Wothlondia Rising FREE (mostly) Everywhere!

Amazon.com has finally come around and I am hoping that the rest of the Amazon stores will follow suit and reflect the price change soon enough. As the title says, the introductory book to my Realm of Ashenclaw series is finally FREE, almost everywhere. I must say, there's never been a better time to dive in and experience the tales that set these heroes on their path to become legends in Wothlondia.

Art by William Kenney

If you are so inclined to begin the journey and experience the tales that introduce you to my world and it's inhabitants, it can be found mostly everywhere now for free. And I am excited for that.

The book can be found here:
➲ KINDLE ➲  iTunes ➲  NOOK ➲ Smashwords  ➲ WattPad

I wanted to re-post some lovely things that the editor of the series, Stephanie Dagg, said in an interview--things which I could never have even conceived about my own writing, etc. And so, this is what she had to say about Wothlondia Rising...

I’ve worked on all sorts of books during my 25 years of editing, most of them as a freelance, and it’s true to say that fantasy is one of the more interesting literary genres. Fantasy authors are not only creative, extremely so, but of necessity also very methodical. Does that sound contradictory? What I mean is that because they’re creating a unique universe, they have it all mapped out in their heads, and often physically too. I made plenty of use of Gary’s map of Wothlondia during my editing, to check that when he said certain characters were heading northwest towards Greymoors from Chansuk that they were. (Editors have to keep an eye on everything!) Gary clearly knows his way around Wothlondia like the back of his hand since and he never put a foot wrong there!

Another example of fantasy writer organization. In one of the new stories, A Rose in Bloom, I felt we needed a couple more sentences in one part where a character, Ganthorpe, was rattled by the ringing of the bell for midnight. So I sent a request to Gary. Now, some authors tend to panic when an editor asks for extra material, and rattle something - anything - off. You duly slot it into place, only to find a few pages later that this new stuff proves to be inconsistent with later events, so it’s back to the drawing board. Not with Gary. He sent me a well-constructed replacement paragraph that lent the clarity I was after, and mentioning Brogan the timekeeper, so I put those in. I’m currently reading Covenant of the Faceless Knights and was delighted to come across a mention of Brogan and his bells in an early chapter! Everything fits together perfectly, not only in this story but in the way all Gary’s tales interact.

Fantasy has its own lexicon with words such as phylactery, mage and goblinoid that you won’t find in other genres. The language also tends to be more formal with some archaisms. I’m always delighted to come across those since I’m all for using as diverse a range of vocabulary as possible in writing. And the different races that inhabit the fantastic world have their own way of speaking. You can tell an elf from a dwarf from an ogre simply by listening to them.

Other distinguishing features of fantasy, on top of these elements of a cracking good plot, organisation and rich language, are the idea of a hero (or heroine) on a quest, the common ‘humanity’ of this central figure that means we empathise with him or her, the existence of magic and the supernatural, and the fight of good against evil. Alongside the quest there often comes a journey of self-discovery, and this is very much the case with Gary’s characters. You’ll see this strongly in the Wothlondia Rising series of short stories, particularly in Maturation Process and Reflections.
I guarantee that you will be deeply moved by the latter.

And all Gary’s heroes and heroines are likable because they’re so real. We get clear, detailed physical descriptions of them and their personalities quickly emerge. We can see parts of ourselves in them, even if they’re elves, or barbarians or half ogres. For example, Rose Thorne enjoys a glass of wine, Rolin Hardbeard doesn't like riding horses, Saeunn has her eye on the handsome lad from the next village, and Elec lets his personal hygiene slip a little when he’s on his own. They could be any one of us... But imperfect as they are, when put to the test they’ll do what’s right.

Fantasy mirrors not only real people but a real world. Wothlondia has many of the same terrors and threats that we have, such as racism, dishonesty, violence and crime. I’m just grateful we don’t have the added complication of Blood Rot Zombies!
In conclusion then, editing fantasy, and especially Gary’s Wothlandian fantasy, is an interesting and rewarding challenge. And memorable. Here are a handful of sentences from Gary’s stories that have stuck in my mind because of their sheer power or beauty:

Nimaira still lay on the cold ground, rubbing her jaw, with tears—not tears of pain, but tears of what might have been—welling in her beautiful eyes.
His eyes were reflections of the bluest of skies, quite unlike those of any ogre, whose eyes were always as black as the darkest caverns of the Subterrane.
The Paladin felt the darkness closing in on him, wresting control of his soul.
He merely stood frozen in place while a tumult of emotions bombarded him.
She had wept for countless hours and felt there should be no more tears left to cry, yet still they came, unbidden and unending.

