Shawn Wickersheim's Blog

I don’t know where the time goes. I’ve heard that the older you get, the faster time seems to fly — and as the years pass, they surely do seem to be flying faster and faster. There must be some way to slow it down again….right? Not sure.

Forgive me for sounding a bit clunky, or rusty. It’s been a while since I’ve written. 2024 started out okay, I was exercising daily and was not in bad shape for someone….my age….but then I strained the muscles around my right elbow and I had to put a stop to my rowing streak. (I had over 300 days in a row on my rowing machine and before my injury, I was rowing at least 4.5 to 5 miles a day, and on some days closer to 8-10).

Okay, so the rowing machine was out. I know, I’ll just get on my treadmill…. Nope, plantar fascia pain reared it’s nasty, ugly head again and I was suddenly sidelined.

Now, the problem with going from exercising quite a bit every day to not exercising at all and making the mistake of not reducing one’s food intake means the extra weight I had been keeping at bay joyfully jumped all over me. And boy did it get me! Seemingly overnight, I got big. And uncomfortable. I was miserable. Plus, I wasn’t sleeping well. I thought my Fitbit had stopped registering my sleep — only to find out near the end of 2024 that nope, it wasn’t the Fitbit that was failing. It was my health. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and severe sleep obstructed apnea among a few other things. I basically was having over 85 episodes an hour every hour I was trying to sleep. “Episodes” basically means I was stopping breathing for 10 seconds or more or snoring and pretty much not having restorative sleep for most of 2024. When my Fitbit was saying I was getting maybe an hour of sleep a night, it really meant I was getting maybe an hour of sleep a night.

After some tests and waiting for the insurance company’s approval (enough said about that for the moment), I finally got my BiPap machine (yep, a regular CPap machine wasn’t strong enough to counter my severe sleep obstructed apnea), and I’ve been using it now for about 6 weeks. I’ve gone from having over 85 episodes every hour to averaging less than 2.5 per hour, and the past few weeks I’m often under 1.5. I’m actually sleeping 8 hours or so a night. And with this restorative sleep, I’m feeling healthier, I’ve already lost 25 pounds and the brain fog that was crippling my thoughts for most of 2024 has cleared.

Which means, I’m hoping to return to writing soon. I can actually sit and type without drifting off. I can write a paragraph and by the end of it not forget where it had started. Now, I did attempt to write some stories during the brain fog period, but I have very little memory about what exactly I wrote–I can only presume it is an incredibly ROUGH, rough, rough first draft which may or may not be worth anything, though at some point I’ll have to dig it out and attempt to read it. And at the very least, I hope to get a really good laugh out of it.

I’m still working on a few more health issues, but I’m currently feeling better than I did for most of 2024 and once I overcome the last issue or two, I look forward to charging along the road to a full recovery. Meanwhile, as I attempt to ease back into writing, I’ve found that I’m at least able to read more again (without drifting off a gazillion times as my eyes glaze over and I am forced to read the same sentence a half dozen times because I can’t make the words make sense). In years passed, I attempted to read a certain number of books each year. I’ve met my Goodreads reading goal every year for the past 10 or so years (even last year, but a lot of that was listening to audiobooks). This year, I decided to make an easier goal, but I’m going to try and tackle some books I’ve been meaning to read, but never got around to them. One of these books is Shōgun by James Clavell. My paperback copy is roughly 1200 pages, and it’s been sitting on my shelf collecting dust for years. (Wow, could I use the word “year(s)” any more in this paragraph?) I made this decision while I was recuperating from a medical procedure done on my heart last month. I was watching the Hulu TV series, Shōgun (I’m not done with it yet, I think I’m at the beginning of episode 6, so no spoilers!) and I thought, if I love this show this much, the book must be amazing! (With very few exceptions, I’ve found that books are generally better than series or movies — and while I do love Tolkien’s written work, I absolutely LOVE the extended editions of the LOTR movies!)

Anyways, I’m rambling. But then, does anyone read blogs anymore? I’m not sure. Heck, I think I read somewhere that something like 50% of Americans don’t even read a single book in any given year. And if you read over 50 books in a year, you’ve read more than 99% of other Americans. I don’t have a link to back this up, and in a way, I wish and hope it’s actually not true. As an author, even if I haven’t written much recently, I’d like to think that people read books–even if there not mine. (Naturally, I’d love to have more readers, but that’s another story! LOL). And as it’s starting to get late here, it’s time for me to put an end to this blog post. Will I write more? Maybe. Soon? Who knows. I’ve said before I’d like to write these entries regularly, and then years pass me by. Speaking of which, I’ve also heard that time flies when you’re having fun, so if I have to be bored to slow down time, I’m not sure I’m willing to make that tradeoff.

