M.B. Weston's Blog, page 23

M. B. Weston Confirmed for ContraFlow, Oct 3-5, 2014

I’ve officially been confirmed as a guest at ContraFlow in New Orleans from October 3 to October 5, 2014. Once I get my schedule, I will post it so stay tuned!

Please click here for my “Speaking and Signing Events” page for a list of scheduled signings and conventions I will be attending

Fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason. Weston is also the hose of The Final Cut In Movies radio show that airs on TMV Cafe Monday nights at 8:00 EST. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. To receive notification of M. B. Weston’s book releases click here to subscribe to Dark Oak Press & Media’s e-newsletter.

Elysian Chronicles Fun Facts: Why Out of the Shadows: Chapter 45 is called “The Maverick”

Coming up with chapter titles in Out of the Shadows was quite difficult, and I really struggled thinking of a title for Chapter 45.

It’s an important chapter in the Gabriella’s development. She shows her ability to think and perform under pressure, and she also shows a bit of military creativity that mimic’s Davian’s. One might argue that her actions in this chapter saved Elysia.

I wanted to link Gabriella’s riding on Kinole’s back and shooting arrows at the enemy with fighter pilots. After a bit of thought, I named the chapter “The Maverick” for two reasons. First because Gabriella was totally doing something that had never been done before. Second, because I wanted to see if I could sneak a Top Gun allusion past the editors. It worked!

Fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason. Weston is also the hose of The Final Cut In Movies radio show that airs on TMV Cafe Monday nights at 8:00 EST. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. To receive notification of M. B. Weston’s book releases click here to subscribe to Dark Oak Press & Media’s e-newsletter.

Elysian Chronicles Fun Facts: Enter the Dragons!

In The Elysian Chronicles: Out of the Shadows, dragons finally make an appearance.

From Out of the Shadows “Chapter Thirty-One: Below the Belt”:

Davian heard a whoosh above him to his right and felt a gust of wind. The fog swirled around him. “Bring [Gabriella] with me,” he whispered to Cassadern, and he flew back to Marcus.

“What was that, Seraph?” asked Marcus.

They heard it again and felt another blast of wind. Theo gasped and pointed to the sky where a long, reptilian tale disappeared into the fog above.

“Did you see the head attached to that tail, Theo?” asked Tyce.

Theo shook his head. “I saw the leg though. Bigger than five unicorns together.”

They felt another gale, and Marcus pointed at something that looked like the wing of a bat, except it was green and about ten feet wide. Marcus reached for his swords, but pulled his hands away. “Not like I’m going to reach it anyway,” he muttered to Tyce.

“Stay quiet, and don’t move,” whispered Davian.

“It already knows we’re here,” said Boronan.

“And it needs to know we mean it no harm.”

“You can’t reason with them, Davian,” said Boronan.

Davian chuckled. “Using reason was not in my plan.”

“Your plan?” said Marcus. “That wing was in your plan?”

Davian pointed at the fog. “Look. It’s lifting.”

“He’s not sharing his plan with either of us, Marcus,” said Boronan.

After most of the fog cleared, a colossal rust-colored dragon sat ten yards away from them. Each of its five-clawed feet grasped the rock it had landed on. Spikes as long as Davian’s hand ran along its spine and down its swishing tail. Five horns grew out of its head like a natural crown; its red wings were folded at its back.

“He’s an Imperial, Davian,” warned Boronan.

“An Imperial dragon?” said Tyce. “Aren’t they the fiercest?”

“There’s only one,” said Davian. “We’ll be fine.”

“Fine?” Tyce whispered to Theo. “Has he heard the tales?”

“Trust the seraph, runt,” said Marcus. “He knows what he’s doing. And he’s right. There’s only one of them.” Marcus, despite his words, kept a firm grip on both swords.

More fog cleared, revealing more than fifty dragons that surrounded Davian’s soldiers and unicorns. Twenty more circled in the air.

