastic. My uncle Gordon played his accordion, my father read a Christmas poem and many songs were sung.

Then my brother and I were thrown across the sky of that back bedroom again by my laughing Grandfather and, hot water bottles at our feet, we waited for the interminable night to end so that Christmas would come.

Looking back, I remember very few of those presents that I got on those Christmas mornings. What I do remember is the warmth of my family home, the laughter around my Nanny's kitchen table and the loved that warmed us on those cold winter nights. They all shine from the Polaroid pictures and live in my mind.

My beloved grandparents are now gone… and my brother joined them too soon. Yet now I look on the Christmas tree and know that they will always be mine and that I will always belong to them.

Evergreen.

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Writing from a World Away

by Tom Bielawski

Note from Tracy Hickman: Tom Bielawski is one of our authors taking part in our 'Scribe's Forge Online Writing Workshops and Seminars.' We thought you might like to hear about his experience both in our workshops and his journey as a new author in modern publishing.

[image error]I really feel honored to be a guest blogger on Tracy Hickman's website. I read Dragonlance Chronicles and the Darksword Trilogy during my youth and those works are what laid the foundation for my love of speculative fiction and my desire to write fantasy. Thank you, Tracy, for giving me this opportunity.

I am a student at Scribesforge, a career law enforcement officer, a Marine who served "in every clime and place," a husband, a father of two, and a "CF Dad." As I type these words I am in the process of concluding my second and final year in Afghanistan as a police mentor. I will hang my hat on what I've done here and go home to pursue my writing career.

Writing my first book was a lengthy process, I won't tell you how lengthy. Having found the world of Facebook, I eventually found Tracy Hickman, one of my all-time favorite authors. I was amazed at how approachable to, and interactive with, he was with his fans. Through that medium, Tracy introduced me to the Scribesforge online workshop where my goal of completing my book and sharing it with the world went from "someday" to "now."

One of the important concepts that I learned from Tracy at the "Forge" was thinking of writing is a true craft, and that a writer is a skilled craftsman. Thinking of myself as a craftsman writer really helped me put that label on who I am: I am a writer. And it helped move away from that "someday" trap we all know and hate.

Another important concept from the "Forge" is: "being read" vs "being published." It may seem like splitting hairs, but it is not. You cannot be successful if no one reads your work, whether you publish in traditional print or otherwise. Scribesforge, helped me make my book something which people enjoy reading!

I found that my biggest obstacle to becoming that "craftsman writer" was conquering the world of distraction, in whatever form that takes. The following is my take on a discussion on this very subject in the forums at Scribesforge:

"Working over here and finding time to work on my novel amidst the distractions of here and the distractions from 7000 miles away (at home) is a challenge. The distractions had been my worst enemy when it came to overcoming writers block.

One day I was feeling pretty homesick. And I realized that only thing that is keeping me from my dream of writing for a living is writing. Even though I was pretty blue and out of sorts, and in no mood to write, I found that the emotion I was feeling at that moment moved onto the pages with surprising ease. With the raw emotions of my problems, both foreign and domestic, sitting on my shoulder I just forced myself to write. I found that the dialogue seemed more believable and, well, more emotional. Which was appropriate for the emotional strain my character was under. My descriptions became simpler yet more poignant, which was the point I was trying to make in that scene anyway.

Necessity forced me to find a way to overcome my blocks and I used my mental enemy to my advantage. It still works for me because, like everyone else in this world, I still have the things in life with which I must face and reckon. But, I have found when I make myself sit down in front of the computer, those very issues make my writing just a little bit better."

Learning how to defeat the distractions of my life was integral to actually finishing my novel, and sharing these experiences with other writers really helped. But, most important was the support of my family and my relationship with God. Without those, I couldn't have overcome the distractions which have haunted me these many years.

The success of my first book, "A Tide of Shadows," has been very encouraging. The feeling of seeing my name and my work for sale on Amazon for the very first time was indescribable. Better was the feeling when people actually bought my work; better still was the feeling when people continued buying my work!

"A Tide of Shadows," is the first installment in my series of epic fantasy called "The Chronicles of Llars." In this book Carym of Hyrum is a well respected village hero. But a turn of events forces him into a confrontation that leaves an agent of the church dead, and Carym wanted for murder. But Carym receives unlikely assistance from a group of outlaw criminals, a group to which his best friend now belongs. While he has been saved from the executioner's axe, he must repay the outlaws for their help by undertaking a dangerous quest to find a vial of water from the mythical Everpool. Meanwhile, a dark wizard in league with an evil god leads an army bent on the conquest of the entire Northern Continent. He, too, seeks the Everpool, but for far more sinister purposes and his powerful minions hunt Carym at every turn. In order to reach the Everpool Carym must learn to deal with his new powers, dodge monstrous hunters, guard against betrayal, and resist the evil temptations that threaten to overwhelm him like a Tide of Shadows.

My second work is a science fiction novella called "The Centaurus Legacy." This is a fast paced, action driven, novella filled with intrigue and suspense, set in the universe of lauded 22nd Century lawman, Marshal Hendrick (Heck) Thomas. Marshal Thomas suddenly finds himself on the wrong side of the law when a criminal mafia mastermind with connections to the government links him to a series of heinous crimes. With the Bureau of Investigation and the Commonwealth Fleet in pursuit, Marshal Thomas must find a way to avoid capture by corrupt officials, clear his name, and prevent the dangerous Centaurus technology from tipping the balance of power forever.

For more information about my books, stop by my webstite: www.tombielawski.com or look me up on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you, Tracy, for providing me with the tools to turn my dream into reality.

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