Tuesday, June 26, 2012

An Excerpt From One Of My Novels

Yep, this is an excerpt from one of my novels. I figured I'd actually give you some prose of mine to read instead of a bunch of poems, ramblings, and book reviews.
So, this is the first chapter of
Evrain, a comedy/drama I was working on a few months ago.
It basically came from me wanting to have an obsessive, insane character that acted like a little kid, a sarcastic grave-robber dude, and an absentminded archer in a novel. I highly doubt I'll ever finish this (hence the reason it isn't mentioned on my
Novels page), because it's just for the fun of it.
Plus, I don't think this is really something that would sell very well; it's not the kind of book people want to read, I don't think. I mean, I'd like to see a book like this in my library, but that's just my weird sense of humor.
So. Without further ado, I bring to you the first chapter of
Evrain...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


"Evrain! EVRAIN!"
Evrain jolted out of his daydream and looked over at the Captain of the Guard. "Uh…yes, sir?"
"You’re supposed to let the arrow loose now, and see if you can hit the target," growled the Captain.
Evrain then remembered that he was in the middle of a tournament, and that it was his turn to shoot.
"Oh." Evrain blushed at the sound of the laughter from the crowds watching. He let loose the arrow he was still holding nocked to the bowstring.
It shot forward and buried itself dead-center of the target. Evrain grinned. "I did it!"
"Now let’s see if you can do it twice more," said the Captain in acid tones.
"Oh, yeah." Evrain nocked another arrow, aimed, and let it go. It struck the target a few inches below his first arrow, but still within the bull’s-eye.
As Evrain got another arrow ready, he began to think about the trophy at the end of the arching tournament. He would win; at least, he would have to get second place…
He fired the arrow, and it missed the target entirely. It had been a spur-of-the-moment idea, and he had been too far into his daydream to aim properly.
Evrain heard the Captain curse behind him, then say, "All right, Evrain, you can leave the field now."
Evrain hesitated, and then trudged off in the direction of the river, which was rather close to the playing field.
As he walked, Evrain scolded himself. "Evrain, you fool. You had the competition in the bag, but then you had to go off and start daydreaming. What happens if you do that in a battle? This land is cursed, what with all of the monsters roaming around. So, when you’re in the middle of a fight, you’ll just start daydreaming, and then within seconds you’ll be pulverized, or devoured, or mutilated, or—"
He was cut off by the sound of rushing water. He had reached the river.
Evrain sighed and plunked himself down on a boulder beside the water. He picked up a few pebbles and started to throw them into the water.
Suddenly, a loud rustling from Evrain’s right side made him spin around.
A cluster of bushes were thrashing around, as though someone—or something—was hiding among them.
Evrain sprang to his feet, about to call out. But then the mysterious thing emerged.
It was a man. He appeared to be in his middle forties, with long, ratty brown hair and wild eyes. He carried a fishing rod.
"Help! Help, help, help!" the man said rapidly, his words running together.
"What is it?" asked Evrain.
"The mean Longshanks stole my fish!" the man said, skittering back and forth in obvious agitation.
"Longshanks?" Evrain repeated, wrinkling his brow. "Who or what is Longshanks?"
"HE STOLE MY FISH!" the man screamed.
Evrain winced. "All right, all right. I’ll see what I can do. Show me where this Longshanks is."
The man turned and scurried away with an odd, loping gait.
Evrain sighed and hurried after the odd man. Perhaps if the man got his fish back, he would stop screaming…
At length, the man led Evrain through a small grove of trees and then to the bank of the river. There, Evrain could see a tent, a campfire, and various cooking and fishing utensils.
And he could also see another man standing by the fire.
"Him, him, him," the strange man said, pointing at the fire.
Evrain winced again. The stranger by the campfire was six or more feet of solid muscle, and he looked dangerous.
The man by the fire looked up with narrowed eyes. "And who might you be?" he called, making no move to leave.
"I’m Evrain Blackarrow," Evrain replied. "Because my hair is black and my destiny was always to be an archer." At least, that was what his parents had always told him.
The man by the fire nodded slowly. "What are you doing here?"
"Er…this fellow here says you stole his—" Evrain started.
"Fish!"
"Yes, his fish," Evrain agreed, glancing at the scruffy-looking fisherman who had led him here.
"He’s got more than his share," grumbled the fish-thief.
"I know, Mr…" Evrain stopped, realizing he had no idea what the man’s name was.
"You can call me Cafall," the thief replied, his face expressionless underneath reddish-brown hair.
"Mr. Cafall," Evrain continued. "But it was his fish."
