Writer of Horror, Ruiner of Fun

Author of some books you haven't read. Check out questionMark and Mothmaw on Amazon now!

[farylslair]

We’re trying this again!

Since I don’t know when to stop.

I’m also going to change up the way I do things on here to make it more enjoyable for myself and hopefully you guys. Stay tuned!

[farylslair]

Post-Spring Break Update: HABEMUS AUDIOBOOK! + Massillon Author Fair

Spring break may be over, but the updates just keep coming!

First order of business: At long, long last, the questionMark audiobook is finally available on Audible!

You can click here to get it now! 

Anyone who’s been keeping up with this blog knows that we’ve been working on this for the past few months, and it’s such a relief to hear the final product. It’s definitely worth a listen! Kane Prestenback did a fantastic job bringing these stories to life, and I would work with him again without hesitation.

It’s $17.95 on Amazon (and $19.99 on the Audible website, for some reason), but if you’re an audiobook reviewer and you’re interested in questionMark, shoot me a message because I will have promotional/review copies available.

Also, just a reminder that next Saturday (April 15th), S. T. Hoover and I will be at the Massillon Local Author Fair at the Massillon Public Library from 11am to 2pm. Signed paperbacks of questionMark will be for sale, and you can also learn about the first book in S. T. Hoover’s flagship thriller series, Michael Ridding. 

Last but not least, even if you can’t come to the event, you can still get a signed questionMark paperback for a limited time. They’re only $7.99 (plus shipping, unless you’re in the Akron/Canton area and you’re willing/able to pick it up), and you can have it say whatever you want (within reason, of course) from “whatever lol” to random trivia. 

I only plan on doing this until the end of April or I run out, whichever happens first, so if you want one, I’d advise you get one quick. Just send me a message on your favorite social media platform (Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr) if you’re interested, or fill out the contact form on my website (under “About Me”).

That’s it for now. As always, thanks for sticking around, and stay tuned for more updates.

[farylslair]

MEGA Spring Break Update Update UPDATE: Audiobook (Lack of) News + Signed Copies Still Available + My SECOND Author Gig

You thought spring break was over, didn’t you? You thought it was all done, and you thought this blog could go back to silence. Well, you thought WRONG!

First of all, something I want to address: Even though the eBook sale was Thursday, the audiobook is not out yet. We actually don’t know when it’s going to come out (that’s all up to ACX to decide, since it’s smack dab in the middle of the “quality check” period), but we wanted to have the sale anyway to promote the fact that it is coming out. If that makes any sense.

Second: There are still FIVE signed/personalized “event” paperbacks left. They are $7.99 each (Amazon price), and they are first come, first served and available to anyone. If you’re interested, please let me know on your favorite social media platform (Facebook, Twitter, or, of course, Tumblr), and we can work something out. PayPal is my default, although if you’re local (Akron/Canton area), it’s flexible.

I just want to make clear that these signed copies are not available on Amazon. They are only available through me directly, and only for a limited time. 

They’re especially good if you couldn’t make it to the last event ... or the next one?

Now, I bet you’re wondering, “Five? Why are there suddenly only five copies left? Did SO many people want signed copies that they literally broke down your door, threw money at you, and took them?” Well, I wish that were the case. However, sadly, it’s not.

But it’s something almost as cool: I got a second author gig! And there’s even a poster to go with it!

It will be on Saturday, April 15th at the Massillon Public Library from 11am to 2pm.

Once again, I’ll be accompanied by @sthoover1, who is promoting his debut thriller novel, Michael Ridding: A DenCom Thriller, set to come out this summer. I’ll also be there selling questionMark paperbacks for $7.99. And, once again, both of us will be speaking--S.T. Hoover at 11:05 and me at 11:10.

So that’s it. If you can make it, we’d be really happy to see you there. If not, that’s fine as well. I’ll be posting plenty of pictures on Facebook/Twitter, and you can still get a signed/personalized paperback even if you can’t come, but--again--they’re only available for a limited time.

Unless the audiobook comes out or something equally magical happens, this’ll probably be the last “Spring Break Update”. However, I do plan on posting when I have more information about the audiobook release, so keep your eyes peeled for that. 

Just a reminder that I don’t normally post updates this often, so if you’re watching from Tumblrland and you want to keep up with news, updates, and possibly other projects, make sure to turn notifications on so you don’t miss anything.

Or, if you want significantly faster updates (since I tend to reserve these posts for when I can bundle things together), check out my Facebook or Twitter.

Thanks for sticking around, and stay tuned for more updates.

[farylslair]

An energy vampire struggles with its own sentience as it falls in love for the first time. When Jason’s younger sister claims she talks to fairies, he assumes her imagination is running wild. However, he soon finds out that her fantasy is about to become his reality. Marion runs a soup kitchen with an unlimited supply of food, but he soon discovers that nothing in life is truly free. Eric’s parents have been sick and quarantined in his home for almost a year, but no one believes him. Jay Windsor wants to take back his country from the Rebels, but their unconventional method of torture turns his own mind against him. A mysterious traveler with a haunting song is found guilty of murdering an old innkeeper. Six bizarre stories: grotesque, enchanting, and everything in between. The experience is unpredictable, so what will happen when you read?

To celebrate the upcoming audiobook release, the questionMark eBook is on sale for only $0.99! You can click here to get one while you still can!

I know it’s not the day before the audiobook release like we had planned, since we don’t have a concrete release date, but it’s still close enough.

This sale ends at 11:59pm PST on March 30th, so if you’ve always wanted the questionMark eBook but you were never sure if it was the right time, here’s a sign! Do it!

Also, on a slightly unrelated note, there are only five signed/personalized paperback copies available, so if you’re interested in one of those, feel free to send me a message!

Why do I have so few copies left? Find out in the next update …

[farylslair]

Only a few hours left before the price goes back up! Last chance to get questionMark for $0.99!

[farylslair]

An energy vampire struggles with its own sentience as it falls in love for the first time. When Jason’s younger sister claims she talks to fairies, he assumes her imagination is running wild. However, he soon finds out that her fantasy is about to become his reality. Marion runs a soup kitchen with an unlimited supply of food, but he soon discovers that nothing in life is truly free. Eric’s parents have been sick and quarantined in his home for almost a year, but no one believes him. Jay Windsor wants to take back his country from the Rebels, but their unconventional method of torture turns his own mind against him. A mysterious traveler with a haunting song is found guilty of murdering an old innkeeper. Six bizarre stories: grotesque, enchanting, and everything in between. The experience is unpredictable, so what will happen when you read?

To celebrate the upcoming audiobook release, the questionMark eBook is on sale for only $0.99! You can click here to get one while you still can!

I know it’s not the day before the audiobook release like we had planned, since we don’t have a concrete release date, but it’s still close enough.

This sale ends at 11:59pm PST on March 30th, so if you’ve always wanted the questionMark eBook but you were never sure if it was the right time, here’s a sign! Do it!

Also, on a slightly unrelated note, there are only five signed/personalized paperback copies available, so if you’re interested in one of those, feel free to send me a message!

Why do I have so few copies left? Find out in the next update …

[farylslair]

The eBook sale is still going strong! Get your copy while you still can!

[farylslair]

An energy vampire struggles with its own sentience as it falls in love for the first time. When Jason's younger sister claims she talks to fairies, he assumes her imagination is running wild. However, he soon finds out that her fantasy is about to become his reality. Marion runs a soup kitchen with an unlimited supply of food, but he soon discovers that nothing in life is truly free. Eric's parents have been sick and quarantined in his home for almost a year, but no one believes him. Jay Windsor wants to take back his country from the Rebels, but their unconventional method of torture turns his own mind against him. A mysterious traveler with a haunting song is found guilty of murdering an old innkeeper. Six bizarre stories: grotesque, enchanting, and everything in between. The experience is unpredictable, so what will happen when you read?

