The Bow of Hart Saga, on #LisaBurtonRadio

Welcome all you arrow slingers and adventurers, Withlings and casters of every stripe. You’ve landed on Lisa Burton Radio, the only show that brings you the characters from the books you love. With me in the studio today is Tordug, and he’s a dwarven adventurer. “Welcome to the show, Tordug.”

“Wonderful to be here, Lisa. May I call you Lisa? Yes? Good! It’s always a pleasure to get off the back-lot of the fiction set and make some visits. You have no idea how boring it is these days. Oh, by the way, thanks for that little gift of, what do you call it? Whiskey? That guy you work with was generous to offer a sample from his supply. Warmed my toes!”

“You’ve brought along a friend today. You know I’m a sucker for a fluffy dog. Who’s this?”

“This old whelp? That’s none other than Spark, himself. He’s around in all of the books when I have to act like I don’t see him. Spark’s been great on the set. He glows some so he makes a great light on the walk home from the local pub. He talks with his tail – you know, wags for yes and everything else is no – so he’s a good listener while I’m having a pint or eight. Hee, hee. Spark hands out his advice with my help, if you know what I mean.”

“Well aren’t you a handsome doggie?”

“Judging by that big tail wag, you’ve won him over without even scratching behind his ears!”

“Let’s get down to business. My bio says you were a pretty respected fellow in Chokkran society, but then you wind up on the road running from trolls. What the heck happened?”

“Er, yes, I was pretty big back then. But that was a long time ago when some mistakes were made, uh, around some of my decisions. Those dirty Rokans tricked us! Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to knock that, uh microphone around. Is that what it’s called? Anyway, I’m helping find the Bow of Hart in the saga, me and Makwi, that is. You need good dwarves along to keep things lighthearted, focused and find your way in dark, underground places. Finding the bow will fix a lot of things, even for us Chokkran dwarves.”

“Seems like a desperate play, but I’ll bet it was interesting.”

” Well, Lisa, it got off to a right surprising start when we helped Hastra’s bunch on the road to Marston’s Station. That’s when we met Limbreth and found out she was an ax-maid of the death-grip, no less. Couldn’t get a sword out of her hands. High honor in our society, especially for those who are her companions if you know what I mean. Me and Makwi, well mostly me, started training Limbreth about her honors in dwarven society. I had high hopes for her, just knew she’d, uh, help when the time arrived.”

“Wait a minute here. Did you use Limbreth as a pawn to get back into the good graces of Chokkra society?”

“I wouldn’t say that! I mean it can be an advantage to regaining, no, no, that wasn’t the purpose though. She deserved that honor, and more than once for her courage, mind you. Opps, sorry I slapped that microphone around again. Let me get that. Anyway, that training was very useful. She teamed up with me to get us some much-needed assistance from dwarves when they would have denied me out of hand. But an ax-maid? With the death-grip? That’s something special, cause for celebration and all. I just needed her help is all. She’s like a daughter to me!”

“Okay, Spark seems to agree with that statement. Sounds like Limbreth is quite the lady.”

“Oh, Limbreth’s all that and much more, isn’t she, Spark? Ha ha, by that tail-wag Spark definitely agrees! Limbreth fights like a dwarf champion. Too bad she had that little disagreement with Athson and left Auguron. But there was still lots to do for me and Makwi with the trolls coming. Captain Sarneth, he’s the leader of the elven rangers of Auguron, asked my help when he realized who I was and how much experience I had fighting trolls and all. I jumped at that and hoped the scattered remnants of Chokkrans would flock to help. But they’d already left for less dangerous lands. Someone needed to rally them but they just mind their own business these days. I did hope my stand – and Makwi’s might – get some attention. I just didn’t know what was going to happen next but we’ll leave that to the readers to discover, eh?”

“That sounds like a slim chance to recover a bit of honor. I really hope that is the case.”

“It was, Lisa, and a dim set of days for me and Makwi. But we decided we’d fight for our people even if they had not fight left and left like refugees. Can’t blame them, all they’ve had for years is a wandering life. They just needed some inspiration and we hoped, Makwi and me, that they’d hear and honor our effort on behalf of Chokkra. Right, Spark? See! Even he agrees with me.”

“It sounds like you got an interesting call-back recently. What can you tell us about that?”

“Oh yes, we did, didn’t we, Spark? PH, that’s the author of the books, got a message from this Podium Publishing bunch and they wanted the saga for audiobooks. Once the agreement was signed there were all these questions about accents from the narrator, fella named Tim Bruce. We all got called in again and helped teach him, that voice actor, on all the correct pronunciations. He got it right with Spark to tell him when he was on the correct path. Right, Spark. Yes, you did all that so just keep wagging your tail!”

