Robert Evert's Blog: Neurotic Novelists of the World Unite!

Well, this is really amazing! 

Riddle in Stone is currently the #1 best selling Epic Fantasy for ebooks on Amazon in the US (and #179 for all Kindle Books)... and #20 in the UK!!!

On Barnes and Noble, it has a sales rank of 32!! (Okay, I really don't know what that means--BUT IT SOUNDS GOOD!!!)

UK Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #604 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #20 in Kindle Store > Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Epic #28 in Kindle Store > Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Contemporary #30 in Books > Fiction > Fantasy > Epic  US Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #179 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Epic  #3 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Epic
And yes... I realize there are a lot of qualifiers there--"best" selling for kindle...epic fantasies sold by a Norwegian/Swedish author over six foot and middle aged. 

Still!!!  Wow!

Thanks to all of you who have been recommending my book!!  Every post and review really does count.

Thank you all so much!

Hey everybody!

I hope you're all well and happy.  This is going to be a quick post today.  I just have some new news and a bit of a request.

New news:  Blood in Stone is now out on audio.  Fleet Cooper did a wonderful job narrating the story and giving my little characters life.  Thanks Fleet!

And here's the request....

As you know, I'm working on two new manuscripts.  One is about Kravel from Riddle in Stone.  The second (Quests of Kings) is something completely new.

I'm finished with the first full draft of Quests of Kings, but... I'm worried about it.  I'm not sure if the story or the characters are compelling enough.

So, if you have time...and the interest... could you read through the first chapter (below) and let me know what you think???  Again, it's the first draft and there are tons of typos and I need to wordsmith it a great deal. Still, I'm wondering if the main character (Natalie) is worth pursuing.  I'm afraid she is boring or too stereotypical.

What do you think?  Should I keep working on her or focus more on Kravel?

Thoughts? Suggestions? Dirty limericks?










