GenCon 2012!

Here's what I was doing end of last week and beginning of this week...in case you were worried.


The bad: Surprise, surprise! The hotel and accommodations again were less than spectacular and extremely overpriced. I got slammed with a valet parking bill that was added to my bill daily for $28.00 per day. Holy crap. Lesson learned the hard way again. Oh, well.

Hey, that's my book!

hey, that's my name!

The good: Everything else!

What can I say? Awesome. That’s what.

I had an incredible time! Aside from my hotel bill…again…which I cannot seem to do anything about.

I met some amazingly interesting people that I must say were very cool. I met Jason Klimchok, (@runnetib on twitter) a fellow author who found me in Author’s Avenue and introduced himself. Very cool of him to seek me out and say hello. Mr. Erik Scott de Bie, he of the Forgotten Realms fame (game designer and author) and Shadowbane fame, made his way over to my table to chat before he went off to sign books himself in the D&D booth. I also had breakfast on Sunday with Mr. De Bie, which I will detail a bit later.

I met and introduced myself to Jeanette LeGault who runs the whole thing and who was responsible for getting me in this year. She was very kind and spared time even though she was constantly busy.

my table at GENCON 2012

Special kudos to my son, who was with me all four days (way to go, Nick!) and who endured the 10+ hour drive both up and back with me. We had a great time bonding, which I will treasure always. Nick was awesome as my ‘booth monkey’ as he so eloquently put it.

I met fellow author Chris Jackson (@ChrisAJackson1 on twitter) and his wife (Anne, I believe) and they were very nice to me as well. I sat across the way from Tammy Blackwell, a librarian and fellow author who is writing an incredibly popular coming of age series about Seers and Werewolves, which I would check out. She can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/Tammy-Blackwell/e/B005A9B3XO. Tammy was also kind enough to gift a copy of her book to my wife, who I believe will enjoy it. 

I also gave some books away to librarians, interested book bloggers and a young woman who gave me this 'token of appreciation'.

my token of appreciation

Some of the people that I met come to mind when I write this that made an impact. I met a British fella named Adam that I really enjoyed talking to. Another long-haired college kid I chatted with a few times made an impression, though I cannot remember his name. A woman named Jeanette who purchased the books was extremely nice and she came back to snap a pic of me the next day (very flattering...I think?). I met a couple who chatted with me about Pathfinder for about an hour named Blake? he and his wife are inspiring me to possibly make a Realm of Ashenclaw RPG supplement for Pathfinder... might be coming.

Here are the best two experiences. I met a man named Tony Rodriguez who wanted the books and purchased them from me on Saturday and had me sign them to his son, Alex. He happened to bring Alex in on Sunday and he was happy to meet me, told me he’d read up to chapter 6 that morning and was loving it. Wow! That made my day. And it got better. The second was a man named Scott, who had downloaded Wothlondia Rising: The Anthology (The short story prequels) to his kindle. He went out of his way to come back on Sunday morning to tell me that he was 94% through the book and thought it was amazing…and that he had downloaded the other two books that morning!

I was again completely humbled by their expressions of how I had affected two different people in such a great way. I felt honored that they had chosen me and my writing in order to escape from reality. I was honored that they both entered into my Realm of Ashenclaw with open arms and with an open mind. I cannot express in words how that makes me feel as an author and a human being.

So, on to my breakfast meeting with Erik Scott De Bie on Sunday. I must tell you that it was a tale of mishaps and odd misunderstandings as Erik and I exchanged texts as to where to meet, but after an hour, we finally caught up at a Starbucks there. Interestingly enough, Erik is a rather tall and imposing individual and carries himself very well in conversation. That being said, Erik and I talked about many things. The most memorable to me was his advice. He gave me some constructive criticisms, advice on becoming a better writer and talked to me as a peer. I cannot tell you what his respect means. He not only gave me the critique, but he also made a point to give me the good news, and I am paraphrasing, but, it included the following: My covers were eye-catching and consistent, my branding and logo (Realm of Ashenclaw) was extremely professional and most importantly, that my writing was compelling. He went out of his way to say that I was passionate about my work, that he thought I was on to something and that he was happy to see what I was able to do as an independent author.

