Vasparian in Elfwhere

Vasparian Grael within the forest of Elfwhere. Painted in Photoshop. Comments are appreciated.

He first appears in A Dream of Storms, available through Amazon.com. Vasparian served with Hagan twelve years ago in the Battle of the Black Sun and joins him on his quest to the city of Harquinn as the story unfolds.

D'Pharin from A Dream of Storms. Work in Progress.

This is a piece of a bigger picture and some of you may be familiar with the scene that I am painting. It takes place in the ruins of Treetowers as D'Pharin runs off to secretly explore them on his own. What he finds leaves him shocked and saddened.

William

Shadewraiths...

Hey everyone,

Here's a bit of news for you. I am currently finishing up the cover artwork for my short story Shadewraiths over Pandaria. This story was originally published in the Skulldust Circle anthology book called A Gathering of Dust. Now it will be available on its own. The tale takes place roughly 40 years before Book 1 of In the Shadow of the Black Sun. Within this story we discover the truth behind the character Trune. Were all of his wild claims lies? Most think of him as the town drunk. Was that always the case? You'll never know unless you read it.

I highly recommend that you read A Dream of Storms before delving into Shadewraiths. The settings and circumstances of the story are developed within A Dream of Storms and many of the characters/places that are referred to assume that you have encountered them before. Most of all, I hope you enjoy this peek into the past and how I have fleshed out Trune's history. 

In regards to Book 3 of In the Shadow of the Black Sun (currently entitled Mournenhile), I have written 176 pages of the novel and it's moving along nicely. I can't really say how soon I will finish or how long the actual book will be, but it very well may complete the series. We shall see if  I can get everything in there that I want. 

If not......

Walk with the Wind,

William

New lower prices on In the Shadow of the Black Sun!

I bet you didn't realize the prices have been reduced for the 2 books of the In the Shadow of the Black Sun series, did you? I want as many fantasy fans to read them as possible, so I'm making them as affordable as I can. A Dream of Storms, once $4.99, is now only $2.99! Book Two, Shards of S'Darin was, until recently, $5.99. It can now be downloaded for a mere $3.99. For those looking for an exciting fantasy adventure with interesting characters and events, have a look. You can read a sample of each book free regardless of which site you visit.

Download A Dream of Storms from:

Amazon for the Kindle

Smashwords in any format. Scroll down for all of your options.


Links for Shards of S'Darin are here:

Amazon for the Kindle

Smashwords in any format. Scroll down for all of your options.


And if you are based in the UK, here are your Amazon links.

A Dream of Storms

Shards of S'Darin

Some of the other retailers have yet to update the pricing and still have the books listed at the old price. So if you visit Barnes and Noble or iTunes, it may take a few days for them to change it over.

I thank you all for your support. If you read the books, please leave a comment or send me an email with your thoughts.

Walk with the Wind,
William

Book 3

Hey there.

Well, I've been getting some writing done on Book 3 of In the Shadow of the Black Sun. Still working on the first chapter, trying to set things up properly. We will delve into the human cities in the south and bring in several characters from that region. Malhain will show no mercy as the darkness of his master shrouds the land. How will the side of good stand against this onslaught?

I have found that much of my time is spent thinking these things through, possible outcomes and character interactions. I write a few paragraphs, then stop to think. The beginning of each story is this most difficult part for me. Once things are set in motion, it becomes much easier to simply follow the characters as they set off on their own. It truly seems as if they guide the story. After all, the writer has created them, their personalities. They can only respond within those given parameters, right? Just a thought.

I'm hoping that with the upcoming release of The Hobbit film, readers will be more curious about books within the fantasy genre and therefore the books that I have written. It is no easy task to keep the reader's eyes on your creations. There's only so much you can do to get noticed. I hope that you will give the writers of Skulldust Circle a chance and download our books or better yet, try the anthology book, A Gathering of Dust. You'll have a sample story from each of us. See what you like and what you don't, then pursue the other books by the authors that you enjoyed. There's a lot of magic within those pages, trust me.