Describing the Elysian Chronicles to people who haven’t read it can be difficult. I try to mention “Roman soldiers with wings” to describe cherubians, but the series has much more than angels with swords flitting around the galaxy between portals. It features quite a few creatures, but I didn’t have the ability to show all of them in A Prophecy Forgotten, especially since most of APF takes place on Earth.

I loved writing Out of the Shadows because it gave me a chance to develop and explore the world of Heaven’s Realm–to make it more of a real place instead of something mentioned between patrons of the Treetop Inn.

Dragons were by far my favorite creatures to create, but I didn’t want to simply add dragons for the sake of dragons. They needed character, a back story, and a culture. Their existence needed to make sense–not just be some “look I have dragons which makes me cool.”

First, I decided to make the dragons highly emotional creatures. That would make them more dangerous, even amongst friends and allies. Who wants the crazy friend with mood swings running around with napalm?

Second, I gave the dragons a few weaknesses so I could keep them under control when needed. (Do you think I want to deal with emotional, winged beasts running around with napalm?) I’ll deal with the weaknesses in a later blog post.

Third, I decided to divide the dragons into races: the Imperials, the Baethir, and the Tatsu. I did this for a few reasons:

We see it in nature all the time. Look at all the different types of sharks in the ocean. Writing has to imitate reality in some ways or it won’t feel real.
Different races give me different strengths and weaknesses to play with. For instance: the Tatsu are smaller but their fire burns blue, and it’s hotter than anything.
Different races give me the possibility for future conflict. Conflict is key in stories. By building a dragon culture based on more than one type of dragon, I gave myself future plot twists and problems. (Yes, that was foreshadowing.)

I will discuss the dragon races in more detail later because, again, there is too much detail there for one blog post.

PS, yes this blog post’s title is paying homage to Bruce Lee. Good catch!

Fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason. Weston is also the hose of The Final Cut In Movies radio show that airs on TMV Cafe Monday nights at 8:00 EST. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. To receive notification of M. B. Weston’s book releases click here to subscribe to Dark Oak Press & Media’s e-newsletter.

Elysian Chronicles Fun Facts: What Exactly is Aesirium?

Here is the definition of aesirium from the NEW Out of the Shadows “Glossary & Pronunciation Guide”:

aesirium: (ǝ•sîr′•ē•ǝm) n. Light, strong metal mined and forged by the Gignos gnomes in the Cragdern Mountains.

Obviously, there is more to aesirium than that simple definition. When I was writing The Elysian Chronicles: Out of the Shadows, I had a few plot issues I needed to solve:

I needed a good reason Cragdern (the gnomes’ country) would remain neutral in Elysia‘s war against the mornachts–aside from trade. Trade with the mornacht culture simply could not be as profitable as trade with Elysia–especially with Elysia’s massive amounts of military spending. When I divided the gnomes into clans, I discovered a good reason: money and power. If the Emperor’s clan (the Nibelung) stood to lose power to Klous’s Gignos clan due to the Gignos ability to mine and forge something cherubians desperately needed, trade embargoes against Elysia would cement the Emperor’s power.

In “Chapter 15: The Mole Underground,” Klous explains this to Davian, Marcus, Tyce, and Theo:

“Now, we Gignos originally only found silver, diamonds, sapphires, and aquamarines in our mountains, but one day, we discovered aesirium. Aesirium melts at a heat higher than other ores, and it’s difficult to refine. Only our most skilled gnomes can work it. And this is the key part of Cragdern’s history: when Ezzer heard of the material, he wanted it for his army, and we were happy to make it for him. Our trade with Elysia soon made us wealthier than the other clans. It incited the jealousy of the Nibelung, who controlled Cragdern. The Nibelung wanted to stop us from trading with the cherubians. Ezzer gave them the perfect excuse when he banished the gnomes from Earth.”

I needed to give Davian and his little band of merry men (yes, Robin Hood was a bit of an influence) a military advantage over the big bad dictator (trying not to add spoilers here). They had several disadvantages, and lighter armor would make it easier for them to fly. When Davian helps Klous escape from the Dungeon of Enbed, Klous and his clan furnish Davian with special aesirium armor.

