About

Wormholes and Swords is a blog dedicated to Science Fiction and Fantasy, with a bit of real world technical stuff thrown in from time to time. It is managed by T.D. Wilson, author of the Science Fiction book series, The Epherium Chronicles.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Galadriel: I am not alone

IGN recently released this extended clip from the upcoming Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies movie.  This series of events covers the White Council's assault on Dol Goldur and how Gandalf is rescued.  Since this story line comes from The Unfinished Tales, I wasn't sure how well it would be represented in the overall Hobbit story, but Mr. Jackson has definitely given us something to look forward to.  Take a look.


The Fond Fairwell from Middle Earth

Peter Jackson asked Billy Boyd (LOTR's Pippin) to compose a soundtrack for a final song to be added to the last of the Hobbit movies, but they created a nice collage of images and clips from all the movies.  This probably will be the last Middle Earth movie Mr. Jackson makes. Perhaps, there could be another that touches on the Silmarillion, but now we just have to wait.  I remember we had the same discussions about there ever being a Hobbit movie, let alone a trilogy.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Here is the video.


Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Cover Reveal for The Epherium Chronicles: Echoes

The day has come to unveil the new cover the third book of The Epherium Chronicles series.  Echoes has completed the editing process and is in production for a release on March 30, 2015.  I will be releasing excerpts in the coming weeks.  Here is the new cover.  I hope you like it.


P.S. I have added a link to the Amazon pre-order on the image.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

New Reviews for The Epherium Chronicles

                                                                        

A fantastic reviewer from Brisbane, Australia posted reviews of Embrace and Crucible.  Building a fan base close to home is great, but having it across the globe is a true blessing. Here are the links to his reviews.  Check them out and don't forget that Echoes, book 3 of The Epherium Chronicles, will be released on March 30, 2015.

Ebookanoid's Review of Embrace

Ebookanoid's Review of Crucible








Sunday, November 23, 2014

Cover reveal for The Epherium Chronicles: Echoes

Everyone, I've seen the final version of the cover for Echoes, the third book of The Epherium Chronicles. It looks awesome and I will be revealing it here and on Facebook on December 2, 2014.  Why that day?  Well, it's my birthday and I thought I would combine the celebrations. Put the date on your calendar and be sure to check out the cover.  Release day for Echoes is March 30, 2015.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

January Writing Workshop

One of the coolest things about creating stories and developing them into novels is understanding the process.  But even after you think it's ready, you need a good editor to hone your creation into a tightened story for the ready.

My editor at Carina Press is Rhonda Helms and she is fantastic.  She is a multi-published author with Simon & Schuster and Kensington Publishing, as well as an acquisitions/developmental editor for Carina Press. This January, she is offering a writing workshop focusing on plot and subplot creation.  The cost is only $50 and you can do the work at home.  If you're serious about developing stories and becoming a published author, I highly recommend this workshop. I'm going to attend, because I know there are always new and exciting ways to enhance your writing. Join me. We can do it together and share our experiences with bold new stories for readers everywhere.

Here is the information:

WRITING WORKSHOP NOTICE: *Plot: It's Not Just a Four-Letter Word* in January.

Plotting--amazing how this one word can strike fear or even hatred in the hearts of writers. Writing is supposed to be creative, right?


Well, the problem is that many writers have no idea how to go about making a novel happen. How do you know your idea is big enough for a full novel? How do you make sure you won't be stuck with a saggy middle? What's a good way to weave subplots appropriately in a story and give them a meaningful connection with the main plot?


I'm offering a month-long workshop designed to teach you how to craft a full plot for a novel, including character depth/development, plot twists, the dark moment/climax, and a satisfactory ending. We'll use Debra Dixon's principles in her book Goal, Motivation, and Conflict as a reference for the workshop (it's recommended you purchase this book before the workshop in case you need further study on the topic), as well as various unique tips and tricks I employ in my own writing.


This intense, hands-on workshop will run from Jan 6 to Jan 29, 2015. Here's the syllabus (lessons posted twice a week on Tuesdays/Thursdays, with homework):


Week 1: Intro to Rhonda's plotting methodology; creating your own plan of action
Week 2: Employing effective brainstorming techniques; refining your core idea and applying GMC to enrich character development
Week 3: Turning points/building your plot in manageable chunks; tips/tricks for plotting
Week 4: Weaving in subplot; final thoughts on plotting
The course will be held online. Questions and brainstorming during the workshop is highly encouraged. For maximum benefit, it's recommended you bring a new story idea to work with, though if you have a work in progress, you can use this workshop to enrich/enhance your current plot.


BIO: I'm a multi-published author with Simon & Schuster and Kensington Publishing. I'm also an acquisitions/developmental editor with Carina Press. I have a Bachelor's degree in English, Creative Writing, and a Master's degree in English Literature, plus I taught college composition for several years.


Cost for this workshop is $50. I accept paypal or check.


The registration deadline is the day before the workshop starts. Once registered, you'll be subscribed to the workshop loop prior to and for the duration of the class. No refunds if you fail to enroll yourself once you are offered the invitation.


