Win an Amazon Gift Card!

In an effort to get some reviews for my FREE book on Amazon.com, I am doing a contest that will go off on April 1st for a $25.00 Amazon gift card!

All you have to do is download the FREE book on amazon.com, WOTHLONDIA RISING, leave a review by the deadline of April 1, come back here and comment that you have left a review, along with the link for it. If the link is good and the review is legitimate, you are in! The wonderful news is that there have already been a great deal of downloads since the book went free in late January, so some of you may have already read it.

I will be using randomizing software from http://www.random.org/integers/ to generate the winner and pasting the screenshot on my blog along with the person's name. Anyone that has an AMAZON.COM account is eligible.

I would also like the reviews posted to Goodreads and Smashwords, too, which requires a cut and paste, though this is not required for the contest.

It's that simple, folks! All it requires is the time to read and review the book within the next month or so. And remember to come back and post a comment along with the link to the review on Amazon.com to get your name entered in the contest.

Comment #1 will be #1 with regards to the contest winner. Oh, and as a side note, if you decide to review more of my work within the time frame, post that too and double your chances of winning.

Good luck all and happy reading!

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.

Wake The Dead -- Primer

Hello everyone! I apologize for my extended absence, but am excited to tell you more about my new project, WAKE THE DEAD, as well as to give you a taste, with the entire Prologue/Primer.

I is also released on WattPad , too, and I implore you to join the site and follow me (and any of the other thousands of talented authors there) if you would be so kind!

Wake The Dead is the tale of one man's trials and tribulations of what has become his 'normal' world—a world in which humans have come back from the dead as flesh-eating, crazed zombies, driven only by an insatiable hunger for flesh and blood.

The Prologue, or Primer here, sets the background and gives the brief accounts of one of the scientists responsible for inadvertently exposing what would become known as the ‘zombie plague’ upon mankind.

I am still in the middle of edits, do not have a cover yet,--a design concept or two, though!--but am hoping for a March release.

Zombie by William Kenney

I also need to warn people who are used to my Realm of Ashenclaw works: This is much different, in that I took a no-holds-barred approach and wrote with no limitation on things such as language and the 's' word. The word ends with: 'ex.'

Once again, I need to thank Nicholas Titano and Michael Cowan, two amazing friends that do my beta-reading, for all of the incredible and insightful input they offered, along with a few others, whose names will appear in the dedication section.

Warning: The following contains adult language.

PRIMER  

Doctor Charles O’ Shea was the sole survivor.

He was hungry, tired, desperate, and managed to survive for the last few days on what food remained in the vending machines. However, that too was dwindling. His stomach was churning with hunger pangs, as all he had eaten these last few weeks was sugar, processed foods, and candy.

He wanted desperately to get home, to see if his wife and daughters were alive. That, above all else was the driving force that kept him going. 

How long has it been now? he wondered, trying to recall the time. He lost the exact count after the first eleven days when his pen lost the last of its ink, after which he began carving marks in the wooden table. He etched out single strokes into the face of the table with a knife he found in one of the offices during one of their early exploration missions. It had been thirty-seven days or so now, give or take a day, as he supposed he may have missed recording one along the way. 

There were a dozen survivors in the lab that first week. 

That was before the shit hit the fan inside the lab—before the changes occurred. And before the fevers decimated them. He was the sole survivor now after everyone else had either transformed into one of them, or was killed by one. They were something else entirely…something not yet alive, but not dead, either…an animated corpse: a zombie, in its basest terminology.

He realized after a few weeks that the zombies were drawn to sound and that, for some unknown reason which they hadn't really theorized, they had slowed their pace, becoming less hasty in their pursuit. However, they were still a major threat, even in this less-savage state.

They were immediately incentivized upon smelling human flesh, hearing loud sounds or movements other than their own, or upon seeing one of us running. Those things seemed to rile them up. Charles realized this firsthand running for his life back to the lab only yesterday, Strain slamming the door shut behind him as he entered. One of the ‘slower’ zombies was chasing him, and Charles was no couch potato. He was in good shape from a cardiovascular standpoint.His last investigation during the zombie’s ‘dormant’ cycles—which was what they called the time frame after being stimulated by movement or otherwise— netted him a notebook and a desk full of pens. It wasn't much, and after that close call, he would not be doing so again for a while. 

And so, he began to write his memories and recollections so that: a) he would not forget, and: b) so that someone might find it and learn something by it. It had to be recorded. 

