Pulp Speed = 4 Books in a month!

I truly meant to spend some more time here at the blog and try to do weekly posts, and that fell pretty hard.

But on the plus side I have been able to keep writing even though I feel busier than ever despite the Corona. I'm finally starting to feel Pulp Rev speed flowing.


Between March 29th and April 22nd, I released 4 books - count them 4 books.
In my #SAVANT series of weird western/gaslamp fantasy Memento Mori, with Porter Rockwell and Elizabeth Dee (John Dee's descendant and heir to his magical legacy)

I got the rights back to my first novel Heroes of the Fallen so I have rereleased it with a new cover, slight edits and a big old glossary in the back that I always wanted included. Its sequel is coming sooner than later - I'm hoping to have Blood Of Our Fathers out in a couple months.

The eighth book in the Brutal saga WRATH is out and I'm pretty stoked for it.

and trying out a new attempt at the beginning of the series, I went and put a new book at the beginning of the Brutal saga THE USURPER which has already made #1 in the Western Science Fiction category on Amazon.


Now granted these weren't all done in a month, Heroes was completed years ago, but got new edits this month, formatting and a new cover by the phenomenal J Caleb Design (he also did WRATH's cover)

Memento Mori was written this year but despite the shortest of these books at a mere 32K it took me the longest.

Wrath is around 55K and went real quick but I did have some of t written and waiting in the sidelines for awhile now.

The Usurper is 102k and that's where I think I really shine at the pulp speed. A few of the chapters were previously written, but considering its almost all new material and was written in January 2020 and April 2020 (not between those months when I was doing the others) that is some serious speed.

In any case, felt like I needed to keep the neglected blog updated and I will try to do better soon.

Making Appearances

I'm going to be hitting two cons this weekend. I'll be at the Do It Now Expo in Orem Utah at UVU, Thursday, Friday and part of Saturday. I'm going to have books at the Ancient American table. I'm not 100% on my schedule just yet but all my times available should be earlier in the morning /afternoon.

And then a little later on - on Saturday I'll make it to the Salty Horror Con at the Utah State Fair Park in Salt Lake City.

Each of these cons are gonna bring in different crowds and I expect to sell different books at each - my historicals at the Do It Now Expo and my Weird Horror/Space Eldritch at the Salty Con, its gonna make for a schizo weekend, but I'm sure it will be fun either way.

Cover Lover

Just taking of stock of where I've been and where I'm going. Makes  me feel good and accomplished to look back and forward at these covers of finished projects as well as a couple coming up and even a few might have been's. Heroes of the Fallen is of course my first.

The sequel has had a number of setbacks, but I am working on Blood of  Our Fathers, it is still coming.

Coming very soon is my sword and sandals tale Bless the Child.

And shortly thereafter I will finally release the novella Whispers of the Goddess originally intended for Roar of the Crowd from Rogue Blades.

 

Then I have had quite a number of shorts in a variety of anthologies.

 

And a few ezines.

 

Some never had covers and I like to think about some art I wish could have been covers for same.

 

I was even a ghost writer for a book that still isn't out.

 

And I like to imagine a few more covers for things coming down the pike.

 

 
 

 The Bastard Prince

 Gods & Robbers

And a lot more weird westerns featuring Porter Rockwell
(wish I knew the artists for all these but I've lost track-apologies)

Still dreaming, still working.

The Good Kind of Curse

I am on the edge of releasing my charity Sword & Sandals novel BLESS THE CHILD. 100% of the profits will be going toward the Hannah's Hope Fund in so doing I am hoping for both a good amount of press and funds to get to the charity for the sake of research etc, and of course I should like some good karma coming my way for the effort.
I've wondered at the what if? of my lead character and story actually becoming popular enough that a sequel is asked for. Do I want that?

Of course I do.

There is not a sequel planned as yet, it is a standalone novel, I've learned a lesson by having my first novel HEROES OF THE FALLEN end on a cliffhanger and its not something I wish to do again.

But again with the question. What If something is popular and you have to write to it? Robert E. Howard certainly had that problem with Conan the Cimmerian. Had Mr. Howard not suffered an untimely death there would have been a clamor for him to write more Conan stories and yet some scholars have suggested he wanted to leave the Barbarian behind and concentrate on his westerns. I for one enjoy the westerns but hunger for more tales of the Hyborian age over those of Breckenridge Elkins.

Farnsworth Wright, the editor of Weird Tales magazine turned down the notion of any one else writing Conan pastiches for his magazine after the famed authors death even though this would have been a continuing golden egg - it certainly was L. Sprague deCamp.

Other writers have had this conundrum too, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, another Conan! His Sherlock Holmes stories grew wildly popular once he went from novella to short story form until he reached a point of not being able to keep up with with the deadlines of what he deemed low brow entertainment.

I feel for his notion that it was not his best work, but it is what the people wanted. Several years after supposedly killing off Holmes, he had to bring him back. All in all it probably helped the Holmes stories to stay top notch, giving a break and letting people hunger for them rather than becoming routine and formulaic. It effectively increased Holmes immortality.
The Sherlock Holmes enduring popularity is the classic example of a good kind of curse for the writer - one that torments you BUT keeps you in demand, working and making a living.

Would that all of us writers could have that kind of commercial curse.

Shadows of a Fading World

My latest S&S tale is now available in Shadows of a Fading World here

Ages pass. Civilizations fall. Strange magics arise. New stories emerge. From H.G. Well's "The Time Machine," to Clark Ashton Smith's "Zothique," to Jack Vance's "The Dying Earth,' readers have thrilled to stories set at the decline of civilization, or far beyond.

Long Count Press presents seven original tales of sword and sorcery set in the aftermath of dead or dying worlds, by authors Ian Creasy - Digging for Paradise, Robin Wyatt Dunn - Fire Dancer, Rhonda Eikamp - Severance, Christine Frost - Moonfall, Neal F. Litherland - Paths of Iron and Blood, Micheal Mina - The Myroblyte, and David J. West - The Serpent's Root

My tale is an adventure set in and outside and ancient city where the cure may be as deadly as the disease. Surprise twists abound and I hope you enjoy this tale of Saphir the thief.

Memorial Day

I don't post nearly enough these days, and I am way behind on everything I said I was gonna do - that's life..but I did want to post a Memorial Day tribute, and give thanks to those that have given their all...

Some of the most inspirational people I have known are veterans and most all my heroes are veterans of one sort or another. Thank you

500 Posts!

Hard to believe. 500 posts does strike me as a some kind of landmark. I have been blogging for roughly three and a half years-ever since the day my contract was offered for Heroes of the Fallen

Wow, that doesn't seem that long ago, I remember the day well. I was painting a door when the phone rang. I didn't recognize the number-which usually means I don't answer, but I was inspired to pick up. It was William Gowen of WiDo and he said his greetings and extended that they were very interested in offering me a contract. I'm pretty sure I said, "Yeah sure, sounds good." and the conversation ended shortly thereafter.

I've read about a lot of other authors jumping up and down and shrieking with excitement at finally being published. I was pleased but I went back to painting that door, it hadn't really sunk in yet. I called and told my wife and she did enough shrieking for the both of us.

I decided that day that I better start a blog to have a place of my own on the web to operate out of and have people find me and post notices and such. I'm grateful for my regular readers and commenter's and all my blog followers etc.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

The Next Big Thing Blog Chain...

I was chained to this by Shelley Brown (author of The Fall of Cliff Castle (Book One in The Glass Slipper Chronicles)) and so I'm sharing a little bit about my WIP with you today.

So without further ado (because ado is seldom useful) my WIP:

What is the working title of your book? 

 Bless the Child

Where did the idea come from for the book? 

I was fascinated with the concept of mercenaries in the ancient world. The idea especially of Greeks, when they weren't fighting each other, would sell themselves out to the Egyptians, Babylonians, and other minor kings; and that brothers could potentially find themselves facing each other on opposite sides of a conflict very far from home.