"Just Cafall, no ‘Mr.’ involved," Cafall said. "Also, he has plenty of fish, he doesn’t need these. Besides, I’m bigger than he is." As though that ended the discussion, Cafall crouched down and started eating one of the half-cooked salmon he had stolen.
"Give me my fish!" screeched the fisherman with a voice that was much more high-pitched than it should have been for an adult man.
Evrain turned. "Look, could you please stop yelling? Then perhaps we could come to a conclusion."
The fisherman wandered off to the banks of the river—giving Cafall a wide berth—to sulk.
Cafall laughed derisively. "What a sorry excuse for a man." He turned his eyes on Evrain. "And you, lad. What made you follow that crazy fisherman?"
Evrain shrugged, tentatively walking forward and kneeling down across from Cafall.
Cafall watched Evrain carefully, all the while eating ‘his’ fish.
Cafall’s bright and piercing gaze unnerved Evrain, and he said, "Would you please stop staring at me?"
"Sorry," Cafall said, not sounding sorry at all.
Before Evrain could answer, there was a shout, and something slammed into the back of Cafall’s head. He pitched forward, nearly landing in the fire, and then spun around and leapt to his feet.
The fisherman had picked up the oar to a boat and hit Cafall with it.
Cafall, who was much bigger than the fisherman was, lunged forward, a knife in hand, and tackled the other man to the ground.
Without thinking, Evrain nocked an arrow to his bow and aimed at the two. "Stop fighting, or you’ll get an arrow through your head!"
To his shock, Cafall slowly glanced over, the dagger still pressed to the fisherman’s throat. Then, he abruptly re-sheathed it and stood up.
"You’ve got heart, lad," he said. "But that idiot tried to kill me."
"You stole my fish…" whined the fisherman, who was still on the ground.
Evrain sighed, unable to believe how absurd the situation was. "All right, let’s talk this over like gentlemen. Cafall, go back to the fire, and don’t touch any fish. You—what’s your name?"
"Fred." The fisherman slowly got to his feet.
"Fred?" repeated Cafall, laughing.
"Be quiet," Evrain said to Cafall. To Fred, he added, "Okay…Fred. Go sit on the other side of the fire, and don’t go anywhere near Cafall."
Fred the fisherman obeyed.
Evrain went and sat down near the fire as well. "All right, gentlemen. I—"
"I’m no gentleman," Cafall said, smirking and leaning back against a boulder.
Evrain studied Cafall’s long, windblown hair, his unkempt beard, and the scars on his face. "Yes, I can see that."
Cafall laughed again.
Evrain sighed. "Be that as it may, I’m going to continue calling you that. Anyway. Fred, I have a question to ask you."
"What?" Fred asked sullenly.
"Why can’t Cafall have a few fish to take with him?"
"They’re mine!" yelped Fred.
"Yes, I know, but…" Evrain gestured towards the baskets full of trout and salmon on the banks of the river. "You have plenty."
"They’re mine! All mine!"
"Can’t you share?" Evrain felt like he was talking to a young child.
"They’re miiiine!"
Cafall was having a major laughing fit. Evrain wearily ran a hand through his hair.
"I know they’re yours," he told Fred. "But Cafall only wants a few. Can’t he have that many?"
"They’re—" Fred started.
"If you say ‘mine’ again, I really will drive an arrow through your skull," Evrain warned, losing his temper.
"They’re not his," Fred answered instead.
"All right, all right, we get your point," Cafall said, finally able to stop laughing. "Look, friend, I’ll take a dozen fish and be on my way. You won’t ever have to see me again, although the stars know I’d rather stay here and harass you. It’s much more amusing than my current occupation."
Fred got up and trudged away to sulk.
"I’ve never seen a grown man act that way," Evrain remarked, watching the fisherman leave.
Cafall gave him a strange look. "You’ve never heard of this man before?"
"Fred? No, I haven’t."
"Everyone within a hundred miles of here knows about ‘Fred’," Cafall said. "He travels up and down the river on his fishing boat. Everybody knows that he’s quite mad."
"Really?" Evrain said curiously, casting another glance at Fred, who was muttering to himself and gutting a fish down at the river’s edge.
"Really," Cafall answered. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things I need to do." He stood up, and picked up his pack.
A shovel fell out of it.
"Why do you have a shovel in your pack?" inquired Evrain.
Cafall chuckled. "You’ve never heard of me either, eh? Well, good, I’d rather keep it that way. I suppose I’ll tell you; I’ll be long gone by the time you get back to your city."
Evrain waited expectantly.
"I’m a grave-robber, lad. A common thief and con-man. Nothing like the fancy archers and warriors in the city where you live." Cafall smirked. "Good day." He turned to leave.
But then there was a shrill cry from Fred. "Monster cows!"
Cafall, who was already halfway out of camp, snickered.
Evrain rolled his eyes, and turned to leave as well.
And then the Minotaurs swarmed out of the grove of trees, their eyes flaming and swords held high.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Book Review for Wayne Thomas Batson's "The Final Storm"