It was then that Charles opened his journal and began to read and recollect.
Begin journal.

***

It wasn’t long after the incident that people began to get sick. They presented with fevers, that seemed to last for anywhere from hours to days. But it ultimately ended in the same thing, They changed. They weren't human anymore. After they died, that is. They were…things; zombies; cannibals; anthropophagi, i.e. man-eaters, as a more technical term. Whatever it is that we were calling them—each of us seemed to have something different.
We were a group of top-notch scientists and bio-physicists working on state of the art biochemical mixtures for a private, undisclosed entity, with a ton of financial backing, and with intentions of selling what we perfected to the good ol’ U.S. of A. military. Once it had been perfected, that is. 

And we were close. Or so we believed. It is funny, in retrospect, how delusional even the most intelligent, analytical minds can become when seduced by ego.We had developed an aeriform version of the drug, the subject able to absorb it into their skin, to breathe it in, which was the quickest and most effective way in which to introduce the drug into their systems. 

Of course, that’s when we discovered the side effects, during the first round of testing on a human male. We saw things in the human subject that we had not seen in the slightest on any of the animals we tested. The animals presented with amazing vitality, vigor, strength, and all signs pointed to success. The human testing…that was something entirely different. 

Subject One died after the resulting contact caused incredible signs of aggression from the first exposure. Odd thing was, the drug affected none of the animals negatively, not even the primate. Who knew? All that testing on apes and mice was all for nothing; they weren’t affected in any adverse way.

The subject died shortly after the exposure. 

We should have immediately gone to a ‘cease and desist’ protocol and warned the investors of the possible side effects. But Cowan and Schiariti wanted to play God. They insisted that we could make adjustments and fix it. They convinced us that we had spent too much time and invested too much of ourselves in the project. It made sense at the time and we collectively believed that the side effects on the human were worth studying from a scientific standpoint. 

Curiosity got the best of us. But, unlike the cat, we only have one life with which to gamble. 

We lost that wager. Subject One came back to life after he died, and when he did, he wasn't human any longer.

It had no heartbeat, no brainwave activity per se, nothing that would indicate that it should even be able to use its motor functions. And it presented with incredible strength and vitality, as did the animal subjects. 

The glass tube which held it, cracked repeatedly under the sheer power of its blows, and it wasn't until fear motivated us that one of us activated the failsafe, enclosing and incinerating whatever was within the tube, in order to keep containment therein.

We believe that was when one of our own went rogue and developed a conscience. We think it was Gilmore who ‘came to her senses’ and sabotaged the whole experiment going forward. 

Looking back on it now, she was right. However, what she did ultimately led to this. 

Explosions in the facility were what started the whole thing; the machines that pumped the vapor began to overheat. The backup generators kicked in and we thought we were out of the woods as the team made repairs. However, that idea was born of false hope. The virus went airborne, but was initially contained within the plant. 

We found that after the virus breached containment and hit the air, that everyone outside the lab space was doomed. The lab had its own backup generator and precautionary quarantine responses for just such an occasion. We watched in horror on the security cameras with the few that remained behind, the ones who hadn't rushed off to attempt be with their families, as terrible acts of murder and mayhem were taking place outside of our protected lab space. Of course, everyone who tried to escape met with sealed walls and windows. That was the continuation of the initial protocol in case of a catastrophe: no one got out.

The facility shut itself down, and quickly. We discovered all of this by watching on the security cameras, before that went to shit, too. Of course, through the glass of our lab windows, we were able to witness some of the alarming effects firsthand.

It took no more than minutes in some cases for the first signs of the infection to take victims. They presented with blood seeping from eyes, nose and ears, along with vomiting blood. After they died, and that was the interesting part, they all presented the same as Subject One had done.   

Their skin was the color of ash and the real tell that they were the living dead was that their eyes glazed over with a milky white film that covered the pupils, dulling the color of the eye. It made the pupils look grey and the outside of the eye seemed to reflect eerily in the light. 

The facility went collectively mad, and eventually, someone got out. It should have been impossible, but someone, somehow, in his or her desperate paranoia, opened the door to the outside world, exposing all of God's creatures to what we described as an apocalyptic plague. 

Any hope for plant-containment was over, and so was the quarantine. We witnessed dozens of our friends and colleagues outside with the zombies, or dying and turning into one themselves. 