All of this was extremely humbling to hear from an author who works for Ed Greenwood and Dungeons & Dragons. After we parted ways, I went back to my booth for the last day and Erik stopped back one more time to gift me a copy of an anthology that he had contributed on for GenCon, which was above and beyond. I highly recommend any fans of fantasy to check him out and follow his writing, as I believe he is worthy of being included in the Forgotten Realms gaggle of writers.

Go buy his stuff! Erik’s site is here if you are interested in seeing what he is up to. http://erikscottdebie.com/

Well, that about wraps up my details. Next post will include pics of all of the scenes and costumes that I was able to get! Stay tuned.

Oh, and all of my books are currently resting at 99 cents on the kindle for a post-GENCON sale! Go download 'em before I come to my senses and raise the price...lol. 

 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.

SHORT HIATUS

Will be short on the posts while gone for the next week, but I should have plenty to share when I get back! Cheers all and if you are going to GENCON, find me in AUTHOR'S ALLEY and say hello! Wish me luck!

Interview With Kevin Rau

Kevin Rau

cover to Metamorphisis, H.E.R.O. Book 1

I recently conducted an interview with Superhero writer xtraordinaire: Kevin Rau!  The following is the result of that interview. If you like Superheroes, comic books and graphic novels, you may want to check this guy out...

When did you start writing?
January 2009. After a month of reading through something like 30 novels, I realized that I was tired of one-off novels and trilogies, and wanted an ongoing series with the same group of characters, so I could really get into their heads, learn the world, and experience things with them. Even the longer-running series (such as the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton) take so long for a new book to come out that I realized I needed to craft my own stories. And thus H.E.R.O. was forged.
Why do you write?
I need to create. It's not a desire for me, it's a core part of my personality. I've generally applied that toward software and web development over the last 20+ years, but have shifted all gears to writing in my off time.
What would be your choice for a superpower? Super invention. E.g. the ability to craft nearly anything. It's a cheat power, in some respects, because you can simulate other abilities, weapons, travel options, etc. with it.
Who is your favorite author?
I have few favorites of anything at all, not in movies, genre, books, television, etc. Having said that, I've read more Laurell K. Hamilton novels than just about any other author, so I'll give her props.
What are you reading now? I spend more time reading and re-reading my own novels than anything else lately. I just finished the Shades of Grey trilogy (one of the ladies at work was reading the first one, and I thought I'd find out what she was jabbering about).
Who is your favorite character to write? I'll go with Diva. She's a beautiful "brick" type super with great strength, armored skin/muscles, and flight. However, she is insecure, hates her new muscled state, and has a form of histrionic personality disorder. On the other hand, she's friendly, outgoing, and will react fast to any danger to others, even if she gets hurt.
Do you have a writing process? Before beginning a novel, I write down the core plotlines. From there I make a list of many sub-plots that must occur due to the current time in the H.E.R.O. series, and then write out a rough outline of the first 6-12 chapters. Just a few sentences about each. From there, I get into the writing.
What advice would you give to an aspiring author? Do it, if nothing else than to try. Be aware that writing takes work, it's not like reading. For those desiring standard publishing, be prepared to send out dozens (and more likely hundreds) of queries to agents, and for a rejection from all of them. It can be crushing. For the indies, be aware that you are taking on the role of author, editor (but please hire an outside one as well), promoter, marketer, and possibly the cover designer. It will take up a LOT of time if you want to be successful. You can choose to spend time with your family, or friends, or watch TV ... or to be a successful writer. In many cases, you cannot do most/all of them.
What inspired you to pursue writing? The driving desire to see what happens with my characters. To watch my fictional world grow and take on a life of its own. Soon, to do that with a second world.
Tell us about your books To this point, I've focused on my H.E.R.O. series. It currently has 10 books in it (7 novels, 2 short stories, and 1 illustrated guide), with an 8th novel coming in about a month. Each book in the series is a standalone story, but work like a television series, where some plotlines continue through the books, as do the characters. New characters are introduced at times, and readers get to see from each of the main character's points of view what occurs. In a nutshell, the series are about the superheroes of Metrocity, their interpersonal relationships, problems in the city, and how they work together (or not at times). My next series will work in a similar fashion, but in a fantasy world, and I'll alternate books in each series.

