I'm Still Alive!

Hey everyone. Yes! I AM still alive. Been super busy with the holidays almost here. Plus a trip down to Florida, a performance of a Christmas song medley, and the planning of a short Christmas story are contributing to my full schedule. Thankfully though, I have time for a few fun things (hanging out with friends and family, video games, and drawing) as well as time to update my blog.

I would have loved to post about my first YouTube video, showcasing a cover, but unfortunately, I am not gifted with technical understanding (oh, you lucky Techies) and have not figured out why it's taking YouTube so long to upload a 4 minute video. But oh well, it'll come eventually.

And my book... Well, let's just say it's a long slow process and I apologize to my very patient friends for putting up with the wait. I am planning still on a Fall 2014 release of it though. Here's to hoping that it's well worth the amount of work and time put into it!

So, with so many of my projects being delayed, I wish I had something cool to show everyone, but... Wait! Maybe I do!

                                                                            Boom!

There it is, an epic picture to promote the book series Shadowmakers! This is, roughly, a sketch of a very mysterious assassin who appears in Book One: The Assassin's Trail.

So, a lot of exciting things to look forward to in 2014. (For me, at least)

Hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Year's (and New Year's Eve Game Party!). I know I'll be enjoying one of my favorite times of year! Now to continue listening to Sara Groves' excellent Christmas album: O Holy Night! :)

The Shadowmakers Are Coming! The Shadowmakers Are Coming!

So, after posting about my efforts at writing, I am actually going to post about the writing itself!

The Shadowmakers is a planned epic series following the fantasy kingdom of Ashethea--a land under the reign of a cruel tyrannical queen-- and the key characters involved in the struggle to overthrow said evil queen. I originally hoped for the series to consist of seven books, but we'll see. However long it takes to tell the full story--keyword being long.

I began writing it for my friend and editor (she's a pretty fantastic one too, I might add) whose favorite word happens to be "intrigue". Thus, this series contains quite a bit of intrigue, plenty of plot twists, and a plethora of engaging characters.

Want to know what happens when two children hire a guide who is really an assassin out to kill them? Check out the series! (When it's available...) Do you like plots that take completely different directions than what you initially thought, evoking gasps of surprise and few very-Darth-Vader-like "Nooooo"s? Check out the series! (When it's available...) Want to follow the adventures of an adventurous aspiring-hero boy, an unwanted runaway girl, a sarcastic dragon, an unnervingly calm teen, a mysterious quirky young man, and a talkative pudgy bird? Check out the series! (When it's available...)

So, OK, there's my spiel, my attempt to sell the series. In the opinion of my worst critic (Me!) it's just an OK attempt by a mediocre author. But my friends tell me it's pretty good, and I do have people shaking their heads at me because they aren't able to buy it yet. (which is entirely my fault due to how long it's taking me to finish book one.) Nothing inflates your confidence like thinking your book is a hopeless case, telling your friend about how you're feeling, and then getting that look--you know, the slight head tilt, the one narrow eye while the other eye twitches slightly--and hearing, "Yeah, whatever, your book's good. Wanna play a game?"

In any case, the story is pretty cool, and I'm doing my best to tell it right. I'll keep everyone updated every now and then on the progress of book one, which has a loose release date of Fall 2014. (I'm wincing at the reactions I just know I'll be getting from my friends on that one. I've been at this since 2011. 2011, people!) Sorry about the long wait for those interested. In the meantime, check back here for updates and news, and read all the better books out there. Happy reading until the Shadowmakers arrive!