I also wanted to utilize some Biblical old world references that I found interesting such as Elephantine Island on the Nile, the fall of Jerusalem thanks to Nebuchadnezzar, and a number of rumored aspects of that siege and destruction.

* the artwork for the cover has graciously been donated by Kris Cooper

What genre does your book fall under?

Historical Action/Adventure with a Sword & Sorcery flavor

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? 

I have given no real thought to this. Most of the characters (even while many are real historical personages-Solon, Psenophis, Jaush of Lachish, Nebuchadnezzar, Zedekiah, and Balthazar/Daniel are inspired by people I personally know)

While I do think this could be turned into a screenplay much easier than my other works. The protagonist, known as The Spartan would need to be an able bodied man in his mid twenties in the beginning of the book and it follows his story up to around forty or so.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 

Never thought about this before but here goes...

To keep from getting wet, the bloody, drowning road to redemption for a Spartan mercenary is perhaps best traveled by boat.

another...

Saving oneself is most nobly done by saving another.

and (having too much fun with this)...

No country for sword-less men.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? 

This will be my first self-published novel. The greater motivation for such will be explained toward the end of this post.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 

I think I finished the rough draft in about 5 months. 

This was also when I was offered my first publishing contract and decided to start this blog and hence the name Nephite Blood, Spartan Heart - a merger of sorts of my Heroes of the Fallen saga and this Spartan book, the only two things I was working on at the time.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? 

I really liked, Jezebel by Frank G. Slaughter, Lord of Samarcand by Robert E. Howard, Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield, Lion of Cairo by Scott Oden, and 300 by Frank Miller.

Who or What inspired you to write this book? 

I began the book when my daughter was in the hospital with a terrible case of RSV. She almost died. The frustration and heartache in the beginning of Bless the Child is from that pain of not knowing if she would make it or not. I wrote it at her crib-side in the Primary Children's Hospital in SLC.

I was also greatly inspired by a lot of my historical research reading related to my first novel(series) Heroes of the Fallen ipso facto - Hugh Nibley.

And lastly, when I was still doing construction to pay the bills, I was remodeling a basement at the home of an old woman and her daughter - a single mother whose toddler son kept calling me 'Daddy'. It broke my heart.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? 

I am going to donate 100% of the proceeds to The GAN Warriors a trio of young local boys with a terribly debilitating disease. I wanted to do something to help them and polishing and dusting off a trunk novel seemed the most viable thing I could do. It lets me get my work out to a greater audience and help someone(s) else at the same time.

There you go, that's all she wrote!

 

Now I have to chain people to this thing...so...

I'll stick to my regular blogger friends who I know are always working on something

Charles Gramilch

Paul McNamee

Angie Lofthouse

and

Adventures Fantastic Keith, I'd love to hear more about what you're working on, not that we don't all groove on your reviews.

What is Hubris? What is Genius? What is Delusion?

Now besides my title playing hell with the Google search engine optimization - (who knows maybe this will drive traffic, considering one of my all time most visited posts is still What is a Tengu/Fistful of Tengu) I wanted to throw this out here for the sake of perhaps you all letting me know what you think.

I wanted to come up with a new bio for the Space Eldritch collection (October 29th by the by) and rather than write the same old, same old, I decided to do as my friend Krista suggested and write it as a writer, not a biographer.

So I came up with this and at 1 a.m. I feel like a genius, but hey, if it really doesn't work, say so. Thanks

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David J. West can’t remember a time he wasn’t writing. From the primordial heat of a drowning Atlantis to a pair of vigilantes six-guns blasting raw justice in the old west, return to when obsidian rained down on Cumorah’s slopes, and crusaders broadswords swept over shadowy terrors, and ultimately, on to the cold vacuum of space for the birth of a new star. David is there, recording it all for your savage amusement. Check out his first brutal novel Heroes of the Fallen and his other short story collections and anthologies at http://david-j-west.blogspot.com/ 
No Lie Untold

Interview is up on Youtube

We talk about a little bit of everything ~ Lovecraft Mythos, Robert E. Howard, writing, the Elder Sign, Inspiration, Mormonism, Romney,bath salts, and I plug a number of anthos I'm in (or will be in) especially the upcoming Space Eldritch but also IN SITU, Monsters & Mormons, Monk Punk, Unnatural Tales of the Jackalope, etc etc

I enter at about 24 minutes in.