Quests of the Kings byRobert Evert

Chapter One
            "Oh, hurry up you two!" Natalie elbowed her way through the growing crowd, but her friends, Hadley and Ida, fell further behind, unable to keep up with the surging tide of people filing into Upper Angle's village green.            "Wait!" Hadley shouted from somewhere in the mass of moving bodies. "Nat! Wait up!"            Natalie passed through the iron gates and stepped aside, letting the crowds stream past her to the stage from which the heralds would read King Michael's latest proclamation.             "Nat!" Hadley shouted again. Natalie reached into the crowd and seized Hadley's arm. "Ow!"             "Get Ida."            Hadley grabbed Ida's hand. Nat pulled them both out of the flowing line of people.            "Thanks." Ida doubled over, sucking in air. "I thought we'd get trampled for sure!"            Natalie stood on her tip toes, trying to peer over the crowd of mostly men and young boys. "Blast it! We're never going to see anything from back here. Damn it for being short!"            "Being short has its advantages, you know," Ida said, being barely over five foot herself.            "Being short is a plague." Natalie scanned a nearby tree, considering its possibilities. "It's worse than being a woman."            "What? You'd rather be a tall man?" Hadley scoffed, following Natalie along the wall enclosing the city's park.             "Then you'd surely stink more than you already do!" Ida added.            Natalie turned and glowered.             Ida recoiled. "What? I'm just saying that you reek of horses and manure. That wouldn't happen if you took a more sensible job."            Natalie waved them to follow her. "Mucking stalls puts money in my pocket."            "But it's boys' work!" Ida insisted.            "That's exactly what I've been saying, Nat. Why don't you get a more feminine job? I hear Boris is hiring young women at the Dead Dog."            "Boris told me I wasn't pretty enough to be a serving girl." Natalie studied the wall and then the stage around which thousands of Upper Angle's townsfolk were gathering. "Let's go a little more this way."            "He didn't say that!" Ida said in disbelief.             "He most certainly did. He told me to come back after this"—Natalie slapped her round thighs—"moved up here." She hefted her petite chest.            "The bastard!"            "Ass!"            "He then said that he had boys working in the kitchen who looked more like a girl than I did."            "Well," Hadley said as if not wanting to bring up the subject standing right before them, "you could work on a few things. You're hair for example."            Natalie brushed the strands of mouse brown hair back behind her ear. "Oh, Had, don't get started about that."            "I'm just saying it'd look far prettier if you didn't pull it back into a ponytail. You need to let it grow and fall forward."             "Yes! Let it grow longer so it curls over your shoulders like water cascading over falls," Ida added, helpfully. "That's how all the noble women wear it nowadays."            "To hell with the nobles. And my hair doesn't curl; it"—Natalie shot her fingers out in all directions—"Besides, long hair is hot and it gets in my way. Remember what happened with the loom?"            The other girls giggled. Natalie slid them an annoyed glance.             "You have to admit," Hadley said, "that was funny! How long were you stranded there?"            "I don't want to talk about it." Natalie waved a dirty hand again. "Come on, keep up! I want to find someplace where we can see the stage before they start."            Hadley and Ida hurried after Natalie as fast as their billowing dresses would allow.            "And then there's your choice of clothing," Hadley went on.            Natalie turned, exasperated. "I've told you, boy's clothes are more functional. Do you think I could muck out the stables in a dress?"            "Then get a different job!"            "Look. Henry pays me more than I could get anywhere else and besides, he lets me tend to the horses. He's even let me ride them from time to time. I'm actually getting good!"            "But you'll never meet a man dressed like . . ." Hadley gestured to Natalie's entire body. "And smelling like—"            Natalie clinched a fist. "I don't want to meet a man!"            Hadley laughed. "Of course you do! How else will you get married?"            "I'm not getting married."            "Oh, that's right." Hadley rolled her eyes. "I forgot. You want to die alone."            "I'd rather die alone than to live with a chain around my neck. Now, come on."            Ida raced to catch up. "What about Artis? He's nice enough. And he worships everything you touch."            "Oh, gads! Let's not talk about Art. I've been trying to knock that lovesick look off of his face since we were kids." Natalie made an exaggerated expression that resembled constipation more than love. "Hurry up. They're about to start."            Hadley and Ida struggled to keep up as Natalie jogged along the interior of the park's wall. Natalie stopped and peered toward the stage, shielding her eyes from the late morning sun rising over the forested hills, the autumn canopy a hundred shades of red and yellow.             "Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with you." Hadley panted. "Don't you want nice clothes and a decent roof over your head? If you found the right man who is willing to overlook your, well, your . . . uniqueness, you wouldn't have to work so many different jobs."            "Men also keep you warm at night." The others turned to Ida in surprise. "Or so I've heard!"            Natalie grunted. "The only things men are good for are getting you pregnant with lots of babies and then dying on you when you need them the most."            Ida and Hadley's strides faltered as they exchanged pained glances.             "I'm sorry, Nat," Hadley said, trying to catch up. "How's your mother doing?"            "She's fine." But the anger in Natalie's voice and stomping step indicated otherwise.            "And how about your brothers and sisters? How's Robbie?"            Natalie turned again. "Look. I know where this is going. We're fine, alright? I'm fine. My mom's fine. Robbie and the others are fine. We're all perfect. In fact, we're better than ever. I'm making more than enough to get us everything we need. So just drop it. Okay? We're fine!"            Ida shrank back. "We're just trying to help."            "Well, don't!"            "You know, Nat," Hadley said, her voice calm, "there's a reason why we're you're only friends."            Natalie exhaled, her shoulders sagging. She rubbed her tired face. "I'm sorry. I . . . I don't mean to be like this all the time. It's just really hard right now, you know? Some days I feel like I'm about to explode." Then she muttered as if to herself. "Sometimes I feel like a trapped animal."            Ida put her hand on Natalie's shoulder. "Is there anything that we can do?"            Natalie shook her head, hair slipping out of her ponytail again. "No. We'll be fine. I'm taking care of everything." Then she added begrudgingly. "But thanks for caring."            The three girls hugged.            "Whew!" Hadley pulled away and waved her hand under her noise. "You do stink!"            Natalie laughed despite herself. "Sorry." On the stage, several minstrels began playing a bouncy tune. What might have been a dwarf in a brightly colored hat was dancing a ridiculous jig, his feet and hands flying everywhere. She could barely make him out through the swelling crowd.  "Alright. This is good enough. Let's climb up."            "Climb up where?"             Natalie nodded to top of the stone wall.             "Up there? Are you out of your mind?"            Natalie leapt, seized the top of the wall, and scurried up it like a disheveled squirrel. She grinned down at them. "There you go. Easy as getting out of bed! Here, let me help you." She lowered a hand to the other girls. They blinked at it as if it she were holding feces.            Hadley shook her head. "If I fell from there, I'd break my neck!"            "So don't fall."            "I"—Hadley cringed—"I couldn't. Besides, we shouldn't be up there."            "Why? Other people are doing it."            Around the village green, a score of younger children were also perched on top of the wall to get a better view.            Hadley tossed her hands as if her point had been made. "They're all boys!"             "What does that matter? It isn't like they climb with their pricks."            Hadley and Ida both gasped and then giggled.            Ida's face deepened to a light shade of scarlet. "The things you say!"            "It's what people do that matters, not what they say. Now give me your hand, I'll help you up."            Hadley glanced at the dirt-encrusted fingers again.            "Oh, come on. It washes right off. I promise Your Royal Highness won't smell like the poor peasant girl." Natalie's expression turned mocking. "Or don't you think you can climb this high?"            Hadley's frown broke into a wry grin. "So help me, if any boys come over to look up my dress!"            "Just keep your legs together for a change and you'll be fine."            Hadley and Ida gasped again and then roared with laughter.            "I'll have you know, I'm not that kind of girl!" Hadley replied, still laughing.            "That's not what Richard is saying," Ida said.             Hadley huffed in feigned indignation. "You do it a couple dozen times with a boy and they think you're a whore!"            "Whore or not"—Natalie wiggled her fingers—"give me your damn hand. I'm getting dizzy leaning over like this."            "Fine! But my death is on your head." Hanley took Natalie's hand and, with a jump and a pull, found herself sitting on top the wall circling the park. "Ew! I'm sitting on bird poo!"            "Oh, you've sat in much worse."            "But it's sticky!"            Natalie helped Ida up.            "Well!" Ida looked around. "This is much better. We can actually see the falls from here!"            They watched the Green River tumbling down from the rocky bluffs and plunged hundreds of feet into a cloud of shimmering mist before forking around the hills upon which the city of Upper Angle was built.              Natalie nudged Hadley. "What did I tell you? Now even us short folk can see."            "Speak for yourselves." Hadley tried to wipe the bird dropping from the top of the wall without getting more on her hands . "I'm completely average—in height that is!"            They laughed.             "It is pretty up here," Hadley admitted. "Maybe we could go walking in the woods today. I love smelling the trees. There's nothing like the earthy smell of autumn."            Natalie surveyed the surrounding hills with regret. It would be a nice day for a walk, especially along one of the rivers. The smell of the trees, the soft wind rattling their colorful leaves, the peace of being out of the city. "You two can go. I have to get to work in a little bit."            "When was the last time you've had a day off? I mean a real day off where you didn't work at any of your jobs? When was the last time you did something for yourself and had fun?"            Natalie knew the answer. She'd been working every damned day since she was twelve, ever since her father died from an infection.             "Let's not talk about work," Ida said, coming to Natalie's rescue. "It's too beautiful a day!" She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting the bright sun warm her face. "Pretty soon winter will be here and everything would be cold and dreary. Oh, how I wish I could live further south."            "By Elsmyer," Hadley agreed. "Could you imagine being able to walk along the beach and swim in the warm ocean all year round?"            "And the Elsmarian men are all muscled and have deliciously brown skin!"            "Deliciously brown skin?" Natalie chortled.            "What? They do! It's very appealing."            "I'll remind you two the reason why the Elsmarian men are so muscular is because they spend their days working on boats, rowing. Notice I said working! Not strolling about, buying everything that strikes your fancy."            "Oh, I don't mind if my husband works!" Hadley corrected her. "As a matter of fact, I'm going to require it. That way he'll get out of the house long enough for me to spend some time with the houseboys!" She bounced here eyebrows suggestively.            "You're going to have houseboys, are you? What's your Prince Charming going to do to pay for all of this, pray tell?"            Hadley gave an exaggerated shrug as though the question was asinine. "He'll be a prince, of course!"            "Of course!"            Ida smoothed out her dress. "I think marrying some sort of shopkeeper would be best. They can make a lot, but they don't come home all exhausted and stinky."            Natalie clinched her fists and shook them to the fluffy white clouds drifting leisurely by. "Can we please stop talking about boys and marriage? There are no Prince Charmings! There are no knights in shining armor who will rescue you from the tops of towers. The only person you can count on is yourself."            "And good friends!" Ida added.            Natalie put her arms around Ida and Hadley and pulled them closer. "And good friends. That I believe in!"            They each sat on top of the wall, studying the restless crowd and listening to the music. The wonderful scent of fresh cinnamon bread wafted from a nearby bakery. What an exceptional day.            "It's amazing how many people come to these things," Hadley said eventually. "I had no idea the Quests were so popular."            "What? This?" Natalie made a dismissive grunt. "You should see when they're burning a witch or strangling a thief. The place is so filled, you can't move."            "You watch that?" Ida asked, horrified.             "Not the burnings. Anybody who believes in witches nowadays is an idiot. The witch hunts makes me sick to my stomach."            Ida appeared even more mortified. "But the hangings?"             "I don't sit up close. At least, not since the incident with the eyeball."            "Eyeball?"             "Well . . . " Natalie dithered as if determining whether to tell them something. "There was this one time when I was right up front, practically pushed against the gallows. Talk about being crushed! Anyway, when the trapped door opened and the rope jerked taut, the thief's eyeball popped out. Hit me right in the forehead." She felt her forehead as if remembering it hitting her.            "Oh gods!" Ida and Hadley cried out together.            "It wasn't too bad." Natalie kicked her feet leisurely. "I made it into a nice stew."            "You're lying!" Hadley said.             Natalie smirked.             "I knew it! I knew you were lying!" Hadley shouted. "You poser! You fib!"            "Oh, come on, you guys. Did you honestly think I'd come to watch somebody being murdered? You obviously don't know me very well. I detest all of that blood and guts stuff. A little blood and I'm nearly as bad as Ida."            "Hey!" Ida elbowed Natalie. "And we know you well enough never to guess what you'll do next!"             "Honestly, Nat!" Hadley held her heart. "You scared the crap out of me. Eyeball popping out! How do you think of those things?"            "I was going to go with his entire head being ripped off, but I didn't think you'd buy it."             Hadley fanned her face. "So help me, if you make me faint!"             Natalie pretended her eyeballs popped out and was blindly searching for them.            "Stop it!" But Hadley was laughing. "By the gods, you should have been a boy."            "That's what I've been telling you." Natalie glanced about the park. "It'd certainly make things a lot easier."            For many moments, they sat on top of the wall, listening to the minstrels' music, tapping their fingers against the cold stone.             Natalie thrust a finger toward the stage. "Look!"             "What?" they asked, straining to see.            "There's Randell and his men."            "Where?"            "Right there, by the front left corner. See them? He has a dark green cloak. The one with red hair!"            Hadley and Ida squinted.             "That's him?" Ida asked doubtfully. "He looks older than I would've thought."            "Who's he talking told?" Hadley asked.            "I"—Natalie struggled to see—"I think it's Lord Arnold."             "The fat lout," Ida muttered. "Have you seen that man eat? He eats like a pig!"            "All men do." Natalie searched the murmuring crowd for anybody else remotely famous. "There's Sir Percival! I bet you anything he's going to join the quest this time. I hear he's been training up in Hillshire."            Hadley shook Natalie's arm. "Who's that?" She pointed to a solitary figure standing by the east wall far from the stage.             "That's Brago!"            "Geez!" Ida said. "All the King's adventurers are here!"            "They should be." Natalie scanned the faces she could see. "Evidently, King Lionel proposed this quest."            Hadley attempted to dust off the bird pooh she accidently put her hand in. "So?"             "Lionel always picks easy adventures."            "King Lionel is an idiot," Ida said. "Good looking, but an idiot."            A group of men passed by, glancing up at them. One of them mentioned something about "stupid girls."            Natalie shouted back, "That's right! We climbed up here all by ourselves without a prick between us!"            Unnerved, the men hurried away; but Hadley and Ida went ridge, eyes wide, mouths open.            "Nat!" Hadley whispered.            Natalie shrugged. "What? Do you ever hear how men talk? They say far worse, believe me."            "I know, but . . . honestly, aren't you worried what people will think? How're you ever going to attract a boy with that mouth?"            "Anybody who really loves me will love my mouth too. I'm not going to change just to please somebody."            Hanley shook her head. "There you go about love again. You know, you can be quite content marrying somebody you can tolerate. Look at my mother!"            "I don't want to look at your mother. And I don't want to be content."            "What do you want, Nat?" Ida asked.            Hadley grabbed Natalie and pointed at the nearby gate. "Nat!"            In the middle of a mass of people entering the village green strolled the hulking figure of Sir Edris, crimson cloak floating behind him in the wake of his long strides.             "Edris!" Nat yelled.            Mortified, Hadley and Ida tried to cover her mouth as the knight turned.            "A silver piece says Randell wins this one!"            Sir Edris saluted Natalie. "I'll take that bet, young man!"             Surrounded by his well-wishers, the knight wove his way closer to the stage.            "Nat!" Hanley exclaimed. "He spoke to you! Sir Edris actually spoke to you!"            "I can't believe it!" Ida said. "Never in my life would I have thought he would've stopped to talk to me. Never!"            Natalie huffed, arms folded in front of her. "He thought I was a boy."            "What do you expect? Like we said, stop wearing boys' clothes and talking like a boy, and people might actually see you as a woman."            "Even you have to admit, Nat," Ida said, "Sir Edris is gorgeous! I mean, look at him!"            Natalie blushed. The others noticed immediately.            "See!" Hadley cried. "See! You think he's attractive! Don't deny it."            "I won't deny it." Then Natalie added, "But there's more than just broad shoulders and nice hair."            Ida snickered. "Are you going to talk about pricks again?"             "What? No! I just mean, it isn't about looks or how much money a man has that matters. It's what he dreams."            "Dreams?" they both repeated, doubtfully.             "What the hell does that mean?"            "Oh, never mind." Natalie started scanning the crowd to find any other adventurers.            "No you don't, Nat!" Hadley said. "For once in your life, you're going to open up and tell us what you're really thinking. Now finish what you were saying. And don't make anything up. What does a man's dreams have to do with anything about how good a husband he'll be?"            Nat thought for a moment. They leaned closer.            "I want somebody," she said, trying to find the right words. "I want somebody who wants something, something that he's willing to work hard for. Something he'd dedicate his life trying to get. You know?"            "What? You mean like a nice house or something?"            "No! Not a thing 'thing'." She shook her head. "I don't know. I want a man with some sort of—"            Horns blared from the stage in the center of the park.            "Shut up!" Natalie said, relieved. "It's starting!"            Ida groaned. "Right when you were about to say something interesting."            "I don't know why you even care about these silly games." Hadley smoothed out her skirt. "Look around. We're the only women here!"            "There are a couple standing over there." Ida pointed out three women standing by the east gates.            "Their harlots!"            "Shhh!" Natalie said. "Here it comes!"            A herald strolled to the middle of the stage. The din bubbling throughout the crowd diminished somewhat.            "In the days of old . . ." the herald called out, his voice high and clear in the cool air.             "I wonder how he projects his voice like that," Ida said. "I wish I could—"            Natalie hushed her.            ". . . there was one hero who repeated faced danger at behest of his King . . ."            "I bet you it's Ivan the Bald," Natalie said, excitedly.            Now she was hushed, though more out of retaliation than actual interest.            ". . . one hero who was so revered by kings and commoners alike, that he was known as the Minstrel of the Gods!"            "He's talking about Balen!" Natalie told them.            ". . . I am talking about Balen the Bard!"             At once, the crowd erupted in conversation.            "Now," the herald cried louder, his voice booming above the tumult, "we've all heard of the Minstrel's many exploits. However, there was one tale that is particularly important." He paused, letting the tension percolate. "The tale of Balen and the Monster of Black Wood!"            Another murmur swept about the commons. The tale of how the minstrel killed the ogre of Langston Forest was a favorite fireside story of the region. At no other time in history had an ogre ever been killed by a lute.            "If you recall," the herald continued, "three centuries ago, the Minstrel was rewarded by King Harold The Elder of Ettenburgh with a harp of gold and sapphire."            The murmur grew louder, the anticipation of what was to come building.            "You may also recall that said harp was lost shortly after the Minstrel's tragic death."            "How did Balen die?" Ida asked.            "Nobody knows," Natalie replied sharply. "Now be quiet."            "By royal decree," the herald announced, "His Majesty, King Michael the Magnificent, will bestow upon any person, or persons, who brings Balen's golden harp to His Highness . . . " Another pause. "Four-thousand Culvarian gold coins!"            There was a collective intake of breath.            "Four . . . thousand . . . gold," Natalie, Hadley, and Ida all repeated together.            "Gods!" Natalie exclaimed. "I wonder how much the other kings are offering for it!"            Now everybody in the commons was talking. Attempting to be heard over the clamor, the herald shouted, "And be it known, anyone aiding or otherwise assisting adventurers from other realms, or turning over Balen's harp to other kings, will be dealt with in the harshest manner possible." He nodded to the minstrels standing behind him. "Good luck to all of you who dare its undertaking! Let the quest begin!"             The minstrels resumed playing as the dwarf cart-wheeled across the stage, ribbons in hand; however, groups of men were leaving the commons, headed this way and that, talking eagerly to one another. From atop the wall, Natalie, Hadley, and Ida watched them go.             "Four-thousand gold," Ida said again. "Well, that's something to dream about, now isn't it?"            Hadley stared at Natalie.            "What?" Natalie jumped to the ground and helped her friends down.            "You're going to go after that harp, aren't you?"            "Me?" Natalie laughed. "Don't be stupid. One, I'm a girl; although others may doubt that. And two, adventuring is a complete waste of effort. Think about it! Think about all the money Sir Edris and Brago and Randell and his men spend running here and there trying to obtain whatever the kings fancy. Think about how much gold they spend on supplies alone. They'd be better off saving their money and buying a business or something. That's where the real money is."            "Where?"            "A business! Some place where you can make your own rules and run things the way you see fit."            "You're dreaming again."            "Better than begin stuck in this place." Natalie picked the dirt from underneath her fingernails. "So where you two off to?"            "Oh, I don't know." Hadley watched the men file out of the village green. "Maybe I'll go to the markets or something."            "Want to go walking in the hills?" Ida asked. "It's such a beautiful day!"            "It is that, isn't it?" Hadley examined the blue sky. "Alright. Let's go along the Lesser Green and up into the pine trees. You coming, Nat?"            Natalie gestured dramatically to her stained and soiled overalls. "I have to work, remember?"            Hadley grimaced. "Sorry."            "Why?" Natalie tried to hide her irritation. "I enjoy working. Everybody should work!"            The others didn't say anything, knowing exactly what would happen if they disagreed.             More people streamed past, talking about what they'd do with four thousand gold coins.            The girls stood staring uneasily at each other.            "Well," Natalie said, eventually. She jabbed a thumb toward the west gates. "I've gotta get to Henry's. I have a lot to do this afternoon. But maybe we can get together later?"            The others agreed eagerly.             "Of course!" Hadley hugged Natalie. "Maybe we can go on a picnic!"            Natalie hugged Ida. "That's fine, if you don't mind eating under the stars. Thanks to all these adventurers, Henry's stables are full, which means I won't be done at the livery until late evening."  She noticed their reactions. "Oh, don't look like that. I don't mind. I really do enjoy working. I mean, I'm around horses all day! What's not to like?" She laughed, though it sounded strained. "Plus more work means more money!"            "I'll tell you what?" Hadley said. "Tomorrow night, let's go to a nice tavern. I pay."            Natalie protested.            "None of that, Nat! I just got my allowance and it's either getting drunk or buying a new dress. I'll let you choose how I spend it."            Natalie laughed again, this time more sincerely. "Alright. We'll see. But I do have to get going." She hugged them both a second time. "Thanks for caring."            "Hell," Ida said, "somebody has to look after you."

