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Book 3 is DONE! Dragon Slayer: Sacrifice is available in 3 versions

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 
· Monday, April 18th, 2022 

There were points in wrapping up this series that I felt the end would never come. But it’s done… book three is now LIVE on Amazon, and one thing I love about the fact that I took so long is this…

Click the image to go to Amazon and buy the book!

HARDBACK VERSIONS ARE NOW A THING!

I’ve long wished Amazon gave self-published authors the ability to print their books in hard cover and now it’s here. I’ve got a hardback of all three of my books on the way to my house right now. I’ll check them over with a fine-toothed comb because if they are good enough quality, I’m sending a 3-book set to all of my kids since they were the ones who encouraged me to write the books in the first place.

You can get yours now.

Another item in the works…

Now that hard cover editions are a thing, I want to create a 3-in-1 set that is more of a “Collector’s Edition” or “Gift Edition” that would be perfect for Christmas gift giving, special occasions, etc. I’d love to have it ready by the Christmas season.

What’s going to be so special about it?

  • All three novels in one hardback book
  • A special, limited edition cover with professional artwork only available on this edition (maybe a full scene from the book that wraps around the entire cover?)
  • Character images interspersed throughout the pages of the book (I’ve already connected with an artist who is doing a FABULOUS job on the first ones. See the image of Silas just below this list.
  • A special Appendix: Dragons in Human History — historical accounts of creatures encountered by real people that appear to have been some sort of dragon.
  • And possibly some other fun stuff…
“Silas the Screw” — the main protagonist in the series

And yet ANOTHER project on the horizon

I’ve long wanted to create an audiobook version of the series and now may have the time to get started on it.

The administrative side of me says, “If I only record a chapter a day I can get one book done in just over a month.” Sounds good. Nice theory. But I know that life doesn’t work that way (at least not my life).

AND… I’m not at a point I can even get started right now given how my business and other endeavors are going. And then there’s family time, church involvement, blah, blah, blah…

So… pray for me. I’d love to get the audiobook versions done in my own voice, before the Christmas gift-giving season as well. But I’m not holding my breath. That would actually make it pretty hard to record anything, so…

Thank you for your encouragement and support.

It’s been great to write the series and fun to interact with fans about the books. Please feel free to write to me to let me know what you think. I do answer my own email. carey(at)dragonslayerbook(dot)com.

I’d also appreciate you going to Amazon to leave a review.

And tell people you love about the series. It wraps up with a bang (and a few surprises). 🙂

Categories : about the series
Dragon Slayer Beginnings fantasy fiction

FICTION FUNDRAISERS: Expanding the eternal impact of the Dragon Slayer series

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 
· Wednesday, December 9th, 2015 

Fiction can change lives.

I truly believe that because of the impact stories have had on me personally. Our brains are wired for story. Our souls long to be part ofa grand tale and thankfully, in Christ we are.

For that reason, and because my books are laced with eternal themes, it’s important to me to get the books into the hands of people who will actually read them. If I could afford to simply give them away, I would (and I CAN afford to do that with electronic versions, so if you know someone who could truly use one but can’t afford it, let me know.)

Dragon Slayer Beginnings fantasy fiction

Book one in my fantasy fiction series

But I think I’ve found a way to expand the ministry reach of the series, even with paperback copies, in a self-perpetuating manner.

Fiction fundraisers

My idea is pretty simple: I would partner with non-profit groups I believe in (En Gedi Retreat is an example of one I’ve already approached) to see if they would be interested in promoting my first novel to their donor list, email list, or via their website and/or social media for a predetermined period of time. Over the timeframe of our partnership the non-profit gets all the profits from that book’s sales (after costs).

The benefits as I see them?

  1. I’m able to help a cause I believe in.
  2. The cause is able to provide a God-honoring, life-changing resource to their constituents.
  3. The book’s Amazon sales rank gets a boost, therefore becoming easier for all “searchers” to find on Amazon, thus extending the reach of the books organically.
  4. The other books in the series are placed on the radar of the entire list of constituents as a possible additional purchase in the future (it IS a series, after all).
  5. The increased income for me that comes from #4 enables me to do the same thing again for another non-profit, a even offer the books as a free gift in certain cases.
  6. The increased notoriety of the books that comes via increased Amazon sales and a growing fan base makes this sort of non-profit partnership more desirable for future non-profits to consider.

