And here are a couple other pictures I made that I was not able to get up with the first post. The first pic, I'll let you all try to guess what it is. So far, only two have been able to guess correctly. ;)
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Sunday, June 1, 2014
GIMP Cosmic I
After seeing Man of Steel, I had a hankering to create some kind of space art, so I went to GIMP to experiment. This pic came out so good, I thought I would post it on here. I would have posted another one I created, but I'm running into problems trying to upload it. I'll see if I can put it up in another post.
(Image is property of J.M. Christian and may not be reproduced or used without permission.)
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Chapter One Preview: Part Three
And here is the last part of the first chapter I'll be posting. To read the full chapter, you access it here: The Dark Wolf
For a few seconds, Darvir held his ground before breaking eye contact and turning away. “One day you will no longer be able to hold me with that, and when that day comes, you will have no choice but to face me.” Darvir stalked away, slamming the door behind him.
Ruval swore and tightened his fist on the goblet, crushing it in his grasp before tossing it into the fire. He had withdrawn his presence from Darvir's mind, but it was an effort not to inflict him with more than just a simple ache for his little show of defiance. He still required Darvir to complete this mission, but something needed to be done with him after this was over. Darvir was starting to become a bother and not worth the effort to control. It might just be time to get rid of him. Permanently.
***
Through a spell he kept on Darvir's mind, Ruval created a painful sensation throughout his body. It was not strong enough to incapacitate him, but it would certainly remind Darvir of his power and the additional punishment Ruval could give him if he chose to rebel.
For a few seconds, Darvir held his ground before breaking eye contact and turning away. “One day you will no longer be able to hold me with that, and when that day comes, you will have no choice but to face me.” Darvir stalked away, slamming the door behind him.
Ruval swore and tightened his fist on the goblet, crushing it in his grasp before tossing it into the fire. He had withdrawn his presence from Darvir's mind, but it was an effort not to inflict him with more than just a simple ache for his little show of defiance. He still required Darvir to complete this mission, but something needed to be done with him after this was over. Darvir was starting to become a bother and not worth the effort to control. It might just be time to get rid of him. Permanently.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Chapter One Preview: Part Two
And here is a second part. Third and last part I will be posting later. Enjoy. :)
***
Ruval turned his gaze towards the hearth and did not look as the door opened quietly and soft footsteps came towards him. “What took you so long?” Ruval demanded. “Almost fifteen minutes passed before you showed.”
“I apologize for the delay,” a deep voice answered. “I was outside when I got your summons and came as quickly as I could.”
“So you say,” Ruval said wryly. “I‟m sure you spared no time in getting here, assuming you made the effort.”
There was no answer from the speaker. Ruval sighed and waved him forward. “Stop lurking in the background, Darvir, and get over here. I have a task that needs immediate attention.”
A tall brooding man dressed in the same black attire from head to toe came into view. Thick dark hair fell around a face as hard and unreadable as flint, and eyes as blue as the ocean stared at Ruval with a cold light. “What is it?” he asked evenly.
Ruval ignored the undercurrent of irritation he sensed in Darvir‟s voice and leaned back in his chair. “I need you to leave for the Farrand Hills today. You know where that is, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Good. You have maybe two days to get there before a band of riders pass through and join a larger force. I want the smaller band eliminated—every single one of them before they reach the other group. When you are finished, check the saddlebags of a white horse with brown patches on its front legs. You should find a small wooden chest with silver engraved on it. Take nothing else but that, and bring it to me.”
“I see,” Darvir said coldly, his blue eyes flashing with barely suppressed anger. “Another trinket to add to your collection. Why can't I just steal it when they stop to camp for the night?”
Ruval clenched his fist tighter around the goblet. The boy was definitely growing bolder to question his orders. Ordinarily, he would have given Darvir a sharp reprimand to remind him of whom he was dealing with, but Ruval did not care to waste precious time waiting for Darvir to recover when he had such an important task waiting for him to take care of.
Ruval held his temper in check and took another sip of his wine. “I have been monitoring their pace, and seeing as they have not stopped for more than a couple of hours at the most when night comes, I sincerely doubt they will change now, especially when they are so close to their destination. It will be easier to obtain the chest once they arrive at the Farrand Hills.”
“And after I deliver this chest to you, then what?”
“Then you do what you have always done. Wait until I have something else to use you for.”
“What if I don't want to be used anymore?”
