JOHN GROVER talks five things learned writing KNIGHTSHADE

By darkheroicfantasy

 

 

It is the year 1412 in the continent of Eurone. King Gravynmere has sent some of his best soldiers to investigate strange stories in the nearby border town of Faxon. The men will soon learn there is more truth than fancy to these stories, for something walks in the fields, something with cloven hooves and fire dripping from its hands.

The king will rally his son, Prince Quinn, his entire army and all of the Kingdom of Vanosia to confront the very forces of darkness in an epic tale of adventure, magic and mystery as the veil between their world and Perdition grows thin.

Join the Prince as he battles for his land, his people and his beloved on a mission that will take him to ends of the world and back, through pain and sacrifice, war and horror as what is below claws its way to above.





 

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1. Research makes a better book and better writer.

When writing Knightshade: Perditions Bleeds, book 1 of the Knightshade Series, I wanted to make it feel as realistic and true to its history as much as possible. Even though it’s set in an alternate world, I modeled it after King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and that time in our own history. I was going for a world filled with knights and castles with moats, Lords and peasants, cavalry and infantry, witches and wizards. I spent a lot of time learning about medieval armies, the hierarchy and structure of soldiers, their captains and lords, what the groups of soldiers were called, how and why they were employed by their lord or king, and how the reporting structure worked. I studied different types of armor from chain mail to leather. I researched all types of swords and other weapons of the time. In the end I really feel it mad a much stronger book and a great tale of fantasy war and adventure. It made me appreciate the art of my craft and I think I’m a better writer because of it.

2. Patience.

I have written a lot of horror in my writing a career but wanted to give fantasy fiction a try since I had always loved it and wanted to create worlds of my own. One thing I quickly learned when trying to tackle fantasy especially epic fantasy is that there are rules to follow and a formula its fans expect you to follow. Not that you can’t break those rules but I found by learning them first, I would write a better tale. I needed to read more of what was out there, immerse myself a little bit more in the fantasy circles, its current writers and fans. It’s very different than writing horror, there is a lot world building and magic rules and many other things I never considered. So, it wasn’t just running in and writing a great story or book in a month, it was learning the rules, learning how to build others worlds and knowing my market. I’m still a beginner at it and still gaining an audience but one thing I’ve learned is to have patience while writing.

3.  An Editor is a necessity.

Whether you self-publish or go the traditional route, I still think having an editor, another person to set their eyes on your work and slice and dice for you is key. Self-editing is great, but I am very close to the work and I miss things. I will be the first to admit I am terrible at catching my own mistakes but that isn’t even half of it. I work with a few different freelance editors and the editor that went over Knightshade: Perdition Bleeds was amazing. She caught things I hadn’t even thought of. There were consistency questions, word origins, period research that she called out as well as grammar, typos and sentence structure. My editor made my story even better than I had hoped. So if you can afford someone else to edit your work do it, but even if not, it is such a great idea to have someone else, a friend or someone, read it and at least give you feedback.

4. Have Fun.

I learned that if I wasn’t having fun writing the story, the reader wasn’t going to have fun reading it. When I was writing Knightshade I was excited about it. I thought long and hard on the tale and its various plotlines and subplots. When I wasn’t writing it I was thinking about it, I was taking notes, writing down scenes in a notebook and getting excited to get back to it. I couldn’t wait. When I finished various chapters, especially battle scenes, I would go back and read them and they put a smile on my face. I loved what I was reading and writing and I hoped others would too. I got caught up in this alternate world and its mysteries and puzzles, inhabitants and beasts. I always try to write what I would enjoy reading...and if you do that you usually can’t go wrong.

5. Move on to the next.

Once the book was done and published I knew I had to let it go and move on to the next. I’m like anyone else, my work is my baby and I want to keep polishing it, keep going back to it and push it as far as I can but eventually you just have to leave it alone. I let Knightshade go out into the world and then I immediately started on my next book: The Ashes of Orum, the final book in my Song of the Ancestors Series. If I keep obsessing over one title I’ll never move onto any others. As most of my fellow authors say, publish your book.

