Chaos & Courage: 6 short stories and 2 novellas

Early this year I wrote and self published 6 fantasy short stories and 2 novellas exclusive to Amazon, and exclusivity is not my usual. This was basically an experiment, and that experiment is ongoing.

That being said, I've now gathered those tales into one collection: Chaos & Courage, also exclusive to Amazon. This collection is available in e-book, soft cover, and hardback. Also, occasionally, as Amazon allows, the e-book version will be free for at least a few days here and there.

Another novella and a short story

Recently I published a fantasy novella and a short story over at Amazon. Here are the basics.

Trials of Magic: a high fantasy novella

At 14, Princess Alljoy is full of self determination, even stubbornness, so it should be no surprise when she finds life within the castle quite dreary and she sets out on her own for adventure.

But then she discovers The Veil, a misty, magical wall which surrounds and protects her family's kingdom, a wall which none can pass through.

Intrigued by the mystery, the princess sets out to find a dragon who supposedly knows the secrets of The Veil.

Yet the dragon will not be without needs of its own.

Midnight at The Skewered Pig: a dark fantasy short story

Two bandits, one a murderer and the other worse, ride to the top of a mountain road where they find an unexpected sight, an inn that is not supposed to be there. Tired from their travels and their most recent villainous acts, they decide what better place to rest than this mysterious place.

Yet what they find waiting for them will be beyond their understanding. A reckoning awaits.

Two more fantasy short stories available

I've been experimenting with publishing fantasy short stories exclusively to Amazon of late, always in e-book format and print and sometimes even audio.

So, here are my latest two stories.

Jungle of Blood: a heroic fantasy short story

A great foreign evil has arrived by sea near the ancestral lands of the nomadic people of the young warrior Keembu, and he and his fellow clansmen and their shaman must ultimately come face to face with this monstrosity or slowly be forced to fall beneath its terror.

Can spears and magic stand against a vampire who can control the very beasts of the jungle? Or will the blood of men cover the land?

Squad Mage: a short story of military fantasy

The squad of Corporal Jetei is tasked with breaking through the wall surrounding an enemy town, but once they are through, the real dangers begin.

A powerful sorceress has holed up within her own mansion and it is Jetei’s squad’s job to go in and eliminate this magical threat. Yet Jetei is only a squad mage, so how can she and her comrades hope to stand against a strong magical enemy within that enemy’s very home?

2 more fantasy shorts available

I wrote last month I was experimenting with shorter fiction on Amazon, specifically works that are exclusive to Amazon. So here are two more I've recently made available.

State of Love and Enmity: a novella of high fantasy

Civil war in the land of the elves has brought refugees to the nation of the humans, and it is Captain Izael's duty to round up and deport these refugees to other lands.

But when he is tasked with escorting an elven princess back to her homeland, betrayal piles upon betrayal and suddenly Izael finds himself allied withe one who would be his enemy.

Only time and fate will tell if he and the Princess Alanor can avoid their foes, learn the truth of events surrounding them, and find safety in a world turned upside down.

Charnel Mouths and Sightless Eyes: a Sword & Sorcery short story

Zilander the wizard is dead, and four thieves have taken it upon themselves to investigate the mage's forgotten tower in the middle of nowhere, all in the hopes of discovering treasure.

But though they are prepared for the dangers they are to find within the tower, they are not ready for the threat among themselves.

An experimentation in short stories

I've mentioned elsewhere that with age and health difficulties, writing isn't as easy for me as it used to be. Because of this, I've been focusing of late upon writing shorter works, novellas and short stories.

So, recently I published on Amazon a couple of short stories, "The Prison of His Tyranny" and "A More Sudden Revenge." Normally I don't publish short stories straight to the online world. Usually I'll shop my shorts around to different publications, but this time I wanted to try something different, an experiment of sorts to see how well some of my short stories will sell straight to the market.

If anyone is interested, this stories will only be available at Amazon and will be part of Amazon's Kindle Unlimited, so you can purchase the e-book versions of these stories straight out for 99 cents or you can read them if you have a Kindle Unlimited account. Occasionally these e-book stories will even be available for free as Amazon allows. Also, there are print and audio versions of these tales available at Amazon.

Will more stories come? Probably. I'll see how I feel and how many more ideas come to me.

I will admit it's a bit strange working on shorter tales, because I've focused upon writing novels for the longest time. As most writers could tell you, writing shorts and writing longer works requires different talents, different tasks, and a different way of thinking. I'm feeling a bit rusty writing short stories at the moment, but I can feel the old wheels getting greased, so hopefully things will get better in those regards.