Questions? Want to sign up? Please email me at
rhonda atrhondaedits.com, thanks!  

Thursday, November 6, 2014

New Trailer for The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies

Peter Jackson released his next trailer for third and final installment of The Hobbit moves, The Battle of Five Armies.  This trailer touches on some really epic tones. I know that he's changed parts of the story to add more a true antagonist (Azog) and include the siege of Dol Guldur, but I for one will be at the theater on day 1.


Wednesday, November 5, 2014

The Epherium Chronicles: Echoes Update

I wanted to take a few moments and update everyone on the status of the third book of The Epherium Chronicles, titled Echoes. It has been a busy editing schedule for this latest installment. Line edits are done and it's off to copy editing. I'm really excited about this novel. The pace picks you up from the beginning and takes you on a wild ride until the end.

Almost every character faces a true crisis that can shatter the world around them as they know it, and the choices they make will have lasting impact on their future.

Echoes is scheduled for release on March 30, 2015. I hope to have a cover reveal in January and will release excerpts up until the launch date.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Captain America 3: Civil War


It was officially announced today that Captain America 3 will be titled Civil War. This new movie will incorporate the Marvel: Civil War story line centered around the Superhuman registration act.  Iron Man Tony Stark and some heroes support the government registration. Captain America and other members of the Avengers do not.  In the comics, this story line crossed several different characters and put them at odds with those were once their closest friends.

The movie is slated for May 16, 2015 and will start Robert Downey, Jr as Iron Man and Chris Evans as Captain America.

X-Wing and Tie Fighter Games Get New Digital Releases

The Star Wars X-Wing and Tie Fighter games were a staple around my home in the mid 1990s.  They were fun to play, had cool sound and effects and helped you to fit into the Star Wars story line.  Now, Good Old Games is re-releasing a digital version of the games that don't require an emulator for modern PCs.  I tried to run mine several years ago and it was so fast, I couldn't take off or control my fighter.



The cost for the Full Special Editions packs are $9.99.  There is also a Knights of the Old Republic version.

Here is a link for more information:

X-wing and Tie Fighter New Releases

Thursday, October 23, 2014

First Official Trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron

After a brief few hours where the trailer was "leaked" and then removed, the official Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer is now available. It is scheduled to be shown with next week's Marvel: Agents of Shield episode, but some things just can't wait I guess.

Here it is and it is glorious. James Spader as the voice of Ultron is pretty cool. Plus, we get our first look at Iron Man in the Hulk Buster armor.


Sunday, October 19, 2014

The Epherium Chronicles: Echoes Update

Wanted to give everyone an update on the third installment of The Epherium Chronicles, Echoes. I am working on edits with my Carina Press editor, Rhonda Helms. I've seen the back cover copy draft and it looks great. I should get a first look at the cover soon.  Once those two are final, I'll post them here.

This book is a thrill ride from start to finish. There is so much happening. I had to remove some of the smaller subplots and push them to book 4. Release date is March 30, 2015.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Great Astronaut Commercial

Despite the small bit where sound would travel in space, this was a funny commercial.


Thursday, September 4, 2014

Great sci-fi video!

I found this great sci-fi video from fellow Carina Press author, Veronica Scott.  There is one major sci-fi franchise missing from this terrific collage.  Can you figure it out?


Saturday, August 30, 2014

New Review for Embrace!


Every now and then you get a terrific review from someone that is a real treat to read.  The latest one for Embrace came from Barbara Sumpter on Goodreads.  To be recommended by her for fans of Alan Dean Foster is absolute thrill.  He is a terrific science fiction author.

3661586
's review 
Aug 28, 14

Recommended for: Fans of Alan Dean Foster
Read from August 03 to 27, 2014 — I own a copy

I like space opera. What is it about space opera that I find so appealing? It is very character-driven and dramatic. I want to feel emotions with the characters and I like feeling that need to know how the story will play out before I can turn out the light and go to bed. I want to pick up the sequel as soon as I finish each book and feel lost and adrift if I have come to the end of the series. Basically, that is what space opera means to me.

I enjoyed reading Embrace (the Epherium Chronicles #1). It has those elements that I like most about space opera. The human characters are well-developed, diverse and interesting. I think it must be difficult for science fiction authors to keep characters and relationships interesting without relying on aliens to spice things up like in a McCoy-versus-Spock-style interaction. Surprisingly, the crew of the Armstrong is all human. One human in particular does have special abilities but still, not an alien. From the beginning of the book I felt as though a movie were playing out in my head, which is very good. That is what a person should experience when reading a book. I could easily visualize the characters and everything that happened to them.

