It's been way tooo long since we posted anything and so much has happened to say the least.
Number one, since the last post we have signed a contract with an indie publisher, namely the wonderful Alphawolf Publishing, which you can see at www.alphawolfpublishing.biz. Carly McCracken, who runs the publisher has been amazing and very helpful throughout this entire process and we have learned a wealth of information about the business. As I sit here now, the book is supposed to be done tomorrow, but even if it isn't I know that once it is, it will be polished and ready to go, thanks to our amazing editor and my great friend, Tiara Mehic(who is also a really impressive artist). Once the book is out, we will post all links, here, on facebook, on twitter, and on the website(and anywhere else we can think of.
Look for Twilight of an Empire very very soon.
We did it with the help of all of our support.
More to come ASAP
Peace and Love
E
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Another day.. and more waiting.
Another day, more waiting for the right person, but you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. See rejections not as rejections but as the motivation that makes you keep going because it means that you haven't found the right person yet to represent your book and thats not a bad thing. Right now I feel like I'm going down the long road to that figurative pot of gold but it's all gonna be worth it, and as I said before believing in the story and having some good tunes never hurts.
Also, in terms of the story these days I've been thinking about where certain characters should go later on in the series, aka what their penultimate path is by the end and I've got some ideas.... buuut... that'd be giving away too much.
All I'm gonna say on the subject is it's worth it. I've never had anything like this before and Gwyneran is like nothing Chris and I have ever thought of. What any author with a great story needs is someone who believes in it as much as you do and that takes the stars aligning in just the right way and just the right moment. Trying to get published feels in some ways like Sisyphus rolling the rock up the hill and then having it roll back down, except it will eventually go over the other side and you'll be free.
It helps to find other things to do, other hobbies while you wait, and mine are more writing, great friends, tv shows, and music(listening to it and playing it)
So in closing to my random musings,
Sail on
Keep the faith
Keep writing
and
Laissez les bons temps rouler, especially to my NOLA people
E
Also, in terms of the story these days I've been thinking about where certain characters should go later on in the series, aka what their penultimate path is by the end and I've got some ideas.... buuut... that'd be giving away too much.
All I'm gonna say on the subject is it's worth it. I've never had anything like this before and Gwyneran is like nothing Chris and I have ever thought of. What any author with a great story needs is someone who believes in it as much as you do and that takes the stars aligning in just the right way and just the right moment. Trying to get published feels in some ways like Sisyphus rolling the rock up the hill and then having it roll back down, except it will eventually go over the other side and you'll be free.
It helps to find other things to do, other hobbies while you wait, and mine are more writing, great friends, tv shows, and music(listening to it and playing it)
So in closing to my random musings,
Sail on
Keep the faith
Keep writing
and
Laissez les bons temps rouler, especially to my NOLA people
E
Monday, February 11, 2013
How do you keep going?
What up everybody, this is Ian and the topic of the day that I'm pondering is- How do you keep going as a writer in the face of rejection?
Easy.
No really, it is.
What we've learned so far(on our own and from the experts)--
1. Believe in what you've written, believe in it wholeheartedly and you'll be surprised how many people jump on the project.
2. Writing takes time- and as I and Chris have learned, getting your writing out there takes even more time. The trick is to keep going. If you've got something there, you will get to that point of being published eventually, I wholeheartedly believe it and I know Chris does because we are still on that road, though several things have already fallen our way.
3. Market, market, market- This includes but is not limited to talking to everyone and anyone who will listen about not only your book but about what they're interested in reading, or if you're doing a script, what they're watching, seeing. This also includes social media, get a twitter and a Facebook, a blog, and eventually a website and be religious about updating them. It's the thing these days.
4. Finally, don't ever give up, there isn't any reason to. If writing is what you love, why stop because a few people aren't all about what you're doing?
A few more additions
Music has and will always keep us going. Get a killer playlist(or ten) on iTunes and Pandora and have at it-- It's a great way to write, as we've found, the type of music depends on what kind of scene you're trying to write( though I favor some good rock and or LOTR/epic music playlists)
If you're at any time at a standstill, draw things from your own experience as far as people and emotions and try applying them to the story you are writing and/or channel your bad emotions into your writing if you're feeling stressed
And finally
Cheers
Salud
Gracias for reading and have an awesome day my friends
E
Easy.
No really, it is.
What we've learned so far(on our own and from the experts)--
1. Believe in what you've written, believe in it wholeheartedly and you'll be surprised how many people jump on the project.
