The Frewyn Herald: Home of the Haanta Series

While Crab Asaan was at PAX, he was kind enough to bring me a souvenir: a word game called Zip-It , made by the creators of Bananagrams . I had played neither game before and was therefore most ready and happy to give Zip-It a try. The game can be played with one or two people. Each player received twelve block pieces, each of them with differing letters on the six faces. The goal of the game is to create a small crossword using all twelve blocks within a few seconds. The person who succeeds moves their allotted zipper colour up a notch, and the game begins again. The game is played in this style until one of the two players reaches ten. There are variations on the main rules that can be played, but making a crossword is the general way of going on. If you're like Crab Asaan and abhor anyone endeavouring to trounce your unmitigated magnificence, the game can be played with one person. The object here is to give yourself an overall theme and use all twenty-four blocks t...

I never go on vacation, mostly because I have no interest and partly because I have too much to write to be bothered with all the horrors of travel. Haanta Series mascot Crab Asaan, however, is an accomplished world traveler. This past weekend, he decided to troll PAX in Boston. At first, decided to hide himself with a clever disguise, but once he realized that he could use his reputation to his advantage, he gloried in being the mighty, the petulant, the terrific Crab Asaan. Here are the highlights of his visit: After arriving at the hotel and eating a sparse crepe dinner, Crab Asaan went to his room for the night and played Zip-It to amuse himself. He succeeded in winning a match against himself by using every block as the name of a Frewyn municipality. Feeling rather proud of himself, he resigned himself to sleep whilst dreaming of all the impending shinnaniganary he must inflict. He was feeling indulgent the next morning and thus decided to serve himself to flatter ...

I have been considering turning the series into a serial as of late. This idea was actually put into my head by my publisher and the reasoning for this was presented to me thus: 1) I write about 10,000 words a day. After all the rewrites and edits, this translates to about a book per month. Though the publishing industry has hastened certain processes in the past few years, publishing books as quickly as I can write them is not one of its new powers. Publishing smaller works would speed the rate of distribution and get the books to readers faster. 2) The books in the series are long, so long that they need to be split into volumes if I want to get anything like a decent turnaround time from critics and reviewers. Commander and Den Asaan is three volumes and is over 300,000 words. I splitt the books into volumes where there is a natural peak and resolution in the story. Splitting them down into serial format would create more suspense and allow for those who don't...

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A piece from "From Frewyn to Sanhedhran", the second book in the series. Alasdair has difficulty remembering the family he has lost: Once every year since his grandfather’s death, Alasdair had contrived to pay a visit his family’s plot in the royal memorial. The memorial grounds, maintained by the castle gardener, with their fine hedge rows neatly trimmed, their flower beds prettily worked, and the ivy kept in tolerable order, was situated on an elevated and private plot of land between the Royal Theatre and the hunting grounds. The entrance of the immense and intricate monument was marked by two large granite columns and a few stone steps leading to the various sections where the royal families kept their ashes. While much of the bereavement was reserved for the crones of the kingdom who had lost their sons, wives who had lost their husbands, and children who had lost their brothers and fathers during the invasions, Alasdair had a more aggrieving office to fulfill. He was f...

Ladrei is the richest and most dangerous man in Lucentia. He hangs around Frewyn for much of books 1-7. Here is how he is perceived in his homeland by one fortunate woman: A few minutes were spent in silent indignation. What right had he, a slovenly and shapeless gambler, have to govern her sense of dignity and propriety? Had she been more imprudent elsewhere, she should have been scolded for dressing and acting akin to the women of the houses, and though he, a frequenter of such unwholesome establishments, would reproach them for such conduct, he would reward them with his attendance and his gold while she must show herself and be compensated with only the ill admonitions of a wanton parent. Would that her mother had heard such an argument- but it was nonsense to consider one whom he had so little regarded in life when she was now gone. She should be ashamed of him, horrified by his cruel suggestions and aggressive behavior. If he was so desirous of having his daughter sell her...

Morning roused in Lucentia capital, and with it came the usual hum and bustle of the marketplace. The colourful stalls with their vibrant hues radiated in the rays of white morning light, casting their vivid tints along the ground and bespeaking their tinged shadows upon the adjacent tents and walls. The Lucentian peoples emerged from their homes, carting their wares to their stalls and entering their shoppes with all the high good humour that a clear and cool morning over the arid capital could warrant. Pleasantries were exchanged, hands were waved, heads were nodded in recognition and understanding as a few blithesome words were exchanged, calls were made across the passages and narrow lanes, and soon everything was in a way to have the long day at the Lucentian markets begin.  Delicate trails of smoke billowed and wafted from the chimneys of the bakery ovens, arrases and curtains waved about in the gentle and warm breeze, and once the market received its first patrons, cries fro...

After being locked in a large wolves’ cage upon the high snow banks at the edge of the village and left to himself, the giant overheard a small exchange between two of the villagers who were walking back toward the square: a storm was coming, but not any sort that he had been used to endure on the islands; one of violent winds and heavy snows that was fast approaching from the east, one that would envelope the whole of the northwest and hopefully pause the battles overtaking the far west and south, as it would also halt any consignments of rations or weapon taken thither. This would be favourable; it should allow him to travel without being traced, hopefully to the east and along the highlands where his presence would be unfelt in the expanse of the Frewyn countryside. He could return home by way of one of the ships traveling north from the capital, and if he was careful, as he mostly was, he could easily be home in a few weeks by trading one vessel for another in Lucentia, but all his...