Kevin Rau
http://www.kevinrau.comhttp://www.facebook.com/herobookshttp://www.twitter.com/kevin_rau

This is Kevin's entire Bibliography in case anyone wants to go on over and check them out!

H.E.R.O. – Metamorphosis (1) http://www.amzn.com/B005GM3PV8

H.E.R.O. - New Markets (2) http://www.amzn.com/B005NBLWW6

H.E.R.O. - Rise and Fall (3) http://www.amzn.com/B005QNS4ZY

H.E.R.O. - Dark Research (4) http://www.amzn.com/B006KWAA3O

H.E.R.O. - Horde (5) http://www.amzn.com/B0070UQ5G6

H.E.R.O. - Paragon (6) http://www.amzn.com/B007IGZ7FC

H.E.R.O. - Illustrated Guide http://www.amzn.com/B007TKVQWA

H.E.R.O. Shorts – Gatecrasher (7) http://www.amzn.com/B007WKKA8I

H.E.R.O. Shorts – Silverlash (8) http://www.amzn.com/B0082XHPIC

H.E.R.O. - Gene Front (9) http://www.amzn.com/B008J0Z1Y8


Thanks to Kevin for stopping by to share with us and I hope to have him here again in the near future. Best of luck to you, my friend!

GENCON--Here I come!

The table banner...and Buster

That's right! I will be in Author's Alley in Indianapolis August 16-19th for GENCON 2012, introducing my product and the Realm of Ashenclaw to the masses. And I am dragging my son along as well. Of course, he wants to go to get his newest R.A. Salvatore book signed by the man himself as well as to help his old man, but I'll take it! I am hoping to run into many of you there, and if we have corresponded on social media, please stop by and introduce yourself! I am already planning on meeting some people there and am so excited to get together and chat with folks.

my paperbacks

I am also excited to not only be surrounded by that many gamers, but also to be around other independent authors, artists and creative people that will no doubt be there selling and talking about their own projects. And I cannot wait to see the tables of swords, armor, gaming products and whatever else they are preparing this year. The room last year was about the size of a city block!

This is just one of several pics of the vendor room.

I very much look forward to meeting and speaking with you all there and hope that you stop by to say hello! Please feel free to comment on this post and tell me if you are going!

See you in Indy!

 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.

Review of Dark Knight Rises

I saw this one week ago and waited to review it as I wanted to let it sink in a bit. So, in order to review, i had to answer a few questions.

Promotional Poster

Was the movie epic? You bet. Did it entertain? check. Did it suspend belief but still let you believe? Yes it did (kudos to Christopher Nolan and all actors involved.) Were there scenes that were silly or not true to the comics? Of course. All that being said, it was a pretty darn good movie overall. I'd give it 4.5 out of 5 stars, despite the things I did not like about it. That should tell you something.


Let me start with what I didn't like. Bane's mask, albeit very cool, made it really difficult to hear his dialogue. I loved the effect and probably would have done the same thing, but the end result was annoying. 'Robin' John Blake showed up at the end and gave a foreshadowing into the future about where the series might be going if they ever decide to make more of these movies. I thought this was a bit contrived. The story did a poor job of explaining the back story of Bane, attempted to gel a bit too many story-lines into one movie (can you say Daredevil and Spiderman 3?) and had just a bit too many political undertones for me for a comic-book movie (Occupy Wall Street, give the city back to the people, etc), which they claim was coincidence...perhaps, but very coincidental. And, At one point about ¾ of the way through the movie, it was almost laughable that all this bad stuff was happening to Gotham and that you knew Batman was going to win the day. Alfred leaving was kind of silly and the scene about finding him somewhere with a woman having dinner was forced if ever I saw a forced scene. Minor quibbles, right? Again, just my opinions, I am sure yours will differ. 