“Audiobooks are awesome. I know my author would love to release one someday. How did that all fall together?”

“Your author should if he gets that chance! You’d do well, yourself. I hear tell he’s got a book about dwarves too. I like your author, uh, uh, what’s his name? Boyack, right? Anyway, I heard about the talking hat and the talking yak, whatever that is. Sound like interesting stories for the campfire, so why not audio?

“Well, these Podium people came around, humans, you know? They were snooping around the back-lot when we were still working through An Arrow Against the Wind and The White Arrow. I thought they were extras for the fights, dressed kinda funny, for business or something. Anyway, we were practicing our fight scenes with some trolls and I tossed one of them an ax and told him to get busy and he looked at me like I was the biggest, ugliest ogre, which I’m not. They started asking questions like some of those reporters I keep having to talk with. Turns out they wanted to do this audio thing once we finished with the series. Well, I was glad for the offer of more work, Lisa, and that’s a fact.”

“That had to do great things for the Bow of Hart series.”

“That it does. There’s this Audible where the audio is published and it links to the book somehow. People who buy the ebook can get the audio and use it with this Whispersync stuff. It picks up where someone’s reading and goes on telling the story, perfect for traveling.

“Anyway, it’s one more way for the books to be seen and working with Podium is a big deal. Their first audiobook was something called The Martian which made it pretty famous as I hear. So, it’s good to work with this bunch. This Tim Bruce fellow is busy and pretty well-known in his circles, won some awards for his work too. Ha, ha, having an award-winning book, like The Bow of Destiny with and award-winning narrator is kinda like having an ax-maid with the death-grip on your side, right? See? Spark agrees!”

“Tordug, we wish you all the best with that lost honor thing. Any closing remarks for our listeners, while I hug this big old doggie?”

“Thanks for having me and Spark on the set today, Lisa. The Bow of Destiny is already out in audio so anyone interested can listen to a sample. An Arrow Against the Wind arrives in audio on 10/23/18 and The White Arrow releases to audio on 11/27/18. I never thought this series would get this far but it’s been quite a ride for Spark, me and all these others. I have to thank the readers for all their support. We wouldn’t have made it to the awards for the series and audio without them. Oh, sorry I bumped the microphone again. I just can’t get used to the thing and I talk with my hands.”

“I’ll post all the details on the website after we log off today. For Lisa Burton Radio, I’m Lisa Burton.

***

 

Contact

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Current Titles

 

Book 1 of The Bow of Hart Saga: The Bow of Destiny can be found at these online retailers: Amazon – Kindle | Audible.

The Bow of Destiny Blurb

 

Haunted by his past. Hunted in the present. Uncertain what is real.

Athson has seen things that aren’t there and suffered fits since being tragically orphaned as a child at the hands of trolls and Corgren the wizard. When a strange will mentioning a mysterious bow comes into his possession, he’s not sure it’s real. But the trolls that soon pursue him are all too real and dangerous. And what’s worse, these raiders serve Corgren and his master, the hidden dragon, Magdronu, who are responsible for the destruction of his childhood home. Athson is drawn into a quest for the concealed Bow of Hart by the mystic Withling, Hastra, but Athson isn’t always sure what’s real and who his enemies are. With Corgren and Magdronu involved, Athson must face not only frequent danger but his grasp on reality and the reasons behind his tragic past.

Book Trailer on YouTube

 

Book 2 of The Bow of Hart Saga: An Arrow against the Wind: Amazon | Audible

An Arrow Against the Wind Blurb

Haunted by his past. Hunted in the present. Buffeted like an arrow in the wind.

The hunt for the Bow of Hart continues for Athson and his companions. They have escaped the clutches of Magdronu and Corgren, but they are still pursued. In need of answers to deep mysteries revealed in Chokkra, Athson must gain possession of the mythic bow to face both his enemies and his tragic past. But Magdronu’s reach stretches among Athson’s companions, endangering Limbreth and even Hastra in schemes to entrap them all. With each turn of the search for the Bow of Hart, long hidden secrets surface that threaten to destroy Athson. Will he falter like an arrow against the wind?

Book Trailer on YouTube

Book 3 of The Bow of Hart Saga: The White Arrow: Amazon

The White Arrow Blurb

Bound to prophecy, his destiny balanced on an arrow’s tip.