You’re going to enjoy Wothlondia Rising, make no mistake.

(Originally posted here on Feb 12, 2012) 

Thanks and I hope to see you in Wothlondia!

Visit me on my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE  and my SMASHWORDS PAGE!

Also, Please join me and the other amazingly talented authors over @ Skulldust Circle where we have formed a Writer's Circle that must be seen--a collection of brilliant, up & coming independently published speculative fiction authors with much to give both now and in the future!

All Artwork and covers of my works by William J. Kenney

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2014 unless otherwise noted.

Covenant of the Faceless Knights Sale This Weekend!

Through the weekend and until Monday, ƇƠѴЄƝƛƝƬ ƠƑ ƬӇЄ ƑƛƇЄŁЄSS ĶƝĮGĦƬS, Beginnings series BOOK ONE  is ONLY $2.99 on KINDLE! This Weekend ONLY! So, if you were on the fence about buying it before, here is your chance to get it at a reduced rate!



Some details about the book:
4.9 out of 5 stars on 14 reviews through Amazon~EPIC FANTASY SERIES and it is available in the UK, US, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. I have linked the US and the UK (Though the US is outselling the UK by far...they need to step it up...lol.)

ƇƠѴЄƝƛƝƬ ƠƑ ƬӇЄ ƑƛƇЄŁЄSS ĶƝĮGĦƬS ~ ƲS


ƇƠѴЄƝƛƝƬ ƠƑ ƬӇЄ ƑƛƇЄŁЄSS ĶƝĮGĦƬS ~ ƲĶ

When a dangerous artifact goes missing from the Temple of The Shimmering One, the high priest in charge of the artifact's protection realizes that he will not be able to retrieve the stolen relic without help. Calling upon Garius, the man who was once his own apprentice, Tiyarnon the High Priest enlists the aid of a man who is now an Inquisitor among the Order of the Faceless Knights. Garius, now a man of power and prestige, gathers a handful of allies to help complete his quest—but who among them is worthy of his trust? Aided by the mischievous Rose, a rogue among rogues, the stoic and blood thirsty Saeunn, and a promising but naive elf named Elec, Garius hopes his training as one among the Faceless Knights has prepared him to keep his small company in check, let alone survive the trials to come. Garius must lead his band of allies into dark regions to recover the artifact before it falls into the hands of the evil being that once held it in order to ensure the continued safety of the Realm of Ashenclaw.

 Begin your journey into the Realm of Ashenclaw TODAY!

 Please join me and the other amazingly talented authors over @ Skulldust Circle where we have formed a Writer's Circle that must be seen--a collection of brilliant, up & coming independently published speculative fiction authors with much to give both now and in the future!

All of my work can be found on AMAZON -- Kindle versions here

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

TEARS OF BLOOD FREE! Happy Birthday to ME?

Since my birthday is coming up, I have decided to give you a free short story again! What? Shouldn't I be receiving the gift, you say? Well, I kind of look at like this: I give you something for free, and you, in return, read my work and perhaps even post a review. Or, even better, you like it and come back to buy a few more in the series and begin your journey into the magnificent Realm of Ashenclaw. Whaddaya say? 

This is all leading up to my WIP, Secrets of the Ebonite Mines, dropping some time the end of the month, too, if all goes according to plan. I have the masterful William Kenney working on a cover that will knock your socks off and the incomparable Stephanie Dagg trying to make me once more sound as though I know what I am talking about! 

In all seriousness, nothing would make me happier than if you all simply read my work. I would love a review if you happen to read it on Amazon and Goodreads. That would certainly make me happy!

That is why I put pen to paper so to speak--a gift to you.

And just for a teaser, I will post another sample here, along with the cover again!

It will be available to download for the Amazon Kindle from Wednesday (6/6) all the way through until Sunday (6/10)! Enjoy!

“They seem to be… random in their movements. Like they are not organized. They have no leader, I think.”

Suddenly, a scout on horseback appeared in the distance. As he neared, he clumsily dismounted, stumbling to the ground. Scarr recognized the boy as one of Helzak’s children—Halton. Helzak was a fine bowman in Chansuk, and had the eyes of an eagle. Normally Helzak would be either hunting with Scarr or helping as a scout, but this day had him bedridden with sickness. That was why the boy was in his place. The young man approached with a frightened and disturbed look upon his pale, young face. His eyes were wide and he was pointing to the north as he attempted to gather himself.

“Halton, what is it?” asked Scarr as he tried to steady the boy.