Hey everybody!  Sorry for the long absence.  I wish I had a good excuse, but I honestly don’t have one other than being really busy.  Now that I have a few minutes in between classes, I thought I’d say hello.
Hello!!
Also, I wanted to let you all know I’m planning on continuing my Riddle in Stone series.  Hopefully, that’ll make some of you happy!
As of now, the third book, Blood in Snow, is the last Diversion will publish.  They have said series with more than three books usually don’t sell well and they don’t want to commit to another installment of Riddle in Stone.
I suppose I can understand that.  Whenever I see a story on the shelf that’s the first out of five or six or ten books, I tend to lose interest.  I mean, who wants to invest that kind of time before reaching the conclusion???  Am I right?
Still, I miss Edmund, Becky, and their friends.  I really miss Kravel.  I keep hearing him chattering away in the back of my mind demanding, ever so politely, that I write a book about him.
So this is what I plan on doing… 
I think I’m going to do at least two more Riddle books—one about Kravel and the other about Edmund (maybe a third about Abby)—and I’ll just self-publish them.  Or maybe I’ll put them online for free or have them available for donations to my local Humane Society. 
I realize they won’t be best sellers. Maybe nobody will read them at all. I just want to write for my own enjoyment and because I feel compelled to do so.  Know what I mean??
At any rate, I’ve been working on a manuscript about Kravel that picks up moments after Blood in Snow ended…however, from Kravel’s perspective.  It’s been a bit challenging.  But the story is slowly emerging.  Hopefully, you’ll all enjoy it someday.
I’m also working on a new series, tentatively titled Quests of the Kings.  The first draft is finished. Now I just have to let it sit for a while before editing it.
So that’s it!  Sorry again for the long delay.  I’ll try to make more of an effort to write regularly.
Thank you for all your support and encouragement.  Please keep spreading the word about Riddle.  Perhaps if it sells well, Diversion will beg me to keep writing about Edmund!
Until next time…

