Tuesday, April 27, 2010
ABNA Semi-Finals
Well the Semi-Final lists are up for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award but my YA book The Jericho Effect is no longer in the running. I'm a little disappointed but I think with some more editing I can eventually sell The Jericho Effect to a publisher or agent. Guess it's time to get back to work. I'm not going to give up on it, it's a great story after all. At least through the contest I got a little publicity, a few good reader reviews and a Publisher's Weekly review. Amazon also informed me that all Quarterfinalist excerpts will be available as free Kindle downloads until the end of June.
Monday, April 12, 2010
April Writing News Update
Just wanted to let everyone know, my artist and I revised the cover of A Time of Training a little bit. Click the e-store link on the left side of the blog or the one on the Facebook fan group to see the slight changes. Personally, I think it looks better than ever.
Also, my YA book the Jericho Effect is still in the Quarterfinals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. If you haven't already, feel free to check it out and download the excerpt.
Also, my YA book the Jericho Effect is still in the Quarterfinals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. If you haven't already, feel free to check it out and download the excerpt.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Silver Sword Saga: Unworthy
This story is another piece from the Silver Sword Saga continued from Forging which I posted here a few weeks ago.
The Silver Sword's Unworthy Wielder:
Let the praise of God be on their lips and a two-edged sword in their hand, to deal out vengeance to the nations and punishment on all the peoples.
Psalm 149: 6-7
Great wailing songs rang across the Emerald Mountains, echoing back from their rocky peaks. The elderly chieftain of the Rovin people had died leaving his fiery son Silvanus to lead the clan. Silvanus commanded that the clan observe three days of mourning in honor of their dead leader. The funeral ceremony came to an end as a few members of the clan placed small gifts on the burial mound and recited a prayer that the Lord of Light would take the soul of the chieftain to His kingdom. As the sun dipped behind the peaks, casting the mountainside into shadow, the Rovin people returned to their huts where stories of the old chieftain would be told late into the night.
Silvanus returned to the large hut of the chieftain. There he wrapped himself in furs and sat up late welcoming the members of the clan who came to offer condolences for the death of his father and assure him of their family's loyalty to him. As one such group of well-wishers moved exited the hut, Silvanus noticed the dwarf Balamus standing in the shadows near the door.
"Ah, my old friend. I suppose you've come to offer sypathy from the dwarves," said Silvanous rubbing a hand over his tired eyes.
“And to tell say that I believe he left the clan in good hands,” Balamus replied stepping forward and placing a large cloth wrapped bundle on the ground near Silvanus’ feet. “You have the strength of the mountains and you have always been open to learning the secrets of metal. I have no doubt that you will lead your people to great things. I have brought you a gift to help you lead and protect your people.” He gestured at the bundle before walking to the door of the hut. Over his shoulder he called, “Use it wisely. Its purpose is protection and justice. May the Lord of Light bless you and your clan.”
Curious, Silvanus leaded forward, picked up the bundle and pulled away the cloth. Resting on the roughly woven cloth lay a gleaming yet simple looking broadsword. Silvanus grasped the hilt and stood, leaving sword’s wrappings on the floor of the hut. He swung the Silver Sword through the air experimentally. A sudden flow of energy sang through his body radiating from the sword. Feeling exhilarated by this sudden rush of power, Silvanus grasped the sword in both hands and brought it down on a metal pitcher resting on a nearby table. As the blade struck it the pitcher split in half, the pieces clattering to the floor as the Silver Sword buried itself in the wood of the table. With an effort, Silvanus pulled the sword out of the table and examined it with gleaming blue eyes. The dwarves had given the Rovin people many gifts in the time the clan had spent with them but this gift topped them all. This sword would make the Rovin clan invincible.
***
About a month later the dwarves watched from perches on the jagged rocks of the peaks as the Rovin people broke camp and wound their way down thin paths towards the yellowish green plains far below the mountains. Once the period of mourning for his father passed, Silvanus had announced his intention to move the clan back to the plains where they had come from three years ago.
“Our time spent with the dwarves has been time well spent but it is time that we returned to the lands of humans,” said Silvanus. “Thanks to the dwarves we know how to make weapons and armor of metal so we do not need to fear other clans. We are brave, fierce warriors and the plains are our lands. Let us take our place in them.”