To celebrate the upcoming audiobook release, the questionMark eBook is on sale for only $0.99! You can click here to get one while you still can!

I know it’s not the day before the audiobook release like we had planned, since we don’t have a concrete release date, but it’s still close enough.

This sale ends at 11:59pm PST on March 30th, so if you’ve always wanted the questionMark eBook but you were never sure if it was the right time, here’s a sign! Do it!

Also, on a slightly unrelated note, there are only five signed/personalized paperback copies available, so if you’re interested in one of those, feel free to send me a message!

Why do I have so few copies left? Find out in the next update ...

[farylslair]

MEGA Spring Break Update Update: Audiobook Updates and Signed questionMark Copies

WOW! Another update so soon? The news MUST be big! First and foremost, as of last night, the audiobook has officially been approved, and it should be released sometime in the next few weeks. Second: I still have some signed copies of questionMark left from the Author Fair on Saturday, so I will be offering those to anyone interested, especially for those of you who didn't have a chance to make it to the event. They'll be first come, first served, and open to anyone. Just note that you can only get these signed copies from me directly--the ones from Amazon are NOT signed. They're still $7.99, and PayPal is preferred. If you're interested or you have questions, don't hesitate to message me or send me an ask. They're only available for a limited time, so better get one while you can!

[farylslair]

MEGA Spring Break Update: Author Fair, Audiobook, and Holding Myself Accountable - March/April

This should be of no surprise to anyone, but I am super behind in keeping this blog up to date. Case in point:

I am posting the next Holding Myself Accountable when it’s almost halfway over

I forgot to post a last-minute reminder about the Stark County District Library’s Local Authors Fair, which I did literally everywhere but here.

I’ll admit, it was mainly school (aka midterms) that kept me from writing anything up, although actually working to achieve the HMA goals (and, yes, I did actually make the list at the beginning of March--I just forgot to post it) took up a good chunk of my time as well. However, it’s the start of spring break, which means I have slightly more time on my hands, so let’s get started.

First, to jazz things up a bit, here are some pictures from my and @sthoover1′s “booth” at the Author Fair:

(pictured: S. T. Hoover’s “excited” face)

(picture taken by S.T. Hoover; in case you wanted to know what I look like in a snazzy black polo)

(the questionMark display)

(S. T. Hoover’s display for Michael Ridding)

(the hardcover “prototype” for Michael, plus a teaser for his next book)

(special cameo by Mary Ann Donuts CUPCAKE MOCHA coffee)

(one of the copies of questionMark in circulation at the library--AWESOME!)

Overall, it was a very fun and rewarding experience. We both had a blast--not only did we get the word out about our books, but we also met some amazing people as well (if you’re one of them and you’re reading this, hi! =D).

I’d go into more detail about how rewarding the experience was, but I think S. T. Hoover put it best in his most recent blog post:

While I don’t typically give advice, since I feel as such a new author that would be inappropriate, I do feel safe in saying this: If you have an opportunity like I did, where you know the book will be out or already is out, no matter the size or scope of the event, do it so long as it’s reputable. Not all of them are, so do your research. But even this little library event, for how small it was, made all the difference, and I felt it every time I talked with an author or reader. Even if no one attended the event, I think the authors would have been more than fine mingling and talking amongst themselves, and for the first time in my life, I felt like one of them. I felt professional–more professional than all the posting and tweeting in the world will ever make me feel. So if you’re asked or you want to attend, and you have the book(s) (or some form or writing) to back yourself up, definitely look into events like the one I attended. It’ll be worth it if you know what you’re doing.

Overall, the Author Fair was a huge success, and I can’t wait to go to more events like this.

As a sidenote, if there’s enough interest, I may sell signed “event” copies of questionMark for a limited time. If you’re interested, shoot me a message on your favorite social media platform (except Instagram because ... I still need to make one), and we can work something out, probably involving PayPal.

Now, for something that’s a little less overdue: The questionMark audiobook is almost done--and I mean it this time. It’ll officially be approved tonight (as in March 26th, the day of writing this post) or tomorrow, and once we get the final details worked out, we can have an official release date. 

The day before this unknown release date, though, we will have a flash sale on the questionMark eBook, so you’ll be able to get it for $0.99 for THAT DAY ONLY. So if you’ve always wanted the questionMark eBook, but you just didn’t know when the right time would be, this is it. My suggestion would be to keep your eyes peeled, or check on Facebook and Twitter in case I forget to post about it here (again).

And now, for something a little more overdue (even more so than the Author Fair news): 

Holding Myself Accountable - March/April 2017

Ah, yes, the bimonthly goals (why bimonthly? I don’t feel like explaining, so read about it here) are back with a vengeance. Now, keep in mind that because the goal period is halfway over, I’ve already completed--or gotten close to completing--some of these goals, so this list isn’t as “pure” as it would have been at the beginning of the month. However, I managed to learn from last time (or, at least, I hope), and so I’ve set these a little better and given myself a little more room to breathe, especially with school bearing down on me.

To recap, the objective is to complete at least 6/10 of these goals by April 30th (No extended deadline for being late!).

So, without further ado:

1. Get to a Certain Point in Project A

I’ve actually spent a good part of March working toward this one, so that’s where a lot of my free time has been going, and I’m actually almost done. Once I get to that point, though, I’m probably going to take a break from it for a while and focus on other writing-related goals, such as the other ones on this list. I don’t want this book to eat up too much of my time, as much as I love it to death, since (if you haven’t seen my tweets about it) Project A looks like it’s going to be massive. Like, maybe twice as big as questionMark. It’s already surpassed my finished draft of Project C in length, and it’s only about halfway finished. So, yeah, after this one, I’m forcing myself to focus on other things.

2. questionMark Review Goal

Same deal as last time, since last time, I didn’t really have as much time to devote to this. Reviews are super important, and especially with the Author Fair being such a success, I’d like to get as many for questionMark as I can.

3. questionMark Overall Sales Goal

Again, same deal as last time, since last time--again--I didn’t have as much time to devote to marketing as I had anticipated. Now, when I say “overall”, I mean questionMark in all forms--paperbacks, eBooks, and--soon--audiobooks, so when release time rolls around, this should be a little more manageable.

4. Rewrite “Research”

This is one of the things I wanted to devote my time not working on Project A towards. I know I said in the last post that I wanted to focus less on short stories this time around, but since this piece has waited so long for a rewrite and it has a lot of potential, I felt that it needed to be the exception. 

5. ????????????

No, this is not a placeholder for a goal I still need to think of because that would be stupid. Instead, this one is a little surprise that we’ve been planning for a while, but we just need to wait for the right time to reveal it ...

6. Listen to the Full questionMark Audiobook At Least Once

Okay, this one, I did manage to complete. Now, I originally made this one to tell myself how time-sensitive this goal was, but it’s just as important as any of the others, since I’m the one who gives the ultimate yay or nay on whether the narrator’s adaptation accurately represents the original material. So now that I did that (and I’m almost done doing it again), the audiobook can come out ...

7. questionMark Audiobook Sales Goal

... leading right into the next goal. I’m only giving special attention to the audiobook because that’s the next in line to be released, and I want it to have a good opening so the book is back on people’s radars.

8. Start mailing list OR Outline Project D

I’m going to cut myself a little bit of slack on this one and give myself a choice of two goals here, since they’re of about equal importance. One is to start a mailing list, mainly for people who either don’t have social media or want to actually be notified when something happens (or both). There are a few more kinks that we need to work out in order to get that started, so the goal is to ... well, work them out. The alternate goal is to start a comprehensive outline for Project D, a different kind of book (in more ways than one) that I’ve been wanting to do for a while but never had the time or means. However, the opportunity I DO have to work on it is coming up fast, so I need to start getting it ready as soon as possible.

9. questionMark “Event Copies” Sales Goal

Originally, this goal was called “Author Fair Sales Goal”, but I wanted to cut myself some slack since the number of people who gushed about how amazing I am and bought ten copies of the book was one of the things that wasn’t completely in my control (and I’ll try not to embarrass myself with these kinds of goals in the future). Instead, I wanted to extend this to apply to the signed/personalized “event” copies in general, since I may be selling them on my own, separately from the online stock.

10. Read 3 New Books AND 2 Nostalgic Books

Ugh, THIS goal. The one that ruined my life last time around. Well, not anymore! I’ve managed to condense it down so it’s a LITTLE less impossible this time, although I’ll probably still cheat and primarily read shorter books. No tentative lists this time, since it’ll be pretty much up to what’s going on and how much time I have.

So, there you go. Long story short, I’m ready to get back into the swing of things, and the Author Fair was a fantastic morale boost. I’ll try to keep this blog a little more up-to-date than I have been, especially with news about the audiobook and questionMark/Project C/Project A updates.

Until then, thanks for sticking around, and stay tuned for more updates.

[farylslair]

WHOOOOOAAAAAA, What a Week!, Part 2 + Holding Myself Accountable - January/February 2017

Holy guacamole, a SUPER DUPER DOUBLE UPDATE!

It just so happens that the thrilling conclusion of the Week of Awesome(tm), which took place roughly from February 10-17, times out really well with not only the end of the month, but the end of the first Holding Myself Accountable segment. And that’s really neat because ... well, let’s say my priorities aren’t what I thought they would be at the beginning of January.

First and foremost, there are a couple things that I neglected to mention in the first “WHOA WHAT A WEEK” post, not because I didn’t feel like they were important enough to be included (that is certainly not the case), but at the time of writing the last post, I either didn’t have enough information to make it worth posting about or couldn’t say anything because it wasn’t set in stone yet. But lo and behold, here they are:

I got the opportunity to talk about questionMark and its inspiration in an interview on Kelsey Stone’s writing and book blog. The interview also includes some of my personal inspirations, as well as some history of questionMark and some little hints about Projects C and A. The post technically went up last Thursday, but I was too busy to say anything on here about it (you’ll see why in a minute), and part of me wanted to wait until I had more to talk about. You can read the full interview here.

This next one is a little more personal than writing-related, but it definitely affects my writing career in more ways than one. Probably the most earth-shattering thing that happened that week was the fact that I got a really, really good summer internship opportunity, not just in the IT area that I’m extremely passionate about, but also at one of the best companies in the area. I didn’t want to say anything about it unless I got accepted, but I just got the call Tuesday morning saying I got in, and unless I hear otherwise, it’s a go. 

I’ve been very fortunate and humbled by the opportunity, not only because I get to learn more about a field I really like, but long story short, I’ve been struggling financially lately, and it’s nice to see that things are finally starting to turn around. Although with the way the Week of Awesome(tm) has been, it all turned around at exactly the same time, which was more than a little inconvenient.

So, yeah ... keep in mind that this has been sort of the surprise subplot of my life for the past few weeks--because now we’re delving back into ...

HOLDING MYSELF ACCOUNTABLE - JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

Whoo, boy. Let’s see how I did.

1. Finish This Draft of Project C

This was probably the first one I finished. I went into a little more detail on this one in a previous post, so I won’t say much about it now. I will say, though, that this is technically the first novel that I’ve ever completed. I say technically because, well, it’s complicated. And I would say more if I could. But I can’t. Anyway, consider this one done.

2.  questionMark Sales Goal 

This is one of those things that, back at the beginning of January, I thought I would have more time to push for, especially with the audiobook so close to completion. However, the Week of Awesome happened and threw everything off (just warning you now: This makes up the majority of my excuses). So, unfortunately, I didn’t meet my sales goal. Hopefully, though, that’ll change as I spend more time preparing for the Author Fair that’s at the Stark County District Library Downtown Branch in Canton, Ohio on March 25th from 9am to 4pm that’s absolutely free and open to the public--but we’ll see.

3.  Rewrite One of My Old Novelettes 

Good news: I started this one, after putting it off for the past two years. This is another one that’s going to overlap into March-April, mainly because looking back at this story, it has a lot of potential. Like I said before, this piece was one of the many that were cut from questionMark, and I really hope that I can make it good enough to submit it somewhere, or at least bring it up to the caliber of the pieces that did make it in.

4.  Submit Three or More Short Stories 

To my credit, I did go out of my way to do this one, and I did have a plan. Two of them were rejected, and I haven’t heard back about the third one, but it’s a start. 

5.  questionMark Review Goal 

Like I said in #2, I thought I would have more time to push this than I did. Don’t get me wrong--the reviews that have come in so far have been amazing, and I am so, so grateful that you guys took the time to talk about my book. I was just a doofus and didn’t have the time to push it as aggressively as I wanted to. But, again, thank you guys so much.

6.  Make Substantial Progress on “Project A” 

Like #3, I started this, and while I didn’t expect to finish it before the end of February, I’m still shocked at how far I got. Although I didn’t reach my goal, I still got about halfway there over the course of a few weeks. I spent maybe six or seven hours after I got home from school one night working on a whole chapter (which clocked in at just over 4,000 words) just because I was so excited to get back into the swing of writing it. That’s definitely a good sign, and I hope I can make even more progress in the second half of the semester.

7.  Write At Least Three New Short Stories 

And--surprise, surprise--I didn’t have time to do this one, either. However, after some thinking, I don’t think this is one that’s going to carry over into March-April. I have a lot on my plate right now, and this past set of goals has taught me that I need to be a little more realistic about my current priorities. Especially with Project C hovering over my shoulder, among certain other things mentioned above, I need to shift my focus a little bit so that I’m better able to tackle the more pressing matters in my writing career. Therefore, I’m probably going to shelve this one for a while, at least until my schedule’s a little clearer.

8.  Plot Out Timeline for Project C 

Fortunately, I did manage to do this one after admittedly pestering my coauthor about it for ages. We got almost everything worked out, and I know that there’ll be many more problems popping up in the next few drafts, but at least we got most of the major inconsistencies out of the way.

9.  Read At Least Five New Books 

I completed this one ... but at what cost?

I admit I got a little overzealous here, and this was one of the major time-consumers of the list, if not the time-consumer. I was fortunate enough to have books assigned for class that were eligible for this list, since if I didn’t, I probably wouldn’t have gotten past three. I know this is going to be one of the major changes for March-April (and for pretty much every segment after that), just to make these next two a little more manageable. 

The final list was:

- The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly

- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

- Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin

- Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant by Darren Shan

- Prey by Michael Crichton

10.  Reread At Least Three Nostalgic Books 

Same as above, although this one was a little more forgiving since there was more room for shorter books. 

The final list was:

- Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

- The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley

- Cirque Du Freak: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan

So I got 5/10, which was just short of my goal. However, considering everything else that’s been going on, I’d say that’s a win in my book. Even though it’s not. Just let me have this, please.

What will I put myself through next month? Can I force myself to be productive even in the thick of the semester? Will I ever learn from my hotheaded mistakes? Find out in HOLDING MYSELF ACCOUNTABLE: MARCH-APRIL 2017! Coming soon!

[farylslair]

WHOOOOOAAAAAA, What a Week!: Audiobook Progress and My First Author Gig

So it’s no secret that I’m an extremely busy person. If I wasn’t, you bet I’d be posting on here more often. However, it’s not often that a lot of that busy-ness is jam-packed into just one week.

Not counting, you know, finals.

Over the past week alone (as in, February 10th up to now), a lot of good stuff has happened, and a lot of fantastic opportunities have sprung up not just in my writing career, but also in my personal life (what little of one I have) as well. However, I’ll just focus on the writing-related stuff for now.

