Author: TJ Edwards

The Lands of Anglia

Through the snow covered trees and far up the rocky mountain side, a society of men and women live in seclusion. They are considered thieves and barbarians, as they are among the only remaining creatures that still warship the animals they hunt and feed upon. Their homes are made of stone and ice, to shield them from the harsh climate however their weapons are made of wintersteel, a metal so cold that it regains its chill even after smelting. The barbarians are considered one of the first people in the land of Anglia and have lived in the mountains for centuries. They dare not stray from their gods of the hunt, strength, fertility and justice and nor do they stray from their star forge, where the suns rays radiate down through a large transparent rock wall to melt even the strongest and coldest of ores.

Meanwhile in the south, the lush green pastures and rolling hills are dotted with small inns and farms, leading to a great kingdom where heroes are born and legends are truth. The tall walled city of Ritharlia stands tall over the beautiful emerald forest surrounding it, its gorgeous white walls almost glowing in the sunlight. The city’s nightstone tiled roofs give the city a rich yet ominous feeling, as the dark blue color almost absorbs the light during the day. Some even say within the city’s walls it is darker than outside of them. The people inside the city range from the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich. As Ritharlia stands in the middle of the contintent, it has become a trade hub for people from the port city further south or the people who dare come down from the northlands.

FInally the port city of Makta, is considered the gem of Anglia. Those from around the world know and have heard of Makta’s crystal clear waters and ports with fish so plentiful you can scoop them up with a rope and bucket. Considered to be the newest of the three major civilizations in Anglia, Makta was founded as a branch out to the nearby continent of Loras. When trade between the two continents exploded, Makta grew from the ship building dock it had began as into a larger area of commerce. Some even say the merchants who watch over the port wield more power and wealth than the high lord of Ritharlia.

Hidden away deep in the expansive forest surrounding Ritharlia lies the royal ancient forest. The forest is known to the barbarians as Sojourn. This is the place they believe the gods had come to stay before the white walls of the kingdom rose from the trees. It was once rumored a weapon of immense power was left in the hands of mortals and that the lineage of the Ritharlia has been defending it for centuries. That weapon was left behind in case the balance between the light and the darkness ever shifted unevenly. Only one with a true heart and neutral mind could wield the blade.

Tales of a once great city beneath the sea have been told for as long as the northlands have had pictures to convey stories. However, the mystery surrounding this city which had never been seen again is often regarded as tales or legend. The tales speak of the link between the elements and their respective ancient temples, and how the Altar of Agua is directly linked to those folk of the sea. However the ancient lores spoke of these temples and altars, yet despite the many adventures to find them, none have ever been found.

A final lore revolves around the Triad. Also known as the harmony, the Triad consists of three beings of immense spiritual power in: Discipline, Wisdom, Courage. There are many relics surrounding this relationship, however when the world is in complete and utter jeopardy, will the three align and beat back the evils to restore balance. No matter who, or what they may be.

*Three Short Introductions coming soon*

I've Landed! …in the iBookstore!

So after spending one night typing, copying and pasting over my Mac keyboard, I have finally found myself actually submitting a short story (thirty six pages of short) through the iBookstore and seeing it “published” to the masses. By masses, I mean Apple Users. By Apple Users, I mean only those who own an iPad. Well, lesson learned. I’ll work on getting it into more places as the process was interesting enough to learn and simple enough for anyone to complete. 

In case you’re interested in the finished product, click this link and remember… only available for iPad. Not sure if its available for Mac as well, so please if you download it to one of those… let me know!

Currently making some decent headway on the novel of doom… I’d rip the remainder of my hair out, but I’m already bald. There are some definite gaps and some actual moments of decent writing. I originally was worried, but some spans of writing are quality. After reading a bit, I forgot I was supposed to be editing and just kept reading. Hopefully that’s a good sign! Either way, that’ll hopefully be ready for the end of the month, if not then the new year!

Also, it appears my PDF version has gone live as well (Whoo more exposure!) but the ePUB version is broken virtually beyond repair (It took 37 pages and turned it into 1373 pages… I’m definitely not editing that). That link is over here and if you like it, please share it freely. After all, I made it free so I could get more feedback on my writing style (and to see if I have one).

Well, once again, it is past that midnight mark and I am growing tired. Looks like tonight was no time spent on the ole novel of doom, however I did watch Thor (which was awesome) and got my story more audience. All in all? Win! I just have to stay away from eBay… that place eats not only time, but money too! Take care out there, and thank you for your kind support! Also, if there is a format you’d like to see for future (or this) story, let me know!

Distractions Abound

As a man who when he puts his mind to anything, can most accomplish that said thing, I have the amazing ability to become absorbed into the many distractions that life has. In fact when it came time to figure out what to do today I simply sat down, laptop and book in hand, and loaded up facebook and email straight out of habit. That being said today has been a busy day with a Christening and Reception, and finally seeing the litter of puppies I’ve chosen my new pup out of. My god, it is hard to choose when all of them are half a foot of adorable.