Preparations for the move to the plains had begun immediately but Silvanus would not allow the clan to leave the mountains until everyone of his warriors was equipped with weapons and armor of hard metals. Once all was ready Silvanus led his people out of the Emeralds with the Silver Sword hanging from a sheath on his belt.
As warriors bringing up the end of the procession rounded a jutting tower of stone, a group of about five dwarves approached Balamus. The old dwarf stood apart from his comrades staring after the vanishing figures of the humans.
“We saw what the young chieftain was carrying,” snapped the lead dwarf, without preamble. “How dare you give him the blest silver without speaking to us about it first?”
Balamus bent his neck and hunched up his shoulders as though to protect himself from a cold wind.
“The Lord of Light brought these humans to us so we could teach and protect them,” Balamus said at last. “I thought it would be only right to give them a chance to protect and care for themselves. I think the blest metal was meant to go to humans.”
“Even if that is true I think you picked the wrong human to trust with that sword,” said the spokes-dwarf. The other dwarves scowled at Balamus making it clear they agreed. “All that boy wants is to bring down every clan who has ever attacked his people! He made that clear by the way he fitted out all his warriors.”
“Silvanus is strong and clever,” Balamus replied. “He will make a great leader to his people and wield the sword well for their sake, you will see.”
“I certainly hope you’re right,” the spokes-dwarf sighed. “Because if you’re wrong I fear all Irowasa will pay for your mistake.”
***
The deadly Rovin warriors swept across the plains shining like stars fallen on the face of the earth. They were like an unstoppable wall of fire, scorching everything in their way. They burned a path through the plains, leaving rival warriors dead in their wake and taking the unprotected clans prisoner. In all the camps on the plains frightening stories were told of the shining warriors. Their leader, it was said, carried a sword as white as the moon which could fell the mightiest warrior with a single touch. Even when enemies of the Rovin clan discovered the secrets of metal armor and spread the knowledge to the other clans no weapon was a match for the Silver Sword.
My warriors are the most feared on all Irowasa and I intend to keep it that way, thought Silvanus as he stared at the bruised woman bound and kneeling before him.Strands of dirty brown hair hung over her face. She from a darker plains clan, Silvanus mused.
Out loud he said, “So you’re the rogue who told my enemies the secrets of metal. I must say I was very displeased when I learned that other clans had weapons to match those of my own warriors. I’ll admit I never expected a woman from a captured clan to attempt to be my undoing. I shall have to watch my prisoners more carefully.”
The woman spit at his foot in response earning her a slap from one of the warriors standing guard.Silvanus drew his sword and took a step closer to her.
“No weapon is a match for the Silver Sword,” he told her. “I still have the upper hand.”
He nodded to one of his warriors who stepped forward to hold the woman in place. Silvanus lowered the sword toward her neck. The woman’s nostrils flared and she stiffened but made no effort to struggle.
“In the end all the people of the plains will subject themselves to the Rovin clan or be killed,” he added when the blade was an inch from her skin.
Without warning the Silver Sword shot backward, clipping Silvanus’ right cheek. Silvanus cursed and pressed his left hand to his face.
Seeing his warriors staring at him in surprise he ordered, “Kill the filthy spy!”
As his men moved to obey his order he lifted the Silver Sword and regarded it. The sword was getting stronger and it no longer seemed to want to answer to him. That worried him.
***
“Have you heard of the latest atrocities committed by your precious chieftain?” asked an angry looking red faced dwarf.
Balamus took a deep breath and let it out very slowly.
“What do you want me to say?” he asked in a weary voice. “You were right. I made a terrible mistake.”
“Well at least you admit it,” snorted the other dwarf. “I was half afraid you’d try to defend his evil actions.”
Balamus shuddered. He had never guessed Silvanus could be so ruthless but the news brought by fairies and dragons flying over the plains left no room for doubt.
“We want you to fix this mess,” said the other dwarf. “After all, you’re the one who started it. Now it’s up to you to end it.”
