Tag: indie author

The Pale Queen – Preorder

On By tylersehnLeave a comment

The Pale Queen is available for preorder as an ebook on Apple Books and Kobo and will be available on Amazon (ebook & print) on March 13, 2021! If you use Apple Books or Kobo please consider making a preorder as it helps with their ranking systems.

Synopsis:

A story can be freedom. A story can be prison.

In service to the mysterious Pale Queen, a poet-warrior navigates a world of magic, carrying a weapon created to kill gods.

Seren searches for his lost lover, striving to find her before the coming of the Never-Was. He writes in a secret notebook about encounters with friend and foe, hoping to make sense of these entangling threads. With his lion companion at his side, Seren seeks truth at all costs.

In a world where the lives of humans and gods are bonded, a single quest can encompass all.

The Pale Queen is a non-traditional way of conveying a fantasy story and I think of it as a living myth. It is probably more suitable for fans of Studio Ghibli (Miyazaki) and Life of Pi (Martel) rather than Lord of the Rings (Tolkien) or Harry Potter (Rowling). Although, there is bound to be some overlap.

The story is on the shorter side yet is action packed and full of gods, beasts and magic. The style is flowing and poetic, with the goal of creating a unique experience for the reader.

Feel free to contact me if you have any comments or questions!

Beauty is an Option

On By tylersehnLeave a comment

Some emotions transformed into thoughts, transcribed into words, digitized and shared, from a prairie town in Alberta, Canada.

When the actions of our elected representatives are confusing, disappointing and incensing, it’s important to remember that our collective choices put them in these positions of influence. The system works bottom-up as much as top-down. The choices we make, or don’t make, as individuals create our communities, society, and world.

Those in power (whichever party or colour) will attempt to control the narratives of daily life because this is what we told them to do. This is their role. But it is our role as individuals, friends, family, and citizens to choose the beautiful, because no leader can tell you what to love. And if they tell you what to hate, then they aren’t a leader.

Discover the beauty in your life and share it with those you care for. Beauty is the truth in the story of your life and it’s on each one of us to find the courage to accept this choice.

 sometimes when looking into that Alberta sky
 it’s hard to tell
                                                if I’m going the wrong way
                           then why does this road lead to home?

 where I’m living as best as I can
 in love
 to be so fortunate
 born with a fighting chance
                                               the way I see it
                                                     Why not?

 have faith in the wind’s freezing kiss
 beneath a sky as big as the question
 deep as the space in my chest
 enough to fall into
                                     alone
                                              together with everyone else
                      looking into this endless blue

Making Sense of the World Through Fantasy & Sci-Fi

On By tylersehnLeave a comment

We live in overwhelming times, although I suppose people always have. Tiny bodies caught in a massive gravitational pull. Cause and effect, strangeness, beauty and choice all wrapped up together. Each individual seemingly at the centre, capable of being a hero or villain. Perhaps this is why fantasy and sci-fi have risen to the forefront of popular culture; the scale and scope of these living legends resonating in our consciousness.

We sense the vastness, the grand scope, the great threat and dreaded task. We seek direction and inspiration. For humanity, since the beginning, it appears that we have looked to story to provide meaning, to help make sense of our own role in this complex existence. A story has pattern and rhythm, rise and fall, beginning and conclusion; a world contained. A vehicle offering an objective view, a way to safely make connection, as well as providing opportunity for reflection.

Books have the particularly subtle quality of encouraging the reader to place themselves inside the story; an invisible sort of give and take. Individual perspective works with the words to shape a unique experience. This is magic. Technology not fully understood, even today. True whether you live in the Shire or Mordor, Smallville or Gotham.

Some readers prefer a more optimistic outcome whereas others revel in the darkness exposed. Each have their merits, but I believe that a balance of both is required to create a fully realized story. Because humanity is messy, terrible and wonderful, and so is the reader. As is the writer.

There are voices for everyone, what with the ability to self-publish. Categories and characters that probably never would have made it past the gates of traditional publishing. Seems as though people and tastes are more diverse than what a few executives in tall buildings decided.

I leapt at the chance afforded by indie publishing and wrote a trilogy (discovering afterwards that it could be classified in the fantasy sub-genre, Grimdark.) Grimdark is a foreboding title that doesn’t really mean anything, except maybe to stride forward and meet the challenge headfirst, blade at the ready. Anti-heroes and likeable ruffians that are sometimes more relatable than the knight in shining armour and the ridiculously evil dark lord. Because we live in confusing times and not everything is as it appears at first glance, despite how loudly some people shout.

Everyone is evolving on their own journey, empowered by hidden motivations, born into a world of rules and systems not of their choosing. Grimdark, despite its name, does as good of a job as any genre of revealing this struggle, this desire to discover personal truth.

So I encourage you to try a walk down the many paths of fantasy and sci-fi. Maybe Grimdark isn’t your cup of stale beer, but there are plenty of other categories to choose from. Try a self-published author if you’re feeling saucy, why not? Be bold and see where the story takes you.

