Hi everyone!
After yesterday, I got some really nice advice from you regarding THS. They cheered me up again, and now I’m also a bit more grounded with concrete things I can do to make this project better. I appreciate the likes too, they make me think I’m actually writing to people and not to myself in a diary.
Anyways! Here’s what I got for you:
There was also a realization that I haven’t exactly told you that the chapters you’ve been reading are only a beginning of an origin story for one of the big main characters. There are two more main characters like this one, the second character is born in 15th century Switzerland, and the final one in in 18th century France. The three unite in their common goal: to hunt down every monster that threatens humankind, and to kill them.
This is what I mean by "the story is huge" and the talk about how this could turn into a book series if things go well and I get published. I’m not going to do the stories in chronological order. Each character have many solo stories, and there are also many party stories, with 2-3 of the characters. What I aim to write here are the three origin stories, starting from this first one, and ending on the final one. My book will be at least 172 pages long, and ideally I will get the chance to explore all the three stories, in depth, in this book.
I have so many adventures to write, ohh this is gonna be so good! Hints of the characters and of future events will be dropped every now and then, here’s to hoping your curiosity awakened!
Tonight I share with you a draft of a map. Classic first-page material on every fantasy book. It’s not yet detailed and decorated to be beautiful like it’s going to be, but it’s all I managed to do today with my inability to say no to a friend in need. I have, however, marked the main locations of the first origin story. And also, guys, cartographers are friggin’ amazing. That’s all I can say after carefully tracing the tiny islands and crispy shorelines. Here you go!
Happy dreams!
-H.A.
Happy National Book Lovers Day! Today also marks the official launch date for Welcome to Deadland! Next week will be the year anniversary of entering the Nerdist Collection Contest, and today this book no longer belongs to just me, but to all of you and to all of the future readers who pick up a copy. Over the weekend I had the opportunity to take Welcome to Deadland to the source of its inspiration, where the initial seeds of imagination were planted in my mind.
I had the privilege of launching Welcome to Deadland at a Barnes & Noble in Orlando. The turnout was beyond what I could have expected. I didn’t get a picture of the entire crowd, but this was about fifteen minutes before we started and the seats were filling up fast. I read the prologue and answered a series of questions. One of my close friends filmed the entire event and will be editing together a video of the event as well. I was overwhelmed with support, friends and family drove down and flew in from all over the country. Each time I was surprised by the appearance of one person, someone else unexpected would show up and surprise me all over again.
Another awesome moment of the day was a stop by the tattoo parlor where my mom received the first Welcome to Deadland tattoo, and had it done in my handwriting!
Also: Welcome to Deadland Ferris wheel tattoos!
My dad and stepmom drove over from Tampa, and I had my siblings by my side.
I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who showed up, to those of you that backed and preordered my book, the readers who ordered the book beyond the funding campaign, and to Inkshares and Nerdist for giving me the opportunity to put Welcome to Deadland out in the world. From the bottom of my heart, I give you all my sincerest gratitude.
And remember, the infected aren’t the only thing you have to watch out for in theme parks. Dinosaurs are right around the corner, too!!
With all the madness that’s been happening over the past few days, I’m beyond thrilled to deliver some unreservedly good news.
Heh...thrilled....
Tantalus Depths has been backed by its third syndicate! Today we received the distinct honor of being chosen as the August pick for the Thriller Night Syndicate. It’s awesome to be recognized by the community yet again for Tantalus Depths’ content: this time not for theme, but for tone. Tantalus Depths is all about mystery and foreboding, peril and the struggle for survival against extremely bad odds. It’s a thriller to its core, and I sincerely hope you all find it as nail-biting and knuckle-whitening as I intended it to be!
It was early September in the town of Hillsbury. Labor Day weekend, the final long weekend before school returned and the summer tourists departed for the year, was the busiest for the town. Hillsbury was cottage country; families would travel upwards of ten hours to stay in their wood cabins, or the luxurious campsites that had recently been upgraded to provide up to fifteen sites with electricity and new picnic tables to surround the pits used for campfires, for the summer months.
It . . .
It was early September in the town of Hillsbury. Labor Day weekend, the final long weekend before school returned and the summer tourists departed for the year, was the busiest for the town. Hillsbury was cottage country; families would travel upwards of ten hours to stay in their wood cabins, or the luxurious campsites that had recently been upgraded to provide up to fifteen sites with electricity and new picnic tables to surround the pits used for campfires, for the summer months.
It . . .
Hello my fellow Knightmares!
As I start off every update, I thank you for all the support! You are all the reason why this project is 44 pre-orders away from Quill publishing, and I can’t thank you enough.
With that said, we have 51 days to get those last 44 pre-orders.
So, this is that time to jump on this train if you’re still on the fence. This is the time to grab that additional copy for a friend, for your local library, for that special girl or boy in your life. I say, "give them the gift of KNIGHTMARES!" No, really, they’ll thank you.
And remember:
Want to see that t-shirt?
I recently did a guest blog post on the Apotheosis Blog, you can read that here. And while you’re at it, check out the blog owner’s book:
Rune of the Apprentice - by Jamison Stone - Filled with magic and mystery, Rune of the Apprentice is an action-packed novel of adventure, love, and self-discovery.
I ordered a copy, and you should too.
BOOKS TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON:
This week launched a new contest here on Inkshares for fantasy writers, and the site is inundated with new authors. Digging through all the new content has been overwhelming, and there’s so much good stuff that’s getting buried under the chaos. Here are a few that caught my eye.
Big Bad Beautiful by Daniel Garvin - She is a monster enslaved, the Wolf. He is her reluctant handler, the Red. Together they are the protectors of their leader, their savior, their tyrant, Grandmother. This is their pilgrimage.
The Living God by Kaytalin Platt - When Saran’s magic is stolen, she must confront a life without the ability to manipulate time, struggle to see a rebellion finished, and keep Keleir from falling ever closer to becoming The Living God.
The Delicate Art of Soulripping by Sara Polk - When you die your soul doesn’t just leave your body. There’s a process: ripping, reaping, replacing.
The Hunter Saga by H.A. Paaso - A seer in ancient Greece has a dream of monsters wiping out humans. With the help of divinities and mythical beasts, will our heroes save the future of humanity? History, magic, legend, comedy and tragedy, all will be included in this epic adventure.
Crowdfunding is hard, and the ONLY time it’s fun is when things start falling into place and you see all your hard work paying off. So if you have a few extra Alexander Hamilton’s hanging around, throw one or two at one or two, or all four of these projects. These are people’s dreams you’re supporting. Support independent artists because these are the true gems of the world. These are the people with jobs, families, priorities and still manage to put 20-40 hours a week into their dream.
