Doesn't Everyone Enjoy New Artwork?

Today there is another new piece of artwork that is displayed on the website.  The one thing I can say about slowly building up a collection of art pieces for the books is that I feel it allows me the chance to share my vision of the world, and to help set a mood for readers.

With that said, here is the new rendering of Oshevitz:

This captures dour presence of the imposing citadel that shadows so much of the Bad Lands.

As more art is slowly rolled out I cannot wait to share the complete set once it's completed.

DWH

Another Quick Update, Plus... Apparel!

Another quick update for the site:  There are now additional pages with more in depth information available on each individual book for the mobile site.  Plus, the tablet version has launched in full, making the sight now fully responsive to your device.

In addition the Ever Store is back up and running!  It's got some new items available in both Men's and Women's apparel, and other knickknacks, so feel free to check it out.

Once again we leave off with some new concept art from The Bad Lands:

Amazon Exclusive and More!

After some hemming and hawing I've decided to make the EPUB version of the book available as an Amazon exclusive.  This means that for the time being the books will only be available on Amazon in electronic format, and that if you have a KDP select membership all five books are available to read for free!

Another update to the site is up, currently for desktop/ tablet users.  This update expands the details available about each individual book.  There's some new concept art up on the individual book pages viewable in the slider at the top of the page.  In the "books" area you'll notice a "learn more" button which will bring you to the expanded content of that book.

More concept art will be getting released over coming weeks along with some other news.  In the mean time, enjoy this piece of concept art from Untold Tales:

Revised Website Enabled

Well, it has been a while.  There were some technical kinks going on in the background, but hopefully those are all sorted.  After a long dormancy the website was updated and revised and is now able to tell the difference between a phone and a desktop.  A responsive website... how novel!  Coming with the new website is a new logo reveal video!

But that won't be the only thing to show off over the coming months.  I should have some more announcements to make along with some new reveals.

Come and visit: HERE

-DWH

Another Stage Done

When you go through a major restructure, even early in the draft process, it amplifies the time it takes to accomplish what you want to get out of it.  Occasionally people ask me about writing and I tell them it's okay to write sections that aren't in chronological order, and instead to focus on a section they are passionate about and see clearly.  It's a practice that I use in order to help keep myself focused and drag the best work I can out of myself every time I sit down to write.

However, this often leads to what I like to think of as bridging sections.  Gaps you've left yourself in the story that require you to cover the transition from one scene to the next, but to not break continuity.  In fact, you're reinforcing continuity.  In this case I chose to shift an entire chapter back.  I felt like it just came too early in the story and required both the audience to be more familiar with the characters and the characters to be more familiar with one another.  This move left a vacuous hole that became my job to fill.  I've finally done that, completing the draft of an entire bridging chapter last night, but considering it is a restructure the work is not yet done.

Now I need to revisit the chapter that follows, so that it thematically feels more like an extension of the bridging sequence than an unrelated detour.  However, I'm enthused by the progress I've made and I'm hoping that it ultimately means the second half of the book flows more freely (considering I've already drafted swaths of the second half the framing of each chapter hopefully will not need as much of a major overhaul as the first half needed.

As per my custom, as of late, here is a section of unedited work: She was livid with herself because she knew she was powerless.  She knew she could not defend that which was most precious to her.

The Long Silence Part II

Is this really the first post of 2015?  I suppose it is.  Nearly half the year gone, and over 6 months since my last post.  I've been doing some major restructures within the book, shifting sections and massive rewrites to the parts that have already been done.  I'd probably estimate I'm nearly through the thickest part of the briar patch, and I hope to once again see the light within the next few months.  I've been working steadily, both writing and abandoning sequences.  Hopefully all this editing results in something that readers truly enjoy.  Once again, here is a non-edited sequence I worked on recently.

 “The sky is full of ghosts,” Aeden said.

Shadow looked confused, “What was that?”

Paedrig let out a sharp, quick laugh, “Mayhap the boy has the right of it.”

“What do you mean?” the girl asked.

Paedrig smiled, beaming down at the boy as if he was some impressive progeny. “How far away are stars that their light can be chased away by the sun? How long does it take their shine to reach us? How many have gone dark, but we just don't know it yet?”