 

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About the Author

 

John Grover is a fiction author specializing in Horror, Fantasy and Sci-fi residing in Massachusetts. He completed a creative writing course at Boston’s Fisher College and is a member of the New England Horror Writers Association.

Some of his more recent credits include Knightshade: Perdition Bleeds, The Ashes of Orum: Book 4 of the Song of the Ancestors Series, The Fetch: an occult horror novel, and stories in Dead Harvest, Best New Werewolf Tales Vol 1, The Epitaphs Anthology by The New England Horror Writers, and The Northern Haunts Anthology by Shroud Publishing.

He is also the author of various chapbooks, short story collections, novels and more. Please visit his website www.shadowtales.com or his facebook page https://www.facebook.com/johngroverdarkfictionauthor

 

 

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Links

 

All John's fantasy titles 99 cents for a limited time.
See this list for great deals:

 

Amazon:
Knightshade: Perdition Bleeds: http://amzn.com/B00OOAXQLC

Possessing the Grimstone: http://amzn.com/B00B06RSVC

 

The Song of the Ancestors Series:
Web of the Spider Queen: http://amzn.com/B0077XXRMQ
The Human Condition: http://amzn.com/B008ITKUAK
Ballad of the Fallen: http://amzn.com/B00BR91MFU
The Ashes of Orum: http://amzn.com/B00QD89M8E

 

The Books of Braenyn Serial:
The Scepter of Namiss: http://amzn.com/B00AUAIT8K
The Fallen Church of Ashburn: http://amzn.com/B00AUIDWXO
Family Bonds: http://amzn.com/B00DU1S4PY
Tarrow’s Tale: http://amzn.com/B00GVHSFR6
Duel on Mount Vapor: http://amzn.com/B00Q0UJIYI

 

Barnes & Noble:

Knightshade: Perdition Bleeds: http://tinyurl.com/qg377bw

 

The Song of the Ancestors Series
Web of the Spider Queen(FREE): http://tinyurl.com/oppcjaj
The Human Condition: http://tinyurl.com/pn8jbe2
Ballad of the Fallen: http://tinyurl.com/ng6sytv
The Ashes of Orum: http://tinyurl.com/n9rdlho

The Scepter of Namiss: http://tinyurl.com/aflwbh9

JAKE ELLIOT: Five Things Learned Writing THE WRONG WAY DOWN

 

 

 

Katia is an accomplished thief. She accepted a job with a heavy price for failure;

her life.

 

Popalia, is the acolyte priestess who has vowed to return her church's stolen

treasure. Ambitious and impetuous, she'll go to any lengths and pay whatever cost.

Wynkkur is a self-taught sorcerer who miscasts as much as he evokes. He's been

conscripted as a bodyguard and sent on a hopeless mission.

 

This is not the path to their victories, but the story of their fall. This is The

Wrong Way Down.

 

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PJW: I "met" Jake while being part of the FADING LIGHT: AN ANTHOLOGY OF THE MONSTROUS. He wrote a tale that made the book. I wrote a tale that made the book. (Well, the Companion ebook anyway as the paperback was already filled to bursting and the editor/publisher didn't want to exclude about five other stories so...I got in by the skin of writer's teeth.)

 

I think I wrote and subbed a short story to a 1950's Cthulhu antho Jake was editor of. I didn't make the cut, but still kept my eyeballs on Elliot because, basically, he is a fine write and great human being.

 

So here he is talking about writing and THE WRONG WAY DOWN.

 

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What I’ve learned since writing The Wrong Way Down is this:

 

1. Be patient.

 

They say patience is a virtue. I don’t have many virtues, but I have found great

value in patience. So far, as a writer, being impatient has only hurt me. Several

fans are like, “Dude! Where is book three?” It is being polished. Whenever I think

a story is done, it is not. A month, maybe two months later, it is easier to see

the weak points in the characters, storyline, and editing. Book Three: Hounds of

the Hunted will be my best book yet all thanks to the virtue of patience.

