Four years ago, The Darkwood Mask, my first novel, was published by Wizards of the Coast. Then a couple years later, it went out of print, like many series books.
But just two days ago, the ebook was released, on Amazon and on barnesandnoble.com! It's purchase-able again, yay! Feel free to buy a copy and spread the word...
4½ stars on Amazon can't be wrong, right?
Exercising is generally not very fun, but it is when you make it adventurous. And to me, that's especially applicable to hiking, jogging, or biking. Recently, I've had the opportunity to ride my bike (often with my wife, which make it more fun) and make some discoveries along the way.
My latest discovery: the Old Croton Aqueduct trail, which runs from the Bronx (where I live) up through Ossining. A 26-mile stretch. We've been driving up to various points and hitting the trail for a few miles at a time. We've almost reached Sleepy Hollow at this point. (A town we're already fond of.)
And along the way, we've seen some pretty cool sights. Monstrous trees, windy trails, bridges, streams, parks, statues, castles...there's a lot of old ruins strewn about New York State, and the Hudson Valley boasts some good ones. Oh yes, and plenty of old houses and mansions (you can tell at a glance that many of them must be haunted!). Huge swaths of this trail look wild and remote and would probably be especially creepy (i.e. cool) at night.
I've posted up a number of photos right here.
Like this stately fellow:
This is it out NOW, world:
You can...
A portion of the profits from Foreshadows: The Ghosts of Zero will be donated to The Hunger Project, a global nonprofit organization committed to ending world hunger through strategic, grassroots partnerships in Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.
Some time ago, I was given the opportunity to write an article in the new “History Check” series in Dragon magazine. It was to be about the legendary battle between Corellon Larethian, the god of the elves, and Gruumsh, the god of the orcs. “Updating” this legend—which actually amounted to organizing all the contradicting accounts and paying homage to them all (at least, that’s how I do it)—is nothing short of geek indulgence.
And this is the end result:
The first thing I needed to do was dig up all the old books that pertained to Corellon and Gruumsh, including their first appearance. Now, I’d owned the 1st Edition sourcebook Legends and Lore since I was a kid. And while that book is a wealth of D&D lore and a hefty dose of real world religion and polytheism—which unquestionably kickstarted my childhood interest in mythology—it also introduced the non-human gods of D&D. That is, the gods of elves, dwarves, halflings, orcs, goblins, gnolls, trolls, kobolds, and a bunch more.
Rather, its predecessor did. Fellow writer/game designer/Foreshadower Mike Ferguson helpfully sent me some excerpts from the book Deities and Demigods—thanks, Mike!—which included the original tale of Corellon vs. Gruumsh. And every now and then there’d be some new version of the event, alternating the method by which Corellon blinded Gruumsh: with his sword...no, with his bow...no, the sword again...no, with a hot poker!
The Forgotten Realms also had its own incarnation of Corellon, and in that tale—told eloquently in full by Elaine Cunningham in Evermeet: Island of Elves—the elf god nearly met his defeat by the betrayal of Araushnee (aka Lolth). Another notable take on the legend came from The Complete Book of Elves, a memorably awesome 2nd Edition book written by Colin McComb. And of course, both Corellon and Gruumsh saw some dramatic changes in the 4th Edition of D&D—particularly with their involvement in the Dawn War, their fundamental origins, and their relationship with other gods.
In my article, the intent was to unite or otherwise allude to all these various versions, to tie them together somehow in a single tale and maybe add a couple of new elements to it without just rebooting the whole thing. It’s written, like all the “History Check” articles, by a member of the Vistani, the gypsy-like nomads (originally from the Ravenloft setting) who travel across the planes. And since they are the Vistani, it’s still just a story. So whether a player or DM wants to take is as canon or just another version in the list, I’m really happy to have had the chance to play with some of D&D’s iconic characters. It’s pure homage to me.
The illustrations of Corellon and Gruumsh have also varied greatly across the editions of the game. Sometimes they’re hilariously awkward, sometimes really cool, sometimes, I think, a little off the mark. The illustration for my article, and serving as the “cover” for Dragon #408 is certainly a new but fun adaptation: Wayne Reynolds doing what Wayne Reynolds does: making detail-heavy, epic battlescapes with dashing heroes pitted against very monstrous foes.
But hey! Where’d spear-toting Gruumsh get a hammer? Just like with The Darkwood Mask, a prominent character on the cover is given a big-ass hammer he doesn't actually have in the story. Why am I not writing about Thor?
But these artists are making me look good, so I'm not complaining.
Last month I had a second article in Dragon magazine. "The Sentinel Marshal," which is a rare and esteemed (and reviled) vocation in the world of Eberron. It's also the type of hero in Marcy Rockwell's novel, The Shard Axe!
