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:

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

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.

A Stall In The Schedule

So, my work will be slowing for a little bit because my VISA was approved and I'll be moving to Australia on the 18th.  I hope that the slowdown in my writing isn't too drastic, but it will happen for a short time.  In the mean time here's another unedited bit of the new book:

He ran his hand along the recently shorn crown of his scalp and felt the smoothness that ran all the way back to his neck.  Hair was one less conceit about which he had to worry.  he progressed from the song's opening stanzas about the Monk's life of avarice and violence and the transition to his pilgrimage to find faith and meaning.  He could feel warmth spreading up his arms, across his shoulders and around his chest and back, the heat traced the lines of the sinuous tattoos that wound about his torso and arms.  His eyes were closed, yet he was aware of the soft blue light that had started to emanate from the intricate patterns.

Continuing Work

I've been slowly working and re-working the what is ultimately the opening chapter to the series.  I anticipate it will be the longest opening chapter of any of the books and quite possibly the longest single chapter in the series.

Here's a WIP glimpse:

     Sera wanted to throw up.  Her feet were moving, but she wouldn't have described it as walking.  She was mostly being dragged.  The world swept to and fro with each movement, as if the ground shifted beneath her feet.  She could feel she was descending and then there was a blast of warmth followed by noise and the assault of bright lights.  Her head was floating and she just wanted to stop moving.  Voices seemed to warp around her twisting at times between incredibly loud and extremely faint.

     Her feet kept moving, but she didn't remember every step of the journey.  Many moments were immediately lost, replaced in her mind with flashes of white light.  She remembered seeing an older serving maid lock eyes with her.  The woman appeared angry at first, but as she saw the man that was forcibly escorting her the serving maid looked away, her eyes downcast and her brow furrowed with shame.

-DWH

Prologue

I'm making an effort to keep more up to date with my progress through the blog.  I'm well in to the opening prequel book and as a treat today I'm posting a small portion of the rough-cut of the prologue, enjoy:

     Sir Macullen awoke with a start; as he sat up quickly, urged to action by his nightmare, pain flared in his ribs. He placed a hand on the fresh linen wrap that covered his healing wounds and felt tenderness with his every touch. He slowly breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth as he closed his eyes. His calm was restored. He was a Knight of the 5^th Realm and had been trained to evoke calmness at times when other men would burst into tears or release their bowels. Pain is weakness leaving the body, he thought.

     His brown hair tickled his forehead; it was starting to grow unruly, a far cry from the short crop that he normally wore. He swatted away the loose strands and then pressed his hand more firmly onto the bandages and as agony blossomed from the pressure he remembered how he had gotten the wound.

     He had no idea how long he laid on the ground waiting to die, but the battle had ended and the world had gone quiet. He could almost remember when the elves picked him up off the ground and carried him to this sanctuary, a haven it was sometimes called, but the delirium that had set in kept any memories of that escapade far from coherent.

     A quiet stirring in the room brought his attention back to the present, “Esthmerelda?”

     “Not quite,” came a familiar voice. It was the droning yet melodious voice of Solethorn, the elf that visited him most often. He was also the elf that had found him, nearly dead, on the field of battle. The elf had dragged him over the bodies of the fallen and through pools of blood to a waiting cart. Had the elf expected him to be there or was it a coincidence? The elf certainly liked to play it up as if the gods had ordained the entire event.

     “Hy Brasil called.” Even when speaking he sounded as if he was crooning a hymn. “Therefore the caretaker is not in attendance.” Macullen sneered at the phrase. While the Priests of Cypher were normally skilled with the common tongue, unlike their seaborne cousins, they still occasionally had communication issues. Solethorn used the word “caretaker” often, but did not differentiate whether he actually meant nurse or steward.

     Macullen did not look at the elf. “I presume you mean Esthmerelda is not here since you obviously are.” As far as Solethorn was concerned he was the caretaker of this sanctuary and Esthmerelda was the caretaker of Macullen.