Do you have any questions about my stories? Wondering if I will ever reveal the background of a certain character or take you to far away places that have been mentioned within the books? Feel free to contact me. I enjoy discussing the characters, places and events and who knows, I may even reveal a secret or two?

From the mouths of readers

 Just wanted to share some reviews that I am particularly proud of.



"The authenticity of this book really astounded me. Everything just seemed flawlessly believable, and the dialogue especially added to this. It just seemed to flow effortlessly, the language suited the text and the storyline perfectly, things that I appreciate in a fantasy novel."

"There are many things to keep going in any fantasy genre to suspend your belief for a few moments here and there and William does it like a pro. This novel is on par with anything in the genre for sale today in my opinion. His characters have depth, emotion, and motivations and the journey is worth it."

"The one thing I enjoyed about this book; the originality. It deals with the good versus evil theme but there are some characters introduced who are not all that they seem, and I do enjoy reading about complicated characters."

 "A great story that had me sitting on the edge of my seat, worrying over the characters and the ending (what an ending!) has made me very, very eager to read the next novel in this new (and promising!) series, a series that deserves its place on my bookshelf next to my fantasy favourites."

"His world building is excellent. It is skillfully done, rarely intruding on the action, and filled with wonderful details: the Woodwardens; the mysterious Wisp; the decrepit city of Overbrook; the Talon; Elfwhere; the Inquitis, demonic creatures. It hangs together with a real depth, a sense of history that is vital for good fantasy to work."

Download A Dream of Storms.

I believe in Magic

In a sense. Not in the sense that I believe one can throw one's hand in the air and conjure fingers of lightning to vanquish one's foes, but in another sense entirely. I believe that words are magic. How else can you explain the wondrous ability for simple black letters on an off-white page to transport you to otherworldly places populated with the most amazing characters that you either love or despise? For a short time, your mind actually suspends its disbelief. For a time, you are there. You can hear the wind in the trees of Elfwhere, feel the soft earth under your feet as you pass beneath the great, twisting branches. You can actually feel the tremendous heat in the underground passages that lead to Harrow Isle as you travel with a group of Dwarves from the kingdom of Pahn Pirik.

Mike Haufe

For a time, the characters are alive. They become your companions as you join them on their quest or stand by their side in battle. Your mind assigns each character its own individual voice, because you want them to be alive. Can you hear the rough, gravelly voice of Gorin, the Stone Troll. I know you can. Can you hear the unnatural hiss of Mournenhile's servants, the Inquitis? It sends shivers up your spine, doesn't it?
I call that magic, my friends. For these are simple pieces of paper with letters on them. Put the letters, words, sentences and paragraphs in the right order and it's the same as that lightning spell that I spoke of. Great books create a new reality in your mind. The characters feel as if they belong to you and in a sense, they do.

Could anything be more magical?

William

A Dream of Storms available on Amazon for the Kindle or in paperback.

Links to my books

With all of this talk of artwork for book covers, I thought I would remind everyone that I write as well. LOL. I'm posting links to each of my books in the hopes that you check them out, read the samples and hopefully purchase one or more. All of the stories have great reviews and I've gotten a lot of good feedback from readers.

In the Shadow of the Black Sun Saga
(All ages Dark Fantasy series)

• Book 1: A Dream of Storms
• Book 2: Shards of S'Darin
• Book 3: In Progress (No, that's not the title, silly)

Tales of Embremere
(All ages/YA Fantasy series)

• Book 1: Embremere
• Book 2: Ghosts of Embremere (In Progress)

Undergrowth
(A Horror Novella)

Several covers in one post

Finished!

The new book is officially finished! I've sent copies off to a few people, to get their feedback before I publish. I also have to finish the cover art. This one is very challenging, which seems strange I'm the one who decides on the concept. Oh well, I guess I like to challenge myself. I hope to have the art done before the weekend is over. We shall see.