“The… Greymoors,” managed the boy, gasping for air, the heat from his breath seen clearly against the cold of the morning air. “A horde…,” he continued, finally slowing his breathing. “A horde of… something… is coming this way!”

Scarr grabbed the boy by his comparably smaller arms and pulled him closer. “A horde heading where?!” demanded the barbarian chieftain.

“They are heading northwest. Most of them, anyway,” cried the young man. Scarr could feel the boy shaking and fidgeting in his grip, truly frightened by whatever it was that he had witnessed.

“How far are they now, boy?” asked Scarr, plans formulating in his mind.

“Many miles still,” Halton answered, motionless in the iron grip of Scarr’s powerful hands. “I was able to spot them a great distance away, but—“

“But, what?” insisted Scarr, pulling the boy even closer. They were almost nose to nose.

Scarr pushed Halton back and released his vise-like grip, admiring the boy’s obvious talent for perception and observance of details. Just like Helzak, thought Scarr. The boy fell backward, but caught his balance and stood again, staring at the commanding barbarian before him who tugged at his braided beard thoughtfully.

“Alert the village,” Scarr ordered, specifically directing this command to Magreth. He nodded and ran off in a dead sprint. Then he turned to Rothnarr and added, “You’d better alert your people, too, if your father doesn’t know already.”

“Aye,” Rothnarr agreed and strode away with purpose.

Within moments, a crowd began to form around their leader, a wall of muscled barbarians who stood intently awaiting the words of their great chieftain.

“Barbarians of Chansuk,” Scarr began, but then hesitated, seeing his daughter amongst the group, her hair now braided and tied back in a pony tail. “We are facing an enemy unknown to us. But, whoever they are, we will send them running back in the direction from whence they came!”

A chorus of cheers went up with that declaration, a deafening roar from the hundreds of barbarians gathered. That roar slowly turned into a chant of “Chan-suk, Chan-suk!”

Join me @ Skulldust Circle where we have formed a new Writer's Circle that must be seen--a collection of brilliant, up & coming independently published fantasy authors with much to give both now and in the future!

All of my work can be found on AMAZON -- Kindle versions here

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

Sample of A Rose in Bloom

It is Sample Sunday again on twitter and I am offering a sample of Wothlondia Rising 2: A Rose in Bloom, which will be due out on Kindle Select next weekend for 99 cents! I hope you all enjoy it. This story is about the tough childhood of one Rose Thorne and is more Young Adult themed as she is a teenager throughout the entire story. I hope you all enjoy the sample!

A young Rose Thorne by William Kenney

As Rose made her way to the brothel, she avoided the orphanage, still not being able to face up to what it had done to her over the relatively few years she’d spent upon the face of Wothlondia. She had not yet reached her sixteenth name-day, but she had many recollections from her early teens. These memories did not elicit pleasant thoughts, nor did they bring into being a joyful childhood… far from it, Rose thought bitterly.

She had been faced with a constant stream of cruelty from potential guardians. Her maidenhead had been taken from her at a young age, before her thirteenth name-day if she recalled correctly, and as well she had been physically and verbally assaulted and otherwise abused. Many a step-parent, step-sibling or other keeper had mistreated her, or worse, when she’d been in their care, including the proprietor of the orphanage to whom she owed a special kind of payback!

Augustus by name, he was a well-connected man. He had frequently sent her off to someone who was unfit to mother or father her properly. More than a few times, when accosted by people who should have been protecting her, Rose had had to take matters into her own hands, especially when help from the Watch or city officials did not arrive in a timely manner. Afterwards, they always simply sent her back to the orphanage, too young to face any real charges, and never did they find any evidence of the ill-treatment she claimed—and this despite her obvious bruises. She had hated her time there and was preparing to run away from the orphanage once more when the half-elven and beautiful Marielle had stepped in, eliciting the young woman from Augustus, citing her looks and offering a favorable return on investment if Rose remained unscathed.

Marielle had taken her away from Augustus that summer and Rose began her life at the bordello. It was much improved when compared to the orphanage and her figure began to fill out into shapely proportions. Marielle, her Madam, assigned her a position after her fourteenth name-day as an errand girl at first. She would allot chores to Rose, having her handle everyday jobs, mostly involving washing and cleaning for the first half year of her stay as she acclimatized to their ways and procedures. Rose was both athletically built and pleasing to the eye for men who enjoyed the company of a female counterpart. This was a blessing in disguise to Marielle, as Rose was becoming extremely beautiful—more so than many of the other girls—and lending herself well to her approaching profession. Of course, those others couldn’t help but notice and often shunned her or otherwise mistreated her verbally.

