The day has finally arrived. My 2nd novel Zoolin Vale the Chalice of Ringtar has officially been released into the wild. It will only be available from my publisher's website at first, but will filter through to Amazon and book sites worldwide in a week or so.
To mark the occasion here's an alternative book blurb to the book by Gordon Williams of Babora Books
A thief in the night. A missing sacred artifact. An evil warlord from ancient history. A mysterious black hawk. These are only a few of the problems facing Tennen, the newly appointed Lord Protector of Melin. Thrown into a desperate race against time, Tennen must take up the pursuit wherever it takes him.
Meanwhile, searching for his lost family in a war torn land, Devlin finds a little more than he bargained for, something that will change his life forever.
Zoolin Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar is an epic fantasy filled with strange beings, quests, magic, battles, danger and tests of loyalty. It will keep you guessing every step of the way!
You can directly purchase the book here
Or keep up to date with by following the Facebook page here
The Fantasy/Reality World of a Writer
Friday, 10 December 2010
Saturday, 4 December 2010
Just 6 days to go!
Just 6 days to go until my 2nd novel Zoolin Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar is released. Pretty excited about it. I feel this book will do better than my first. Have a few reviews coming up on a number of blogs and even on the Exclusive Books website. I will keep you guys updated as things progress, but if you would like to catch up you can go through my last few posts to see the back cover blurb, reviewer blurbs and an excerpt from the book.
Friday, 26 November 2010
A short excerpt from Zoolin Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar
Just two weeks away from the release of my 2nd novel Zoolin Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar.
Here's a little excerpt from the book. Let me know what you think.
Berrinn took the liberty of flying faster this time. When they were about halfway, Berrinn came to a sudden and abrupt halt. The dragon roared in surprise. Something in the water had shot up and grabbed his leg. Captain Norton was seated at the back not holding on very tight. He lost his grip and flew forwards. Berrinn’s back suddenly tilted precariously. Captain Norton flew over Rimotar’s head and over the side. At the last possible moment, Tennen grabbed his arm and a loud cracking noise echoed through the air. He slammed into the dragon’s side. Tennen leaned over and pulled Captain Norton back onto the dragon’s back. Berrinn was doing all he could to stay airborne.
“Hold on!” Tennen had been shaken to the core by the sudden stop.
More tentacles emerged from the water. The strong, slimy appendages snaked around, trying to get a hold of them and pull them to the murky depths below. Berrinn had a monstrous time keeping them up in the air. The tentacles were a dark putrid green with even darker green spots. The water below swirled and turned into a whirlpool. Sharp teeth surfaced out of the water, these teeth belonged to a big round gaping mouth, which opened and shut thunderously. The lake monster sucked in tremendous amounts of water and pumped it out of its massive gills, producing jets of water that flowed out from its sides.
Tennen unsheathed his sword and maneuvered himself to cut them away.
One of the tentacles reached for Rimotar. It was as if the tentacle had eyes of its own. Undaunted, Rimotar pushed it away with his wizard's staff. The tentacle wasn't deterred and returned for more. Using a quick spell Rimotar turned the tentacle into ice; taking a mighty swing, he smashed it to bits. There was a slight utter of annoyance from the mouth below.
Tennen maneuvered into a better position and managed to cut one tentacle in half. More rose up to try to pull them under. With every limb that was bashed or cut away the creature got more agitated and its attack more frenzied.
Captain Norton was clutching to Rimotar’s robe with his one good arm and gritted his teeth over the pain in his other.
“Berrinn, this isn't looking good,” called Tennen.
"Don't worry, nothing that we can’t handle," the dragon replied confidently. Tennen couldn't help but notice that Berrinn didn't fully believe his words. In that an emotion of fright had been transferred between them and the mind link. Tennen gritted his teeth, he was determined to not let his friend down.
A tentacle grabbed Berrinn’s other leg. The dragon flapped his wings harder, stretching the arms of the gaping mouthed monster. Berrinn wrung out every ounce of energy he had left. They heard and felt a horrendous tearing as if the monster had been torn from its hold to the bottom of the lake.
The dragon hoisted the lake creature into the air. Its body was egg shaped with green tendril like roots that must have clung to the lake bed. These roots were torn to shreds.