Ruval glanced up sharply at Darvir. “That is hardly my concern. Now stop wasting time and get moving.”
“No.”
Ruval froze, unsure if he had heard him correctly. “What did you say?”
“I said, no,” Darvir repeated grimly. His face was set determinedly, and Ruval could see the open defiance in his gaze.
“I don't care about your schemes,” Darvir continued, “and I'm tired of being your personal hound that you set loose on whomever you feel like.”
Ruval was on his feet in an instant, the sudden movement spilling his wine and knocking the chair to the floor. “I don't care what you want, nor am I interested in your feelings,” he snarled. He glared at Darvir with disgust. “Look at you. The power and skill you possess is beyond what any man or even an elf could attain, yet you not only do not care, you would not even use it if I didn't make you.”
“It is something I never wanted.”
“Yes,” Ruval sneered. “I know what it is that you desire. A family, friends—things that only weak, sentimental fools crave.”
“Then I am one of those fools,” Darvir said harshly. “They certainly possess more and live a better life than I do. At least they are free to choose their destiny instead of being bound to serve one man's will.”
Ruval felt his face beginning to grow hot from the rage seething inside him, and he struggled to control himself from physically lashing out at Darvir. “You have wasted enough of my time for today. Now get going and bring me the chest.”
“And if I refuse?” Darvir‟s hands were clenched into tight fists, and he stood there boldly, almost as if daring Ruval to make a move against him. Even though he would not have minded thrashing the boy for his insolence, Ruval could not let anger dictate his actions when so much was at stake.
“If you wish to try rebelling again, I will have to give you another lesson in obedience,” Ruval growled. “I am your master and whether you like it or not, you are mine to command, and you will obey me.”
Monday, May 12, 2014
Chapter One Preview: Part One
I was determined to not miss posting this month, and I succeeded. In this one, I'm giving all of you a look at the first chapter of my book, The Dark Wolf, to read and enjoy. Feel free to leave your opinions and views below. I will post a second part of the chapter later on.
Ruval eyed the clouds with a frown and turned away, not perturbed by the sight. It would be a little while yet before the storm arrived, but it mattered not. The weather would not hinder his plans from going forward.
At last, it will be mine, he thought eagerly. It had taken many years of waiting and searching, but now everything was coming together exactly as he had planned.
Ruval stepped towards a heavy table, darkened with age, on which stood a tall pitcher and a plain bronze goblet. He poured some wine into the goblet before striding over to the fireplace to grab a chunk of wood and toss it into the hearth.
Ruval stirred the ashes with a poker, sending a torrent of sparks flying upward in a lazy spiral almost hypnotizing in their ascent as they glowed brightly for a brief second before winking out. Eventually a small flame flickered weakly and soon grew in strength as it hungrily devoured the wood.
Ruval set the poker back in its place at the hearth‟s side before sitting down in a large black chair. He glanced impatiently at the doors to his left. What was taking the boy so long? He had mind-called him before leaving his study, which would have given him plenty of time to arrive about now if he hurried.
Ruval sipped his wine and drummed the fingers of his right hand irritably on the chair's armrest. Of all the times to dawdle, the boy had to choose today. He used to be more punctual when he had first arrived, fear keeping him from doing anything that might displease him, but over the years, Ruval had watched that fear slowly abate. It was something he was not pleased to see.
After several minutes had passed, a firm knock echoed outside the chamber‟s door, causing Ruval to glance at it crossly. Finally, it had taken him long enough. “Enter,” he commanded.
***
Shadows danced around in a room lit only by dying flames that sputtered weakly in the hearth of a massive fireplace. For several moments, they struggled to keep aflame, but slowly they began to fade until only smoldering embers glinted faintly in the ashes, leaving the room in darkness.
A small red light bloomed to life a few paces away from the hearth, chasing away some of the darkness. It flickered twice before its glow steadied and grew stronger.
The darkness before it parted as a shadow detached itself, gradually morphing into a tall man-shaped figure. It approached the source of the red light—a dark red orb as large as a child‟s toy and set in a niche atop a stone hewn stand—and watched multi-colored pinpricks of light dance across the orb's glassy surface, gradually coalescing into the forms of mounted soldiers.
There were seven of them, each wearing black armor and a dark red cloak with the insignia of a black eagle on their shoulder. They were coated with grime and appeared exhausted, but they rode without pause through a curtain of rain.
The orb continued to show their progress for several minutes more before the scene faded and the light in the orb slowly dimmed, leaving the room in pitch darkness once more.