Dark storm clouds, swirling and brooding, raced overhead. Lightning flashed, shedding eerie flickering light on a sea of armed knights in black armor. This army stretched all the way to the horizon.

A very intriguing and intimidating statement, yeah? That's the statement on the back cover of "The Final Storm", which is the stunning conclusion to the "Door Within" trilogy.
Here's the blurb that's on the back cover:

Will Alleble withstand the final storm?

Paragor, the betrayer of King Eliam, unites with the Wyrm Lord and the Seven Sleepers to launch a full-scale assault on the Kingdom of Alleble. While Alleble and its allies prepare to face the coming onslaught, they cling to an ancient legend about three witnesses who have the power to bring victory. But is the legend true? And if it is, where are they? Time is running out as darkness spreads over the realm, and Paragor unleashes the final storm.

I can tell you now, I was completely shocked at who the three witnesses turned out to be. I had never expected it. And no, I won't tell you who it is, if that's what you're wondering.
Here are some random things about the book:

333 pages
Third-person POV
Published by Thomas Nelson
Has a character list in the beginning
Has a map on the inside cover (both back and front)
Link To The Final Storm On Amazon

I'd have to say that I don't really have a favorite character, because they're all fun characters to read about. Mallik, Kaliam, Robby, Aidan, Antoinette, Trenna...the list goes on and on (and on and on and on...).

Another thing that drew me in was the cover. I don't particularly have a favorite color, but the color green has always caught my attention more easily than other colors. And the cover of "The Final Storm" is this really deep emerald green, and has this stone-like pattern to it. And the lightning, sky, dragon, and knights on the front cover all have a greenish tinge to them. So if I saw this book on the shelf (and hadn't checked it out beforehand because of a suggestion by a friend), I would have picked it out from all the others immediately, just because of the green.

Okay, that was rambly. What's that you say? "Rambly" isn't a word? Well, tough, I'm going to make it one.

Anyway! This book was amazing, and you should definitely read it. AFTER you read the first two books, "The Door Within" and "Rise of the Wyrm Lord". If you need something to push you along in that direction, here's a book trailer me and my brother made for "The Door Within". He does all the acting; I was the director, cameraperson, and I made/supplied all the props, i.e the scrolls and the sword. XD
I'm still learning to use Windows Movie Maker, so forgive me if it's so horribly messed up you can't read it or anything. : P



Saturday, June 23, 2012

Lately, I've been writing a ton of...

...poetry. Yep. I've written almost twenty different poems very recently. And I wrote a ton more before that.

I'm seriously considering compiling all of my poetry (and maybe my songs, which I've written about ten of...they take considerably more work than poems) into a book. Whether or not I'll actually self-publish it is a whole other thing entirely. Mostly because my poems and songs say a lot about me, my emotions, and my thoughts, and that's kind of a big thing for me.

