The Unique Feeling When Someone Else Contributes To Your Setting

Regular readers of this blog are probably up-to-date on most of my projects, but in case you missed it (or you're new around here) I've been slowly building up a fantasy RPG setting for the past few years. Sundara: Dawn of a New Age began with a series of fantastical cities that people could add to their own games, but it expanded into splat books for various fantasy species, discussions of the gods, and even some books covering organizations in the world like Cults of Sundara and Sellswords of Sundara.

A lot of these books also boasted fun little vignettes to bring readers into the world, and in time I convinced my publisher to let me dramatize them for the Azukail Games YouTube channel, such as The Price of Steel, a story of the Risen Legion mercenary company.

However, this has been a one-man operation when it comes to the storytelling aspects of a lot of the setting... until recently, that is. And while I'm excited about it, this is also the first time I've experienced this unique situation. As such, I thought I'd take a moment this week to talk about it.

But before we get into it this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Castles in My Sandbox

When I first started shaping Sundara as a setting, I knew I faced certain challenges as a sole creator. After all, there's only so much word count I can put down in a day, and I have bills to pay, so I couldn't spend 6 months to a year putting together large tomes that covered huge swaths of the world all at once. Hence making smaller resources that built the world one block at a time, and allowed players and Game Masters to explore it bit by bit, while keeping my new releases flowing.

While a couple of folks noticed, the setting went largely unremarked... except by one Isaiah Burt.

The name on the cover, in case it blended with the mountain.

When I was first approached about the story that became Legacy of Flames, I had a strange cocktail of feelings regarding it. Because I've never read something by another author that took place in a world of my creation. So I was seeing the names and descriptions of things that had come out of my own imagination, but filtered through the mind and creativity of someone else. Not only that, but seeing a story that really hit the high notes of what I wanted the setting to bring across to readers, and the kinds of narratives that I felt lurked between the lines, was a great feeling.

The story itself is a solid piece of work that gives readers a different perspective on Ironfire, the City of Steel, and the dangers faced by the Red Cloaks that are the closest thing to an official force the city has. It follows Gnav, a huge razorskull cinderscale (lizardfolk from the local volcanic region) as he seeks a beast that threatens the region. A creature that could, if left unchecked, become a problem even for a place as powerful as Ironfire!

It's a fun story, and if you've ever wanted to read a sword and sorcery tale where the protagonist felt like the bastard child of Conan and Killer Croc then you're going to love Gnav. More than that, though, reading this made me feel like all the work and energy I've been pouring into Sundara as a setting hasn't just been pissing into the wind. Because if there's someone who loves the setting enough to write entire novellas of text in it, then it means I must be doing something right.

And that can be very motivating.

Check Out Sundara: Dawn of a New Age If You Haven't Yet!

If you're in the market for a good read, grab a copy of Legacy of Flames for yourself! And if you want more Stories of Sundara like the one I linked all the way in the top of this blog entry, then stop by and subscribe to the Azukail Games YouTube channel. I've even got videos discussing Sundara as a setting, if you're curious about what's going on but would like a like more information before you get in too deep.

So check out the full 26-video Speaking of Sundara playlist, in addition to the following supplements!

Cities of Sundara

The setting first began with the Cities of Sundara splats. Self-contained guides to some of the larger and more powerful centers of trade, industry, arms, and magic, these unique locations provide plenty of fodder for character generation and plots. Not only that, but each one comes with unique, mechanical goodies for players and GMs alike to take out for a spin!

- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built around the Dragon Forge, Ironfire is where the secret to dragon steel was first cracked. The center of the mercenary trade in the region, as well as boasting some of the finest schools for teaching practical sciences, Ironfire is a place where discovery and danger walk hand in hand!

- Moüd: The City of Bones (Pathfinder and DND 5E): An ancient center of trade and magic, Moüd was lost to a cataclysm, and then buried in myth. Reclaimed by the necromantic arts of the Silver Wraiths guild, this city has once again become a place teeming with life. Despite the burgeoning population, though, it is the continued presence of the undead that helps keep the city running, ensuring that Moüd is not swallowed up once more.