Have a good night!

Yes, it finally happened. The Penitent Assassin has a new cover. In fact, over the next few months, all of my books will be getting new covers thanks to the talented work of J Caleb Clark / JCalebDesign.

The Rush of Betrayal books will be getting the biggest make-over. New covers AND new titles. In fact, it will also be split slightly differently too — switching from a duology into a trilogy. Each book will be roughly 95-100k words long. (Currently, the first book is about 100k words long while the second book is pushing 200k words). Since I will be making paperback versions available of all my books this year – I wanted a bit more uniformity in their appearance (plus, as you can imagine, printing charges for massive paperbacks was not very appealing).

The new titles will be:

The Savage Nobles: Stolen Dagger (Part One)

The Savage Nobles: Stolen Justice (Part Two)

The Savage Nobles: Stolen Crown (Part Three)

I’ll likely tease at least part of the first new cover over on my Facebook Author page soon. (If you’re on Facebook and you’re not following/friending me over there – please like and follow my Facebook Author Page.)

Thank you!

Earlier today, I saw the first draft of the second cover – and I can’t wait to see the third one in September.

Okay – back to The Penitent Assassin. I have a proof copy of it heading my way and I expect to have it in my hands later this week. I am waaaaay beyond excited and to be honest, I’m almost speechless….I mean, it’s been a lifelong dream to hold a book of mine in my hands so…..big smiles, big smiles!

Shortly after I approve it, the paperbacks will be available for sale. (I’m hoping for mid-August). The Savage Nobles trilogy will likely be late summer/early fall.

Finally – I do have a very rough first draft of a new book featuring some of the characters from my previous books along with new characters finished – and once I’m done with all the paperback formatting work, I’ll dive back into editing it. I’d love to have it available by the end of the year — but it might slip into early 2019. Unfortunately, life sometimes has a way of messing up one’s plans.

Thanks for reading!

–Shawn

So. About blogging. I need to work on that a little bit, don’t you think?

That’s probably a bit of an understatement right there. Needless to say, it’s been a while since I’ve been here.

Is blogging even a thing anymore?

Well, I’m back, I think. As for writing…oh yeah, I’m back baby! Full steam ahead on the writing front! All engines GO!

Let me catch you up on what’s going on:

Plans for 2018.

All new cover art for my current ebooks which includes The Penitent Assassin, The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One) and The Rush of Betrayal: Absolution (Book Two). If you want to get a copy of them now with the ‘classic’ and ‘original’ cover art on them – now is the time.

I am working with a professional book cover artist to create new covers starting this summer. I plan to re-release all my ebooks AND for the first time ever….PAPERBACKS! I’m very excited about that! (I’m doing a little happy dance in my chair…and no, there are no videos of the said happy dance). I’ll release the details about release dates when I know them.

It’s been a long time coming…(not as long as SOME fantasy authors though)…but I am working hard to get the next book in this fantasy series finished, edited and released later this fall — also with what I can only presume will be an awesome cover. It will be a stand-alone sequel of sorts to both The Penitent Assassin and The Rush of Betrayal duology.

What does that mean Shawn? Does that mean we MUST read all your other books to enjoy this new ‘stand-alone’ ‘sequel’ book? And by the way, what is the title of the new book?

MUST you read my other books to enjoy this new one….? YES! A million times, yes!! YOU MUST…. Ok, no, not really. (Don’t listen to that noise, YES you do!)

While I think you’d get more out of the novel if you have read the other books first — you could probably survive (barely) if you only read the new book (and then you’ll realize you really MUST read the others, you’ll read them, and then you’ll re-read the new book). Frankly, that’s a whole lot of re-reading – it would probably be easier if you just started reading the existing books now so you’ll be all ready to go when the new one comes out. Just trying to be helpful…

As for the title…. I have one in mind, but I’ll reveal it to you (if I stick with it) soon.

And finally – I have another rough draft of a book finished. It is NOT a part of this existing series, in fact, it is something else entirely. A sci fi/fantasy mashup that I may have mentioned before (I haven’t gone back and read this entire blog in a while) since I wrote it many years ago and it has been sitting in my computer just waiting for me to edit it. It’s short and sweet and packed with action and adventure and I’m hoping to have it out either very late 2018 or very early 2019. I’d love to turn it into a series of stand-alone adventure stories starring a few of the main characters.

