Solaris has just made available for free a download of my short story "Tornado of Sparks." This tale is a prequel to both Bitterwood and Dragonforge. It tells the story of how the dragon Vendevorex came to adopt the human infant Jandra. The story is perhaps a mild spoiler for a major plot point in Bitterwood, when Jandra learns the truth of her origins after having the truth concealed for fifteen years. On the other hand, knowing the secret in advance I think can add to the tension of the book, since you'll know something about the character of Jandra that she doesn't. The story also reveals which on-going member of the human cast is secretly related to her--again, I think that knowing this when she doesn't only adds to your ability to empathise with her longing to find her true family.
As a reminder, the fan art exchange is still open! Send me a drawing or sketch of a character from Bitterwood, and I'll send you a free copy of Dragonforge. This offer is good for the first ten peices of art I recieve, and will remain open until I give away those ten books. After a week, I've recieved only one drawing; hopefully the rest of you are still sharpening your pencils.
3 comments:
"Tornado of Sparks" rocks. Printed it off, so I could keep a copy. Maybe I'll get it signed one day!
Don't stop writing James, you've got a fan for life.
Thanks, Matt. I plan to keep writing for a long, long time. Next July the third Bitterwood book comes out. After that, things get fuzzier. I may write a spin-off trilogy that follows the adventures of Graxen and Nadala from Dragonforge. I've also got a series of fantasies novels I'd like to write whose basic pitch is Bad Girls, Big Dragons. These would be set in a more traditional magic-based fantasy universe and would basically follow a Moby Dick plot, with female protagists as Ahab and primal dragons as the whale. Hopefully, I can write all the projects I have in mind eventually. In the meantime, watch this space. I've got at least three more short stories coming out this year; I'll be announcing them as they go live at their various sites.
I'll certainly keep checking this site. If you are ever travelling for book signings or the like, I hope you'll post the info on here. It would be cool if you would ever make it to Columbus, OH. I'd certainly want to get some books signed. Take care.
-Matt
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