Anne Hathaway as Catwoman

Now, what I did like! I liked the dark feel of the movie to a certain extent. The overall story was cool, I love Bane as a Batman villain. The wrap up of the over-arching storyline was nice, despite the 'Robin' thing. Loved seeing Talia, too. The acting overall was phenomenal and as much as I do not like Christian Bale, he was really good as Bruce Wayne throughout the entire series. Kudos to him. Finally, Catwoman. Loved her. period. Everything about her, her scenes, Anne Hathaway, her grace, style and charisma should be in discussions for an emmy in my opinion. And yes, even her corny transformation into a 'good guy' at the end. However, I will give you my take on why this could work and why you should justify it if it bothers you. Catwoman’s thefts and stealth mean nothing in an apocalyptic world that Bane created and in seeing the city as such, it minimizes her abilities and everything she is about...though, I did not get her roommate, unless they were more than roommates…maybe? Either way, she was awesome. The special effects were phenomenal and the bat-(copter?) was the coolest thing in the batman movies to date…even better than the Batmobile and motorcycle.

Any thoughts?

 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.

First Review of Secrets of the Ebonite Mines!

First review for Secrets! Thanks, James!

James Vernon's review

Jul 24, 12

Read from July 11 to 23, 2012

Secrets of the Ebonite Mines picks up right where Covenant of the Faceless Knights left off, finding our group of heroes still on the trail of the stolen artifact. Through a series of events, the heroes stumble upon the trail of the artifact and set off to try and complete their quest. Meanwhile, the dark powers behind the problems rising in the realm continue to consolidate their power and plot their conquest of the different kingdoms.

The characters again are the driving force in this epic fantasy novel. Each character, both the good and the evil, are crafted with such detail that it becomes easy to picture them in your mind as well as understand their hopes and desires. Gary Vanucci does an excellent job of expanding on the heroes backgrounds while at the same time catching up those that might have forgotten about certain aspects of each character or that have missed the first book in the series or the collection of short stories for each of them. New characters are also introduced, and Gary Vanucci does an excellent job of providing them with just as much personality as he did with the original characters.

The battles, of which their are plenty, create the appropriate amount of tension and excitement. Again instead of mashing all of the different character's fights into a few paragraphs, the author breaks up the fights into each characters perspective. This not only allows the fights to go into greater detail, but it also generates a great deal more tension for the reader as it puts you right in the eyes of that particular character. You can really feel each parry, dodge, and would inflicted in each fight.

Overall, Secrets of the Ebonite Mines is a great continuation of a series that is both fascinating and entertaining. I would recomend you pick up Gary Vanucci's first book in the series or his collection of short stories first, as all of the stories combined really help you feel connected to the wonderful characters the author has created.

 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.

Skulldust Circle Anthology Coming Soon!

I am excited to announce that Skulldust Circle is working on an anthology of short stories! The main goal here is to give our fans and readers who may not know us or that may only know one of us, a sampling of our writing styles. So far, we are putting together stories based on whatever worlds we’ve already created. That should be happening in the next 2 weeks or so, if all goes according to plan, so keep your eyes peeled! We are still in the latter stages of development, but once the book goes live, we will certainly let you know.

Possible titles: ‘Skulldust Circle’ (I know…weird, right?) or ‘A Gathering of Dust.’

The tome shall include works from William Kenney, Jeremy Laszlo, Ross Kitson, Ben Martin & Gary Vanucci (me) at the moment. I don’t pretend to know what the others are writing about, but I expect them to make comments possibly on what it is they are doing or even do their own posts with explanations to that end.

My story is about the scorching drake (more commonly referred to as a red dragon) that started it all: Ashenclaw! Ever want to know what happened those years ago when the land was burnt to ash by the scorching drakes? Ever wonder where my realm got its name? Wonder no more!

And the best part about the whole thing is that I involved some of my friends that I used to play certain MMO’s with and I was able to put a good deal of them into the story! It was a ton of fun to write and I hope that the readers really enjoy it, especially them! The story is simply entitled ‘THE LEGEND OF ASHENCLAW’ and it runs approximately 21K words. I look forward to feedback and would love to hear your comments about the whole Skulldust Circle project!

 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.

