Chris Jags's Blog, page 2
February 2, 2018
Crow's Meal 2: A Bestiary
Just checking in - I'm over 50,000 words into a sequel to Crow's Meal, and I'm pretty happy with it. It's as deranged as the first entry, but it also takes a more serious tone - without abandoning a ghoulish sense of humor. I'd expect it, maybe, mid-2018? I can't lock down a date yet, since most of my writing and editing revolve around work.
In my ongoing quest to "write 'em all", expect a bunch of mythological oddities to join a cast which previously included vampires, fairies, rokurokubi, imps, elves, and lampad. Crow's Meal 2 (no, NOT the title! - that will be revealed soon) will add a succubus, a mara/mare, and an aswang to the mix). And, of course, a brand new crow!
Stay tuned here or follow my curmudgeonly ramblings on Twitter.
In my ongoing quest to "write 'em all", expect a bunch of mythological oddities to join a cast which previously included vampires, fairies, rokurokubi, imps, elves, and lampad. Crow's Meal 2 (no, NOT the title! - that will be revealed soon) will add a succubus, a mara/mare, and an aswang to the mix). And, of course, a brand new crow!
Stay tuned here or follow my curmudgeonly ramblings on Twitter.
November 18, 2017
Crow's Meal
Well, it's about that time - new book time! My latest, Crow's Meal, is up for pre-order for Kindle (Amazon.com, .ca, .uk), and set to release on December 5th, 2017.
That's all very well, you say, but why should I care? Glad you asked! Crow's Meal is the beginning of what I hope will become a series of light-hearted dark fantasy books. If that sounds like a contradiction in terms, the first entry will balance bloody violence and general ghoulishness with absurdity, gallows humor and a pinch of raunchiness. Maybe, if you squint, even a little heart!
For those of you who have followed my exploits so far, think "Parasite Soul" as run through a pulpy "Tales of Tourniquet" filter (and Crow's Meal is set in the same world, if a different kingdom, to both). The tale follows Leif Landry, my first first-person narrator, who has risen from his grave to find the whole world against him. Religious fanatics want him dead, he's displeased a very twitchy old vampire, and the crows - as you may have guessed from the title - want to make a meal of him.
With no memory of how he died Leif must navigate a minefield of hostile forces to learn who his friends and enemies are, reclaim his past, create a future for himself, and avoid becoming dinner!
Thanks for your interest! If Crow's Meal finds an audience, I'm currently toying with ideas for sequels.
The Amazon blurb:
Leif Landry is a dead man. Quite literally; he just crawled out of his grave. Unfortunately, everyone he meets seems determined to put him back in it.
With no memory of his death, Leif must struggle to piece his past together while dodging vicious vampires, religious fanatics, and the ever-watching, ever-hungry crows. Who can he trust? Who is he, really? Is he destined for great things, or will he simply become a crow's meal?
An off-beat tale marinated in gallows humor, baked in a violent sauce, and seasoned with a sprinkling of indecent behavior!
That's all very well, you say, but why should I care? Glad you asked! Crow's Meal is the beginning of what I hope will become a series of light-hearted dark fantasy books. If that sounds like a contradiction in terms, the first entry will balance bloody violence and general ghoulishness with absurdity, gallows humor and a pinch of raunchiness. Maybe, if you squint, even a little heart!
For those of you who have followed my exploits so far, think "Parasite Soul" as run through a pulpy "Tales of Tourniquet" filter (and Crow's Meal is set in the same world, if a different kingdom, to both). The tale follows Leif Landry, my first first-person narrator, who has risen from his grave to find the whole world against him. Religious fanatics want him dead, he's displeased a very twitchy old vampire, and the crows - as you may have guessed from the title - want to make a meal of him.
With no memory of how he died Leif must navigate a minefield of hostile forces to learn who his friends and enemies are, reclaim his past, create a future for himself, and avoid becoming dinner!
Thanks for your interest! If Crow's Meal finds an audience, I'm currently toying with ideas for sequels.
The Amazon blurb:
Leif Landry is a dead man. Quite literally; he just crawled out of his grave. Unfortunately, everyone he meets seems determined to put him back in it.
With no memory of his death, Leif must struggle to piece his past together while dodging vicious vampires, religious fanatics, and the ever-watching, ever-hungry crows. Who can he trust? Who is he, really? Is he destined for great things, or will he simply become a crow's meal?