--Rob

Well, here we are…release day of my latest (last?) book, Blood in Snow.



I have to say, I'm a bit bummed. Not because the book is being released. To tell you the truth, I actually LIKE this one--and believe me, that's difficult for me to say!! Up until this point, I've always hated my writing. But I'm rather proud of Blood in Snow. It makes me, well, smile inside ... kind of a sad, bitter-sweet, smile.



You see, Blood in Snow is the last installment in my Riddle in Stone series ... which means I'll be saying goodbye to a lot of wonderful characters I'm met over the past five years. Edmund, Pond Scum, Abby, Becky--even the goblins, Kravel and Gurding--I've really grown to love them all. We've been through a great deal together. And now, it's the end.



I suppose to most of you, none of this really makes any sense. After all, they aren't real and I can go see them any time I want just by closing my eyes, right?



I don't know. They seem pretty real to me. Okay, I know they aren't "real" real. Still, they have a life of their own. When I sat in front of my computer, I didn't intend on having Edmund be as neurotic as he is. I didn't put sarcastic comments in Abby's mouth. All of that just kind of happened. They developed themselves.



In fact, when I first typed "Pond Scum", I didn't think he'd become a main character. That was the farthest thing from my mind. He was just one of the pitdwellers--a random person Edmund stumbled across in the second act of the first story. But as the computer keys rattled, he began to take over and carve out a reality for himself. It was rather fascinating to watch (and hopefully read!).



It's difficult for me to say good-bye to my characters. I keep hoping the books will take off and sell MILLIONS of copies; not because of the money or fame or anything, but because then I'd be able to keep the series going or maybe write a side series.



But, for now, it's the end. Like a well-worn sweatshirt, I have to fold my characters up and tuck them away in a dusty drawer. I might take them out every once in a while and reminisce with them. But I know it'll never be the same. It'd be like a high school reunion. The idea of it sounds good, but the people you have dinner with aren't the people you remembered from all those years ago.



I hope you all have enjoyed reading the Riddle in Stone series as much as I enjoyed writing it. I want to thank you for your support and encouragement and feedback. I particularly want to thank everybody who has helped promote my books. Believe me, when you're an unknown author, every rating, every Facebook post, every recommendation to a friend counts! It only takes a handful of reviews to really start the ball rolling. So thanks to all of you who have made Riddle in Stone a success!!



Since my series is about a riddle, I have a riddle for all you readers:




Forever it goes, and fast does it fly. When it is up, All will die.

Pretty easy, eh? Well, if you know the answer and would like a free eBook bundle of the Riddle in Stone series, e-mail me your answer (robert.evert.author@gmail.com) and you may just win!!  I'll give away five bundles to people who answer the riddle correctly and are willing to review the books on Amazon and/or Goodreads!



That's it for now. Thanks again for everything! Talk with you soon.



--Rob

Well, crap!!  I really have to apologize.  You see, I was asked to participate in a blog tour by the wonderful S.E. Dee (see her kick ass blog here) and I forgot.  It’s completely inexcusable.  It was horrible of me.  My apologies to everybody. 
Now that my work and family life has calmed down… here I am.  I’m supposed to answer four questions.  So here I go…

What am I currently working on?
Unfortunately, emergencies at work and home have prevented me from working on anything (fiction-wise) for a good month.  However, I was…and hope to resume…working on a story called KRAVEL. 
It’s about an evil (although he’d argue this point) goblin who has been terrorizing everybody in the goblin kingdom for centuries.  Then his protector, the powerful Undead King, disappears.  Suddenly, Kravel has to save his own skin before anybody realizes the King is gone.  Like they say, payback is going to be a bitch!
I’m still in the development phase and have only written about 30,000 words.  Hopefully it’ll work its way into becoming a novel-length manuscript.  We’ll see what happens.

How does my work differ from others in its genre?
Boy… I hate this question!  Every time you approach an agent or publisher, they always ask it and I never have a good answer.
Part of my difficulty is that I’m not sure any of the work in our genre is completely unique.  We all have various influences and so forth.
I also don’t want to sound like a pompous ass by saying “My work is SOOOOO original!”
How about if I will say this:  There are very few fantasies where the main character is the bad guy. Perhaps that little twist will help me sell it to a publisher.  

Why do I write what I write?
One word…Tolkien.  He’s why I love the genre.  I suppose I’ve been writing fantasy in a vain attempt to re-gain the feeling I had when I first entered Middle Earth. 
I’ve written other stuff (I once wrote a romance novel called Thunderstorms and Undying Love. But nobody liked it because all the characters died.); however, fantasy is what comes easiest to me.  I like the idea of roaming around and exploring a completely unmapped world.  You never know what you’ll find!

How does my writing process work?
I basically fling words on a page and see what sticks.
Seriously.
I have no idea what I’m doing when I write. Some people have outlines or character bios.  I just sit and type.  I don’t know the plot. I don’t know the characters or what they want from life. I just type.
Sometimes interesting characters pop their heads in and take over the story.  That’s when the magic happens. 
I see my role as just a recorder.  I watch what happens and write it down.  Nothing more than that.  Does that sound odd? 
My characters are their own people.  I let them do what they want and, eventually, a story develops.  In fact, my first book, RIDDLE IN STONE, was nothing more than a writing exercise.  I had no desire to write a novel. I just wanted to practice my dialogue.  But something happened and a story developed. Like I said, MAGIC!!


Well, that’s it for now.  Again, I’m very sorry for being so late posting this.
I also want to remind everybody that BLOOD IN SNOW (my third and final Riddle in Stone book) will be coming out on July 15th.  It's currently available for pre-order. I hope you all enjoy it.  I have to say, it's my favorite so far.
I’ll write more later.  Right now I have to run and get my car’s oil changed.  I'm late!!!  (Someday, I hope life stops getting in the way of my writing! :)
Cheers!

Rob

Hey everybody!!!

Just to let you know, BLOOD IN SNOW, the last book in the Riddle in Stone trilogy, is currently available for pre-order.  It should be released July 15th.  Here's the blurb about it:

Having committed treason by claiming the Highlands for his own kingdom, Edmund—the one-eyed, stuttering former librarian—decides to stop running and make his final stand. Along with his best friend, Pond Scum, and his manic dog, Becky, he must fight off goblins, magic users, and King Lionel's entire army in order to protect what he loves. However, his deadliest adversary is the approaching winter, and neither Edmund nor his men have the supplies they need to survive.