“That may be the most awful thing I've ever heard,” Beodelf said nodding his head.

The Long Silence

Nearly 6 months without a post is a nearly incomprehensible crime in the annals of social media, but that's what has happened here.  I've had a lot happening, including work on the prequel books, but I haven't felt compelled to share what's been going on behind the scenes.  I'm doing so now moreso out of guilt than out of any belief that I'm actively excited to share.

I have started large restructure of the book on which I'm currently working.  I tend to review the work consistently as I go along to try and make sure it all makes sense and maintains continuity.  Upon review I found that the roughly completed chapter 2 was simply  too soon in the pacing of the book and both stymied and rushed character development up to that point.  In other words, the dichotomy contained within that chapter was unnatural.  This means I had to push that chapter back and take more time to develop the characters and their relationships a bit more prior to that section.  This means I needed to revisit my whole plan for when to reveal events, thus the entire middle section of the book needs to be re-framed and the pacing needs to be adjusted.

The goal, of course, is ultimately to make the book as good as it can be.

As has been my practice with this book here is another unedited section, this time from the new Chapter 2:

As the flames quickly intensified Paedrig knelt down to protect Aeden from the a potential blast. The burning man stumbled backwards. People parted as he came near and he ran until he reached his new destination, practically leaping, face first, into a water trough and dousing the flames.

The swordsman nodded towards Beodelf and said, “Yes, I see. Very cosmopolitan.”

A Child's Rhyme

In the course of writing I find one thing I keep coming back to is the idea of western culture using children's rhyme's as a way to teach or mock the world around us.  Take, for instance, Ring Around The Rosie, which is a rhyme about the Black Plague.

The concept of ancient rhymes that may no longer be meaningful to the people singing or the audience is fascinating to me.  I've also noticed how creepy they are when either Children are not the ones singing or when they are in a completely out-of-context situation.

To that end, I have an ancient rhyme from the world of The Ever War:

O' wonder, O' wonder, behold the wrath and thunder, yet a coursing we will go.

 A coursing we will go. A coursing we will go. Hi-ho the merry-o a coursing we will go.

 Over hill, over dale, through the rain and twixt the hail, a coursing we will go.

Out of Sequence

I tend to work on my books out of sequence, dealing with whatever section of the book on which I'm inspired to work. Lately I've been focusing on a late sequence.  I mostly know how I get there, but when you hear the voices it's important to know that's when you have to take the dictation.  I can smell the stale and slightly musty scent of damp and mildew that overwhelms the scene.  I can hear the beating of a heart against the silence.  Go to where the spark is to find the light.

To sign off... a segment unedited:

“Pray your gods, elf. What are they to me?” His words felt awkward, archaic, merciless and chilling.

Progress

It may seem odd, but I've been working on one small clip of wording for about a month.  It took a long time before I actually got it to a point that I decided I actually liked it.  Like so many other writers I enjoy building in pop culture references, so a bonus internet cookie to those people that can place the song I've referenced.

I am the reaper of men

Sight

Twice as clear as reason

Blade

Twice as sharp as treason

Calm

Deep and rich like silt on a river bed

and just as never ending

No force will stay my hand

Touch

The heart of the heathen

Grace

To know when to weaken

Death

Quick and cold like wind on a winter's day

and just as never ending

For I am one with the sword

Destroyer's Face

One thing I can say about a number of small projects I've been doing is that they've been slowly improving my skills with Photoshop.  Case-in-point, I wasn't happy with how I had initially designed Destroyer's face, and considering he's the Title Character I wanted to revisit the image and make it something I felt more comfortable with.  After a bit of re-working I finally felt pretty pleased with how he looks.  It's a reminder of how little details can make or break a project.