An off-beat tale marinated in gallows humor, baked in a violent sauce, and seasoned with a sprinkling of indecent behavior!
April 18, 2017
Tree Mouth
Tree Mouth, my newest dark fantasy, is a little nuts.
In order to appease the gods, six sacrifices of different races are forced to descend into the underworld, where... well, no one knows what will happen to them.
This story drew inspiration from a number of influences, ranging from the highly atmospheric and enigmatic Dark Souls video games, to fairy tales and mythology, to the kind of exploration-based fantasy stories I used to love reading before Game of Thrones-style political fantasy became the norm. The protagonists (including humans, dryads, harpies, and centaurs) have a few odd species-based abilities to help them on their way, but they aren't heroes, precisely; they are under-powered and unprepared, thrust into a ruined world of madness with little more than determination. Basically, it's a survival-horror-fantasy adventure with an undercurrent of insanity.
Thanks to anyone who checks it out!
The Amazon blurb:
In the wake of the demon uprising, the gods went silent. Scripture ends there: even the priests of the world's greatest faiths cannot say how that apocalyptic conflict concluded.
Centuries later, the six races continue to make annual sacrifice to the gods in the hopes of preventing further bloody conflict. For brash young Jorn and Kiri the harpy, this means a forced descent through the Tree Mouth, the ancient gateway to the world below, a desolate land of fallen divinity and madness.
There is no appeal.
The underworld must be fed.
Available for kindle on April 20th: US, Canada, UK.
In order to appease the gods, six sacrifices of different races are forced to descend into the underworld, where... well, no one knows what will happen to them.
This story drew inspiration from a number of influences, ranging from the highly atmospheric and enigmatic Dark Souls video games, to fairy tales and mythology, to the kind of exploration-based fantasy stories I used to love reading before Game of Thrones-style political fantasy became the norm. The protagonists (including humans, dryads, harpies, and centaurs) have a few odd species-based abilities to help them on their way, but they aren't heroes, precisely; they are under-powered and unprepared, thrust into a ruined world of madness with little more than determination. Basically, it's a survival-horror-fantasy adventure with an undercurrent of insanity.
Thanks to anyone who checks it out!
The Amazon blurb:
In the wake of the demon uprising, the gods went silent. Scripture ends there: even the priests of the world's greatest faiths cannot say how that apocalyptic conflict concluded.
Centuries later, the six races continue to make annual sacrifice to the gods in the hopes of preventing further bloody conflict. For brash young Jorn and Kiri the harpy, this means a forced descent through the Tree Mouth, the ancient gateway to the world below, a desolate land of fallen divinity and madness.
There is no appeal.
The underworld must be fed.
Available for kindle on April 20th: US, Canada, UK.
January 2, 2017
It lives!
Or more correctly, "I'm alive."
Man, 2016 was a bad writing year for me. Sure, I snuck Caracal's Harvest out in the 1st quarter, then after that? Nothing worked. I began two books, one which made it to nearly 50,000 words before it collapsed under the weight of too many characters and plot threads, and another which amassed 35,000 words before I decided it just wasn't working out, either.
The biggest problem with both works is that I was looking to expand my audience, rather than write something I cared about. I spent some time after these misfires debating: should I continue my attempts to write something a little more mainstream? Try to raise my profile by pandering?
The end result is that I've purged my desire to expand my reader base for the wrong reasons. Obviously, I hope for an ever-growing audience, but not at the expense of what I love to write. And I love to write pulpy, violent, occasionally raunchy dark fantasy tales based around a parade of weirdos and outcasts.
The good news is, I've been writing something for months now that's really working for me. I can't say when to expect it, because I have a hectic work schedule and sometimes can't write for more than an hour (or less!) a day, but it's coming along well and I'm extremely enthusiastic about it.
I'm not going to share a whole lot about it yet. I will say: anyone who has read my previous stuff might expect the pages to teem with oddball mythological misfits, and they wouldn't be wrong: there will be a harpy heroine! Stern centaurs! Disturbed dryads! Shady fish folk! There will be angst and dark humor, sad moments and sick moments! Mark your calendars!
Except, y'know, don't, because I still have a lot of work to do.
Man, 2016 was a bad writing year for me. Sure, I snuck Caracal's Harvest out in the 1st quarter, then after that? Nothing worked. I began two books, one which made it to nearly 50,000 words before it collapsed under the weight of too many characters and plot threads, and another which amassed 35,000 words before I decided it just wasn't working out, either.