The authorities had already been notified en masse, or so we thought. Over the first few hours, we witnessed emergency units and authorities arriving from outside through the cameras, but none ever made it inside. They all died, choked out by the virus, or were attacked by the zombies and quickly swarmed over. The zombies were—and are even now!—brutal and swift in their craving for consuming flesh. And they are absolutely merciless…the perfect killing machines. 

The infected are emotionless vessels of destruction, with no remorse, no conscience, and are unable to feel pain—this zombie plague was unwittingly the ultimate extinction event. 

It wasn't long after, that Clarke and Hahn began to present with the fever. It was terrifying to comprehend and to witness in person. We realized at that point that even the quarantined areas were not safe anymore. We locked them outside the lab, by their own selfless choice. Maybe an hour later, Clarke snapped his own neck, and I was looking right at him when he did it, his eyes filled with undue anguish.

I was shocked, to say the least, at seeing that kind of morbid death sentence…but we were not exactly under normal circumstances any longer. I cannot imagine what that must have been like, to be faced with that hopeless a condition and I wondered if I would have had the guts to do the same thing. I hoped in that moment that I would never have to find out. 

Hahn tried to wait it out as long as he could, running the gamut of emotions, before ultimately putting a bullet in his brain. 

Soon after that, Strain and I were the only ones alive. He killed himself a week later. He hung himself while I slept, holding a picture of his wife and kids, which I found beneath him covered in blood when I awakened to the moans of his undead form hanging by that very noose. Inventive he was for sure, finding enough fabric and such to tie together, stringing it quietly over an exposed joist above us in the drop ceiling.

I put him down with one of the last bullets, putting him out of his misery, and weighed my own options. I was on the last of the food. There were only a few cans of soda left and so I ate the last Twinkie as I formulated a plan. I would make my way out the back with a distraction outside to draw them away from my car. 

End Journal. *** Charles placed the book down, went to the control panel, running on the last of the backup generators power, and went over the plan once more. He’d gathered the last of the soda, guns and ammo, tossed them into a satchel, and grabbed a baseball bat that Clarke had found in one of the abandoned offices. He turned on the camera’s one last time, sounded the siren at the back of the facility, and watched with hope as the ensuing noise drew the zombies away, and out of the parking lot, which held his car. He gripped the bat tightly and made his way out into the halls. 

The daylight persisted, offering him enough light coming in from the windows, which was enough for him to navigate his way through the halls carefully and quietly. 

He encountered only two zombies in the facility that he subdued silently but brutally with the bat, trying to keep as quiet as he could. He did note that the zombies were not as dangerous at this point again, but had no time to consider this as he raced toward the exit. 

He opened the door to reveal the parking lot and saw only a few of the zombies, and they were nowhere near his vehicle. He took the keys out of his pocket one last time, threw the door wide and ran to the car, hoping beyond hope that it would start. 

It has been sitting for over a month! 

As he arrived to the door of his Camry, one of the zombies caught sight of him and charged toward him at breakneck speed. 

That one is so fast! Charles thought as he fumbled with the keys and finally got the door open. Just in time, he slammed the door shut as the zombie crashed into the car window face first, with no consideration for its own bodily harm. A car alarm beside him sounded loudly, echoing throughout the vast, mostly-barren parking space. 

“God dammit!” Charles swore, his heart thundering in his chest as the zombie clawed at the window. He turned the key and the car started right up, but his elation was short lived as another half-dozen of them made it to his position. He put the car in reverse and held his foot above the accelerator. That was when he saw them approaching in his rear view mirror—a horde of zombies so vast that they escaped the borders of the mirror. He held his breath involuntarily as they advanced. 

He jammed on the pedal, turned the wheel to the side, and slammed the car into a wall of flesh and bone. The impact was so great that his head hit the driver side window, which dazed him. He heard the window shatter and felt the cold hands of the zombies on him and fought in vain to free himself from their grip. 

Then the darkness swallowed him. *** Visions of contemptible, terrifying events assaulted his senses as he visualized tearing flesh from bone from that moment forth…and he experienced a hunger so deep that it could never be quelled.

End Prologue

Well, that's  what I have for you so far. I will be releasing chapters 1 and 2 probably over the next few weeks, both here and on WattPad, so stay tuned...oh, and stay frosty...you never when that zombie will be creeping up behind you.

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.

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.

