Ryan A Smith
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Candle in the Dark

11/16/2012

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Hey everyone!

First and foremost I wanted to touch base a bit and tell you all a bit of what's going on in my personal life.

I am now enrolled in college and am going for my BS in Psychology this coming Jan.

I am also going to be Volunteering at my local hospital in the Cancer Center. (I was previously enrolled in the dept. but was put on hold until my school schedule is figured out completely)

I have passed my written test and am taking my license test next week (so if you could cross your fingers for me it would be greatly appreciated!)

I am also working out at the gym every day in hopes of overcoming some of my physical problems and leading myself to a healthier state of being.

There are other accomplishments I have achieved although they are somewhat minor in comparison and were done to help transition to the aforementioned accomplishments.

I wanted to state these things for the fact that I have been on disability for about ten years now, that's ten years of sitting around knowing that I was capable for so much more. I just was always so afraid of trying to do something about it. But now, whether I succeed or fail, I know that I have tried and have already done so much more then I previously thought I could so yeah, feeling pretty good these days.

Now, for the writing update:

Faedlands (as I have stated earlier in blogs) is complete and I have been in contact with a publisher to see what can be done about it. So while I have been waiting I finally shifted my time back to NOCTURNE.

This has been an incredibly difficult task. I have gone through four separate conception phases and none of them have captured what I feel the story should be.

But I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't have an update now would I?

So as it stands, I have a draft concept that I plan on starting tonight. I am really excited about it as many of the things that (for me) made my original concept so great have returned.

The character of Cypher has been reintroduced into the story (Because come on, what would Nocturne be without his awesomeness?)

Lexia holds almost the same role as she has previously, although she herself will be a bit more distant to Azriel in this new incarnation.

The Archangel Michael, whom we only saw little glimpses of in the previous version will have a much bigger role this time around.

The biggest change however... Is that of Azriel himself.

My initial concept of him held him as the character that always wanted to do the right thing and yet never knew exactly what could be done.

This time around however... Azriel's memory is intact and with that comes the feelings of betrayal and anger. Azriel is coming from a very dark place and while he is still our main character, I would no longer consider him the hero of this story.

For those who remember the original script, the introduction of Azriel plays out similarly, however the taking of human lives, (Which originally was only done because of the "evil" in the man's heart) is now used as a way to attract demonic beings that wish to claim these souls. His value of human life at this point is bordering on non-existent.

I'm hoping to be able to share some more info soon but for now, back to writing!

Sorry for the delay in posts but I kind of have my hands full at the moment :)

Stay updated with the new posts by entering your email in the box provided and subscribing to be updated whenever a new post is added.

If you have any questions or comments about anything feel free to post them in the comments section below. I love hearing what
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Information Overload

8/26/2012

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Hey Everyone!

It's been awhile since my last update on here. Due to some personal occurances (Namely ones beginning with "Birth" and ending with "Day") my presence online has been a bit scarce.

But Now I'm back and have some news to share.

First and foremost, the first draft of FAEDLANDS is now complete!!!

Now I'm at a point in which I need to do re-writes, edit, format, and all that other fun stuff that has to do with "completing" a novel. Many times I have found myself wondering why it couldn't just be as simple as getting it done... But nonetheless, I'm back to work and have quite a bit to show for it.

Now for the real reason I'm writing this. (Other then to get back into the swing of things.)

As I have stated in earlier blogs, the more that I have written about this world the more it expands and grows in my mind. I have compiled many documents and notes scribbled all over the place as to the history of this world, the races that inhabit it and much more.

With all of this information the urge to find ways to shove alot of it in their really was hard to keep away from. I want all of the readers to know just how deep this history goes, I want you to know these characters and where they come from, I want you to know this world like I do.

However, and this is a given to most. Shoving that much lore into the plot of a book would REALLY take away from the focus of the plot. It would simply be an information overload without cause. And while each piece of lore is important in the overall, it's not really relevant to the story at hand. We're not delving into the creation of the world, in many ways we're not even at the point of exploring what had happened to bring the world into it's current state. I want to tell a story, many things will come in time in future books, and much of it will find it's time to shine.

So, What I want to do is get everything together, and write out a companion guide to the series.

Initially I had intended to wait until a few of the books were out to do this but with as much lore as I have I think I am at a point where I can put together a great introduction piece to the world without damaging future plot points.