     “How is your wound?” Solethorn often ignored Macullen's questions or actively changed the subject.

“Progressing.” I should be dead, Macullen thought.

Change Is Here

I'm quite happy to say that after many weeks of work the site has evolved.  I'm hoping to slowly increase the volume of art that's associated with the site.  I also want to take a moment to thank the tireless efforts of Allan Libby, without whom much of this would not have been possible.

Beyond the website I've made considerable changes to the Nook and iPad versions.  Now the Nook, Kindle and iPad version are all properly formatted (thanks to John Henninger for help with the iPad version) to match the print edition.  The iPad version is designed with iBooks Author, which means it's only for iPads, but if you want to read on an iphone I believe the kindle app will suit your needs.

I am already hard at work on the prequels (The Guardian Mythos) but with some other real life events demanding my time and energy I'm going to ease up on the speed at which I'll be working for the next few months.  I need to recharge my batteries some after spending the last couple months burning the candle at both ends.

With the fancy new site up I'm intending to get more posts done as I continue to work on the prequels.

MORE NOTES ON E-BOOKS:

While the weird formatting of the original Nook and iTunes versions bothered me for some time a lot of problems arise when trying to do so much independantly.  As a result of my displeasure with the formatting compromises I had to make and royalty issues from purchases I've reduced how much I work with Lulu to just the hardcopy editions of the books.

While going through them, in order to sell the electronic editions at $0.99 USD, I  had to assume no royalties if someone tried to buy through Lulu, (what was essentially the source) and hope they purchased through B&N or iTunes instead.  It also meant a lot of messy links for people wanting to purchase a product I wasn't entirely happy with because B & N had myriad search engine issues for the books.  Now that I've taken direct control over those versions I'm much happier with the quality and intend to continue to keep as much control over the layout and design as possible.

-DWH

Change is Coming

It's not quite the Stark Words, but I've been doing a lot of work behind the scenes for the main site for the books and recreating a unified vision of the books both as an electronic format and a hard copy format.  Essentially when Lost Lore releases it will be a series re-launch and I'll be focused more on figuring out how to get the message that these books exist out there.

I'm intending to include one thing that a few people have asked for in new versions, a page that lists the order of the books.

The updated version of the site will have a lot more content than the current one and I hope to add more as time goes on.

Be ready for some big announcements in the coming weeks.

After the final edits are made to Lost Lore I'll be taking some time off from writing in order to hopefully complete some other projects, but fear not.  The first set of prequel books are already underway and whenever possible I'll be adding additional content to the main site.

-DWH

Formatting in a Digital Era

It took some time... ok, it took a lot of time, but I have gone through all digital versions of the books and reformatted all of them for all reader types.

My preferred e-reader format is still the Kindle version, simply because I had to compromise in too many areas for the standard epub files and the Kindle version is essentially a straight-up port of the physical copy (though there were some issues converting that version as well).

I have also managed to get all electronic versions of the book to the same price point of $0.99!

I know Amazon takes about a month before they approve updates and make them available to readers (through the Manage My Kindle site) and I'm not sure of the process for other readers so you'll have to check with the site that you get your files from.

Happily, though, the versions should all fit more along the design of the book instead of falling prey to the machinations of a flawed conversion process that seems to care only to throw words on a screen.

-DWH

The Work Behind The Scenes

As always I'm continuously toiling away on one project or another.  Now I'm happy to announce that the final book in the Weapon Mythos, Tatem's Wake is available on the Kindle!  All three books are digitally available in pretty much whatever format you want.  Next I'm looking to get updates to Bad Lands and Knights of the Realm to correct formatting issues that happened in the transfers to their respective epub types.

Also keep your eye out because the first anthology will be hitting the digital readers soon.  Once that happens I'll be ramping up speed on some other projects that have been on the back burner while I try and tame transferring these books to various digital formats.

-DWH