2. Sometimes, the story has a better idea than you do—go with it and see.

 

The scene depicted on the cover was never part of my original outline.  The story

was moving in a direction, but it wasn’t very eventful. Realizing the book needed a

kick in the pants, out of nowhere emerged the idea for a bear-like beast to stumble

into our heroes’ camp at night. The monster awoke everyone while eating their

rations of food, and the writing flowed out magically easy. Many readers have told

me the bear-scene is among their favorite parts of The Wrong Way Down—and the

bear-beast was never intended to be there.

3. When reading a poor opinion of your work, “Shhh, be quiet.”

 

This is experience talking. A popular reviewer gave my second book, Crossing

Mother’s Grave, a less than great review. Although I was smart enough not to say

anything on his website, I was dumb enough to bitch about it on Facebook. Too many

people saw it.

 

Don’t do that unless you want to look like an ass.

 

I looked like an ass. I doubt that reviewer will give book three a favorable

review, but we’ll see when Hounds of the Hunted is finished. If he won’t read it,

or if he gives it a worse review, then it is already my fault—so this time I’ll

just shut up and take my lumps.

4. The cover really does sell the book

 

Below is the original cover for The Wrong Way Down. What do you think? Which book

do you want to read?

 

 



 

PJW: I prefer the new cover. To me it is more dynamic, more eye-catching.

5. A painfully hard lesson—writing isn’t a ‘get rich scheme.’

 

I totally thought I was going to make a mountain of money on my awesome idea. Check

it! Who wouldn’t want to read about a crazy bear-beast that tries to eat a group of

elves? I could see myself lying in bed at night, taking handfuls of Benjamins and

throwing them high up into the air, emitting gay giggles as the bills trickled upon

my naked body. Then, with millions snowing down around us, I’d take my wife in a

romantic pose, and make love to her until dawn.
 
~Fin~

 

Reality check. Writing is more like this—

 

On bad months, I can usually afford a six-pack of craft beer from my royalties. On

good months I can buy a bottle or two of good whiskey—and this one time, I made

enough to take my wife out for dinner. Our hope is that someday my royalties will

actually pay a bill or two. That would be something. However, I have established a

loyal readership—so damn the money to Hell—right?

 

...right?

Thank you Peter, for letting me have free reign on your web-site for a day. It has

been a lot of fun and I think you should come over to my page in the not-so-distant

future. Just don’t break any furniture, cool?

 

PJW: No promises, Mr. Elliot. Right now I am traveling around in a 72-ton armored

transport. LOL

 

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Author Bio

 

Having live all across the United States, fantasy author Jake Elliot currently

resides in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and their giant cat. (He’s twenty

pounds and a bit sensitive about his big belly.) Jake has been published nine

times, including two novels and seven short stories.

 

Birds fly, fish swim, Jake writes.

 

What to expect:

1) All stories will have complex and interesting characters.

2) Action scenes will be visceral and compelling.

3) A developed system of both arcane and divine magic.

4) Dichotomy–although characters tend to be good guys, each story is rich with

darkness and irony. With a love for writing about moral themes–I prefer to focus on

the mistakes characters make rather than projecting self-righteousness.

 

 

My 1950's Cthulhu is still out there, Jake. It continues to sleep 900 feet below the surface of Lake Michigan. Boo!

 

 

Author Links

 

Jake Elliot webpage

Amazon

Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook





 

PAMELA TURNER: Five Things I’ve Learned Writing MALICE AND MAYHEM: TALES OF THE MACABRE

 

Obsession.

 

Jealousy.

 

Vengeance.

 

The darkest emotions lie buried deep in the human soul, awakened by twisted desires.

 

In these eleven tales of dark suspense, sometimes there’s truth to the warning, “Be careful what you wish for…”

 

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1. If necessary, I can write a story on a tight deadline.

My first non-academic experience in writing under deadline came when I wrote feature articles and reviews for local publications.  Later, when the publisher/editor of the Ten Tales anthologies invited me to contribute stories, I learned I could come up with ideas within a specific time frame, but I also had to learn to prioritize.

2. That I can format my book for Kindle and CreateSpace, and that linking the TOC to individual stories was easier than I thought.

It takes patience and time, but it’s not impossible. If I had any questions, I researched until I found what I needed. I’ve also gotten in the habit of using CTRL-Enter for a new page instead of using the Return key.