Military Science Fiction is not a good genre for me although I am often drawn to it in hopes of finding drama and characterization embedded in the endless battles. Embrace does have military conflict with its war with an alien race and the Earth Defense Force is a military organization, but war and battle does not overwhelm the story like it does in, for example, Steel World (BV Larson). Old Man’s War by John Scalzi is full of battle but the endearing qualities of Scalzi’s characters and their relationships made up the real story. I felt that the ships and weapons in Embrace are described only in as much detail as necessary to carry on the story. This is science fiction, after all. The conflict with the Cilik’ti provides an element of danger and another opportunity to understand the motives and back-stories of the individuals in the crew of the Armstrong as well as the corporate “suits” of Epherium. We gain understanding for why they behave the way they do and how they were brought together.

But here is the real treat: while we are looking for a surprise attack from the Cilik’ti as the Armstrong races to the colony, the author springs on us a surprise case of espionage, corporate greed, and even murder! That is precisely what I am looking for when I read space opera. It’s not just about aliens and space ships. There are some elements of the storytelling that are universal to any genre such as mayhem, greed, love and friendship, mystery. I am not going to spoil it by going into any more detail than that. I remember reading Outland by Alan Dean Foster (about 100 years ago) and thinking how clever to have an old west type of story, complete with sheriff and gunfight, that takes place in orbit around Jupiter’s moon Io. I hope the Epherium Chronicles continues in this vein taking the otherwise ordinary and putting it in a new setting.

As book one ends I was disappointed that the author leaves a few things touched on in early chapters but never seen or heard about again. I know that certain chapters were meant to introduce a sub-plot or side-story which will be brought back around I assume in a sequel but it felt rather brief and therefore difficult to connect to the rest of the book. I hope I don’t lose the thread before I start on book two.

Overall, however, I give Embrace four stars and l look forward to getting to know the crew of the Armstrong in the next book. T.D. Wilson will be on my list of authors to watch for.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Creating an Audible Anthology for the Legend of Drizzt



A new and incredible anthology chronicling the legend of Drizzt Do'urden, R.A. Salvatore's famous Dark Elf character is in production   The Legend of Drizzt: The Collected Stories includes 12 short stories from Forgotten Realms anthologies and Dragon magazine.

Look at this tremendous cast: Sean Astin, Felicia Day, Ice-T (yes, Ice-T), David Duchovny, Weird Al Yankovic, Melissa Rauch (Bernadette from Big Bang Theory), Wil Wheaton, Dan Harmon, Greg Grunberg, Tom Felton, Danny Pudi, and Michael Chiklis.

This release is all tied into the 40th Anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons.

Here is the link to the video.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


Friday, August 8, 2014

Babylon 5 Reboot As A Big Budget Movie



J. Michael Straczynski has begun work on a big budget movie reboot of the popular Science-Fiction series, Babylon 5!  I am a huge B5 fan and this news is something that many of us have been waiting to hear. According the news release, the new movie will be a reboot of the series and not a continuation.  Release is scheduled for 2016.

Here is a link to the article in ArsTechnica:

Babylon 5 Reboot

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

What would you do?


If you saw this coming and you had one shot, one incredible remote chance to stop it, what would you do?  Would you have the courage of Bard to stand in the face of certain death, steel your arms to give you a steady shot and wait for the opportunity to strike?  Share your thoughts.

Monday, July 28, 2014

The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies Teaser Trailer


The first trailer for The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies is out.  It is somber, it is epic, and even the poster of the destruction of Laketown shows just how awesome this movie could be.  Cannot wait for December.


Saturday, July 26, 2014

New Avengrers: Age of Ultron Posters

The release of Avengers: Age of Ultron is still in 2015, but posters have have already been created for current and some new members of the Avengers.  They were recently released at Comic Con 2014 in San Diego.

First up, Thor!


Great pic and it shows an army of Ultron bots attacking.

Here comes Cap!


I think the next one is surely telling of the power of these bots.  Look at Hawkeye.


But, he can always count on his friend, Black Widow to reach him.

If you can't tell, yes that is the Hulk rampaging through the bots beside her.  Here he is.

But we can't leave out Tony Stark as Iron Man.  After all, Ultron in this new version will spring from his own creation, JARVIS.


Now for the new additions,  Here is the Scarlet Witch:

Finally, we have Quickilver.


This one is especially cool.  If you look in the background, you see a man with a cape floating over the battle.  No it's not Magneto, but the best intel I have is that it's Vision.  We hope to know more in the next few months.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

New Review of Crucible on Goodreads


Another great review of Crucible, the second book in my series The Epherium Chronicles, was just posted to Goodreads(review link).  The buzz about the series continues to grow and I am excited that readers can immerse themselves in the story.  For those of you not on Goodreads, here is the review from Greg Dragon.


's review 
Jun 29, 14

Read from June 22 to 29, 2014

Though I have not read “Embrace” the first book in this series, I found The Epherium Chronicles: Crucible to be an enjoyable read on it's own. The attention to detail given to the situations, the military protocol, and the world in general was very impressive. What was even more interesting is that at no time did I feel lost or confused for not having read the first book.

For lovers of the classic style of military science fiction, Crucible will not disappoint you as it has all of the ingredients that we love, items like: space jumping, protecting clueless colonists, extending age through experimentation, and of course space marines kicking ass.