Digital Sketch-William Kenney

Anyway, this story features younger characters and feels a bit more like a Young Adult story. My other fantasy stories would also be suitable for young adults as well. This new book and the In the Shadow of the Black Sun books have no profanity or sexual situations in them. The horror book that I am working on has enough to go around.

If enough people like the new book, I would like to write a sequel. It's already outlined in my head and ready to be written.

I've also been getting a lot of questions about doing cover art, so I think that's going to keep me pretty busy. If you have a question or comment, just drop a note here or email me at WilliamKenney_author@yahoo.com. 

Have a great one, everybody.

William

You should be reading this book

I've created the fantasy world called Kirkaldin. This realm is divided, from north to south, by an invisible boundary known by the inhabitants as The Edge. Beyond The Edge, to the east, is the land ruled by Mournenhile, the embodiment of ultimate evil and bane of all that is good. He has returned. Throughout the land there are signs, omens that can point only to that very fact. The mutilated body of a young woman is found under Klaemen's Arch, tiny footprints leading away from her corpse, traveling east. The Pith, Mournenhile's horrible creatures, like a cross between bat and wolf, attack Elfwhere where autumn has now fallen. Never before have the trees lost their leaves, never before has an army dared to attack the Elves. Now, the forest burns.
In the city of Harquinn, one of the west's most important strongholds, the mages of Councilcrane send for Hagan Marindel, one of the land's most legendary heroes. It was his blade that turned the tides during The Battle of the Black Sun and sent Mournenhile's forces retreating back into the east twelve years ago. The Stone Troll, Gorin, had been given the task of returning Hagan to the Council, for now that the darkness once again crept across the land, Hagan's sword would be needed again.
Horrible things had happened during The Battle of the Black Sun. Hagan had cut himself off from the world, retreated into the hills and tried to forget the unthinkable things that he had done to protect the peoples of the west. Would he return with Gorin to Harquinn? Would he once again lend his blade to the side of good?

You'll have to read A Dream of Storms to find out. Find out why this book has a 4.7 out of 5 star average rating on Amazon.

Goodreads Giveaway is now over

I want to thank everyone that entered the contest on Goodreads and showed interest in my work. I appreciate each and every one of you. The three winners have been notified and I will be shipping the free copies out as soon as possible. I am hoping that some of the people who entered, but didn't win, will still decide to pick up A Dream of Storms and Shards of S'Darin. I am confident that you will enjoy the story. The paperback edition of Shards should be available either today or tomorrow. It has to go through a review process at the printers and once that is complete I will click the 'publish' button.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to your comments.

William

A list of sites where you can download the book

Smashwords -A Dream of Storms is available in every ebook format on this site.

Amazon -Available for the Kindle. (Amazon also provides free software so that you can read your Kindle books on other electronic devices like PC, Mac, Android phone, etc.

Barnes and Noble - Only 99 cents right now for the Nook.

Sony - For the Sony ereader.

Diesel Ebooks

Kobo

Itunes

A Dream of Storms is also available on the Amazon and Itunes sites in many other countries. Far too many to list here. If you need a specific link, let me know. Thank you for your continued support. I have 277 pages written in the sequel to A Dream of Storms.

William

I love comments like this...

This guy left a comment on the blog back in November. Made me smile.

Just finished reading book 1 and immediately went to B&N to download book 2. When I realized it wasn't out yet, I raised my fist to the sky and shouted "Wind, Why isn't it here!" Glad you're making progress.
I also would love to read the Battle of Black Sun if you wrote it.
My one request/ suggestion, is a Dream of Storms Wiki. While your book was fairly easy to follow all the people and places, I'm the kind of guy who likes to be reminded who did what with the lead pipe in the conservatory. It would be nice to be able to look up a character, race, item, or place and go "oh yeah, now I remember what that's all about!"
Keep up the good work!