First, the questionMark audiobook is still going strong. Kane Prestenback, the narrator, just emailed me the other day saying that he’s almost done with the recordings. From there, we just have to listen to it, make sure it’s A+ quality, and then give the go-ahead to put it up on Audible. And just a heads-up regarding that, there will be a one-day sale on the Kindle edition of questionMark right before the audiobook release. I can’t say exactly when yet (mainly because I don’t know), but it looks like it’s going to be ahead of schedule. Nevertheless, you guys are gonna be the first to know when it comes out.

I bet you’re wondering what the “my first author gig” thing is all about and why I’m making such a big deal about it, especially given what it is (and you’ll find out what it is in a second). Well, it’s a step in the right direction and an opportunity to spread the word about the book in “real life” instead of harassing people on the Internet. Plus, there will be a lot of networking opportunities, especially in the area, and if I make a good enough breakthrough as a “new” author, people may ask me to do more things like this, therefore repeating the process all over again and “snowballing” it.

Well, that’s all fine and good, but what are you talking about?

I have been invited to participate in the annual Stark County District Library Local Author Fair, hosted by the main library in Downtown Canton. It is on Saturday, March 25th from 9am to 4pm, and it is free and open to the public. I will be there selling paperbacks of questionMark (they will still be $7.99 each) signing copies, talking, eating, public speaking, staring at people, you name it. @sthoover1 will also be there promoting his upcoming thriller novel Michael Ridding: A DenCom Thriller, which I would recommend to thriller fans of all ages, especially if you enjoy being intrigued and surprised.

So, come March 25th anywhere from 9am to 4pm, if you are or can be in the Canton, Ohio area, I would really appreciate it if you stopped by, even to say hello. A lot of support means that things like this can happen in the future. So I hope to see you there!

And that’s all I got. There might be some other bits of news here and there in the next week or so--stuff that’s not quite set in stone yet as of today--and I’ll keep you updated on the Author Fair as well, but don’t expect another major update until the next “Holding Myself Accountable” post, which should be in about two weeks. In the meantime, thanks for sticking around, and stay tuned for more updates.

[farylslair]

questionMark Review Copies Now Available!

An energy vampire struggles with its own sentience as it falls in love for the first time. When Jason's younger sister claims she talks to fairies, he assumes her imagination is running wild. However, he soon finds out that her fantasy is about to become his reality. Marion runs a soup kitchen with an unlimited supply of food, but he soon discovers that nothing in life is truly free. Eric's parents have been sick and quarantined in his home for almost a year, but no one believes him. Jay Windsor wants to take back his country from the Rebels, but their unconventional method of torture turns his own mind against him. A mysterious traveler with a haunting song is found guilty of murdering an old innkeeper. Six bizarre stories: grotesque, enchanting, and everything in between. The experience is unpredictable, so what will happen when you read?

*

Do you like psychological horror? Dark fantasy?

Do you like short stories? How ‘bout reading six of them?

More importantly, do you like writing reviews of books given to you by complete strangers?

If you’ve answered yes to any of these (or, y’know, all of these), I’ve got just the offer for you.

For those of you just tuning in, questionMark is a short collection of six psychological horror and dark fantasy short stories/novelettes written and perfected over a period of three years. It was released for Kindle and paperback about a month and a half ago, and so far, it’s gotten a full five stars on Amazon. I emphasize “so far” because there’s only been a handful of reviews, even though I’ve heard that a lot of people have enjoyed it. 

Which is why I’m going to do what I should have done a long time ago: give out review copies. 

Because, like I said in my earlier posts, I’m stupid.

Project 89 Media (which you should totally check out, by the way) has allowed me to give out 25 digital copies of questionMark to interested reviewers and bloggers. It’s on a first-come-first-serve basis, and it’s open to anyone, including my Tumblr and Twitter followers and my Facebook friends/followers. So if you’re interested, feel free to message me on your favorite social media platform and I’ll be sure to get back to you as soon as I can.

If you’re on the fence about it, I’ve posted a brief excerpt from each story on this blog, so you can follow the links below and judge for yourself whether or not you would enjoy the book:

The Gadabout

I Saw the Fairies

Food

Eric Manchester Takes His Medicine

Dreams

The Judgment Day to Come

Also, sorry to kind of throw this in out of nowhere (well, not really out of nowhere, since I warned you about this in the back-to-school update), but I’m going to be really strict about these. I’m not going to be shy about saying that the beta reading process for this book went horribly (so an even bigger thank you to those of you who actually followed through with it), and I don’t want this to turn into just as big of a waste of time. 

Therefore, I’m going to be really blunt here: PLEASE don’t ask for a review copy unless you’re actually going to review the book. I repeat: PLEASE don’t ask for a review copy unless you’re actually going to review the book.

“I’m really busy right now, but I’ll review it at some point!”

Then don’t get a review copy. Buy it, and then you can read and review it whenever the flippity flapjack you want.

I understand you’re busy (believe me, I do--I’m taking 5 classes in a row two days a week, and I’m already burned out at week 2), but notice how nowhere on this post did I say that the review copies were “FREE”. I’m giving them out, yes, but that only means that they don’t cost money. They still cost something, though, and that something is effort. 

I’m sorry if I’m preaching to the choir with some of you, but there are seriously people out there who do not get this concept. 

So if you ask about a review copy, please tell me (if I don’t ask you first) where you plan to review it because I will be following up on you if I don’t hear anything for, say, six months.

Seriously, it doesn’t even have to be an Amazon review. If you have a blog (a book blog, a horror blog, a fantasy blog, a music blog, a cat blog, the sky’s the limit), you can write a review on there. If you have social media (which you probably do, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this), you can post about it on there (and if you can, tag me in the post so I can share it!). Pretty much anything you can do to spread the word about the book counts here.

I just want to point out that I really, really don’t want to be this strict with the review copies, since having people breathing down your neck really isn’t fun, and I want this process to be as fun as possible. However, if the beta reading process has shown me anything, it’s that I really do need to be this strict with people, especially since this is a finished product with a good amount of time and money invested into it, and I highly doubt my publisher would be very happy with me giving “review” copies and getting absolutely nothing in return. Trust me, if I could afford to give away free copies, I absolutely would, and if you want to help me get to that point, great! You want to know how? By reviewing the book. See? Full circle.

So, yeah, I hope that little rant didn’t intimidate you too much. As long as you do what you say you’re going to do, we’ll be fine. And we might even be friends, who knows? 

And that’s it for now. Again, sorry about that little rant, but hopefully, there’ll be even more exciting news soon!

[farylslair]

Back-to-School Update: questionMark Audiobook, Project C, and DARCs

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the world’s worst writing blog.

First and foremost: yes, I did go back to school this past week. I was going to post an update about that sooner but, yeah, I couldn’t because I was too busy with school. 

How ‘bout that.

So what does this mean? It means that I will be considerably less active on here and on social media in general, although I have the Tumblr app on my phone now and it surprisingly works, so that kind of makes up for the lack of activity. Ish. 

This also means that there won’t be nearly as much time to write, so progress will be very slow. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t have some REALLY big news. 

First of all, if you’ve seen my updates on Facebook and Twitter, you’ll know that the questionMark audiobook is now in production. We were fortunate enough to get the very talented Kane Prestenback to narrate it, and from what we’ve heard of it so far, he does a fantastic job. You can read a little more about him below:

Kane Prestenback is a New York actor, singer, puppeteer, movement & voice performer. Credits include New York Musical Theatre Festival, Gallery Players, Broadway's Circle in the Square (w/ Theodore Mann), The Public Theater, Westside Theatre, Symphony Space, and Old Vic New Voices. Regional credits include Orlando Shakespeare Festival, Luna Stage, Swine Palace Productions, Shakespeare & Co, & Mad Cow Theatre. Notable shows/roles: "Thrill Me” Southeastern premiere, “The Tallest Building in the World” World-Premiere, "Urinetown: The Musical" (Bobby Strong), “What the Butler Saw" (Nicholas Beckett), "Little Shop of Horrors" (Seymour), George M Cohan's "The Tavern" (The Vagabond), and "Kid-Simple" (Oliver). Kane made his London Theatrical debut at The Old Vic in the inaugural TS Eliot US/UK Exchange, in association with Kevin Spacey. Training: Circle in the Square Theatre School. Proud member of Actor's Equity. You can find him at www.kaneprestenback.com

At this point, the release date for the audiobook is up in the air, but I’ll let you know as soon as we know.

Our second order of business is a tiny update on Project C, which may not sound like a big deal to everyone else, but it’s something very exciting for me.

I finished my draft of Project C.

Now, what does this mean? If you recall my bimonthly goals post, I mention that not only would finishing this draft knock off one of the six goals I need to complete by the end of February, but it also means that it would mark the first time I wrote a novel-length manuscript all the way through, the final word count being about 56,000 words.

That’s right: I finished a novel.

Granted, it’s a rewrite of S. T. Hoover’s draft for our collab, and even though I helped outline and it was my idea in the first place, I technically didn’t make it from scratch and--don’t ruin this for me.

Progress on Project C is also good from a writeblr perspective because once it’s revealed/released, I’ll be able to do writing tags again, since doing them for short stories is very awkward, and I feel like the characters of Project C are very tag-worthy.

Finally, the DARCs. Now, in case you missed the holiday update, here’s a brief explanation of how those came about:

I’m stupid.

Therefore, I forgot to factor ARCs into the questionMark schedule (which, honestly, would have helped a lot). So, to make up for that, I’m going to start implementing them now, after the book has been out for about a month and a half. 

That’s right: delayed Advanced Review Copies.

What I worked out with Project 89 Media (questionMark’s publisher) was that I could give away 25 digital copies of questionMark intended for people to read and review, either on Amazon, their book/writing/anything else blogs, or on their social media platform of choice. I’m again going to refer you back to this post I made about how important reviews are, since, yeah, they’re pretty important and every review counts.

Now, I’m probably going to make a post on this later going more in depth about the specifics of the DARCs, but here are the bullet points:

If you’re interested in reading and reviewing questionMark, please shoot me a message on your favorite social media platform (either Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr). 

If you don’t know what questionMark is about, you can read about it on my website here, its Amazon page here, and the announcement post I made ages ago here, featuring the old cover.

Since the beta reading process didn’t go over so well, I’m going to be a little more strict with these. Please, please, pleeeeeeease only respond if you are able to read the book and write a review somewhere within the next few months. A whopping majority of the people who said they would beta read questionMark never got back to me, even to say they wouldn’t be able to do it anymore. So please, furthuhluvagod, only message me if you’re serious about getting a review copy.

On top of that, not to scare you guys, but I will be following up on people who get review copies, especially if it’s, like, May and I haven’t heard anything from you. Again, I normally wouldn’t be this strict, but I don’t want to have another huge waste of time like the beta reading process was. 

If you do what you say you’re gonna do, we’re gonna be fine. If not’ you’re better off just buying the book so you have the freedom to let it sit for ten years and not have me pester you once a month for it. Just food for thought.

Sorry that turned into kind of a rant near the end, but yeah, this needs to work. Again, I’m probably going to be making a separate post that goes more into detail about the process, but I’m opening it up a little early just in case anyone’s interested. 

And also, please don’t let the scary details bother you. There’s no hard deadline, but I’d like to see something at some point. Like, sometime in 2017, please. Again, as long as you plan to follow through, we’ll be fine, and your responses will be appreciated ten times more. 

So that’s all for now. Again, I’m sorry if the DARCs sound intimidating and I hope that doesn’t deter you from getting a copy. As far as Project C and the questionMark audiobook are concerned, as well as the other amazing things happening behind the scenes, I’ll let you know as soon as I have more news. 

Until then, thanks for sticking around, and stay tuned for more updates.

[farylslair]

Holding Myself Accountable - January-February 2017

okay so new year, new me, yadda yadda yadda, let’s get to some hashtag real talk.

One of the things I stopped doing on this blog a little while back is posting regular writing updates. Not book updates, per se, but giving myself a little pat on the back if I had a really good writing session or made significant progress on one of my projects. I’ve pretty much moved all that to Twitter, since that’s more of a place for little “nothing” posts, and I want to spread out my social media activity so that no two platforms are completely redundant. 

While I’m not saying that making regular writing updates is bad (I know and follow a lot of writers who do it, and this is by no means any personal offense toward them), it’s kind of a double-edged sword for me because even though it makes me more active and you get a little more insight into my writing habits, it becomes a little cluttering after a while, and sometimes the more substantial updates (such as: requests for beta readers! release dates! review copies! I finally got an Instagram if I ever get one!) get buried under all the progress posts. Not to mention that, because I’m technically an author now and because this is a significantly more up-to-date version of my website, I need to factor in a level of professionalism that says: I intend for this to be a career, not just a hobby. So while I’ll still talk and post stupid stuff every once in a while, this blog is going to be as tidy as it can possibly be.

That being said, I’m going to offer a compromise in the form of bimonthly goals.

Yes, that’s right: bimonthly. Not quarterly, like all the cool kids are doing.

Why?

Well, being in college means that my life is measured in semesters instead of quarters: fall semester, spring semester, midterms, and summer (obviously not in that order). It just so happens that those “checkpoints” can be measured in two-month increments: January-February covers about half of spring semester, March-April covers the other half, May-June covers about half of summer break, and so on (yes, I know they’re not exact. Give me a break).

Not to mention that I feel like I can trick myself into being more productive if I have to do ten things in two months instead of four. And I would do monthly goals instead, but as I learned from questionMark’s copyediting process, a lot of setbacks can happen in a month (especially if I’m in school and I suddenly get a really bad cold in the middle of October), so it’s impossible to foresee exactly what I’ll be able to do. Two months gives me just enough wiggle room while also giving me that subconscious prod I really need.

Also, one more thing: this is a list of writing- and marketing-related goals only. Personal goals are off these lists since I don’t think they’re worth mentioning here, and if they are, they’re really generic stuff. Like “get homework done on time”, “take care of the animals” and “don’t get hit by a car″. 

With that being said, here’s a list of my ten writing goals for “spring semester part 1″ 2017, my goal being to complete at least 6 out of 10 by February 28th.

Finish This Draft of Project C I’m actually just a chapter away completing this one, but it also doubles as another “goal”, since it’ll technically be the first novel-length piece that I’ve ever finished. Finishing this one also opens me back up to work on other projects (aptly named Projects A and B), and it also times out well to me going back to school.

questionMark Sales Goal Not going into too much detail about this one, simply because I don’t want to have too much of the accounting stuff on here when there’s much more interesting stuff to talk about (such as how certain aspects of Evangelion represent key concepts of quantum mechanics). 

Rewrite One of My Old Novelettes A novelette is a much-longer-than-average short story (but a depressingly-shorter-than-average novella), and a couple of mine made it into questionMark (”I Saw the Fairies” and “Dreams”). However, there’s one that didn’t make it called “Research” that I plan to rewrite at some point so that I could submit it somewhere. Which brings us to ...

Submit Three or More Short Stories This one speaks for itself. There’s only so much marketing for questionMark that I can do, so I need to give some of my other pieces a chance to shine. I already have some ideas of where I’d like to submit stuff, but I’m always open to new ideas.

questionMark Review Goal This is another accounting one that I won’t say much about, but one I do have a plan for. Remember those DARCs I mentioned in an earlier post? Yeah, I’ll be arranging those at some point, hopefully by the end of the month, so questionMark can start getting reviews! Which, yeah, you can read the Facebook post I made on that if you don’t know how awesome reviews are.