Athson has found the Bow of Hart and is being pursued by his enemies as well as haunted by both his past and his failures. But according to Hastra the Withling, the prophecy of the bow indicates Eloch will send an arrow for its use. Magdronu watches for the appearance of the arrow and sets his plans in motion to regain control of his magic. With his sights set on Auguron, the dragon sends his forces on the attack while waiting for his chance to steal both prophesied elements that stand in the way of his ultimate goal. But when the arrow arrives, it is from a most unexpected source and lands in unforeseen hands, so that events twist like an arrow in flight. Can Athson overcome his past and his failures to use the Bow of Hart as intended against Magdronu? The archer and the bow await the coming arrow…

Book Trailer on YouTube

 

Prequel short stories to The Bow of Hart Saga:

Trading Knives – Kobo | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Amazon | AudFans

What Is Needed – Barnes & Noble| Kobo| iBooks | Smashwords | Amazon | AudFans

Additional Titles:

The Black Bag – Amazon |

 

Ichabod Brooks, on #LisaBurtonRadio

Don’t touch that dial, you’ve found Lisa Burton Radio, the only show on the airwaves that interviews the characters from the books you love. I’m your host, Lisa the robot girl, and this interview is one I’ve looked forward to for a long time. He’s my favorite character from the land of Windemere, and I’ve interviewed a few of them. “Give a warm welcome to Ichabod Brooks.”

“Thanks. Happy to be here and . . . talk. I have to admit that I’m not really sure how this set up works. I didn’t bring anything to help if one of these things explode.”

“Ichabod, your story inspires me. It’s encouraging to find an adventurer with a family. So many adventurers seem to wander from place to place, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I mean, you even have a pet… well, some kind of snort-pig thing. Can you tell our listeners how you make all that work?”

“To be honest, I did the wandering adventurer thing when I was younger. Just followed either the money, the rumors, or whatever caught my attention. Things became more stable when I began taking jobs and issuing contracts to my employers. Guess that’s what helped me make the transition more than most people in my career. Although, I never went for the glory and save the world type of adventures, so I may have been working toward this in the first place without knowing it. Just had to find the right woman and reach an age where I was more interested in putting food on the table than fighting monsters. Not that the latter doesn’t have some appeal.

“How do I make it work? Well, that depends on who you ask. My friends will say that I’m whipped and make it work by letting my wife call the shots. Bards would tell you that there’s nothing I can’t do, which is a blatant lie. My own opinion is that I make sure my wife and I discuss everything. She’s kind of an adventurer too, so we have to plan our jobs in a way that means one of us is always home with our son. There are no secrets between us unless the job involves sensitive material and we can’t legally share. That happens more with her than me since I avoid those headaches on principle. That principle is that I don’t want to deal with those types of messes.

“Only other piece of advice I can give is to make every minute of family time count. Romantic time with my wife and play time with my son are very important to me. Never know when my luck will run out or if I’ll ever reach retirement. This is one of the reasons I bring home trophies for my son and spend time telling him the stories. The real ones and not those abominations that the bards sing about me. Nobody could possibly defeat fifty trolls with a single shot of their longbow. Not unless they used fireball arrows and led the monsters into an enclosed area that’s been doused in oil. Fine, I guess it is possible.”

“There is a clause in your contract that warms my circuits. Before you take any job, they have to agree that you can claim a souvenir for your son. I’ve read your stories, and he must have quite a collection by now.”

“Funny how that started. My son hadn’t been born yet and an employer gave me a souvenir to bring home. This was a pinecone from a tree that had grown to take over an entire castle and I managed to revert it back to its normal state. That gave me the idea of adding the clause because it will help my son remember and learn about my real adventures. Last thing I want is for him to think the bard songs are all true. As far as size, the collection is in one room of the house and he can only get in there with me or my wife. I’ll admit to having a few dangerous items in there, but a friend specializes in display cases and he gives me a good deal for bulk products. “

“Bards? Let me tell you about the bards! Do you have any idea how many of them wanted to sponsor today’s show? I was bombarded with CDs and demo tapes. I finally had to run one off at gunpoint because he staked out the studio. I mean, I’ve had to deal with paparazzi a time or two, but these guys are crazy.”

“Guess they caught wind of you having a big audience. Must be newcomers to the trade because the veterans are a lot more discreet and respectful. They still lie because they claim it’s good for business. There was one adventure where I traveled with a bard to handle some rogue barbarians. His name was Rebec and he latched onto me at a tavern. Couldn’t shake the man and he was trouble from the start. He nearly got us killed a few times and then made it sound like I took out an entire tribe when it was just a handful of warriors in a very narrow mountain pass. This is why I prefer traveling with friends who have no financial interest in lying about my exploits. Can’t get very far in this job without friends.”

“Oh yeah, Dex, Morgan, and Meg. They say no man is an island, and you have some pretty good help when you need it. Dex seems like a handy guy, tell our listeners about him.”