My hopes in doing this (And releasing it free of charge) are that the readers will get a better understanding of this world and some of the places, races, and history not focused on within the first book. That way I can get feedback on specific events/people/storylines that people find interesting and use that to direct where the story should go from there.

I have no particular timeline at this point for the companions release but it should become available before the release of Vex's story.

What do you guys think of this idea?

-Ryan

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Nocturne: Those Left Behind

7/20/2012

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So it's been awhile since I've posted, Still dealing with some recurring medical issues that I hope to get resolved soon.

For an update I wanted to take a little time to talk about some further changes in Nocturne.

Starting this project over has been both hard and exciting. The fact that I've left behind a story that has floated around in my head since I was a teenager has been a hard transition but while the characters and backstories that I had made were truly great and meant alot to me the overall story was falling behind. Nothing was consistent and each chapter felt more episodic then a piece that flowed from one chapter to the next. I was at times literally writing new content as I went.

Fleshing out a new story before production has been much more satisfying, I have the intricate layout of events and threads that come and go until they tie themselves out towards the end. The new story is very fluid and powerful and I am eagerly awaiting the time when I will begin it in physical form.

While Nocturne is still in Pre-production I can't give many specifics about the new direction apart from what I have already posted in earlier blogs but I wanted to share something about it that has been one of the hardest parts of moving forward in terms of the new direction and that is in regards to the character Cypher.

For those of you whom read the original drafts that I had posted you already knew just how prominent and important Cypher was to the story. Neither good nor evil, Cypher was a creature that existed within the bounds of his own system of morality, even though conceptually it was his lack of any morality scale that made him unique. There was no bad, no good, only choice and consequence.

He was a character that I loved and sadly when it came down to it just didn't fit in with the new direction. He was specifically created to fill a role within Azriel's story, a role that no longer has a place.

I will say however, that if I choose to create a follow up to Nocturne, that I think Cypher may have a place within the confines of a new story, As is, the ending of Nocturne will end with the book, but will also give way for new directions, as hinted with the teaser, This is a story that begins with the end of the world and takes you through what happened to get us there.

I think there is quite the possibility of moving forward from there and exploring the ongoing fracture that occurs from the events of Nocturne, but even I don't know if that will come to pass.


Question of the day:


Do you remember Cypher? if so, What do you think about his continued story, or rather, what do you feel about him not being present in this new book?

Leave your thoughts in the section below.

Hope to post some more over the next few days to catch up a bit with everyone who has sent me messages.

Talk to you all soon!
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Mortality of a Vampyre

7/4/2012

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Happy 4th of July to those of you celebrating in the US!

I wanted to take some time to show you a new project I am beginning.

While not as big of a project as Faedlands or Nocturne are, I had an idea and I decided to share it with the world.

I've decided to do a stand alone novella.

As the name suggests, this story will indeed center around a vampire. I've always loved vampiric lore and I'm eager to put my own spin on this legendary creature while referencing the original folklore rather then newer incarnations of the Vampire.

As for details, The story's main themes are going to revolve around Death, Mortality, Humanity, and Reflection.

The story is told mostly in third person with some narrative given between chapters in the form of journal entries. The story spans a man's life, death, and rebirth as a vampire and deals with the idea that everything in this world is fated to pass away, including the immortal vampires.

We get to see a different take on the mindset of the vampire and ultimately what becomes of him with the progression of time. It's a great story and I'm happy to have been given the opportunity to write in while working on other projects.

I will be releasing this Novella FREE of charge in E-Book format sometime in the coming months hopefully.

In other news, work on the site has been slow due to several personal events. Medical issues I have been dealing with have left me unable to find time or focus to get what I need to get done completed and I would ask you to bear with me while I continue to deal with the issues and hopefully get back to work full time again with my writing soon.

I will continue to work on the site when I have the time and I thank you for your constant and continued support :)

Talk to you all soon!

-Ryan

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Updates 6/24/2012

6/24/2012

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Hey everyone! So I'm doing an overhaul on my site and updating it to better reflect my current projects.

Some of the changes I'm making include:

* I'm streamlining the navigation bar so that instead of having the drop down boxes the tabs will take you to a central subject page containing links to various features to be added.

* I will be adding a product page for future releases. This will be where you can see which books are currently available and give you the option to buy them once completed. By default, the site which offers the lowest marked price will be displayed. Depending on where my books/projects are featured (Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, etc.) the most prominent will take precedence. This is also subject to change in the event that I am offered a contract on a certain project in which a link to the publisher's site will be listed.