 You know, and believe me... this is terribly difficult for me to say, I really like this book.  I'm not saying it's "great" or "best seller material" by any means.  I just like it. It was the type of book I wanted to write.

I wanted to write about the growth of not only a person (Edmund), but also an entire kingdom (Rood).  Also, not to give anything away, but this book has a little bit of everything...everything, but the sea as Frodo might say.  There's a love story, a bromance, several battles--including an epic fight with thousands of goblins.  And...I hope...the ending seems satisfying to me. Well, I hope you all agree.

So if you are interested in picking up Blood in Snow early, feel free!  Also, if you continue to help promote Riddle in Stone, I'd GREATLY appreciate it.  Books like mine only sell by word of mouth, so please post reviews wherever you can, vote for Riddle on the various Goodread listopedias, and tell your friends!  Who knows??? Perhaps if the series sells enough, I'll be able to write more!

Thanks for all your help!

--Rob

Here's the proposed cover for the third (maybe final) book in the Riddle in Stone series.  What do you think??? Any suggestions?

Okay!! I’m really jazzed!  I was working out this morning and I needed something to listen to; so I started re-re-re-re-listening to Stephen King’s “On Writing.” If you’re a writer, you simply have to read it.  It’s a must!  Seriously!  If you haven’t read Stephen King’s “On Writing” and you want to be a writer, stop reading right now and get it.  Here’s a link to Amazon.

King always gets me really fired up.  Whenever I start to feel “bla” about writing, I listen to his book and I get raring to go!!

Today, I was listening to the part where he was discussing the two golden commandments for writers … to read a lot and to write a lot.  I think he said we should read four to six hours a day.  Personally, I believe that’s a bit much.  I figure I read maybe two hours a day—maybe an hour on the treadmill and ten minutes in the car to work and a few stolen minutes here and there.  When you work full time and have a family and want to write, finding four to six hours is a bit difficult.

But I’m getting side-tracked! 

In On Writing, King asks the question, “What should you write?” and his answer is “Whatever you damn well want.”

The question then arises, “What should you read?” 

King doesn’t talk about that much and the prevailing thought on the internet seems to say that writers should read the genre they like to write.  And this makes sense.  If you like to write fantasy, you probably also like to read it.

But I wonder, does reading books in your genre somehow inhibit creativity?  Do you worry about subconsciously “stealing” from other authors?  For example, I’ve found myself writing characters who talk like the characters in the books I was reading at the time.  Does that make sense?  Does this ever happen to you?

I don’t have an answer to this. I’m just genuinely curious what you all think.  Those of you who write, do you read mainly in your writing genre?

This is something else that I want to throw out there.  I would suggest that not only should we read in our genre, but we should make ourselves read outside our genres as well.  After all, reading a romance story would help me learn to write the romantic scenes that occur in my fantasy.  Same with horror and thrillers and so forth.  After all, a book may be listed as an “epic fantasy” but it should also have elements from other genres.

I would also suggest that we should read non-fiction.  I know I pick up a lot from reading histories of medieval periods.  It helps infuse a touch of realism in our “made up” worlds.

Okay!  That’s if for me today. I just wanted to throw some of that out there and see what you all think.  I’m off to write!  I hope you’re all having terrific days!

See you next time!

Welcome back!

If you recall, last time we were discussing identifying characters for potential stories.

Since completing the final book of my Riddle in Stone series (plug! plug! plug!), I've been in the process of writing something new.  I originally was going to write about the exploits of a teenage homeless boy who was streetwise, but socially challenged.  I got about 25,000 words in before I realized that the character was a bit of a cliché.  After all, it seems in every fantasy story there's always the plucky street kid rising up above his station to show the snooty rich people what life is always about.  So I dumped him and tried to come up with something a little more unique.

After a great deal of day dreaming, I strolled across a young woman named Natalie. At first glance, Nat came across as a bit of a bitch. She's opinionate and quick to anger and wanting to be independent so much, she tends to push people away. 

Still a bit of a cliché, right?  I mean, the few women who appear as leads in fantasy stories tend to be boat rockers and a perpetual thorn in the side of the manly men who wield the swords. (What's the expression?  Well-behaved women rarely make history?)

Or they tend to be the wielder of swords themselves ... deadly bad asses just who happen to have breasts (evidently they have to have big breasts and long, flowing, clean hair, but no clothes that fit them--judging by the book covers).

So Nat needs to be something different. She can't be a female version of Conan and she can't be super smart know-it-all.  In other words, she can't develop into a "Mary Sue."

If you don't know what  a Mary Sue is, click on a few of these links.  They actually go into detail about the history of the term, Mary Sue, and give examples.  Suffice to say, Mary Sues are characters who can do everything brilliantly. 

For example, I'm reading a fantasy story where the main character is young and has powerful magical abilities and can sing like nobody else and can fight and is good-looking and is able to learn languages after just hearing a few words--so forth and so on.  He even loses his virginity to a god who typically kills the men she beds; but she lets this guy go because he's SOOOO cute and cleaver and plays the lute beautifully.   UGH!!!   I'm actually rooting for the villain in the story just so I can see this idiot get taken down a few pegs!

Okay. So that's a Mary Sue (or  Marty Sue for guys). You get the picture.