"You're under arrest for trying to steal my dragon, lion, and goat badge out here in the jungle."
There's been some positive discussion about the article on the WotC boards, too.
This month D&D Insider (Wizards of the Coast's D&D digital magazines) has the theme of royalty and romance. Mostly, it's royalty and nobility. But I had the opportunity write an article about themes of love in Dungeons & Dragons...so I totally took it: "D&D Love Stories"
At a glance, you'd think this topic might be, at best, mildly interesting and, at worst, lovey-dovey or maudlin. I strove for very interesting, and I hope it delivered that to some gamers.
Categories include:
A little excerpt:
First and foremost, love in the D&D world doesn’t have to be sappy. This is a realm of magical fire and ringing steel, of physical transformations and powerful rituals. Love could be the catalyst for a paladin’s quest, a rogue’s heist, or a wizard’s research. A villain might be motivated by unrequited love or a personal betrayal. And why not? Kings have been slain for less. Monsters and villains can have motivations and goals, and their interest in the heroes might extend beyond "food that walks" to something more personal.
Which is more fun to play—having the heroes chase down a bog hag because a local lord is hiring them to do it, or having them chase her down because she impersonated the eladrin warrior’s lover during the previous adventure and locked up the real one in an oubliette somewhere in the Feydark?
And here's a sample plot hook:
Dark Demise: The love interest of one of the heroes is killed. The mysterious nature of his death, however, prevents the Raise Dead ritual from working—for whatever reason, the subject’s soul is not "free and willing to return to life." But all is not lost. A shadar-kai mystic approaches the characters and tells them that the man’s spirit can be recovered and returned to life. He gives them a strange map and brings them to a place where the borders between the mortal world and the Shadowfell are thin. In the manner of Orpheus from Greek mythology, now they must venture deep into the underworld of the planes and bargain for a lost soul.
I've been wanting to say this for a long time....
Better still, we're taking pre-orders now!
Those who order a copy of Foreshadows between now and 12/26 win a chance to have their copy upgraded to the Limited Edition (a foil-stamped version signed by all authors and musicians).
And those who order a copy between now and Friday night of this week (Dec 16th) will get a the Foreshadows Digital Gift Package: a postcard in the mail with secret info on how to receive the digital download of three of the anthology's stories, music, and art:
The anthology is still a couple months away, but you can have these stories and music NOW. Eh?
I'm reposting this image and this music from earlier posts of mine...because it's Thanksgiving time, and this stuff is funny, and awesome.
And also, this image:
There are two things I need to convey to you right now. Order doesn't matter.
First: this website may get some reworking soon. The main problem, aside from its getting a little bit old, is that it's been gathering up a hefty bit of spam (which is why I've disabled commenting in recent posts). That should be remedied in the coming weeks. So stay tuned. Check back every now and then. Better yet, subscribe via RSS feed or something so you know when something's new.
Despite this website's inactivity, I have been busy, both with various freelance gigs (such as DDI articles) and with wrapping up Foreshadows. Yes, that's coming soon...still. :)
Second: Marcy Rockwell's new Eberron novel The Shard Axe has hit the virtual and physical shelves. You need to acquire it post haste. Buy one. Buy one for a friend. Buy a whole box of 'em. Just go and get one and keep Eberron going!
First, click the Play button below and have a listen to a new sneak peek from Foreshadows: The Ghosts of Zero soundtrack. (Preferably with some good speakers! And incidentally, the louder the better.)
This one's from musician and Foreshadows puppetmaster Bilian, "All the Good Things You Are."
Let me give you an editorial update. Things are still moving behind the scenes and we hope to have our release date to announce soon. Yes, I've been saying that for quite some time, but we'd rather defer the announcement than to make one we can't commit to. Soon. Soon. We're making damned sure this compact anthology+soundtrack is going to be the best album, and best collection of science fiction, you pick up this year.
This, by the way, is the final story and track listing.
Meanwhile, we've been sending around the title pages of the special, Limited Edition copies of the anthology across the globe, and our authors and musicians have been gracious enough to send in photos and videos of the signings. You really should check them out...
See author Robert Velarde flaunt his cybernetic new leg; witness the brooding gray daylight, such as it is, of dystopian Seattle where Rosemary Jones lives; get a rare glimpse inside Ed Greenwood's home in rural Canada; check out Jaleigh Johnson's badass high-tech hardware; analyze the mesmerizing wallpaper inside the home of musician Alan Norman; cower at the eerie gloom of writer Brian W. Matthew's window-shuttered house; marvel at musician Michael Triggs's duct-taped paradise! And more!
And if you don't scope this stuff out, in the very least you have to see musician Dylan Leed's video. Seriously.