I really think this could work

Fiction fundraiser partnerships I’d be interested in…

There are lots of non-profits I’d love to support in this way. Some ideas I’ve had so far…

  • Youth groups
  • Crisis pregnancy centers
  • Community missions or homeless shelters
  • Churches
  • Pastoral support agencies or retreat centers (like En Gedi)
  • Christian camps
  • Niche ministries like Dave Roever

I’ve never heard of anything like this being done but I see no reason it couldn’t work. And the better it works the more in-demand and more effective it could become.

Do you have any contacts with non-profit leaders or organizers who might be interested in this idea?

I’d love to chat with them about the possibilities. Now that book #3 is underway there’s even more reason for me to get excited about out of the box ways to use these fictional fantasy tales to change lives.

In order to make it easy for the non-profit organizers to feel good about the partnership, I’d want to gift them e-book copies of all the books in the series so they could know first-hand what they’d be promoting. I’m also eager to provide a clearly written agreement that outlines the partnership as well as verification from my Amazon sales amount of the non-profit’s “earnings” during the partnership period.

If you think you might be able to make some introductions that could help me get this idea rolling, here’s how you could do that:

  • Share this post with your non-profit organizer/leader contacts.
  • Introduce me to them via a cc: email – carey (AT) DragonSlayerBook (DOT) com.
  • Share this post repeatedly on social media, along with your personal encouragement for others to read it. You may know somebody who knows the one person who could skyrocket the idea.
  • Comment below to let me know who I could contact to get the ball rolling.

I would love to hear your thoughts about this idea. I’m sure somebody out there could improve upon my basic ideas. Comment in the section at the bottom of this post to offer your tweaks.

Categories : about the series
Dragon Slayer Book 3

The 3rd novel is in the works

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 
· Sunday, December 6th, 2015 

It’s been almost 7 months since book #2 in the Dragonslayer series was released.

I figure it’s time to get moving on the final installment.

I’ve had ideas and scenarios clanging around in my head for book #3 for a very long time.

I’m starting this next week – first on the outline, then once I’m happy with its general shape I’ll probably dedicate at least an hour each morning to filling it in chapter at a time.

I might even take one of my writing retreats in the months following Christmas.

10,000 words per day?

It may sound unrealistically ambitious, and probably is, but a lot has been written of late about how to get as much as 10,000 words written per day.

One of my new internet friends, Shelley Hitz, teaches writers how to increase their writing speed, so I’ll probably grab her book before I get started. Though most of the “write faster” books out there nowadays are written as a help for nonfiction authors, I think there is plenty to apply as a fiction writer. I’m hoping to apply some of those principles to get #3 completed in record time.

I appreciate your prayers about that as I get going.

I truly believe that fiction can be a powerful tool for the transformation of people’s hearts.

Jesus used parables (fiction) to communicate truth. God used visions (fiction) to communicate His plans. We humans have been made creative beings who are able to tell and appreciate the power of stories (fiction).

My prayer is that the LORD of creation will use my simple stories to pass along His truth and change lives.

Thanks for your support.

Categories : about the series, the writing process
Tags : book 3, dragon slayer, fiction, power of writing
character sketch sandip

Character Sketch: Sandip – a new addition to the “good guys” in Dragon Slayer: Rising

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 
· Wednesday, May 27th, 2015 

What’s a character sketch?

It’s a summary description of a persona, either of a real life person or a fictional character.

The Scribendi website defines it this way:

A character sketch is a quick rendering of a character, and writing a sketch is about asking and answering questions. In order to write a character sketch, you must ask yourself questions about your character. Only you, as the author, can answer these questions.

In this case it’s a fictional character, one I’m introducing in my newest novel, Dragon Slayer: Rising.

Readers, meet Sandip.

Character Sketch: Sandip

character sketch for my worldAs you can probably tell from his name, Sandip hails from the east.

In our world the name comes from the region of India.

In Sanskrit it means “blazing.”