Also, puppies are now on the list of distractions. As of December 7th, I will be the proud new owner of a miniature dachshund and he is a sleepy little pup. In fact all I can think about is how awesome it will be to have him come to my house, cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war (pun intended). Although I know he will take away from the millions of other things I would love to achieve, at the same time, he is my first pet ever so it will be an interesting experience overall!

Batman has taken a back burner, as well as Pokemon… and I judge myself for not devoting more time to these games I love. Especially when I know the PS4 is coming out soon as well as the new Zelda 3DS I’ve already slapped a deposit down on. At the moment, not having kids means getting virtually everything I want, so there is no rush on that! Probably should put more focus into editing my story, but going over it with a fine tooth comb has been rough. Editing is always the hardest part and ensuring that you haven’t let anything out. I think my goal is instead of NaNoWriMo, I’ll give myself until the end of November to complete the edit and pass it off to the first person to read it: My Lovely GIrlfriend. She has been patiently awaiting the moment she is allowed to read my story, so before any editors or anything… she’s first (And she can catch the mistakes I didn’t and ask the questions I knew the answers to).

Waiting for my iBook short story to be published has been a harrowing experience as I check for myself every single day to see if my story is up. There are a few people wanting to reread it and the presentation is crisp and clear with the iBook Author program. The price is free so everyone may enjoy the story but I am hoping that because it is free that I will get much more feedback and thus make myself a better writer! (I hope it’s not soul crushing…)

Lastly my obsession with the silk bound book has reached new heights as I attempt to hunt down the final three in the “Art of” series by Watkins Publishing. I am currently hunting “The Art of Strategy, The Art of Love and The Art of the Samurai.” I am torn on the Art of the Kamasutra as it doesn’t fit in with the others in my opinion. But also, it would complete the set… so… I blame Pokemon for needing to catch em all!

Lastly I need some new music… I need to renew my free JB HI FI NOW subscription as the last one ran out, but I used that thing all the time and now I don’t know what I did without it! My latest obsession is Nero’s Doomsday from the end of The World’s End trailer (which I still have to see!) but for some strange reason I feel compelled to… exercise… damn you dubstep, damn you.

On a final note, I dreamt the other night that my free iBook took off and got a huge cult following, people loved it and eventually I was involved in making a movie out of it. In my dream I was giving an interview about why I chose to give it away for free when I said the most pompous and arrogant thing I’ve ever said, dream or otherwise: Stories should be told, not sold. Sadly, the people loved it, and then it became my thing that all my stories were free and everyone and their friends downloaded them, but I made all my money from merchandise and movie rights. Not a bad business plan, maybe I’ll stick with the concept… but drop the higher than other author attitude. No one would like that guy! Anyway feel free to check out the last few posts for a retrospective and a poll!

Creative work… coming soon…

Without Looking Back, How Can We Go Forward?

Today’s post is a bit of a retrospective on this very blog here. Some followers are new and some have been around a while, but either way this will be a post gateway into the start of projects of the past (As some may resurrect soon) so with that in mind! Let’s hop into ye ole writing DeLorean and take a journey down memory lane! Also, we will take a brief look into the (hopefully) very near future with some projects that are nearing completion as well as some that are… moving along in the direction of completion! Without further ado…

The very first post just over two years ago was one that began as a self reflection post about who I am and how I came to be this way. This culminated into an eight post series into my history and life. If you haven’t read them, feel free as you’ll learn a bit about me.

Into the Looking Glass: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight.

Then I wrote many a writing and struggling writer post for support and to reaffirm what I’d learned. Eventually that lead to the episodic content short story entitled Unbiased Law about a robot detective who was struggling to solve a crime and got in way over his head. Have a read!

Unbiased Law:  One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Finale.

Wow, I didn’t remember writing so many of those! Perhaps I’ll edit those and make them into a free eBook for all my adoring fans (out there… somewhere…). Either way, Episodic content became a fun addition to this blog and I enjoyed writing it so the trend suddenly started! It made sense for a blog so that way it was easier to plan my next post… also I treated it kind of like a radio drama! My next story began as the winner of a poll I had put out there to the readers. Super Zero was the story of a child going through the growing pains of attending school. Perhaps the story was too familiar or perhaps it wasn’t my most inspiring work, but it did fizzle off as something better appeared on the horizon.

Super Zero: The Start of Something New, Land of the Bullies, The “After Math”, Tale of the Green Ranger, A Cape of Courage, Girl With the Tangled Hair, After School Special, Eccentricity, Return of the Phantom in the Closet

As I continued writing I decided that the Film Noir feel of Unbiased Law and the Campy feel of Super Zero weren’t to my tastes at the moment so I started heading into a different direction. I began to write about a secret society of Super Heroes that experienced a death in the team. It was more drama than I’d really written before, so as it was my first venture into that subject matter, I don’t feel as though it was my best work.