Peter 

Thanks a lot, Peter.

For everyone that has yet to read A Dream of Storms, Smashwords has it available for only 99 cents in every ebook format you could want. Download .HERE


And, of course it is available on Amazon.com as well: Download HERE.


Also available on Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, etc. Thank you all for your support and stay tuned for Book Two: Shards of S'Darin. It only gets darker from here....


William

A Dream of Storms no longer free.

At 231 pages, Shards of S'Darin is really taking shape. The first book in the series, A Dream of Storms was only 286 pages in total, so this one is getting close to the same length. With the new book, I am not even close to concluding it, so it will be much longer. I don't want to give away anything, but those that have read the Work in Progress have loved it so far.

I am still working on the horror novel with David Woods. The storyline is cool, we are just figuring out how exactly we want to share in the writing chores. The intro so far is very creepy and disturbing, everything horror should be. I enjoy writing this story because I can write in a current and more modern style and I can curse like a sailor. That wouldn't be appropriate in the land of Kirkaldin, would it?

I want to thank all of the readers out there that have given my first book a try. I know a lot of you only read the book because I offered it free on a few sites, but I don't have a problem with that. I got some really good reviews and appreciate all of them. Now, A Dream of Storms is no longer free on Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Itunes, etc. I have changed the price to 99 cents, which I still think is a steal for a good fantasy story. All of these sites offer the reader the opportunity to read a sample of the book. If you haven't yet done so, please check out the sample. It may be something you would be interested in. Honestly, the thing that aggravates me is that when my book was free on Smashwords, I would get 3 or 4 downloads a day. Now that it's free, I haven't had a single person buy it for 99 cents.

Tomorrow, my family will celebrate Christmas. Yes, it's a day early, but that's the way it has to be. We're cooking a turkey and yes, I helped. I am definitely not the cook in the family. So, everyone reading this have a great holiday and feel free to drop me a message or leave a comment.

Walk with the Wind, brothers and sisters.

William

The Horror on the Horizon

So, as you know, I am currently working on the follow-up to A Dream of Storms. Shards of S'Darin continues the story of Hagan, Vasparian, Gorin and the others and their efforts to stop the armies of Mournenhile. What will it take to defeat the dark lord? The Pith, the foul creatures brought into existence by Mournenhile, are destroying everything in their path.  New characters and places. More glimpses into the history of these characters. I wish I could publish it right now, but it's not even half complete.
What you may not know is that I am collaborating on a horror novel as well. A friend, David Woods (follow him on Twitter, if you like) and I are currently outlining the story, creating characters and their names, locations and events. I've always loved horror and have always wanted to try my hand at it. We'll see how well the story works once we're finished. I love it so far.
One thing that I hate about writing is that you can write for hours and only have 3 more pages. They keys are clacking away, non-stop. You look at the clock. You look at your page count. Huh? Oh well, every page counts. A few pages a day adds up to a finished story.
I truly hope that all of you out there that have read A Dream of Storms have enjoyed the characters (good and evil) and the plot. It only gets better from here on out. These characters belong to you now as well and I do feel a responsibility to treat them with respect. If you haven't left a review for the book, please do. It will help convince others to try it. Many thanks to those that have gone out of their way to contact me and send me their compliments. I appreciate it.
Until next time.

Walk with the Wind

William

World map for A Dream of Storms

Front cover revealed!

   

       Here is the completed front cover to A Dream of Storms, my first fantasy novel. The artwork was created by me and the graphic design was done by my wife, Frances. I would love to hear your constructive comments on this cover. 

Sneak peek at the cover to A Dream of Storms

Vasparian Grael, Hagan, Gorin, Windenn and D'Pharin from A Dream of Storms, In the Shadow of the Black Sun: Book One. The fantasy novel will be available shortly for the Kindle and in paperback form. 550 pages.