* I'm updating several of the pages including the "About the Author" and "Home" pages.

* With the new layout to come many of the projects are going to be getting many new features. Character Bios and backstory pages are hopefully the first of many new features that will be available for you to enjoy :)

* More to come as I continue to update things.

Again as always I want to thank everyone who has subscribed to this blog and continues to support me in my various projects both on site and off. My Twitter and FB followers have been so supportive and I am lucky to have met such wonderful people. I am hoping to dedicate a portion of this site to display the works of these wonderful individuals at some point.

If you have any feedback I would love to hear it! Feel free to leave a comment in the section below, subscribe to these blogs by entering your email in the subscription box provided in the the sidebar.

You all make this so wonderful and I couldn't do any of this without your support!

Thank you.

-Ryan


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Faedlands: A World of Expansion

6/12/2012

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Hey everyone! I wanted to write an update for you about what has been going on in the world of Faedlands.

As many of you know via Facebook and my last blog post, The official cover of Faedlands has been completed and I'm really happy with the way that it has turned out.

I wanted to talk a bit about what is to come for Faedlands and let everyone know that this book is just the start of a journey that I want to continue for as long as possible.

If you've read the draft of the first chapter of the story (If not you can do so by clicking HERE!) you may already have an idea of how the story is structured a bit. For those of you who are new here I'll give you an overview of the bigger picture:





Faedlands is set in a fantasy world that has been divided in two, half of the world being locked in an eternal summer's day while the other remains in perpetual winter's night.

This was not always the case though, as the world previously existed in a cycle (Spring and Summer making up the Summer court while Fall and Winter made up the Winter Court) Each "cycle" existed separately from one another.

The Fae are immortal in a sense, however they were bound by the cycle. Summer Fae could only exist during the Summer cycle, when winter came, their souls would return to the ether (Essence of the planet) to await rebirth with the coming of the next summer.

So in fact, two world existed separately, each with their own histories, cultures, races.

All of that ended when an event caused the collision of both cycles to exist at once, causing both sides to face each other for the first time.

The first book happens several centuries after this event. Memories of what life had been before as well as the actual cause of the division have since faded from memory. Yet their effects can still be felt.

In this we meet Vex, a young Fae born into the world without an elemental affinity of his own. Shunned by his own kind and treated as an outcast Vex has to learn how to live on his own and how to deal with those who do not want him around. This all comes to a head when the past and present collide as an army from the winter side (Whom haven't been heard from since the divide) attack his small village.

The events that come next will have a drastic change on Vex, who now has a choice. wielding new found power, will he succumb to the anger and pain within his heart and join with his new "Allies"? Fighting against the world that turned their backs on him or will he rise against those who set out to assimilate the world of light and take it in their name?

The result may surprise you.


This project (As I have said many times before) never ceases to astound me. The characters are so vivid in my mind and not a day goes by that i do not learn more about their world and those who live within it.

In this I should say most likely to no ones surprise that Faedlands will continue to grow and produce stories for as long as they keep calling to me.

So far, I have several stories that I am wanting to get out. Some of which will take place at the present time of the world while some will go back and show you ultimately what it was that caused the divide and how that will affect the future.

So far, Vex is obviously the first of these stories.

I am also working on gathering and taking down info on a few other characters that I want to display at some point in the future. Book 2 of Faedlands will most likely center around Tirys whom has quite a large backstory as is hinted at within the draft chapter posted up here. This story will take place before and during the Divide event.

After Tirys, it is likely that the next book could be the story of Fenris, a Werewolf whom works as an assassin for the acting Winter Court, tracking down a certain target that by sheer dumb luck hasn't somehow killed himself. This simple task is impeded by another assassin tasked with hunting down his prey.

Other characters that I would love to get out there include the Fox Maiden twins, Iferion (One of my personal favs) although his story will have to wait awhile since I would imagine it will come with a huge revelation about the nature of the Divide. The Ultimate Fate of Queen Titania would also be something that I'd like to explore a bit more of later as well.

I also plan on posting smaller novellas for the more minor characters of the world if they happen to really stick out to me.

I'm really excited about also writing lore about individual races and how different they all are in regards to their world view, customs and even how differently they react to the changing of seasons.