The author has a real talent for setting the scene, and it allows you to put yourself in the situation of Captain Hood, and see the action, the dialogue, and the events play out in real time. This is what made it such a fun read for me. The writing and editing is top notch, and while I found that sometimes the descriptions and the military items were a bit too much to keep up with, it was a very easy read otherwise.

The Epherium Chronicles: Crucible read like a well paced motion picture. It gives you time to meet people, form opinions, then have those opinions adjust as you find out more about them from the dialogue and situations that arise. I am a sucker for a mysterious femme fatale, and while I initially rolled my eyes at Lieutenant Maya, she grew on me as she opened up and it didn’t take long for me to become a fan.

There is quite a bit of intelligent dialogue and development through back and forths with the crew, so for readers that love conversation there is quite a bit of it here. Action? It takes a while for the situation to get there--which made me wonder if action-seeking, short attention spanned readers would fall off around chapter five or so--but when the action comes, it freaking comes. I love drawn out, detailed battles and Crucible did not disappoint.

I would highly recommend Crucible to anyone that loves Science Fiction. I can see this series becoming one that will be talked about.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Final Stop for the Crucible Blog Tour, June 24, 2014



Well, we have come to the end of the blog tour for Crucible.  The final stop is Desiree Broussard's blog.  Be sure to stop by and sign up for the giveaway before it ends!  There are three $25 Amazon gift cards.  Don't miss your chance!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Crucible Blog Tour June 23, 2014



Today's stop on the Crucible Blog Tour is Memories in a Box.  Check out my guest post and don't forget to sign up for the giveaway!

Saturday, June 21, 2014

The Epherium Chronicles Top 100 Space Opera on Amazon Canada


Every now and then I check other retailer sites to see how The Epherium Chronicles is doing.  On Amazon's Canada site, www.amazon.ca, I noticed that both books were in the top 100 of the Sci-fi space opera categories!  Does that make the series and international Amazon Best Seller?  Hmmm.. I'll take it!

Here are the links to the books for all my friends and readers in Canada:

Embrace Amazon Canada Link

Crucible Amazon Canada Link

Let's keep it going and spread the word!

Friday, June 20, 2014


The last stop on Crucible's Blog Tour for this week is Cat's Pajamas Book Haven.  Be sure to check it out and sign up for the giveaway!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Crucible Blog Tour, June 19, 2014


Today's stop on the Crucible Blog Tour is Horror and Slasher Films and Books!  Can a science fiction space opera post survive on a horror site?  Stop by and check it out!  Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014


Today's stop on the Crucible Blog Tour is Homesteading for the Zombie Apocalypse!  Come on over and sign up for the giveaway!

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Science Fiction Reddit AMA June 18, 2014


Tomorrow, Wednesday June 18th,. 2014, I will be hosting a Reddit AMA (ask me anything) session about my Science Fiction series, The Epherium Chronicles.  The AMA will be hosted on Reddit's science fiction subreddit (www.reddit.com/r/sciencefiction).  I will be online taking questions from 12-2pm Eastern time, 3-5pm, and later at 10-11:30pm.

Be sure to come out submit your questions to me about the series, science fiction, fantasy, games, technology, or most anything within reason.

Today's stop on the Crucible Blog Tour is Alpha Male Books.  Come on over, say hi, and sign up for the giveaway!

Monday, June 16, 2014

Crucible Blog Tour, June 16, 2014 Two stops!



There are two stops today on the Crucible Blog Tour.  The first is Tome Tender.  The second stop is Peace, Love and Writing.  Come on out and check out the posts.  Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway!

Friday, June 13, 2014

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

My Interview with Carina Press Author Sheryl Nantus

My author interview series continues with a terrific creator of science fiction romance novels, fellow Carina Press author, Sheryl Nantus.  Sheryl recently released In the Black her first book in a new series called Tales from the Edge.  It's already received several fantastic reviews and it is a solid opening book for her series.




Now, lets get to the questions.


T.D. Wilson: Sheryl, what was your journey to become an author?  Was it something you always wanted to be?

Sheryl Nantus: I've been told by my mother that I was reading at the fine age of three. When my grandfather challenged this I promptly sat down with the comics page and read them to him. So I've always been a reader… and it was natural to move toward being a writer as I got older.



I really found my footing when I started writing fanfiction in the 1980's. I wrote well over 200 fanfics for X-Files and found my future husband when he wrote me a fan letter. So always answer your fan mail!

T.D. Wilson: I loved the X-files.  I liked Mulder, but all my friends loved talking about the Cigarette Smoking Man. Now, when you start a new novel project, what is your process?  Can you walk through how you plan or orchestrate what you’re about to create?

Sheryl Nantus: I usually come up with what I want accomplished by the end of the book and then work backwards. It sounds easy but it's not—for example, getting Sam and Daniel together by the end of In the Black while capturing the murderer and setting up future stories… it takes a lot of backtracking. And rewriting when I lose sight of the ending and have to refocus myself.