A new Kron Darkbow Trilogy

It's been a while since I've published anything, and it's been 10 years (man, that's hard to believe) since I've published anything involving my epic fantasy Kron Darkbow character (and his crew of friends and foes), but the time has finally come.

Allow me to introduce ...

The Unwilling God Trilogy

Book I: The Broken Swordsman
Kron Darkbow is a warrior shattered by grief. With the love of his life trapped in an eternal sleep, Kron teeters on the brink of despair. As he struggles to find a reason to continue, dark forces converge on the city of Bond, threatening everything and everyone he holds dear. Can Kron rise above his sorrow to defend his home, or will he be consumed by it?

Book II: The Reluctant Witch
Althurna, a witch with immense power, embarks on a perilous journey to save the man she loves, with Kron steadfastly by her side. Together, they venture into treacherous mountains where an ancient enemy lies in wait. This malevolent force thrives on inflicting pain, and Althurna must summon every ounce of her courage and strength to confront it. Will love and determination be enough to triumph over such evil?

Book III: The Unwilling God
Randall Tendbones harbors a profound secret—he is the living god Ashal, concealed among mortals for years. Now, Randall and Kron find themselves in the heart of a despotic nation that worships Ashal without knowing his true identity. As conspiracies unfold and danger looms, Randall's divine secret threatens to unravel. When the truth comes to light, the repercussions will be earth-shattering. Can Randall and Kron survive the chaos that ensues?

Marketing just isn't my thing

Today I was reading an article titled "The Top 10 Publishing Trends for 2024" and I pulled up short at trend 2: Authors Build Their Brands and Communities.

Sigh.

Now, let me say right here, I don't have anything against my fellow authors who work at their branding, at marketing, at building a community, at media or public relations, or whatever the hell you want to call it.

Allow me to repeat that for those who will start screaming "But ... but ... but ..." I don't have anything against my fellow authors who work at their branding, at marketing, at building a community, at media or public relations, or whatever the hell you want to call it.

All that work ... well, it works for some people. I'm sure there are those who even enjoy it, who like reaching out and making connections with their fellow authors, with readers, etc.

But that's not me.

Maybe you could call me an introvert. Maybe I'm a luddite. Maybe I'm just a grumpy old man. Go ahead. Call me whatever mean-spirited, nasty thing you might want to call me. This is the Internet and the days of social media and manufactured rage, after all.

Simply, frankly, I just don't care.

It's not that I don't care about other people. I do, but only in a general, I-wish-we-could-all-just-get-along kind of way. I do see and read about plenty of things that are worth outrage, but I also see and read about a lot of outrage that's focused upon things that simply are not worthy of anyone's time.

I'm tired.

I'm tired of social media, of this faux world we've created, of that fake outrage. And I'm frankly tired of humanity, mainly of what we've become because of our use of technology.

I'm not saying the technology itself is evil, nor am I suggesting all of humanity is evil, but I will say our modern technology brings out the worst of us and the worst in us. Our modern technology gives voice to every little thought in our heads, when maybe sometimes we should just shut the hell up about things that aren't truly worthy of rage.

Okay, I'm digressing. It happens.

Anyway, marketing, branding, whatever you want to call it ... I simply don't care.

I want to write, edit, publish, do some graphic design, that's it. I have no interest whatsoever in reaching out to my readers, to fans or possible fans.

I realize that sounds atrocious in this day and age, maybe even selfish. Okay, maybe I am selfish. But I write a book, it gets published somehow or other, the reader pays a few bucks for the book, reads it, hopefully enjoys it, maybe even leaves a review somewhere ... and that's where it should end, as far as I'm concerned.

If a reader reaches out to me with praise or damnation or questions or what-have-you, that's fine. I don't mind hearing from folks, and I try to answer.

But I'm not your buddy. I'm not your friend. Hell, I don't even want to be your friend.

There are a number of people in real life that I'd call friends even though I have not spoken to them face to face in years, maybe even decades in some cases, but they're the type of friends for which it wouldn't matter, that if I ran into them tomorrow it would be just like we saw one another yesterday. I also have a fair amount of acquaintances online and in the real world, people with whom I'm generally on friendly terms, some I know personally and some I know professionally.

But the truth is, I don't have a lot of friends. And that's on purpose. I'm not crying out here that I'm lonely or anything. Believe me, that would be far from the truth.

Maybe I'm just a loner. I have a beautiful woman in my life, and that's really all I need. I don't feel a need for a lot of close relationships, and I definitely don't feel a need for a lot of pseudo-relationships or fake relationships. I don't have a need to talk with complete strangers about anything, not even my writing.