All in all, there's so much coming all the time and I really hope that you all will stick with me and enjoy the journey. I appreciate all of your support!

As always, you can subscribe to this blog by entering your email in the box provided to the upper right of this post. You can also follow me on twitter or facebook by clicking on the links at the top of the page. Feel free to post questions/comments in the section below and I am always happy to answer your questions.

If you'd like to do an interview with me I am always open for that. just send me an Email at writerrasmith@gmail

I hope to hear from you all soon!

-Ryan

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Unveiling: Faedlands Cover Art!

6/6/2012

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Hey everyone! For those of you who are already following my FB Page you most likely have already seen this but for those of you who haven't I would like to take this time to show you all the cover art that I have picked to be the cover of the first Faedlands book.

Origin:

I am one of those people that if I am wandering through a bookstore and a cover catches my eye I will walk over and pick up the book to read a bit.

I wanted a cover that would catch people's eye, yes, but I also wanted one that would display certain aspects of my story. I wanted it to fit the general feel and to give people a non-verbal connection to what the book might be about. So making a cover myself became very important for me.

At first I really didn't know what I wanted. After browsing various wallpapers and stock images online I somehow decided that I wanted a Tree as the focal point of the picture. I also decided that half of the picture should be bright and colorful while half of it remained in shadows. (Referencing the state of the world in the book)

I eventually found an interesting picture that held the qualities of what I wanted.

I emailed it to Patti Roberts, Author of the PARADOX series (Check it out HERE if you get the chance)

She sent me back a samples of text that could work as titles. While I liked the image I felt that the vector styled art wasn't going to fit the tone of the book since while bright and colorful, my book would thematically have some pretty dark scenes in it and a somewhat somber tone at times.

I tried to make my own image from scratch but due to not knowing much about photoshop at the time it didn't come out too well.

I eventually asked an artist friend of mine if she would like to take on the project.

Over coffee we discussed what I wanted from the picture and different styles to go with it.

Eventually, we decided to use the concept of a world tree from norse mythology but alter it in certain aspects. The central image would consist of a large tree with it's roots entangling the world. Half of the tree would be in full bloom while the other would be dead and have snow covering it's branches. (Another reference to the story)

After a few weeks the painting was done and she had it scanned digitally at a blueprint shop since normal photo places did not have copiers capable of scanning that large of an image.

Here is how the painting came out.


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At first I didn't honestly know what to do with it.

But I ended up putting it into photoshop and messed with it a bit. The fact that it was such a large file made it very easy for me to make adjustments to it and I found myself learning how to do alot that I wasn't able to figure out before.

And after making 7 different versions of the picture, I finally found the one that I liked the most. I added text to it and messed around a bit and here is what I came up with.

WARNING:

I didn't have the resized version of the file on this computer I'm posting from so the image may be obstructed or pixelated due to the size of the image.


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So?

What does everyone think of this as the cover?

I'd love to hear what you think of it so please let me know in the comments section below :)

Til Next Time! :)

-Ryan
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Faedlands Draft Excerpt: A World Divided

5/25/2012

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First and foremost a HUGE thank you as always to everyone who checks out these posts and has supported me in this project. The completion of this story means so much to me and I your wonderful feedback/comments make this all worthwhile and keep me going.

I wanted to post up something interesting today since I've been suffering from a severe lack of posting lately lol. So here's an excerpt featuring some of the background info of the world as featured in the story.

WARNING:

This is a draft copy and has been picked at to avoid some spoilers so not everything may fit together seamlessly in all ways. Please bear with this as it is not a full draft chapter but rather a post from the book with several key pieces added. This chapter has run a bit shorter then some of the previous ones which generally run around 5000 words, This one runs about 3000 currently in it's draft state and the included excerpt below runs about 1,700 words so it's a bit on the short side.

I hope that you'll find the excerpt interesting and it has been my mission these last few days to really fill in some backstory (Not that there was any shortage really) and add some additional depth before starting this chapter. It was a rough start trying to keep focused on keeping the story moving along while adding so much info. I didn't want to overwhelm the reader with a bunch of backstory so I found myself trying to strike a balance with it all. Keep the story moving along while giving you additional info.

So here is my Frankenstein/skeleton draft of the backstory chapter. I hope you enjoy!









A World Divided


        Vex took his first tentative steps into the schoolhouse. The smell of chalk and paper clung to the air as he walked closer towards the front of the room. Lierya looked up from grading the tests of the day and let out a small sigh to see Vex timidly approaching her.