2. Writing takes time- and as I and Chris have learned, getting your writing out there takes even more time. The trick is to keep going. If you've got something there, you will get to that point of being published eventually, I wholeheartedly believe it and I know Chris does because we are still on that road, though several things have already fallen our way.
3. Market, market, market- This includes but is not limited to talking to everyone and anyone who will listen about not only your book but about what they're interested in reading, or if you're doing a script, what they're watching, seeing. This also includes social media, get a twitter and a Facebook, a blog, and eventually a website and be religious about updating them. It's the thing these days.
4. Finally, don't ever give up, there isn't any reason to. If writing is what you love, why stop because a few people aren't all about what you're doing?
A few more additions
Music has and will always keep us going. Get a killer playlist(or ten) on iTunes and Pandora and have at it-- It's a great way to write, as we've found, the type of music depends on what kind of scene you're trying to write( though I favor some good rock and or LOTR/epic music playlists)
If you're at any time at a standstill, draw things from your own experience as far as people and emotions and try applying them to the story you are writing and/or channel your bad emotions into your writing if you're feeling stressed
And finally
Cheers
Salud
Gracias for reading and have an awesome day my friends
E
Saturday, February 9, 2013
ToaE movie characters
So, envisioning actors playing our characters not only gets me excited for the future of the HeirValan Series but also gives me a more concrete picture of the character as I write. I know that every character is perfectly constructed in Ian and my own view's...but it's fun to mix things up every once and a while... so here it is!
Antonio Bendaras: Talahir Reisling
Well, there you go!
Daniel Day Lewis: Krajan Demonsbane
Devon Sawa: Kellen Mitharias
He is young, and perfectly embodies Kellen's sarcastic wit and careless personality
Paul Bettany: Malras Miradel (Elven Lieutenant to Zarkan)
Not much needed to be said, Bettany is a phenomenal actor and after seeing him play the assassin villian in Da Vinci Code I am sold on him as Malras
William DaFoe: Rhys Merahir
DaFoe is very creepy and gives that touch of insanity and paranoia that Rhys portrays throughout the novel
 |
| Helana Bonham Carter: Tarrana Merahir |
 | ||
| Brad Pitt: Aranar Krygan | ||
| Some of you may say: Chris are you serious? Brad Pitt is way too old to play Aranar, plus they look nothing alike! Some may say that and some may say I would agree with that |
 |
| Jeff Goldblum: Brother Iver |
 |
| Danny Glover: Auren Akalian |
 |
| Peter Stomare: Lord Rupert Auvere |
 |
| John Malkovich: Weirain Carain |
| My favorite actor playing one of my favorite characters? |
 |
| Tom Hiddleston: Silas Barrad |
| Sure he was a badass loki, sure he has already had that creepy/half-insane anti-hero role. Sure, he could be Silas Barrad |
 |
| Joseph Gordon Levitt: Andreos "Ghost" Eveas |
| Yeah, he is just that badass |
 |
| Leelee Sobieski: Eliza Valdez |
 |
| Joshua Jackson: Brother Aiden |
| Hell, he even looks like a monk in this picture |
 |
| Russel Crowe: Reynar Krygan |
 |
| Sam Elliot: Captain...Raelan Valayre |
 |
| Sean Bean: Darren Madirdon |
| Sean Bean has a history of dying in every role he plays... Spoiler? haha-NO |
 | ||
| Rip Torn: King Feramond |
Music is EVERYTHING
The type of scene that I write, and the overall tone of that scene is directly related to what is playing on my Pandora station...or maybe it's the other way around. I usually sit down at my desk (environment is very important when we are constructing scenes) plus my speakers in and throw on Lord of the Rings Pandora. Usually when I am actually writing a big scene I can't have music with lyrics in it or else I will start to sing along and lose track of my thoughts and... JUKEBOX HERO, WITH STARS IN HIS EY....well you get the picture--my ADHD kicking in.
This is probably why some scenes are much more epic than they kind of should be. I start writing to some soft symphony music and then the music from the battle of Helms Deep comes on. Sometimes even, I will specifically pick certain soundtracks or songs according to what type of scene I am writing. For example, the Battle of Sarsallen I put on The Chain by Fleetwood Mac (love me some Stevie Nix) or for scenes with Ghost attacking the Azarians I will put on some Purple Rain by Prince and that's why Ghost has a bit of a flamboyant side, UH OH!
But really, my pallet for music is everywhere, I will listen to anything as long as it is good, Flobots, Eminem, Styx, Led Zepplin, Eric Church, are some of my favorites to name a few.