That was how Balamus ended up at the edge of the camp of the Rovin people one moonless spring night.He crouched low to the ground as he slipped past the pacing figures of the guards patrolling the edge of the campsite. Once Balamus tripped on a patch of loose gravel causing a nearby warrior to pause and cock his head, listening. Balamus froze and held his breath. After a few long seconds the warrior decided the noise must have come from an animal and went back to his patrol. Balamus resumed breathing as he crawled deeper into the camp.
At last he reached Silvanus’ tent which lay in the center of the camp. Seeing yet another guard standing at the entrance, Balamus slipped around the side of the tent, drew a knife and cut through the tough fabric. He smiled at how easily the knife tore through the cloth. The dwarves hadn’t taught the humans all their secrets. Dwarf knives were still much sharper than any the humans carried. Balamus slid through the hole, into the interior of Silvanus’ private areas and immediately saw the Silver Sword lying in its sheath beside Silvanus’ sleeping form.
With his heart beating fast the dwarf reached out and grasped the sword, sliding it under his cloak. He glanced at Silvanus but the chieftain remained fast asleep. Perhaps the other dwarves would want him to kill Silvanus, but Balamus knew he could never do it. Deep down he was sure that the loss of the Silver Sword would be a harder blow for the Rovin people than even the death of Silvanus would be.
Moving like a shadow, Balamus exited the tent and stole toward the edge of camp. Just as Balamus moved onto the open plains an angry wail rang out behind him followed by Silvanus’ voice crying, “A thief has been here. Find him and bring him to me!”
I’m sorry my old friend, Balamus thought. He ran southwest as Rovin warriors thundered after him on horseback.
***
A few days later Balamus found himself standing beneath the deep green canopy of the forest the fairies had claimed as their kingdom. There he related the tale of the Silver Sword to the fairy queen, a tall woman with white-blond hair, large gauzy wings and intense blue eyes.
“I think it would be best if you kept the sword for now, just until you find a human worthy to wield it,” Balamus concluded.
“Why me?” asked the fairy queen. “Why not have your own people keep it?”
“You are much wiser than I and I have already made the mistake of giving it to the wrong person once,” Balamus explained. “I wouldn’t want to risk it happening again. Besides, your people are the guardians of all Irowasa, it seems only right that you should guard its most powerful weapon as well.”
The fairy queen nodded and held out her hands to take the sword. Balamus smiled in relief as he handed it over.
***
The Rovin people became rulers of the north-eastern plains of Irowasa, an area which was later named Rovinien in honor of the ruling clan. They were, however, unable to take control of the sea coast from the clans living there. Eventually a great city was built in Rovinien which became its capital. The city was named Silivar and there is a legend that it was so named in honor of a magical sword whose existence is still in question.
The fairies, meanwhile, kept the Silver Sword hidden in the heart of their forest kingdom waiting for a time when a worthy hero would arise to claim it.
Silver Sword Saga continued in Swan Warrior Part 1.
The Silver Sword's Unworthy Wielder:
Let the praise of God be on their lips and a two-edged sword in their hand, to deal out vengeance to the nations and punishment on all the peoples.
Psalm 149: 6-7
Great wailing songs rang across the Emerald Mountains, echoing back from their rocky peaks. The elderly chieftain of the Rovin people had died leaving his fiery son Silvanus to lead the clan. Silvanus commanded that the clan observe three days of mourning in honor of their dead leader. The funeral ceremony came to an end as a few members of the clan placed small gifts on the burial mound and recited a prayer that the Lord of Light would take the soul of the chieftain to His kingdom. As the sun dipped behind the peaks, casting the mountainside into shadow, the Rovin people returned to their huts where stories of the old chieftain would be told late into the night.
Silvanus returned to the large hut of the chieftain. There he wrapped himself in furs and sat up late welcoming the members of the clan who came to offer condolences for the death of his father and assure him of their family's loyalty to him. As one such group of well-wishers moved exited the hut, Silvanus noticed the dwarf Balamus standing in the shadows near the door.
"Ah, my old friend. I suppose you've come to offer sypathy from the dwarves," said Silvanous rubbing a hand over his tired eyes.
“And to tell say that I believe he left the clan in good hands,” Balamus replied stepping forward and placing a large cloth wrapped bundle on the ground near Silvanus’ feet. “You have the strength of the mountains and you have always been open to learning the secrets of metal. I have no doubt that you will lead your people to great things. I have brought you a gift to help you lead and protect your people.” He gestured at the bundle before walking to the door of the hut. Over his shoulder he called, “Use it wisely. Its purpose is protection and justice. May the Lord of Light bless you and your clan.”
