Word Count Wednesday and the Green Knight

Hello everyone,

     Time for a Word Count Wednesday update, and it's a good thing, too, because my latest WIP (that's "Work-In-Progress") is no longer in progress - it is now finished and set to post to Tales From Midhgardhur on Channillo tomorrow, on September 1st. I had intended for this story to be up around August 1st, so you could say I fell a little behind, but honestly, raising a two year old takes most of my time and energy these days. I have no regrets! So, look out for "Knight of the Green Chapel" on Channillo starting tomorrow, clocking in around 10,925 words (Yikes! That is actually bigger than "The Tale of Halfdanur the Black," which was my Camp NaNoWriMo project for 2016!).

      So, what is "Knight of the Green Chapel" about? Well, you'll have to read it to find out, but it came out of reading about Green Man images from medieval Europe (like the one above, a "disgorging" Green Man from the Chapel of Saint Abre in France, whose face seems to be vomiting forth vines and plant life), and my love of the Green Knight story (yes, I like the Middle English poem, and I do have Professor Tolkien's version somewhere, but you know what first got me into it? It was the cheesy 1984 Sean Connery movie, Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Yes, I was an 80s kid, and it formed a lot of my later tastes, sometimes in unusual and unexpected ways. So it combines some elements of the Green Man and the Green Knight and the Viking raids on Poitou and my world of Midhgardhur and . . . well, you'll see!

      Also in news from Midhgardhur Books, there is an upcoming giveaway of  "The Tale of Halfdanur the Black" that starts on September 10th (my birthday!) and runs through September 14th. If you don't already have that story (it does appear in the collection, Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume I, so if you have that book, you don't need this stand-alone), you can pick it up for FREE on your Kindle or Kindle App device between 9/10/16 - 9/14/16). Check it out if you don't have it yet!

     That's all for this time! Thanks for following my work!

Happy Reading! Skál!
~ Colin Anders Brodd

Reading from "The Saga of Asa Oathkeeper" by Draegon Grey (YouTube)

Hello everyone,

     I thought you might enjoy this! It is a YouTube video with a voice-over of Draegon Grey (of "Draegon Grey's Variety Show" reading from The Saga of Asa Oathkeeper: A Midhgardhur Fantasy. Check it out!

Love that voice!

Happy Reading! Skál!
~ Colin Anders Brodd

FREE Book Promotion Time on Kindle! (9/10/16 - 9/14/16)

Hello everyone,

     "The Tale of Halfdanur the Black," the short prequel to The Saga of Asa Oathkeeper, is going to be available for FREE on Kindle and Kindle App device from September 10th to the 14th this year! This story also appears in Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume I, but if you don't have that book yet and want a free taste of Midhgardhur, check this out!

Happy Reading! Skál!
~ Colin Anders Brodd

How to Help an Author

Hello everyone,

     The best thing you can do for an author is to read and enjoy what they write. That is the point of writing, after all - having someone else read what you wrote, and for that person to enjoy what you have done. But if you love what an author does, how can you help? Well, it is probably obvious, but buying the author's books always helps. And if you buy a book, and read it, and enjoy it, then the next best thing you can do is to write a review. My work is mostly sold through Amazon, so Amazon reviews are critical for me - people often make the decision whether or not to buy my books based on the reviews. And yes, the numerical ratings are very important, but if you can say something about why you enjoyed the book, that helps immensely. Reviews anywhere else are great too - Goodreads is a great site for this, and blogging or posting about books you read and enjoy can be very helpful.

     I write this not just for myself (though I certainly do hope that if you enjoy my writing you will buy my books and write positive reviews on Amazon and Goodreads), but for authors and artists in general. If you enjoy a particular artist's work, support them! Buy their work! Read their books! Encourage others to do the same! Review it if you can, especially if you can do so positively. There are authors I adore, like Neil Gaiman or Patrick Rothfuss (to pick a couple of prominent examples). I buy their books when I have the money, and I promote them to everyone I know. I give them as gifts. I spread the word. I review on Goodreads. Established authors may not need as much help as struggling beginners like myself, but every bit helps, and I want them to go on producing the art I love, so I support it in any way I can.

Happy Reading! Skál!
~ Colin Anders Brodd

Appearing again on Draegon Grey's Variety Show!

Hello everyone!

     Good news everyone! My first novel, The Saga of Asa Oathkeeper: A Midhgardhur Fantasy has been featured again on Draegon Grey's Variety Show. Check it out!

