Samhain Decorations

Hurrah! I finally finished my wall display. And in all the days I’ve been working with my art scalpel with never an injury … I cut my dang finger on the extra paper  that I was stuffing into the recycling. Go figure.

Image

 

It looks much better when lit obviously but I won’t be able to snap a photo of that until after sundown. The boxes are all repurposed from things I’ve bought like a kitchen scale or laptop or what-have-you. Painted black. The pictures are cut from old calendars while the mask and pseudo jack o’ lantern (Box o’ lantern?) were my creations. Hurray for reusing things!

Continue reading “Samhain Decorations”

It’s that time of year again …

Here’s a sneak preview of my Samhain decorations.

Image

Doesn’t look as good with the flash on but hopefully I’ll be able to snap a photo of it lit up when I figure out this camera.

Continue reading “It’s that time of year again …”

Last Day of September

And it’s been a good one so far! I’m now about one and a half chapters into writing the sequel to my current novel Blood of Midnight: The Broken Prophecy, Alex sent me six chapters of edited work for me to dig into, and I picked up some lights for my Halloween decorations.

Not bad at all.

Image

New Editor

Okay! Here’s a quick note to let y’all know that due to some health issues beyond his control, Tak won’t be able to finish the editing on my book so I’ve hired a new editor. Hi Alex! Thanks for taking on the project.

Still projecting a winter release date guys, so sit tight!

Chapter 3 Update (and some crafting!)

So my editor got back to me with a fixed-up chapter 3 for Blood of Midnight: The Broken Prophecy. Glad to see you feeling better Kal!

I had a bout of insomnia last night so I decided to make the best of the situation and worked on the chapter while the sun rose. So eerily quiet! But on the upside, I got most of the work I had scheduled to do today done before the alarm went off. Go me!

I also got most of the Book That Bleeds completed which is not actually a writing project. It’s a costume prop. I’m going to this year’s Montreal ComicCon and I’ve decided to cosplay as a Drow. I love elves of all sorts but this particular variety has got to be my favourite because of their interesting culture. And before you ask, no, I’m not a super-rare good Drow seeking to redeem himself from the evil ways of his people. Nope. I’m a standard run-of-the-mill evil Loth-worshipping Drow. Yay!

As you might have guessed, aside from writing, one of my passions is costuming. I usually make my own costumes and my wife’s as well. This year is no different except that the budget is a little tiny bit bigger than last year. Perhaps I’ll share some of my in-progress costume-creation shots!

But that can wait until after I finish this fresh-ground hazelnut coffee. Mmm.

For centuries, …

For centuries, legends of the ancient sorcerer known as the White Asp have been told.

But this demon is writing a new tale in the blood of the slaughtered, as cities and kingdoms fall to his relentless assault. In a desperate bid for survival, the Stonehart clan places its hopes on the shoulders of Damon, whose blood magic is the strongest of all of his kin. Thrust from childhood onto the battlefield, Damon must find a way to stop the sorcerer’s onslaught.

Born with only half of their magic, every Stonehart must seek out their Reflection to gain their full power. Damon’s match, Phoenix Solara, escaped the Asp’s holocaust but fell into a strange world where bird-men live underground and stew in madness, pining for a sun they cannot see. Separated from her mystical counterpart, Phoenix can only reach Damon in snatches of time when they are both dreaming.

Damon seeks the knowledge to save his people; Phoenix searches for the power to escape her prison. But even if they find a way to aid each other, will it be enough to repel their common foe, or will the world be crushed under the coils of the White Asp?

Sound like something you’d like to dive into? Hopefully yes! This is the blurb for my fantasy novel, Blood of Midnight: The Broken Prophecy. It’s currently scheduled to come out this winter.

As a status report: My manuscript is currently at the editor’s. A bout of illness prevented him from getting much done over the past month. Feel better soon Kal!

Next up, more great advice from authors written on their tools-of-the-trade: their hands.

The Art of Asking

I trust you.

I’ve had people, many of them friends of mine give me a pained expression, full of well-meaning worry for me and my livelihood, when I tell them I am self-publishing. I tell them that the book publishing industry has changed. It’s a brave new world full of new opportunities for artists to connect directly with their audiences.

Yes, it’s frightening to take that leap of faith and do something outside of long-standing tradition. I’m doing so, and Mz. Palmer’s TED talk here is precisely why.

I don’t want to connect with a publishing house. I want to connect with you. I don’t fancy giving 80% of my money to a middle-man to stand between my readers and myself. I want people to be able to enjoy a good fantasy novel for no more than three dollars and to be happy with that investment.

That’s why I have decided to put forward my art this way; I trust you.

Blood of Midnight: The Broken Prophecy

Blood of Midnight: The Broken Prophecy

This is the front cover of my book, coming out this winter. I’m very excited! It’s a fantasy novel in which a young man stumbles into adulthood on the battlefield and a young woman torn from the world she knows by disaster. Worlds apart, they must somehow help each other to survive before all is lost.

Art by Sarah Cloutier. Lettering and formatting by Kristy Laporte.

%d bloggers like this: