A Fiery Preview

Hello everyone, this is ESB 'Stringfellow' and I love the nightlife, and this is...

A Preview For Fiery Chaos!!!


Today, I want to share a little bit of my new book, a look inside if you will. What I'm about to show you comes from Chapter Five: Chasing Fire, where our heroes, having recently met, must find the Fire Medallion, the source of Ahila's connection to the Fire Stone's massive power. I hope you enjoy...

The journey through the forest was uneventful, though with each step Charcoal took, Ahila and Loki grew more anxious. Behind any tree or shrub could be a Helheis soldier, just waiting for them to reveal themselves.

Fortunately they saw nor heard anyone, perhaps all thanks to Charcoal’s choosing to take the path less traveled, having took to the trees running alongside the road. He moved with great speed and uncanny agility, weaving around countless trees, clomping up slanted rocks and leaping through the air over various obstacles, as though this was a path he had trained himself to run numerous times. In no time at all, Charcoal took his passengers to the very edge of the forest, with Dagonet not too far in the distance.

With the sun sinking lower and lower on the western horizon ahead of them, the grime-filled town was starting to become lit like a beacon, heralding another night of debauchery. However, there was something different, and an eerie aura seemed to have been emitting from the place. Also, it was ominously silent, like a den of monsters.

Then they saw them, several flags flapping in the wind. Black with stylized green snakes, the banners of Helheis hung high on several buildings and on the walls of Dagonet.

“Looks like those Helheis guys decided not to destroy the town,” Loki observed in a hushed voice.

“Too bad,” Ahila said with a slight edge, having developed bitter feelings towards the townspeople that literally threw her at the feet of Sergeant Copper. Thinking aloud, she said mainly to herself, “It is a wonder that King Caltaur would let such a place continue existing.”

“Ah, well, he hates it just as much as you do,” Loki informed her. “He’s been trying to either renovate or wipe the place completely off the map for ages, but a sad little fact keeps preventing such a thing from happening.”

Turning half a glance to Loki, Ahila asked, “What sad little fact?”

Loki opened his mouth for a moment but then held back, appearing pensive. “Hmm, how to put this delicately...” he said. “Um, lets just say that the Deadly Sins of Gluttony and Lust really make quite a profit here and these are the kinds of people who really don’t feel a need to leave all that behind.”

Suddenly sickened, Ahila replied, “Sorry that I asked.”

“Yeah, but don’t think too badly of Dagonet,” Loki told her as he looked out towards the town of deviants. “They’re not all bad, they just... choose to live a carefree life,” he said at length.

That hardly assuaged Ahila’s negative view of the place and she prayed to the Fire Stone that she would never set foot in that place ever again.

After several moments of silence, Loki said, “We’ll wait here until it gets darker, then we’ll head for the forest on the other side of Dagonet.”

“Would that be safe?” Ahila inquired, fearing to be spotted by a patrolling Helheis soldier.

“We’ll keep our distance, stick to the shadows,” Loki told her. “Also, no lights for us, that way they can’t see us in the dark. And don’t worry about us, horses can see in the dark better than humans, and Charcoal can practically walk blindfolded all the way back to Alcar Castle,” the youth assured Ahila, who was immediately comforted by this fact. She definitely felt a strong sense of trust towards Charcoal, who always carried the appearance of seriousness and attentiveness. If ever a problem were to arise, Ahila knew that she could always count on Charcoal so she felt less scared.

When the time came, when the sun was barely equivalent to the light of a flickering candle and the only source of light came from Dagonet and some scattered stars across a cloudy sky, Charcoal started his trek across the plains that surrounded the town.

The horse, keeping Dagonet to his right side, stepped with carefulness and with a speed that did not cause too much noise. He kept the town considerably far, almost to the point that one would have to walk almost three hundred feet just to be within the field of the town’s numerous torches. Though Charcoal kept his pace calm and undisturbed, where even his breathing and beating heart seemed normal, the horse felt a sense of foreboding from Dagonet.

Occasionally on their long trek to the forest, Charcoal would steal a glance towards the town, feeling a mounting sense of danger from it. Charcoal was not a horse to know fear. He was never scared of anything, as though he was literally born without fear. However, that did not mean he was careless or foolish. Every time he looked towards Dagonet, he felt something from there that would send most other creatures running for their lives. Something unnatural was in that town, something that was not human. It was something monstrous, just waiting to be let out of its cage.

Charcoal, for all of his courage, strength and speed, knew that whatever rested in Dagonet was something that he could not fight and win against. So instead, for the first time in his life, he had to avoid a confrontation, especially if it meant preserving the life of his rider.

As for Ahila and Loki, the longer it took them to reach the opposite forest, the more exposed they felt, hardly daring to draw breath. Like Charcoal, they could tell that there was a terrifying presence lurking within Dagonet, and if not for the horse’s limitless courage, they would have taken a two or three mile long detour around the town. With Charcoal, with his great speed, they felt confident that they could elude detection or capture.

Even then though, when the gigantic stone pillar that erupted from the earth came into their view, Ahila and Loki could not suppress a shiver from running down their spines.

Fortunately, no one saw or heard them, and after what felt to be hours of slow and cautious trotting, Charcoal and his passengers reached the forest’s edge, almost leaping into its concealing shadows.

Feeling a sense of relief wash over her, though still keeping her guard, Ahila whispered as Charcoal went into a faster trot, “Should I make a light?”

“Not yet,” Loki whispered back as his horse moved about the trees. “Wait until we get back to the road, and only if we really need it.”

Soon they reached the road and Charcoal stopped to survey the area, even sniffing the air like a bloodhound. After a moment he turned his head completely to the side so he could stare at Loki, giving a brief snort.

Licking his lips, Loki said in a voice that sounded more calm than he felt, “Charcoal says there aren’t any Helheis guys about but they have been through here recently. Maybe even closer than we’d like.”

Ahila found it amazing that he was able to discern all of that from just one snort. She wondered if he was simply making it up for unknown reasons but instead she asked, “So what do we do?”

“Well, we need to stick to the road so we can find that tree,” Loki answered. “You know, the one where we found you,” he added.

Ahila paused, trying to remember that conversation that oddly felt like ages ago rather than just that morning. “A tree that looked like it was nearly split in two?” she confirmed as much as asked.

“Yeah, that one,” Loki replied. “We’ll take the road, but no fire, Charcoal can manage enough,” he said, adding, “but the first sign of danger, we bolt right back into the woods.”

Ahila swallowed hard, suddenly feeling extremely thirsty, and commented, “Sounds like the best we can do.”

Loki nodded, and with that Charcoal began his walk onto the road and started following it, his gait quick though not too fast.

As they progressed through the darkened forest, with visibility nearly nonexistent, Ahila, Loki and Charcoal had to rely heavily on sound and instincts. Fortunately Charcoal was the better of the three, so whatever sense of alarm Ahila felt was usually for nothing. Loki, having spent years with his trusted horse, knew that so as long as Charcoal was calm, then there was no reason to fear... not yet at least.

Eventually, after hearing a loud screech that nearly made Ahila jump off of Charcoal, she asked Loki in a voice that betrayed her nervousness, “Are... are there any... monsters in this forest?”

Loki, even in the near-total darkness, could see the fear in Ahila’s eyes, which were pale red he noticed, which struck him as curious. Putting it aside for now though, he answered her question. “Nothing too bad,” he told her. “Goblins, imps, maybe some trolls, who shouldn’t be a bother to you because they despise fire,” he said in a low voice, casting his eyes from side-to-side. “However, my main concern would be the Helheis cutthroats,” he added, which did nothing to bolster Ahila’s spirits.