Well, I think that’s about it for now. Fatherhood duties call but I’ll try to get back to you again very soon.

Let’s not be strangers here…

—Shawn

PS: One last thing – I actually have a Facebook author page now. You can connect with me there too.

The Writing Process Blog Tour 

Author Kimberly Pauley tagged me in this blog tour about the Writing Process. She’s the author of the Sucks to Be Me teen vampire series (Sucks to Be Me, Still Sucks to Be Me, Still Sucks to Be Me…Even in Paris) and two other YA novels, Cat Girl’s Day Off and Ask Me which goes on sale April 8, 2014. She is an amazing writer and you should all head over to her blog when you’re done here and check out her ‘writing process’ post from last week. She’s also the person who helped me create the book covers for my three books. 

And just so you all know up front, I’m breaking one of the rules for this blog tour (shame on me!). Many of my other writer friends were busy working on projects right now, so rather than tagging two other authors and having them write a specific post about their writing processes at the end, I’ll just link you to some of my writer friends and you can check out their wonderful blogs at your leisure. (Edit: One of these authors might just surprise you next week…) 

So now, as they say, let’s get on with the show.

What am I currently working on?

Two different projects…kinda.

Back in 2008, I took a short break from editing my epic fantasy novels and wrote a 60k word sci-fi, fantasy, action, adventure, buddy-‘cop’-like mash-up that was set in a wanna-be utopian future earth where magic had usurped technology for almost everyone, except the main character. It was a bizarre creation with oddball characters and snappy dialogue and it was something I knew eventually I’d want to work on again. But then I misplaced it. Recently, I found it again while going through some old computer files and while it needs a lot of work, eventually, with enough editing, tweaking, and polish, I’ll publish it (and perhaps it will be the start of another series for me).

The book I’m primarily working on though is a sequel of sorts to both The Penitent Assassin and The Rush of Betrayal books, Deception and Absolution. My goal is to write it in such a way that it could also be a stand-alone novel. I suppose David Gemmell’s Drenai book series is a model of sorts for the type of series I’d like to write. Characters from different parts of the same world with their own individual stories, sometimes interconnecting, and all creating a complete and full world, and yet, you can read just one and have a satisfying experience.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I write epic fantasy with some grit and darkness, but also with a twisted sense of humor. I’m probably a little heavier on dialogue than some and I love to maintain a high level of action in the story. As I’ve told some people, the books are epic fantasies with the pacing of the “24” TV series. I don’t spend a lot of time describing each individual blade of grass, if you know what I mean. My books also seem to have a lot of villainous characters in them but I write them as if they’re the heroes of their own stories. If you hate to love them, or love to hate them then I feel like I’ve done my job.

Why do I write what I write?

This is asked as if I have a choice! LOL. I write what I write because the characters in my head won’t be ignored. They won’t let me not tell their stories. I have people come up to me and say, ‘you’re such a nice guy, how could you possibly write some of these characters?!’ It’s amazing how well I have some people fooled!

I should probably add a “LOL” after that, right? Or maybe a :)?

I think even the nicest people in the world have a ‘darker’ side; I just tend to tap into mine when I write certain parts of my books.

How does my individual writing process work?

You’re too kind to assume that it does. Oh, you mean, how do I do what I do? Magic and lots of Mt. Dew. Plenty of ‘butt in chair’ time. Daydreaming. Being very quiet and listening to the characters in my head. Mostly the last one. In the past, whenever I’ve gotten stuck while writing, it is usually because I’m trying to write something that wouldn’t be true for a certain character.

It makes outlining a little difficult, but I do attempt to keep track of the novel’s general direction. But Shawn, I can almost hear some of you say, your novels are constructed like little puzzles, how could you not plot out all those little details? Well…some of it I do, and thankfully, most of the time the characters are willing to follow my lead, but occasionally, the book will take an unexpected turn and I have to go back and tweak the rest of the novel just to make sure it all matches up. That’s where the daydreaming comes in handy. When I have to make changes to the novel, I usually run the new scenes in my head like a movie over and over, tweaking this, changing that, until I’m ready to write again.

So wait, you might be saying, how do you actually get the novel finished if you’re constantly going back and making changes? Well, that’s the part I’m attempting to stream-line even now. My writing process is continuing to evolve even now. Like editing a book, I keep in the parts that work really well, and delete the parts that don’t.