- Silkgift: The City of Sails (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built on the cottage industry of Archer cloth (an extremely durable material used for sails, windmills, etc.), Silkgift is a place that prizes invention and discovery. From gravity batteries that store the potential of the wind, to unique irrigation systems, to aether weapons, the city positively churns out discoveries... and then there's the canal they cut through the mountains that makes them a major center of trade across the region.

- Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A center of power across an entire region, Hoardreach is ruled over by a Cooperation of five different dragons. A place for refugees and outcasts of all sorts, Hoardreach boasts some of the most unusual citizens and creations from across Sundara. Infamous for their sky ships, which require the cast-off scales and unique arcane sciences of the Dragon Works to take to the air, one never knows just what they'll find in this city built atop a mountain.

- Archbliss: The City of The Sorcerers (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A floating city in the sky, Archbliss has been a refuge for sorcerers for thousands of years. It's only in relatively recent years that the city has allowed those from the ground below who lack the power of a bloodline to join them in the clouds. However, while there are certainly amazing wonders to behold, there is a darkness in Archbliss. Something rotting away at its heart that could, if not healed, bring the city crashing to the ground once more.

Gods of Sundara

- Gods of Sundara (available for Pathfinder and DND 5E): In a world with no alignment, and where the gods are often genuinely mysterious forces that are far too large for mortals to truly comprehend, the divine feels genuinely strange and unknown... something that really does have to be taken on faith. This supplement provides a sample pantheon for Sundara, but also provides instructions on how to easily make your own gods in a world where you can't cast a spell and tell whether someone is good or evil.

Species of Sundara

Sundara is filled with creatures that many of us recognize, but I wanted to give greater depth to their cultures, and a wider variety of options. After all, humans always get 15+ ethnicities, languages, and unique histories, while elves, dwarves, orcs, halflings, etc. are almost always left with footnotes, or maybe with a handful of offshoots. So, in short, I wanted to give all the fantastical creatures the treatment that humans usually get in our games.

And there is no human book yet. If readers demand to know more, then I may sit down to pen one... but I figured that humans didn't need to be front-and-center in this setting just yet.

- Elves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Elves are one of the most quintessential fantasy creatures... but if you want to see more than just high elves, wood elves, and elves of the sun and moon, then this supplement has you covered!

- Dwarves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): The children of the primordial giants who were meant to fill in the details of the world they'd made (or so the myths say) there are as many kinds of dwarves as their are kinds of giants... and possibly more, depending on who is keeping count.

- Orcs of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Supposedly a creation of the elves, none can say for certain exactly how or why orcs have been made. What most agree on is that these creatures are far more than most may think at first glance.

- Halflings of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Little cousins to the dwarves, halflings are tough, clever, and not to be underestimated. From living beneath the hills, to taking up residence in the deep forests, halflings in Sundara come in quite a variety!

- The Blooded (Half-Elves and Half-Orcs) [Pathfinder and DND 5E]: When orcs and elves mix their bloodlines with other creatures, the result is one of the Blooded. This inheritance takes many forms, and it can even wait generations before manifesting when the right combination of individuals come together to have a child.

- Gnomes of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Gnomes are strange creatures, found in places where the spirit of the land has coalesced and made children of its own. The sons and daughters of the ancient nymphs, they are the stewards of these places, and they change as often as the weather and the land.

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

"Weird Fantasy" A Genre Title We Need More Of

Have you ever had that moment when you realized there isn't a term for an idea or a concept that you're working with? Even if the story you're writing, or the world you're creating, seems simple and straightforward in your mind, you realize the language to easily describe it to other people seems to be lacking? Sometimes if you talk around the idea for a while you'll meet someone who knows the proper label to apply to it... but sometimes that label doesn't seem to exist. So you start digging, trying stuff out, and seeing what best fits.