So...anyway. If I do compile it all into a book, I might secretly let people read the book...without telling my mom...because if she read it she'd be all, "WHAT YOU THOUGHT THAT ABOUT THAT OTHER THING AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME HOW YOU FELT?" And I'd be all, "Uhh...at the time, you would have gotten angry and it's not really something I wanted you to know and so yeah."

Hmm...to compile or not to compile, that is the question.

"Twisted"

This is just a random poem I wrote a little while ago. It has absolutely no relation to me; it's just something I wrote out of my head while thinking about my fantasy trilogy. Maybe it will be an integral part of the fantasy novels, I don't know. Feedback is appreciated. ; )
~ ~ ~

Twisted
"It's not going to happen," they say.
"Everything's fine; you'll be okay."
Maybe they're right, but I can't believe them.
These thoughts are so real; they can't see them.
I can. I can see all these things.
They're dragging me down.
Images of blood and sweat and tears,
Shadows flitting at the edges of reality.
Frozen in place, frozen with fear,
I'm alone, there's no one there.
Just me.
Just me and the dreams, me and the lonely.
Isn't it strange how,
a twisted mind can turn a twisted world,
into something even more terrible,
instead of something beautiful?
Something beautiful,
just like that twisted mind yearns for?

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Book Review: The Door Within, By Wayne Thomas Batson

"What lies beyond the door within?"
An intriguing statement, don't you think so? It's the statement on the back cover of the first book in Wayne Thomas Batson's Door Within trilogy.

Swordfighting, knights, strange creatures, warriors, kings...all exciting stuff in any book, but Wayne Thomas Batson puts new twists on it all. Here's the blurb from the back cover:

Three ancient scrolls beckon Aidan Thomas to enter another world: a realm of knights, warriors, kings, unusual creatures, and mysterious Glimpses who can travel between worlds.
Soon Aidan is training to become the Twelfth Knight of an elite unit who will join Alleble in its long fight against the evil Paragory. With the fate of two worlds hanging in the balance, will Aidan be willing to risk everything and trust the one true king?
Brilliantly written blurb, if you ask me. Which I note you didn't, but I don't care. XD
Here are some random facts about the book:

311 pages
Third-person POV
Published by Thomas Nelson
Has a character list in the beginning
Link To The Door Within On Amazon
I will repeat that this is, in fact, a book from a trilogy, which means it might leave a little to be desired at the ending. Luckily, the other two books are out, so you don't have to wait for your questions to be answered! : )

I actually don't have any favorite characters, because they're all so interesting and well-created! Mallik, Nock, and Bolt are extremely amusing, though. ;)

If you haven't read this book, I definitely suggest you do. Immediately. Because I know where you live, yeah? ^.^

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Book Review: Sword in the Stars (Book One in the Dark Sea Annals), by Wayne Thomas Batson

I first heard about this book from Varon (check out his blog HERE). I decided to check it out at the library and see what it was about.
I was into the book about...five pages, and was instantly hooked. I spent all that day and the next reading it. I spent so long reading it, I finished it in about three days; and that's saying a lot, considering how long it is!
Here's the blurb from the back cover:

Haunted by memories of a violent past, Alastair Coldhollow wagers his life on the hope that a sword will appear in the stars and the foretold Halfainin, the Pathwalker, would come. Meanwhile, tensions simmer between Anglinore and the murderous Gorrack Nation, threatening war on a cataclysmic scale. The fate of all could rest on an abandoned child and the decisions of those who desperately seek to identify him.That blurb mentions the phrases 'violent past', 'war on a cataclysmic scale', and 'the fate of all could rest on an abandoned child'. That was enough to make me think, Right, I better go check this book out.
Here are some facts about the book in general.
426 pages
Third-person POV (though it switches from person to person every so often)
Published by Living Ink Books
Has a list of the principal races featured, and the characters of those races
Link To The Sword In The Stars On Amazon
I'm not going to list pros and cons because the whole book was good (what can I say? I'm very un-picky about what I read), save for a few minor grammatical errors and plot holes.