The biggest problem with both works is that I was looking to expand my audience, rather than write something I cared about. I spent some time after these misfires debating: should I continue my attempts to write something a little more mainstream? Try to raise my profile by pandering?
The end result is that I've purged my desire to expand my reader base for the wrong reasons. Obviously, I hope for an ever-growing audience, but not at the expense of what I love to write. And I love to write pulpy, violent, occasionally raunchy dark fantasy tales based around a parade of weirdos and outcasts.
The good news is, I've been writing something for months now that's really working for me. I can't say when to expect it, because I have a hectic work schedule and sometimes can't write for more than an hour (or less!) a day, but it's coming along well and I'm extremely enthusiastic about it.
I'm not going to share a whole lot about it yet. I will say: anyone who has read my previous stuff might expect the pages to teem with oddball mythological misfits, and they wouldn't be wrong: there will be a harpy heroine! Stern centaurs! Disturbed dryads! Shady fish folk! There will be angst and dark humor, sad moments and sick moments! Mark your calendars!
Except, y'know, don't, because I still have a lot of work to do.
October 11, 2016
A dark fairy tale gone awry, free for three days on Kindle
Parasite Soul is the tale of a young man attempting to escape a curse, a fairy tale gone violently wrong.
When a rampaging dragon descends upon the kingdom, burning towns and devouring the citizenry, the king is forced to issue a reward for the head of the beast: the hand of his only daughter in marriage.
Upon defeating the dragon with an old sword he found in a ditch, peasant youth Simon spurns the notoriously volatile Princess Tiera, who does not take rejection well. Now he's on the run, along with the princess' handmaiden, his hopes for escaping the kingdom unscathed compromised by a terrible curse: his stronger emotions can kill. With every setback and every loss bringing Simon closer to the edge of emotional breakdown, can he evade Tiera's soldiers, flee the kingdom, and win the handmaiden's heart - all while struggling in the grip of the parasite soul?
Parasite Soul is free on kindle from Oct 11 - 13, one year from its debut! If the idea of a cursed peasant, a psychotic princess, and a vampiric witch sounds like your thing, take it for a spin!
When a rampaging dragon descends upon the kingdom, burning towns and devouring the citizenry, the king is forced to issue a reward for the head of the beast: the hand of his only daughter in marriage.
Upon defeating the dragon with an old sword he found in a ditch, peasant youth Simon spurns the notoriously volatile Princess Tiera, who does not take rejection well. Now he's on the run, along with the princess' handmaiden, his hopes for escaping the kingdom unscathed compromised by a terrible curse: his stronger emotions can kill. With every setback and every loss bringing Simon closer to the edge of emotional breakdown, can he evade Tiera's soldiers, flee the kingdom, and win the handmaiden's heart - all while struggling in the grip of the parasite soul?
Parasite Soul is free on kindle from Oct 11 - 13, one year from its debut! If the idea of a cursed peasant, a psychotic princess, and a vampiric witch sounds like your thing, take it for a spin!
March 11, 2016
Caracal's Harvest
Is it weird that a writer is a man of few words? I have no idea, but in introducing my new revenge-thriller dark fantasy Caracal's Harvest (out March 15 2016), I think I'll just let my Amazon blurb do the talking:
Father Andro's world is crumbling. The aging, reclusive priest of a dying faith in which he no longer truly believes, his only friends are the bottles he's drowning himself in.
When a siren turns up at his church's door, battered and bloody, Andro is initially reluctant to lend her his assistance. Upon discovering the truth behind her condition - that she was the victim of a savage assault by a wealthy young merchant running a ruthless underground trade in non-human body parts - he vows to help her.
Andro is no schemer; he can barely make it from one day to the next. The merchant employs a small army. What use can Andro possibly be to a hate-fueled siren who has vowed bloody revenge upon the man who destroyed her life?
I'm pretty proud of this one. It's darker and bleaker than anything I've tried before, and despite being far from my longest work, I poured more time into writing it than any of my other books.
Please be aware that Caracal's Harvest is a "Mature Readers" only kind of story. If you like brutal revenge thrillers, and wonder what one might be like set in a fantasy world, please check it out!
Father Andro's world is crumbling. The aging, reclusive priest of a dying faith in which he no longer truly believes, his only friends are the bottles he's drowning himself in.