The Heroes of Wothlondia

alternate Covenant cover
by Mr. Kenney

I posted this informational piece on Wattpad, along with samples of all my works and other free works, for those interested in some background on my characters in the Realm of Ashenclaw series. I also divulge my cinematic choices for the roles if it were to ever hit the big screen (I can wish, cant I?)

I am planning to release another one on the antagonists probably next week. Hope you enjoy it!

THE HEROES OF WOTHLONDIA

Hope to see you all in Wothlondia soon!

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.

Is that a Zombie?

Hello, people! So,the last two months or so, I have been working on a new project, while continuing the Realm of Ashenclaw series, Book 5, sporadically in between.

The new one is quite different from what I have written in the past in that it is modern, urban, horror, I suppose. Feel free to correct me in this as I am new to it. It is a modern zombie-apocalyptic tale that focuses specifically on one man, telling the story and events that unfold from his eyes. That being said, I have been having fun writing this new one as it has exposed new avenues upon which I have never tread before.

Obese Zombie...don't see them too often!

Let me explain why.

First off, it is modern. I can use modern terms, anecdotes, slang, etc. I had no idea how restricting it was not to use them until I did! Secondly, this is absolutely no-holds-barred. It is adult content. It is explicit in many ways. It is as real as I could imagine it. I have written unreserved scenes that include sex, violence and language, which organically done, felt right in their expression. Nothing was forced and I felt that everything so far has advanced the story or expanded on the characters.

So, unrestrained and uninhibited, I proceed down the road of my zombie apocalyptic setting and hope you tune in for snippets in the future. I am 2/3 of the way through the first draft and am very excited to present some of it to you all in the near future.

No working title and no release date set just yet, but I wanted people to get ready for it. I also have many more ideas that I will be pursuing in the near future as well and am leaving this one open for sequels.

And that will be up to the readers to decide.

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.

Lauren Klever Interview

Well, we are back after a brief holiday respite and my first interview of the year is with YA author, Lauren Klever. Lauren has written 3 books, has a fourth in the works, and as most authors do, has many more ideas taking up space in her mind.

Tell us about your books/What genre do you consider your books? I write young adult novels. I figure I’m a kid at heart and it’s a great outlet! So far I have published three books in my Secret Watchers series. I’m working on book four and I’m playing around with a dystopian.

When did you start writing? I’ve been a writer my whole life but I got serious about it in 2011.

Why do you write? I write because I genuinely LOVE it.

What would be your choice for a superpower?Teleportation would be pretty darned cool but I think foresight would be the most useful.

Who is your favorite author? Oooohh that’s tough. I like different things about different people but if I must pick just one… JK Rowling.

What are you reading now?I’m reading three indie books that I need to review: Simon Okill’s Phantom Bigfoot Strikes Again (Phantom Bigfoot Series Book #1), Cheryllynn Dyess’ Resolution (Jein's Journey Book #2) and Robert Shaw’s The Scare.

Who is your favorite character to write?Owen Ryer is my favorite. There are other characters I love but he is the most fun.

Do you have a writing process? Yeah, it’s called quick write that down! I take a notebook wherever I go, to jot down ideas and then it’s a blend of longhand and typing at my computer. I get a big idea in my head and then I start playing with it. I put story bits into my computer and then I work at blending them all together.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author? Start now! Try some writing and then start sharing it with friends and family. Listen to what they have to say. Once you have worked on it a little more, then share it with people you don’t know. Remember that negative comments usually have some truth or value in them and it not about you personally. Hold your head up. It takes courage to share your writing. (That was the hard part for me. I wanted to defend myself to those rare folks who gave me one or two stars. It is best not to engage them and to remember that what you write is not for everyone.) Trust me… it gets lots easier over time. The first bad review is the worst and then you realize that it makes you look like a real person. When the good reviews come or I hear from readers who love my work, it feels like Christmas to me – EVERY single time!

What inspired you to pursue writing?Well, I kept it quiet for quite a while but the real story is that I was mad. I had just completed a second Master’s degree in education when our school district started cutting. I have kids in school so I could only drive so far to work and we didn’t want to move. I was frustrated that my friends were getting laid off and that all the sub jobs were going to the laid-off teachers. Don’t get me wrong, they totally deserved something but it put my family in a real pickle because my income dropped like a rock. I took all that angst and used it to build a character who could change the world!