Speaking of editing, I think it’s one of my favorite parts about writing. Yes, I love the initial discovery of the new story, but it’s in the editing where the real magic happens. That’s where the crappy first draft becomes the slightly less crappy second draft followed by the ‘hey, this isn’t so crappy’ third draft which leads to the ‘okay, I won’t be embarrassed if anyone reads this’ fourth draft and then I add the final polish and the ‘It’s alive!’ final draft is done.

But, you might be saying, what’s the secret to your writing process? How do you do what you do? It can’t just be ‘magic and lots of Mt. Dew. Plenty of ‘butt in chair’ time. Daydreaming and being very quiet and listening to the characters in your head’. There must be something more.

Must there?

Perhaps there is, but I think for each writer you just gotta do whatever works best for you and the only way you’ll discover what that is, is to write. Write. Write.

And then write some more.

Good luck.

Other writers you might want to check out.

Lorijo Metz (YA sci-fi author)

Walter Shuler (adult fantasy author)

Ciara Ballintyne (adult epic fantasy author)

Have a great day!

Okay, so I’m not the most regular blogger….

I really, really would like to fix that someday. Seriously.

I like the idea of blogging at least on a monthly basis (and not just so I don’t have to relearn how the heck to get on here and do posts and all the other fun stuff associated with blogging!).

As for 2013 (and for that matter the fall of 2012)….in the words of Inigo Montoya, “Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.”

It was all about the sleep. Or rather, the lack of it. As many of you may know, I’m a stay-at-home dad who works at a bookstore most evenings and drives for a bakery most nights. I sleep ‘in between’. For the 2012-2013 school year, that meant I napped twice a day from 11pm to 1am and from 5am to 7:30am. That was pretty much it. Needless to say, that left me with a bad case of Zombie Brain (me functioning creatively pretty much on par with a zombie).

So. When I DID have enough creative energy to write, I had a choice. Work on the second half of The Rush of Betrayal OR blog.

As you can see, since I last blogged back in December of 2012, I chose to work on the book.

I also chose to rewrite the book’s ending. The original ending was fine, and most of it is still in the book, but I discovered in the editing process I had just a wee bit more story to share. So while, The Rush of Betrayal: Absolution (Book Two) is the concluding second ‘half’ of the entire novel, in reality it is more like the concluding two-thirds. Yep, so for you fans out there, it means more reading fun, more action, more Josephine, more Ian and quite a few more surprises.

When will The Rush of Betrayal: Absolution (Book Two) be finished? Believe me, I am as anxious to know as you are (and my wife! Trust me, she wants this novel done too. And soon. Very soon. Very, very soon, because I tend to do more cleaning around the house when I’m not editing…..Hmmmm, I wonder if THAT’s why the editing has taken so long….)

In all seriousness, I am working hard to have the book out before Christmas. Of 2013. The editing and tweaking and polishing is almost done. The book cover is done (and I’ll share that with you in just a few days!). The formatting is in good shape. Probably my biggest obstacle is that darn short synopsis that everyone just LOVES to write. I’ll let you in on a little secret, I don’t love writing them. Hey, I love writing massive, epic fantasy novels ranging from 100k to 200k words (or more). My brain doesn’t do short and sweet. If it did maybe I’d write short stories more often, or poetry, or a haiku…

I was talking to a writer friend of mine from twitter, Walter Shuler, the other day about this same issue. I told him I wish I could do something along the lines of a Nike advertisement – something like: JUST READ IT. Or, maybe since I love The Princess Bride, I could do something like the scene near the beginning between the grandfather and the grandson where the grandson asks “Has it got any sports in it?” And the grandfather says, “Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles…” And I’d say, “Yep, my book has all that PLUS magic, and blood, and sex and even a touch of steam punk.”

Bottom line, I can’t wait to share with you the conclusion of The Rush of Betrayal and I’ll do my best to get it to you very, very soon. (Plus, I’m sure my wife would just LOVE for me to clean the entire house before Christmas!) So, if you haven’t read The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One) yet (or if you have, but it’s been a while), this would be the perfect time to start (again). And for those of you who have wondered, do I need to read The Penitent Assassin before The Rush of Betrayal, the answer is ‘no’, you don’t ‘need’ to, but why wouldn’t you? LOL. Yes, the books are set in the same world and yes, there are some definite connections between them, but they can be read and enjoyed independent of each other as well.