It fled as drapes along the wall were pulled back, allowing the fading afternoon light to stream in through the beveled window panes and upon the man called Ruval.
He was clothed in a plain black tunic and pants. Thick blond hair edged with grey at the temples was brushed back, revealing a broad face etched with deep, cruel lines. Cold blue eyes watched the dark clouds in the sky that were growing larger.
At last, it will be mine, he thought eagerly. It had taken many years of waiting and searching, but now everything was coming together exactly as he had planned.
Ruval stepped towards a heavy table, darkened with age, on which stood a tall pitcher and a plain bronze goblet. He poured some wine into the goblet before striding over to the fireplace to grab a chunk of wood and toss it into the hearth.
Ruval stirred the ashes with a poker, sending a torrent of sparks flying upward in a lazy spiral almost hypnotizing in their ascent as they glowed brightly for a brief second before winking out. Eventually a small flame flickered weakly and soon grew in strength as it hungrily devoured the wood.
Ruval set the poker back in its place at the hearth‟s side before sitting down in a large black chair. He glanced impatiently at the doors to his left. What was taking the boy so long? He had mind-called him before leaving his study, which would have given him plenty of time to arrive about now if he hurried.
Ruval sipped his wine and drummed the fingers of his right hand irritably on the chair's armrest. Of all the times to dawdle, the boy had to choose today. He used to be more punctual when he had first arrived, fear keeping him from doing anything that might displease him, but over the years, Ruval had watched that fear slowly abate. It was something he was not pleased to see.
After several minutes had passed, a firm knock echoed outside the chamber‟s door, causing Ruval to glance at it crossly. Finally, it had taken him long enough. “Enter,” he commanded.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Sunflower Blogger Award
Yeesh, has it been long. Sorry, for that, folks. I know I promised to post an article on here on how to format your e-book, but due to the fact that I had this tag from Kya Lightwing waiting for me, I posted the article on my other blog which you can read here : http://55darkwolf.wordpress.com/2014/04/12/formatting-tip…book-on-kindle/
(And sorry for the long delay in answering this, Kya.)
So on to the tag. Here are the rules:
Share 11 facts about yourself.
Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.
Nominate 11 bloggers
Make 11 questions for the nominated bloggers.
{Is it just me, or are there a lot of elevens in here? ;)}
And now here are eleven facts about me:
1. I was born in the US.
2. I only have one sibling, a sister.
3. I don’t wear jeans.
4. My main style of writing tends to lean on the dark and gritty side.
5. I’m a collector of Christian fantasy.
6. I do not like e-books.
7. The Underground Holy Worlds forums are my favorite places to hang out.
8. I’m the author of my first published work of fantasy (of which I hope you’ll take a look at ;)).
9. The Dark Knight Rises soundtrack is one of my favorite pieces of music to listen to while writing.
10. GIMP is my favorite tool for making artwork.
11. I’m currently working on the sequel to The Dark Wolf and working on the artwork for it (which I might post the results of on here;) ).
And now for the questions I must answer:
1. What is your favorite food?
That’s hard since I love all of my mom’s cooking. I guess it’s a toss between pizza and rice and beans with chicken.
2. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done while writing?
Can’t really think of anything strange I do except maybe pound the keys of my laptop occasionally in tune to the music. ;)
3. Favorite type of computer?
Laptop.
4. Favorite sport?
Does fencing count?
5. Horses or dogs?
Probably horses. Aside from wolves, I don’t care for many dogs.
6. Did you watch at least some of the Sochi Olympics?
Nope. I was watching the late ‘80s live action Beauty and the Beast at that time.
7. Salt or sugar?
I suppose I would have to pick salt, but I’m really more of a pepper fan.
8. Snow?
Oh, yes. I love snow.
9. Hot or cold?
Cold.
10. Favorite genre to write in?
Fantasy, of course. :)
11. Favorite horse? (by name)
I’m not an expert on horses, but I think it’s a toss between an Arabian and those Belgian ones.
As for tagging, whoever reads this, just consider yourself tagged. :)
And now for my questions:
What is your favorite fictional superhero?
If you could have one wish in the whole world granted to you, what would you wish for?
What’s your favorite movie for 2013?
Dragons or elves?
Paperback or e-book?
Assuming you’ve watched the film called The Avengers, which is your favorite Avenger?
What kind of music do you like to listen to while writing? (assuming you listen to any)
What’s your favorite animal?
