This is my own short story, so of course I'm not going to rate it. It's free and can be found in three different ways
* Theft of Swords excerpt - this This is my own short story, so of course I'm not going to rate it. It's free and can be found in three different ways
* Theft of Swords excerpt - this became the opening of that book when the series was re-released by Orbit * The Riyria Sampler - a collection of three short stories and the excerpt from my new book. * The Thieves - a free standalone that you can get by writing to me at michael(dot)sullivan(dot)dc(at)gmail(dot)com.
So here is the back story about this piece. It started in 2010 whan I was writing Nyphron Rising (book #3 of The Riyria Revelations). In it, one of my main characters was going through a "mid-life crisis" and this was putting a strain on him and his best friend. My wife was concerned that I needed a "fun scene" added to the novel to lighten the mood. So, I wrote added a chapter that is essentially what this short story became. After reading it, she said, "Excellent scene, but it has no place in doesn't fit in Nyphron Rising" so it hit the cutting room floor.
I thought the scene was "the perfect" introduction to the pair, so I did a bit of rewriting (to remove stuff specific to Nyphron Rising) and made it a short story. I never "publsihed" it, but I would give it out to readers for free who were interested in my work, but wanted to try before they bought.
Years later, this series (which was originally self-published) was picked up by one of the big-five publishers (Hachette Book Group's fantasy imprint, Orbit. My new editor kept the books very similar to how I had them, but she was concerned with how the series opened. Originally, it starts with a scene that doesn't include the main characters. Instead, it opens with a man blackmailing a fellow noble with some stolen letters. There were some early readers that were confused, and thought the series was about this secondary character because it was who they met first. Considering this character was a bit of a fool, that wasn't the right way to start out. My editor wanted me to start the book with Royce and Hadrian scaling the tower to steal the letters, and show what they did and how. For me, this didn't work, because I wanted the reader to "play along" and see if they could figure out how the letters disappear. So I needed a new opening...but what could it be?
The answer was simple, once I thought on it. The short story that hadn't been published made for a great introduction, so let's change it slightly (to fit Theft of Swords) and make that be the opening scene...and hence it was.
So, for most people, they've already read The Theives...as it is the start of Theft of Swords, but for those who haven't read any of my work, and would like to see if it's a good fit, I'm still making this available for free. Also, if you are already a fan of Riyria and would like to get your friends and family to join in the fun, then consider getting a copy of it for them. After all, who doesn't like to discuss a favorite book with loved ones? By giving them a copy, maybe they'll go on to read the rest of the series....more
It's difficult to create a good story in the short form. You have to build suspense, define characters, and have a complete resolution with a very smaIt's difficult to create a good story in the short form. You have to build suspense, define characters, and have a complete resolution with a very small word count. Gaines Post did it all in this short story.
In full disclosure, Gaines sent this to me (I didn't stumble upon it myself), but my opinions on the strength of the story are my own. I'm a picky reader, and most works sent to me like this are "not ready for primetime." I usually give the authors some advice on how to fix it and go along my way. I won't go into the details of this short, as it's easy to ruin it but it has a nice "Twilight Zone" vibe and is well written and reads very smoothly. Give it a try, it's a short read that is well worth the time....more
Yes, I have a story in this anthology so my rating comes from all stories except "The Jester" - I'll leave it to others to say how well I did on that Yes, I have a story in this anthology so my rating comes from all stories except "The Jester" - I'll leave it to others to say how well I did on that particular piece. I am going to provide the brief intro to my piece, though, in the hopes that finding out what my story is about will help others take a look.
The characters of Royce and Hadrian came to me during my self-imposed ten-year hiatus from writing. After crafting twelve novels and spending a decade getting nowhere, I had determined that publication was hopeless, and I had vowed never to write creatively again. But they kept invading my mind, and as hard as I tried to silence them, I finally gave in, on one condition: that I would write a book that I wanted to read and forgo any thoughts of publication. What a fun time I had bringing these two rogues to life. My wife decided to circumvent my plans and got the books published, and hence Riyria was born.
The six books of The Riyria Revelations were released by Orbit in three two-book omnibus volumes, and while I thought that would be the end of Royce and Hadrian, readers clamored for more. Because I didn’t want to “tack on” to a carefully choreographed ending, The Riyria Chronicles were born to explore adventures that occurred during the twelve years the pair were together before Revelations began.
The short story I’ve provided is a Chronicles tale. It takes place after the events of The Rose and the Thorn and before those of Theft of Swords. Even so, it’s a stand-alone story and no prior experience with any of my books is required to enjoy it to its fullest.
Crafting a work for Unfettered was quite a daunting experience. I wanted to help Shawn and his cause, but how could I not be intimidated by the esteem of the authors I’d be sharing the pages with? Like Riyria, I hope that I rose to the challenge, and that you’ll be entertained by “The Jester,” a story of adventure, bonds of friendship, and a recognition that the choices we make dictates the future we find.