As for my favorite character, it's Alastair Coldhollow, hands-down. Which is odd, because I'm not usually a big fan of the main characters. I normally like the supporting characters.
Oh, and Captain Dagspaddle. He amuses me to no end, for some reason. ^.^

Right, so. If you didn't read through this whole post, always remember: I know where you live.

...this review wasn't even that long, so I'm not putting a brief statement about what it said. Read it!

Update On Camp NaNo

Umm...

I quit.

Yeaaaah. It was just too hard. I mean, I love the idea I came up with for the novel, but I'm way too busy with school and life to concentrate on it. So I decided to put it aside and not do Camp NaNo. Yeah, I fail.

So instead I'm going to focus on writing poetry (which is easier for me), and editing my novel The Night Phoenix. Because my plan is still to send a query letter about it into a few publishers. And that's obviously not going to happen unless I get myself in gear and edit the bloody thing.

I'll still be doing that fantasy novel I told you about. Eventually. When I have the time. I think I'd rather finish the first book in my original fantasy trilogy anyway.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Prophecy Of The Four

That is, the working title of my Camp NaNo novel. It's not a good title at all, and I'm going to change it...soon...tomorrow...someday...within the next decade... >.>

Here's a prophecy I wrote for it (it's kinda the main thing I get the plot ideas from, so if you read this, you'll know as much about the plot as I do, XD):
~~~~~~~
I see a warrior of the Wind, swift and clever.
I see a knight of the Sun, loyal and strong.
I see a vagrant of the Forest, troubled and fierce.
I see a youth of the Night, proud and wronged.

I see a traitor standing at the gate, avoiding all eyes,
I see a sacrifice, remembered forever in memory and song.

The Forgotten will awake from the Dark Fortress.
And the Fey shall rise and Seven Worlds be lost.
Unless the Seven Bearers wake
And the Wanderer be freed from the frost.

When the Wanderer and the Four meet,
They will bring hope to one another's hearts.

I see one of the Four in a ring of fire,
Half-dead and resigned to their fate.
I see a meeting at the edge of Dreams,
Of the desperate and the frightened, filled with hate.

I see a funeral pyre on the shores of Silbern,
And grieving comrades standing side-by-side.

~~~~~~~
What do ya'll think?

Friday, June 1, 2012

*cue dramatic music*

It's here.

What's here, you ask? Well, I'll tell you.

...wait for it, wait for it...

CAMP NANOWRIMO!

Yeah, I know, what's so cool about that? To most of you, probably nothing. I just felt like being all dramatic about it.
Anyway! I've decided what to write, and, shockingly enough--I decided to write something completely different than the ones I mentioned before! ((Here's where you all gasp simultaneously.))

Yep, I sure have. I was extremely close to writing Celtic Secrets. I was thinking, "Well, if I get it finished, me and a few buddies can turn it into a short film!"
Then I briefly thought, "Hey, even better idea! I can write The Wanderwild War (you haven't heard of that novel yet), and that one would be even easier to turn into a short film, because I wouldn't have to play a guy!" ((Yeah, I usually play guys in short films, roleplays, and whatever because...I don't actually know. Most of my book characters are guys. Dunno why, that's just the way 'tis. But in The Wanderwild War, one of the MCs is a girl about my age. ^.^))

Okay, back on-topic.

My novel is one I decided to write after reading Runemarks. I thought it would be fun to write a novel that involved prophecies, teenage heroes (believe it or not, most of my main characters in novels have been adults up to this point. Viggo Steele, for example, is 33), magic, and epic journeys. Only I'm going to try and write it so it's not the stereotypical, "Poor farmboy/girl/whatever is thrown into this huge epic war because they're the only hope, the only person who can save the land/planet/whatever from the evil empire/kingdom/whatever!"

So yeah. I've already got some of the characters planned out. And some of the plot. I SHOULD have the whole thing planned out, but I never quite got around to that. So I just have the four main characters: Mori, Calder, Neirian, and Chandra. And I have another main character whom I haven't named yet. And I've got probably the first ten chapters of the book planned out.

I should probably stop procrastinating and go work on that. So, fare thee well!