The Sequel

On By tylersehnLeave a comment

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Writing a novel is fun. Contrasting qualities blend together to give voice to a quiet activity. It’s structured yet creative. Solitary yet expansive. Direct yet subtle. And sometimes, in those sweet moments that render time meaningless, the words flow. The words come smooth and fast, clear and fresh as water drawn from a well. From unseen depths and into sunlight. It feels pure. At least to the author. Inspiration to feed the spirit. The hope is that the reader perceives a similar phenomena.

This is all to say that the sequel to Daughter of Shadow is completed. All that is left are a few technical aspects of indie publishing, such as formatting, ISBN’s, etc.

Gods of Rua picks up the action directly from the conclusion of DoS. New areas of the world are explored along with the development of characters to enhance the depth of the overall story. There are a fair share of new characters as well to fill-out the escalating conflict within The Spiritbinder Saga.

Progresss on the third, as yet untitled, instalment has been steady, as the first draft is nearing completion. The stakes keep being raised and it’s been thrilling to write the progression of increasingly complex characters (sometimes deviating unexpectedly from original plans).

Writing my first novel, DoS, was fun in a pushing oneself to climb a mountain sort of way. Writing the second novel has been akin to sitting on the peak to enjoy the view. The first draft of the third has the inherent momentum of descending a backside trail. Then there’s the fourth, and series concluding novel, in the distance. The sparkling water of a lake holding the promise of fire and rest.

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They say to write what you know but in all honesty I don’t know much about properly wielding bladed weapons, being an orphan, or performing arcane rituals. I think the saying is meant to encourage one to write what they love. I love asking big questions, different perspectives from all walks of life, and slow-mo action scenes. I love comparing and contrasting concepts then melting them together to create an alloy that is strengthened by the differences and supported by the similarities. I love writing fantasy. Can’t wait to share.

The amazing cover art will soon be revealed, with the published novel following shortly.

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Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off 2

On By tylersehn2 Comments

Everyone loves a good competition, what with the collective consciousness of the world currently fixated on the Olympics, and everyone loves a winner.  A while back, I entered Daughter of Shadow into the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off 2, the largest indie fantasy contest in existence (probably).  300 entries were divvied between 10 of the top fantasy blogs, who would be the judges.  I pulled Fantasy-Faction for a judge, biggest dog in the junkyard.  I was thrilled—a real test.  If I could make it with Fantasy-Faction I’d get some real street cred as an author.

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Several rounds of eliminations have gone by.  My hopes kept elevating each time my name wasn’t listed.

Winning is awesome.  The joy, relief, and adrenaline fuelled vindication of besting a worthy opponent is a feeling anyone could get used to.  This post is not about winning.  Losing sucks.  Frustration, self-doubt, and dashed hopes are not fun.  Daughter of Shadow has been eliminated from contention.

Here is the review/justification.

“Like Nightfall Gardens, Daughter of Shadow is another book that fell not so much because the team found any issues with it, but because it simply didn’t grab us as much as some of the other books did. These are always the hardest books to say goodbye to, because we’ve moved beyond the more tangible reasons for letting a book go and into the purely subjective.

Perhaps it’s not much consolation, but another team of reviewers might well have preferred this book to some of our final seven. It has a decent prologue (which we found to be a rarity!) and introduces an interesting protagonist in Melea – the team enjoyed the fact that unlike many other fantasy protagonists, she is already powerful when the story begins. We also found the initial battle scene to be well written. In the end, we had to go by our subjective opinion that the writing wasn’t quite as smooth and didn’t have quite as much ‘voice’ as some of the other books – but Daughter of Shadow is certainly worth checking out for anyone who likes the sound of the blurb.”

My first reaction was denial (the initial stage in grieving).  It couldn’t be my book, but that cover did look familiar, maybe the title was Daughter in Shadow.  But nope.  Then came an expletive filled outburst—anger, the next stage.  Bargaining soon followed as I mentally schemed some way to get back into the contest.  Depression hit in next, a dour moment of “what’s the point in writing?”  I needed to get away from the computer.

I took the dog around the block for a walk.  The combination of cool night air with the stars peaking through departing rainclouds, and the joy elicited in my dog from a random stick she found on the ground helped to put things back into perspective.  I was firmly in the final stage—acceptance.  I’d lost.  But, the review had actually been mostly positive.  The reviewer had even admitted that a different reader may have put DoS into the next round.  So close.  Thwarted by subjectivity.  But everything is subjective!

So how to get more subjective individuals to choose my novel?  How to sway the people on the fence, decisions that could go either way, onto the side of recommending DoS?  This, my friends, was a new cache of motivation.

I’d temporarily fallen into a trap of unreasonable expectations and the only way to get untangled was to keep moving.  Yes, I’d entered the contest to win (why else?), participation is nice and all but the SPFBLO2 is a competition.  The reality of beating 299 entries seemed to become more possible as I eagerly watched the cuts happen over these past few months.  My expectations ballooned from hopefully sensible to borderline entitled.  This phenomena is visible in the actions of parents with children in minor league sports throughout the world.  Winning becomes an obsession.  Perspective narrows into tunnel-vision.