The creature wheezed like an old windbag. They rose higher and higher into the air. The creature, enraged and dying, pulled closer towards Tennen and the others.
Here's a little excerpt from the book. Let me know what you think.
Berrinn took the liberty of flying faster this time. When they were about halfway, Berrinn came to a sudden and abrupt halt. The dragon roared in surprise. Something in the water had shot up and grabbed his leg. Captain Norton was seated at the back not holding on very tight. He lost his grip and flew forwards. Berrinn’s back suddenly tilted precariously. Captain Norton flew over Rimotar’s head and over the side. At the last possible moment, Tennen grabbed his arm and a loud cracking noise echoed through the air. He slammed into the dragon’s side. Tennen leaned over and pulled Captain Norton back onto the dragon’s back. Berrinn was doing all he could to stay airborne.
“Hold on!” Tennen had been shaken to the core by the sudden stop.
More tentacles emerged from the water. The strong, slimy appendages snaked around, trying to get a hold of them and pull them to the murky depths below. Berrinn had a monstrous time keeping them up in the air. The tentacles were a dark putrid green with even darker green spots. The water below swirled and turned into a whirlpool. Sharp teeth surfaced out of the water, these teeth belonged to a big round gaping mouth, which opened and shut thunderously. The lake monster sucked in tremendous amounts of water and pumped it out of its massive gills, producing jets of water that flowed out from its sides.
Tennen unsheathed his sword and maneuvered himself to cut them away.
One of the tentacles reached for Rimotar. It was as if the tentacle had eyes of its own. Undaunted, Rimotar pushed it away with his wizard's staff. The tentacle wasn't deterred and returned for more. Using a quick spell Rimotar turned the tentacle into ice; taking a mighty swing, he smashed it to bits. There was a slight utter of annoyance from the mouth below.
Tennen maneuvered into a better position and managed to cut one tentacle in half. More rose up to try to pull them under. With every limb that was bashed or cut away the creature got more agitated and its attack more frenzied.
Captain Norton was clutching to Rimotar’s robe with his one good arm and gritted his teeth over the pain in his other.
“Berrinn, this isn't looking good,” called Tennen.
"Don't worry, nothing that we can’t handle," the dragon replied confidently. Tennen couldn't help but notice that Berrinn didn't fully believe his words. In that an emotion of fright had been transferred between them and the mind link. Tennen gritted his teeth, he was determined to not let his friend down.
A tentacle grabbed Berrinn’s other leg. The dragon flapped his wings harder, stretching the arms of the gaping mouthed monster. Berrinn wrung out every ounce of energy he had left. They heard and felt a horrendous tearing as if the monster had been torn from its hold to the bottom of the lake.
The dragon hoisted the lake creature into the air. Its body was egg shaped with green tendril like roots that must have clung to the lake bed. These roots were torn to shreds.
The creature wheezed like an old windbag. They rose higher and higher into the air. The creature, enraged and dying, pulled closer towards Tennen and the others.
Thursday, 18 November 2010
Zoolin Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar Release Information
Hello Everyone,
My second novel Zoolin Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar is going to be released in one month's time! (10th December 2010)
Here's the back cover blurb:
A thief in the night. A missing sacred artifact. An evil warlord from ancient history, out to rule the world. These are only a few of the problems facing Tennen, the newly appointed Lord Protector of Melin. Thrown into a desperate race against time, Tennen, his dragon friend Berrinn, and his men chase the thief and his mysterious companion over land and sea to a cursed island where they try to wrench the Chalice of Ringtar from the enemy’s hands before it’s too late. All while under the watchful eye of a mysterious black hawk.
Meanwhile, searching for his family that had been taken from their home by the enemy during the war in Elfwood, Devlin and his friends face mounting danger as they travel through war torn Welkland to find them. Battling ogres, befriending a rambunctious imp, and even competing for the crown of Welkland in a grand contest, Devlin finds a little more than he bargained for, something that will change his life forever.
What others have to say about the book:
“A vivid fantasy world. A classic quest adventure. If you like Dungeons & Dragons, you will love what Craig Smith has to offer.”