From “Chapter 15: The Mole Underground”:

Davian sat on his bed, holding a brand new helmet made of silvery metal and waited for Marcus to finish his bath. The helmet was shaped like a hawk’s head with feather engravings and a beak that pointed above the forehead. A breastplate of the same metal and engravings and boot covers made to resemble talons, lay on the bed. Davian rubbed his hand hypnotically across the helmet’s top as though polishing it with an invisible rag. He broke out of his trance when Marcus emerged. “Cozy in there, isn’t it?”

Marcus scowled and held up a gnomish bath brush. “I could almost brush my teeth with this.” He donned his own greenish-brown kilt and tunic. “How did they know we don’t wear LAF uniforms?”

“Klous had to endure listening to me in those mineshafts for five years, too. You’ll notice they didn’t give me a silver kilt.”

Marcus grabbed the breastplate that lay on his bed. “This armor looks familiar.”

Davian’s strange stare returned. “The last cherubian to wear armor like this was Ezzer.”

Marcus snapped his fingers. “That’s where I recognize it! The Statue of Ezzer in the palace courtyard. All of the ancient heroes wore those helmets. Where did they find this?”

“The Gignos once furnished Ezzer and his armies with armor. They pulled out their old moldings and forged some for us. Same metal, too.”

“What is it?”

“Aesirium. Like my ring. It’s lighter than iron and bronze and much harder. Makes it easier to fly.”

Marcus gazed at his breastplate. “Edenian armor… We’ll need to paint it bronze if we want to hide in the bushes.”

Davian shook his head. “It looks white when you look straight at it up close. From far away, it blends into its surroundings. Go to the other side of the room.”

Marcus limped to the other side of the room and his mouth fell open. “That’s amazing. You look like part of the room!” He limped back to Davian and donned the breastplate, moving his chest around inside it. “Just enough wiggle room. You’re right. It feels much lighter than I expected. Low-hovering will be easy.”

“And it doesn’t scratch—meaning we’ll always look like WET-lackeys.”

I wanted to pay homage to JRR Tolkien. Can I hear a “mithril” from anyone?

Why did I call it Aesirium? I did some research on names of metals and discovered many of the newer metals are named after Greek gods and mythological characters (i.e. titanium). I decided that since I’ve been pulling from Norwegian mythology, I might as well name this new metal after the Norwegian gods: the Aesir, as they were called.

Fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason. Weston is also the hose of The Final Cut In Movies radio show that airs on TMV Cafe Monday nights at 8:00 EST. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. To receive notification of M. B. Weston’s book releases click here to subscribe to Dark Oak Press & Media’s e-newsletter.

Elysian Chronicles: Out of the Shadows Hard Covers Are Currently 20% Off!

Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com are currently selling the Out of the Shadows hard covers at 20% off the cover price! If you have been waiting for a hardcover, now is the time to get one!

Here are the links and prices:

Out of the Shadows hardcover on Amazon: $23.81
Out of the Shadows hardcover on Barnes & Noble: $24.28

If you haven’t yet read Out of the Shadows, please feel free to read the sample chapter on Dark Oak’s website.

Also, we know that many of you are waiting for The Elysian Chronicles: Book III. Please be sure to sign up for the Dark Oak newsletter so you won’t miss it or other books by M. B. Weston.

Fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason. Weston is also the hose of The Final Cut In Movies radio show that airs on TMV Cafe Monday nights at 8:00 EST. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. To receive notification of M. B. Weston’s book releases click here to subscribe to Dark Oak Press & Media’s e-newsletter.

The NEW Elysian Chronicles: Out of the Shadows is Now Available in Hard Cover and Paperback!

If you missed a few of my blog posts, Dark Oak Press and Media has acquired the rights to The Elysian Chronicles: Out of the Shadows. This re-vamped, re-edited edition contains a few additions originally meant for an Out of the Shadows collector’s edition and a glossary & pronunciation guide.