So much for that earlier ‘Let me sum up’, huh? See what I mean! I swear, it’s like my fingers think they’re doing some serious exercising when they’re typing! If only…

Check out both books over at Amazon:

The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One)

The Penitent Assassin

Or, if you’re not an Amazon fan – you can find me and my books over at Smashwords.com too.

Thanks for reading! Happy Thanksgiving! And I chat with you again soon…..

Hello Friends!

I know…it’s been a while. I’m sorry. What can I say…after spending much of the past year and a half focused on editing first The Penitent Assassin and then The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One), I needed a little time away to spend with my family. The kids are growing so fast and I wanted to make sure I spent some time with them while they still thought I was cool. (So far, according to them, I am…whew!)

Also, my house, like everything else, is growing older…which meant there were quite a few home-improvement projects which needed my attention. I made a small dent in the ‘honey-do’ list (if you’re a home-owner, you know that list is NEVER-ending!) which of course made my wife happy (and if you’re married, you know the saying ‘happy wife, happy life’). Of course, now she’s starting to get after me to get back to my writing again and as soon as the holiday season is over, and my crazy work hours at the bookstore settle down, I’ll be back hard at work on the final edits of The Rush of Betrayal: Absolution (Book Two).

Speaking of Book Two, yes, I know, I originally thought I would have it done by November 2012 but as I explained above I’ve had a rather busy five months and so my new goal is spring 2013. This extra time will also allow me to expand a bit more on Josephine’s storyline which I think will only improve the final version. I can’t wait to have it finished so I can share the conclusion of Ian’s and Josephine’s story with you.

GOOFY NEWS ALERT:

Back in November, twitter friends of mine and co-hosts of the Southern Fried Inkslingers Podcasts, author Walter Shuler @anakronistical and artist Brad Joyce @Brad_Joyc3 interviewed me. Now, I say ‘interviewed’ but what it really was was three guys pretty much sitting around trying to make each other laugh for over an hour. And it’s safe to say we all succeeded. I had a great time talking with the both of them and just hanging out while enjoying a Mt. Dew (I swear, I wasn’t drinking anything stronger!). I’ve been told the podcast interview will be online either later today or tomorrow. You should definitely check it out…

I plan to blog a bit more often in the upcoming months (it’s not like I can really blog a bit less!) but if for some reason I don’t make it back on here before the end of the year, I wish you all a happy holiday season, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

–Shawn

Hello Friends,

It looks like tomorrow, July 3rd, 2012 ‘should’ be the release date for The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One). I know, I know, I’m running a few days behind on my self-imposed deadline of ‘the end of June’ but considering how my June played out, I don’t think I did half-bad. I only had one day off during the entire month of June – Father’s Day – and I wasn’t home and able to work on the final edits that day.

Why did you put ‘should’ up there in the first line, Shawn?

Well, assuming I have no problems with my computer, no power outages etc, I ‘should’ be able to release the book on July 3rd. The book is ready. The cover art is ready. I have a short description for the book ready. I’ll be attempting to publish it first on Smashwords.com and then Amazon.com. If I can do both in one day, July 3rd, I will. All I really need is the time….

Time? Aren’t you a stay-at-home dad? You should have all day long to do whatever you want…right?

I wish! While yes, I am a stay-at-home dad, and yes, my kids are really great and able to entertain themselves for a while each day while I write, I do enjoy hanging out with them, taking them out for bike rides and visits to the park and all the other things kids like to do. But in addition to being a stay-at-home dad, I’m working to fix up my house this summer and I work two part-time jobs: I work 5-6 evenings a week at the local bookstore and I drive 6 nights a week for a bakery. Hey, it’s called: ‘paying the bills’. I’m sure you all know how it is! Someday, my goal is to have my writing pay for some of my bills. It’s a dream…

When do you sleep?

LOL!

Okay, back to the book. Is this book a sequel to The Penitent Assassin?

Not exactly. I consider it a companion book to The Penitent Assassin. What I mean by this is, events in both The Penitent Assassin and The Rush of Betrayal take place in the same world but in different geographical locations with different characters.

Will characters from these books ever cross-over or meet in future books?

I guess you’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you? Too much of a tease? Okay, how about this – there are events happening in this world which do effect all of the characters, you’ll just have to wait and see what happens…

Do I have to read The Penitent Assassin first in order to enjoy or understand the new book?

