Sunday, June 20, 2021

Meet My Character: Eirik Gaelson

 So I'm starting a new blog series (and for some reason Blogger decided to ignore my schedule to post this on Monday and posted it early so just pretend this came out on Monday the 28th). This is my attempt to be organized in my blogging schedule this summer, so I'm hoping to publish this six post series every Monday through the first week of August. Then after this series is complete hopefully I will be able to introduce at least one or maybe both of those new WIPs I keep teasing you about.

In this series, I shall introduce you to each of my main characters (which I count as having a POV) from my two WIPs Rage Like the Gods and Of Stars and Shadows.


(all images via Pinterest, I take no credit for them)

This is Eirik Gaelson, he is my cheeky half-elf bard from Rage Like the Gods.


If I truly had a special ability given to me by the gods, it would be the ability to lie. Which is why I took it upon myself to decide that I would do a rotten job at saving the world. If I got caught up meddling in such affairs, I would probably only end up making everything a whole lot worse, prophecy or no prophecy. If I am truly a chosen one then the gods should have done a better job at the whole choosing part. They could have done better. Bloody Skyhold, literally anyone else would have been better than me.



Personality-wise he is cheery and usually optimistic, he can become easily caught up in his thoughts and sometimes they take a dark/melodramatic turn, but no matter what he goes through he always bounces back. He is resourceful and likes to be able to think highly of himself. He is charming and knows his way around most social situations. He is also relatively proficient with a bow, as well as being able to play a lyre, and flute. He always carries a notebook with him in which he scribbles down song lyrics as he tries to somehow figure out a ballad that will someday be sung from mountain to mountain. He lives by a creed that if he can get away with stealing something, that it deserves to be his.

ENFP/Slytherine

"Oh well, live and let learn. Next heist I’ll actually figure out a plan."

Theme songs:

High Hopes

Shattered

Dust and Gold

Perfect

Eirik has the luck of the devil on his side, and the charm of a bard. He doesn't quite know what he wants but he knows how to get it. The only thing that could stop him is his own indecision, and perhaps a poisoned sweet cake because that boy couldn't turn down a honeyed treat to save his life.


“You are very honest,” I say, slowly. We have only just met and already I know more about this Sassa than I think I even know about Bjorn. And I consider him like a brother to me.

She turns to me, pressing her lips into a thin line before quirking her brow. “What reason is there not to be?”

I shrug. “I don’t know, I suppose there isn’t. But a lot of people don’t even need a reason to be dishonest.” Including me. There are probably other ways to get what I want, to get people to like me, to get out of what I don’t want to do. But lies are so much easier.


As part of his good fortune, Eirik doesn't actually have a tragic past (which is really saying something when it comes to my characters). Both of his parents are still alive, as well as his drunk uncle who lives with them. His mother is a Lower Elf alchemist and his father a Lowlander with a hidden past (they are key characters in a different Ruskhazar book that takes place before the events of RLtG). Due to his father hiding from something in his past, Eirik does not carry a family name like Lowlanders tend to so he either takes the name of his father and goes by Gaelson in the Highlander fashion, or will simply go by a title such as The Bard in the fashion of the Lower Elves. Eirik has not actually spoken to his parents in some time on account of him running away from home to be a bard. It was not a well thought out plan, although to be fair most of Eirik's plans are not, and he has just been working up the nerve to reconnect with his family.


Besides, I’m me. And Alexi doesn’t stand a chance against me when I set my mind to wanting something. No one ever does.

I’m a thief, I’m used to taking things that shouldn’t be mine. Even Sassa.


The darker side to Eirik includes him having a bit of a drinking problem, a past as an incorigible flirt, and a skewed moral compass.

However Sassa, the lady knight, who Eirik has given his heart to is there to help be the moral center of his life. And to help beat up anyone who might oppose Eirik, because despite his penchant for thievery, he is opposed to taking a life. And his loyal best friend and fellow bard Bjorn is there to get into trouble with him if the need arises.


