I’m Not Dead

It’s been weeks since I’ve posted on my blog. Shame on me, I know. I’ve been busy though. Promotion at work and still writing and a laundry list of other excuses that sound perfectly good to me. Whatever, I know.

So why now? Well, I feel like I’m losing out a little on interacting with my readers. Granted, there’s not much in the way of interacting here, but it’s an attempt and that makes me feel better, at least. The thing that’s driving my desire to interact is the latest work I’ve been doing. You see, I’m really enjoying it because I was starting to feel a little like I kept finding myself doing variations of the same old thing. I suppose my newest one is another twist on that, but it’s fresh and new enough for me it feels like something totally different.

I’m taking a departure in normal writing style too. Historical I would write novels or, rarely, novellas. This time I’m writing the story in segments or parts. For example, the first part introduces a main character and is about chapters long. The second part is 5 or 6 chapters long and introduces a second character. The third part, that should be where the meet one another. Each segment has a plot and a purpose, making them self-contained stories within the whole. Or, if thought of as a video game, they’re milestones or checkpoints and could include side quests. Or maybe each as a Netflix season of a show.

But the setting, why is it different and why do I think it’s so fascinating? Well, take a typical fantasy setting. You’ve got humans, elves, dwarves, dragons, giants, magic, zombies, and all the typical fantasy elements. Now take that setting and imagine what happens year over year. Organizations rise and fall. The scholars, artists, scientists, and inventors in the world find new ways to do things. The wealthy find ways to become more wealthy and the poor end up struggling to keep what little they have. Dark ages follow barbaric times, then renaissance era(s) occur. Industrialization too, as enough time passes. The common theme through it all – magic, not technology. Or rather technology based on magic.

This new setting, Kallanar, has television networks playing on magic-mirror like devices called Scryers. Mobile communications happen in real time courtesy of several companies that have set up their devices, portable Scrolls, for sending written text messages and even pictures. Shortwands and longwands replace convention firearms, and bigger offensive weapons are known as deckwands on the airships that take people from one place to another when it’s great a distance for a rollabout to take them. Yes, a rollabout, they are produced mostly in two- and four-wheeled variants.

Banks and markets, franchise restaurants, even shopping malls and magical gaming systems exist. Along with the pseudo-technology they have the very real problems plaguing a modern society. Racism, sexism, the device between the wealthy and the poor, homelessness, political parties, religious fanaticism, hunger, slavery and sex trafficking, growing magical pollution, and the ever present fear that an aberration might steal your child away in the middle of the night to eat them or, worse, turn them into a monster themselves.

If that doesn’t at least pique your interest, well, I don’t know what will? Prostitution and gang / crime syndicates? Got those too. Tales of revenge and betrayal? Step right up! My imagination is my only limit, and I’m a very creative person. To be fair though, I’ve added new things in already based on feedback and suggestions from others, so input is already welcome and appreciated!

If you’re interested in the story, it can be found on my Patreon site (https://www.patreon.com/booksbyjason) already. At least the first (and soon second) segments. Down the road I’ll make them available in other areas as well, but that’s going to take a few months, at a minimum. Join Patreon and for a simple $1 a month you can see the latest developments in this new setting and my other stories I write exclusively for there as well.

To learn more about Jason Halstead, join his Patreon page, visit his website to read about him, or sign up for his newsletter.

Making Goth Look Good

My Voidhawk series started with the first book I’d ever had accepted for publication. It was actually a collection of novelettes that I strung together into a super-novel. After I finished I had a lot of story left to tell, so I wrote a sequel called Voidhawk – The Elder Race. That one was just as long as the first but it blended the original style of telling mini-stories into an overall plot that revealed itself to me as I wrote it. When I finished it I knew that the characters had more stories in them to tell. Heck, some of the abuse a few of them went through demanded more attention.

And so, after the first two mega-novels I split away and worked on Voidhawk – Redemption. That tells the story of one of the Voidhawk’s crew as he struggles to come to terms with a lot of the anguish of a life poorly spent and a second chance he never wanted. It was a lot of fun for me to write and in the process I feared that the main character had evolved from being my favorite person to torture to my favorite character in the series.

The story of the Voidhawk and crew didn’t end with Redemption, but it did take a hiatus. Well that break is over. Voidhawk – The White Lady, is ready for consumption at long last! The White Lady follows more of the Voidhawk’s crew. They reach a new world with a race rumored to have the knowledge and power necessary to help them solve their personal dilemmas. Along the way their troubles multiply time and again. They meet new foes and new friends – although at times its difficult to tell the difference between the two.

And hey, check out this amazing cover by Willsin Rowe!

The official blurb:

The people of Kelios have an unlikely group of saviors in a cursed priest, a confused sorceress, and a woman with a damaged soul trapped in the body of a teenage girl.

The three members of the Voidhawk’s crew came to Kelios seeking council with an powerful race of beings called the Fayer. Along the way they run afoul of the unholy army of The White Lady and vow to stop her. The only problem is that the answers to Bekka’s problems may come from the very being they’re determined to destroy.

Voidhawk - The White Lady, by Jason Halstead

Voidhawk – The White Lady on Amazon

Voidhawk – The White Lady on Amazon UK

Voidhawk – The White Lady on Barnes and Noble

Voidhawk – The White Lady on Smashwords

To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.