Curious, Silvanus leaded forward, picked up the bundle and pulled away the cloth. Resting on the roughly woven cloth lay a gleaming yet simple looking broadsword. Silvanus grasped the hilt and stood, leaving sword’s wrappings on the floor of the hut. He swung the Silver Sword through the air experimentally. A sudden flow of energy sang through his body radiating from the sword. Feeling exhilarated by this sudden rush of power, Silvanus grasped the sword in both hands and brought it down on a metal pitcher resting on a nearby table. As the blade struck it the pitcher split in half, the pieces clattering to the floor as the Silver Sword buried itself in the wood of the table. With an effort, Silvanus pulled the sword out of the table and examined it with gleaming blue eyes. The dwarves had given the Rovin people many gifts in the time the clan had spent with them but this gift topped them all. This sword would make the Rovin clan invincible.
***
About a month later the dwarves watched from perches on the jagged rocks of the peaks as the Rovin people broke camp and wound their way down thin paths towards the yellowish green plains far below the mountains. Once the period of mourning for his father passed, Silvanus had announced his intention to move the clan back to the plains where they had come from three years ago.
“Our time spent with the dwarves has been time well spent but it is time that we returned to the lands of humans,” said Silvanus. “Thanks to the dwarves we know how to make weapons and armor of metal so we do not need to fear other clans. We are brave, fierce warriors and the plains are our lands. Let us take our place in them.”
Preparations for the move to the plains had begun immediately but Silvanus would not allow the clan to leave the mountains until everyone of his warriors was equipped with weapons and armor of hard metals. Once all was ready Silvanus led his people out of the Emeralds with the Silver Sword hanging from a sheath on his belt.
As warriors bringing up the end of the procession rounded a jutting tower of stone, a group of about five dwarves approached Balamus. The old dwarf stood apart from his comrades staring after the vanishing figures of the humans.
“We saw what the young chieftain was carrying,” snapped the lead dwarf, without preamble. “How dare you give him the blest silver without speaking to us about it first?”
Balamus bent his neck and hunched up his shoulders as though to protect himself from a cold wind.
“The Lord of Light brought these humans to us so we could teach and protect them,” Balamus said at last. “I thought it would be only right to give them a chance to protect and care for themselves. I think the blest metal was meant to go to humans.”
“Even if that is true I think you picked the wrong human to trust with that sword,” said the spokes-dwarf. The other dwarves scowled at Balamus making it clear they agreed. “All that boy wants is to bring down every clan who has ever attacked his people! He made that clear by the way he fitted out all his warriors.”
“Silvanus is strong and clever,” Balamus replied. “He will make a great leader to his people and wield the sword well for their sake, you will see.”
“I certainly hope you’re right,” the spokes-dwarf sighed. “Because if you’re wrong I fear all Irowasa will pay for your mistake.”
***
The deadly Rovin warriors swept across the plains shining like stars fallen on the face of the earth. They were like an unstoppable wall of fire, scorching everything in their way. They burned a path through the plains, leaving rival warriors dead in their wake and taking the unprotected clans prisoner. In all the camps on the plains frightening stories were told of the shining warriors. Their leader, it was said, carried a sword as white as the moon which could fell the mightiest warrior with a single touch. Even when enemies of the Rovin clan discovered the secrets of metal armor and spread the knowledge to the other clans no weapon was a match for the Silver Sword.
My warriors are the most feared on all Irowasa and I intend to keep it that way, thought Silvanus as he stared at the bruised woman bound and kneeling before him.Strands of dirty brown hair hung over her face. She from a darker plains clan, Silvanus mused.
Out loud he said, “So you’re the rogue who told my enemies the secrets of metal. I must say I was very displeased when I learned that other clans had weapons to match those of my own warriors. I’ll admit I never expected a woman from a captured clan to attempt to be my undoing. I shall have to watch my prisoners more carefully.”
The woman spit at his foot in response earning her a slap from one of the warriors standing guard.Silvanus drew his sword and took a step closer to her.