If I have anything to say, it's in my writing or maybe it's here on this blog. In truth, at this point I'm even to the point where I don't feel much of a need to talk with other authors, because most of the talk usually comes down to one of about three conversations, usually involving money or marketing or maybe reminiscing about some book or author, but on rare occasions involving craft.

I don't care for marketing, reaching out, building community, etc. All this really came to light for me a month or so ago when the company I've been using for more than a decade for my e-mail newsletter informed me they were going out of business. My initial thought was, "Crap! Now I'll have to find another service." But then it dawned on me, why? I only send out a newsletter about once every other year anyway, and with my current state of health it's not like I'm churning out novels often, so why bother?

So, I'll keep writing, even if it's a slow process for me nowadays.

No, I don't wish anyone anything bad. I simply don't feel a need to reach out and make contacts with complete strangers.

If you enjoy my books, I'm glad. Truly. Really. I'm appreciative. But I don't need to go over ad nauseam with dozens or even hundreds of strangers about my writing process, or about what's coming next, or about my personal life. Hell, half the time I couldn't even answer any such questions because very often I simply don't know what's coming next, and my personal life is exactly that, person. As for my writing process, it changes somewhat depending on what's going on in my life at any given time.

I do recognize that marketing and all that goes with it is a road to success for many authors, but I'm simply not interested. Could I have more success? Sure, but I'm satisfied where I'm at, being a relatively unknown writer who still manages to eke out a living typing on a screen. Yeah, more money is always nice, but the emotional drain it would take for me to do all that marketing work? No, thank you. I'll pass.

So ...

Sigh.

There. I've given my grumpy old man rant for the day.

My second graphic novel

I had fun creating my first graphic novel, Murder Giraffes, with Comic Life 3 software and art generated by Midjourney AI, so I decided to do a sequel, Tiger World. Both are available in print and in e-book form.

So ... I did a thing

I've mentioned here before that my health limits my ability to write, and I've also mentioned that I've been experimenting with AI art.

So I combined those two elements, and I've found a new, much easier way to tell stories.

MURDER GIRAFFES.

Yes, you read that correctly. Murder Giraffes. Utilizing AI-generated art, I've crafted a graphic novel based upon an idea given me by my girlfriend's brother when he joked that I could write anything, including something about murder giraffes.

It still takes time and patience, but I've found this new way of telling stories is much easier for me than traditional prose. Murder Giraffes was not only a bit of a joke, but it's also a learning experience. I learned a lot but still have much more to learn, and though I won't completely turn my back on prose fiction, I feel this is a new way for me to tell stories.

So, in the future, it's quite possible I'll have other graphic novels. Time will tell.

And if you're interested in seeing the preview, you can always check out the print version or the e-book of Murder Giraffes over at Amazon.

Experimenting with the future today

Like no small number of people online of late, I've been experimenting with artwork that's created by Artificial Intelligence. For the most part I've been making use of the Midjourney engine over at their Discord page.

Let me say right up front, I more than realize the controversy surrounding AI-crafted art. I understand why no few artists and other creative types are against this artwork. Really, I get it. As a writer and designer, technology has been working to replace me in one form or another for the last 30 years. Hell, I used to be a newspaper journalist, and that industry is all but dead nowadays.

I'm sorry, but the ship has sailed. The cat is out of the bag. And there is no going back.

Instead of railing against it, perhaps it's time to start trying to find ways to make use of AI within the art communities. Because the possibilities could be fascinating, even endless.

For myself, I see how art from AI could be used for book covers. I've even toyed with the idea of writing a graphic novel utilizing AI art.

Also, as I've pointed out elsewhere, health issues these last few years have put a damper on my writing abilities. Yet with AI art used for a graphic novel, I could potentially keep making stories while the AI would handle much of the heavy load of creation.

Anyway, whether like me you find the possibilities of AI art interesting or you hate it and want it destroyed, below are a handful of examples of the AI art I've recently come up with. (PS: You can click on the images to see larger versions with more detail.)

On Why You Have Not Seen Much Writing from Me the Last Few Years

It's been a long while since I've had a personal post here, this blog of late mainly focusing upon beer and whatever I've been reading. It might seem things are quiet, and I suppose they are in a way. However, occasionally I am asked online when my next novel will be released, and there have been a few times I've been asked to submit a story for one anthology or another yet I've declined. I've also stepped back from writing or working with various websites.

So it would appear there is no new writing from me in at least a few years now.