T.D. Wilson: What inspired you to write In the Black?

Sheryl Nantus: I've always been a fan of Firefly and specifically the courtesan character, Inara as well as an avid reader on geisha girls. I wondered how that would translate out into space travel as men (and women) were working out on the edge, alone in mining colonies where hooking up with someone else wasn't an option. In my world courtesans offer not only sexual favors but also the chance to sit and be comforted in safety and security, to work on your chess game and learn new skills in the privacy of the Bonnie Belle, the ship you see on the cover. And, of course, great sex if you want it.

T.D. Wilson: I loved Firefly and Inara had that exotic enchantment about her that was such a good contrast to Captain Reynolds.  Can you give us some background to your two main characters, Sam Keller and Marshall Daniel LeClair?

Sheryl Nantus: Sure! Sam Keller has recently taken command of the Bonnie Belle, a Guild Mercy ship. She's signed on for five years of basically being a babysitter with the ship's AI running itself. As a military vet she could have gone anywhere with her pension and her skills so it's a mystery why she's chosen five years of exile.

Daniel LeClair is a marshal's marshal. He's a by-the-book man who has law enforcement history going back generations—but sometimes he's a little too by-the-book. If he were willing to compromise his morals he might have a higher rank but for now he's running patrols out on the edge. Until he gets assigned to investigate a murder on Mercy ship and not only has to find the killer but deal with his attraction to the good captain.

T.D. Wilson: What are you working on now?

Sheryl Nantus: A few projects but I'm brainstorming for book four (yes! I said four!) in the series. Book three of Tales from the Edge is basically done but we'll see when it's ready to come out to the public. (hint: sales matter!)

T.D. Wilson: Who is your favorite author (or authors)?  Were they an inspiration for you in your writing?

Sheryl Nantus: Oh, goodness… there's so many. Kipling's Jungle Book for one, IvanhoeLord of the RingsThe Hobbit… I read all genres. And all of them are inspirations because all of them had to be brave at one time and hand their work to the public and see what happened.

T.D. Wilson: I know.  I have difficulty sometimes really narrowing it down.  So what about this. If you wanted to go to dinner with five characters from fiction, who would it be and where would you go?

Sheryl Nantus: Ooh… Jo March from Little Women, Frodo from Lord of the Rings, Eve Dallas and Roarke from the In Death series and HP Lovecraft… but only because I hear Cthlulu is pretty stingy with the tips.

T.D. Wilson: That definitely sounds like a fun group.  Not sure where you should take them.  Hopefully someplace lite and public if Lovecraft is involved.  Next question and this is one I love to get different perspectives on. As an author, how do you handle reviews, both the good and the bad?

Sheryl Nantus: I love reviews. The good, the bad and the ugly. Because I'm happy as all get-out that someone took the time to WRITE a review, be it a good one or bad. Not everyone is going to like my writing and that's fine. Because we're all different and it'd be a darned boring world if we all enjoyed everything all the time.

But I do love good reviews.

T.D. Wilson: Excellent answer, Sheryl.  What activities do you enjoy outside of writing?

Sheryl Nantus: Gaming, for one. Every year my husband and I go to the Origins Game Fair in Columbus Ohio for almost a week of gaming and fun. D&D, board games, tabletop games… also always up for a game of Go!

I also enjoy reading, getting a good cuppa chai and watching kaiju films.

T.D. Wilson: I have been a gamer for years, but I haven't done much table top stuff in awhile. I used to frequent GenCon and Origins.  It's better now that Origins is in Columbus and GenCon in Indianapolis, but I still have to find time to go.  One of the last times I was at Origins, I met Mira Furlan and Richard Biggs from Bablyon 5.  It was really cool.  Okay.  Last question. If you had one quirk or distinctive trait about yourself, what would it be?

Sheryl Nantus: I'm Canadian. Therefore I'm not only overly polite but also adore my tea. Get between me and my tea at your peril…. but I'll be polite about it.

T.D. Wilson:  Sheryl, that's all the questions I have for you today and I want to thank you again for the interview.

Sheryl Nantus: Thanks.  It was fun.

T.D. Wilson: Be sure to check out Sheryl's latest book, In the Black, available as an ebook at all the major online retailers.



About Sheryl Nantus



Sheryl Nantus was born in Montreal, Canada and grew up in Toronto, Canada. She met Martin Nantus through the online fanfiction community in 1993 and moved to the United States in 2000.
In 2011 she won two Second-Place Prism Awards from the Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter of RWA. In 2013 she won a Third-Place Prism Award for the first book of her paranormal series, "Blood of the Pride"

Crucible Blog Tour June 10, 2014


The stop of the day for Crucible's blog tour is Musings of a Book Maven.  Come on over and check out my guest post.  Plus, don't forget to sign up for the giveaway!

Monday, June 9, 2014


Crucible's blog tour continues with a stop at Cryptic Reads.  Be sure to sign up for the giveaway and check out their terrific review!

