New material

I’m writing my first story of 2010.

I have another accepted and coming out yet this year in the forthcoming Ricasso Press heroic fantasy anthology, Through Blood and Iron, though it was not written in 2010. This new tale involves the same character though, and I’m glad to finally be writing him again.

I really shouldn’t be. It’s an awful conundrum being an editor and publisher. I’m always and often taking care of someone else’s work, be it reading, selecting, editing, layout, promotion, what have ye…with no time for none of the above on my own words. It’s been eating at me slowly and quietly the last few weeks though.

I’ve denied it, told it there was no time and used my guilt to keep it at bay. But then I took a break the last few days from looking at material I’ve been seeing over and over again and read some stuff. Stuff like the first 200 pages of Scott Lynch’s Red Seas under Red Skies; or the eARC of Nicholas Ozment’s Knight Terrors; or four straight Conan comics, from Savage Sword to Songs of the Dead. It was a breath of nirvana–and I wanted some more.

There’s an anthology I’d been eying for some time, even putting a link to its submissions page on my desktop so I’d see it every day. Today’s the day I finally reopened it, considered my options and delved my inner growing muse…and started typing. I’m 2500 words into a tale I’m already pretty proud of. It’s a different style of writing for me, and I’m not really sure where it comes from, but I’m feeling it and going with it and it’s flowing.

This isn’t one of the big anthologies, just a little something that sounded appealing. This isn’t even going to be a long story or for ‘big’ pay. The climax is nigh and it feels like resolution and denouement are hot behind, so I doubt the tale surpasses 4k. Which is just fine with me.

I’m happy to be writing a character I have much to explore with and much in store for.

I’m happy to be writing.

Rating 4.00 out of 5
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Posted in Writing, von Darkmoor | 3 Comments

He’s Alive! And Interviewed at Revolution SF!

Joe Crowe of RevolutionSF fame was gracious enough to introduce himself to me at Dragon*Con 2009. We two with Bill Ward got to hang out with Lou Anders of Pyr Books in the VP room. After hours of jocularity, Joe in all seriousness offered to interview me whenever the next RBE title came out. Now that Demons: A Clash of Steel has finally made it to market, he was true to his word. Check out the thoroughly entertaining and appropriately brief exchange of thoughts he managed to extract from me!

Rating 4.00 out of 5
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Posted in RBE | Leave a comment

Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword & Sorcery – Strahan & Anders

Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword & Sorcery, edited by Jonathan Strahan & Lou Anders

TPB 544 pages, Eos Books (June 22, 2010),
ISBN 978-0061723810, $15.99

limited hardcover 424 pages, Subterranean Press (July 2010), ISBN  978-1596063112, $75.00

recommended for ages 18 and up

~ ~ ~

Sword and sorcery does not pit the good against the evil. It is not about redemption or world-saving quests, and rarely is anyone in an S&S tale innocent. Sword and sorcery puts those who are ‘good’ in danger of losing their souls to the sorcerous evil that threatens to overwhelm them—they are the fodder for such tales. Sword and sorcery puts the pragmatic, self-serving, barbarian sword between them and that evil, not to save their sorry asses, but simply because our beloved barbarian enjoys spitting in the eye of impossible odds.  That, and relieving those same good people of their wealth and their virgins of their honor once he or she has won the day.

In other words, sword and sorcery is about wine, wantons, wealth and war—look for no underlying themes. There is no concept of ‘greater good’ even when the good are greater upon story’s end. S&S is the most hedonistic of reading delights, glorying in violence and sex, the two most adrenaline-infused events of a lively existence. As Conan says in Robert E. Howard’s “The Queen of the Black Coast”

“I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content.”

Continue reading

Rating 4.00 out of 5
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Posted in 2010, Books, Reviewing, YES | 6 Comments