A VILLAIN’S MINDSET

I have thought of the perfect mindset of the main villain of my Dark Ice Winter fantasy book series. I have drawn inspiration from this scene from the Gary Oldman version of Dracula. I like the terrifying atmosphere and emotional intensity of his fall into darkness. Therefore, I decided to incorporate this mindset into my antagonist’s initial descent into villainy. The way he completes his dark transformation will be quite chilling and complex at the same time.

ONE MODIFICATION TO GO

Only one modification remains until the final draft of the sequel to Dawn of the Dark Ice is complete. After that, it will finally be ready for editing and illustrating. I will keep you updated on all developments. Wish me luck!

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT WRITING

Wonder what I love most about the writing process? The world building and working on every minute detail to the story, setting, and characters. It makes me feel like a craftsman tinkering with the inner workings of a clock, making sure all the components are in the correct sequence. When I undergo this process, I am not thinking that much. It’s like a zen moment for me. I get in the zone and I do it.

A WINTER PLAGUE

I thought of raising the stakes in the Dark Ice Winter series even higher as the story progresses. In addition to having to endure a winter that lasts three grueling years as well as a horde of invading monsters, the Gradaian Empire will be hit by a pestilence that will cause mass casualties. I will draw inspiration from the Justinian Plague that devastated the Byzantine Empire’s capital of Constantinople in the 6th century. 40% of the city’s population was wiped out in eight years.

FANTASY CYBORGS

As my current fantasy book series progresses, I intend to depict the rise of fantasy equivalents to cyborgs. As such, I will be depicting fantasy versions of real life equivalent prosthetic limbs. However, while real life medieval prosthetic limbs were crude replacements for lost limbs, the prosthetics in my fantasy series will be able to function like actual limbs like cybernetic enhancements you see in science fiction.

FANTASY STORY REFINEMENT

After much thinking, I realized that more work needs to be done for my current fantasy book before it can begin the editing, illustrating, and publishing processes. There are several sections of the story that require expansion and refinement. This way, my various characters can get more exposure and development. The first draft may be done, but it is only the bare bones. This is a chance for me to put some extra meat on those bones. I will keep you updated on any and all new developments on this project. Wish me luck!

NEW YEARS GIVEAWAY

To celebrate New Years, I will be making my second fantasy book FREE for the next 5 days on Kindle. Feel free to grab a copy. Happy New Year!

NEW DINOSAUR ILLUSTRATIONS

Good news! I have less than seven more chapters to go on the sequel to The Kaligen Experiment. As such, early plans for this book’s illustrations are being made. Like the previous book, these illustrations will have a feel that is similar to paleoart you find in science books. I will keep you updated on any and all new developments. Wish me luck!

SCARRED FANTASY HEROES

In several fantasy books, the main hero often sustains injuries in their quest to save their respective worlds.

In The Lord of the Rings, the protagonist Frodo Baggins sustained a number of physical and spiritual injuries throughout his quest to destroy the One Ring. On Weathertop, he was stabbed by the Nazgul with a Morghul blade. Even though the blade’s poison was healed, the injury itself will never fully heal and Frodo would carry it for the rest of his life. At Mount Doom, Frodo had one of his fingers bitten off by Gollum, earning him the nickname Frodo of the Nine Fingers. Finally, Frodo’s mind and spirit was deeply scarred after carrying the One Ring for so long during his quest.

During his final fight with the Shade Durza, Eragon sustained a cursed wound on his back that hindered his progress as a Dragon Rider. Even though the wound was healed and the curse lifted, it still played a significant role in Eragon’s development.

In addition to having his face scarred by a Wildling’s eagle, Jon Snow endured a traumatic experience after being betrayed and murdered by his own men. Not only did he sustain mental and spiritual scars due to experiencing the pain of death and the rapture of rebirth, but the stab wounds he sustained would never fully heal.

Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, from the Wheel of Time lost his left hand after having a mystical fireball thrown at it.

Overall, the injuries and pain that fantasy heroes play a significant role in their character development and serve as permanent memento of their adventures. I am planning to be in keeping with this tradition and have the main character in my Dark Ice Winter series injuries during his war with the Bauk horde.

MEDIEVAL TANK

During the Hussite Wars in the early 15th century, there was a vehicle that was essentially a medieval precursor of the tank. This vehicle was referred to as the “war wagon”. These wagons would be reinforced with metal plating and thick wood to shield against archers as well as melee strikes from infantry. A war wagon would be occupied by archers and crossbowmen who would fire arrows and bolts from the safety of their wagon’s defenses. If cavalry or infantry got too close to the wagon, the archers and crossbowmen would be defended by spearmen, who would use their polearms to beat back any attacker that got too close to the wagon. When placed in strategically defensible positions, these wagons prove to be quite effective against heavy cavalry. The concept of the war wagon was pioneered by the Bohemian knight Jan Zizka, who used these wagons to crippling effect against Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund’s forces. In fact, Jan Zizka’s usage of such tactics was so effective that he never lost a battle. I am thinking of including war wagons in future battles in my fantasy books.