And that is why I now have the term "weird fantasy" rolling around in my lexicon.

And that's where we get into my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age setting

Before we get into it this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

What is "Weird Fantasy"?

For folks who haven't been following my RPG work, for the past year and some odd change I've been putting out guides and splats for my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age setting for both Pathfinder and Dungeons and Dragons 5E. I recently put together an Ask Me Anything video to field the questions folks have been giving me on it over at the Azukail Games YouTube channel (which you should totally subscribe to if you haven't yet, by the by), and one of the questions I tried to answer was, "What is Sundara?"

That was how I came to use the term "weird fantasy" to describe the world I'm making, and the game that takes place in it.

What is weird fiction, though? Glad you asked!

For folks who didn't watch the video (though you should, if for no other reason than it was a bastard and a half to put together while I was in exile at a hotel), the idea stretches back to the weird fiction that was popular before and during the pulp era. The term was coined to describe stories that took the tropes and ideas from classic ghost stories and gothic horror, but then put them into stories where those things didn't seem to belong, or where they hadn't been before.

And that's more or less what I'm trying to do with Sundara, except with fantasy.

Sundra, as a setting, has all the elements one would expect from a high fantasy RPG. With elves and orcs, sorcerers and clerics, and so on and so forth, it has all the elements one might expect from any Pathfinder or DND setting. However, much like a new menu item from Taco Bell, they're placed in a different order than other offerings... and there are certain things you might expect to be present that I've decided to get rid of.

For example, Sundara has no nations or countries as we think of them. Towns are the most common center of governance, with cities and city states being the largest group that one typically finds. There is no absolute good or absolute evil, which leaves morality up to the players, and it destroys the idea that certain creatures are inherently wicked. There's no such thing as a universal racial language (elven, dwarven, orc, etc.), and communication tends to vary by region and dialect. The gods come in an infinite variety and scope, and it's very possible that churches and congregations actually have very little idea what their gods want from them. Different religious factions may war with one another, as well, not even aware they worship the same god.

The list goes on and on. In short, however, Sundara has enough of the ear marks and elements of a standard high fantasy RPG that players will be able to get stuck in, but there are also enough important differences that it feels new and unique, either eliminating certain staples of the genre, or standing tropes on their heads so that players can't just assume all their preconceptions are valid in this setting.

Is there a better name for Sundara, and what I'm trying to do with it? Possibly. But I thought I'd share this label in the hopes that others were trying to do something similar, and who were likewise struggling for an easy label to slap onto their project so they could make a quick elevator pitch to their audience, could try this one on for size.

Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!

That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!

 

And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list. 

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

Tales From The Sellsword Skull, A Potential Podcast

For folks who are out of the loop, I've been dealing with one shoe dropping after another this month. I've been exiled to a hotel while my apartment is under construction (something neither I, nor my cat, are particularly thrilled about), there have been shake-ups at one of the companies that hosts a lot of my work, and Eric Flint has recently passed away. Though I never met the man personally, he seems well regarded, and with his passing the publishing house he ran has closed up shop... so I now have to find new homes for three of my novels that are (or rather were) on the market.

To say that it's been a stressful few weeks is a bit of an understatement.

So, what's coming next?

For those who don't know me, though, my brain reacts to intense stress by coming up with new projects for me to take on. And while my plate is already pretty full, my gray matter has decided that I can squeeze just one more thing onto it... if I can get you all behind me as readers and listeners, that is.

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Tales From The Sellsword Skull!

All right, all right, so it's a work in progress. Whether that is the final name for the project or not, the idea is still the same. In short, my current plan (once I'm home from World Con next month) is to sit down at my desk with my mic and my editing software, blow the dust off some of my old books, and to make audio versions of some of my previously-published stories. Generally speaking I want to take the skills I've been developing while making short audio dramas for the Azukail Games YouTube channel (which you should totally go follow, by the by), and apply them to something longer, wilder, and which may not have gotten as much love.