Friday, June 6, 2014

Character Goal Post from Kree


One of the great things I like about my fellow authors at Carina Press is that they love to help each other out. Angela Highland's blog has a segment called Boosting the Signal and I am thrilled to have a piece on it today. She wanted me to express a character goal from Crucible. I could think of no better character to share this from than Kree. Take a look.

http://www.angelahighland.com/category/boosting-the-signal/

Crucible Blog Tour June 6, 2014


Today, there are two stops on the Crucible Blog Tour.  The first is Literary Chanteuse and the second is Diane's Book Blog.  Stop by, sign up for the giveaway and be sure to leave a comment or two for me.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Crucible Blog Tour Stop June 4, 2014


Today's stop on the tour for Crucible is Indy Book Fairy.  Be sure to stop by and sign up for the giveaway!

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Crucible Blog Stop June 3, 2014


Today's stop on the Crucible blog tour is Hard Core Books and Readers.  Come on over and check out her site.  Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Crucible Blog Stop June 2, 2014


Today's stop on the Crucible blog tour is Rose Wynter's blog.  Come on over and check out her site.  Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Crucible Blog Tour Stop May 30, 2014

Next stop on the Crucible blog tour is Divide by Zero.  Check out my interview and don't forget to sign up for the giveaway!


Thursday, May 29, 2014

Stargate To Get A Reboot

It looks like MGM and Warner Bros have teamed up Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin to create a new Stargate reboot.  The plan is to create a trilogy of movies.  I am anxious to see what these two can come up with, but Stargate and the subsequent series, Stargate SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe helped to really mold a terrific sci-fi world.  I would like to see them enhance it, not rehash or significantly alter it.  But, I'm willing to wait to see what they have in mind.

Here is a link to the original article.

http://www.deadline.com/2014/05/mgm-warner-bros-reboot-stargate/

Crucible Blog Tour Stop May 28,2014

Today's blog tour stop for Crucible is at Best Seller Books.  Come on by and say hi!  Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway!

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

My Interview with NYT Best Selling Author Jim Butcher


Today, I'm continuing my interview series with my favorite authors.  This time around it's New York Times Best Selling Author, Jim Butcher.  I have been a huge fan of The Dresden Files since the first book, Storm Frontwas published. I had originally scheduled to complete this interview in 15-20 minutes, but we went a full 25, not including the time he had to pause to answer the door.  I learned several things about Mr. Butcher and we shared some laughs.  All in all, a great interview.  Anyway, let's get to it.

T.D. Wilson: Mr. Butcher, thank you for agreeing to this interview. It's a honor to be able to talk with you for my blog.

Mr. Butcher: No problem.  Glad to help out a fan.

T.D. Wilson: I have several questions for you today. I don't want to keep you too long, so let's begin. What was your journey to becoming an author?  Was it something you always wanted to be?

Mr. Butcher: Well, I pretty much always wanted to be an author.  I originally thought I was going to be a computer programmer.  Mostly because I liked video games a lot. But after I took some programming classes, I realized I was going to drive myself freakin' insane if I tried to create video games

T.D. Wilson: I think I have a bit of a kindred experience with you there.  I started off college as a computer engineering major.  After I took my first programming class, which was an experiment of two PASCAL classes thrown together, I didn't want to do it anymore.  So I changed to electrical engineering and still took seven programming classes.

Mr. Butcher: Exactly.  Like an EE major could get you out of programming. LOL.  My college didn't have a computer science program, it was electrical engineering. It was physics for engineers that really killed me.  Once I downgraded to physics for poets I was fine.  I downgraded to management information systems and from there I was still in despair of doing that for a living and trying to stay sane.  So I moved to education.  I went out and observed teachers in the field as part of my education training, but some of them were the most miserable SOB's I had ever seen.  So I bogged down in English and that's when I decided I wanted to be an author.  I had actually written my first novel before that.  It was a swords and horses fantasy novel.  That's what I was going to write, swords and horses fantasy.  By the time I finished my English degree, which was the only one degree I had time left on my scholarship to complete, I thought I knew all I needed to know about creative writing.  Because, you know, I had my degree in English Literature with an emphasis in creative writing.  So in my last semester, I started taking a class in Germany call Writing a Genre Fiction Novel. I had a teacher there who was trying to tell me very good things about writing, but I knew she was wrong.  I had my degree, where as she had merely published forty novels.  I spent a lot of my time not listening to her, but I did get some useful things in the class.  In grad school for professional writing, I took the class again. One semester during that year and a half, I decided I was going to prove to her how wrong she was.  My method I chose to employ was to do everything she told me to do.  I filled out all of her little worksheets and forms and be her good little writing monkey.  Then she would see what terrible and awful cookie cutter crap would come out.  And so I wrote the first book of The Dresden Files.

T.D.Wilson: That's a great journey.  So, when you start a new novel project, what is your process?  Can you walk through how you plan or orchestrate what you’re about to create?