“Where to even start with a piece of work like Dex? As far as dwarves go, he’s fairly cuddly once you get to know him. Feels far too clinical to call him a good example of a great friend, but he’s there for me both on and off the job. We try to get together once a month to have a few drinks and get the families together. Dex doesn’t have kids, so he enjoys spoiling my son whenever he’s over. That and telling exaggerated tales of our adventures in order to get under my skin.

“Hard to remember when we first met too. Dex says it was when we were assigned to the same job, but I swear we got into a barfight two months prior to that. You can’t really forget a beard that red and elegantly braided. At my age, the memory doesn’t always work the way it’s supposed to.

“We don’t get to adventure together as often as we used to. Dex’s specialty is mountaineering, so I go to him whenever I have a job that requires a lot of climbing. My knee and lower back make those jobs more difficult. Hate to depend on him more than he depends on me, which is why he’s trying to help me get the kinks out. Now he has Meg helping him with this self-proclaimed quest because she wants me to stay in shape in case she needs me. Her expertise is the ocean and I recently worked with them to retrieve an artifact called Zaria’s Kiss. Kind of wish they were still squabbling instead of getting along because having a dwarf and a gnome teaming up on you is no picnic. Better to have them on my side.”

“I loved that one. It not only provided a great adventure underwater, it also hinted at the larger pantheon of Windemere. Would you like to offer some closing remarks to our listeners today? Then I have one more question, more of a request actually.”

“Not really sure what you mean by closing remarks, but I guess I’m just hoping people enjoy my real story. I’ve had plenty of adventures and this chat has left me more nervous than all of those combined. As you can tell, I’m not much of a talker. That definitely helps in the adventurer trade because you need to listen for danger and to your employer. Guess it’s nice to end with some advice like that.”

“Can I have your autograph?”

“I don’t see why not. Mostly because you asked politely. Good to see a youngster show some manners.”

“For Lisa Burton Radio, I’m Lisa Burton. Don’t forget to tell your social circles about The Life and Times of Ichabod Brooks. You do that by using the sharing buttons on the website. I’ll also include purchase links, and you don’t want to miss this one”

***

Enter the world of Windemere with 11 action adventure short stories featuring a man who is out to make an honest living.

Some heroes seek fame. Some seek fortune. Others simply want to save the world. Ichabod Brooks only wants to put food on the table for his family.

Known and respected as the man who can get any job done, Ichabod has seen his share of adventure. Most of which have been highly exaggerated by bards. Still, the man has his famous reputation for a reason. Whether it be climbing a temperamental mountain for eggs or escorting orphans to their new homes, Ichabod takes every job seriously and makes sure he is as prepared as he can be. Not that it helps since things always take a turn for the worse.

Pick up a copy of The Life & Times of Ichabod Brooks right here.

 

 

Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under orders to shut up and get to work, Charles brings you Legends of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you, and his wife is happy he finally has someone else to play with.

Blog: www.legendsofwindemere.com

Twitter: @cyallowitz

Facebook: Charles Yallowitz

Website: www.legendsofwindemere.com

My Birthday Gift to You

That’s right, today marks one more orbit around the sun for me. I’ve been hitting it hard on the promotional front, and am about out of paranormal stories to push. Will O’ the Wisp is on an extensive blog tour, but that doesn’t leave much to do around here.

That means I need to stretch a bit to fit this into the Halloween theme. It’s actually an epic fantasy, but it contains lots of things that could be considered monsters. (If you look at them with your peripheral vision.)

Regular followers know I like to mash things up. This is a Greco-Roman fantasy with some of the traditional Germanic characters thrown in too. Elves, dwarves, and goblins are European in nature, so I decided they must have existed further south too.

They are in the mix with cyclops, satyrs, Amazons, and centaurs. In this world, Remus killed Romulus and the Remsians are the power instead of the Romans.

This is the story of Cobby, a Southern Dwarf. He loses his human family in an attack by some people who look suspiciously like Atlanteans. This sends him on a journey to discover his true heritage. He meets other downtrodden races along the way and seems to collect them all. Eventually it becomes a sizeable band.

It’s like Homer included Exodus in some kind of, well, mashup. I think it’s a fun story, and for my birthday it’s absolutely free. One day only. Hope you enjoy it.

Hail Cobby

This is one of Lisa’s paper doll outfits. You can download your own under the Look Free Stuff page up at the top of this site.

You can get your free copy of The Cock of the South at this link. (LINK)

I don’t know what time Amazon starts these things, and the international date line may come into play in your location.