Sometimes I will even picture the trailer for a Twilight of an Empire movie (getting a bit ahead of ourselves?). The trailer in my mind goes like this:
Silas Barrad is enters the Imperial City's Throne Room during the celebration in the prologue and everything is quiet. Suddenly Renegade (Styx) starts to play. Dennis DeYoung's ominous voice comes in quietly.
"Oh mama I'm in fear for my life from the long arm of the law..."Silas walks slowly towards the king's throne. When the two bass drum kicks hit it flashes to a view of Raelan walking out of the cabin of his ship and Andreos standing on top of a roof staring out into SouthGate.
"Lawman has put an end to my running and I'm so far from my home..." Back to Silas Barrad walking towards the throne, a thin smile on his face. The two bass drum kicks come back and flash to Weiran Carian on top of the battlements of Rashaladan awaiting the attack by the Azarians.
So, you get the picture... I mean hell I would watch a movie if they used Renegade in the preview- wouldn't you? (Barring any Taylor Lautner movies... or Rob Schneider...)
Styx: Renegade
Foreigner anyone?
This is probably why some scenes are much more epic than they kind of should be. I start writing to some soft symphony music and then the music from the battle of Helms Deep comes on. Sometimes even, I will specifically pick certain soundtracks or songs according to what type of scene I am writing. For example, the Battle of Sarsallen I put on The Chain by Fleetwood Mac (love me some Stevie Nix) or for scenes with Ghost attacking the Azarians I will put on some Purple Rain by Prince and that's why Ghost has a bit of a flamboyant side, UH OH!
But really, my pallet for music is everywhere, I will listen to anything as long as it is good, Flobots, Eminem, Styx, Led Zepplin, Eric Church, are some of my favorites to name a few.
Sometimes I will even picture the trailer for a Twilight of an Empire movie (getting a bit ahead of ourselves?). The trailer in my mind goes like this:
Silas Barrad is enters the Imperial City's Throne Room during the celebration in the prologue and everything is quiet. Suddenly Renegade (Styx) starts to play. Dennis DeYoung's ominous voice comes in quietly.
"Oh mama I'm in fear for my life from the long arm of the law..."Silas walks slowly towards the king's throne. When the two bass drum kicks hit it flashes to a view of Raelan walking out of the cabin of his ship and Andreos standing on top of a roof staring out into SouthGate.
"Lawman has put an end to my running and I'm so far from my home..." Back to Silas Barrad walking towards the throne, a thin smile on his face. The two bass drum kicks come back and flash to Weiran Carian on top of the battlements of Rashaladan awaiting the attack by the Azarians.
So, you get the picture... I mean hell I would watch a movie if they used Renegade in the preview- wouldn't you? (Barring any Taylor Lautner movies... or Rob Schneider...)
Styx: Renegade
Life of a College Fiction Writer Take Two
How did I first get the idea to write a fantasy epic of sorts? It has a lot to do with what I read, mainly JRR. Tolkien and Robert Jordan. As soon as I finished the Lord of the Rings for the third or fourth time at about age 13, I remember thinking, why can't I go on reading this type of literature forever? Back then it was not even close to the story that it is now, though, in particular, I remember Aranar, Brianna Brockridge, Enialis, and Kellen, as well as Raelan(under a different name and description with the same personality) having their genesis during that time.
I suppose that over the years up until Chris and I began working on the project together, these characters evolved into what they are now.
ToaE and the Hiervalan Series were not what they are now at all until Chris and I began working on the project together basically during sophomore year of college. Now here we are a few years later, and it has evolved from a big idea shared over a few drinks into a full fledged fantasy epic, and yes, I believe that the fact that I kicked drinking to the curb helped immensely as well as that Chris took all of the creative writing classes that he did at JMU and that both of us put the greater part of our lives for the past few years into this project.
Before I continue, I should apologize for my rambling, except it's how I write, in a stream of consciousness that I eventually go back and edit.
(Now for a Few Characters):
Raelan(to add)- began as a totally different character, a pirate captain, but I think he wasn't even human and he definitely did not have the same dry wit that he has now-- that wit evolved from life experience and partially from reading Jordan and George RR Martin, among other books
Krajan Demonsbane- sort of a mixture between Gandalf and my own interpretation on a wizard type who brings people together for a higher calling. However, his character is a lot different from that of Gandalf, mostly in that he is more introspective and that he is literally someone else who has forgotten his own identity.
Talahir Riesling- This is a more difficult one.(No he's not named after the wine purposefully, hah).
I would say that the idea grew out of an archetype of sorts, namely, that of the faithful bodyguard from the strange background, guarding the royal family. He evolved from a mixture of histories that I read together with all of the fantasy stories that I could remember, as well as just kind of popping out of my head.