If I didn't offend someone with my writing I'm probably not doing it right

I was savaged by a recent amazon review, well not so much savaged as amused. My initial thoughts on reading the rather brief bit of negativity were 'really?'

"1.0 out of 5 stars Hated it, boring, disgusting, July 12, 2012



By mrs.cowboy - See all my reviews
Thought this book would at least be similar to historical fiction. In my opinion, it's far from historical and more into fiction using some of the Book of Mormon names as characters in the book. Blood thirsty kings and references to a homosexual warrior were too much for me. Will be deleting it from my Kindle."
 
At least she bought the book once. A quick once over on her other reviews was enough to confirm my guess and begs the question on why she even picked up Heroes of the Fallen. I suppose we all branch out sometimes but even a cursory glance should have told her this was nothing like the other cozy mysteries she reads.
 
Part of my amusement comes from knowing that the reviewer didn't 'get' the book but needed to share her indignation. That she hated a boring and disgusting book makes me think I at least accomplished some amount of memorability.
But did she really think there weren't bloodthirsty kings back then? And that there couldn't possibly be a homosexual in those wicked and wild ancient times? Let's not even get into the discrepancy that Rezon is a caravan master and not even close to being a warrior!

In any case if I didn't offend someone with my writing I'm probably not doing it right because I'm not moving people enough-this review tells me I'm at the least moving a little something something (granted its nicer when you move people in a positive light as well ~ see the other reviews).
 
But as James Enge recently wrote about negative reviews, they can be quite a service. I had wondered if all the 4 and 5 star reviews looked too biased in my favor-yes, several were from friends and family but several were from complete strangers (that always makes you feel good) So I'm asking dear readers, go ahead and give me a few stellar 3 stars and gushing 2 stars just to round things out and clear the palette.

***Addendum (July 18th, 2012)
It's also good to know (since I just checked Amazon) I am still selling copies after this review~take that mrs. cowboy

Tying the Tales All Together

I love how some writers link a lot of the stories in their own universe together.

Robert E. Howard does it (the Ring of Set turns up in tales all through time)
Stephen King does it (The Dark Tower saga)

And I love the concept so much that while I have thought on it at length (already in my own mind some of my tales do connect in the same universe) I have yet only briefly mentioned points that touch.

But in the current tale I am working on, Cold Slither - a weird western with Porter Rockwell, it directly relates to another project The Bastard Prince an adventure historical that is itself very loosely based on the Welsh Prince Madoc ~ (and how I think Conan of the Isles should have been done) and if you read between the lines they link to Heroes of the Fallen/Blood of Our Fathers.

I never planned it that way, it just came about~but I have to admit that when I realized it was doing that on its own (the Muse, as Steven Pressfield calls it) I was excited.

While I am sure that some of my tales will never tie in to anything else, these in particular are beginning to weave together and its just something I as the creator/writer enjoy.

How about you?

Books and another E-Sale

I finally own all the books in print that have my stories (should be several more this year that were accepted last year) I still need to finish reading the tales contained in Monk Punk and Monsters and Mormons-but I will get there and give my own review eventually.

In other news it finally paid off. I got my first acceptance of the year on Leap Day. "Hel Awaits" an adventure with my Swedish Viking character Tyr Thorgrimson (Sailing to Valhalla and Whispers of the Goddess) will appear in the Swords & Sorcery Ezine for March. I'll post the link just as soon as its available-should be this week.

This time around Tyr is in a slightly fantastical Moorish Spain, sometime later than the events of Whispers of the Goddess. I've been fascinated with Moorish Spain especially since I read Louis L'Amour The Walking Drum. My humble tale doesn't even begin to assert that kind of magnificence but still I hope you'll check it out.

