E.B. Roshan's Blog: This, That and the Other

I’m pleased to announce the imminent release of my latest comic book, Lava. It’s set in the same universe as the others, but is a unique, self-contained story.

Doctor Kone Zevy and his team of robot assistants have been assigned to a clinic on Davrim, a small planet with far more than its fair share of volcanic activity. Despite the clinic’s unsavory reputation, and an unenthusiastic reception from the locals, Kone dreams of providing the best medical care around. And then things start to go very wrong…

The story releases on August 26th, but if you’d like an advance review copy, feel free to contact me any time!

Laura (of Laura’s Books and Blogs) so kindly interviewed me on her site today. Check it out HERE to learn more about me and my latest book, Free.

Today is cover reveal day for the Illuminate the Dark anthology, a collection of Christian fantasy stories filled with hope and light that releases February 25th, 2025!  This collection of short stories features a variety of characters, settings, and voices, all tied together with one beautiful theme: light over darkness.

In this collection, sixteen authors invite you to embark on epic fantasy adventures to find hope amidst even the darkest moments of our lives!

Dylan has been dragged from his home. Rave wants a little light to hold on to in an otherwise sunless world. Cónán never should have touched the coins in the fountain. A villain looks for redemption as the end draws nigh. This is just a sample of the stories you can find within the pages of Illuminate the Dark!

From beautiful poetry to epic short stories exploring hope in dark times, in grief, in the face of adversity, and when all seems lost, this anthology, curated by YA fantasy author Kaytlin Phillips, aims to paint a vivid picture of the hope we have in Christ our Savior!

The anthology includes stories and poems by the following authors:

Kylie Beevers – Hail the Fire – A Poem

Zoe Gilbert – Lady Love – A Poem

Jaiden Phillips – Fate of a Villain – A short story

Lillian Keith – On the Edge of Dawn – A short story

Lori Ann Nelson – Fire Feathers to Home – A short story

Sara Noelle Swenson – Crying Upwards – A short story

Emma G. McKee – The White Stag – A short story

Norah Case – The Weaver, the Walkers, and the Weakling – A short story

Abigail Hathaway – Shatter the Dark – A short story

Bree Pembrook – Coins in the Fountain – A short story

Emily Waldorf – Only You – A short story

Abby Burrus – To Grasp Glory – A short story

Kaytlin Phillips – Poisoned Throne – A short story

Marisa Phillips & Hunter Reder – Hope is Light – A Poem

Kayla Spurling – Chiaroscuro – A Poem

I’ve interviewed quite a few authors here, but if I remember correctly, this is the very first time I’ve ever interviewed a CHARACTER!

H.S. Kylian’s book, Faithful and True, released yesterday, and today, we’ll meet the heroine, Maggie Reid.

It’s great to meet you, Maggie! Thank you for joining us today to share about a challenging period in your life, and the lessons you’ve learned from it. If you don’t feel comfortable with answering any of our questions, just say so and we’ll pass on.

Can you begin by telling us a bit about yourself and your family?

I have two younger brothers, both still in high school. My parents own a diner in downtown Philly. 

Where are you from and what do you do?

I’m from Philadelphia, born and raised, and I work as a waitress at my parents’ diner.

When did you and Jack first meet, and how did you know he was the one for you?

He was running away from the paparazzi, like usual, and we kind of…bumped into each other. Now I know what you must be thinking, but no, it wasn’t all cute like in the movies. I was carrying a tray of food at the time and needless to say, I wasn’t very happy with him. But he apologized, and then later on, we started talking, and…well, here we are.

I think you would agree with us that choosing to be intimate before marriage was a mistake, one that’s had a major negative impact on your lives and relationships. What led you and Jack down that path? 

Uh…well…

Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently?

Well…not giving into temptation for one. Sorry, I’m still a bit uncomfortable talking about it with anyone other than Jack. 

I know it’s hard to speak for someone who isn’t present, but do you think Jack would agree with you?

Of course!

Can you share a bit about your plans for your future? 

The most important things right now are finding a house and getting ready for the baby, and Jack is going to start job-hunting soon.

Thanks for joining us today, Maggie!

Here’s a bit more about the book, Faithful and True:

Having conceived their first child out of wedlock despite being Christians, Jack Matthews and Maggie Reid are understandably guilt-ridden and unsure of how to tell their parents. Though repentant, they fear their child will be rejected and their plans to marry thwarted, mostly by Jack’s mother, who will do almost anything to make sure the family reputation remains stellar.

