It's getting closer...
Soon, now. Soon. Basically, I don't have a solid release date for the same reason that I haven't posted a blog update in two weeks: because I've been working as hard as I can. In the next few days, I'll know whether Of Sea and Shadow and its twin will be released this month or next month. But either way, it's coming in a few weeks. Gird thy loins.
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I've spent this whole week writing, so I wasn't sure what to say today. In the end, I decided to give you a glimpse at a page I wrote this week.
This is a flashback scene from the middle of Of Sea and Shadow, and it involves Calder meeting with his mother (Alsa), who is an influential member of the Blackwatch Guild. I haven't edited this at all; it's a screenshot straight from the OSAS file, and this scene is in its first draft. It's also very small, because I'm lazy, so grab your reading glasses for your old lady eyes. Then hit the jump! I know none of you trust me, so it will come as no surprise when you hear that I've been lying to you for months.
You see, I've told you all that I'm working on a new novel entitled Of Sea and Shadow, the first in a new trilogy. That's not...entirely accurate. I've been working on two new novels. One, as I've said, is titled Of Sea and Shadow. The other? Of Shadow and Sea. You may notice a resemblance. I'm trying a new approach this time, one that I've never seen another author attempt: I'm writing two trilogies, set in the same world, in parallel. Each book will be roughly as long as The Crimson Vault, if that gives you some perspective, and will be released at the same time. Of Sea and Shadow follows Calder, a member of the Navigator's Guild and captain of his own ship, as he carries a mysterious passenger to an Elder-haunted island in search of a mystical artifact. Of Shadow and Sea follows Shera, an assassin in the employ of the Consultant's Guild, as she works to stop her target (a certain mysterious passenger) from finding the mystical artifact that would allow him to become the new Emperor. I'm calling this structure "a parallel trilogy," because the books will come out two at a time until the series is complete. I may change that terminology between now and the books' release, though. I change my mind a lot. You can read whichever one of the two books appeals to you, or you can read both (for the most complete picture), but you don't have to. If you only like one character, just read that one. If you don't like Calder, try Shera. Or, if you find that the world intrigues you, read both! For those of you who do choose to read both books, you'll find it's like reading one book that's double the length of a Traveler's Gate book. Meaning that, when the series is complete, it will be twice the number of words as the Traveler's Gate Trilogy. But it won't take twice as long to release, because I am as merciful as I am wise. I know I'll get questions about this, so let me try to head them off now: Calder is working against Shera, and Shera is working against Calder. As a result, they do clash at several points in the book. So, in those scenes, you'll see the same fight from two different perspectives (which might change your view pretty drastically). In the rest of the scenes...well, Shera knows some things that Calder doesn't. And Calder has some goals that Shera isn't aware of. If you're worried that the books will be too similar...well, I can't spoil anything. But stop worrying. As usual, I can't guarantee a release date. But I can tell you that Santa Claus really wants to read this book. And he doesn't come to town that often. -Will The Witnesses:
I am proud to count myself among the honorable Guild of Witnesses, the final entry on this written tour of Imperial history. Witnesses are the official record-keepers of the Empire, having chronicled the entirety of the Empire’s history since our inception. We also observe momentous events, record battles, produce educational reading materials for the general public, and notarize official documents. As Sadesthenes once said, “The Witnesses are the grease that allow the wheels of Empire to turn.” Generally speaking, Witnesses travel in pairs: As a Chronicler, I am a Reader with the ability to store my memories inside a special alchemically created candle. I burn the candle while I write, and as the memories flow out, I can record my thoughts without any margin of error even years after the events I have witnessed. Always, I am accompanied by my Silent One, a trained warrior and my bodyguard. Silent Ones bind their mouths to symbolize their inability to betray secret or sensitive events, but contrary to popular belief, we do not remove their tongues. We’re not barbarians. They are capable of speech, they are simply discouraged from doing so in the presence of outsiders. Guild Head: The Heads of my own Guild are the twin sisters Azea and Calazan Farstrider, natives of exotic Izyria. Though they are young, having risen to prominence after the Emperor’s untimely demise, I have never met anyone so dedicated to accuracy and neutrality. Azea works as a Chronicler, and Calazan as her attendant Silent One, though I can personally confirm that either sister can perform either role. Azea is a remarkable fighter in her own right, and Calazan a skilled Reader and clerk. Symbol: the Quill and Candle The Navigators:
When I call the Navigators a Guild, I use the term loosely. Navigators are the only sailors who can cross the deadly, shifting ocean at the heart of our Empire: the Aion Sea. We therefore rely on them for communication, trade, exploration, and transport between the eastern continent of Aurelia and the western continent, Izyria. It’s too bad that they’re the most shifty and unreliable collection of pirates, confidence artists, mercenaries, and outright criminals the Empire has ever seen. No one knows how they cross the Aion, with its hundreds of deadly Kameira, its disappearing islands, its unpredictable weather, and its host of lurking Elders, but anyone else who sails far enough out into the ocean either vanishes or returns insane. The best way to recognize a real Navigator from a faker is to ask to see their Guild license, which is unmistakable and cannot be reproduced. Unfortunately, that only tells you which sailor is truly able to cross the Aion: not whether he can be trusted. Guild Head: Captain Cheska Bennett is one of the few reliable Navigators left in this world. She owns and commands The Eternal, a most striking ship with billowing red sails and a wake that trails flame. She commands truly shocking prices for her services, but if you hire her, you can be certain that every splinter of your cargo will remain secure between one continent and the other. Symbol: the Navigator’s Wheel (a ship’s wheel with a single eye at the center) |
The Knight Progress:
Third Life Last Written: "I couldn't leave it all to the power of friendship." Amount Complete: Friendship% Archives
June 2024
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