In the fantasy genre, heroes enjoy the spotlight, but villains inevitably steal the show. A compelling villain can terrorize, dominate, and even seduce our sensibilities as they lurk in the background or emerge to play havoc with the narrative. Let's be honest - the Joker is much more intriguing than Batman. Without Darth Vader and his iconic mask, would Star Wars have become such a global phenomenon? Speaking of masks, who can ever forget Hannibal Lecter's comically hideous restraint in The Silence of the Lambs? By the end of the movie, half the audience was rooting for Lecter to escape. Even Clarice Starling's most devoted fan would have to concede that Lecter is the real star of the show.

When creat [...]
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One of the toughest things about writing a book is editing the same. Those who have read The Fiend and the Forge know that Max encounters a particularly horrifying monster that has been terrorizing a farmhouse in the Kingdom of Blys. While trapped in the monsters' well, our hero discovers a strange arrangement of furniture and possessions - akin to an office or study. In the original draft of Fiend, Max also discovers a letter that gave grisly clues to the monster's past. It was interesting read as it gave us some insight into the events of The Second Siege from a third party's perspective while further fleshing out the character of Prusias. Here's the letter...

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The video trailer for The Fiend and the Forge is finally ready - right before the book arrives in stores. Have a peek and share it with your friends on YouTube or Facebook. More coming soon!

One of the most enjoyable aspects of writing a fantasy series is the opportunity to create new characters and creatures. The smee is a one of my latest creations and readers will be meeting him in The Fiend and the Forge. Here's their description:

Harmless but incurably lazy, the smee is a master of mimicry. In their natural state, the smee is a yam-like, limbless creature with a mouth in its midsection. Incomparably vain, they may don various wigs, hairpieces, and even sparkly sequins to jazz up their plain and - let's be honest - somewhat revolting bodies. Their real talent, however, lies in their ability to shape shift. Smees can take almost any form and with such unparalleled skil [...]
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One of the more intriguing characters in the upcoming Fiend and the Forge is the Fomorian Giant. We've heard about him in the previous book, but you'll get a chance to see him up close and personal in the next book.

Things have been hectic lately as I've been working on website updates, a book trailer, a school visits schedule, and the next book. More updates coming soon on all fronts, but hopefully you're finding the blog a little easier to read. We've change the layout and made it a bit more user-friendly - personally, I used to find it a little irritating that it was almost impossible to read an entry without clicking. Hopefully, you'll find this a little easier.

We'll be making more changes soon, but be sure to check out the Character Guide, which has some of your favorit [...]
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