FREE the HEROES

For the next 5 days Heroes of the Fallen is a free e-book.

Well, whats it about?

A great civilization teeters on the brink of devastating war. Amaron of the elite guardsmen must embark on a quest to protect the fate of two nations. Nations whose destruction is being orchestrated by the greatest evil the land has ever known. Who will rise to become the heroes of the fallen?

OK, but is it free?
Yes, it is.
And for how long?
Five days.
And it is free?
Yes, it is.
Is this one of those indie books you're just giving away because no one ever read it?
No, people have read it and here's what they had to say-ever so briefly.

"brutal, gory, and depressing---But make no mistake, West is a talented writer, and whether a reader ordinarily picks up fictionalized scripture novels or science fiction once embarked on this novel readers will find it nearly impossible to put down." Jennie Hansen reviewer for Meridian Magazine

"Heroes of the Fallen is a Book of Mormon historical that reads like an epic fantasy. It's not often that the LDS market sees something truly new, but West's debut novel really is different. It was refreshing. A breath of fresh air--and a lot of fun."  Rob Wells, author of Variant

"it’s very nice when you find an original vision at work. I’ve found one of those in David J. West, whose Heroes of the Fallen has imagination in spades. The world created by West is fully realized and backed up by both firm historical knowledge and a good feel for mythology. If imagination is the engine for Heroic Fantasy, fine prose is the fuel. Here, too, West achieves--" Charles Gramlich, author of Bitter Steel, Cold in the Light, and the Talera Cycle trilogy

"its a great read..." Wayne May publisher of Ancient American magazine

"Heroes of the Fallen is well researched, with an extensive cast of characters and lots of political intrigue. This is the first in a series. The sequel, Blood of our Fathers, arrives next year. Recommended." Bruce Durham author of The Marsh God

“David J. West has created a story line filled with excitement, archaeology, treasure and real history. This is a must-read not only for entertainment but also to open new doors and vistas of possibility for the mind." Bruce H. Porter Ph.D. Brigham Young University religion professor

 "When I first learned that someone was writing a book based on the last events of the Book of Mormon. I thought, "Good. It's good to read those types of books." No, no, no! It is not simply good! And good is the wrong word! It is intrigue, fascination. Power. Obsession." - M. Gray

So check it out if you will ~ and Thank You

*semi-cross posted (possibly better) with the Man Cave Author Blog

A Pulptastic Review

I recieved a great review at Paul McNamee's Blog. I'm especially pleased.

WHY?

Because I get a kick out of someone unfamiliar with the LDS background being able to enjoy my novel - no strings attached.

Thanks Paul I appreciate the kind words.

Living the Dream

It's my birthday, I'm 38 today, and have to say I am living the dream. I can't quite explain it, but 38 was a magic number to me. Every since I was a kid, 38 seemed that great adult highpoint when I would truly be grown up-18, 21 even 30 never had that same feeling.
Honestly I don't feel any different than I did yesterday at 37, but taking stock of life such as it is I am happy. Great wife, reasonable kids :}
& lots of my stories are published and a lot more are lined up for release very soon.
My second novel Blood of Our Fathers is slated for early 2012 and I have a lot of projects I'm excited about in the works ~ Midnight Sons, Gods & Robbers, Bless the Child, Challenge Discovery, In Situ, Roar of the Crowd, Monsters & Mormons, Wandering Weeds, and the Song of Saphir among others.

Before I turn 39 I plan on having my catalog three times larger, because to feel accomplished you have to push yourself and do the things that seem too hard and even impossible. Extraordinary results require extraordinary efforts and YOU have to set the wheel in motion.

Warning! Shameless Plug----give yourself the gift of my e-book (or hardcover, that's fine too) here and I'll get the gift of royalties.

What's It About?

I recently read the wonderful Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. It is billed as the last book on screenwriting that you'll ever need.
That better be true.
Good thing I'm not working on screenplays anyway though.
The point is, it is a fantastic book when it comes to story structure and keeping to the beats in your story.
There are a number of things Snyder advises that I was very happy to find I did naturally = such as his "Save the Cat" theme - denoting having the main character do something at the beginning of your story to make the viewer/reader LIKE and ROOT for them.