Mr. Butcher: When I start a new project, I always need to know the beginning and the end. In need good high point in the middle, about five or six scenes or situations and some good jokes along the way to get it started.

T.D. Wilson: Terrific.  In my writing projects, my editors always tell me stay away from the cliche's.  But then I read other works from terrific authors and there everywhere.

Mr. Butcher: Right.  It's all in presentation.  If it's wrong, it's a cliche, but if it's done right, you're employing an archetype.

T.D. Wilson: Exactly. Now, for those who haven’t read The Dresden Files, can you explain how you came up with Harry Dresden’s character?

Mr. Butcher: Harry is a self conscious fusion of famous wizards and detectives.  He is essentially the love child of Gandalf and Sherlock Holmes, with a little Uncle Spencer thrown in there for good measure.

T.D. Wilson: Of all the settings in the world today, why Chicago?  Did you envision encompassing your series there or did you research lots of alternatives?

Mr. Butcher: My first choice was Kansas City.  My writing instructor wouldn't let me keep it.  She said you're already writing something close enough to Laurell Hamilton's toes, you don't need to set it in Missouri.  I asked where and she said pick a city. There was a globe in her office and there were four American cities printed boldly on it.  I didn't want to use New York, because super heroes had it all sown up.  Washington, DC was out, because then you had to write politics.  No matter what your write, you'd lose a chunk of your audience.  I didn't want to do Los Angeles, because I would have to write about Los Angeles, so that left Chicago. 

T.D. Wilson: I remember walking into the bookstore before leaving on a business trip.  I was looking for a good book to read and came across Storm Front.  It had just been released.  No one at the time had really heard of a genre called Urban Fantasy before.  Do you consider yourself a pioneer in creating this new brand of fantasy for readers?

Mr. Butcher: Oh God no.  Joss Weedon was the one who really started it, though mainly on TV.  There were others in front of me.  I happened to be one of the first people that got it rolling to a large audience with a sustained storyline.  I think Laurell Hamilton had helped define that before me and Charlaine Harris and I started about the same time.

T.D. Wilson: Most people consider Nicodemus to be the most fearsome antagonist for Harry and he will appear again in your upcoming book, Skin Game.  Can you provide a more in depth preview of what we can expect?

Mr. Butcher: Oh God, Nicodemus is so much fun.  Not matter how much over the top you can go, it's never too much for him.  I love that about him.  In this book, Harry is in the service of Queen Mab now as the Winter Knight.  Which means he's going to have to do a whole lot of things he'd rather not do.  Mab is trying to get all of her old debts paid off.  As it happens, Mab owes a debt to Anduriel, the fallen angel in Nicodemus's coin.  At one point, Anduriel loaned Mab one of it's associates, so Mab is offering up Harry for a job.  Nicodemus is assembling a team of evil people to knock over a vault, which happens to belong to Hades and he needs Harry's help to get it done.  Harry, of course, thinks it's a terrible idea, but really doesn't have a choice.  If he doesn't do it, Mab will make sure he dies horribly.  So off he goes to try and figure out to get this job done, but Mab doesn't really want him to help Nicodemus.  She wants Harry to betray him.  Harry tells Mab that he knows Nicodemus will try to betray me at some point.  She tells him, "Of course.  As my Knight, I expect superior and more creative treachery on your part. You better not make me look bad."

T.D. Wilson: Yeah, she's telling him you need to adapt and overcome, so get to it.

Mr. Butcher: Exactly.  So Harry sets out to try and foil the heist without breaking Mab's word.  It's a very dangerous game and Harry's disgusted, but like I said, he doesn't have much choice.

T.D. Wilson:  It sounds like a thrill a minute adventure. I can't wait to read it.  Okay, next question.  Killing off characters can be a difficult thing for authors.  Several characters in The Dresden Files and even Harry have died at different points in the story.  How do you approach it?

Mr. Butcher: Yeah, I mean it can be tough, but I plan for those.  The plan is for that character to not to survive.  The problem isn't really handling, but making the character have a true and meaningful death.

T.D. Wilson: I know the original Dresden Files TV series only went 12 episodes and other than the Storm Front one, diverged from the books and back stories you've created.  Do you envision a reboot of the series, maybe a mini-series, or a few motion pictures to more accurately portray Harry Dresden’s adventures?

Mr. Butcher: Oh, I would love a Game of Thrones style production series.  I not sure if that would ever happen, but you never know.  There are always talks in progress and until the final check is cleared, you just never know.

T.D. Wilson:  I would love to see a new series set up like that.  Now, the Knights of the Cross have been some of my favorite recurring characters in the story.  I have one question.  When is Murphy going to take up a Sword?  Of anyone in Harry’s world, she deserves it, but I can see she doesn’t think so. 

Mr. Butcher: Right.  I agree, but what kind of question is that?  That's what the books are for..LOL

T.D. Wilson:  I know I didn't want to be blunt, but it's a question myself and a few others have always wanted to ask.

Mr. Butcher:  Yeah.  I agree she deserves it, but keep reading. 