When a siren turns up at his church's door, battered and bloody, Andro is initially reluctant to lend her his assistance. Upon discovering the truth behind her condition - that she was the victim of a savage assault by a wealthy young merchant running a ruthless underground trade in non-human body parts - he vows to help her.
Andro is no schemer; he can barely make it from one day to the next. The merchant employs a small army. What use can Andro possibly be to a hate-fueled siren who has vowed bloody revenge upon the man who destroyed her life?
I'm pretty proud of this one. It's darker and bleaker than anything I've tried before, and despite being far from my longest work, I poured more time into writing it than any of my other books.
Please be aware that Caracal's Harvest is a "Mature Readers" only kind of story. If you like brutal revenge thrillers, and wonder what one might be like set in a fantasy world, please check it out!
September 17, 2015
Parasite Soul: It feeds on your strongest emotions
I've been working on a new book for months now, and not even working two jobs could stop me! Introducing my latest dark fantasy, Parasite Soul!
A mashup of fairy tale, epic fantasy, and horror, Parasite Soul follows the tale of the hapless Simon, naive farmer's son from the tiny village of Brand. Simon, awkward master of poor decision-making, decides to try his luck against a dragon which has been terrorizing the countryside, with only the help of an old sword he found in a ditch. King Minus, monarch of Cannevish, has promised the hand of his temperamental daughter Tiera to the champion who can defeat the beast.
Simon does indeed manage to slay the dragon where so many others have failed, and it is here that what might have been a heroic chronicle goes into a tailspin. It turns out he doesn't fancy Tiera much at all, preferring her exotic handmaiden Niu. Tiera's fragile ego can't handle rejection from a peasant, and soon Simon and Niu are on the run with soldiers in pursuit.
Worse, it turns out that the sword which helped Simon slay the dragon isn't what it appears to be. Instead, the blade has inflicted Simon with a terrible curse which preys upon his stronger emotions, causing devastation to anyone within his radius.
Can Simon find love, escape the wrath of Princess Tiera, survive cannibal attacks and the returning dead, and flee the kingdom, all while under the debilitating influence of the Parasite Soul?
... I'll never tell, you'll have to read it.
A mashup of fairy tale, epic fantasy, and horror, Parasite Soul follows the tale of the hapless Simon, naive farmer's son from the tiny village of Brand. Simon, awkward master of poor decision-making, decides to try his luck against a dragon which has been terrorizing the countryside, with only the help of an old sword he found in a ditch. King Minus, monarch of Cannevish, has promised the hand of his temperamental daughter Tiera to the champion who can defeat the beast.
Simon does indeed manage to slay the dragon where so many others have failed, and it is here that what might have been a heroic chronicle goes into a tailspin. It turns out he doesn't fancy Tiera much at all, preferring her exotic handmaiden Niu. Tiera's fragile ego can't handle rejection from a peasant, and soon Simon and Niu are on the run with soldiers in pursuit.
Worse, it turns out that the sword which helped Simon slay the dragon isn't what it appears to be. Instead, the blade has inflicted Simon with a terrible curse which preys upon his stronger emotions, causing devastation to anyone within his radius.
Can Simon find love, escape the wrath of Princess Tiera, survive cannibal attacks and the returning dead, and flee the kingdom, all while under the debilitating influence of the Parasite Soul?
... I'll never tell, you'll have to read it.
April 6, 2015
We Three Free... Books
April 7-8: All three of my books will be free for Kindle!
That's right, my bleak horror-fantasy Hate Ghost will join pulp serial Tales of Tourniquet Vol 1 and Vol 2 for two days of wild, unrestrained... giveaways.
I'd really like to build a strong reader base for headless heroine Tourniquet, so be sure to check them out!
Tales of Tourniquet Vol 3 will NOT be going free at any point (I feel that two free volumes is enough for readers to decide whether or not they like the series), and I don't foresee Vol 2 going free more than one more time (right before the release of Vol 3, most likely), so grab them while you can!
That's right, my bleak horror-fantasy Hate Ghost will join pulp serial Tales of Tourniquet Vol 1 and Vol 2 for two days of wild, unrestrained... giveaways.
I'd really like to build a strong reader base for headless heroine Tourniquet, so be sure to check them out!