There are a lot of identities I am leaving behind to do this. The farmer’s son who is Sassa’s betrothed and a bard named Eirik is gone. Tonight I become the Masked Wolf and it’s a sacrifice I need to be able to make if I am to prove myself to myself. Once I am finally certain that Eirik is worth it, I will become him again. Until then I suppose I’m simply a public servant disguised as a thief.


For those of you who have been wondering...

 I realize that I have written about individual stories, genres, how and when I write, and basically everything else under the sun.

Everything but a conclusive introduction to my writing. I've done this partially, and I have a few pages on my blog with my published works and current projects, but I don't think I have ever listed my published works, how long the series will be, and which ones belong to which series all in one place. I know, I've been writing for how many years, and I'm just now getting around to this? But ah well, better late than never. So for my newer readers and those who have stuck around for a while...

Hello,

I'm Nicki Chapelway, I'm twenty-something years old, although I have been dabbling with writing since I was an early teen. If you want to know more about me feel free to visit my About the Author tab on this blog, because this post is mostly just about my books.

I derive inspiration from all sorts of things. Video games, movies, books, tv series, mythologies, history... you name it I've probably gotten a story idea off of it.

I write both ya/na and adult books, mostly in fantasy, but I also enjoy Sci-Fi and super hero and other speculative genres. The constant in my brand? Magic, romance, and humor.

I do not write books with gratuitous content (language/sex/etc), they do contain violence, the extent of such violence generally depends on if I'm writing ya/na or adult.

At this date I have published seven works, three novellas (what I usually consider a novella is 10-50k words long) and four full length novels (50k+). All have been independently published. I do have plans to go hybrid and traditionally publish a few works, but as a whole the majority of my publishing plans are to remain independent.

The books that I have published so far are...

The My Time in Amar series...


A Week of Werewolves, Faeries, and Fancy Dresses is my first publication. It is the first in a YA portal fantasy series that will be four books long. Book two A Time of Trepidation, Pirates, and Lost Princesses is also out.

This story is about four ordinary teenagers from earth who find themselves trapped in and magically bound to a fantasy world unless they can complete a quest their fathers set out on years ago. The only problem is they have no idea what this quest is.

Book one can be summed up as...woods, werewolves, and near death experiences.

Book two is about pirates, crushes, and sea curses.

You can purchase book one here. And book two here.

The Return to Amar duology...


A companion series to My Time in Amar, A Certain Sort of Madness is the first in a ya duology about Alicia Hareton, a slightly insane girl with extreme magical abilities. Alicia had been raised on earth for her own safety, but she has always felt the draw of the world that she was born in. It takes place in the same world as My Time in Amar. This duology shows a slightly more whimsical side to Amar, in a loose Alice in Wonderland retelling. Book two, A Matter of Curiosity, will be based off of Through the Lookinglass.

Despite the ties to My Time in Amar this book can be read without reading Week of Werewolves or Time of Trepidation, however later in both of their series, the stories begin to intertwine.

Summed up this book is... A cast of misfits, a faerie world, and one unbelievable heist.

You can purchase A Certain Sort of Madness here.

Winter Cursed...


Winter Cursed
is a dark fantasy Snow White retelling set in a sunless world of eternal winter. It's a tale of true love and true hate and how narrow the line in between the two can be. It and A Winter Grim and Lonely, the prequel told from the villain's perspective, are only novellas, however A Winter Dark and Deadly is a full length novel and it will wrap up the tale.

This series shows the eternal struggle for power, beauty, and love.

You can purchase Winter Cursed here. A Winter Grim and Lonely here. And A Winter Dark and Deadly is releasing sometime later this year.

The Of Dreams and Nightmares Trilogy...


Of Gold and Iron is the first book in a ya trilogy about the deceitfully decadent faeries of Irish myths. It's about Jaye MacCullagh, a human Guardian whose task it is to protect earth from the faeries of the Otherworld, however when she ends up trapped in their world, she must kidnap a faerie guide to help show her and her brother Thomas the way out of the faerie's home before they end up getting killed... or worse.