Herbie Brennan, author of the New York Times best-selling Faerie Wars series.
http://www.herbiebrennan.com/
"An enjoyable read - highly recommended for fans of Fantasy novels" - Lood du Plessis, Exclus1ves.co.za
Lood's Blog
"Craig's prose is deceptive in its simplicity, giving his characters layers of emotion, which also makes Zoolin Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar a quick and refreshingly honest Fantasy." - Davebrendon's Fantasy & Sci-Fi Weblog
http://davebrendon.wordpress.com/
Don't have the amazon link just yet but will post it with other bookseller links as soon as I get them.
Here's the fan page: http://on.fb.me/zoolinvale
You can also pre-order the book directly from the Publisher's website! http://bit.ly/zoolinsg
Or you could purchase The Red Stone. My first novel and the prequel to Zoolin Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar from:
Exclus1ves (South Africa) only R107
Amazon US
Amazon UK
The Red Stone FB page
If you have any questions or would like to interview me, feature the book, or review the book please contact me through FB or my email: zoolinvale (at) gmail (dot) com
I hope you enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed writing it,
Craig
My second novel Zoolin Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar is going to be released in one month's time! (10th December 2010)
Here's the back cover blurb:
A thief in the night. A missing sacred artifact. An evil warlord from ancient history, out to rule the world. These are only a few of the problems facing Tennen, the newly appointed Lord Protector of Melin. Thrown into a desperate race against time, Tennen, his dragon friend Berrinn, and his men chase the thief and his mysterious companion over land and sea to a cursed island where they try to wrench the Chalice of Ringtar from the enemy’s hands before it’s too late. All while under the watchful eye of a mysterious black hawk.
Meanwhile, searching for his family that had been taken from their home by the enemy during the war in Elfwood, Devlin and his friends face mounting danger as they travel through war torn Welkland to find them. Battling ogres, befriending a rambunctious imp, and even competing for the crown of Welkland in a grand contest, Devlin finds a little more than he bargained for, something that will change his life forever.
What others have to say about the book:
“A vivid fantasy world. A classic quest adventure. If you like Dungeons & Dragons, you will love what Craig Smith has to offer.”
Herbie Brennan, author of the New York Times best-selling Faerie Wars series.
http://www.herbiebrennan.com/
"An enjoyable read - highly recommended for fans of Fantasy novels" - Lood du Plessis, Exclus1ves.co.za
Lood's Blog
"Craig's prose is deceptive in its simplicity, giving his characters layers of emotion, which also makes Zoolin Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar a quick and refreshingly honest Fantasy." - Davebrendon's Fantasy & Sci-Fi Weblog
http://davebrendon.wordpress.com/
Don't have the amazon link just yet but will post it with other bookseller links as soon as I get them.
Here's the fan page: http://on.fb.me/zoolinvale
You can also pre-order the book directly from the Publisher's website! http://bit.ly/zoolinsg
Or you could purchase The Red Stone. My first novel and the prequel to Zoolin Vale and the Chalice of Ringtar from:
Exclus1ves (South Africa) only R107
Amazon US
Amazon UK
The Red Stone FB page
If you have any questions or would like to interview me, feature the book, or review the book please contact me through FB or my email: zoolinvale (at) gmail (dot) com
I hope you enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed writing it,
Craig
Saturday, 16 October 2010
My Third #FridayFlash - Steamed
WARNING: Story has only been proofread a couple of times. Wrote it yesterday.
Brian woke to a crashing sound. It sounded like his cabin was being squeezed inside a giant vice. He rolled off his bunk to the floor, and fell off his feet as the ship swayed violently. It was a lucky coincidence because at that same moment the whole ship began to tilt even more wildly out of control.
Instincts kicking in, he grabbed a hold of the nearest object: a medium sized wooden chest full of his personal belongings. Holding on for his life the cabin suddenly rocked in the opposite direction and did a full somersault. The cabin fell apart under the pressure and to his amazement he splashed into the water; cutting and banging himself badly on the wooden chest and debris.
He collected himself and tried to recover from the shock. Brian was surprised to discover the sea was relatively calm. Still dark, he couldn't see what had happened to his ship. Debris and parts of the ship floated all around him. Clinging tightly to the chest he paddled around. Taking a three sixty degree view of the area. The sun was just rising on the horizon.
