Here, there, everywhere

Ah, the memories. The books came out early '11 and haven't looked back since. OK, that sounds a little silly, but I can say "Passage" came out I have looked mostly to the future (and that future would be 1654 A.E). Another year and lots of changes.

Here's another snippet from Book three, "Prince of the Furies":

A sapphire sky greeted them at the crest of a stony gap between taller peaks – Mount Kalia in the north and Mount Tullia in the south, a mother and daughter, wife and kin of Turrult himself who tamed this land. Beneath their stares, the valley of Karn spread out green and wide; the village perceptible as a tiny hamlet in the middle of forests and bare mounded hills. It was then Andro recalled the fire they had seen from the village.

“There should be evidence of such a thing. It had to be a grand blaze indeed,” he said.

“If there is evidence, we shall find it soon enough,” replied Turran as they finished the last portion of the ascent. Before long the remnants of a large burn emerged atop a large boulder just as the next valley came into view in the west, haze-filled and gray. They dismounted to get a better look at the remains – it was anything but a regular campfire.

Comments

A taste of Book Three

Excerpt : Chapter Four -- Prince of the Furies Between the grove and what appeared a small graveyard, the shrine rose tall and elegant. The building seemed a newer construction, and smelled of fresh cut oak when Jascha opened the double doors that were solid and stained a reddish-brown. They stepped into the vestibule and its silence held them. The building was square and not large, but adequate for a small village. Light came from stained-glass windows within the main chamber, which was open to them, and rowed clerestory across the nave of the roof. A beam of sunlight streamed into the rear of the chamber onto what appeared a bare table, without cloth or candle; and beside it knelt the girl they saw earlier. Jascha insisted they wait. Andro studied her from across the room. She appeared statuesque, illuminated by the sun, but innocent and beautiful. As still as an angel in a painting, she startled him when she suddenly turned. In a soft voice she spoke, “Come.”

Details, details...

The excuse of slow-writing knows no bounds. At 60,000 words, I could pat myself on the back; but many others crush my speed with their dedicated writing schedules. No matter - I have excuses galore. (although, I have given up some activities for Lent that directly influence my own writing schedule - so hopefully I'll get moving here) Anyone who reads my blog entries, and bless you if you do, may realize that I rarely speak of good writing/criticism/grammar/punctuation. There are plenty that do, and they do it well. To write well takes practice, patience, and a whole lot of opinion -- the friendly stranger sort. My advice to writing well: join a writing group, and there are plenty online to do it. There I learned a lot, and I learned when it was no longer useful. (it is hard to critique chapter five without reading chapters one through four - grammar aside) As you may know, I'm all about world-building and being immersed in a solid story - even if it spans many books. The ex...

Welcome

Now it begins. Actually, it began when I was about 12 years old. A Rankin-Bass cartoon called 'the Hobbit' came on television, you may have heard of it, and from there the fantasy genre had a new fan. Then came a fortunate gift: a 'the Lord of the Ring's' boxed set pushed me deeper into a wonderful new realm. Books, games, role-playing, all part of the process of exploring fantasy, became the norm. Some of us set out to try it ourselves. Many folk write as a way to express themselves beyond idle conversation, and some do it very well. Bookstores are full of talented, gifted, and sometimes lucky authors. Fantasy is no exception. Striking out on the first two, I'll give 'luck' a chance, but you know what they say about luck. Anyway, keep reading...

James M. Vargo Books

Search This Blog