For those of you who haven't heard any of these yet, check out The Price of Steel from my Sellswords of Sundara RPG release below!

Now, once these longer audio dramas have been completed (several of which are coming out of my collection The Rejects if you haven't gotten yourself a copy yet), my plan is to submit them over on Daily Motion. For those who are wondering why that site, it's because I'm not allowed to get paid by YouTube personally, since I can't hold an AdSense account. Once the wheels are turning on this (call it Phase One), that's when I want to initiate Phase Two. Which is, drumroll please...

A podcast.

The first season of the cast will be the Sample Platter of short stories, available on all the different platforms for listener convenience. However, the second season is going to feature my ongoing series The Silver Raven Chronicles, detailing my group's run through the Hell's Rebels adventure path. Links below if you haven't checked that out for yourself yet! And after that story is wrapped up... well, that's going to largely depend on you, the audience. If a lot of folks are tuning in, asking for more, and making suggestions, I'll keep the project going! If not, though, I'll probably turn my attention to something else once we've reached that point.

So if you've enjoyed the little pieces I've been putting out, but you'd like something a bit more substantial, stay tuned! And, as always, any and all signal boosts to reach folks' eyes and ears is appreciated, as it takes thousands of hits to earn any money, and tens of thousands of hits to get one's bills paid.

- Part One: Devil's Night

- Part Two: From The Ashes

- Part Three: The Raven's Nest

- Part Four: Circles in Salt

Now that you've gotten a bit of a sneak preview as to what should be coming up, feel free to make requests in the comment section below, or to leave requests if there's something particular you'd like to see me add to this project going forward!

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing!

If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

It's Hard To Market Older Stories (Even If They're Still Good)

Because of the way algorithms control social media, it is very possible for you to make the same post a dozen different times, and every time you share it that post will be seen by different people. Unless you get a lot of outside support (likes, shares, retweets, big comment screeds, and so on) chances are good that any individual post is going to quickly fall by the wayside. That's why a lot of authors have to adopt the carnival barker style, regularly repeating their sales pitch every time enough of the crowd has shifted so that fresh ears are hearing their pitch for the first time.

There's a strange thing that happens when you are constantly releasing new work, though... you feel almost like you can't talk about your older stuff anymore. It came out, you talked it up, you shot your shot, and now the buzz has died. Why bring it up again if people weren't interested?

Because the people who might actually be interested in it likely didn't see it when it dropped, that's why.

Case in point.

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Always Trying To Push What's New

I create a lot of content. I update my blogs several times a week, I put out new articles on Vocal, I have between 1 and 3 fresh RPG supplements dropping every month, and for the last little while I've had new videos coming out every Friday. You add in occasional novels and bigger projects on top of all that, and it's easy for stuff to get lost in the shuffle.

Like this beautiful re-release, for example.

The urge is always to push whatever just came out, because fresh content always seems to get more interest. It's new, it's shiny, and it still has that hot-off-the-press smell. But the thing about stories (and to a lesser extent a lot of RPG-related content) is that they have a really good shelf life. If someone hasn't read them before, then they'll have the same experience picking the book up now that they would have had back when it was new. And in more than one case it may take seeing the same book a dozen different times before someone finally overcomes inertia and decides to get a copy for themselves.

Still, it's hard to feel like there isn't a time limit on when you can talk about a project. Especially if said project wasn't particularly popular when it dropped, and now it feels like you're just trying to make fetch happen, so to speak.

Something I try to remember, though, is the tale of Tolkien's most famous trilogy. Because we tend to think of his books as colossal smash hits (which they are), but they didn't start off that way. They grew slowly, influence reaching into cracks and crevices to take hold of the imagination. The same is true for the works of Lovecraft, which were largely forgettable during his time, but which made their way into the public consciousness through re-writes, re-imaginings, and expansions.

Just because something doesn't kick open the door to the bestseller list the second day of its release doesn't mean you should give up on it. Let it breathe, take a few, and then remind people it exists. Because a second, third, or fourth round in the ring might be what it takes for your book to get the knockout it deserves!