While the world in my books is not “earth” per se, it’s what I’d call an alternate version of earth, an alternate history.

  • It has the same history
  • The same geography
  • And the same ethnic diversity.

I based my world on the reality of our world to make it easier for readers to understand the setting quickly and move on to the story and characters.

But more importantly, it’s based in an earth-like timeline because of the central place the gospel plan of redemption plays in the storyline.

[tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#charactersketch”]The power of God in real life is what motivates all of my fiction.[/tweetthis]

Getting back to Sandip:

CHARACTER SKETCH:

Age: Approximately 35

Ethnicity: Eastern (India?)

Physical characteristics:

  • Lithe, agile, and fit.
  • A bit taller than 6 foot.
  • Deep brown skin.
  • Thin but handsome face.
  • Two prominent scars, one on each cheek (there’s a story there… you’ll have to read the book to find out what it is).

Personality:

  • Intelligent, purposeful, resolute.
  • Kind but cautious.
  • Devoted to those who have gained his trust.
  • Fierce toward those who have broken it.

Motivations:

  • Lives with deep regrets and bitterness (again, you’ll have to read the book to get the details on that. It’s an important part of the storyline).
  • Eager to inflict justice on his betrayers.
  • Without a clear purpose, Sandip can easily drift into the murky swamp of guilty regret.
  • With a clear and meaningful purpose, he is a force not to be trifled with.

Skills:

  • Insightful and strategic.
  • Very capable warrior.
  • A leader in every sense of the word.

I’d love for you to meet Sandip in my new novel, Dragon Slayer: Rising.

I hope this character sketch has tempted you to find out more.

3D rising coverIf you do happen to grab a copy of the book, please do me the favor of leaving a review of the book on Amazon once you’re done reading it.

You can also tell others about the book by using the social media sharing options on this page.

Finally, I’d love to hear your thoughts and impressions of Sandip in the comments below…

  • How would you describe him?
  • What do you like about this new character?
  • What do you wish was different about him?
  • And… no spoilers, please! We don’t want to ruin the story for others!

Thanks!

Categories : characters
Tags : character sketch, dragon slayer rising, sandip
Dragon Slayer: Rising - front cover (3D)

Fantasy fiction from a Christian perspective – DS 2 releases May 1, 2015

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 
· Thursday, April 30th, 2015 

Writing fantasy fiction is not as easy as I once thought…

a young J.R.R. Tolkien, fantasy fiction author

a young J.R.R. Tolkien, fantasy fiction author

So says I, author of now 2 novels out of an originally planned 5 (It’s since dwindled to 3. It’s all I can muster at this point in my life).

But it’s been a lot of fun, regardless.

I’ve always enjoyed fantasy fiction, especially growing up. By the time I was in Jr. High school was reading Tolkien, Piers Anthony, and others. It was a very fun time for my growing mind…

But I never dreamed I’d be writing my own fantasy fiction series. That is, until I had kids.

These fantasy fiction stories come from the same place that many authors find their inspiration – stories they told their kids when they were small.

I don’t know how I decided to tell the first story to the kids. It was probably a lark on a car ride home from church or a friend’s house.

Dragons sounded good, so I created this character out of thin air: Hon, the Dragon Slayer.

Each installment of the story featured this brave, resourceful Dragon Slayer who fought a different dragon (of a different color and with varying breath weapons) in each story.

They were fun, childish stories then, with Hon winning every battle, never getting seriously hurt, and being the sterling hero that kids appreciate.

I remember the car rides home from various places and the kids yelling, “Daddy, tell us a “Hon story!” Those were the first iterations of these books.

These fantasy fiction books have come a very long way from their original inspirations.

Now the “Hon stories” have become 350+ page adventures, full of real-life issues that challenge the reader on a deep level.

I know, because writing about the issues in these books challenged me on a personal level.

There are struggles with loss, hope, anger, tragedy, faith, and the goodness of God in all of it. And I try really hard to address those things without coming off as “preachy” or sanctimonious.

Reviewers of the first book have said that I’ve done a pretty good job of it. I’m thankful for their encouragement.

These Christian fantasy fiction books are available… almost…

Dragon Slayer Beginnings fantasy fiction

Book one in my fantasy fiction series

If you’d like to get your own copies of book one “Dragon Slayer: Begnnings” with it’s new and improved red cover, it’s available in ebook or paperback at http://amzn.com/B00IUMGOPU

The new book (at the top of this post) releases tomorrow – May 1, 2015 in both ebook ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VU6XGHC ) and paperback (https://www.createspace.com/5423699 ) formats.

I appreciate any feedback on the books and would also be totally blessed if you are able to pass the word along to anyone you think might be interested.

You can use the social media buttons on this post to do that.

And also, if you could leave a review of the books on Amazon once you’ve read them. That would be great too!

Most of all, I’d appreciate your prayers for this new series to break into the fantasy fiction market so more lives can be impacted for the kingdom of God!

There’s nothing that would matter more to me.

Thanks for your encouragement and support!

Categories : about the series, release information

Dragon Slayer: Rising is now available for Pre-order on Amazon

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 
· Thursday, April 9th, 2015 

If you’ just can’t wait (even though you’ll have to wait until May 1st, 2015) you can pre-order the Kindle version of “Dragon Slayer: Rising” and it will be delivered to your Kindle or Kindle account on May 1, 2015.

How can you do it?

Click the big yellow button!

preorder button

 

And if you’d be so kind as to pass along this message to others you know might be interested – I’d appreciate it!

Categories : about the series, release information
Tags : amazon book, dragon slayer, pre-order, preorder
cheap-kindle-books

Cheap Kindle books and no-brainer author marketing

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 
· Thursday, September 4th, 2014 

One of the things I love about the Ebook revolution is that you can find all kinds of cheap Kindle books, Nook Books, etc.

“Cheap” could mean a great price… which is what I like. But “cheap” could also mean:

  • poor quality
  • bad writing
  • sketchy formatting
  • terrible graphics or cover art

Many of the promotion lists that exists publicize anything that is free or 99cents. When that’s the case, you’re likely to get “cheap Kindle books” from both standpoints.

Cheaply priced Kindle books, but with high quality… that’s what we want!

And finally, somebody’s done it. Buck books** is a new email list that is aimed at promoting Ebooks for independent authors. It features books that are on sale for 99 cents, but also requires them to be truly “good” books with:

  • great quality
  • excellent writing
  • professional formatting
  • high quality graphics and cover art

Cheap Kindle bookNaturally, I can’t vouch for the moral content of the books they feature, but can assure you that the books you find will not drive you crazy because of typos, irritating covers, or just plain bad writing.

No-brainer author marketing too

Buck books is also a great way for independent or self-published authors to get their books more exposure. Most of these “lists” require some kind of fee for the author, but Buck Books is different. It costs authors nothing.

Nothing.

Nada.

Zilch.

Authors submit their books for consideration and on approval, are included in the Buck books email for all the subscribers to see.

Here’s how Buck books works.

  1. Go to the Buck books website and sign up for their mailing list.
  2. You’ll receive emails highlighting the 99 cent books they’ve approved for their list.
  3. You can check out those books and purchase through the links provided if you’re interested.

It’s that simple. As long as you utilize their list, you’ll never pay more than a buck for a high quality ebook.

And Buck books is an affiliate program (that means you could make some cash)

If you’d like to make a few extra bucks by promoting this easy-to-use, no-brainer program to readers and authors, here’s how you do it.

  • Go here to sign up for the affiliate program.
  • Fill in the information.
  • Wait for your approval email.
  • Click the link and find the link codes you can use to refer folks to Buck books.

What do you get paid?

  • For every person you refer, who signs up for the email list, you get $1. (Buck books… get it?)
  • For every person you refer to the affiliate program, you get 10 cents. (Yeah, it’s small… but every penny helps, right?)
  • You get paid every time your account reaches a $20 balance.

So for example: If you sign up for the list through one of my links (here, or above, or by clicking the picture above), I’ll get $1. If you sign up to be an affiliate of Buck books through one of my links, I’ll get 10 cents. It’s that simple.

Would you support what I’m doing through the Dragon Slayer Chronicles series?

If you would be kind enough to use my affiliate link to sign up for Buck books, you’ll help me put food on the table through the income I receive so that I can spend my time creating the best novels I can.

** affiliate link

Categories : Uncategorized
Tags : author marketing, cheap ebooks, CHEAP KINDLE BOOKS
kill-your-darlings

It’s true. You have to kill your darlings to be a good fiction writer.

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 
· Thursday, August 21st, 2014 

“Kill your darlings.” It’s been said many, many times by experienced authors.

The phrase has been attributed to writers as well-known as William Faulkner and Stephen King. Who originally said it appears to have been neither.

But what it means for a writer is the important thing.

The phrase is meant to communicate that the ideas and phrases that you as the author tend to think are your “best work,” usually are  not.

The ones you like the most, care about the most, and have the most emotional investment in, are typically the phrases that need to go.

So you must kill your darlings as you edit.

I didn’t believe it to be true when I first read it.

I do now.

That’s because I’ve been doing the 2nd round of editing on my follow-up novel to “Dragon Slayer: Beginnings,” which I’m tentatively calling, “Dragon Slayer: Rising.” In this round of editing I’m discovering something I didn’t really believe about myself…

I can be pretty verbose. In other words, I use a lot of words to say things.

That’s not a bad thing in and of itself, if the number of words I’m using are necessary to communicate what I want to communicate (see, there I go again).

But for a fiction writer, it can be a HUGE problem.

Folks who read a story need to get lost in it. Good writing should be such that the reader doesn’t even notice the language and words because they are communicating story rather than drawing attention to themselves. When the words do draw attention to themselves, either through bad word choices, improper word usage, or unnecessarily verbose sentences, the author has failed.

Trim, trim, trim

That’s what I’ve found myself doing in this editing round, repeatedly. Sometimes I’m astounded that I thought a particular phrase sounded good in the first place. Other times I simply feel that it’s not clicking and I have to think on it, rephrase it myriad times, or cut it altogether because it’s not helpful or needed.

And the meaning behind the saying “kill your darlings” is true: I often have to implement courage and get rid of some of my favorite ideas or phrases because they don’t serve the story as they should. Sometimes I can get rid of them by reworking them, other times I have to kill them. Mercilessly.

I suspect this discovery is somewhere in the growth curve of every fiction writer. None of us is as masterful with language as we think. None of us is as good a story-teller as we want to believe we are.

We learn humility through the process of self-editing and in the next step of having others suggest edits.

And I think humility makes a good author in the end.

What do you think? Have you ever read a book that seemed overly verbose? What impact did it have on the story? What impact did it have on your feeling about the book?

Categories : the writing process
Tags : editing process, how to edit, kill your darlings, novel editing, self editing
character development

Character development for the fiction writer

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 
· Monday, August 18th, 2014 

What do I have to say about character development?

Afterall, I’m not an experienced fiction writer. My first novel hasn’t even been released a year, yet.

But I am a teacher by trade. That means I notice what is involved in learning, and how learning happens.

I notice details, steps, procedures. I notice connections between things that most people miss.

As I’m doing the work of editing my second novel (a sequel to the first) I’m learning a couple of things about character development that I simply hadn’t thought of before I began writing fiction.

I thought it would be fun to outline some of my discoveries (which more experienced writers have probably discovered long ago).

1 Once a character is developed, he’s developed.

That may not sound like much of a revelation to you, but it has some pretty significant implications.

  • The way you develop a character at the beginning (in my case, in my first novel) is going to dictate what you can do with that character from then on. It’s obvious, but when you’re writing you tend not to think about it enough. I’ve found myself making slight changes to a character’s personality and then realizing, “Oh, I can’t do that. He doesn’t talk that way (act that way, say such things, etc.).”
  • Consistency has to flow from book to book. For example, a character known for repeating a certain phrase (“Don’t you know” or “As I was saying” are great examples) needs to be known for that throughout the book or series. It’s part of how people recognize the character or place them in the story.
  • If you come up with some great idea for a character’s personality and you didn’t include that in previous versions, too bad. You have to leave it out (no matter how great the idea is.

Working on my second novel I’m paying close attention to new characters, being a bit more intentional about the things I make them say or do. I’m trying to be mindful of their uniqueness before I write them, so that I can portray them uniquely, compellingly, and with emotion that I think I missed in some ways in my first novel.

The real challenge doing so in a way that doesn’t make the first novel seem flat. We’ll see how I do with that.

2 Consistency within a character’s personality is very, very hard.

You might not think so, but it is. If you have a character who is Scottish for instance and instead of saying, “I think” he says “Methinks” (like my character, Gerrard), you have to be careful that such personality or speech traits remain consistent. When you’re writing an entire story, creating an entire world as is necessary in fiction, that gets increasingly harder with the number of characters, places, events, and settings you press into the narrative.

3 Character growth is even harder.

Characters, like the people they are supposed to represent, should grow over time.

Yes, there can be exceptions, like the guy you went to high school with who still talks about the exact same things now that he did way back then. But that’s not normal. A character like that would be a “stereotypical” type of figure, one used for comic relief or to help the reader gain familiarity with a minor character quickly.

But in real life, people grow, so characters in the story should too. Deciding how they are going to grow and what that growth is going to look like is excruciating work.

It’s not only difficult to decide, it’s even more difficult to write because as an author I begin to think of my characters in certain ways. To break out of my own perception of the character to make them stretch and grow is difficult at best.

4 The tendency toward making characters who think like you is very strong.

This is one of the reasons that writers should read. We’ve got to hear how other people think, how other people write, and how personalities other than our own view and interact with the world.

I think this is a great reason authors should be people-watchers too. Go to the mall, the store, the fun fair downtown and watch people. Pay attention to personalities, quirks, phrases of speech, and habitual gestures and habits.

People are very interesting because they are so varied… characters have to be that way too.

5 Characters should illicit emotion from the reader.

A good character, good or bad, protagonist or antagonist, has to be well-rounded… enough to make people feel for them (good or bad). I’ve found myself crying a couple of times at what “happened” to particular characters as I’ve been reading back through to do edits.

Yes, that’s strange. But it’s understandable.

I’ve spent two years with these characters to date. They’re not real to me, but I feel that I “know” them in a way. There is an emotional attachment as a result.

I don’t think that says so much regarding my talent as a writer as it does that I have some memorable characters that matter (at least to me). That’s a good sign in my book.

What have you learned about character development – from reading or writing? I’d love to hear your comments below!

Categories : characters, the writing process
Tags : character development

Book 2 name chosen: Dragon Slayer: Rising

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 
· Wednesday, June 25th, 2014 

Naming a novel is not an easy thing to do…

cover representationI’ve vacillated back and forth many times on what to name this second book, and the more time I spend doing my edits (I’m in the 2nd round of my personal edits right now), the more I’m being drawn to the name “Dragon Slayer: Rising.” It fits what’s going on, in two ways.

1 In this book, the Dragon Master cult begins to rise to dominance. Naturally, I’m not going to tell you how that happens (you’ll have to get the book), but I can say this: It’s unexpected and overall spectacular.

2 In this book, the Dragon Slayers (yes, more than one) begin to rise to oppose the dragon masters. Again, can’t say much but the call is out for willing folks. Being a bit crazy doesn’t hurt either.

3 A host of other supporting characters will rise to the surface, and the plot thickens and gets more twisted as a result. Ooooooh, I love the intrigue of it all!

And in case anyone is wondering, I’m going to have the same artist as before do the cover for this one, only in dark hues (black, grey) and with a different looking dragon in the carving. The image to the right is just my hacked version of the idea in my head. Reggie will do SUCH a better job, believe me.

Pray for me as I work on my edits

I’m trying to “refine my craft” as the hoity-toity author types say and it’s quite a challenge. I’m seeking to do it through better characterization, better description (of people, places, and action), and more colorful and gripping language – all without being too cliched or sappy. It’s a tall order and I’m seeking the LORD’s help.

My main goal is to make these novels helpful to the real lives of real people. I want the truth of God to be represented accurately through the lips of the characters and the circumstances they face. I want the power of scripture to touch the heart of every reader.

Thanks again for your support. Your encouragement is a lift to my soul!

Categories : the publication process, the writing process, Uncategorized
Tags : book #2, christian author, christian fantasy novel, Christian novel, dragon slayer book
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