This is a story about bargains, unbreakable laws, and the price of betrayal.

You can snag a copy of Of Gold and Iron here. Book two Of Stars and Shadows will be releasing later this year.

The Rage Like the Gods Saga...


Between Gods and Demigods is a prequel introducing the world of Rage Like the Gods. This saga will be five books long, not including the prequel novella. It is a high fantasy adult series about Ruskhazar, a beautiful but harsh world where elves and men live together under false pretenses of peace. However, the world will end at the hand of spiteful necromancers and their undead armies unless five unlikely heroes, chosen by the gods, accept their destiny and fight to save it. These heroes are: a thieving bard, a werewolf assassin, a vampire outcast, a scrappy thief, a magical student, and the mad sorceress determined to bring them all together.

It is a tale of destiny, love, and procrastination.

Rage Like the Gods will not be the only series set in this world. It already has a companion trilogy as well as several standalones planned.

You can purchase Between Gods and Demigods here.

So there you have it, all of my series and how they all connect to each other, what each one is about, and the whole deal. Which series sounds the most interesting? Have you ready any of these books already? Comment below!

Sunday, June 13, 2021

So I finished editing AWDAD... what's next?



(Images in all collages via Pinterest)



May was a busy month, marked by the publication of Between Gods and Demigods. During my free time when I was not editing or illustrating this troublesome novella, I was working on editing AWDAD. I had put aside all of my other projects other than these two and the end result was being able to publish Between Gods and Demigods on time, and editing around 40k of AWDAD, I edited another 20k last week and finally wrapped up editing that beast.

So that was May. What's in store for June? Especially now that AWDAD is off being beta read and edited.

I put down Of Stars and Shadows to work on AWDAD full time, so I'm picking that back up. I'm planning on marathoning it till The End

I am taking part in the Go Teen Writer's 100-for-100 challenge with Rage Like the Gods so working on writing that every day

I keep promising that I'm going to announce some new stories—there are two of them to be precise, but I just haven't gotten around to that because finishing up A Winter Dark and Deadly had previously consumed my soul. I will however announce them soon(ish).

But for now all you need to know is that for right now my current projects are OSaS and RLtG. I'm crazy excited to work on both these stories. RLtG is sitting at about 120k and OSaS at 20k so I'm a good bit into each story. If you add in the combined word counts for books I have published in these worlds Ruskhazar is actually at 140k and the Otherworlds is at 130k, needless to say, I'm quite at home with both of these books, even though initially OSaS looks so small next to RLtG.

They can't be more different, and I'm crazy excited to be able to explore the different facets these stories have to offer. RLtG has five POV characters, OSaS is told solely from Jaye's POV (this trilogy is the only series I have ever written with only one POV character). One is YA and one is adult. One is portal fantasy and one is high fantasy. One is about faeries and faeries alone, and one has elves, but other creatures such as vampires and werewolves as well. One is derived from Irish folklore and the other gets inspiration from Russian and Scandinavian myths. Ruskhazar is mountains and the Otherworld is courts.

Both have assassins.

Both have a ton of romance. However, while RLtG offers a good deal of ships that are all extremely different, I'm not sure if any of those ships can quite reach the open antagonism that is Jayvven. And vice versa, while Jayvven is a fiery relationship, I can explore a sweeter relationship in some of the RLtG ships.

I project OSaS to be the shortest full length novel I have ever written and as such its plot is tighter, everything is connected and every action has an affect. RLtG is what I believe will be my longest novel I have written, and it has five separate plots that takes the whole series to bring together.

And for these differences both are very near and dear to my heart. I couldn't imagine having to choose just one (*cough* yes I can *cough* it's RLtG), so I'm very excited to be able to work on both of these together. And I hope that you will be excited to read them when I finally finish,eq hopefully both, sometime this summer.

