Well, even as Victory and Death continues to sell at a decent pace, I am about to try my luck with a new genre, LitRPG. To the uninitiated, the genre incorporate game mechanics and concepts into a story, usually based on computer RPGs or MMORPGs like World of Warcraft.

Novels in the genre use such conceits as having fantasy worlds where the 'game' is real, or situations where the characters enter a virtual reality computer game and somehow find themselves facing actual challenges or high stakes. The best-known series in the subject is Aleron Kong's The Land novels.

In many ways, this genre is a perfect fit for me. I have been a game designer before I became a novelist, and have spent a good deal of my youth playing computer games, beginning with the original Wizardry (yes, I am that old). I have found myself writing at record speeds as I detailed the adventures of Ben, a gamer who sits down to start a new MMORPG and suddenly finds himself in a fantasy universe, trapped inside the body of his character, and discovers that the realities of a sword-and-sorcery setting are far more painful than a game.

The first book will be released in late June, and I'm planning to have the sequel out a month later. Hopefully enough of you, my dear readers, will take a chance on this story. I will be posting sample chapters early next week on my website, www.cjcarella.com.