How would you describe your personality?
A vacation in Ireland, or one in Florida?
Lord of the Rings or The Berinfell Prophecies?
(And sorry for the long delay in answering this, Kya.)
So on to the tag. Here are the rules:
Share 11 facts about yourself.
Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.
Nominate 11 bloggers
Make 11 questions for the nominated bloggers.
{Is it just me, or are there a lot of elevens in here? ;)}
And now here are eleven facts about me:
1. I was born in the US.
2. I only have one sibling, a sister.
3. I don’t wear jeans.
4. My main style of writing tends to lean on the dark and gritty side.
5. I’m a collector of Christian fantasy.
6. I do not like e-books.
7. The Underground Holy Worlds forums are my favorite places to hang out.
8. I’m the author of my first published work of fantasy (of which I hope you’ll take a look at ;)).
9. The Dark Knight Rises soundtrack is one of my favorite pieces of music to listen to while writing.
10. GIMP is my favorite tool for making artwork.
11. I’m currently working on the sequel to The Dark Wolf and working on the artwork for it (which I might post the results of on here;) ).
And now for the questions I must answer:
1. What is your favorite food?
That’s hard since I love all of my mom’s cooking. I guess it’s a toss between pizza and rice and beans with chicken.
2. What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done while writing?
Can’t really think of anything strange I do except maybe pound the keys of my laptop occasionally in tune to the music. ;)
3. Favorite type of computer?
Laptop.
4. Favorite sport?
Does fencing count?
5. Horses or dogs?
Probably horses. Aside from wolves, I don’t care for many dogs.
6. Did you watch at least some of the Sochi Olympics?
Nope. I was watching the late ‘80s live action Beauty and the Beast at that time.
7. Salt or sugar?
I suppose I would have to pick salt, but I’m really more of a pepper fan.
8. Snow?
Oh, yes. I love snow.
9. Hot or cold?
Cold.
10. Favorite genre to write in?
Fantasy, of course. :)
11. Favorite horse? (by name)
I’m not an expert on horses, but I think it’s a toss between an Arabian and those Belgian ones.
As for tagging, whoever reads this, just consider yourself tagged. :)
And now for my questions:
What is your favorite fictional superhero?
If you could have one wish in the whole world granted to you, what would you wish for?
What’s your favorite movie for 2013?
Dragons or elves?
Paperback or e-book?
Assuming you’ve watched the film called The Avengers, which is your favorite Avenger?
What kind of music do you like to listen to while writing? (assuming you listen to any)
What’s your favorite animal?
How would you describe your personality?
A vacation in Ireland, or one in Florida?
Lord of the Rings or The Berinfell Prophecies?
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Ready to rock once more
As those of you who have been following my blog know, I was forced to take down the e-book of my book, The Dark Wolf, due to multiple formatting errors. After a few days of tinkering with it, I got it back up and running a couple days ago, this time error free. I will admit, this whole thing has been a huge learning process and MORE than a good bit of work. But the pain in my eyeballs from staring at the screen too long, and the general frustration when I saw another snag that needed to be corrected was worth it to finally have this DONE. Now, due to the formatting I used, when you go to Amazon and press the 'Click to View Inside' it won't show any page breaks. This is not due to any formatting errors on my part. I recently learned that this feature Amazon has carries a few bugs, so unless you have really complex formatting, the page breaks won't show. Seeing as how I'm not into making things harder than they need to, I opted to go with the simpler formatting that still delivers great results.
Those page breaks are there and will show with the e-book itself when you purchase it, so don't worry. I checked with several authors to be sure of this, and each one verified it. If you wish to be sure, just download the free sample Amazon provides which is located to the right of the page.
So anyway, here's the link, (again) and when you buy the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HSTAVIM
And on a sidenote, for my next post, I will leave a few helpful tips on how to format your own e-book. God knows, after what I went through, I want to make sure you guys have enough info so you can avoid the pitfalls.
Those page breaks are there and will show with the e-book itself when you purchase it, so don't worry. I checked with several authors to be sure of this, and each one verified it. If you wish to be sure, just download the free sample Amazon provides which is located to the right of the page.
So anyway, here's the link, (again) and when you buy the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HSTAVIM
And on a sidenote, for my next post, I will leave a few helpful tips on how to format your own e-book. God knows, after what I went through, I want to make sure you guys have enough info so you can avoid the pitfalls.
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