His jaw dropped as he took in what was looming up over him a few hundred yards away. It was a galleon style ship, but so different to any he had seen before. Stretching out from its sides were massive steel arms with deadly looking claw like pincers on the ends. Pincers large enough to grab his humble fishing boat and toss it to the heavens.
Hoping not to be spotted he dropped behind his chest and held onto the handle. Now that things had settled he could hear the steam powered engines of the ship chuffing along. Minutes of nerve wracking tension eked on by, just as he thought he might be in the clear the chest began to rise up into the air. Within seconds he was above the ship's deck, he dropped down and landed with a thud. Moments later the chest was unceremoniously dropped from the pincer. Crashing to the floor and splitting open in front of him.
Soaking wet, Brian breathed in deeply and out, trying to gauge what he should do next. He contemplated diving overboard, but facing the crew of the ship seemed like a better prospect than being deserted and left to be eaten by sharks. Out of nowhere something whizzed at his head. Not seeing it in time Brian got another scrape along the side of his head to add to his other injuries.
“Stowaway! Stowaway!” squawked what looked like a parrot, but it was like no parrot he had ever seen. It seemed to be half bird and half machine.
Brian quickly snatched up the lid of the chest in case it came in for another attack. He watched as it flew up and landed on what only could be described as a pirate. But like the parrot there was something very peculiar about the individual. Not only exceedingly tall he was also part machine. Cogs, gears and cams could be seen whizzing around in the man's artificial right arm and left leg. All the enhancements as you might call them were bronze in colour. It matched the plate that covered the top left hand side of his face. A big gleaming red eye stood out in centre of the plate. The pirate's gaze bored into the back of Brian's head.
He had only been the cook on the ship, and he was normally the one who took things lightly or shrugged things off, but this time he wasn't going to stand aside and let life do with him as it pleased. This time he was going to make his will and desires count. Besides he had baked a delicious rhubarb pie the night before and he was looking forward to serving it to the rest of the crew in the morning. That had all been changed by this hideous pirate and his flying bag of bolts.
“I thought we killed them all,” sighed the pirate as if Brian was little more than an insect that had to be stomped on. “See to it will you Nicodemus.”
“I will see to you, you rotten dirt bag!” shouted Brian charging forward with his lid in hand.
Brian swung savagely with all his strength at the pirate. Undeterred the heavily scarred man raised his mechanical arm. The already damaged lid smashed to pieces harmlessly off the man's mechanical arm.
Defending its master the parrot went for Brian's face. It dug its claws into Brian's skin as he backed away trying to swat it off. Wiping away the blood now pouring down his face with one hand Brian used his other hand to grab the parrot firmly by the neck. It squawked and protested loudly as he ripped it away from his face. Intense pain shot through his left eye as the parrot pecked wildly at his eye as Brian pulled it away. Enraged Brian grabbed the evil parrot with both hands and rung its neck. Its red eye slowly faded away to darkness.
“No!” boomed the pirate. “Not Niccy!”
He wasn't sure if it was the pain or the adrenaline that was driving him on, but Brian felt positively invigorated. The insidious pirate lunged forward shouting like a mad man. Seeing the dagger he kept in his chest shining in the morning sun Brian snatched it up, and shoved it into the pirate's chest. Choking on his own blood the pirate collapsed to the floor.
Free to roam Brian discovered that the pirate had run the ship on his own. Piles of junk and loot crowded most of the monstrosity of a ship. Under it all he found a usable kitchen.
Surveying the seas before him Brian took another mouthful of meat. It wasn't rhubarb pie, but he had to admit Nicodemus tasted rather good.
With the ship and all the equipment at hand he contemplated becoming a pirate himself. A less ruthless pirate, but a pirate none the less. He wondered if “One-eye Bri” would be a fitting name?
The End
Brian woke to a crashing sound. It sounded like his cabin was being squeezed inside a giant vice. He rolled off his bunk to the floor, and fell off his feet as the ship swayed violently. It was a lucky coincidence because at that same moment the whole ship began to tilt even more wildly out of control.
Instincts kicking in, he grabbed a hold of the nearest object: a medium sized wooden chest full of his personal belongings. Holding on for his life the cabin suddenly rocked in the opposite direction and did a full somersault. The cabin fell apart under the pressure and to his amazement he splashed into the water; cutting and banging himself badly on the wooden chest and debris.