“Vex, I know you are eager to find answers…” Her voice trailed off a bit and Vex felt his heart slump within his chest. “It’s okay Headmistress, I was only wondering.” He knew she could see right through him but he felt sorry for making her go through the trouble, especially since it seemed like something bad must have happened. “Are you okay?” He asked as he took a few steps forward, noticing the tears that began to well up in her eyes.

“Yes, thank you Vex.” She stood from her table as Tirys and Reia entered the room, light pouring in from the outside as they walked though quickly receding as the doors shut behind them. Tirys and Lierya exchanged glances for a moment, something Vex picked up on but remained silent. Lierya was warm and kind to everyone she came across, including Vex, whom the others mocked for not having an affinity. The headmistress however, went out of her way to give Vex private schooling, and never treated him like anything other than a regular Fae. Vex saw the look of suspicion on Lierya’s face as Tirys walked calmly towards the fire and took a seat. Reia spoke up to break the silence that had fallen upon the room.

“Did you happen to…?” Vex decided to answer for her. “No, but it’s okay, doesn’t really matter.” Lierya called them to sit with a gentle wave of her hand. Vex sat close to the fire, his mind still questioning as to why an answer was so far beyond him. As if able to sense his thoughts, the headmistress spoke directly to him. “The stone is an interesting marvel, it has the ability to store memories within it. But only memories of the one who owns their own stone can call upon such things and cannot see the memories of others.”

Vex understood now why the stone could not have given him the answers he sought and nodded softly. He saw Tirys shift slightly to reach into his tunic and glance at a small stone riveted with glowing marks upon its surface. Tirys noticed Vex and slid it back into his pocket and shrugged before looking back to the headmistress.

“Today is the last cycle of teaching I am going to be a part of, After communing with the stone I feel that now is a good time for me to begin my own journey, I have spoken with Reia and am leaving her in charge of this schoolhouse in my stead.” Vex felt a rush of disbelief at the declaration and deep inside of himself felt that he was the cause of her departure. “I feel that the timing is right and that the school will be left in good hands.” Reia nodded silently and stood up, walking over to the headmistress and wrapping her in a tight embrace.

“Thank you, but this cycle is not over and I have much to discuss with you all today.” Reia, holding back tears of her own smiled, nodded, and returned to her seat. Lierya smiled and closed her eyes, as if pulling up images within her mind to help her find the topics that she wanted to use. “Today I wanted to teach you a bit about our past, and just how different this world used to be.”


“ Long ago, this land was much bigger and we were united by a beautiful and loving queen. Also during this time our sun would set at the end of a cycle, falling beyond the earth while darkness covered our lands while we slept in our beds. To look up into the sky during these times one could see the lights of thousands of worlds far beyond our own, and to wish on one was said to grant you your wildest desires.”

Vex held back the urge to interrupt the headmistress with any useless questions the image that came to mind brought. He tried his hardest to image the sky, the worlds, and the darkness that fell upon the world but couldn’t.

“Cycles would come and go and the world moved on, seasons changed and with the coming of the winter months where the world would fall into a land of snow and ice, we would sleep, returning to the ether of the world, waiting until the spring came and our cycles continued.”

Vex raised his hand and when Lierya looked at him he couldn’t help but to ask. “What do you mean, Ether of the world?”

She thought for a moment before answering. “A substance we call ether runs through the very core of this planet, it gives life to everything and everyone that lives upon it. When it is our turn to rest, our souls return to the ether to await the coming of the changing season.  Now we know it as the place we return when we leave this world behind.“

Lierya looked towards Tirys who said nothing but seemed to know much of this already.

“But that is jumping ahead a bit now isn’t it? In any case our world was once a part of a great cycle that existed since the beginning of our planet itself.  Our Queen, Titania and her husband, Oberon, led our lands in peace and tranquility during the summer’s reign, when winter came and we returned to the ether it is said that Queen Mab would take her place upon the throne. I cannot personally tell you much about the queen other then what I have heard from stories but it is said that she was rarely seen in public but on rare occasions those who were lucky enough to meet her explained that she appeared draped in many robes and that her face remained hidden behind a copper mask that hid her features from the world.”