Tales of Tourniquet Vol 3 will NOT be going free at any point (I feel that two free volumes is enough for readers to decide whether or not they like the series), and I don't foresee Vol 2 going free more than one more time (right before the release of Vol 3, most likely), so grab them while you can!
January 26, 2015
Thoughts on Modern Slang in Fantasy
Would you want your favorite fantasy hero to call his archenemy a dumbass?
This is a polarizing topic for some. It seems that many readers want fantasy to match their impression of medieval dialogue. Modern colloquialisms are often frowned upon, as are 'modern' swear words (despite some of them having been in use for centuries). On multiple occasions I've seen or heard readers say that they'd immediately drop a fantasy book if it featured era-inappropriate language. I don't know how prevalent this line of thought is, but I've noticed it mentioned often enough to get me thinking.
To me, it's not a concern. Sure, you don't want your character using slang to reference concepts that don't actually exist in your fantasy world, but otherwise I don't see the problem. I think the issue lies with the perceived definition of 'fantasy'.
Many people, I feel, see fantasy as a term for 'fictionalized version of medieval Europe'. That's fine as far as it goes. If that's the kind of book you enjoy, by all means, be choosy about what you read! In my case, however, I see fantasy simply as a fully fictional or fictionalized world of any kind - therefore, not necessarily tied to any era, place, or style of language. Provided it adheres to its own rules, anything goes: the characters should be able to talk how they damn well please (again, provided it remains constant with how the world is presented). Fantasy, by its very definition, should be a place for imagination to fly free, not be bound to restrictive rules.
In my work, the characters talk using whatever slang I feel is appropriate to their natures and the nature of their world. Tourniquet inhabits Lemmereq - an entirely fictional world of fantasy - not Olde England. I am not bound to era-specific dialogue (or societal rules, or professions), 'cuz this ain't Earth.
Could a fantasy go overboard with modern slang? Well, possibly an overload might feel jarring, but unless the author is using terminology that describes concepts that don't exist in his or her fantasy world I can't see how it's harmful. Obviously, if you don't like modern slang in your fantasy, that's entirely your prerogative... but it shouldn't be on the grounds that 'that's not how they should talk'.
In short, fantasy is fantasy. Why adhere so strictly to rules in a genre which is designed to have rules bent or broken?
This is a polarizing topic for some. It seems that many readers want fantasy to match their impression of medieval dialogue. Modern colloquialisms are often frowned upon, as are 'modern' swear words (despite some of them having been in use for centuries). On multiple occasions I've seen or heard readers say that they'd immediately drop a fantasy book if it featured era-inappropriate language. I don't know how prevalent this line of thought is, but I've noticed it mentioned often enough to get me thinking.
To me, it's not a concern. Sure, you don't want your character using slang to reference concepts that don't actually exist in your fantasy world, but otherwise I don't see the problem. I think the issue lies with the perceived definition of 'fantasy'.
Many people, I feel, see fantasy as a term for 'fictionalized version of medieval Europe'. That's fine as far as it goes. If that's the kind of book you enjoy, by all means, be choosy about what you read! In my case, however, I see fantasy simply as a fully fictional or fictionalized world of any kind - therefore, not necessarily tied to any era, place, or style of language. Provided it adheres to its own rules, anything goes: the characters should be able to talk how they damn well please (again, provided it remains constant with how the world is presented). Fantasy, by its very definition, should be a place for imagination to fly free, not be bound to restrictive rules.
In my work, the characters talk using whatever slang I feel is appropriate to their natures and the nature of their world. Tourniquet inhabits Lemmereq - an entirely fictional world of fantasy - not Olde England. I am not bound to era-specific dialogue (or societal rules, or professions), 'cuz this ain't Earth.
Could a fantasy go overboard with modern slang? Well, possibly an overload might feel jarring, but unless the author is using terminology that describes concepts that don't exist in his or her fantasy world I can't see how it's harmful. Obviously, if you don't like modern slang in your fantasy, that's entirely your prerogative... but it shouldn't be on the grounds that 'that's not how they should talk'.
In short, fantasy is fantasy. Why adhere so strictly to rules in a genre which is designed to have rules bent or broken?
January 23, 2015
A second excerpt
Hey all,
Get a short taste of my dark fantasy serial Tales of Tourniquet at microcerpt. (For the first, head on over to iauthor).
Get a short taste of my dark fantasy serial Tales of Tourniquet at microcerpt. (For the first, head on over to iauthor).
