I’ll be posting a thousand word short story up on Aethereal Engines Friday called The Showroom. It was created for a writer’s challenge in January, but the main character and concepts have been with me for at least a couple of years... And about 30,000 words of background and notes. The Showroom takes place in... Continue Reading →
Keeping the Darkness at Bay
I’ve been working on fiction as much as I can given the brutal weather in my corner of the United States. I’m used to snow and cold, but over the last two weeks we have had a storm an average of every other day… my house currently looks like the Rebel Base on Hoth. Then... Continue Reading →
Gods and Men: Tackling Divinities in Burus and Gora
The topic of religion in fantasy settings is a vast one, and there are already many essays devoted to the subject for those that seek them. Rather than rehash what has already been said, I’m going to focus on what has been important to me as I have been crafting my recent fiction, and give... Continue Reading →
New Fiction! “A Hymnal upon the Wind” is up on Aethereal Engines!
Huddled around a bent campfire with companions as frigid as the howling winds, Aile had never felt a festival of the Nativity as cold as the one she bore tonight. Unseen past the snow and scraggly pines, others are listening in the night... Watching with hungry eyes that craft murderous designs. A Hymnal upon the... Continue Reading →
The Worldbuilding Dungeon and Other Perils of the Gaming Writer
I’m not afraid to admit it: I’ve been playing dice-and-paper role-playing games for most of my life. Starting with Dungeons & Dragons, I’ve been gaming and collecting RPGs since I was a kid in the 80s; It’s a great hobby that I love dearly, and it’s a pastime that has brought me long-standing friendships. The... Continue Reading →
Engineer’s Log: Mid-January Update
Lots of creative forces flowing in the past two weeks! Here is a quick rundown of writing updates: 1. I finished a thousand word short story draft for a writer’s challenge that goes live on the 24th. I’m calling it The Showroom and it is set in my science-fantasy setting of The Exerverse. It’s a... Continue Reading →
Engineer’s Log: Bro, Do You Even Prologue?
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about prologues lately. Being on several writers groups has shown me that prologues are “a thing” for fantasy novel writers… But are they “a thing” because they are needed? Or are they “a thing” because “that’s the way the other guys do it and I want to be... Continue Reading →
Engineer’s Log: Twenty Fourteen
2014 was the year that I finally discovered the courage to reach for my dreams after decades of imprisoning them with fears and excuses. I had lied to myself for too long that I was content when I wasn’t. I had lied too long to others when I said that I was a writer, and... Continue Reading →
Fiction Update! The Conclusion of “A Contract in Azure and Indigo”!
And here it is… The third and final chapter of A Contract in Azure and Indigo has been posted on Aethereal Engines! The finale is a dutiful third act which begins with Ama and Bean confronting the unexpected consequences that Macule has brought forth: Irrevocable changes that will alter their lives forever. This story has... Continue Reading →
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