He collected himself and tried to recover from the shock. Brian was surprised to discover the sea was relatively calm. Still dark, he couldn't see what had happened to his ship. Debris and parts of the ship floated all around him. Clinging tightly to the chest he paddled around. Taking a three sixty degree view of the area. The sun was just rising on the horizon.
His jaw dropped as he took in what was looming up over him a few hundred yards away. It was a galleon style ship, but so different to any he had seen before. Stretching out from its sides were massive steel arms with deadly looking claw like pincers on the ends. Pincers large enough to grab his humble fishing boat and toss it to the heavens.
Hoping not to be spotted he dropped behind his chest and held onto the handle. Now that things had settled he could hear the steam powered engines of the ship chuffing along. Minutes of nerve wracking tension eked on by, just as he thought he might be in the clear the chest began to rise up into the air. Within seconds he was above the ship's deck, he dropped down and landed with a thud. Moments later the chest was unceremoniously dropped from the pincer. Crashing to the floor and splitting open in front of him.
Soaking wet, Brian breathed in deeply and out, trying to gauge what he should do next. He contemplated diving overboard, but facing the crew of the ship seemed like a better prospect than being deserted and left to be eaten by sharks. Out of nowhere something whizzed at his head. Not seeing it in time Brian got another scrape along the side of his head to add to his other injuries.
“Stowaway! Stowaway!” squawked what looked like a parrot, but it was like no parrot he had ever seen. It seemed to be half bird and half machine.
Brian quickly snatched up the lid of the chest in case it came in for another attack. He watched as it flew up and landed on what only could be described as a pirate. But like the parrot there was something very peculiar about the individual. Not only exceedingly tall he was also part machine. Cogs, gears and cams could be seen whizzing around in the man's artificial right arm and left leg. All the enhancements as you might call them were bronze in colour. It matched the plate that covered the top left hand side of his face. A big gleaming red eye stood out in centre of the plate. The pirate's gaze bored into the back of Brian's head.
He had only been the cook on the ship, and he was normally the one who took things lightly or shrugged things off, but this time he wasn't going to stand aside and let life do with him as it pleased. This time he was going to make his will and desires count. Besides he had baked a delicious rhubarb pie the night before and he was looking forward to serving it to the rest of the crew in the morning. That had all been changed by this hideous pirate and his flying bag of bolts.
“I thought we killed them all,” sighed the pirate as if Brian was little more than an insect that had to be stomped on. “See to it will you Nicodemus.”
“I will see to you, you rotten dirt bag!” shouted Brian charging forward with his lid in hand.
Brian swung savagely with all his strength at the pirate. Undeterred the heavily scarred man raised his mechanical arm. The already damaged lid smashed to pieces harmlessly off the man's mechanical arm.
Defending its master the parrot went for Brian's face. It dug its claws into Brian's skin as he backed away trying to swat it off. Wiping away the blood now pouring down his face with one hand Brian used his other hand to grab the parrot firmly by the neck. It squawked and protested loudly as he ripped it away from his face. Intense pain shot through his left eye as the parrot pecked wildly at his eye as Brian pulled it away. Enraged Brian grabbed the evil parrot with both hands and rung its neck. Its red eye slowly faded away to darkness.
“No!” boomed the pirate. “Not Niccy!”
He wasn't sure if it was the pain or the adrenaline that was driving him on, but Brian felt positively invigorated. The insidious pirate lunged forward shouting like a mad man. Seeing the dagger he kept in his chest shining in the morning sun Brian snatched it up, and shoved it into the pirate's chest. Choking on his own blood the pirate collapsed to the floor.
Free to roam Brian discovered that the pirate had run the ship on his own. Piles of junk and loot crowded most of the monstrosity of a ship. Under it all he found a usable kitchen.
Surveying the seas before him Brian took another mouthful of meat. It wasn't rhubarb pie, but he had to admit Nicodemus tasted rather good.
With the ship and all the equipment at hand he contemplated becoming a pirate himself. A less ruthless pirate, but a pirate none the less. He wondered if “One-eye Bri” would be a fitting name?
The End
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