Special Treat for Halloween!

Want to read a free book? How about several free books? On Halloween, Gryphonwood Press and Blade Red Press will be giving away all their books for free! (Including a certain novel by yours truly...) Visit the Gryphonwood blog for more details.

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Day

Today is Sci-Fi and Fantasy Day. I'm a little slow on the uptake here, but I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on a few of my all-time favorites:

1- The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
This series inspired me to write epic fantasy. I love the detailed attention to cultures and traditions and the complex interweaving of plot lines.

2- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
This is one of those rare books I've actually re-read a couple of times, and enjoyed it every time.

3- A Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin
Martin's world is so masterfully crafted, you sometimes believe you are reading historical fiction.

4- The Belgariad and The Mallorean series by David Eddings
I skipped classis and hid in the college library, reading, because I had to know how the last book ended.

5- Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell
A truly original and entertaining Sci-fi novel.

Progress Bar

I added a progress bar to track Keeper of the Mists. I estimate that about 41% of it is completely ready to go. That's not to say more of it has not been written- just that not all of what is written is publishable. I'll be posting a new preview chapter soon!

Has it really been that long since I posted?

Holy crap! (As the grandfather from Everybody Loves Raymond is fond of saying.) It's been a great year. The Silver Serpent has been well-received, and the encouraging e-mails are greatly appreciated. For the first time ever, I received fan mail from Indonesia. I'm working on being worldwide.

Keeper of the Mists is getting there. I've only killed off a few familiar faces, but I'm not saying any more than that... I've been using Radio Rivendell for my background music while writing. If you haven't checked it out, it's worth the click.

I guess that's it. Back to work.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

Dave

Moving right along

I'm back! Had a great Spring Break and now I'm back in the writing groove. Work is coming along nicely on Keeper of the Mists. Keeping my fingers crossed for a Christmas release.

In other news, I noticed that The Silver Serpent hit #3 in kindle Epic Fantasy. Yee ha!!

If you're bored, don't forget to friend me on MySpace and drop me a note.

Until next time,
Dave

Fantasy Book Critic Reviews The Silver Serpent

Fantasy Book Critic has reviewed The Silver Serpent. Here are some highlights:

"I was quite impressed with the book. The characters were well-crafted, the pacing excellent, the prose was straightforward but accomplished, and the story was an enjoyable blend of adventure, intrigue, and humor. In fact, as far as traditional fantasy goes, I think fans of Terry Brooks and David Eddings could easily enjoy The Silver Serpent..."

"...there’s actually much to like with David’s story starting with the fact that there are two parties trying to fulfill the prophecy. In addition to this little twist, there are also different factions that either oppose or support the discovery of the Silver Serpent and the mysterious sai-kur who have their own hidden agenda. On top of that, David plants the seeds for a number of interesting subplots—a pending war, a traitor amongst Shanis’ friends, Hierm taking responsibility for his actions—that should take effect as the series progresses, while also hinting at a much larger world. "

I appreciate what I feel was a very fair review. You may read the entire review at Fantasy Book Critic.

More good news!

Things are going great with The Silver Serpent! Two weeks ago, the book hit the top 100 fantasy series list for the first time ever! Today, the kindle version reached number five in epic fantasy and number eighteen among all fantasy titles! It's so gratifying to know that people are reading (and hopefully enjoying) my book. Thanks!