Rose had an uncanny sleight of hand, as well as a silver tongue, both of which were a benediction and a curse. She could talk her way into and then out of trouble, though wise cracks were bountiful and often spoken at inopportune times. She was frequently scolded by her Madam for this particular habit, though Marielle had already guessed that the lectures would not arrest Rose’s loose lips.

Rose was also discovering a certain penchant and aptitude for thievery. The thrill of pilfering goods or coin made her heart race, and she could not stop herself. Theft was fast becoming her drug of choice. She showed a dual acuity of both mind and body that allowed her to accomplish the deeds without being detected a single time—at least by the Watch. She was particularly well accomplished at the art now, and that had attracted some unwanted attention from a certain group of organized crime persons in Oakhaven.

She’d been warned more than once about purloining goods—including the food she stole—and that if she continued, there would be consequences. But being the brash young soul Rose was, she did not take it seriously, nor did she believe that they would catch her. So, she continued to steal, food mostly, whenever she desired. She did not have much in the way of coin and certainly could not afford the prices of the merchants here in Oakhaven, who sold their goods at inflated cost. But that wasn’t the issue. Rose filched because she could and because she was good at it. And it didn’t hurt to have a full belly when going to the brothel in the morning, as Marielle soon had her toiling, putting her to task to complete many chores.

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

Cover art on Distant Familiarity provided by William Kenney!

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

Another Excerpt from Covenant of the Faceless Knights...

Another excerpt from Covenant of the Faceless Knights for my tweeps and Fans on Facebook for #SampleSunday! Enjoy, my friends and have an excellent weekend!

Garius Forge of the Order of the Faceless Knights as depicted by William J. Kenney

Blow after blow rang out—hammer hitting staff and vice-versa. Sparks flew from the impact, with neither of the two combatants gaining any ground. For several rounds of blows, they exchanged forceful strikes with their respective weapons, neither of them scoring a hit on anything but the other’s weapon. They finally backed away from one another, simultaneously realizing their futility.

The shaman charged Garius again, trying to find an opening in his defenses, but he was denied repeatedly by The Repentant. Garius realized that the brief gift offered from the war-god was fading. He needed to formulate a new strategy.

He allowed the shaman to get close, allowing him another wide swing. But, this time he offered what looked to be a blocking motion and instead, sidestepped it. He reversed his grip on the hammer and slammed its handle into his enemy’s exposed gut.

Garius realized immediately the folly of his strike. It was like hitting solid stone. A backhand from the powerfully altered orc sent him reeling and he barely managed to hold onto his weapon. His armor withstood the blow, but the sheer force of the strike sent him stumbling away.

A repetition of inhumanly strong blows rained down upon him now. Garius finally released the grip on his hammer, again changing tactics in an attempt to defeat this creature. He recoiled under the mighty assault of the mutated orc, who seemed even more animalistic, its bone-like staff continually crashing down upon him, over and over. His blood-red armor was beginning to conform to the power of this creature’s blows.

Once more, he found himself faced with an opportunity with which he needed to employ the necromantic power of The Reaper. He uttered a prayer to the god of death, asking him once again for access to the deadly degenerative plane. As the gift was granted, he channeled that energy into a discharge of force that sent the shaman hurling away, landing with a thud several paces from him. Garius felt the energy leech a bit of the orc’s soul into him. He also knew he could not reach his weapon and decided instead to use this brief respite to launch another necromantic assault.

Standing once more, he began an invocation, directing the dark energies toward the shaman, who was still getting to his feet. The power welled up inside him, holding it until he could no longer contain it. With that, a loud crackling sound, accompanied by a strange dark-purplish radiance, burst forth from him. It completely consumed the shaman, eating away at his flesh and soul as the shaman’s spirits fought hopelessly to aid him.

Please join me and the other amazingly talented authors over @ Skulldust Circle where we have formed a Writer's Circle that must be seen--a collection of brilliant, up & coming independently published speculative fiction authors with much to give both now and in the future!

All Artwork and covers by William J. Kenney

Visit my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Also, please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

FOR NOW

Paper or Plastic?

When purchasing a book, magazine or newspaper, is it that much easier to simply view it on your phone, tablet, laptop or computer? Do you miss the feel of the paper in your hands? I do...and I can see why the market is rapidly changing. The advent of the tablet/reading device is altering the reading/writing game forever.