Speaking of Forgotten Volumes...

Like I said above, I write a lot of stuff. And even if you're a dedicated fan of my work, it's easy to miss stuff. So I wanted to take a second to remind folks of the stories and books that are out where which you might have missed... and if your pocket book is a little slim, don't worry, a lot of them are free!

First, The Free Stuff

If you're in the market for stories that will stick with you, and keep you turning the digital pages, then the following are completely free to read! Not only that, but a number of the vignettes from my RPG supplements have gotten the dramatic reading treatment over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel, so make sure you head over there, take a listen, and subscribe to the channel so I can keep that wheel turning!

- Waking Dogs: A World Eaters Tale: The first of my Warhammer 40K stories, this one details one of the original World Eaters awakening briefly from the haze of violence and wrath he's been lost in. And all it takes is a single moment of clarity to change his destiny forever. This tale has an audio version done by A Vox in The Void as well!

- Field Test: My second tale of the grim darkness of the far future, it deals with an inquisitor, an ork rock, and a secret weapon. When deployed, however, it is more devastating than anyone could have imagined. This story also has an audio version, for those who want to check it out!

You should also check out the Silver Raven Chronicles, a series all about punching fantasy fascists in the back alleys of Kintargo. A chronicle of the Hell's Rebels adventure path, the current installments include:

- Part One: Devil's Night: A mysterious vigilante prowls the streets of Kintargo.

- Part Two: From The Ashes: A protest becomes a riot as the new "mayor" attempts to establish control.

- Part Three: The Raven's Nest: The burgeoning rebellion establishes a secret base.

- Part Four: Circles in Salt: The Ghost joins the Silver Ravens, striking a blow against Thrune.

More Forgotten Volumes

If you're in the market for longer books (or you just want to check out some stuff you may have missed), then you should definitely check out the following!

- Tales From The Moot: A collection of short stories from the Wereolf: The Apocalypse RPG setting, this volume contains work by yours truly, as well as several other writers. Intended to be the first in a series of similar products, it hasn't found its audience just yet.

- Old Soldiers: For folks who can't get enough decommissioned super soldiers, this sci-fi thriller will be right up your alley. It's been ten years since the end of the war, and Pollux is still trying to come to grips with everything that happened... when an assassination plot goes wrong, though, he gets what's left of his old squad together to get to the heart of the matter. Whoever pulled the trigger on this thing is going to learn they should have just let these old soldiers fade away.

- Marked Territory and Painted Cats: The first two installments in my Hard-Boiled Cat series, these novels feature the adventures of a hard-nosed alley cat by the name of Leo. The Maine coon mostly tries to keep himself out of other people's business, but trouble keeps coming down his alley to find him. Curiosity's gonna get this cat killed one of these days, but it's gonna have one hell of a fight on its hands when it tries.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing!

If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!

With Drugs and Books, A Free Sample Can Go A Long Way

It's become something of a Hollywood cliché that if a drug dealer spies a prospective target, and they've never tried their product, that the dealer gives them a dose for free. After all, while the dealer loses out on profit for that dose, if the drug sinks its claws into the prospective buyer then they're going to become a long-term client who's going to provide a great deal more profit over the coming weeks, months, and years.

What got me thinking about this, though, is that's literally how all product marketing works. While our sneakers, fast food, and lip balm may not be physically addictive the way hard drugs are, the same marketing tactic often aims to create that kind of customer loyalty. It's why so many companies give out those little snack boxes, tee shirts, and travel-sized trial samples of their products. It costs them money in the short-term, but it also gets that product into the hands of people who may never have tried it in the first place, and who now want more of it.

If you tell stories for a living, this can be a way to help build your readership. "Can" being the operative word.

Don't worry... first one's always free!