The hard covers and trade paperback are finally available!

Here are the links to both Kindle and Nook (yes, Out of the Shadows is finally on Nook!):

Out of the Shadows on Kindle
Out of the Shadows on Amazon
Out of the Shadows on Barnes & Noble & Nook

If you haven’t yet read Out of the Shadows, please feel free to read the sample chapter on Dark Oak’s website.

Also, we know that many of you are waiting for The Elysian Chronicles: Book III. Please be sure to sign up for the Dark Oak newsletter so you won’t miss it or other books by M. B. Weston.

Fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason. Weston is also the hose of The Final Cut In Movies radio show that airs on TMV Cafe Monday nights at 8:00 EST. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. To receive notification of M. B. Weston’s book releases click here to subscribe to Dark Oak Press & Media’s e-newsletter.

Elysian Chronicles Fun Facts: Why Out of the Shadows: Chapter 5 is called “Flickering Candles”

My main theme for Out of the Shadows was “A Call to Action.” Throughout the story, especially toward the climax, my characters were faced with having to choose to put what they believed into action. In Chapter 5: Flickering Candles, I wanted to show Maurice, Marcus, Theo, and Davian at their lowest points, when the fire of their faith was wavering so I could develop them throughout the novel until each of them reached their decision point. The chapter is quite poignant–especially considering each character’s struggle to maintain his hope at this point compared to their renewed excitement at the end of A Prophecy Forgotten.

Maurice, tending his tavern, The Treetop Inn, in Elysia’s fallen economy:

[***Spoiler Protection***]‘s ten year reign and the terror he brought with it had convinced Maurice the Runes were only old wives tales. He pitied Quantus for risking his life for their prophecies. “Poppycock, that’s what they are,” he muttered. “The only soldier of Ezzer’s caliber was killed ten years ago.”

 Marcus and Theo (and Tyce), imprisoned in the quarry mines:

For half-a-second, the visible parts of Picante’s face turned a shade lighter. “It’s a pity you couldn’t rescue him ten years ago,” he snapped. “Not even Davian could survive Enbed for this long.” He turned and marched away.

Theo’s smile faded. He sank to the floor and leaned his head against the limestone wall. “He’s right, Major. Seraph Davian could never have survived ten years in Enbed.”

Marcus grunted. “The Runes say he will.”

Theo closed his eyes. “The Runes are just a fairy-tale, Major.”

Marcus lunged at Theo and pushed him into the wall. “Don’t let me hear you say that again.” He threw Theo aside and limped to the far corner of the cell. He sat down and groaned, hoping Tyce or Theo could not see his own doubt.

Davian, imprisoned in the Dungeon of Enbed:

[Enbed’s] prisoners trudged through the mine’s damp shafts, shackled in chains. Gnomes, fauns, nymphs, sprites—Enbed opened its hospitality to anyone. But only one cherubian toiled there. His long, brown hair was knotted and mangled, and his beard reached almost to his chest. His black tunic hung on one shoulder by a few threads, and his once silver seraph’s kilt was now as dark as his tunic. His sea-green eyes told a tale far worse. Their familiar gleam—their fire—resembled a lone ember flickering for the last time.

A row of gnomes filed past. Not one trembled at the sound of the whip. Not one cowered when a mornacht struck him. Not one turned when another fell to the ground in exhaustion. They were vacuous: soulless walking bodies devoid of personality and will, a condition Davian knew was incurable. When he first entered Enbed, he watched the vacuous prisoners in horror. Now he gazed upon them with envy. None of them felt the whip’s sting. None of them endured the mine’s toil. Davian felt his mind begging to block out the stimuli….

… “No!” Davian cried out, hoping the words might stimulate his senses. His yell sounded faint and far away. He stood up. I won’t let them win, he thought. He tried to recall the one memory that helped him through Enbed’s most painful torture sessions, but he saw only a vague outline of a cherubian woman with brown hair. Nothing more. I’ve forgotten her face, he realized. … He fell to the ground, groped for his shovel, and grasped its neck, intending to ram the spade into his throat.