I hate Mary Sues.  Nobody is like that in real life.  Even the star football player and homecoming king in high school had acne or looked like crap in their polyester McDonald's uniform.  Nobody is good at everything!! If they are, I really don't want to be around them.  They'd just make me feel like a loser. 

Characters are the same way.  They need to have weaknesses.  Not weakness like Kryptonite, that only come around when it is convenient for the author.  They need to have blind spots in their character. They need to have warts and prejudices and ... well, be human (even when they're not).

So Nat is a bit of a cliché at this point and I need her to develop, but not into a Mary Sue.  What do I do? 

I don't know how other authors handle this, but I sit down and write. 

I have about 65,000 words written about Natalie.  The first 10,000 were pretty one-dimensional.  She's angry. She wants something she can't have. She pissed at the world for all the injustices it holds.  Still cliché, right?

By the second 10,000 word, she began to develop other traits.  She isn't very attractive. She isn't ugly, exactly. She just doesn't look "girly." (And she never will!  Man, I hate how beauty and success always have to go together!!!  Not everybody is a supermodel and that's okay!) Anyway, Nat is often taken to be a boy. Guys will talk to her, but only to ask about her "cute" friend.  Do you know the type?

By the third 10,000 words, I found that she has to take care of her family, whom she loves, but she's being crushed by the responsibility. She hates her life, yet she feels guilty for hating it, because she know it could be so much worse. She know what she needs to do, but ... damn ... she wishes she didn't have to. She wants so much more, but doesn't know what.  She believes in rules, but finds that she has to break them in order to provide for her brothers and sisters.  Still a bit cliché, but a little fuller.

And so forth. 

I think too many writers won't start writing until they have "everything figured out."   As a result, they never really get past the first page.   I tend to write to figure things out.   I just throw words on a page and see what happens.  Who is this character?  What does she want? How does she stand out in a crowd?  Or does she?  If she could have three wishes, what would she wish for?  She finds a pile of money in the road, what does she do?  What is her guiding philosophy ... and when is she willing to break it?

It's a process.  A slow process, but a process nonetheless.

Speaking of which, Nat is knocking on my head.   Better go write about her.

I hope all is well with you!  See you next time!

Rob

Hey everybody!  Sorry for the long absence. The semester is coming to an end, which means tons of grading.  Still...here I am!

At any rate, I want to resume my periodic efforts to document my progress on my latest manuscript.

Last time we left off (all those weeks ago), I talked about having to find the right combination of characters and situation before beginning a manuscript.

To me, characters (not plot) make the story. A book needs realistic characters who strike a chord with the reader. But the characters also have to have something to do.  A story with the most brilliant, the most vivid characters won't sell if nothing happens.  You need both.

So over the past couple of months, I've been tinkering with a few characters who have crossed my mind. I've also been trying to place them in situations that will have numerous opportunities to create emotion--not just conflict as most of the writing books discuss, but also laughter and love and longing and fear.  I think it was Sol Stein who said, "the job of the writer is to inflict emotion."  I think that's true--especially the inflict part.  But we can talk about that some other time.

Conflict is essential, of course. You can't have a good story where there's no conflict. But I don't think you can have a good story without a few laughs, wistful sighs and painful winces as well. Imagine watching a horror film where the characters on the screen are constantly running for their lives.  That's fine for the first few minutes, but you also need the quieter moments to heighten the tension.  Every story is a love story, comedy, and thriller. You can't just have one emotion.  That'd be like a painting with only one color.

So how do I go about finding my characters and situation? 

This is what I do (and I'd love to hear how other writers accomplish the task) ... I daydream.  Seriously! It seems I spend most of my life daydreaming about one thing or another, especially while I'm on the stairmaster or exercise bike.  I close my eyes and just ... think.  And things come to me.

For instance, a couple months ago, I was at the gym, thinking about Abby (one of my favorite characters in Betrayal in the Highlands and the soon-to-be-released Blood in Snow).  I was picturing her sitting around a table, talking to a group of her friends. 

I wondered who her friends would be. What would they be like?  What would they do with their free time? What arguments would they have?  And so forth.

I pictured Abby with a half dozen people and soon three became clearer than the rest--Hadley, Ida, and Natalie.  Hadley is always gossiping about everybody's business and easily excited. Ida is more reserved and shy, but dearly wants to be noticed ... or at least seen.  Natalie ... well, I think I'm falling for her. 

Nat comes off as a bit of a bitch. She doesn't mean to.  It's just that she has a lot going on and has difficulty dealing with the social niceties and small talk required in most situations. She knows what she wants, and can't understand why she can't just try to get it. Why all the rituals? Why all the wasted time? Why is saying exactly what you think wrong?

So, I think I've found a lead character. She's strong enough to take some punishment, but also stubborn enough to dish it out.  In other words, she has a range to her--far more than Hadley and Ida who still seem cliche and one-dimensional to me.

What about the situation?  How do I come up with that?

Well, much of the same way.  You see, I've been walking a good deal with Natalie in my mind--talking with her, learning what sets her off, figuring out what she wants from life. I don't have any clear idea yet, but it seems her worst fear is losing her independence.  So that'll have to be part of the situation.  But what can she gain?  Hmmm. 

Again, I'm still tinkering with the story, but it's slowly evolving in my mind.  Hopefully she'll come up with a story worth writing (and reading).

That's it for now.  Please remember that my third book in the Riddle in Stone series (Blood in Snow) should be out in July; however, I have yet to see a cover or anything.  When I do, I'll pass it along for your feedback. 

Thanks for the support you all have been giving me.  I couldn't do any of this without you.  Thanks!