Tirys pulled himself to his feet and began to pace around the room. “The queen was a ruler of nothing! She was a monster that destroyed everything and everyone in her way!” Tirys shouted, his features contorted with anger and his eyes swimming through memories that no one in that room could even begin to imagine.

Lierya looked up towards him and spoke very calmly in an attempt to level his emotions out. “Spoken like a man with firsthand experience. I know only stories of her thus I would be interested in hearing what you have to say young man whose name I have not had the privilege.” Tirys stopped pacing and looked over to her, his body shaking and fists clenched. “My apologies for the outburst, but my story is not one worth sharing at this time.” He bowed his head slightly in a show of respect and returned to his seat.

Lierya watched him for a moment before continuing. “Perhaps to touch on what this young man has said, Peace as we knew it was only to last so long, Bonds began to strain and Titania was said to have sent Oberon on a quest to visit with the clans and arrange talks of peace but with winter coming soon the talks fell short as we prepared for a coming war.”

Tirys cocked his head to the side, obviously not aware of this portion of the story. Reia raised her hand up and proceeded to ask her question. “I’ve never heard of this war before now… Was this the cause of our current situation?”

Lierya smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “I wish I knew the answer to that myself honestly, It is said that the cause was from a flash of light in the night sky just weeks before the coming of winter and with it came vile monsters the like of which had never been seen before. Queen Titania drew her forces as the monsters began to attack the Elven clans and rushed to assist them against the beasts in an act of goodwill and mercy.”

She paused as if something had just struck her. Her lips grew tight and she closed her eyes in an attempt to stay focused. Then she spoke, the sound of her voice tinged with sadness and held back tears.

“M..My twin sister left to fight against those monsters. We were supposed to meet up before the last sun of summer had set behind the valley… But she never came back. And as winter enveloped me I kept hoping to see her face before my eyes closed to rest.”

Lierya coughed to clear her throat and stood abruptly. “When I came to, the world was changed. Half of it still existed as a winter night while this half was basked in summer’s gaze. I do not know what happened during my rest, but this is not the world I left. I have traveled to the other side but found only thorns of glass and ebony separating the day from the night. Our time has been frozen, the cycle has stopped, and our loved ones…. They are gone to us.”

“This is why I am leaving, I am going to try to find a way to the palace, to find what has happened and to find my sister may she still draw breath. I can feel her in my heart, I have to know what has become of her.”

Tirys cocked his head to the side. “Why now? I don’t mean to be rude but why have you been here all this time if a loved one could be in danger?” Lierya turned her head slightly as a tear slid from the corner of her eye and down her cheek.

“The stone has an interesting ability; we used them to store our memories before we returned to the ether so that we could call upon them once we returned… But I had learned that we could also use them to store harsh memories away. At the time I felt so lost that I couldn’t handle what was happening. I feel that now I am at a point that I can accept it. If… If it’s truly too late and she is gone, well, that’s a road I’ll have to cross if I come to it.”

Tirys lowered his head in understanding. “I’m sorry, I misjudged you Headmistress. I wish you well on your journey.” Lierya met his eyes and glanced to Reia, As to you, young Tirys.






As always, feel free to post a comment about what you thought of this post in the section below, you can subscribe to this blog by entering your email in the box located at the top right of this post (Your email will not be shared publicly)

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Hope to hear from you all soon!

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Update 5/18: Angels and Artwork

5/18/2012

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So lately I've been doing alot of work on Faedlands (as most of you already know) But I also wanted to let everyone know that since the "Destruction and Rebirth" post about the demise of Nocturne I've been tinkering in my spare time with reinventing the story.

If you've already read the Nocturne draft I have up on this site (If not: HERE) you've probably noticed that while good, the level of depth in it compared to Faedlands is not quite up to par with everything I've been learning and adapting to the last few years. So rather then do a simple re-write I thought about the story that I was writing and realized that while I had an end game for the book I really didn't know where I was going throughout and each chapter became far more distant of my initial hope for the story.

Within breaks from Faedlands I've been putting together an overview of what I want to accomplish and what type of story I want to tell. I've become very attached to many of the existing characters and some of the scenarios that i really want to keep.

Faedlands is still going to be my top priority but I wanted to let you know that I'm not forgetting about Nocturne either :)


In other news I am happy to announce that I made a few emails and the artwork for faedlands that I asked for is going to be done sometime tomorrow. I'm really excited to be able to see it and share it with all of you.