Heroisms: Immortality, Nemesis, Sacrifice, Achilles Heel, Choice, Destiny, Impervious, Disguise, Vengeance.

Then I revisited an idea I will probably revisit a million times, the concept of a mediocre assassin trying to break into the world top ten. As a character scraping to get by, this modern day assassin is both cynical and demanding of sympathy. Everyone can relate to the everyday struggles, his are just actual physical struggles. I may bring old Sherman or Brad back out of retirement. I’d love to know what you think!

Middle Class Assassin: Tough Times, A Life of Routine, The Recruitment Process

Also there are loads of short stories and ideas and concepts littered through the hundred and some odd posts on here. If you’re new, drop me an email or comment! I’d love to hear from you!

In closing I have one last update to bring to you: My short story, Circle of Vengeance, is in the processing to be available for download through the Apple iBookstore in hopefully another week! This is hopefully the beginning of something good and either way at least it gets my name out there so when I finish my actual novel, I can link it back to that and hopefully it’ll drum up some buzz! Either way, I’ll let you all know when it hits the store and I will post again tomorrow, roughly same Battime, same Batblog. (I’ve been playing too much Batman.)

Games: Why Buy At Launch?

So, for those of you who know me… I am a gamer through and through. I buy games on launch to aid in the ever growing quest for publishers to have “great launches”. I don’t know if this legitimately helps them, but I feel better knowing I support the things I love. I do the same with movies, and this rant applies to both. As an avid supporter of the realm of media (digital or otherwise) I find myself at a crossroads where I never would have guessed I’d be.

I am slowly not buying games at launch.

Why you ask? Well I’m glad you did!

You see, it has become trend that not only do games drop in price or trade ins arrive after a game has been out for awhile but the person who picks it up on day one loses out on getting the whole package. Let’s use Skyrim for instance. I love Skyrim, so much to do, so much to explore and never quite the same experience twice. However I bought this game at launch. Got the game, no special edition, no downloadable content, not a thing extra. Then they announce some downloadable content, which after paying ninety dollars for my game they now would like an additional five or ten dollars. More content? More money. Even more content? Sweet! More money. So if you were the poor sucker who bought the game at launch and got all the content, you spent close to one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty dollars.

Ok, so you really loved the game. It was worth one hundred and thirty to you. Fair enough. Great game, great story. Then as a slap in the face they release everything you bought for a third of the price. Thanks for the giant slap in the face. So what I’ve been asking myself is this: Why buy a game at launch that you can buy in say a year’s time and get all the content for cheaper? I’d rather have the full experience than the expensive episodic experience.

So the problem is pretty apparent, game companies for some strange, unknown reason are slowly conditioning us to not buy their games at launch. They don’t see it now, but I can assure you I’m not the only person out there with this mentality. I have spoken with multiple people who refuse to preorder when they will wait until they can get the “full game” in a bundle or pack. Yeah, it is going swell for companies right now while people are coming to their senses… but parents are going to stop buying brand new, gamers are going to hold off and all it’s going to take is some time.

Assassin’s Creed IV just came out. It looks nifty. I’ll pick it up when it has a GOTY or Platinum Hits All included edition. I preordered the collectors edition of Batman because that statue of Batman and Joker rocked my world. That being said, give me something I can only get at launch. I know there was a statue for Assassin’s Creed IV, but frankly… what if I hated that character like I hated Ezio from Assassin’s Creed II? That’s a big risk. Replica Hidden Blade? Better.

My problem still lies in the fact that it all comes out later in a cheaper package. I think instead of buying the season pass or whatever “buzzword” they’ve marketed, it should come included at launch. Entice people to preorder for only the launch ones will have a full season pass. Then the next lot can pay ten bucks less, with no season pass. Then when the game of the year edition comes out, have it include the DLC on a disc. Have it at that original price point again or the ten dollar less one. Yes eventually that will drop in price, but it doesn’t condition people not to help you at launch.

Don’t get me wrong, gaming has changed considerably in the twenty five years I’ve been gaming. From my old Commodore 64 and Colecovision to my preordered PS4 and Zelda 3DS XL, it is fantastic to be able to get additional content for the games I love. But I just want that content to be an addition to the game, not a sore mark.

Finishing up, I love the new Batman game, but sadly I won’t get the additional DLC from the Playstation store. Same thing happened with Bioshock Infinite. I suppose as I grow older and find my ambitions higher and my time for gaming less, I’ll start prioritising how and when I spend my time and money. I mean it sucks when you buy a movie and then they release an extended edition or collector’s edition… am I right? Same thing with bands, new album, extended album with covers and unreleased tracks. Do you ladies and gents out there feel the same? Let me know via email or in the comments below.