The other big point I've been pondering is the root of everyone asking What is the story about. Snyder says he doesn't start writing anything without a logline - a simple sentence that says what the story is about in an enticing and (he recommends ironic) tone.
That hit me like a ton of bricks.
Because
I could not (at least off the top of my head) come up with a single sentence about Heroes of the Fallen & Blood of Our Fathers...yet.
At the Storymakers conference I ended up having Sarah Eden read that, "Heroes of the Fallen is a Book of Mormon historical with Pulp Fiction sensibilities," as I drew the winning name for a giveaway.
(I think a gal that also writes B of M fiction won my book, so that was a kick in the teeth-haha don't think she asked to get her picture taken with me.)
Anyhow, I can't say that that is a particularly good logline but it is better than telling someone a whole paragraph and losing them along the way.

For my other works in progress I have come up with these at least for now.

GODS & ROBBERS: A colorful ensemble of rogues risk unleashing the apocalypse when they steal a "god" from a sorcerous Godfather.

MIDNIGHT SONS: A pair of superstitious soldiers and a haunted psychic are charged with hunting down sorcerous war criminals.

Granted I may change these a bit in the future, but they give a clear vista of what the story is about and where its going.

Snyder recommends having a good adjective for the hero and one for the villain-and yes I used the same one for each work on the villain but hey - they're fantasy stories.

Save the Cat has a lot more than these couple of things I mentioned going for it-these are just what struck me to blog about at 3 am.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

When you write and get published! (my dig at unpublished haters! Ha) You are going to have people who don't like what you do and will need to fill that terribly empty void within themselves.

These people will give you bad reviews.

A funny thing I have noticed is, they will especially review your book, giving you bad marks, when they can't get up the motivation to write reviews about what they actually like.

I take occasion to look upon what these people don't like even more than I do at what my fans like, because it always brings a good dose of comfort.

You won't feel so bad that someone gave you a bad review, claiming that your characters have poor dialogue, no growth and no personality-when they also gave 2 stars to Harper Lee and George R.R. Martin. I take consolation knowing that particular reviewer has no depth or taste and just leave it at that.

I'll bet a lot of you read about an author that recently had a melt down and actually argued on a blog with a reviewer and their commenter's about her book. She actually swore at people on the blog and threatened them, etc, etc.

I know everyone won't like what I do ( & why should they? Led Zeppelin didn't write songs everyone liked-they left that to the Bee Gee's)--but to argue? = insanity

So next time you're on the tree of woe over a review, just laugh.

HEROES of the FALLEN: Reviewed by Bruce Durham

"Mighty voice for sword & sorcery", author Bruce Durham grants me a splendid review on Heroes of the Fallen HERE.

I consider Bruce a friend and a great writer, so I am very pleased he took the time to post his thoughts on my first novel. I especially appreciated - "Heroes of the Fallen works best as an homage to heroic fantasy, the type of fantasy one would expect in works by Gemmell, Erikson, Burroughs and Howard, the type of fantasy bursting with larger-than-life characters and lush, exotic imagery."

Thanks Bruce

Bruce has had over twenty short stories published and even a graphic novel The Marsh God (the first thing of his I ever read) Coming up next he is sharing a TOC with quite a number of renowned speculative authors in Lawyers in Hell

One Year Later: New Review

It's been almost one year since Heroes of the Fallen was released and Author J. Lloyd Morgan (The Hidden Sun & The Reluctant Wanderer in the How the West Was Wicked antho) gives me a great review.





He writes, "I must say, I'm impressed. - - I can't praise this book enough--not only for its pacing and story, but the vivid characters West brings to life."



I surely appreciate that-sales (I know they occasionally happen) are very nice, but it makes your day to know you are being read and that someone catches that fire your were trying to spark.

The full review is at J. Lloyd Morgan's Blog here.