Make Substantial Progress on “Project A” I’ve been working on “Project A” in the background for a couple years (even alongside questionMark when it was in the early stages), and I’m super excited to be able to work on it again after I finish this draft of Project C. Just like Project C, I’m not allowed to say too much about it, except that there’s no co-author this time. That’s right, a novel-length piece all on my own!

Write At Least Three New Short Stories In the same vein as goal four, I need to work on little tiny projects in between the larger projects so I feel like I get more done. To add to the stories I already plan to submit, I need to start writing new ones and, well, soon.

Plot Out Timeline for Project C Because Project C has a pretty confusing timeline, I need to work with my co-author to get it straightened out for the next draft so there aren’t any inconsistencies. Because, well, there were a lot in mine.

Read At Least Five New Books This is an important goal for me, since I am an absolutely horrible reader, mainly because of school and writing getting in the way. One of my “resolutions” is to get better about that, and I have a reading list that probably stretches from here to California (here being not California, unfortunately). However, I’m narrowing it down to five for this “half a semester”, and here’s the tentative list: - Prey by Michael Crichton - A Working Theory of Love by Scott Hutchins (my dad recommended this one to me YEARS ago, and I’m just now getting around to it, so, uh, sorry, Dad, if you’re reading this) - The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly - Cinder by Marissa Meyer - Apocalypse Machine by Jeremy Robinson

Reread At Least Three Nostalgic Books Hey, another reading goal! How ‘bout that. The purpose behind this one is to remind myself that inspiration doesn’t just come from new things, but it also comes from getting a new perspective on things that I may have forgotten. So, without further ado, here’s the tentative list: - Generation Dead by Daniel Waters - The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley (don’t judge me) - Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (probably my favorite YA series of all time)

So that’s everything for now. I’ll come back to this post at the end of February to see how I did, and I’m going to be working hard to not embarrass myself in front of everyone. More news on DARCs and other things soon (hopefully--no promises since school starts up again next week), but thanks for sticking around, and stay tuned for more updates.

[farylslair]

taiadominique

Gah. I could do this with so many of my past projects …

I’ve been having file issues so my real current WIP is trapped on my flash drive. I did start another project, but I still have my missing WIP on the brain. I’m pretty sure I’d be working on it otherwise, if it wasn’t floating around on said flash drive. So I’ll do that one.

~~

Blood of the Fallen is about a Christian, Luciana “Lucy” Snow, who has her beliefs tested when she discovers she is part of a secret society that hides the presence of supernatural creatures.

#1 Which character would get wasted at a holiday party and end up humping the Christmas tree?

Romeo Martinez. Romeo is all about romance and getting laid - but he’s a sweetheart when it comes to Elsa. He is a romantic and touchy drunk.

#2 Which character deserves to get the crap beaten out of ‘em by the Krampus?

Without a doubt, Axe Chambers. Since most of the Keepers have learned to suppress their emotions, some of them find themselves to be a bit of a jerk. Axe insults people on a daily basis, having turned off his remorse (as he says). (Don’t worry. He eventually realizes what his problem is.)

#3 Which character is the Grinch this year?

Emerson “Emery” Snow. Sure, he is reunited with Lucy, his younger sister, after eight years of no contact, but her presence reminds him of what he gave up for her to have: an education beyond middle school material, a “common” (normal) life, a life free of scars from fighting off werewolves and vampires, a longer lifespan, I could go on.

#4 Which character would try to get a little too friendly while sitting on Santa’s lap?

I want to say Romeo again, but probably Clementine. If she’s in the right mood. She has a thing for men with things to offer besides your usual spell books and charms. For example, she loves Nerf guns.

#5 Who would your antagonist most like to tongue beneath the mistletoe?

Our antagonist would tongue Alan Darkmoore. They were lovers once and they still are, and if she had the chance, they would do more than tongue.

#6 Which character would accidentally tip the menorah and light the house on fire?

Sabrina Edenfield. She’s known for her fire magic (she’s also a bit of a pyromaniac) and I can easily see something going wrong when it comes to her and a flame.

#7 Which character is most likely to bring magic brownies to a holiday party?

Froggy (I forgot his real name), and only because he used to do pot until the leader of his group of Keepers found out.

#8 Which character is most likely to ring in the new year naked? And why the hell are they naked in the first place?

Constance Digby would ring in the new year naked and only because she would try to seduce her partner, Terricus “Ty” Findlay. She’s had a thing for Ty ever since they were eight and luckily for her, Ty has adored her just as long. He wouldn’t be able to resist her charm anymore, simply because he wouldn’t want to.

#9 Which character is absolutely kidding themselves by insisting they belong on the nice list?

I would say Ty. He’s kinder than Axe, but he is known to bark orders. He’s ruthless in battle, too, so I’d say he deserves a spot on the naughty list.

#10 Which characters would readers be most shocked to find on the naughty list?

It would be Lucy. She strives to be a Christian, but a well-behaved one? Given that she is part of a society that hides werewolves and cast spells? She is more than crabby - she’s downright unreasonable sometimes. But she tries. She has a right to be crabby, especially once she finds out how deep she is in said secret society. ~~

I realize that I haven’t mentioned Blood of the Fallen at all. I lost the files this year, barely five months ago. I didn’t have the heart to talk about them at first. I tag @farylslair. Have fun!

I just want to say that I really want to do this, especially for Project C, but since it’s a collab project and I can’t say much about it without the coauthor’s approval, I’m going to keep this in my back pocket until a little closer to the official announcement. It probably won’t be the holiday season then, but meh.

In the meantime, I’m going to pass this along to @sthoover1, since his current WIP is a little closer to done and he’ll have a lot of fun with this.

[farylslair]

Holiday Update: questionMark Release, DARCs, and a Sneak Peek at 2017

First of all, happy holidays! No matter what you celebrate (or even IF you celebrate), I hope you’re all enjoying yourselves as 2016 comes to a (very welcome) end. As you’ve come to expect from me by now, I’ve been very slow in posting updates, and it’s especially glaring since everything still says “preorder questionMark now!”. 

Just to clear things up: questionMark is no longer under preorder. It was released, like, three weeks ago, and you can find it here. But more on that later.

Again, as you’ve come to expect from me, school got in the way. On top of that, though, with the semester being over, Sam and I went out to California for the holidays (and to possibly do some research for something or other ...), and that’s been about as hectic but twice as fun. Therefore, most of the major updates will take place when I get back, so please bear with me, but I just thought I’d post something to let you guys know I’m still alive.

So let’s get down to business:

questionMark’s release was a huge success. We ended up meeting our sales goal for preorders, so thank you guys so much for your support!

Something you’ll notice if you go on questionMark’s Amazon page is that it’s now available in paperback! We had a short delay with those, but in the end, they turned out great. And they’re only $7.99!

This trip has given us a much-needed breather, but as soon as it’s over, it’s right back to work for us! On our list for January is:

Opening applications for review copies of questionMark. They’re not exactly ARCs because, well, I goofed up. So consider them delayed advanced review copies, or ... DARCs.

Opening auditions for a questionMark audiobook. More information on that when it gets closer.

Making progress on something I’d like to call Project C.

Some more news from our friend @sthoover1, who is even worse about updating than I am but is just as busy as I am, if not busier.

Bimonthly goals. Not quarterly, like all the cool kids are doing.

Other stuff that isn’t set in stone yet but when/if it is, you guys are gonna love.

And, well, updating everything.