What are your favorite TV shows/Movies to watch in between writing?I am a huge action adventure junkie. Yep, you heard it right! I love James Bond, Jason Bourne, NCIS, CSI… you get the picture. I’ve already seen Catching Fire twice. Did I mention I was a big kid? Thought so.

What are your current projects?I am hard at work finishing The Secret Watchers series… make that Owen Ryer’s adventures. There may be more books in The Secret Watchers universe. I’m working on a dystopian adventure with a female protagonist. My son and I are talking about a fantasy adventure story with dragons, swords and castles. I also have plans for a children’s book. One theme that stands out in all these pieces is the underdog becomes a success through hard work and integrity.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to readers?Big hugs, guys! I love my readers and I love hearing from them. Never give up on your dreams and don’t stop reading!

Quick Fire:Cats or dogs?  Both

Coffee or tea?  Both

Favorite food?   Salad

Vanilla or chocolate ice-cream?  Vanilla

What are 3 things you never leave home without?  A writing stick (pen or pencil), notepad and Burt’s Bees.  I may forget my cell phone but I’ve always got lip balm.

Laptop or desktop?  Desktop

Who are 3 famous people you would to hang out with?   JK Rowling, Suzanne Collins and Rick Riordan.

TV or Movies?  Movies!

Lauren can be found roaming the interwebs at the following locations:

Website http://thesecretwatchers.com

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TheSecretWatchersSeries

Facebook http://facebook.com/authorLaurenKlever

Twitter https://Twitter.com/@LaurenKlever

Email laurenwrites@thesecretwatchers.com

Goodreads  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5808133.Lauren_Klever

Pinterest  http://pinterest.com/kleverl/

Add me to your circles Google+

Find me on Linkedin

Find me on MySpace

Find me on Tumblr

Find me on Stumble Upon!

Find me on Instagram

And now on Your Book Authors

Lauren, thanks for stopping by and sharing your story with us. And, as always, I will see you all 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.

Join me on WattPad!

I have recently joined the ranks of WattPad and placed several samples of work up there, including my previously released Halloween short stories, and ALL of WOTHLONDIA RISING. The book, in its entirety, can be read for FREE right there (as well as on Smashwords).

Add caption

I would ask that anyone checking this out would read, vote on my work, and possibly, if you are so kind, follow me there!

If you and yours have a WattPad account and would like me to follow you back, please list your account in the comments below and I will follow you back.

And don't forget to sign up for the FREE giveaway on Goodreads right there at the top right hand side of the page.

Thanks for all of your support and correspondence this year, everyone and I wish you all the best.

This will probably be my last post of the year, and so, I wish you all Happy Holidays, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

See you in Wothlondia and beyond in 2014!

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

Visit my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE Here!

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 maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2013 unless otherwise noted.

Wothlondia Rising is FREE! (And I am on Smashwords)

FREE on SMASHWORDS!

I have taken the great plunge into Smashwords and all of my books can be found there now. Soon enough they will flow out to Sony, iTunes, B&N, Kobo, etc.

And the cool thing, is that WOTHLONDIA RISING IS NOW FREE! Indefinitely!

Yes, the anthology of short stories that introduces you to my world, its history, my protagonists, having them face off against demons, undead monstrosities, giants, ogres, rogues and blood rot zombies, is available to you for free!

I feel that if you give these a read, you will have a rather intimate knowledge of both the world, the characters and their motivations. And when they come together in Covenant of the Faceless Knights, you will have met them already, establishing a rapport as they move along on their quests. It makes for a natural and organic transition into the first novel, I believe.

I have also placed samples at WattPad , including the entire Wothlondia Rising book, if you prefer reading it there.

http://bit.ly/18IvgFS

So, when you finish with WOTHLONDIA RISING, feel free to check out my books on Smashwords. or click the links on the right side of my page to check out the kindle versions. If you haven't indulged yourself in them yet, they would make a great gift for any lover of epic/high fantasy with character-driven action.

Enjoy and have a great holiday!

http://bit.ly/1kKbTBL

Oh, and don't forget to sign up for my giveaway of THE LEGEND OF ASHENCLAW on Goodreads, too! I am giving away three free, signed copies.

http://bit.ly/IMjm7n

So...
I'll see you...
in Wothlondia...

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

Visit my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE Here!

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 maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2013 unless otherwise noted.

The Beginnings Omnibus Release

I am releasing all of my work in the Beginnings Saga in one Omnibus available on the Amazon Kindle tomorrow, Monday the 9th of December.