***

Update: One of my followers said the link didn’t work for him. I used the universal link generator, but he suggested this alternate https://www.amazon.com/Cock-South-C-S-Boyack-ebook/dp/B00P4H37WC

Also this happened:

Product Details

• File Size: 5377 KB
• Print Length: 518 pages
• Publication Date: October 31, 2014
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00P4H37WC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray:
  Not Enabled
• Word Wise: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,377 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Myths & Legends > Greek & Roman
  • #21 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Epic

 

 

Take a chance on Legends of Windemere

Charles Yallowitz is here to tell us about a cool new marketing technique he’s trying out. He’s reached a point in his Windemere series that I think this is a great move.

 

Take a chance on Legends of Windemere, and the first one’s on Charles.

Thank you to C.S. Boyack for letting me promote my secret project. I recently made the choice to make Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero permanently free. This is the first book of my series, which I published in February 2013 for 99 cents. This is what started it all for me and now I’m giving it away for nothing. So, what brought me to a choice I never thought I’d make?

To be completely honest, a friend kicked me in the butt a few times. This isn’t the first time I considered the idea, but I always stopped myself. As an author, I worry that going free will come off as desperate and do more harm than good. Free has a strange history with the indie scene since you have authors who churn out freebies left and right. The stigma is that such an act equates to terrible quality and these books should be avoided. Needless to say, this gave me pause until a friend pointed out my situation.

 

Being a series author, I can use the permanently free book to my advantage. Early on this might not have worked out too well, but now I have 9 Windemere volumes out. Soon to be 10 if you want to get technical. This is where I can turn the first book into a ‘loss leader’. I’d heard of this during one of my retail jobs, but it had a different meaning. The term was used for whatever had the highest rate of getting shoplifted. Apparently, that definition isn’t common. In fact, it might only be used by that one manager and I’ve been wrong all along.

 

For those that don’t know, a ‘loss leader’ is the item that you give away for either free or cheap to get people interested in associated items. In this case, it’s the first book a series that will hopefully get readers into the rest. Beginning of a Hero has always been cheap, so I don’t lose much in terms of royalties. This can also open up the marketing venues that cater specifically to free books.

 

Needless to say, a lot of option weighing and heavy thinking was done before I came to this course of action. Two things came to mind during this period. The first is that I had to get over my ego and pride to give the concept a true consideration. Somewhere along the line, I decided that going perma-free was beneath me instead of it simply being a bad fit for me. So when my situation changed, I didn’t change along with it and take another look at the pros and cons of this path.

 

The second thing that came to my mind was that change. I’ve been doing this for just over 3 years, which seems to be a long time in indie author time. I remember when KDP gave you money by the borrow and then the 10% rule. There were tons of marketing sites and new ones popping up every month. Getting into the subcategories wasn’t common knowledge. All of this changed and I stayed the course, which felt right until I realized it made me part of the scenery as well. I took a risk becoming an indie author, especially since I went full time. Then I stopped taking risks and played it safe. Now I’m trying to step out of that comfort zone and see if it pays off. Fingers crossed that it does.

 

Links

Legends of Windemere

Twitter

Facebook

Grab Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero for Free!

 

***

What are you waiting for? This is a great opportunity to test drive the Legends of Windemere with no risk. It’s a bold move, and I’m sure Charles would appreciate all the Facebook shares, Tweets, and other support you can lend him. That won’t cost you anything either.

Hail Cobby!

I have a busy day ahead of me, so I’m just dropping by quickly to share some news. My book The Cock of the South, is still climbing up the genre ranks. I love this story, and am excited to see it getting some interest once again.

It’s an epic fantasy in a Greco-Roman setting.

Maybe some of you would like to check it out too.

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,674 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

• #49 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Myths & Legends > Greek & Roman
• #53 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Myths & Legends > Greek & Roman
• #551 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Fairy Tales

Breaking the top 50, even in a genre has to be worth something. I’m taking it as a positive sign for 2016.

Okay, gotta run. Hail Cobby!

Advice about writing a series

A big thanks to Craig for hosting a guest post to celebrate the release of the newest volume in the Legends of Windemere saga. The topic he tossed my way is a real head-scratcher too. Being the author of a long series, I have to keep the final book in mind when I write. Everything needs to be tied up and continuity has to be retained for the end to make sense. If you’re ending with a giant battle then you have to at least consider killing characters off. Not only the villains, but the heroes too. In fact this topic stems from J.K. Rowling’s teasing of character deaths and closure before the release of Deathly Hallows. The real trick here is to tackle this topic without revealing a bunch of spoilers. Fingers crossed there.