3. An autopsied body decomposes faster even if it’s been embalmed.

I learned other interesting trivia about decomposition, including the pros and cons of sealed vs. unsealed or wood vs. metal caskets. (On a side note, I keep leaning toward cremation.)

4. It’s always good to have stories written, even if they’re half completed, in case one needs material.

I keep a file of story ideas and have a number of flash fiction pieces, as well as half-finished stories. This helps when I need to come up with a story, which I had to do to make the 40,000-word count for Malice and Mayhem. Having multiple projects also helps stave off writer’s block.

5. It may take a while, but seeing your story collection in print will happen. It just takes patience, perseverance, and maybe even an innate sense of timing.

Malice and Mayhem is a story collection I’ve wanted to publish for a few years now. I had planned to submit it to a local publisher, but finally decided to self-publish the collection so I could retain control over the material.

 

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About the Author

 

Pamela Turner drinks too much coffee, and wishes she could write perfect first drafts. Influenced by shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Thriller, and Twilight Zone, she writes paranormal suspense. Publications include the short novels Death Sword, a finalist in the Chanticleer Book Reviews’ Blue Ribbon Paranormal Awards 2013, Exterminating Angel (both from Kensington Publishing’s Lyrical Press imprint), and The Ripper’s Daughter (BlackWyrm Publishing). Her short, dark suspense story, “Family Tradition” (MuseItUp Publishing), was a finalist in the EPIC 2014 EBook Awards, and her short screenplay “Cemetery” placed second in The Writers Place Short/Teleplay screenplay competition. She’s a member of Sisters in Crime, EPIC, and a supporting member of HWA. Besides coffee, she likes cats, cemeteries, and old abandoned buildings. You can find her at http://pamelaturner.net    

 

 

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Malice and Mayhem links

Amazon Kindle

Amazon (Print)

 

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Other Pamela Turner media links

 

Haunted Dreams, Dark Destinies (Website)

Darkling Delights (Blog)

Facebook Author Page

Pinterest

Twitter @PamelaTurner

HUNT FOR THE FALLEN (TRANSPORT Book 2) BLASTS IN...and 5 QUESTIONS ANSWERED

By DarkHeroicFantasy

 

 

Captain Jacob Billet
Journal Entry - Sunday April 5, 2026

 

It’s raining, it’s pouring, the undead are roaring…

 

Amassed at the UCRA east end enclosure, the dead strain the fence line while soldiers keep watchful eyes, the survivors on the opposite side of the rising river about to lose their minds.

 

It’s a crazy time: nonstop precipitation; everyone's up in arms; paranoid city council members with an asshat City Treasurer. Water, water everywhere. Zees dropping into the churning drink. Troops afraid of being stitched up and thrown back into the fray as Zombie Troopers. Tank commanders getting itchy to head out on their own after drug-laden shamblers. Reganshire insurgents trying to extract our west side civvies for some unknown reason, possibly pushing the city into taking heavy-handed action against them.

 

Then there’s some black-haired dead dude staring at me through the fence, grinning like he’s off his meds.

 

And I thought Lettner was a headache.

 

All this sh*t might give me a heart attack.

 

 

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1. TRANSPORT (Book One) takes place in September 2025, in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan, 12 years after a viral pandemic has changed life...and unlife...as we know it. To protect and help rebuild some of the larger grottos of humanity "post apocalypse," the military has been restructured and dispersed to remaining large metropolis like Grand Rapids. The series is centered around Captain Jake Billet, his wily crew and their massive M213 Heavy Transport Vehicle, the HURON.

 

Where does HUNT FOR THE FALLEN...well...fall in the scheme of things?

 

Crazed author: HUNT takes place about 7 months AFTER the events in Book One. Billet and crew are back in the West Michigan area after avoiding the place for a while. The covert mission details of the late NSC High Commissioner William Lettner have gotten out to the media, the mission and those involved is not longer a secret, and Billet, the GRCC (Grand Rapids Central Command) and Grand Rapids are seen as both heroes and villians.

 

Though Captain Billet is seen as more a hero for doing what he did to bring Lettner to justice, he doesn't like that kind of spotlight. He wants to keep his head low.