So that’s all for now. Just a reminder that farylslair.com is up and running, and even though it still says “preorder”, there are convenient links to Facebook, Twitter, and information about me and questionMark, as well as other things that may pop up down the road. In the meantime, my Facebook, Twitter and askbox are all open, so feel free to shoot me a message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

As always, thanks for sticking around, and stay tuned for more updates.

[farylslair]

questionMark Preview: “The Judgment Day to Come”

On this clear night, the desert was silent. Only one manmade structure rose above the endless expanse: a small inn, haphazardly made, on the far outskirts of town. Ezra Collinsworth sat on a rocking chair on the porch and looked up at the holy canvas of stars before him, the moon slowly shifting in the sky. The old man rocked back and forth, the slow, quiet creaks of wood on wood keeping time as the wind occasionally passed through or coyotes cried in the distance. For a while, there was no other sound.

But as the moon burned bright red, Ezra thought he heard something in the distance. It was a murmur at first, but as it grew closer, Ezra could tell that it was a man singing, a haunting voice that carried on the dry wind. The discordant twang of an old guitar, too, could now be heard, plucking out some odd melody the old man couldn't place. 

The silhouette of a horse and rider gradually rose from the starlit horizon as the words of the song grew clear:

“Fires burn, and waters flow 'Cross the barren earth, he go Th' endless sleep he'll never know Till the judgment day do come.”

Ezra eyed the singing man carefully as he stopped his horse in front of the porch but did not dismount.

“Evenin', Mister.” What else could he say?

The rider replied with a quiet, “Evenin',” and tipped his hat, covering his eyes with the brim. But in a way the old man couldn't explain, he could feel the rider's eyes on him, sizing him up almost curiously, giving him chills and making his hair stand on end. The rider didn't have the look of a bandit, none Ezra had ever known, but there was still something quite unnerving about him.

“A bit late to be out travelin',” Ezra said, a little wary. “Course, there are worse places to be. Much worse.”

The rider nodded slowly. “I've been through worse places, yes.”

“You been on the trail long?”

“Long time.”

“If you don't mind my askin', where you from? Ain't seen the likes of you 'round here before.”

The man remained stoic. He hardly flinched or even raised his tone as he replied, “Does it matter?”

Ezra was taken aback. “I guess it don't. You lookin' to stay the night?”

“Yes, sir." There was a ghost of a smile on the rider's face as he finally dismounted, guitar still in hand, and hitched his horse. He walked up the porch steps and leaned against the old support beam, standing about five feet away from the old man's rocking chair, allowing Ezra to get a better look at him. His dark hair and beard were wild and unkempt as if he'd spent his whole life out in the desert oblivion. However, his eyes were a bright, almost polished silver, as if he'd stolen the moon's pure light and held it for ransom in his soul. The blacks of his pupils stood out like two lumps of coal in fresh mountain snow.

“You got a name?”

Again, the rider hardly reacted. “I don't.”

“You don't?” Ezra snapped out of a brief trance that he didn't know he'd been in. He knew this was the strangest man he'd ever seen, just from the rider's looks alone, but the sudden confirmation of the fact baffled him. The man could have simply refused to say anything, or at least given him a fake name to mislead anyone on his trail, but to just say he didn't have a name? “Now, look, Mister, if you're plannin' to stay here, I've got to know your name, at least! I have the right to know just who's usin' my facility, after all. Not to mention I need someone to call for breakfast in the mornin'.”

The rider remained unfazed. “Mighty kind to offer, but I doubt I'd stay for breakfast. Not to refuse your hospitality, kind sir, but I'm just not the type to take more'n what I need from a gen'rous man. Best save your food for someone who needs it more'n me.”

“Now, I insist! If you're a well-meanin' man, I can't see why you shouldn't have a bite to eat while you stay." Was he a well-meaning man? Ezra couldn't tell. The man was odd, but Ezra knew that sometimes, "odd" was harmless. "Odd" was a group of drunks performing a spectacle, the town lunatic spouting nonsense, a man passing through town without a hand, leg, or eye. This man was downright unsettling. Ezra visibly tensed as he continued, "You may as well—no extra charge, and it ain't as if there's a famine right now. If I run out, I can always tell Dirk to go to town and get more. That ain't the problem if there is one." 

“All I want's a few hours rest, and I'll be gone before you know it. No use worryin' 'bout me when there's other folks stayin' here. If you say I can have what I want, then that's what I want. No more'n that.”

The old man hesitated. Whether it was for several moments or several minutes, he had no way of knowing. 

“Now, what's your name?” he asked again, all ability to think of other questions having left him.

The silver-eyed rider sighed. “If you insist on callin' me somethin', then I guess you can call me Stranger. I'll answer to that. Or Mister, or anythin' else you can think of.”

“Very well, Stranger.” Part of him still couldn't believe this was happening—a disturbance in the tranquil night, a ripple in the stagnant country. “You can pay me now, we'll go in and I can show you up to your bed, or—”

“If it's no trouble, you think we can stay out here a while longer? Best time of the night, and I'd sure enjoy the comp'ny after a long day.” He almost broke his monotone and appeared completely content, almost euphoric when he glanced over at the old man. He frowned. “I know that look.”

“Pardon?”

“Y'think I'm gonna shoot you or somethin'. I see why you'd think that. Perfect time and place to off ya. Middle of the night, a ways away from town. Aside from the couple o'folks in that inn, we're all alone. Those folks would start talkin', of course, and then I'd have to shoot them, too, I guess, so that word don't get out. No witnesses. You know the rest.” Stranger placed his guitar on the top step of the porch and raised his arms over his head as he stood up straight. “I ain't got no weapons. No guns, knives, nothin' on me. Now, I know you don't believe me, so you can check my pockets, my bag, my horse, check my boots if it pleases you. It'll only support the fact that I didn't take nothin' with me when I left, and I don't got nothin' now. Just this here guitar, and I'd rather keep it safe than snap it over a man's head just b'cause he looked at me funny. I think you'd understand when I say I wouldn't do somethin' like that to my prized possession.”

“Suppose so.”

“I ain't here to cause trouble, and I sincerely wish you'd believe me when I say it. I'd just appreciate the comp'ny. That's all. If I ever lay a hand on you, then God smite me.”

Ezra could tell that Stranger genuinely wanted to be trusted. This wasn't the face of a con artist or a murderer, but a man who was more often accused of being one. However, his promise also sounded rehearsed, as if he had said this to many people in many places, perhaps whenever he wanted shelter or rest. This didn't reassure him at all; if Stranger was so desperate to be trusted by his fellow men, what'd he do to lose their trust in the first place?

“Alright, comp'ny it is. Have a seat, Stranger.”

Nodding his thanks, Stranger slowly, carefully bent down to pick up his guitar, his silver gaze never leaving the old man as, with guitar in hand, he approached and sat down in the empty rocking chair beside him. As soon as he collapsed into the chair, a burst of a sigh left Stranger's mouth as if the man had just had the wind knocked out of him. When he saw the old man staring at him, Stranger sat up and cleared his throat.

“I'll pay ya now.” Before Ezra could comment, Stranger pulled a small bag out of his coat pocket and handed it to the old man. “That's for the night, and a little extra for your kindness.”

The old man looked inside the bag. Gold! Forty antique-looking coins, at least. If he had to guess, this small bag was worth more than Ezra had made in his entire life. About twice as much. Suddenly, his fear returned: Where had Stranger gotten all this gold? Was he a thief? Had he found it somewhere? Had he mined it himself? More importantly, why'd he give it to an old man in a shabby inn if he could afford to buy out the whole state? Did Stranger need to get rid of it for some reason? Was he trying to hide something?

“Y-You didn't ha—”

“Goodwill, Mister. Goodwill."

“But ... but it's gold!”