No. You could read The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One) first and then go back and read The Penitent Assassin, however, readers of both will begin to see some ties between the books and perhaps a grander view of the entire world. My intention is for the world to keep building in your minds with each new book I write and publish…

I see this is ‘book one’. How long will I have to wait until you publish ‘book two’?

My goal for publishing The Rush of Betrayal: Absolution (Book Two) is Oct/Nov 2012. I’ll be able to narrow this down a bit more once summer is over. The book is basically done, it has been edited many times already, all I need to do is finish up some final edits/tweaks and put a final ‘polish’ on a few chapters, check the formatting, and get the book cover done. If I manage to get this all done earlier than Oct/Nov 2012, I will not only let you all know, but I will also publish the book sooner. Of that, I promise!

Will there ever be a movie made of The Penitent Assassin or The Rush of Betrayal?

Wouldn’t that be awesome? They play like movies in my head. I’ve been told by other readers they play like movies in their heads too. I’ve had some people suggest certain actors they’d love see in the role of Mallor (from The Penitent Assassin): Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, Jude Law and Russell Crowe are the men most commonly mentioned. (If you’re friends with any of these men, why not suggest they read The Penitent Assassin? LOL) For the most part, I think those are pretty good suggestions. What are some of your suggestions for any of the characters in any of the books? (I’m really curious who will be suggested for Lord Ian Weatherall and Josephine Hewes, two of the main characters from The Rush of Betrayal books).

But back to the actual question. Truthfully, I have no idea if or when a movie would ever be made – though I’d love to have that option. So hey, if you’re in the movies, or know anyone who is in the movies, and they love my books, let me know. I’d love to chat with you.

What’s next after both Rush books are published?

I’ve begun to plot out a sequel to The Penitent Assassin. I’ve also tossed around the idea of writing a few short stories starring some of the minor characters from the books. I’m hoping I’ll have a new novel and/or an anthology of short stories available sometime in 2013. Obviously, I’ll let you know when anything new will be coming out.

I love your books, how can I help get the word out about you and your books?

Wow! You are too kind! First, thank you very much. I’m so glad you enjoy my books. Word-of-mouth, twitter, facebook, goodreads, book reviews, blog reviews, blog interviews….Hmmmm….I’m sure there are other ways to spread the word…right? Please, let me know!

Okay, I think that’s it for tonight. (We should probably quit before it gets TOO deep in here! LOL) But hey, before I go, do you have any questions for me? I’d love to hear from you. Leave me a question in the comment section and I’ll do my best to get you an answer.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I hope you’ll go check out my books. I’d love to have a chance to entertain you…

Happy Reading.

Hello Friends, I just wanted to share with you the newly created book cover for The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One). A good friend of mine, Kimberly Pauley took the photo I sent her and created it for me. I think she did a great job, and I’m so happy for her help. Thanks Kimberly! (Besides being an awesome friend, she is a great writer and you should seriously check out her blog for more information about her and her books!)  

Now, before I show you the cover, some of you might be wondering, what the heck is this book about? In case you missed my most recent interview (with Ciara Ballintyne) where I described the book, I’ll include the short blurb here:

Life should be good for foreign ambassador, Lord Ian Weatherall. He’s rich, he’s married to the local princess and their young son is heir to the throne. But all is not as it should be. Friends have mysteriously died, others have been financially ruined and his marriage is falling apart. There are rumors that many in the city are unhappy with the racial mix of their future king and some are calling for his removal. Suddenly, Lord Ian’s business ventures sour too. Is this all the work of one man bent on seeing him and his son destroyed, or is it a conspiracy by many to incite war against his native land? Will Lord Ian be able to uncover the truth in time, or will he fall victim to the worst kind of betrayal? Discover the answers when I release The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One) later this month.

And now, the cover…

The woman on the cover is Princess Cecily, Lord Ian Weatherall’s wife. You will meet both of them in Chapter Three (which I’ll include as a sample on this blog later this week).

Thanks for visiting today. Happy Reading!

Hello Friends. As promised, I’m including the second chapter of my upcoming novel, The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One) today. I was also going to include a copy of the book cover, but I’m still having some work done on it today so I will have to postpone its display until possibly next week. I’m very happy with its results so far, but due to some recent changes at Smashwords and Amazon, I’ve learned they would like larger book cover sizes, so I’m having the cover adjusted to match their new requirements/recommendations.