 

And with loyalists of the Lettner out and about, still pushing for the eradication of Zombiekind, causing whatever kind of annoyance to people who do not think in those terms, as the man seen responsible for delivering Lettner to his execution, it might be a good idea for Billet to keep his head low.

 

Oh, and it is April 2026, and has been raining nonstop for weeks. The Grand River, running between the big city and the area where her local undead are retained, is heading to major flood stages.

 

2. What's introduced in HUNT FOR THE FALLEN?

Insane writer: We see more of the GRCC, namely in another big military vehicle and its commander, a Abrams MBT (Main Battle Tank), the DEVASTATOR, and its TC (Tank Commander) Major Jeremy Pike.

We are introduced to the illegal drug trade of the times where you can buy any mind altering chemical you want, just have you handheld tracking device and search for the dead creature with your substance of choice sown into its empty abdominal cavity.

We get to peek inside the workings of the Butterworth Test Facility where mortally wounded soldiers are stitched up and brought back into service as ZiTs, Zombie Troopers.

The HURON has gotten an upgrade: a 25mm remote-controlled cannon and turret AND a new navigator who may not survive their latest excursion.

Oh, and Billet is feeling severely under the weather, both psychologically and physically, which may not bode well for his future functionality.

3. Would you classify the TRANSPORT Series as a Military Thriller or a Zombie Horror fest? L. Andrew Cooper, one of the reviewers for TRANSPORT Boon One, expressed it more as "zombie fantasy."

Twitchy Word Scribe: I would probably call it a nice mash-up of both, with leanings more towards Military Thriller and/or Action-Adventure.

TRANSPORT was always intended to be a story about the soldier and his/her armored vehicle dealing with the "new" world around him/her, about how they cope and maneuver in what I call this POST-post zombie apocalypse world the series takes place within. The zombies are there, in the background, shambling and lurking, while it seems the real menace is Humankind who struggles to get back on their feet...and pursuing it any way possible, often times not for the good of others.

Perhaps it should be called a Survival story wrapped in Zombie Fantasy sticky paper.

4. How long did it take you to write HUNT FOR THE FALLEN? Do you consider yourself a diligent and focused writer?

Non-diligent, non-focused writer: I started writing HUNT FOR THE FALLEN roughly May 2013 and, with a poppin' re-write I decided to do, capped it off June 2014.

The thing with TRANSPORT, I have a fairly good idea of where I want each book to go. It is easy to write, an easy map to follow, when you have a good idea of the route. In this way, I guess you could say I am a focused writer.

Diligent? No. Where TRANSPORT Book One was very easy to write because everything just flowed, Book Two sometimes slogged along for me writing-wise like the torrential rain and soggy lands within Book two's landscape. Book One hit me so hard and fast, Book Two was like OH SHIT, UMM, NOW WHAT?

Thus the re-write, self-re-polishing of HUNT FOR THE FALLEN after the initial writing. I feel the re-writing made Book Two really stand up on its own, shift into overdrive, and spin a big rooster of mud, action and zombie guts into the air. It POPS, enough so that when my editor (Rodney Carlstrom) got his hands on it finally, he said (in a good way): WOW!

5. What's the deal with the book covers? They seem to link together. And is the cover art and interior art done by the same artist?

Happy-as-a-clam author when seeing cover and interior art: I was very fortunate when my publisher, Seventh Star Press, hooked me up with Jason C Conley. I gave him the gist of the series, what it was all about, what I slightly foresaw on the covers, and next thing I know he does this FAN-EFFIN-TASTIC triptych cover montage that hit the thing wa-ay out of the ball park. The colors, the atmosphere, the pandemonium within the frames... Jason killed it in the best way possible.

The triptych cover pieces, all together, make a kick ass 24 x 36 poster.

Seventh Star Press typically works with one cover artist and interior artist who are one in the same. Again, I got extremely lucky to work with a separate cover artist and separate interior artist.

The very talented Tim Holtrop did the black and white interior illustrations. This was definitely a one-on-one work relationship where we dialed things in and, mainly, got great illos of Billet and his crew, and a few key scenes, fleshed out. I wanted to make sure the reader had good imagery of the main story characters, in some form of action pose, to bring them (the characters) to life.