There's truth to that, though I have been writing. Some. A little. Here and there.

Why is this?

I've told very few people about this, but the truth is that for the last few years I have been taking heart medications that often keep me befuddled to some extent. My head is often hazy and it is difficult to think. Even writing a blog post can take a good long while. It's an extreme struggle for the words to come.

But the pills are keeping me alive, so there's that.

On the plus side, I have completed the first two novels in another Kron Darkbow trilogy, and I'm currently (slowly) working on the third novel. If I ever finish, I'll release all three at the same time.

Besides being difficult to write, is the quality of my writing suffering? In truth, probably. It's just so difficult to string words together. Some days are better than others, but it's never easy.

Will I ever be able to stop taking this medication? Not for the foreseeable future.

I write this post just to let some people know, readers and fellows of mine in the publishing world. I'm not seeking sympathy here, mainly because I don't feel this is a tragedy. I'm sure there are some writers who would find all this quite tragic, who can't imagine not writing or who are horrified at the thought of it being so difficult to write, but I'm not one of them. For the first time in my life I can imagine myself not writing, and I'm okay with that if the day should ever come when I have to put down my pen and step away from the keyboard.

But I'm not there yet. I'm still writing, a little. I'm generally enjoying life and have the best of women by my side.

Time will tell what the future will bring, but it's never what we expect.

New book: Adventures of the Weird

It's been a while since I've self-published anything, but now available is my latest, Adventures of the Weird: 12 Short Stories of Fantasy, Horror and Beyond. This is an unusual collection in that every story here has been accepted for publication at one Web site or print venue during the last decade, but only a few of them actually saw publication. As anyone who has submitted plenty of short stories to editors and publishers will come to realize eventually, sometimes a story is accepted but doesn't always see print for one reason or another. And while a few of these stories did actually make it to readers before now, most didn't, and I believe they were deserving. So, after collecting these tales during the last 10 years or so, I now present them.

Amazon e-book: $2.99

Amazon print book: $12.99

Adventures of the Weird will soon be available at other online retailers.

Rogue Blades Foundation

If you've been more than just a casual fan of Sword and Sorcery literature during the past decade or so, you should be familiar with the name of Rogue Blades Entertainment, a small specialty book publisher who has produced more than a few fine short story collections as well as other works related to the speculative genres.

All along, publisher and editor Jason M. Waltz has been the captain behind Rogue Blades Entertainment, but most recently he has taken on another hat to wear, that of president. As of a month ago (give or take), Waltz has been president of the Rogue Blades Foundation, a non-profit with a focus upon all things heroic, especially bringing heroic literature to all readers.

Rogue Blades Entertainment (RBE) will continue to operate as a for-profit publishing house. Meanwhile, Rogue Blades Foundation (RBF) will work to promote heroic art, and part of RBF's mission will include publishing specialty works which the editor does not feel are quite right for RBE.

You might be asking why I'm telling you all this. Well, for one thing, over the years I've had a few short stories published with RBE and I've always appreciated what that publishing house has done and accomplished.

More importantly, I am the vice president of the Rogue Blades Foundation. Yes, that's right, I'll be working alongside Jason M. Waltz to bring heroic art to the world. I'm thankful for this opportunity and I'm looking forward to bringing RBF to life.

What will the future hold for RBF? Two books are already in the works, and you can find out more at the RBF web site. If you want to know more, there's also the RBF Facebook page. For that matter, I've my own author's page at Facebook, so you might find a few RBF-related items there.

Also, if you are interested in helping RBF to promote heroic literature and art in all forms, you can join RBF's Ring of Heroes, allowing you to donate to the cause. If you not only want to help but would like to occasionally receive some excellent fiction in book form, you can also become an RBF Companion Member.

Interview at Dark Niche Publishing

Evan Bollinger over at Dark Niche Publishing interviewed me a few days ago and you can read it online. So go check it out!

New horror novel: The Basement

A new house, a new job, the future before them, the Dinsmores thought they had everything. Yet dreams of the good life quickly give way to a reality of darkness as the young couple begins to move into their new home.

For something looms in the basement of the house, something that brings cold, that brings memories and fear and hatred. Terrible things happened in that house long ago, culminating in the basement itself, and now after the house has sat empty for years, something in the basement has found a direction for its rage.

The Dinsmores will never be the same. Even if they survive.

That's the blurb for my new horror novel, The Basement, currently available in print and e-book at Amazon and soon available at other retailers and online sites.

I consider this one something of a "light" horror novel, meaning there isn't any gore and very little blood. It might not be for everyone, but I think it's a decent enough novel and an interesting tale.