Review of Gauntlgrym

I have just finished this book (finally!) and a few things jump to mind. First off, Salvatore has done a phenomenal job moving the storyline forward a hundred years. I’ve read some reviews that did not enjoy this transition or the writing in this one and I must disagree. Secondly, I very much enjoy the new characters introduced in this story and hope to see more of them, especially Dahlia.

Drizz’t is much darker and justifiably so. He has endured many deaths in his life, none more so important than Cattie-brie. He is beginning to give himself over to the hunter. His exterior is more callous and his heart torn asunder at the loss of so many of his companions. And with each passing year or event, the drow faces life alone.


*SPOILER ALERT* If you have not read the book and do not want to know pertinent events, turn away now!

Dahlia and Drizz't

It’s hard not to discuss spoilers in this one as many epic things take place in the world of our friends from Icewind Dale. Since the book has been out for almost two years, the discussion should not surprise anyone! A good deal of things happen in this one including many shocking deaths, the destruction of Neverwinter, and Bruenor finally finding his beloved Gauntlgrym

The primordial and the destruction of Neverwinter were defining moments, as was the passing of the mighty Thibbledorf Pwent, who shows up from nowhere to help his king! Alas, the biggest event was the passing of King Bruenor Battlehammer. He goes out in style, going toe to toe with a pit fiend, possessed of the power of the gods, Gauntlgrym itself and the ghosts within, and saving the day from the primordial waking to lay waste to the realm. Also, Drizz’t begins to understand that Jarlaxle is something more than he has ever let on before, even considering him a friend.

All in all, I enjoyed the story, the way it was told and the introduction of many new characters, who valiantly come to the forefront of Drizz’ts world. They will never replace the companions of the hall, but Salvatore has done them justice and given them all a fairly rich background and depth. 

I give the book 5 out of five stars as the story moved quickly, kept me on the edge of my seat and handled the passing of time very well! Kudos! Oh, I almost forgot...who is Barrabus the Gray?!  *wink*

I look forward to reading the next few…just as soon as I finish another stack of books I promised to read first!

 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.

Wothlondia Rising Anthology Sale for 99 Cents Through July!

As of today I have pulled all of my 99 cent single short stories in the WOTHLONDIA RISING series that I had released since January of this year. In their place is the Anthology, now on Amazon kindle AND in Paperback, which includes ALL 5 of the short stories (Distant Familiarity, A Rose in Bloom, Maturation Process, Tears of Blood, Strength of Faith) and includes a never-before-released story about the half-ogre barbarian, Orngoth, called Reflections.

Cover to the CreateSpace Paperback

As an added bonus, the prologue to Covenant of the Faceless Knights follows the story entitled Distant Familiarity which details the events just prior to Covenant. So, as you can see, this is a worthy addition to the Realm of Ashenclaw series and I have given it the name: Beginnings Book 0. It adds depth, history, character and gives you a glance into events that placed these heroes on the path they now walk. If you enjoyed Covenant (and even Secrets of the Ebonite Mines, which is also available), I would recommend you stepping into the past of these exciting characters and learn a bit about what makes them tick!

As an incentive, I have reduced the cost from $2.99 down to .99 cents until the end of July! I hope you take the time to check it out and look forward to any and all reviews you might give.

 

 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.

Hard Copy or Ebook?

As I sit here with Nick Titano of Infernal Titans @ DEXCON in Morristown, NJ, I can't help but think: Is it worth doing print at all anymore?

I have met several nice folk and each of them has asked me if my books were on kindle. I of course answered yes. At this point, they each informed me that they would purchase my works there. Odd? Does this happen to authors more often than not? I am just curious because as I love to feel the paper and weight of a book in my hand, I know that kindle/eBooks rule. I cannot print a book and sell it for anywhere near what I can see an eBook for.

I am thinking that the appeal would be to receive an autograph, but there are programs out there where you can sign eBooks now! Amazing, right? Or is it?

So, with that in mind, do you readers/writers out there prefer to read with your eBooks? And if so, can you tell me why?

All the best and I hope to see anyone in the North Jersey area @DEXCON today and tomorrow. Sadly, I will be missing Saturday as I must work my day job, but I will hopefully be returning on Sunday!

 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.