Also, before I go on, I’ll state the legal mumbo-jumbo – this chapter is copyrighted material by the author, Shawn Wickersheim (ME) and is a part of The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One). Please don’t copy, use, steal etc. etc. blah-blah-blah…you’ve read all this stuff before on my other blog post which included chapter one and the same holds true here. Bottom line, I’ve worked extremely hard on this book (and all my books) so please tell all your friends to read (not steal) my novels. (Not that I think YOU’d steal anything at all, I’m generally a pretty trusting fellow, but sadly, you know how it is in today’s world…*sigh*)

Thank you!

Hopefully, you’ve already read chapter one (which is in an earlier blog post) and without further ado, let’s as they say, get on with the show….

The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One)

Chapter Two

“Listen to me, gods-dammit!” Hans Mesbone called out, once again trying to gain the attention of the unruly crowd milling about inside his warehouse. “I know you all haven’t been happy lately, but this here job-”

“I didn’t join th’ Bloody Fists t’ work guard duty!” one man shouted. “If I’d wanted t’ do tha’ I would’ve stayed with th’ city patrol.”

Similar protests sounded from all corners of the warehouse. Mesbone patted the air in an attempt to shut them up, but to no use. The rotten bastards just wouldn’t listen. He shook his head and ran a hand through his thinning gray hair. Maybe he had grown soft over the years. In his younger days, he would’ve slit the throats of anyone who mouthed off and moved on, but truth be told, he was just plain tired of the endless dock wars and gang skirmishes, being hired one month to raid a warehouse, only to be contracted the next to steal the same stuff back again. All the lifting and moving, the aches and pains, it just wasn’t worth the aggravation anymore. There was still profit to be made, sure, but the thrill of the mercenary life was long gone and the void it left made him feel old and tired.

“This Lord is paying double,” Mesbone shouted, hoping to appeal to their greed.

Lord Ian Weatherall was actually paying triple for the job, but Mesbone was gonna take the extra share all for himself. He was gonna make a clean break, get the hell out of the city and head somewhere warm. He liked the idea of living out the rest of his days basking in the sun. Perhaps he’d head north to Seneice, or better yet, cross the ocean and seek out Bel’yowlye. Like most people, he’d heard stories of the great paradise city perched on the edge of the sea. Thinking about it now nearly brought a smile to his worn-out face.

“Lipscombe promised us better pay if we join him,” a voice called out from the back.

Crap and damnation! The dream of retiring flew right out of his head. Ever since that gods-damned sailor had wormed his way into the Bloody Fists he’d caused nothing but trouble, and now with the bastard slave-trading on the side, things had only gone from shitty to whatever was worse than shitty. There was gold to be made in that kind of work, but Mesbone hadn’t wanted anything to do with it. Despite all the despicable things he’d done over the years, there were still a few lines he refused to cross.

Lines meant nothing to Lipscombe.

The only good that came from Lipscombe’s slave-trading was he was gone from Belyne more often than not. His recent return from yet another raid on the islands had already caused a fair bit of trouble though. Just this morning, one of Mesbone’s oldest friends had come at him with a knife when he’d refused to let him join Lipscombe’s crew. Gods-damn it all, he hadn’t wanted to put his friend in the ground, but it wasn’t like he’d been given much of a choice. He couldn’t let that kind of betrayal stand. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he swept the room with his hard gaze. He couldn’t let this kind of disloyalty stand either. Not anymore. It was time to put things straight. Either these rotten bastards were going to listen, or he would start cutting throats again.

“I am Hans Mesbone, leader of the Bloody Fists!” he roared.

Faces turned. The room quieted. Hans Mesbone stood tall, head held high. He was a lone wolf surrounded by a pack of hungry dogs and if he faltered now, he was done for. He knew it. They knew it. Gods-damn it all! It was time he showed them this wolf still had teeth.

“I am your master, not Lipscombe,” he said. The hairs on his neck rose. Was the old thrill coming back? “You will damn well do as I damn well say! That’s a lesson Lipscombe will learn once he-”

A sharp pain erupted in the center of Mesbone’s back as a blade of cold metal bore through him and exploded out the center of his chest.

“Yer wrong ‘bout me learnin’ tha’ lesson, Hansy.” Lipscombe’s hot, sour breath brushed against his left ear. “Dead wrong.”

The blade twisted violently and jerked back out. Mesbone teetered forward on wobbly legs. No one moved to help him. The fucking rotten bastards just stood there and watched.

“Gods-damn you all to hell,” he slurred, blood dribbling from his lips. His knees buckled and he fell sideways. His face slapped against the ground. Funny, he’d always figured the stone floor would have been colder . . . and dryer.