“No weapon is a match for the Silver Sword,” he told her. “I still have the upper hand.”
He nodded to one of his warriors who stepped forward to hold the woman in place. Silvanus lowered the sword toward her neck. The woman’s nostrils flared and she stiffened but made no effort to struggle.
“In the end all the people of the plains will subject themselves to the Rovin clan or be killed,” he added when the blade was an inch from her skin.
Without warning the Silver Sword shot backward, clipping Silvanus’ right cheek. Silvanus cursed and pressed his left hand to his face.
Seeing his warriors staring at him in surprise he ordered, “Kill the filthy spy!”
As his men moved to obey his order he lifted the Silver Sword and regarded it. The sword was getting stronger and it no longer seemed to want to answer to him. That worried him.
***
“Have you heard of the latest atrocities committed by your precious chieftain?” asked an angry looking red faced dwarf.
Balamus took a deep breath and let it out very slowly.
“What do you want me to say?” he asked in a weary voice. “You were right. I made a terrible mistake.”
“Well at least you admit it,” snorted the other dwarf. “I was half afraid you’d try to defend his evil actions.”
Balamus shuddered. He had never guessed Silvanus could be so ruthless but the news brought by fairies and dragons flying over the plains left no room for doubt.
“We want you to fix this mess,” said the other dwarf. “After all, you’re the one who started it. Now it’s up to you to end it.”
That was how Balamus ended up at the edge of the camp of the Rovin people one moonless spring night.He crouched low to the ground as he slipped past the pacing figures of the guards patrolling the edge of the campsite. Once Balamus tripped on a patch of loose gravel causing a nearby warrior to pause and cock his head, listening. Balamus froze and held his breath. After a few long seconds the warrior decided the noise must have come from an animal and went back to his patrol. Balamus resumed breathing as he crawled deeper into the camp.
At last he reached Silvanus’ tent which lay in the center of the camp. Seeing yet another guard standing at the entrance, Balamus slipped around the side of the tent, drew a knife and cut through the tough fabric. He smiled at how easily the knife tore through the cloth. The dwarves hadn’t taught the humans all their secrets. Dwarf knives were still much sharper than any the humans carried. Balamus slid through the hole, into the interior of Silvanus’ private areas and immediately saw the Silver Sword lying in its sheath beside Silvanus’ sleeping form.
With his heart beating fast the dwarf reached out and grasped the sword, sliding it under his cloak. He glanced at Silvanus but the chieftain remained fast asleep. Perhaps the other dwarves would want him to kill Silvanus, but Balamus knew he could never do it. Deep down he was sure that the loss of the Silver Sword would be a harder blow for the Rovin people than even the death of Silvanus would be.
Moving like a shadow, Balamus exited the tent and stole toward the edge of camp. Just as Balamus moved onto the open plains an angry wail rang out behind him followed by Silvanus’ voice crying, “A thief has been here. Find him and bring him to me!”
I’m sorry my old friend, Balamus thought. He ran southwest as Rovin warriors thundered after him on horseback.
***
A few days later Balamus found himself standing beneath the deep green canopy of the forest the fairies had claimed as their kingdom. There he related the tale of the Silver Sword to the fairy queen, a tall woman with white-blond hair, large gauzy wings and intense blue eyes.
“I think it would be best if you kept the sword for now, just until you find a human worthy to wield it,” Balamus concluded.
“Why me?” asked the fairy queen. “Why not have your own people keep it?”
“You are much wiser than I and I have already made the mistake of giving it to the wrong person once,” Balamus explained. “I wouldn’t want to risk it happening again. Besides, your people are the guardians of all Irowasa, it seems only right that you should guard its most powerful weapon as well.”
The fairy queen nodded and held out her hands to take the sword. Balamus smiled in relief as he handed it over.
***
The Rovin people became rulers of the north-eastern plains of Irowasa, an area which was later named Rovinien in honor of the ruling clan. They were, however, unable to take control of the sea coast from the clans living there. Eventually a great city was built in Rovinien which became its capital. The city was named Silivar and there is a legend that it was so named in honor of a magical sword whose existence is still in question.
The fairies, meanwhile, kept the Silver Sword hidden in the heart of their forest kingdom waiting for a time when a worthy hero would arise to claim it.