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I’ve witnessed incensed fans/parents attempt to fight the referee in the middle of a hockey game being played by children!  I’ve had teammates break equipment and damage property after a loss.  I’ve known feuds between friends and family to begin because of a seemingly innocuous sports rivalry.  All instances of negative emotions being transitioned into blame directed at others.  No acceptance of one’s own actions.  Maybe the other team actually was better.  Maybe you should practice more.  Maybe, just maybe, punching that guy from the other team won’t change the score of the game.  Just sayin’.

Maybe the novels chosen to advance by Fantasy-Faction are superior to my own.  That’s a tough pill to swallow.  But it’s not the end of the story.  I’m a self-published author and that means I can alter DoS whenever I want.  The sequel to DoS is ready for a date with the editor, but first, I will go back improve.  I will make the story better.

To use a baseball analogy: I stepped up to the plate and swung, trying to smack a home run.  Well, I didn’t quite knock it out of the park but I got a hit.  I’m on base.  The game isn’t over and I can still score.

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The review and competition has provided motivation to improve the story even more.  I’m hopeful that a copy edit will help to smooth out any remaining rough patches.  No shortcuts.  No excuses.  No blame.  Just be better.

 

 

In Stores Now!

On By tylersehnLeave a comment

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Daughter of Shadow is now available in stores. Two stores to be exact. Two small stores in Camrose, Alberta, Canada. But hey, that’s two more than last week. Have to start somewhere.

Since I was a kid I’ve dreamed about having a novel of mine on a shelf beside the best writers in the genre. Actually accomplishing this endeavour is quite surreal, being both harder and easier than I expected. I have to admit that I did feel a sense of satisfaction as the proprietor’s praised the cover art and flipped through the pages before deeming the product to be acceptable.  Daughter of Shadow, and me by association, have made the “big leagues.”

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(Thanks Leo)

The Next Book

On By tylersehnLeave a comment

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You’ve written a book but now what?  Where to go next?

The thought of beginning the process again can be a daunting task, particularly if the first book has yet to become a commercial success.  Marketing the finished product can be a grind on the creative spirit.  Then there’s the nagging voice of self-doubt whispering that maybe you only had one book in you.  But writer’s write.  If there’s one story in you then there will be more.  I’ve yet to meet a writer who was capable of putting the pen & paper/keyboard away indefinitely.

People need stories and stories need people.  A form of symbiosis where the writer and the story itself are capable of evolving.  By the time book two rolls around the writer should be more evolved, more skilled, and more prepared for what the writing process entails.  This personal and professional experience should hopefully lead to a better story.

I’ve been diligently chipping away at the sequel to Daughter of Shadow and recently completed the first draft.  This initial incarnation is now in the hands of some trusted beta readers.  I cannot overstate how important quality testers are to churning out the best possible story  (at least for me).  The different opinions allow me to see the material with new eyes, which stimulates new ideas about something I supposedly knew intimately.  A fresh burst of energy to go back and fix what needs fixin’.  The hope is that this book will require significantly less edits than the first.  My gut tells me this will be the case.

I felt more comfortable in the driver’s seat when writing the sequel—the ride was much smoother, the speed bumps smaller and the stalling moments less frequent.  This car analogy doing anything for you?  Traversing the mountain was more of an enjoyable hike rather than a climbing expedition.  How about one more?  Less work and more work.

The experience of writing the first book has been invaluable to establishing and improving my “voice.”  The style and delivery that is crucial to catching a reader’s attention.  I’m going to return to the first book with this awareness to give it another edit and really get the voice consistent.  The fact that I’m already excited about starting book three has to be a good sign (or an unconscious obsessive tendency).

What are your thoughts about writing the next book?  I’d love to hear from experienced writers as well as newbies.

 

Goodreads Giveaway Winners

On By tylersehnLeave a comment

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The month-long contest has ended! A total of 2014 people entered and 850 added Daughter of Shadow to their reading lists.

Word of mouth is a crucial influencer of book sales so I enrolled in the process to spread the word and now it’s up to the mouths to do the rest. Goodreads is a top-notch site/community and I may have to spend more time there. The contest was open to the world and the random generator took that detail to heart, with the five winners hailing from Canada, India, Germany, Great Britain, and Romania.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Giveaway! Time for me to go mail some books.

Radio Interview

On By tylersehnLeave a comment

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By way of a serendipitous encounter I will be speaking with Gail Vaz-Oxlade on her podcast which airs on NewsTalk 1010.

Gail has written 13 books on personal finance, numerous financial articles, and hosts the television shows Princess and Til Debt Do Us Part.  She recently finished a lengthy Canadian promotional tour for her new book, Debt-Free Forever. Suffice to say, she is a powerful personality and I look forward to the interview.

I will be discussing my novel, Daughter of Shadow, as well as the self-publishing process and writing in general. The interview takes place Monday February 15 @ 11:10PM EST.

NEWSTALK1010 LINK