Faithful & Just is the first episode in the Arrows series, a multi-generational story spanning the course of three decades and following the Matthews Family as they experience marriage, friendship, first love, loss, and reconciliation.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DSJY3QR2

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59089190-faithful-just

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

H.S. Kylian (a.k.a. Hannah) has been in love with writing since she was nine, really got into it at thirteen, and discovered the gem of story structure at eighteen. She writes mainly contemporary, historical, and romantic fiction from a Biblical worldview, and has tried fantasy and sci-fi on the side, though neither of the latter two genres have seen a completed draft…yet.

Well, technically advance copies have been making the rounds for a little while now, but the story OFFICIALLY releases today. You can find it HERE at a wide variety of online bookstores, including (for a limited time) Amazon. I’m also more than happy to share complimentary copies for people who like free stuff…don’t hesitate to contact me!

“I love the art style, it reminded me of other graphic novels I have read like Persepolis. I would definitely recommend this to kids who like sci-fi.” Lucy Gould

“I will be thinking about this until the second one comes out. Once again, Roshan has completely captured me with this graphic novel.” Nathaniel Luscombe

“The greyscale art has very clean lines, and all of the characters featured within look like just what they are – denizens of fantastic worlds far off in outer space. The storytelling is solid, and I loved this tale of finding home far off in the stars.” Dakota Love

2024 was a great year in many ways, not least because of the amount of time I was able to devote to writing and creative projects. While I can’t say it was always easy to find the time/motivation, I certainly managed to accomplish a lot more than I would have thought possible.

June saw the release of my second comic book, Silk, the story of Farz, Diljin and the giant spiderlike creatures that are such a big part of their lives. I learned SO MUCH about visual storytelling through this project, and ended it with confidence that my next comic would be even better.

After that, I returned to the final installment in my Shards of Sevia series, Inseparable, which released in September. Inseparable is probably the most challenging piece of fiction I’ve ever written, not only because I wanted it to be an excellent story in its own right, but also because it was the culmination of a four-year project, the finishing touch on a very BIG story indeed. I think I gave my well-loved characters as satisfying a send-off ending as anyone could reasonably hope for.

Riding on the high of checking Shards of Sevia off my bucket list, I turned to another comic book project and somehow managed to finish off the first installment of Free just before the turn of the year.

WHEW. I’m tired, but satisfied, and very thankful.

Now for one final post in this flurry of end-of-year updates!

My latest comic book, FREE, ended up coming together a LOT faster than expected, which means that the first installment of Rex’s adventures with friends and foes will be available for general consumption January 15.

An accident brought Rex’s career as an interplanetary bodyguard to an abrupt end. Now, he spends his time tending fruit trees and dreaming of his exciting past. One day, he gets an unexpected opportunity to pick up a ray gun again, but things aren’t how he remembered them…

If you’d like to get a copy early, and especially if you’d be willing to share a review of the story, please don’t hesitate to contact me: btznvntATgmailDOTcom

The Smashwords Holiday Sale ends January 1st, but you can still pick up all my books (and many more) for greatly reduced prices until then. You can find all my books HERE.

The year is drawing to a close, and with it the second installment of my “Young Authors” series. However, before we go, it’s time to meet one last author–Desiree Flaming.

Desirée Flaming is a woman of many passions, including her faith, friends, and philosophy. Her perfect day would look like tidying her tiny home, time in the Word, sitting down to write with coffee and either chocolate or gummy bears (or chocolate covered gummy bears,) going for a walk in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and spending the evening with friends or a good book. However, she works as an on-call caregiver, which means those days are fewer than she’d like. She loves creating and is always full of ideas at the most inopportune times. 

Along with writing and poetry, she expresses herself through line drawing, graphic design, bullet journalling, and collage. Things that can get Desirée in trouble include overcommitting, losing track of time, becoming stressed out, holding very strongly to ideas, and self-doubt. 

Desirée is a non-fiction writer; her main project is an eclectic blog called Flight Patterns about the journey of art. She writes about everything from living holistically as an artist and using spiritual gifts creatively, to typography and even the history of color. And of course you’ll find the occasional book recommendation or blogging how-to post as well.

As a neurodivergent artist, Desirée understands that the world is a busy place with an insane amount of advice and opinions about who you should be and what you should do. Flight Patterns is the odd bookstore of the internet, where you can step out of the noise and instead be surprised and delighted by posts that will cause you to think deeper, be encouraged, find inspiration, and grow closer to God.

To learn more about Desiree and her creative work, check out her website HERE

You can also follow her on Instagram at: @flightpatternsblog