Going by how popular series have ended, I would say that the first thing to accept is that some people won’t be happy. Yet this is probably a sign that you did a good job. If you wrote every character with depth and relatability then each one will have fans who want them to get a happy ending. There are also those who think certain couples should be created by the end and those who believe some of the survivors should be dead. In other words, don’t drive yourself crazy trying to please everyone or you’ll end up in a padded room eating tapioca pudding without a spoon. Follow where you want the story to go and make sure that the finale makes sense from your perspective. That’s really the only one you can trust without fail.

Now for myself, I have a 15 book series, which means I have to put a lot of ups and downs in there. With an ensemble cast that has a 7 protagonist core and several high profile supporting characters, I can actually do multiple ending types. Some of my heroes will get happy endings while others won’t be walking out of the final battle. There’s more variety than live and die if you think about it. Those are the basic categories, but what condition the character is in determines part of what I do. For example, a hero who survives to find that they have nothing left doesn’t really get happiness. They claimed victory at such a cost that they having become broken and isolated. Will I be doing this? Not sure yet, but it’s a possibility.

One of the ‘complaints’ I get is that my fantasy series lacks a high body count, but I do enjoy battering my characters and having them grow through the hardship. Once they’re dead then that’s the end of their evolution even if they appear as a ghost. Yet I did add a piece into the story that has been gnawing on the heroes and might be a slight spoiler. Destiny and free will get brought up a lot. The champions are chosen to face a great evil, but their actions determine how they get there and in what condition. Also if they win, which is where the little wrinkle came up due to the God of Destiny being a jerk.

Since Legends of Windemere: The Compass Key, my heroes have known that at least one of them will die in the final battle. It could be all of them and the Baron wins or one who simply has terrible luck. They don’t know and the worry comes up from time to time. Some characters are worried that they will die, but they carry on because leaving would mean abandoning their friends. Others are determined to use their free will to prevent this from happening or sacrifice themselves to save the others. The point of this revelation is to show that these heroes all know that they could be walking to their demise. From my own reading experience, most heroes are told they will survive the final battle or never have any doubt that they will. So it’s fun to keep this needle of fear in all of them.

Returning to the original topic, I do think a final battle requires at least one death and for there to be some scars. Especially when you put the world at stake, it’s rather unbelievable for the good guys to win unscathed. It doesn’t even have to be death, but there needs to be a sense that the heroes lost something to make the final hurdle. Just so happens that offing a character in a violent battle is the easiest and most expected path. Even wiping the memory of everyone involved so that they don’t realize they’re the champions wouldn’t sit well with some people because that can be undone. You do need some level of permanency in your finale because that’s what closure is about. Leaving a few openings for future stories or appearances is fine and recommended if you plan on continuing to write in the same world. Yet you need a limit and have to bring home the fact that the heroes’ journey is complete. That’s really the central part of finishing off a long series. Alive, dead, or whatever, you need to make sure the readers know that this is the end. Hopefully I can pull that off when the time comes.

Then again, maybe I’ve already done it for a character or two in the latest volume. Mwahaha!

Check out my newest book

LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE: THE MERCENARY PRINCE

And visit me at

LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE

@cyallowitz

 

The Mercenary Prince

My friend Charles has a new addition to his Windemere series. This time the focus is on a different character, and he’s dropped off some promotional material to tell us all about it. I’ve also got to say, this is the best Windemere cover so far.

 

Now on Amazon for $2.99!
LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE:
THE MERCENARY PRINCE

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Delvin Cunningham has left the champions.

Lost to his tribe in the Yagervan Plains, fear and shame have kept the former Mercenary Prince away from his homeland. With his confidence crumbling, he has decided to return and bring closure to his past. Reuniting with his old friends, Delvin’s timing could not be worse as a deadly campaign is brewing within Yagervan’s borders. Dawn Fangs are on the march and these powerful vampires are determined to turn the entire region into a graveyard.

To protect his family, friends, and two homelands, Delvin will have to push his doubt away and become the cunning Mercenary Prince once again.

Art by Jason Pedersen

Please feel free to put this on your ‘To Read’ list on Goodreads by clicking below:

The Mercenary Prince on Goodreads!

Excerpt from The Mercenary Prince

With the hint of a smirk, Selenia quickens her pace and unleashes a barrage of blows on her former student. Each strike and stab is deflected by the sweat-covered champion, his speed increasing to match her every time. At one point, the half-elf leaps forward and is struck in her stomach by his shield, which forces her to flip over his head. The headmistress lands in a crouch and whirls around to block the counterattack, the point of Delvin’s sword gently running along the leather patch over her stomach. Realizing that he is still holding back, Selenia bats his next attack away and delivers a painful kick to his exposed side. The blow knocks him against the fountain and he comes dangerously close to falling into the water.