Hilarious, and oh so unprepossessing November is many things. It is my favourite month, it is National Novel Writing Month, but it is also Mo-vember or No-shave November, or as I affectionately call it National Celebacy Month on account of the shocking amount of moustaches flying about. Moustaches, to me, are hilarious in theory. I have one on my coffee mug and make more excellent japes, but as a woman I can tell you honestly that they are possibly the most unattractive items in the world. Victorian-style moustaches are especially unbecoming and therefore are all the more amusing. In honour of Movember, here is a little story about Alasdair's dread of facial hair. The Moustache                  Now that all was settled in Marridon, a new ambassador was selected and dispatched to convey the news to the Frewyn royal party. The ambassador was chosen from amongst the most diplomatic in the Chambers, a...

Khantara, the first standalone novel in the series, is available for limited release during National Novel Writing Month through Smashwords . The book will be available everywhere very soon, but if you would like to read the book now and write a review for it, your review may appear on the back of the paperback version of the book! How can you see your review in print? 1) Read and review the book by November 28th. 2) Post your review on your website, book blog, Goodreads, or the Smashwords review page  and send me the link to where you posted it. A few winners will be chosen and announced at the end of November. The book will be going on tour in December so everyone will be able to see your review! Start reading Khantara  HERE!

NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is a writing challenge that asks writers to fashion 50,000 words in one month, preferably in one genre, and turn them into something that resemble a novel. For those who don't know, the Haanta Series began as a NaNoWriMo dare, back in the days when I struggled to crank out 500 words a day. Well, over the past two years, 30 novels and 5 short story collections have been written for the series, averaging about 50,000 words written in one week. I love doing writing challenges with others because it gets people enthused with their own sense of creativity. Many are intimidated by the word count I produce and therefore think they won't win the challenge, but really NaNoWriMo is not about word count. It's about writing something when one would have otherwise written nothing at all. Hence, I issue a public challenge to all my fellow writer friends: if you would like to go for the mega Haanta Series writ...

Why is Rautu purple? Why is Bou blonde? Why is there a cardboard chicken? Mystery, intrigue ,farce! For the past two weeks, I've been posting chapters from the new novella "Tales from Frewyn: The Opera." Many people have said "Ah! Where is the end?? What happens to the director?? Does Rautu cut off his head??" Well, wait no more! "Tales from Frewyn: The Opera" is now available through all major channels for only 99cents! Amazon: Click here for Kindle Smashwords: Click here for Sony, Nook, Ipad, Kobo, etc.  Thanks to everyone for reading! Enjoy the ending (and the super special and hilarious art inside by Twisk)!

Well, it's the last stretch of the Commander and Den Asaan tour! We have lots of guest posts and giveaways to announce! Here is what's happening: - Mythic Scribes has an interview and giveaway of all the books in the series! Simply leave a comment on the blog to enter! - Riverina Romantics has two excerpts and a giveaway of The Reporter from Marridon . Leave a comment with your email to enter! - Back of the Book Reviews is giving away 10 copies of the new Tales from Frewyn: The Opera . Fill out the trivia panel to enter! - Bittersweet Enchantmen t has a guest post and giveaway of Commander and Den Asaan. All you need to do is comment on the post to win! - Creative Deeds posted a very lovely review of Commander and Den Asaan. Click HERE to read it on Goodreads. -For everyone in the UK, Haanta Series books are NOW on the UK KINDLE STORE ! All Haanta Series book are under 3 £! Tomorrow is the Haanta Series book signing at Babar Books in Montreal from 5-7pm! Than...

Coming this October! Special sneak peek from Khantara, the story about Rautu's mother and father. Enjoy!!! "She hoped, and did not hope, that what he wished to show her were in a more precarious place, but she realized that in welcoming the giant to her home, she would have to brook watching him remove his cloak. She had a slender idea of what she should discover there; she had felt his form when she fell against him and hardly found what she felt to be disagreeable. He was warrior, unlike the Thellisian guardsmen she had learned to fear and avoid, and with a companion so colossal and foreboding, she could only conjecture as to what her husband might say upon seeing such a creature in his household. She had some apprehensions on the side of inviting him in; though she lived in the home, it did not belong to her, nor was any possession within its walls hers, but he had been so obliging and forthcoming with her, she could not very well allow him to remain outside the bound...

To celebrate the end of the Commander and Den Asaan tour, there will be a Haanta Series book signing at MG-YA bookstore Babar en Ville in Diras . . . er, I mean- in Montreal! I will be signing books on Thursday, October 6th, from 5pm-7pm . Stop by and say hello, but more importantly, come by to see Babar en Ville, the best independent bookstore in town! They have everything from classics to graphic novels! I would have ordered a cake for the occasion, but I know a certain someone should eat it before the event begins. Thank you to Babar en Ville for holding the event! Hopefully, when Khantara and Commander and Den Asaan Vol. 2 come out next month, we will have our book launch there as well. Hope to see you all there!

Happy weekend! Here is the next chapter in "Tales from Frewyn: the Opera"! Enjoy! The Director                 The evening hum of voices in the keep began to increase. Whispers of where the giant was going and who had merited his wrath excited the general intrigue about the castle. Heads leaned out of open windows, eyes peered over sills, spectators watched from the peristyle, and by the time the giant had reached the double doors of the Royal Theatre, every inhabitant of the Diras castle keep was watching his movements. Here was a feast of entertainment, for what amusement could an opera provide when a giant clad in furs and holding an immense black blade was pounding his fist against the theatre door and roaring for attention. The nobles and yeoman in the peristyle cooed with delight, and some even pretended to be besieged by the sudden desire to visit the latrine tower if only to have the prime view of Rautu’...

This Friday at 4pm EST, the Haanta Series will be featured on the award-winning  CJLO 1690am ! Absolutely anyone can tune-in via the magic of the internet. Simply visit their website ( here ) and click the Listen Now feature to join the discussion. We'll be talking about how the series got started and about what's to come next in the series. I hope you'll enjoy the programme!