—–

Okay Friends, that’s it for Chapter Two. Yeah, I know, it’s kinda short and sweet but sometimes I like those little chapters. It keeps the novel moving along. And yes, you sharp-eyed readers who have already read The Penitent Assassin, there is a tiny connection to that book and this one established right here in this chapter. More will come as you read the rest of the novel.

What?!? You haven’t read The Penitent Assassin yet?!? Where have you been? Why haven’t you read it yet? It’s an amazingly awesome fantasy novel and I’m not just saying that because I’m the author. I’m just repeating what other people have said about it….

But seriously, The Penitent Assassin is the introduction to this dark fantasy world I’m creating and The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One) expands on it. The Rush of Betrayal: Absolution (Book Two) will be out later this year (target release goal: Oct/Nov 2012) and it will obviously continue the story from book one and further expand upon this world. If you haven’t read The Penitent Assassin yet, please follow the links I’ve provided here to Smashwords or Amazon or Barnes&Noble (or any other online ebook seller) and buy and read it. It’s only $2.99. You probably pay more for your cup of coffee at the local coffee shop and my book will keep you awake longer than the caffeine will….

Or so I’ve been told.

Okay, back to The Rush of Betrayal: Deception (Book One). When might you be able to purchase it and read more, you might ask? I’m still shooting for the end of June though since I only have one day off this entire month (Father’s Day) and I’m spending pretty much that entire day with my dad and the rest of my family, I’m really going to have to push to have it done in time. Of course, if you’ve read my most recent interview over on Ciara Ballintyne’s blog you’ll know I’m kinda stubborn (especially when it comes to my self-imposed deadlines). And hey, when you’re done here, you really should go check out the rest of her blog, she has a ton of great information over there about fantasy novels and writing tips and other interviews with other great writers. She even put up a lovely review of The Penitent Assassin recently. Thanks again, Ciara!

Well, Friends, that’s all the time I have for today. I need to get back to work on a few final edits so thanks for visiting, leave a reply if you like and I wish you all a wonderful day! (And for you father’s out there – Happy Father’s Day!)

Happy Reading…

Hello Friends,

I know many people are of the opinion if you’re a writer you must be able to write all sorts of things equally well. If you write novels, you must be able to write short stories, or poems or greeting cards or…

No? You don’t believe this? Well, truth be told, neither do I.

That’s not to say that I probably couldn’t make a valiant attempt at writing short stories, or poems or greeting cards – because in the past I have worked on each of those styles of writing, however, my passion really lies in writing novels.

Full novels. 90,000+ word stories filled with multiple characters, story plots, twists, turns, surprises…

That is how my brain works creatively.

Even blog posts are not ‘easy’ for me. Sure, I can occasionally knock out a post here or there – hell, look at the consistency of my posts….What? There is no real consistency to my posts? Hmmmm….I wonder why that is?!?

The same is true with book summaries, query letters, book reviews – to me, they don’t seem….natural. And trust me, if you’ve read some of the other blog posts here you know I have the critical voice in my head screaming at me right now – “Well, maybe if you tried harder, or practiced more you’d get better at that aspect of writing…!”

And you know what, that voice is probably right. I spend thousands of hours working on writing and rewriting and rewriting and rewriting a novel and yet I find it perhaps the most difficult part of writing to be the time I spend writing and rewriting and rewriting the book summary. I’ve studied the back covers of probably hundreds of books (I’m serious, I work at a bookstore and own WAY too many books (according to my wife!). I have the means to perform such a study even without leaving my house). I just don’t write like that.

Well . . . I also don’t like to quit or admit defeat.

Though, I am willing to ask for help.

I’ve decided to make another attempt at writing a ‘back cover’ book description for The Penitent Assassin. Something….different. Here goes:

For Mallor, assassination is a way of life. Through death, he survives and he lives for revenge. With a past he can’t forget and a future he has little hope to enjoy, the present is all he has and presently, he is in Sepeccare, his old hometown using an old identity while hunting old foes. However, he soon discovers he’s not the only hunter in the city and there’s a price on his head large enough to attract every violent criminal around.

In this wildly adventurous fantasy novel where nothing is quite what it seems, can a man who refuses to quit despite overwhelming odds stacked against him stand any chance of success or will he be doomed to fail yet again in the dangerous world of his own creation?

Well, that’s my latest attempt. I’m curious what you think.

Thanks!!