Silver Sword Saga continued in Swan Warrior Part 1.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
ABNA Quarterfinals
Well, my first YA novel, THE JERICHO EFFECT, made it into the Quarterfinals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award! To read my first couple chapters, click on the title of the book above to download them from Amazon. You may have to download Kindle software to read the excerpt because of some changes made for this year's contest. You can go to the contest website for more information. My goal for this contest was to make it at least as far as the Quarterfinals where I can now get some reader feedback. Also my entire manuscript will be reviewed by Publisher's Weekly! It's all very exciting.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Silver Sword Saga: Forging
In between ABNA announcements I've decided to post bits of stories from Irowasa's history. I'm going to start with a narrative I've been developing for a while now but never done much with. It is called the Silver Sword Saga and centers around a magical sword which is connected with Irowasa's history.
Forging
Let the praise of God be on their lips and a two-edged sword in their hand, to deal out vengeance to the nations and punishment on all the peoples.
Psalm 149: 6-7
The silver-white light of the moon shone down on the rocky slopes of the mountains, revealing the treasure the dwarves sought. It was there before them just as they had hoped, an ore of silver blessed by the Lord of Light Himself. The dwarves grinned and slapped each other on the back as they took out their tools. They set to work extracting some of the blessed metal from the rocks encasing it.
As they completed their task a wise old dwarf called Balamus said, "We must tell no one else of the existence of this vein lest they try to bend the blessed power of this metal to their own purposes. What we have taken this night we will save until we know the true purpose the Lord of Light has given it to us."
The others agreed. They carried the silver back to their city carved from the rock of the Emerald Mountains. There they hid it for some time.
Several days later Balamus walked through a human camp just outside the dwarf city. Three years earlier a group of humans known as the Rovin Clan had taken shelter in the mountains after fleeing an enemy clan. The needs of the Rovin people were so great that the dwarves took them under their wing offering them food and shelter and eventurally teaching them to mine and work metals.
Balamus discovered that the clan's old chieftain had fallen ill. The Rovin people were gloomy guessing that the chieftain had come to the end of his years. Balamus knew that when the chieftain died his fiery son, Silvanus would take his place as leader of the clan. Silvanus had often wandered the peaks with Balamus, always showing great interest in the mountains and their metals.
"The boy will make a fine leader of his people," Balamus said to himself. "I've always liked him. Perhaps the Lord of Light gave us the blessed metal for just such a time as this."
So thinking the dwarf took the blessed silver from its hiding place and brought it to a forge in the heart of a small volcano heated by its lava. There he worked for days, sweating over the forge, as he melted down the metal and worked it into a new shape in a great labor of love. When he was finished he examined the product of his hard work. The blessed metal now formed a human sized broadsword of pure silver. Balamus had given it a simple twisting pattern on the handle and cross guard. After much consideration decided it needed no other ornamentation. The blessing of the Lord of Light gave it its own almost magical qualities for the blade could never grow dull and this silver would never tarnish.
Balamus smiled for he knew that this weapon would be the most effective and deadly in all Irowasa. It would make the perfect protection for the Rovin people. Wrapping the sword in a cloth the dwarf stepped out of the forge and waited for the perfect opportunity to reveal his creation to its wielder.
Story continued in Unworthy.
Forging
Let the praise of God be on their lips and a two-edged sword in their hand, to deal out vengeance to the nations and punishment on all the peoples.
Psalm 149: 6-7
The silver-white light of the moon shone down on the rocky slopes of the mountains, revealing the treasure the dwarves sought. It was there before them just as they had hoped, an ore of silver blessed by the Lord of Light Himself. The dwarves grinned and slapped each other on the back as they took out their tools. They set to work extracting some of the blessed metal from the rocks encasing it.
As they completed their task a wise old dwarf called Balamus said, "We must tell no one else of the existence of this vein lest they try to bend the blessed power of this metal to their own purposes. What we have taken this night we will save until we know the true purpose the Lord of Light has given it to us."
The others agreed. They carried the silver back to their city carved from the rock of the Emerald Mountains. There they hid it for some time.
