The Keeper of Tales

I am pleased to announce that my novel The Keeper of Tales will be published on May 1, 2021, from Dark Owl Publishing!

The Fallen Lord knows how the stories are told: an unlikely hero will gather a member of every race and every nation to discover his dark secret and cause his defeat. But the Fallen Lord has discovered a new tactic, and has made sure this group can never gather.

And now Adal, the most unlikely of heroes, an old, world-weary man, must lead those who survive. But will the stories be satisfied with the company he leads?

Has the Fallen Lord at last found a way to conquer the Storied Lands by turning the very tales against them?

You’re going to hear a lot more about this novel, how it was written, and what the publishing process is like in future days. But for now, I’m thrilled to simply announce that: This is happening!

You can find the book’s page here! 

Working Vacation

What do you do on vacation?

Sit back? Relax? Go sight seeing? Visit old friends or older relatives? Maybe catch up on your reading?

I’m working.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: If your intent is to publish, you need to approach writing as a job. It’s not a hobby to do whenever. It’s not something to attempt when the mood strikes. Both of those things are fine, as long as you understand that then it’s a hobby or something even a little less than a hobby. But if your goal, your intent, is to publish, you need to approach writing as a job – because it is.

This week I’ve been on vacation. I’m not at home in Kentucky. I’m nowhere near pursuing any ministry right now. A week of relaxation at my mother-in-law’s! (And yes – that really is a week of relaxation.)

And that means… I’m writing! Continue reading “Working Vacation”

Bad books help you write better.

Over Bookcation I read a bad book. Like, seriously, this thing was awful. I’m glad I read it.

Now, this isn’t one of those B-movie things where it’s so bad it’s enjoyable to read. I enjoy those kind of movies. Books, when done right, can evoke that same feel. No, this particular novel was just badly written.

So, why am I glad I read it?

When you know something is good or bad, analyzing why it’s one way or another can help you grow in your own writing. You can turn a critical eye to your own work in progress and see if you’re guilty of the same sins. You can use different tactics you’ve learned in other people’s writings to enhance your own.

And in this case, I can look and see: What made this book so bad? Continue reading “Bad books help you write better.”

Achievement Unlocked: Bookcation!

The bookcation hath succeeded!

Kind of!

In past years, we’d often explore many multiple bookshops and come home with boxes upon boxes of books. We decided to do something different this time around: One shop, load up, but then spend the bulk of the remaining time simply reading.

That said, I found some stuff I thought I’d share. We got 34 books total; I ain’t gonna share them all here. What I will do is share some of the highlights I thought y’all might find interesting!

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I picked up this book on the title alone. I mean, how could I not? That’s fantastic! I’m told Mike Resnick is also a fantastic author (and he was a swell guy, to boot), though I don’t think I’ve read anything by him before. It’s book 4 in a series, but I’m hoping I can get by with just this one. I would have picked up more in the series had the store had any!

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So, Andrew Peterson is one of my favorite musical artists. This book comes from his press, Rabbit Room Press, and it’s written by his brother. It was $2. I didn’t even care I didn’t know what it was about; I snapped it up. I figure, worse comes to worse, I wasted $2. I suspect it’s worth at least that much, though, and probably a whole lot more!

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If you know Gravity Falls, well, you’re awesome. If not, check it out. It’s streaming on Disney+ right now. Anyway, my wife found this hardcover, and it shows you everything awesome about the show. I mean, “The Curse of the Time Pirate’s Treasure”? How could you not love that. And it’s a “Select Your Own Choose-Venture”? Heck yeah! This is just going to be a delight.

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So, there are lots of barbarian riffs. Conan is obviously the most famous, but there are plenty of others. So why did I bother picking up this one? Look at that author: Gardner F. Fox. I don’t know if it’s the same Gardner Fox, but a person with that name is one of the editors responsible for modern DC comics. For instance, he was the editor for the first Justice League stories ever. A lot of comics people back then did plenty of other writing. I need to investigate to find out if it’s the same guy, but I’m hoping it is!

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So, I like nautical fiction. C. S. Forester wrote the Horatio Hornblower series I adore. But what’s all this? Well, it’s the journals of a man who really sailed the seas. I thought it might be fun. And then I read the end of the introduction by Forester:

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I love that.

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Finally, I was able to wrap up several series. This one, which started with Epic, has been startlingly good. I also got the final book of Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe series, as well as the final Holly Vesper book.

So, overall, a productive bookcation, even if we only made one stop to purchase books!

I hope y’all are having a great summer — enjoy the day, and see you next week!