Artwork provided by Justine Babcock

 The reason that I ask is that while I personally do enjoy the feel of a real book in my hands, I cannot deny the ease at which books can simply be downloaded to your device for your perusal. Simply put: the market has changed forever. This fact leads me to the decision and I see no alternative but to jump on the ‘eBook only’ bandwagon. Several authors that I have spoken to recently are doing this, too. And with Amazon signing authors directly, they are cutting out the publishing house and agents and bringing the content straight to the reader. While this is strange and hard to understand at first, it is something that is appealing to me as a starving self-published author. If printing cost is all-but eliminated and readers, gamers and other enthusiasts of the written word can simply download their content to their portable device, how can I choose otherwise? Kindle, Nook, iPad and smart phones have simply changed the game...a lot!

I am actively writing and working on several new books, including a prequel/anthology to Covenant of the Faceless Knights that will include the Pre-Prologue of the novel as well as short stories that include all of the main protagonists (Saeunn, Elec, Garius, Rose and Orngoth).

I am also working on the sequel to CotFK, as well as a Role-Playing Game (RPG) supplement based on the Realm of Ashenclaw. (I will let you speculate as to which gaming system.) While I would love to pursue putting these things in print, the cost to profit ratio is simply not appealing to me. I am actively researching writing and self-publishing options and want to know what experiences any other writers/readers/authors/artists may want to share!


In closing, how do you want your products delivered to you? Are you willing to pay more for an actual book or are you content with the (probably) lower price/speed of delivery involved with an eBook?

As always, I look forward to reading your comments!

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

Photos from Stock.xchng...and me!

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios, LLC 2011 unless otherwise noted. Sketches copyright Justine Babcock.

What Price is the Right Price for a Book?

I am seeing a bit of disparity in the price
of books, especially eBooks. I see prices that range from $30.00+ for a hardcover down to .99 cents for an eBook.

I am wondering what is the best price point for a novel and at what point will you not 'break the bank' for a book? I don't think that $10.00 is asking too much for a book that I want to read, regardless of whether or not it in print or an eBook, but what the heck do I know!?

With books so easy to obtain via downloads to the Nook, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Android phones, etc., does that change your mind, too? I know Amazon and the eBook changed the publishing and writing game forever.

I looked recently on the top kindle book and every single one was $2.99 and under. Some of them were even free! I am not sure how they count ‘free’ as sales, but I am sure it is possible. I know many bloggers and authors have discussed this, but I wanted to see what my audience thinks. Reason being is that I have many more books in the works!

I feel that my publishing company may have mislead me indirectly or perhaps I wasn’t clear enough with my expectations—maybe it was simply my own delusions of grandeur that pushed my own ego into thinking that I could make a good push with sales all by myself…meh. While I think that I am doing a fairly good job of marketing using the social media sites, I feel like sometimes I am beating a dead horse…especially on Facebook. I am having some success with twitter, my website and with the blog in driving visitors to each using the other. At some point or another, I feel that I am going to need either to spend some of my own money for a media blitz or try to find an agent to net me a publisher.

Who was happy? This guy!

Circling back to the first published book, I went with the ‘let’s try to see how far I can push this while competing against known authors’ route in my price point. While I don’t say that it is wrong, I think that I may have put the cart before the horse.

I am currently working on a prequel: an anthology that includes the story of what happened to my retired heroes prior to the prologue in Covenant of the Faceless Knights. I am also working on short stories of Elec, Saeunn, Rose and Garius. I am also planning on doing another full length novel for the second in the ‘Beginnings’ series (sequel). I am still debating whether or not to include a story about Orngoth in the anthology (prequel)…I will see if anyone clamors for one here!

Also, I am planning on releasing the anthology sometime next year with the price point of .99 cents up to $2.99. Any advice from the pro’s out there? I am not quite sure what to do yet for the full length novel and am debating whether or not to bother with the interior art again. I liked it, but am not sure if it is worth the added expense.

I know that some people only charge the $2.99 price, but are they mostly novellas, short stories or what? My novel was 304 pages and I spent a lot of hard work in editing, presenting and writing it. I am not saying that anyone else hasn't, merely presenting the facts from my side for anyone who hasn't written a book yet! Does that mean anything or not when compared to the rest of the field?

My questions to you are:

1. What do you charge or what would you pay for a full length novel?

2. What do you expect content-wise and editorial-wise for the .99 cent to $2.99 price point?

3. Do you want to see a sixth short story in the anthology that centers on the half-ogre barbarian Orngoth?


See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit my home page to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

(Photos from Kozzi and me!)


All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios, LLC 2011 unless otherwise noted.