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

What you have probably all been waiting for//I finally finished AWDAD

 

Art of Elisabeth and Cedric by the extremely talented Hannah Rogers @IncscapeStudios

Dear reader,

I finished AWDAD.

As I write this, emails with the manuscript are flying to my beta readers' and editor's inboxes. I have washed my hands of this story until closer to August when I will start working on editing and incorporating all of the changes my editor and beta readers find. Which will probably be quite a few, knowing how sloppy my writing can be sometimes.

And then?

Well, hopefully I will publish it. I don't have a date yet, but that's because I wasn't setting a date. The very second AWDAD is finally ready, I'm publishing it that day. You guys have waited long enough for this book.

It's around 160,000 words (which will probably change some in the next stage of edits) and 550 pages long. Once it is out, it will become my longest book I have published, and hold that title until I do something crazy like publish RLtG or SoS. It took me 4 years to write and then rewrite this beastie, and I have changed the climax and ending at least three times. The epilogue came dangerously close to making me cry, and I'm just so happy to finally have it done.

Like Winter Cursed and AWGAL, AWDAD will be illustrated by Maddy Moore.

Look at how fine Elisabeth and Cedric look


I thought that as a way of celebrating I would share some of my playlist for this book. Now the official Spotify Playlist that I created (which you can find here) is like 159 songs and eight and a half hours long. So I picked out the top ten songs that I think represent the mood and themes of this story pretty well.


I See Fire (the original also works, but I think this one fits the mood better)


So excited for when I will finally have all three of these books together on my desk.


Sunday, June 6, 2021

Cover Reveal: Echoes of Summer by Jes Drew

 

 

Today we have a cover reveal for Jes Drew's upcoming YA spy/super hero release Echoes of Summer. This is the second book in a trilogy, book one At Summer's End is already out and you can buy it here


The world is reeling from the near-apocalypse of the Dystopian Takeover that was only just averted by a motley crew of teenagers, including Violet Strokes.

Violet now finds herself recruited by a special opps team- Code Name Peacemakers- to train to prevent future takeovers from ever happening along with some of the other teenage heroes. Which would be a lot easier if she weren't struggling to hide her emotional and physical wounds of the last takeover, or if everyone else on the team weren't spoiled rich kids (minus one mild-mannered superhuman named Tim).

It certainly doesn't help that one of the other teenagers on the team is her long-lost childhood friend- and the son of the villains of the Dystopian Takeover- Alexander Franklin III, who is insistent that they rekindle their friendship. On top of it all, every turn she takes, she seems run into another boy from her past- with what may be an even more sinister family legacy...

Somehow, though, Violet, Alex, and the rest of the team need to figure out how to work together to protect the world from itself. That is, if Violet can stop the takeover that is going on in her very mind...


And now brace yourself for book two...

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Oh, here's a sneak peak of Violet.
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- FYI, it's another fantastic original from Victoria Cooper
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And yes, there is a masquerade involved
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Violet is only just now acclimating team when she's assigned her first solo mission. Which is good, because she and Alex need some distance.

She has no time for her newly re-instated best friend's worries about the possibility that she may or may not have been attacked by Dr. Earnestine and injected with something that could possibly alter her DNA. Violet is ready for some time away to focus on a mission and not on her own confusing feelings. But her mission unearths a different set of feelings.

Assigned to protect a recently orphaned young heiress, Violet must ensure that nothing happens that will send the money to the next in line- namely, the nefarious Mr. Columbus. Who has sent his son to 'pay his respects' - and woo the girl whose stipulation to inheritance is marriage. But the presence of Jeremy makes things a bit more complicated for Violet, since she's supposed to be in deep cover, and they've locked lips more than once. Also making it a bit awkward is the possibility that another Peacemaker may also be undercover as a potential suitor on a different mission. Oh, and there's also a wannabe killer on the loose who could be anyone.


But it's nothing that Violet can't handle.  That is, if she can figure out exactly what it is Dr. Earnestine did to her, and why he's always in her head . . .
 

Coming soon to Pre-Order