While rubbing his bruised side, Delvin circles the headmistress who turns to continue facing him. He makes a few feints that she refuses to acknowledge because they are clumsy and pathetically amateurish. The gathered students and teachers shout for more action, all of them believing the brown-haired warrior to be afraid of the legendary woman. None of them realize that his circles have been getting tighter and his fake attacks have caused Selenia to misjudge his distance. It is something she realizes when Delvin makes a quick swing for her hip and their weapons strike closer to their hilts than she expects. The moment the half-elf steps back to gain some space, her former student pushes forward with precise strikes that mirror the onslaught she previously unleashed. Without a shield, the headmistress finds it more difficult to block every attack and has to twist her body away from several attacks. The movements prevent her from throwing a kick or punch, which would probably hit the shield that he has yet to include in his advance.

Selenia eventually catches Delvin’s blade and slides her weapon along its edge to step within his swinging range. The pair push against each other, their muscles straining to gain the upper hand. Every time one of them is about to gain ground, their opponent shifts enough to continue the frustrating stalemate. With a grunt of exertion, Delvin moves his shield in front of the headmistress’s face and blocks her view. Knowing she is expecting him to push forward, the warrior falls onto his back and lets the surprised half-elf’s momentum slam her face into the wooden disc. The back of his head bounces off the ground as he flicks his wrist to deliver an extra shot to Selenia’s chin. She rolls away from him to recover her senses, but Delvin scrambles to keep her in reach and continue his attack as they stand.

“You actually hit me,” Selenia states when she notices that her nose is bleeding. She ducks under her opponent’s swing and aims her hilt for his stomach, the blow only grazing his shirt. “I think you’ve achieved two firsts for this academy, Delvin. Nobody has ever drawn my blood or made me dizzy during a match.”

Want to Dive into the Adventure from the Beginning?

Collage by Chris the Storyreading Ape

Find all of these exciting adventures by visiting the Amazon Author Page of Charles E. Yallowitz

So charge up your Kindle and end 2015 with an adventure full of action, humor, old friends, new enemies, grudge matches, tears, ale, and vampires.

About the Author:

Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under orders to shut up and get to work, Charles brings you Legends of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you, and his wife is happy he finally has someone else to play with.

Blog: Legends of Windemere
Twitter: @cyallowitz
Facebook: Charles Yallowitz
Website: www.charleseyallowitz.com

***

Charles is coming back next week to tell us a bit about writing an ongoing series. Check out The Mercenary Prince, and come back next week for some insight into writing such an epic series.

For all you fantasy fanatics

 

nce upon a time, the whole European landmass was covered by more people than humans.

Centaurs roamed the open forests. Cyclops lived a tribal lifestyle in the deeper forests. Humans mingled with these races, but it wasn’t always a happy existence. Humans expanded their cities, and forced many of these races out. Some of the human women formed bands of their own called Amazons.

They are all gone now; only the humans remain. A brilliant researcher, named Boyack, combed through ancient pottery shards and scrolls and discovered bits and pieces of their story. The stories always led back to a Southern Dwarf who may have been named Paulus Atrius. Most of the texts refer to him simply as Cobby.

Boyack aggregated these bits and pieces into a story he called, The Cock of the South. This story tells the tale of these other peoples, before man took completely over.

Let’s look at what the reviewers are saying:

5 stars Non-Stop Dwarven Adventure!

This is not a story about good against evil, although such conflict does occur; it’s not about big battle scenes, although there are some (and exciting and detailed, they are too!); it’s not about weird and wonderful mythical creatures, although there are plenty; it’s not about doomed and unrequited love triangles, although there are romances; and it’s not about handsome musclebound heroes, although heroes do show up, albeit in the most unlikely packages.

Set in the Roman-Greco era, even this has a twist. Boyack is a master at turning everything on its head with that infamous ‘but what if’ question. Cobby is a southern dwarf brought up by humans to be totally unaware of his true heritage, although it is evident to everyone else. When disaster strikes, he sets out on a journey to find the truth. His fair-mindedness, ingenuity and cunning soon have peoples of all races flocking to him as their leader, leading him to a conclusion he could never have anticipated.

5 stars The Cock of the South

It’s a mix of fantasy and mythology in a world where Remus killed Romulus, and Remsians, rather than Romans rule the world. Cobby, brought up among the Remsians, doesn’t realize he’s actually a dwarf. Little by little this gentle being, who gives everyone a chance to prove themselves, is forced to into a role of leadership. The book is entertaining, humorous, and exciting, with epic battles fantasy fans look forward to. But it also sends a clear message about biases and bigotry learned from our upbringing, and how we should all be able to get along.

5 stars Wonderful story that will hook you!