Awesome Gang interview

It's another online interview with your's truly, this time over at the Awesome Gang site.

Featured author at Book Reader Magazine site

Yes, that's me
at the NC Renaissance Festival.

Hey! Today I'm the featured author over at the Book Reader Magazine web site where I answer some interview questions. Go check it out!

New novel - The God Sword

Well, it's been a while since I'm made such an announcement here, but I have a new fantasy novel available in e-book formats at Amazon and other major e-book distributors (the print version will be available in a week or two). The novel is titled The God Sword, a stand-alone book, and I will let the summary speak for itself:

Warrior and general, Lord Kavrik has been tasked by King Osrick to retrieve The God Sword from the city of Gloriolus where the famed blade has resided for untold centuries, in order to fulfill an ancient prophecy which would bring immortality to mankind, easing suffering and ending death itself.

Yet when Kavrik lays hands upon the divine sword, he finds not all is as expected, and the fate of man rests upon him.

Thus begins a journey which spans across thousands of years, from the past to the future and back, where Kavrik meets strange enemies and unlikely allies.

All in the name of faith.

ResAliens Blog: Review of The Kobalos Trilogy

ResAliens Blog: Review of The Kobalos Trilogy: Review by Lyn Perry The Kobalos Trilogy by Ty Johnston  is a high fantasy series featuring Kron Darkbrow. Here are my short reactions t...

If it seems like I've been slacking, well ...

Anyone observant will notice I've not published anything new since last December. That's far too long. But that doesn't mean I've not been writing. I have been. Just not a whole lot.

Sorry. Totally my fault.

But there is some new fiction available from me. Sort of. See below.

Also I have been busy.

For one thing, I've been doing some editing work for other writers. I'm currently finished with that and, honestly, glad of it. Editing drains far too much from me for me to want to do it all the time.

For another thing, I have been working a little here and there on the third novel in my Walking Gods Trilogy, titled "Whom the Gods Slay." I'm maybe half finished with it, and I hope to have it ready for publication in coming months.

I've also been writing articles for a local church bulletin, and recently I've submitted articles for the Nerdarchy site.

And then there's the new cover I've done for my literary horror novel, 100 Years of Blood. I've done several covers for this book, and I've not loved any of them. This latest is probably my favorite. We'll see how I like it in months to come. (As an aside, I always find it amusing readers come away thinking they have discovered the "secret" within this novel ... so far, no one has, though they think they have ... the novel is meant to play with readers' expectations, to make people think and not jump to conclusions).

Now about that new fiction

To tell the truth, it's not really new fiction. In fact, some of it's really, really old. Like some of the earliest fiction I've written, from 25 and more years ago. But a good chunk of it is fairly new, from the last few years.

Only it wasn't published under my name, but a pen name. I've scraped the pen name and decided to republish all this material under my own name.

Why?

Well, that's kind of hard to explain, though I suppose there are several reasons for it. First, I was beginning to feel like I was doing a disservice to my regular readers by not providing them access to all my works. And then there was the financial factor, because my own name sells better than any pen name I've used.

One reason I hesitated so long to make this switch is because the material published under my pen name has a vastly different style than my own. Admittedly some of the earliest short stories are probably not up to snuff, but even the more recent material will not read like my usual writing voice, the one I utilize for the majority of my novels. In other words, it won't sound like me, or it might sound like a different version of me. Some might even argue it reads like a lesser version of my "regular" writing, but I'd argue otherwise, that experimentation is the lifeblood of writing for me, and if all I'm expected to do is churn out the same old works over and over again, I can guarantee those works are going to gradually become weaker and weaker.

Anyway, what are these new-but-not-really books?

There's 20 Tales of Horror and Fantasy, a collection of some of the earliest stories I've written.

Then there's Guns 'n Money, originally a 5-part e-book series that was eventually collected into a single book. This series was my taking a stab at crime fiction in the mafia vein, but also an experimentation in style, fast writing with little background or other exposition, just characters with dialogue and action, action, action. Some won't like this style, but some seem to.

And then there's my 5-part e-book horror series Bible Camp. Eventually brought together in a collection, this is an homage (or "total ripoff," as some would call it) of 80s slasher horror movies, especially the Friday the 13th flicks. I'll admit the first part is definitely reminiscent of such films, but the rest of the series goes off into other territories, some familiar, some not so much. I'd like to think this series added a little something to this genre.

So, there's kind of new fiction from me, and kind of not. Anyone who checks out this material, I hope you find something to enjoy.