I'm going to also provide the first paragraph to "The Jester" as that is sometimes a good way to get people interested in a story.
Hadrian discovered that the most fascinating thing about plummeting in total darkness wasn’t the odd sense of euphoria instilled from the free fall or the abject terror derived from anticipating sudden death, but that he had the opportunity to contemplate both. The drop was that far.
Unfettered is the brain-child of Terry Brooks who wanted to find a way to help out Shawn Speakman...his website designer who racked up $200,000 in uninsured medical expenses while fighting Hodgkin’s cancer. Terry donated a short story, and other fatnasy authors followed suit. No one is taking an compensation from their stories, all money will go paying off Shawn's bills, and if there is any left over...he'll start a fund to help other authors as well.
The line up for this project is legend. It includes: Terry Brooks, Patrick Rothfuss, Naomi Novik, Brandon Sanderson, R.A. Salvatore, Tad Williams, Jacqueline Carey, Daniel Abraham, Peter V. Brett, Robert V.S. Redick, Peter Orullian, Todd Lockwood, Carrie Vaughn, Blake Charlton, Kevin Hearne, Mark Lawrence, David Anthony Durham, Jennifer Bosworth, Lev Grossman, Michael J. Sullivan, Eldon Thompson, and Shawn Speakman.
In addition to donating a Royce and Hadrian short story, I also helped Shawn with formatting the ebook. This gave me a sneak peek at all the stories and while they are all good, I told myself before I started reading that I would choose 10 as my favorites. Here is the list (presented in order of where they appear in the book)
* Game of Chance by Carrie Vaughn * Mudboy by Peter V. Brett * Keeper of Memory by Todd Lockwood * Heaven in a Wild Flower by Blake Charlton * The Chapel Perilous by Kevin Hearne * Select Mode by Mark Lawrence * All the Girls Love Michael Stein by David Anthony Durham * Strange Rain by Jennifer Bosworth * Unbowed by Eldon Thompson * The Duel by Lev Grossman
So yesterday I completed my proofing of the ebook version of Unfettered and the book is now back in the hands of Shawn for posting. I must say there is a wide variety of stories in here and I think you'd be hard pressed not to find something that tickles your fancy.
One thing that I found most remarkable, is even books that were part of a franchise that I haven't read I still found them extremely enjoyable and engaging.
Still debating the ethics of giving a rating as I have a story in this volume, but if I were to rate it, the marks would be high indeed.
The following would be considered "spoiler material" please don't read this portion until after you finish the story.
(view spoiler)[I'm not really known for writing short stories. I write novels...I think in terms of novels...Everything I do comes out at 100,000 words. The first real short story I ever put out there was The Viscount and the Witch. To make it I cheated. Basically I wrote what I would consider the start of a story and just made sure that it wrapped up and had a complete ending.
For The Jester I applied the same cheat but in reverse order. I decided to write the end of a story and could keep the word count down by referencing what would probably be a full book's worth of mayhem that had occurred up to the point of the climax. It was a fun way to write it. I'm sure that given it's construction, some might wonder if I'll ever put the front end on it. Who knows? I certainly don't. I have ho plans of doing so at this point, as I have so many other projects awaiting my attention, but it was an awful lot of fun coming up with the "snippets" of what happened before page one of this story. (hide spoiler)]...more
So, as I'm the author I'm obviously not going to give myself a ranking...even though I do love this little short.
For me it was a chance to really strSo, as I'm the author I'm obviously not going to give myself a ranking...even though I do love this little short.
For me it was a chance to really stretch myself to do something I don't usually do:
* Modern setting with time/travel elements * Science Fiction * Short Story * Complex Theme
I'm very anxious to hear what people think...I'm actually quite intrigued by some of the implications of this short, and could easily see it being turned into a novel...but if I'm delusional, then I don't want to waste my time. So....if you have any feedback please answer this one question poll to help me determine what to do.
No rating, as this is my "own book" but I did want to say a bit about it.
This is a standalone prequel to my Riyria Revelations Series. It is being relNo rating, as this is my "own book" but I did want to say a bit about it.
This is a standalone prequel to my Riyria Revelations Series. It is being relesed for free and you can get a copy by clicking here
No previous knowledge of the Riyria Revelations is necessary. It is a short story (just 5,400 words) so is a quick introduction to a larger epic tale.
Eleven years before they were framed for the murder of a king, before even assuming the title of Riyria, Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater were practically strangers. Unlikely associates, this cynical thief and idealist swordsman, were just learning how to work together as a team. In this standalone first installment of The Riyria Chronicles, Royce is determined to teach his naive partner a lesson about good deeds. Join Royce and Hadrian in this short story (5,400 words) about one of their earliest adventures.. ...more
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