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

There's Still Other Obstacles To Overcome

On the surface, this seems like a simple enough proposal, right? You either hold a giveaway of one of your books, or you create a story that's expressly offered for free as a way to get readers' interest in the hopes they'll actually buy more of your books once they've had their free trial.

And in theory, it is that simple. In practice... not so much.

Just go for it! The jump isn't THAT far...

Price is just one reason people aren't reading your work, and in some instances it isn't even the biggest reason. If you don't have a huge following of people subscribed to your social media channels and boosting your work, then the algorithm may be strangling your signal so that no one actually hears you. You might be writing in a genre folks aren't a huge fan of, or your elevator pitch might need some work. Some people may not like reading electronically, while others are looking more for audio so they can listen to your stories while doing something else. Maybe your samples are decentralized, making them difficult for folks to find more of even if they liked one of them.

The list is legion, and it's daunting as hell.

However, as I so often tell people, you can't win the game if you don't roll the dice. While free samples may not be the perfect solution for building your audience and brand, they can make for enticing bait when you're fishing for new readers. So don't depend on them alone to get people interested, but at the same time, remember there are folks out there who will become supporters because you gave them that "no strings attached" taste of what you can do.

And remember, stories aren't like chocolate chip cookies or loaves of bread; they don't have a shelf life. So just because you gave them out once, that doesn't mean you can't hand them out over and over again until you reach the people you need to.

Speaking of Free Samples...

If you made it this far, and you're one of those people who enjoys trying a bunch of different flavors any time you're at an ice cream parlor, I've got a treat for you. I've put out a lot of free stories over the past few years, and I thought that since this was my topic for the week that I'd collect and categorize them for folks who are looking for something to kill a bit of time with.

For those who enjoy these tales, I have full books on the market as well! However, even if you don't have the money for making purchases right now, sharing the stuff you like on your social media channels so that it gets more attention is also a big help (especially for the audio, since I'm still trying to build that YouTube audience). So make sure you follow my social media pages linked at the end of this post, and subscribe to any channels whose content you enjoy!

Now, without further ado...

Pathfinder Tales

Folks who've been following my work for a while know that one of my earliest publications in the RPG world wasn't actually for game mechanics; it was the short story The Irregulars which was part of the Pathfinder Tales series by Paizo. To recapture some of that high-fantasy fun, I thought I'd do something similar and write a pulpy series of shorts following my current game group's run through the Hell's Rebels adventure path.

The city of Kintargo is under the bootheel of Barzillai Thrune, who has brought the iron fist of the hellknights of the Order of The Rack to quash any independent ideas running through the populace. This hardline stance, though, has inspired a ragtag group of revolutionaries who want to break Thrune's hold on their city. In their search they've found references to a group that's been all but scrubbed from the history books... the Silver Ravens! Adopting their name and mantle, these revolutionaries set about trying to free their city. Thrune won't let go without a fight, however, and then there's wild cards in the deck... like the mysterious Ghost of Old Kintargo who appears when the Silver Ravens need his aid, and then vanishes just as suddenly!

- Part One: Devil's Night

- Part Two: From The Ashes

- Part Three: Raven's Nest

- Part Four: Circles in Salt

World of Darkness

I am a long-time World of Darkness/Chronicles of Darkness fan, and I find the setting absolutely fascinating in a lot of ways. It's why I've released a good deal of content for players and Storytellers, including my 100 Kinfolk Project Bundle for Werewolf: The Apocalypse, along with supplements like 100 Resources and Rumors to Find on SchreckNet for Vampire: the Masquerade and Buyer Beware: 10 Goblin Markets for Changeling: the Lost. However, mixed in with these supplements I've been testing the waters with short fiction pieces as well.

For example, if werewolves are your thing, then you should check out Tales From The Moot. And if you're not sure this is an anthology you really want to spend a couple bucks on, you can read the introduction story for free! It's by yours truly, and it sort of establishes the framing device for the book going forward.

Or if you're a fan of audio dramas and short fiction, then you should check out this little piece about a Nosferatu trying to make contact with a fellow lurker, taken from the SchreckNet collection above.