Several days later Balamus walked through a human camp just outside the dwarf city. Three years earlier a group of humans known as the Rovin Clan had taken shelter in the mountains after fleeing an enemy clan. The needs of the Rovin people were so great that the dwarves took them under their wing offering them food and shelter and eventurally teaching them to mine and work metals.
Balamus discovered that the clan's old chieftain had fallen ill. The Rovin people were gloomy guessing that the chieftain had come to the end of his years. Balamus knew that when the chieftain died his fiery son, Silvanus would take his place as leader of the clan. Silvanus had often wandered the peaks with Balamus, always showing great interest in the mountains and their metals.
"The boy will make a fine leader of his people," Balamus said to himself. "I've always liked him. Perhaps the Lord of Light gave us the blessed metal for just such a time as this."
So thinking the dwarf took the blessed silver from its hiding place and brought it to a forge in the heart of a small volcano heated by its lava. There he worked for days, sweating over the forge, as he melted down the metal and worked it into a new shape in a great labor of love. When he was finished he examined the product of his hard work. The blessed metal now formed a human sized broadsword of pure silver. Balamus had given it a simple twisting pattern on the handle and cross guard. After much consideration decided it needed no other ornamentation. The blessing of the Lord of Light gave it its own almost magical qualities for the blade could never grow dull and this silver would never tarnish.
Balamus smiled for he knew that this weapon would be the most effective and deadly in all Irowasa. It would make the perfect protection for the Rovin people. Wrapping the sword in a cloth the dwarf stepped out of the forge and waited for the perfect opportunity to reveal his creation to its wielder.
Story continued in Unworthy.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Exciting News!
I just found out that my first Young Adult novel, The Jericho Effect, made it to the second round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA). Today the judges posted lists of who made it to the second round of each category, General and YA fiction. To see the lists go to: www.amazon.com/abna. Second round contestants are listed in alphabetical order by last name. To see The Jericho Effect listed click the YA list and scroll down to Prudhomme.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Lilac Answers Your Questions
Rebekah: Hello again readers. Today I've brought back the flower fairy, Lilac, to answer a couple questions our readers had after her interview (see Lilac's Interview several posts down).
Wren asked: Lilac, other than being a messenger, don't you find that life as a fairy gets REALLY boring? Or, do fairies not get bored? Or, are your fairy parties just that much fun?
Lilac: Oh no! Life as a fairy is far from boring and it's not just because our parties are fun. The Lord of Light trusts us to keep the plants, animals and waterways in order. Our work brings about things as basic as the changing of the seasons. Maybe that sounds boring to you as a human but I'm always excited when a touch of my hand can turn leaves beautiful colors in fall, restore a wilted leaf or cause new growth. Sometimes even the little things can be exciting. As a fairy you feel yourself change with the seasons as well. Besides, my work brings beauty and life to the world. That makes everything we do worth the trouble.
Colette asked: Are all pixies like Reuben, or are some a little helpful?
Lilac: Well, of course some pixies are helpful. Even Reuben has his helpful moments. It's just that pixies in general tend to act like a bunch of naughty little kids! It seems like their favorite thing to do is make trouble.
Rebekah: Thanks for the questions readers! If you have anything to add or would like to ask Lilac any other questions please leave them in the comments.
Wren asked: Lilac, other than being a messenger, don't you find that life as a fairy gets REALLY boring? Or, do fairies not get bored? Or, are your fairy parties just that much fun?
Lilac: Oh no! Life as a fairy is far from boring and it's not just because our parties are fun. The Lord of Light trusts us to keep the plants, animals and waterways in order. Our work brings about things as basic as the changing of the seasons. Maybe that sounds boring to you as a human but I'm always excited when a touch of my hand can turn leaves beautiful colors in fall, restore a wilted leaf or cause new growth. Sometimes even the little things can be exciting. As a fairy you feel yourself change with the seasons as well. Besides, my work brings beauty and life to the world. That makes everything we do worth the trouble.
Colette asked: Are all pixies like Reuben, or are some a little helpful?
Lilac: Well, of course some pixies are helpful. Even Reuben has his helpful moments. It's just that pixies in general tend to act like a bunch of naughty little kids! It seems like their favorite thing to do is make trouble.
Rebekah: Thanks for the questions readers! If you have anything to add or would like to ask Lilac any other questions please leave them in the comments.
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