I love Roman and Greek mythology, but find it hard to read fictional pieces, this novel was different. Within the first few pages I was hooked. I found myself stay up until 2AM reading, I just couldn’t put the book down. I finished the novel in 4 days. I’m super excited to read more from C.S. Boyack.

5 stars Great Fantasy Book

This book was full of adventure and kept you turning the pages. A very smart and resourceful fellow and he holds your interest all the way through the story. You learn why he becomes known as The Cock of the South. If you enjoy fantasy you will enjoy this book. I certainly did. I’m a fan of Dwarfs left over from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

5 stars Surprised!

Ran into this after following a link on a blog, bought it on a whim, not sure what to expect. Great, entertaining read, though! Highly recommend.

***

I really tried to take a new spin through Dwarven fantasy. I placed it in Southern Europe in a Greco-Roman environment. I also mashed up some of the traditional Nordic legends with Greco-Roman mythology. I’m excited about this story, and the reviewers all seemed to like it too. I’d appreciate it if you would give it a chance too.

Here is the buy link: The Cock of the South.

The return of Lisa Burton

I skipped on the snow as I landed at the writing cabin. Roald* helped me drag the gyro-copter back on the runway and turn it around.

Inside, I found Iris** the fairy using one of the tablespoons like a big shovel to load Bunny’s dish with alfalfa pellets.

“Good thing it was my wing that got sprained, and not my back,” she said.

I held a thumb up as I went past into the kitchen. I loaded the eggnog bowl into the sink and filled it with warm soapy water. Roald started on the dishes as I broke out the vacuum cleaner.

The rumble of the Harley sounded from down the valley. It would be a few minutes before Lisa*** got home. Sound traveled well in the icy air. I managed to clean up the worst of the dwarf tracks before slipping the vacuum into the closet.

A trio of harpies shrieked along the road and scattered as the motorcycle approached.

When the front door opened, I held my hands wide. “Welcome home.”

Lisa headed my way and turned up the stairs. I lowered my arms and glanced at Iris.

“Oh my little Bunny wunny. Mommy missed you so much.” Lisa’s voice drifted from upstairs. I waited for her to disburse an apple branch, a cardboard tube, a carrot slice, and a zucchini slice.

When she came back down, Lisa had already hung up her jacket. Her hair was full of icicles, and windblown. Somehow she still managed to look good. It was kind of a grunge/frozen look.

“Did you guys miss me around here?” she asked.

“I did.” I have to confess I was getting tired of scrapple, and eggnog that was stirred by Roald’s arm. Iris had been a big help when it came to preparing for my blog tour.

“Ve’s happy to have you back,” Roald said. “Iris and I can still make ten miles before ve gotta camp tonight.”

“Maybe we ought to wait until morning,” Iris said.

“Nah, I already got the cows loaded and dey’s ready to go.” Roald rumbled down to the basement and brought his cows around through the garage door.

“Are you safe to fly now?” Lisa asked Iris.

“Mostly. Roald said I can snuggle down into one of his cows. He said mountain cows have the warmest hair on Earth.”

“If you listen to Roald, mountain cows are the best of everything,” I said.

Lisa opened a drawer and slid out an old oven mitt. She walked out front and tied it to one of the cows.

“Dat’s a pretty good idea, by golly. Now Iris vill be nice and toasty along the trail.” Roald slapped his hands together and rubbed them. Steam clouded the air where he and the cows breathed.

No steam emitted from Lisa’s rhythmic breathing.

I walked out to join them and Iris snuggled into her oven mitt. “It was nice seeing you guys again,” I said. “Tell the rest of the southern people we said hello.”

We watched them go until they hit the tree line off to the east. It had been a busy year. Four older books published, and The Cock of the South was the last one.

Lisa and I went back inside, and I moved closer to the fire.

“I brought you a souvenir,” Lisa said.

I tried to suppress a grin, but failed. She took a shot glass from her purse and placed it on the front desk.

It looked just like this, but said Whitelyn, Arizona instead of Rachel, Nevada.

“You cozy up to the fire, temperature doesn’t bother me.” Lisa said. “Looks like I’d better get the skis on your gyro-copter before you have a worse landing.”

*Roald is a dwarven tribesman. He plays a supporting role in The Cock of the South. He was filling in for Lisa while she was away.

**Iris is a fairy. She also plays a supporting role in The Cock of the South. She was convalescing at the writing cabin while her wing healed.

*** Lisa is the main character in Wild Concept. She is a robot and works as my assistant at the writing cabin these days.

Last day of my blog tour

I’m being hosted today by Bethany Turner. This doesn’t appear to be a WordPress type blog. I offer a few of my writing tricks that some might consider tips. You can read it here.