Finally, characters come from a mixture of stuff you've read, people you've met, conversations you've had or heard, and emotions you've felt- channel it(it's what we do)
I suppose that over the years up until Chris and I began working on the project together, these characters evolved into what they are now.
ToaE and the Hiervalan Series were not what they are now at all until Chris and I began working on the project together basically during sophomore year of college. Now here we are a few years later, and it has evolved from a big idea shared over a few drinks into a full fledged fantasy epic, and yes, I believe that the fact that I kicked drinking to the curb helped immensely as well as that Chris took all of the creative writing classes that he did at JMU and that both of us put the greater part of our lives for the past few years into this project.
Before I continue, I should apologize for my rambling, except it's how I write, in a stream of consciousness that I eventually go back and edit.
(Now for a Few Characters):
Raelan(to add)- began as a totally different character, a pirate captain, but I think he wasn't even human and he definitely did not have the same dry wit that he has now-- that wit evolved from life experience and partially from reading Jordan and George RR Martin, among other books
Krajan Demonsbane- sort of a mixture between Gandalf and my own interpretation on a wizard type who brings people together for a higher calling. However, his character is a lot different from that of Gandalf, mostly in that he is more introspective and that he is literally someone else who has forgotten his own identity.
Talahir Riesling- This is a more difficult one.(No he's not named after the wine purposefully, hah).
I would say that the idea grew out of an archetype of sorts, namely, that of the faithful bodyguard from the strange background, guarding the royal family. He evolved from a mixture of histories that I read together with all of the fantasy stories that I could remember, as well as just kind of popping out of my head.
Finally, characters come from a mixture of stuff you've read, people you've met, conversations you've had or heard, and emotions you've felt- channel it(it's what we do)
Friday, February 8, 2013
Hello World!
Introduction
Being a writer is tough. That is simply what it comes down to. When I first got the idea to write a fiction story I was actually in a cathedral-type church in Cape May, NJ over Easter of 2010. I thought that I had an awesome idea about a scene where monks were holding the cathedral doors and someone...something was trying to break in. Cool idea right? This is actually the beginnings of the Order of Seraphil, except in that idea of them Brother Aiden was named Eliza Valdez (ironically) and she was a young girl coping with the problems of belonging to a faith that she did not necessarily believe in, it was because that was the only place she had to live. She was also the most skilled fighter in the abbey then. So I wrote the scene where "Eliza" was fighting in the practice yards and beating up on all of the other monks... suddenly the abbey was under attack by these ominous black demon monsters that were killing everything and taking over the abbey
I started talking to Ian about this and when I got back to Richmond I showed him what I had done. Of course, he skimmed through it and made positive remarks, as he always does. I quickly wrote a few more short stories of characters in different scenarios (the starts of our current characters) but after I read it over it a few days later I realized how awful it was. Ian then told me about the world he had built since middle school, that I had read over a few times when we were younger... That was the start of Twilight of an Empire and consequently the HierValan series.Then, over a few 40's of High Life (back when Ian used to drink... we are much more PRODUCTIVE now!) we sketched out the outline of the first novel.
The point here really is everyone has to start somewhere. Twilight of an Empire is now a 400+ page novel and we are querying agents... some even requested the manuscript and we are waiting to see if they fall in love with the story that we have spent years and years making. So, here let me introduce you to our main characters and their...modest... beginnings!
Andreos "Ghost" Eveas - a character that I created that was initially an assassin up for hire that had a special ability to bounce from shadow to shadow unseen. We wanted to make our story much more realistic so now he is Andreos, a young man who fell victim to the Azarians in the occupied city of Southgate, he has no powers but when they were taking the city they killed his adopted daughter, so he turned into an Azarian-killing machine that stalks the nights (think BATMAN!)
Raelan Valayre - He was actually Ian's character at the beginning, I am pretty sure that he was made much before we even thought of the book, but he was refined heavily after that. He is one of my favorite characters actually and he and Andreos are kind of sides of Ian and I... which makes their banter hilarious - in my opinion- and easy to write.
Aranar Krygan - Okay this was also Ian's character, and his first character really... and he is... well he is Ian in a nutshell. Extremely intelligent yet inwardly conflicted with himself as he over-thinks any given situation. He is another one of my favorite characters because he is just a kid really, thrown into this world where dark powers are at work and the bad guys are very real.
