I've seen the cover art for the three Inquisitives novels that precede mine. They're amazing. I have to assume my book will feature the same artists work. Michael Komarck. Some of the best I've seen.
The cover seen here of Paul Crilley's Night of the Long Shadows is only a mock-up. In any case, sample chapters are now available for these first two books. Check 'em out!
Today is my big brother's birthday, who was ushered into this world 2 years and 10 months before I was. I would like to extend my appreciation for his preposterous existence on this planet, despite his discommodious shenanigans, with the following haiku:
John is my brother
He once put gum in my hair
Why do I like him?
Happy Birthday, Big Brother!
The Writing page has been added over there on the left. Someday soon images will accompany its content.
Note: Although it is John's Birthday, it is most certainly not John's Birthday (Observed).
My Keith Parkinson Calendar tells me that tomorrow is the Vernal Equinox. Very well, Spring. If you must come so soon, at least pay your respects to Winter by not heating things up too quickly, eh? As it was, over the weekend I tried unsuccessfully to unearth my car from the snow-turned-ice. Winter is a tenacious bastard.
By the way, for those of you who grew up loving Keith Parkinson's art, you really should get the 2007 calendar (it being the last one they're making). Check it out here. His wife handles his website; she's a nice lady.
So let's see, what's new...
Until we get the post functionality on this site working, please use Ashlock to leave comments, if any.
Even though I've been contracted to write a novel that should see print sometime in 2008, I'm still intimidated when I walk into the science-fiction & fantasy section of bookstores. The hundreds——thousands——of existing titles and well established authors feels pretty hard to contend with.
I'd love to know the percentage of how many of those titles include the word "dragon" or how many feature elves. It would be a bit...much. Dragons are a staple of the genre and elves are certainly an overpopularized race in the RPG subgenre of fantasy. I'm a big fan of both, despite the hoopla, but writing an original story about dragons or elves (or both) is daunting against such masses. Such popularity also breeds spiteful dislike: Anyone who frequents game or fantasy fiction message boards will inevitably find Elves Suck threads. Strangely, or perhaps gladly, few people dislike dragons. But it still isn't easy to get anyone particularly interested in a new dragon story. "What!? A new book is coming out about people riding dragons in a land of magic? Woo-hoo! Where can I pick that groundbreaker up???"
My novel doesn't feature any dragons. But there is an elf cast in a relatively minor role. For all the obsession and counter-obsession of this pointy-eared folk in the genre, I'm still delighted to offer my depiction into the collective mythos of elves. Sure, mine exists in an established, shared world setting, but pick up any Eberron book and you'll still get a different flavor on them. Oh yes, and my chief protagonist is half-elven. But he's no Tanis and he's certainly no Elrond.
Don't get me wrong, though. Dragons and elves have been depicted wonderfully before. I highly recommend some of the Dragonlance trilogies, as well as Richard Lee Byers's Forgotten Realms trilogy The Year of Rogue Dragons. And, let's face it, Tolkien's Smaug is still the best intro to dragons!
Novel Update: 68.5k out of 90k.
Welcome to the revamped incarnation of Ashlock.org! For the last few years, this website has done little more than the house some files and D&D game information——pretty boring and not very useful for most visitors. I've wanted it to become much more than that for a long time, and at last it is.
Ashlock.org has been reanimated mostly by the hand of Josh Wentz, an old friend, graphic designer, webwright, musician, and uncontested Lord of Sidedown. He designed this website's whole new look. And, I understand that a man named Pete Akins had a thing or two (or ten) to do with it. Thanks go to both of them.
So...what will Ashlock.org be?
A place where I can post news, muse virtually, promote my own projects and my friends' projects, and generally serve as a nexus of online communication. Yeah, it's my website so it's definitely biased, but in time I hope to keep expanding this thing beyond me. My vision for it is very loose at the present time. Things you can be assured of:
I will not take this website too seriously. Sure, it will serve as a variant weblog, but it's presently for fun and reference. The best things in this world are humorous.
I hope to put up articles, link lots of stuff, and enjoy a Web presence I've never had before. Previously, Ashland was my weblog; beyond that, I existed online only by posting on message boards and commenting on other weblogs.
So. Welcome, and thanks for coming! I hope you’ll stay a while. Refreshments will be served over there against the wall.
By the Way:
