My fellow Americans, are you sick of all the election ads yet? So am I. Yikes! So much negativity and mud-slinging. Those of you who hail from other nations… it’s not just you. I think we’re crazy, too. Anyway, here’s a little distraction from the wild rumpus of the election and all its hullabaloo.

Epic Fantasy Freebies

Here’s this week’s fresh crop of free stories! I’m really excited about this one:

https://books.bookfunnel.com/epicfantasyfreebiesnovember/2mvb7astzyastzy

If you enjoy reading various fantasy genres, such as Epic Fantasy, Swords & Sorcery, Dragons & Mythical Creatures, Myths & Legends, Steampunk, Urban Fantasy or Gaslamp Fantasy, then you don’t want to miss out on this free book promotion which runs until November 30th, 2022. Get them while they’re available. Some of the covers piqued my interest, so I downloaded a few of the titles to read. I’ll let you know which were my favorites in a few weeks.

Yep, we’re back to strictly fantasy and science fiction. I was a bit concerned with the last promo when I saw my cover amid samples of bare man torsos with chiseled abs and half-dressed gorgeous women. How can my little fantasy short story compete with all that? I’m writing for a completely different audience. 

“Wyldling Hope” takes place roughly fourteen years before the events in Wyldling Snare. Unlike the full-length novel, where the main characters are teenagers, the short story is told from the perspective of a middle-aged woman struggling to protect her children in a war-torn city. The tale provides a bit more history about a particular battle mentioned in the book. For those who prefer to be surprised about things, I suggest reading “Wyldling Hope” after you’ve read Wyldling Snare. I tried not to spoil anything, though, so perhaps it’s a moot point. Everything seems glaringly obvious to me because I am intimately familiar with how the entire story unfolds, all the characters’ backgrounds, and every machination going on behind the scenes. This is what I call the “Author’s Burden;” we have a hard time stepping outside the box and viewing our work with naïve eyes. Personally, I find it impossible, or nearly so.

Curious about whether the short story spoils the book? You’ll have to read both Wyldling Snare and “Wyldling Hope” to find out!

NaNoWriMo Update

Amazingly enough–despite my concerns–thus far I have managed to log writing sessions everyday for the past week! All it took was setting my alarm for four thirty in the morning and forcing myself to get up, fuel my body, and brew some green tea to wake up my brain. I also set aside five to ten minutes for reading a devotion and prayers from my Meditations booklet. It helps to put myself in the proper mindset: I am writing for God’s glory instead of my own. In response, God has blessed me with a rising word count.

Wyldling Trials is currently divided into six parts. Each part contains four or five “chapters” that include anywhere from two to five scenes. Whether it stays this way depends on how I distribute the scenes once I complete the first draft. The first three parts are done. Right now, I’m working on the final scene in the second chapter of part four. I’m almost finished with it. Hopefully, tomorrow morning’s writing session will see it completed. 

Are you writing something for the 2022 NaNoWriMo challenge? Let me know in the comments. Maybe we could become writing buddies and encourage one another! My NaNoWriMo handle is “zweckgrimes” if you’re interested in looking me up.

In case you wanted to take a break from writing or the daily grind to read something, here is that link for the free book promotion again: https://books.bookfunnel.com/epicfantasyfreebiesnovember/2mvb7astzy

Have a wonderful day! I’m off to vote…