Eliza Valdez - Eliza was one of the most difficult characters to construct, not only because she is a young girl--something that I have never been-- but also because she is the victim of an abusive father. I had to research abuse victims and use my Justice Studies background to really find out how they acted. I struggled for a long, long while on how to present her thoughts and actions. I think I ended up pinpointing her character pretty well with the help of my girlfriend (who can obviously tell me much more of what is going on in a young girls mind) and research. We kind of gave Eliza an extremely difficult and dark childhood as possible, sometimes I actually felt cruel doing so... but she is just a character in a book... well that is what I kept telling myself, but she really came to life.
Silas Barrad- Silas was Ian's original evil anti-hero. We wanted to make someone more than just your average Darth Vader villain... so we made him a sociopath and we made him... well... insane. Which made for some fun writing. Also, he talks to his sword that he named Beauty, go figure.
All of our characters are roughly based off of Justin Byerly and all of his awesome personalities--just sayin'
(I'll update some more characters in my next post! We are going to do some blogs from our characters POV so, hopefully this gave you a little background on them!)
-Chris
Being a writer is tough. That is simply what it comes down to. When I first got the idea to write a fiction story I was actually in a cathedral-type church in Cape May, NJ over Easter of 2010. I thought that I had an awesome idea about a scene where monks were holding the cathedral doors and someone...something was trying to break in. Cool idea right? This is actually the beginnings of the Order of Seraphil, except in that idea of them Brother Aiden was named Eliza Valdez (ironically) and she was a young girl coping with the problems of belonging to a faith that she did not necessarily believe in, it was because that was the only place she had to live. She was also the most skilled fighter in the abbey then. So I wrote the scene where "Eliza" was fighting in the practice yards and beating up on all of the other monks... suddenly the abbey was under attack by these ominous black demon monsters that were killing everything and taking over the abbey
I started talking to Ian about this and when I got back to Richmond I showed him what I had done. Of course, he skimmed through it and made positive remarks, as he always does. I quickly wrote a few more short stories of characters in different scenarios (the starts of our current characters) but after I read it over it a few days later I realized how awful it was. Ian then told me about the world he had built since middle school, that I had read over a few times when we were younger... That was the start of Twilight of an Empire and consequently the HierValan series.Then, over a few 40's of High Life (back when Ian used to drink... we are much more PRODUCTIVE now!) we sketched out the outline of the first novel.
The point here really is everyone has to start somewhere. Twilight of an Empire is now a 400+ page novel and we are querying agents... some even requested the manuscript and we are waiting to see if they fall in love with the story that we have spent years and years making. So, here let me introduce you to our main characters and their...modest... beginnings!
Andreos "Ghost" Eveas - a character that I created that was initially an assassin up for hire that had a special ability to bounce from shadow to shadow unseen. We wanted to make our story much more realistic so now he is Andreos, a young man who fell victim to the Azarians in the occupied city of Southgate, he has no powers but when they were taking the city they killed his adopted daughter, so he turned into an Azarian-killing machine that stalks the nights (think BATMAN!)
Raelan Valayre - He was actually Ian's character at the beginning, I am pretty sure that he was made much before we even thought of the book, but he was refined heavily after that. He is one of my favorite characters actually and he and Andreos are kind of sides of Ian and I... which makes their banter hilarious - in my opinion- and easy to write.
Aranar Krygan - Okay this was also Ian's character, and his first character really... and he is... well he is Ian in a nutshell. Extremely intelligent yet inwardly conflicted with himself as he over-thinks any given situation. He is another one of my favorite characters because he is just a kid really, thrown into this world where dark powers are at work and the bad guys are very real.
Eliza Valdez - Eliza was one of the most difficult characters to construct, not only because she is a young girl--something that I have never been-- but also because she is the victim of an abusive father. I had to research abuse victims and use my Justice Studies background to really find out how they acted. I struggled for a long, long while on how to present her thoughts and actions. I think I ended up pinpointing her character pretty well with the help of my girlfriend (who can obviously tell me much more of what is going on in a young girls mind) and research. We kind of gave Eliza an extremely difficult and dark childhood as possible, sometimes I actually felt cruel doing so... but she is just a character in a book... well that is what I kept telling myself, but she really came to life.
Silas Barrad- Silas was Ian's original evil anti-hero. We wanted to make someone more than just your average Darth Vader villain... so we made him a sociopath and we made him... well... insane. Which made for some fun writing. Also, he talks to his sword that he named Beauty, go figure.
All of our characters are roughly based off of Justin Byerly and all of his awesome personalities--just sayin'
(I'll update some more characters in my next post! We are going to do some blogs from our characters POV so, hopefully this gave you a little background on them!)
-Chris
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