Or for those who prefer their skullduggery to have a faerie flavor, you could follow along with this story as a Winter Court handler meets with one of his field agents after dealing with enemy operatives, taken from 100 Mourning Cant Dialects, Phrases, and Meanings.

The most recent piece we have, which I titled "Hedge Caller," is also up now. The first in a series of small adventures featuring the Hedge guide Jacoby, it gives us a little insight to the bizarre things that can happen in the Hedge.

As mentioned above, make sure you subscribe to the Azukail Games YouTube channel if you like these, and want me to keep doing them! The publisher pays attention to numbers, and the more subscribers and views I bring in, the more of these I can make, and the more involved they'll be able to get.

Warhammer 40,000

In case my love of grim, dark things didn't give it away, I'm a fan of the Warhammer 40,000 setting. I find its sprawling nature fascinating, and the sheer amount of potential it offers intriguing. And it was out of a desire to add a few drops of my own to the bucket that I wrote a couple of tales set out in the blackness of the far future.

- Waking Dogs: A World Eaters Tale: On a lost and unimportant battlefield, one of the infamous World Eaters space marines stares around him. Amidst the blood and carnage, he remembers a time when he had a greater purpose. When all the violence meant something. In that moment a sea change happens within Crixus, and the War Hound aims to remind his erstwhile allies that this old dog still has his share of tricks.

- Field Test: When Inquisitor Hargrave came to New Canaan days before an ork rock was going to hit, she promised them a weapon that would wipe out the greenskins. Caught up in the fury of movement and preparation, all the people on the world looked to the skies... but the inquisitor's weapon was right there, moving among them and ready to be unleashed with a single command.

Now, while I would ask everyone interested in these tales please read the text versions linked above (and share them to help me get eyes on the stories), as I said above I know that digital reading isn't everyone's cup of tea. Which is why I wanted to let folks know that the very talented A Vox in The Void has done dramatic readings of these stories. So check out both versions, see which ones you like better, and subscribe to his channel while you're there!

My Novels and Independent Short Stories

In addition to tinkering in existing worlds and universes, I also create quite a lot of independent, original content. I've got several novels on the market, all of which have pretty generous free samples to help you decide if this is the kind of book you want to dedicate your time, energy, and wallet to. And I've also got some free short stories that you can take a peek at, as well!

- The Rejects: A collection of short stories that always wound up as bridesmaids but never brides, I decided it was time to give them a home of their own. The first story in the collection, Dressing The Flesh, is a tale about a homeless kid on the streets of Chicago trying to find a missing friend after a blizzard. He winds up in the teeth of a monster worse than the storm outside, but Ace still has a card up his sleeve.

This story was also read by yours truly at the start of the pandemic, so take a listen if that's your preferred medium!

- Crier's Knife: A sword and sorcery novel, when Dirk Crier's cousin goes missing, it's his job to track the boy down and haul him home again. If he's alive, so much the better, but if he's not then Dirk aims to be certain he has plenty of company on the dead man's cart.

- Old Solders: The Myrmidon were made during the war with the Hyperion that reduced the Earth to a polluted, subterranean wasteland. They helped win the conflict, but now Pollux wanders through this city like a ghost, unsure of where he belongs in a world that no longer needs him. Trying to build a life, and to grapple with the demons that live in his head, he's starting to get his feet under him again. When an assassination attempt fails, though, he rounds up what's left of his old squad, and opens the caches they stashed just in case... whoever was behind this is going to learn they should have just let these old soldiers fade away.

- Marked Territory and Painted Cats: Leo is a Maine Coon bruiser who likes to keep his nose out of other people's business... but problems just keep washing up on his doorstep. From helping out a church mouse on the south side and uncovering a turf war that makes no sense, to helping track down a missing cat for an old flame, Leo just can't stay away from old friends, and new enemies.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned!

That's all for this week's Business of Writing!

If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!

If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!