The book will run $6.49 and contains all of the following books:
Wothlondia Rising, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, Secrets of the Ebonite Mines and the novella that started it all, The Legend of Ashenclaw!

843 pages of epic fantasy action!

If you have been waiting for them all in one tome, wait no longer!
Happy Holidays everybody!

Here is the rework of the cover, illustrated by William Kenney, with sone slight color variances and alterations in style. Enjoy! And I'll see you in Wothlondia...

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

Visit my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE Here!

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 maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2013 unless otherwise noted.

Will Van Stone Jr. Interview

Here is my Interview with Disney-lover extraordinaire and parnaormal/fantasy writer, Will Van Stone, Jr.! Enjoy!

First off, tell us a little bit about you...My name’s Will and I’m a writer and artist with a day job as a test proctor. I was born and raised in Connecticut. I’m obsessed with Disney. In fact, there was a time I dreamed of working for them but then they stopped making their animated classics. But that love of drawing and storytelling has stayed with me.

Tell us about your books/What genre do you consider your books?Well, so far I’ve released “Stormfront: The Three – The Death Dealer” and, with S.I. Hayes, “Awakenings: The Wrath Saga.” Both are the beginning of their respective series that have as much to do with magic and mayhem as they do with personal relationships. “Stormfront: The Three” follows a young assassin named Dylan Bradshaw as he fights against his own organization when he becomes their target. Along the way he discovers he is more powerful than he ever imagined. “Awakenings” tells the story of a clan of vampires, werecats and werewolves living in New Orleans when the Slayer, the product of a centuries old feud between mortal and mystical, rises and cuts a bloody swath down the east coast.

“Stormfront: The Three” falls in the action/adventure genre though the technology used and the abilities he has and develops lend it a science fiction quality. “Awakenings” is more of a supernatural/fantasy soap opera, like “Dark Shadows” or “Kindred: The Embraced.”

When did you start writing? I started really writing in seventh grade when I was given an assignment to write a story about a hero. After that, I wrote constantly though most of those stories are long lost.

Why do you write? I write because I love it. I love crafting stories and creating characters and entertaining people. It’s also a great therapy; any time my head gets too full of less entertaining thoughts, I can funnel it all out onto the page.

What would be your choice for a superpower?Weather manipulation, same as my favorite superhero Storm. Fly, rain down hail and lightning bolts? Who wouldn’t love to do that?

Who is your favorite author?Anne Rice.

What are you reading now? “Incubus Dreams” by Laurell K. Hamilton and “Star Trek: Death in Winter” by Michael Jan Friedman, “Simple Simon” by by Ryne Douglas Pearson and a few others. I tend to juggle multiple at once.

Who is your favorite character to write? That’s too tough. I don’t know that I could choose just one. It’d be like asking someone who their favorite child is.

Do you have a writing process? I normally have something on in the background that reminds me of what I’m writing. It keeps me in that state of mind. I write and rewrite the same scenes over and over before moving on because things are always changing as I move the story forward. Probably why it takes me so long.

What advice would you give to an aspiring author? Enjoy the rise and fall. There’ll be a lot of both. And be ready for the haters cause they’ll always come. Don’t take bad reviews personally. And don’t stop if it’s what you want to do.

What inspired you to pursue writing?I had an idea and wanted to see it happen.

What are your favorite TV shows/Movies to watch in between writing?I’m hooked on “The Walking Dead” and “American Horror Story: Coven” and, you know, Disney.

What are your current projects?A horror novel, “Innocence Lost,” is my front burner project. I also have material for “Le Fey” (a King Arthur retelling) and a new “Death Dealer” book, a prequel to “Stormfront: The Three” insisting on getting its turn.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to readers?To those who already read and enjoy my work, I am thrilled you do. That is what makes writing worth it. To those who don’t, I hope you’ll give it a try and maybe even like it.

Quick Fire:
Cats or dogs? Cats
Coffee or tea? Coffee
Favorite food? Chicken
Vanilla or chocolate ice-cream? Chocolate
What are 3 things you never leave home without? Cell, debit card, ?
Laptop or desktop? Laptop but they never last long
Who are 3 famous people you would to hang out with? Sarah Michelle Gellar, Anne Rice, Asa Butterfeild
TV or Movies? Movies. Nothing’s better than watching on the big screen.

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

Visit my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE Here!

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 maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2013 unless otherwise noted.