T.D. Wilson: I know you’ve mentioned you envision 20 or so books for the Dresden Files, but with the recent growth of many of the characters, do you envision a spinoff series?

Mr. Butcher:  Oh yeah, I got several ideas for several different spinoffs with some of the characters. I'll have to see what ones I still like when I'm done with this one.

T.D. Wilson: I want to shift gears a moment and talk about your Codex Alera series.  Creating the fantasy world here had to be different since you didn’t have as many real life elements to draw upon.  What this more of a challenge or did your creative mind just take over and go with it?

Mr. Butcher: It's much more of a challenge, since it's told from a different perspective.  This series is done in third person viewpoint.  When you're writing a story that way, you have many more choices on how you can portray your story.  You have more places to put your camera.  Many more characters you decide to tell the story with. It gives you more of a chance to shine as a writer, but can give you more rope to hang yourself with as a writer. It's much easier to pick the wrong person or wrong place. The great masters always said that first person is the perfect viewpoint.  You can't pick the wrong viewpoint, but it can be limiting and frustrating times.  I think you have more potential to tell enhancing stories in third person and it is also a more difficult art.

T.D. Wilson: Yeah, my editor is always on me to watch my POV.  It's like stay on target, stay on target.  So how did you come up with the animals in The Dresden Files, Mister and Mouse?

Mr. Butcher: Mister was based on a cat that belonged to a friend of mine I used to chat with in an online MUSH channel in the early 90's.  Every now and then, a line of jibberish would scroll across the screen.  Everyone would then yell, "Hail Mister!"  Everyone knew who Mister was and loved him.  I wanted to honor Mister by putting him in the books.  Mister has since passed on, but he will forever live in The Dresden Files.  Now Mouse is the dog that my dog thinks he is.  I have a little Bichon Frise, but you wouldn't know it.  From the way he handles himself, he's sure he's a temple dog who could take you out. I've haven't had the heart to tell him otherwise.  He is busy being Captain of the Guard around here, so Mouse is the dog my dog thinks he is.

T.D. Wilson: So how do you handle reviews, both good and bad?

Mr. Butcher: Well, I used to read them all.  It's more difficult now, since there are so many more of them.  They're also much more passionate.  Whenever I feel my ego getting too big, I can go Google "Jim Butcher Hack".  There are a depressing number of hits. But, that keeps me from thinking to much about looking at all the reviews.

T.D. Wilson: I've always been told to write something back to a positive reviewer and thank them, but stay away from the negative ones, since it might inflame the situation.  I always just to ask them to tell me what I did wrong that you didn't like.

Mr. Butcher:  Yeah, negative critiques are great.  I love critiques where someone gives me some feedback.  Maybe I'll agree or maybe I won't, but I can normally see when someone is trying to state a point.  But when someone goes the extra mile to be malicious because my author picture reminds them of their bad ex-boyfriend.  That kind of review gets frustrating,but it's also one that I may actually respond to.
  
T.D. Wilson: What new projects are you working on now?  Is there something else beyond your current series of books you would love to do?

Mr. Butcher: Right now, I working on a new Steampunk series, The Cinder Spires, which is contracted to Ace and will be out sometime later this year or early next year.

T.D. Wilson: I was active RPG gamer for a long time.  I haven’t done table top games in a while, but online has been all I seem to have time for these days.  My boys and I love Lord of the Rings Online, mainly because it's free.  I know R.A. Salvatore is creating his DemonWars gaming system and Margaret Weiss has her company creating new games.  What was it like creating a game system based on The Dresden Files?

Mr. Butcher: It was wonderful, I didn't have to do a thing.  I just had to hang out and answer questions from the game crew.  It was a lot of questions, but it was mostly about the story world.  Those guys had to create it. They did a great job.  When I picked up the proof with my red pen, I expected to do a lot of slashing, but instead I found myself laughing and  was amazed how well their dialogue was with my character.

T.D. Wilson: Which online games have you enjoyed the most?

Mr. Butcher: Lately, I've been playing League of Legends and Battlefield 4.

T.D. Wilson: My son really likes Battlefield 4.  Both my kids and I liked Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 over Ghosts.  I know we can't wait until Elder Scrolls Online comes out for Xbox, but it has to be on Xbox One.

Mr. Butcher: Oh yeah, all the talk is about Elder Scrolls.

T.D. Wilson: We loved Skyrim and the new one will be a blast to play.  Well, that's all the questions I have for you today.  I'll make sure I pick up Skin Game and I'll be sure to post a review for you.

Mr. Butcher: Thanks for the interview.  It was fun.


About Jim Butcher

Jim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resides mostly inside his own head, but his head can generally be found in his home town of Independence, Missouri.
Jim goes by the moniker Longshot in a number of online locales. He came by this name in the early 1990′s when he decided he would become a published author. Usually only 3 in 1000 who make such an attempt actually manage to become published; of those, only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. The sale of a second series was the breakthrough that let him beat the long odds against attaining a career as a novelist.
All the same, he refuses to change his nickname.