Also on the artwork front I took some time out yesterday and created some mock images for possible cover art for Nocturne and I thought that I'd share them here since it relates to the above topics.


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This pic was my first attempt to make cover art using photoshop for Nocturne in a couple of years. I posted it up and got some pretty positive feedback but decided that I wanted to try something a bit closer to my original concept for it and this next image what I came up with.
Picture
When I finished this picture up and let it sink in I was amazed at how professional it looks. (In terms of my own creation that is.) This was so perfect for what I wanted originally and it in itself looks like the cover of a book.

Now for opinions, Which one do you like better?

Leave a comment in the section below.

Anyhow, Back to work, I'll keep you all updated as things come out.

Thanks!

-Ryan
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Beyond Book 1: The Coming Storm to the Faedlands.

5/15/2012

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They say that writing never takes a break.

I have to agree with that.

Although the last few weeks have been slow on the writing front with me taking some personal time, The ideas and characters continue to form and take life within my mind. Here's an update for everyone on just what has been going on in the world of writing as it relates to me.

Vex and Reia have gone through some changes throughout the writing process from what their roles were originally and I must say that I feel that they are heading in an amazing direction and it makes the resolution to the first book quite an amazing concept for me to write.

Although many of you might have a notion of what will happen next in the story, Some of you may be surprised at the shift in tone that comes by the end of the fifth chapter.

Without giving too much away it should be known that Vex is going to go through a dramatic change. To answer some of your questions that have arisen, YES, He is going to awaken to his own affinity within the course of the book but the way in which it happens is going to take him down a very dark road. This isn't to say that it will change his character per say but rather will change certain perspectives about the way that his mind works.

I've mentioned a bit of this before in the "Q and A" Blog post awhile back. If you've yet to read it you can do so HERE to find out some more insight into Book 1 and Vex's story.


But I really wanted to take this time to explain a bit of what can be expected in the future of the series.

First of all, Faedlands is going to be a series rather then a stand alone book.

Each book in the series will focus on a different character within the world rather then focusing primarily around one individual. This I believe is the only way to truly bring each character to life and to get the whole story.

Although each book will consist of separate characters within the world all dealing with their own struggles, The stories will contain a underlying story arc that will push the series forward. This is not to say that each book MUST be read in order as each book will consist of self contained stories that will (In most cases) wrap themselves up by the books end. But reading them in order will surely add additional depth to the overall product and understanding.

So far, several stories have really stuck out to me that I want to explore a bit more of. As I have been writing the story Tirys has really stood out to me and therefore I took some time to explore some background for him initially to add depth to his character within Vex and Reia's book. Before I knew it I had a "Blueprint" of 6 pages worth of backstory that really lent itself well to forming where I wanted his character to go. As time went by I expanded on this bit by bit and now have enough material to say that he will most likely be getting his own book possibly as soon as book 2.

Another element that stood out to me was delving a bit more into the Winter Side and how the political system (Or rather lack of one) works. As I stated, The winter court is in a state of martial law with the armies of the former queen taking control of the residents and court. While they maintain a level of security in some aspects, "Justice" is carried out by a shadowy group of assassin's secretly contracted to take out anyone the court wishes.

In this I decided to look into the story of one of these assassins and explore this aspect of the world in a bit more detail.

To this the character of Fenris really jumped out to me. Fenris was originally penned as a werewolf character that I hadn't really given any specific story to as he does not appear within the first book. But as I began to pen details in the story really came to life and he became a perfect fit with what I wanted to do with this story.

As a bit of a fairy tale tie in there will also be a character that shares some symbolism with a certain crimson cloaked figure.


Lastly, although readers haven't met him yet within the posted material, A character named Iferion has his own story in the works however this won't be for some time to come as his story arc would dramatically change the world and it's inhabitants in a way that I'm not wanting to do so early in the story.

Many other characters have begun to surface too and I'm excited to see where everything begins to go in the future. I've decided that I don't care for deadlines or marketing at this stage and in this I'm really going to focus my efforts on making these stories the ones that I want to make and take the time to make sure that they are perfect before pushing myself to release them.

As always, thank you for your continued support, all of your kind words/RTs/shares and well wishes truly mean the world to me and make all of this effort worthwhile.

If you'd like to subscribe to this blog please do so by entering your email in the box provided to the top right of the sidebar to stay up to date on these posts. Your email will not be given out or displayed publicly.

Thank you :)

-Ryan Smith


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