I will not become like them.

Calling the chapter “Flickering Candles” was also meant to be a slight nod at Zephor’s comment to Sephus the Hawk Master in A Prophecy Forgotten‘s Chapter 3: Rumble in the School Yard:

Zephor remembered how Sephus first approached the job. He did what Elysia required of him, but little else. His superiors said the accident calmed him down, but Zephor knew better. The accident had not calmed Sephus down; it had almost numbed him—sedated him even.

Zephor finally pulled the lad aside and told him, “Don’t lose the fire, soldier. The fire is your most important weapon. It might dwindle every now and then, but make sure you never let it get snuffed out.”

Fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason. Weston is also the hose of The Final Cut In Movies radio show that airs on TMV Cafe Monday nights at 8:00 EST. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. To receive notification of M. B. Weston’s book releases click here to subscribe to Dark Oak Press & Media’s e-newsletter.

Elysian Chronicles Fun Facts: Heyden’s Original Name

Heyden, the hawk assigned to watch Tommy in both A Prophecy Forgotten and Out of the Shadows, was not originally called Heyden. When I was working on the first draft of APF I couldn’t think of a name for him, so I called him Hudson–after the movie Hudson Hawk–as a little inside joke. My first editor apparently didn’t appreciate Hudson Hawk‘s brand of humor, and I received my edited manuscript back with the hawk’s name to Heyden.

Fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason. Weston is also the hose of The Final Cut In Movies radio show that airs on TMV Cafe Monday nights at 8:00 EST. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. To receive notification of M. B. Weston’s book releases click here to subscribe to Dark Oak Press & Media’s e-newsletter.

The NEW Elysian Chronicles: Out of the Shadows is Now Available on E-Book for only $2.99!

If you missed yesterday’s blog post, Dark Oak Press and Media has acquired the rights to The Elysian Chronicles: Out of the Shadows. This re-vamped, re-edited edition contains a few additions originally meant for an Out of the Shadows collector’s edition and a glossary & pronunciation guide.

The best part: The eBook is available now for only $2.99–less than the cost of a Starbucks Latte!

Here are the links to both Kindle and Nook (yes, Out of the Shadows is finally on Nook!):

Out of the Shadows on Amazon Kindle
Out of the Shadows on Nook

The hard cover (yes, we finally have an Out of the Shadows hard cover!) and the trade paperback will be available sometime next week, so please stay tuned!

If you haven’t yet read Out of the Shadows, please feel free to read the sample chapter on Dark Oak’s website.

Also, we know that many of you are waiting for The Elysian Chronicles: Book III. Please be sure to sign up for the Dark Oak newsletter so you won’t miss it or other books by M. B. Weston.

Fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason. Weston is also the hose of The Final Cut In Movies radio show that airs on TMV Cafe Monday nights at 8:00 EST. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. To receive notification of M. B. Weston’s book releases click here to subscribe to Dark Oak Press & Media’s e-newsletter.

The Elysian Chronicles: Out of the Shadows Rights Acquired by Dark Oak Press & Media

Dark Oak Press and Media has acquired the rights to The Elysian Chronicles: Out of the Shadows–the sequel to The Elysian Chronicles: A Prophecy Forgotten.

Dark Oak’s re-vamped 2nd Edition of Out of the Shadows will include:

A few additions originally meant for an Out of the Shadows collector’s edition
Revamped and re-edited
A glossary & pronunciation guide (in case you were wondering how to pronounce Aesirium)
Finally available in Hardcover!
Finally available Nook!
International Distribution

This new edition is scheduled to be released the week of June 9th, 2014, but eBooks are already available in Kindle and Nook!

Fantasy, steampunk, and paranormal novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason. Weston is also the hose of The Final Cut In Movies radio show that airs on TMV Cafe Monday nights at 8:00 EST. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. To receive notification of M. B. Weston’s book releases click here to subscribe to Dark Oak Press & Media’s e-newsletter.