Destroyer's Tale is Progressing

I've been working on getting major game progression points down, but with the combat substantially smoother I'm able to put more time into other detail elements.  For instance, map shifts are something I'm slowly learning, but will eventually make for a far better game.  I'm including a side quest for people that are inclined to try it, and that way I can involve parts of the world that aren't necessary to the plot, but in a way that has been inspired by FFVII in that these bosses are most likely going to be tougher than the actual final boss in the game.  I'm not yet certain what reward I'll build in for having completed the entire quest, but I'll try and make it awesome, or at the very least amusing.  Here's a shot of the overworld design as it stands currently:

Working Without an Outline

I've heard many writers speak about their process for building a novel.  Some lay out post-it-notes along a wall covering the character and chapter progression, expecting that will prevent them from missing details.  Others operate with less structure, for instance Stephen King has said for the Dark Tower series he didn't maintain even a notebook, instead believing that the really good ideas stay in his head.  I suppose I'm a middle ground between the two, in that I don't actively keep a detailed outline, but I do have a rough version of one in my head, and some scenes I can see very clearly.  I also do keep a notebook, the same one I've been keeping notes in for the last 17 years.  At this point I've almost reached that critical year 18 of this project, which means it will be, in all, as old as I was when I started it.

At this point, assuming I do finish the prequels, this will have become my life's work.  that's a very odd thought, but is an all but unavoidable conclusion at this point.  While I could see myself releasing unrelated works, I can't imagine myself attempting anything on such a grand scale.

I may have said this before but looking back, if I had it all to do over again, I wouldn't.  I'm not certain I would admit there are nobler pursuits, but certainly there are simpler ones.

Quite suddenly the largest audience for this blog originates from Israel.  I'm not quite sure how that happened, though it should force one to consider themselves humbled by the reach of the internet.  Whether by chance or choice it aids people in reaching out and touching the thoughts of another.  The written word may still be the most powerful force mankind has to offer.

Work in Progress, A Not So Secret Project

While I don't always like to share the numerous things I have on the back burner at any given moment, because I don't know which of them might not make it to fruition, so far I've been having good success with this particular project and I'm hoping it will eventually see completion and release.

 Yes, you read that correctly.  It says "New Game."  I've been working on an Ever War RPG game that would, if complete, reveal the actual events surrounding Destroyer and the rise of the 7th Realm.  While this isn't a full on announcement I will, hopefully, be able to post updates as scripting continues.

As you can see here I've combined a number of script mods to have an active battler system, which results in watching your characters leap across the screen when performing attacks, and opponents doing the same when they strike back.  It's been a long process getting things mostly where I want them in battle alone, just as a foundation, but with that in place real building can commence.

Now Listed on Goodreads

For anyone reading, The Ever War series is finally listed on Goodreads.  If you have an account I'd appreciate if you took the time to drop by and rate it (or on Amazon or B & N or iTunes if you have the time and energy).

I haven't been able to have their system pull up the books by their name yet for whatever reason, but they pull up when you enter DW Hawthorne or enter the ISBN.

Thank you if you take the time to rate and review.

-DWH

A Return to Form

I've been hard at work on the prequel book and I've felt re-invigorated after having revisited the source material.  Considering I don't write non-fiction the idea of source material is odd, but when I'm working with a section or plot line that is an homage to another work, or if I'm writing a section that has facts and real world knowledge weaved throughout I can power through a lack of inspiration by reviewing my notes, or the original source.

By pure page count I'm almost a third of the way through the draft of this book, though it simply doesn't feel that way.  In general I don't accept that I'm making any real progress until I reach the last few sections, and then I am nearly palsied by the stress of spotting and closing unintended gaps.

The characters have been, if not a revelation then a joy.  The cast is so varied from the Weapon Mythos and I'm getting to know these people as I spend more time with them, even though I've taken notes on them in one form or another for the last decade.  Just like their forebears (or in this case their descendants I suppose) they never seem to lack the ability to surprise me.  I've also had the ability to explore more of the map, so to speak.  I get to reveal parts of the world that aren't integral to the plot of the later books, but has a greater influence now, and that is exciting in its own way, so that the later books won't necessarily feel like I'm simply revisiting the same territory, and the progression of time that occurs during the series amplifies that effect.

Here's another pre-edit section:

 “I could tell a story,” Aeden said.

Paedrig laughed, “Is that so?”

“What story does a little boy know?” Beodelf said. Serafynn hushed him, but he ignored her. “I'm not really in the mood for some story about talking animals.”