Like Jason hitting it out of the ball park on the covers, Tim made another home run, crushing the ball over the stadium roof and miles above the city with his fantastic interior illustrations. (Again, kick ass poster quality work.)

6. Thank you for taking the time to talk to us.

Unstable author: No problem. I'm Batman.

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HUNT FOR THE FALLEN: TRANSPORT Book Two is available currently in all ebook formats via all prominent online booksellers. The paperback will be available very soon.

Amazon

B&N

Kobo

TRANSPORT Book One is available in ebook and paperback formats at all booksellers. Ask for it by name and author, or go here to purchase:

Amazon

B&N

Kobo

SchulerBooks

 

MAURICE BROADDUS: Five Things Learned Editing STREETS OF SHADOWS

by darkheroicfantasy

From the editors of Dark Faith, Maurice Broaddus and Jerry Gordon, comes a collection of 

supernatural crime noir.

You think you're safe. What a joke.

You don't think about the places you pass every day.

 The side streets. The alleys.

 The underbridges.

 All you'd have to do is take a step to the side.

Then you'd know.

The streets are filled with shadows.

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I have known Maurice for quite a long time, more through email correspondence back in the day, and then actually meeting the fine gent this last September at IMAGINARIUM 2014 in Louisville Kentucky. Maurice was always friendly across the wires, and meeting him in person, and sitting in on a few author panels listening to what he had to say on topics about Steampunk (his work in the genre would be called SteamFUNK) and other literary tidbits, all I can say is Mr. Broaddus is a fine and talented human being through and through.

I hear Mr. Broaddus had a piece in ASIMOV DIGEST February 2014. How cool is that?! Way cool!

PJW Dec 2014

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1. Know where to begin.  

I remember being in a workshop led by Mort Castle.  I’ll never forget how after reading my story he said “That’s some good writing, but you know that your story doesn’t begin until page three, right?”  It was a tough lesson to learn, but I am reminded often of that lesson often in the slush pile.

2. I’ve seen that before.  

Sometimes it was the story, sometimes the characters, sometimes the setup.  I want a new experience, a fresh take, something I haven’t seen before.  Something only that writer could have written.

3. Bring “you” to the party.  

Most story ideas have been done, so in a lot of ways what differentiates the story is your particular voice.  Your authorial voice is what you bring to the party:  your worldview, your style, your sense of characterization and storytelling.  If anyone could have written it, it will read like a generic story.  I want to be able to pick a story out of a lineup.

4. Cut, cut, cut.

Yes, we’re paid by the word, but make sure they are good words.  Each. Word.  Counts.  Extra scenes, extra paragraphs, extra words, extra anything … if they don’t add to the story, get rid of them.  Keep the story as tight as possible.

5. Stick the landing.

  

I read a lot of stories that opened great and showed great promise throughout.  It was at that magical ¾ point that I found myself praying “please stick the landing.”  There’s nothing more disappointing than investing your time and energy into a story only to get to the end and go “That’s it?”  End well.

Author Bio

You have to go here and see what this talented individual is about: Mr. Broaddus's full bio. Trust me, you'll enjoy it.

Links

Streets of Shadows (Amazon)

Streets of Shadows (Alliteration Ink Press)

Website

Twitter

Maurice Broaddus and I at IMAGINARIUM 2014

CROSSINGS Book Two of JL Mulvihill's Steel Roots Series

This cover is so awesome I just had to post it up here.

And I am sure the contents written by the very talented J L Mulvihill are awesome also.

CROSSINGS Book Two

Tommy Hancock's Words of Great Wisdom

I read this on FB today. And though Tommy was mentioning the passing a friend and fellow author Jason Kahn, Tommy's words struck home on how we should live life to the fullest, and those with the creative inspiration bug should do what we do every day while we're here.

If you have a creative talent, it should be shared, not squandered, not kept under a bushel basket. You should take the time when you can to let it flow.

My prayers go out to all those who are grieving the loss of Jason Kahn. But in the sadness, he brings inspiration and blesses us forever in the words Tommy states:

prose-press.com