“So's an old man's kindness to his fellow man in need,” Stranger replied, absently strumming that old guitar, “in need of a quiet porch where he can sit and think about his life, where he's gonna go from here. Beautiful night, ain't it?” He stopped playing and took off his hat, setting it on the ground beside him. The lack of a shadowy brim over those silver eyes, which now glowed their brightest, filled them with even more sincerity. “I don't blame ya for sittin' out here this late. The universe is dancin' in God's great theater, and you've got Earth's best seat.”

Ezra said nothing. He only looked out into the distance, affirming what Stranger had said. The moon was still red, although its bright hue was beginning to fade. The stars—the whole infinity of them—twinkled and shone, tiny glints of light in Stranger's eyes. The world was silent, aside from the distant howl of wind and the hypnotic off-key tune that Stranger resumed plucking on that old guitar. Coyotes cried every so often, sometimes nearby, sometimes far away. It was, indeed, a theater where the universe danced.

“That tune you're playin',” Ezra asked some time later, “which one is that? I've never heard it before.”

“I figured you wouldn't,” Stranger replied. “It's a little song I wrote while I was travelin'. I sing it whenever the trail gets too lonely for me. Makes me feel better, makes it seem like things are gonna change. Like for once, somethin' good's gonna happen. Ya know what I mean?”

“I do. It's a beautiful song, from what I’ve heard of it.”

“Thank you," Stranger replied. "I'll let ya hear more if you like."

“I wouldn't mind it, no,” Ezra replied. There was still the nagging fear, of course, that Stranger was only putting on a show to catch the old man unaware when he would kill him, but Ezra was still fascinated by that old guitar, curious about what exactly that decrepit instrument could do.

Smiling, Stranger strummed a few more chords and began again:

“Desert gold and ocean blue, Forest green, and meadow, too Still no sign o' the golden hue Of the judgment day to come.

'We've walked this earth, my horse and I We've seen the years go sailin' by I long for rest, though I've nowhere to lay So on we go, without a friend For mine's a pain that none can mend It's a lonely road towards the judgment day.'”

Stranger hummed the odd melody for a while, absorbed in the world of his song, before looking over at the spellbound old man.

“I thank you for lettin' me join ya out here tonight,” Stranger said, standing up to go inside.

“It's no trouble,” Ezra breathed. “Now, you go inside and take a nice, long rest.”

Stranger nodded, and as he turned around to go inside, Ezra could have sworn he saw a smirk on the other man's face. Then again, it could have also been the shadows playing tricks on him ...

“You, too, Ezra Collinsworth.”

***

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[farylslair]

questionMark Preview: “Dreams”

The fires of Hell rose up from the barrels scattered along the alleyways and throughout the city. They illuminated the walls of fallen skyscrapers and pillaged buildings and made the old graffiti red and full: 

DIE TYRANT SCUM! 

THE REBEL AGE IS HERE!

OUR COUNTRY IS FREE AGAIN!

GOD SMITE THE WICKED!

They illuminated the streets filled with large debris, what couldn't be cleaned up even after two years of peace. And under the black sky, they illuminated two red-clad soldiers dragging their prisoner through what used to be the downtown area. He wore a tattered gray suit, and his head was covered by a burlap sack, even though the whole country knew who he was. He offered little resistance, letting his captors pull him along the barren streets. The man kept his masked head down, and every so often, the soldiers would smirk at each other. 

Whatever Rex had done to him, it had been effective.

Other soldiers stopped their patrols and held up their guns as the prisoner passed, but he didn't react. His captors only looked at the other soldiers and nodded to them, telling them to lower their weapons. This man wasn't a fighter. Not anymore.

They passed a few loose posters fluttering in the wind, one of them forced to the ground under a soldier's boot.

Tyrant leader surrenders at Pyrite Amphitheater, it would read if one gave it a passing glance. September 13th, 2058 at 9:00 pm. The war is over! Rejoice!

A few blocks away, there was a struggle that ended with several gunshots and scattering pedestrians, some of them covered in blood. Someone had forgotten the rules again, or they thought they could get away with their insolence. Just another night in the Rebel State.

More barrels were lit in the streets as the soldiers and their captive grew closer and closer to Pyrite Amphitheater. They could also hear the rumble of the crowd gathered there, growing louder and louder with every corner they turned, every building they passed. This was the moment they had been waiting for, the moment the remaining Tyrants had put off for two years. Jay Windsor and what was left of his people couldn't ruin it this time.

They entered the old amphitheater, and a thrashing sea of red Rebel uniforms greeted them with jeers and curses. No civilian had stayed home or had more important things to do than witness this historic event; they all knew that after this, the war would officially be over, and they wanted to be there to celebrate.

Waiting for his captive was a man in a plain black suit, standing at center stage behind a lone table and chair. He watched, amused, as the soldiers dragged the prisoner down the aisles toward what was once the orchestra pit. 

“I'll take him from here,” the man in the black suit said, meeting the soldiers in the front row and grabbing the prisoner by the wrist. The prisoner still didn't fight, which made his new captor smile. As the soldiers headed back to their post, he led the prisoner onto the stage and sat him down in the chair. Suddenly, he pulled the sack off the prisoner's face, revealing his identity to the crowd, who gave a collective and unanimous jeer at the sight of him.

Jay Windsor, the Tyrant leader. The coward who had managed to avoid fighting in his own war and who had evaded capture for so long. Several more soldiers appeared from the back of the stage to keep an eye on Windsor while the man in the black suit raised a hand to quiet the crowd. 

“We've come a long way,” the man said into the nearby microphone. “No, we did it. As of tonight, the old government is gone. We have spoken, we have fought them, and we have won. It took some extra effort since not everyone here was willing to cooperate,” he gave a sideways glance at Windsor before looking back at the crowd, “but in the end, we did it. The Tyrants are gone. If they're not, they will be soon. And I have you to thank. If it weren't for your support, I'd still be on the streets trying to make a living for myself and my family, trying to survive their influence, their dominance, their intolerance. But now, the tables have turned. Now, we are the ones hunting them, killing them, putting them out of the picture so that we can live the lives we've always dreamed, do the things we couldn't do before, be what we could have been if it hadn't been for them. For the first time in so many years, we will be safe. We will be strong. We will be free. On this momentous occasion, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, and I hope we can recover from this devastating war.”

Throughout the whole speech, Windsor didn't move or speak. He numbly looked down at the document in front of him: the details of his surrender. He just had to sign this and face the humiliation, and then he could—

The crowd roared its approval, and soon a chant rose. It started quietly, indistinguishable, but eventually, it could be heard even over the maniacal cheers: “Rex! Rex! Rex! Rex! Rex!”

Rex grinned at the response. He closed his eyes and took a moment to bask in his praise before speaking again.

“And now, without further ado, the greatest moment in our history.”

He turned around and walked back to Windsor, who looked up at Rex upon hearing the end of his speech. Knowing full well that Windsor was watching his every move, Rex pulled a pen out of his coat pocket and handed it to him.

Engraved on it was the name of the last President. Fitting. 

As Windsor was about to open the pen, Rex cleared his throat. Windsor looked over, only to find a microphone in his face and Rex's smug expression. Windsor sighed.

“I am a traitor to my country,” he muttered, but the microphone amplified his confession for the whole audience to hear. “On this night, I … officially declare my surrender and formally disband the P—the Tyrant movement.” He hesitated. “It is to the mutual agreement of myself and Rex Libertatis that this civil war should cease immediately.” Windsor leaned back in the wooden chair as the crowd roared again. Now all he had to do was sign, and it would all be over. He sat up again and took the pen in his hand. 

He twisted it open.

He signed his name.

Yes.

Once his full and complete name was on the document, a needle was lodged into the back of Windsor's neck. Rex held the syringe as Windsor froze, wide-eyed. The world held its breath until Windsor's eyes rolled into his head and he collapsed onto the table.

***

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