“Some animals can speak, and only a foolish man does not listen,” Esop said.

Like Thunder, Only Louder

Today the First Chapter of the prequel book has been completed to a rough draft.  It's been rough going with a number of life events getting in the way, along with a weird lack of clarity for how I should end the chapter.  Yet, as I took a recent walk, not really listening to my headphones and not really paying attention to the scenery around me I was struck by inspiration and clarity.  I saw the entire final section of the Chapter play out, leaving me with the strong conclusion sequence I long for in my work.

As for page count it's the longest opening chapter in the series, and will probably retain that status over the course of my work.  I would guess that it represents roughly 20% of the entire book, meaning i'm somewhere around 25% through the draft.  As I progress onward I feel more confident having gotten through a particularly bothersome section and moving on to a section that I've written a ton of notes for and have mostly mapped my way through.

My most favorite aspect of working on this project has been seeing these new characters really come to life.

One Small Step

With scattered work throughout the first prequel book getting sorted out I managed to squeeze in time to get married.  Things before and after the wedding were rather crazy, but I still managed to eek in some writing (and re-writing) whenever possible.  I managed to get through what will ultimately be one of the longest sections in the series yesterday, a section that provided a severe challenge for me converting it from a mere conceptual possibility to a reality, and in many ways I expect this to reflect the entire process of the prequels and the series over all.

Considering the experience I gathered from the Weapon Mythos I think I've got a better pre-edit understanding of the pace and voice of the story, which really means I'm better at recognizing when I'm providing too much story, something that really slows down the journey I'm setting up for the reader. Side plots can enrich a world, and back stories can make characters feel more solid and human, but too much too soon can overwhelm and diminish the overall tale.  The easiest portion of this process has actually been scale.  So early in the series the focus is much more condensed and has a much clearer lineage.  While the Weapon Mythos is rooted firmly in theology, mythology, and history as its main influences (a vast swath of literature) this series has a more singular influence, not just in the arc of the story, but in the relative time period.

One cliche that tends to run throughout most Fantasy books, and is a reference to the romanticized records of ancient Rome and ancient Greece, create worlds that are mere shadows of their pasts.  The people you are reading about are pale imitations of the far greater people that proceeded them.  There is a level of cultural inadequacy that pervades people living with the relics of a greater age.  I have really tried to avoid that aiming more for the societal angst of a world that believes it is at its zenith.  They are moved by their history, but truly believe it was a foundation they have built upon.  I wanted to design an environment wherein the characters you are reading about are the ones that others would talk about in myth and legend.  They are the ones that erect towering buildings and massively impressive statues.  When you read other books and people recall the world that was... that is the world of these books.  Whether I've pulled that off or not is for others to decide, but I still feel it was a goal worth aiming for.

Once again here is an unedited section:

Finally, with the sun in the South East, breaking through the canopy of the Dale Forest, he saw his quarry. It was a stag, its coat both ruddy and golden in the early morning light. It's rack was impressive, festooned with sixteen tines, what collectors would have called a Monarch. Dappled sunshine rippled across its flank as it timidly approached a shrubbery and started to gnaw on a brace of berries.

Back To Work

Despite myriad interruptions I managed to get a few solid pages done today and wanted to celebrate getting back to work with a quick (unedited) snippet:

      The one named Clem, a great big fat man, clad in pauldrons and a chest plate that were two sizes too small grunted his acceptance, but before any of them moved the child pointed at Clem. His voice had not changed from that somewhat scratchy tone that it had always been, yet it suddenly felt more authoritative as if he could command reality itself to bend to his will.

      “You are more fat than muscle and when you turn your knee will make a pop that only you can hear. You will fall to the ground screaming. You,” he pointed his finger at the gambler that had commanded Clem, “will die clutching your chest because you will feel as if your heart is exploding. The rest of you will fall to blade and tooth and claw, except him,” he said as he pointed at Beodelf. “He will survive and you will leave him be.”

Apple Gets The Message

Finally!

Apparently the new MacOS will allow Macs to actually read books that were previously iPad only.  My books are among that lot (of course since I don't use DRM Google had a solution to that) so I think it's a step in the right direction and too long in coming.