Happy Reading . . . and Listening! Skál!
~ Colin Anders Brodd

Word Count Wednesday and Some Unexpected Adventures

Hello everyone,

     Time for a Word Count Wednesday update! Slow going this last week - "Knight of the Green Chapel" stands at 5344 words! It is turning out to be one of Those Stories in which I know the beginning, the middle, and the end, but have to find out how it all fits. Also, it is one of Those Stories in which the protagonist has adventures I did not expect at the beginning of my journey with them. My protagonist, Gratien de Thyar, son of the Vicomte de Charanta, is the third son of a fairly minor noble, intended (by his father) for the clergy, but he decides to have an adventure because he's pretty sure he's the only one who can save everyone in his realm. I thought he was going to just pop off and have adventures! But it turns out he had been waylaid and captured and kept from doing anything heroic at every turn, so far. I'm hoping he gets to his quest soon!

Happy Reading! Skál!
~ Colin Anders Brodd

The Muses Are Singing! Also, more on Draegon Grey's Variety Show!

Hello everyone,

      You know what is really nice for me as a writer? When the Muses really sing to me, and I pretty much know what I want to do for my monthly stories for Tales From Midhgardhur for the rest of the year. I mean, I am still working on my August story ("Knight of the Green Chapel"), and it is slow going, but I know exactly what I want to do for September, and have titles and ideas if not complete plots for October, November, and December. It is so relaxing to have inspiration and a plan! Now, I just need to find time to carry out my plans . . .

     Also, today Draegon Grey's Variety Show featured a reading from The Saga of Asa Oathkeeper: A Midhgardhur Fantasy - most of the Prologue (Doom of the Nornir)! Check it out!

Happy Reading . . . and Listening! Skál!
~ Colin Anders Brodd

   

The Saga of Asa Oathkeeper Mentioned on Draegon Grey's Variety Show!

Hello everyone,

     On today's episode of Draegon Grey's Variety Show, which features some really interesting electronic music compositions as well as promotions and reviews of books, The Saga of Asa Oathkeeper received a brief mention, and it sounds like there might be a more in-depth discussion or review in the future! The mention of Asa is at the end of this episode of Draegon Grey's Variety Show! So check it out!

Happy Reading . . . and Listening! Skál!
~ Colin Anders Brodd

Word Count Wednesday and a Knight's Tale (sort of)

Hello everyone,

     My days have been very full lately - caring for a two-year-old will do that to you! - and I have much less time to write, but I am still working on the next big thing! At the moment, that is my next story for Tales From Midhgardhur on Channillo, entitled "Knight of the Green Chapel." The story is a little different, set in Theiphalia, Gaunorria (roughly equivalent to Poitou, France in our world) and involves the legend of the Green Man. The picture above is of the Green Man of St. Abre in Poitou, France. Something like it features in the story! How, you ask? Well, you'll just have to read the story! I was hoping to have it out by the Ides of Sextilis (8/13/16), but it has been pretty slow going - it'll be out on Channillo by the end of August, for sure!

     Anyway, I have been making the effort to get back to my normal routine. I am back to participating in some weekly Twitter events when I am able(#2BitTues, #1LineWed, and #Thurds are usually my big ones). I am back to reading at my usual rate (I've got a pretty wide range of stuff I'm working on, too!). But I am struggling to make any kind of word count goals right now. Don't worry, though; I'll adjust!

     The official word count for "Knight of the Green Chapel" is currently 4216 words and counting. I'm going to see if I can add to that significantly before I go to bed tonight.

     I am so pleased to have more material out there for my fans! My debut novel, The Saga of Asa Oathkeeper: A Midhgardhur Fantasy has been around on Kindle for more than a year now, but I am very pleased to see it in paperback thanks to CreateSpace!

The other source of my work for fans up until now has been the Channillo series Tales From Midhgardhur; I love doing this series, but a lot of fans who are not Channillo subscribers have been waiting to read these stories for a while. So it made me very happy to finally be able to put out the book Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume I: More Midhgardhur Fantasy in both Kindle and paperback formats! 

This collection of stories includes my Camp NaNoWriMo 2016 winning project, The Tale of Halfdanur the Black, which is also available by itself on Kindle for just $0.99. 

     OK, that's it for tonight - I am off to try to add some word count to "Knight of the Green Chapel" before bedtime!

Happy Reading! Skál!

~ Colin Anders Brodd