Gripping unintentionally onto Loki’s hand, which was wrapped around her waist so he would not fall, the little fire mage muttered to herself just loud enough for the youth to hear, “I swear... If we get through this night alive... I am never leaving the Fire Shrine again.”

Loki would almost have to agree... Almost only because he heard from stories that the Fire Shrine was located either inside an active volcano or a volcanic wasteland, neither of which were places that were on his list of things to see or live in.

They rode in silence for a long time, keeping their ears alert for any forms of threat, though they never detected any. In less than an hour, Charcoal came to a sudden stop.

“We’re here,” Loki declared, indicating the faint silhouette of a large oak tree, which was long dead and appeared to have been the victim of a giant’s axe, just as the youth had said.

“Finally,” breathed Ahila, having felt enough tension on that night to last her a lifetime.

Loki dismounted and helped Ahila do the same, and once both were on the ground he said, “Now’s a good time as any for a little light.”

Nodding in accordance, Ahila raised her right hand and produced a small flame, which hovered calmly over her fingertips. “Where did you find me, exactly?” she asked as she cast her eyes about the road.

Loki, actually impressed of Ahila’s magic, started looking around as well. “I think...” he began, walking a few feet to the side of the road, “it was right here.” He knelt, his hands searching among the leaves, twigs and grass. Not too far ahead of him was a small incline, a knoll that led further into the woods.

Ahila slightly recalled having a fall, feeling her body rolling and tumbling downhill before losing consciousness. Without a word, she crouched down to begin searching, huddled next to Loki so that they could see by her magic fire. It was not easy for her to search, because she had to hold up the flame and use her splinted left hand to check the ground. She thought of making the fire hover on its own but she never learned how to accomplish it without concentrating too hard.

It was a slow and arduous work, with Ahila and Loki squinting and rummaging through weeds and bushes. Charcoal walked close by with his nose to the ground, though he was mostly focusing on the sounds of the forest, keeping an ear out for any signs of danger, and with Ahila’s flame giving away their presence, there was a real possibility of danger finding them.

And that, I feel, is a good enough time to stop as any (if I post any more, I fear that I'd end up posting the entire chapter). This gives, I hope, a sense of how the story feels, how the characters behave in general and it provides the taste required to get you hooked. If you like it, then how about clicking on the link to the right so you can get Fiery Chaos  now, on Kindle or paperback.

Until next time, dear readers, stay safe.

Fire In The Sky (And Ground [Even The Freaking Water!])!

Hello everyone, this is ESB 'Stringfellow' and I am the Man from U.N.C.L.E., and this is...

The Post Where The Author Talks More About His Newest Book!!!



 First, just as a reminder, here is the cover, again:

It is about Fire. And Chaos. Other Elements Also Included!

Today, I want to talk about the lead characters, our heroes and villains. But first, a bit of story background:

As mentioned in the synopsis, this world has magical relics referred to as the Elemental Stones. Each one represents the four major elements of fire, water, earth and wind. In pure it-only-makes-sense-in-a-fantasy-setting, the Stones are the source of their respective element, which basically makes them akin to gods like Zeus or Thor. Their power is truly godlike, and they require guardians to keep safe their power, so they rely on the Elemental Guardians, mortals chosen every generation to protect the Stones. Each Guardian is given a magical item that allows them to channel the Stones' element, giving them immense power.

In time, the Stones and their Guardians faded from public knowledge, becoming mere legends. Regardless of this, new Guardians are still chosen throughout the ages, who adhere to their duties in utmost secrecy. This works out pretty well for untold centuries, until one day a mad warlord decides that he's worthy of godhood...

Now, here are the main characters:

Character 1: Ahila Brigandu

Ahila is a fourteen-year-old girl who is the daughter of Phyros and Hilda Brigandu. Her father, Phyros, starts the story off as the current Fire Guardian, but due to the aforementioned warlord, he is forced to pass the mantle of Guardian to his daughter years before her time.
Ahila spends the entire story struggling with the godly power that was thrust onto her, given only one mission from her father: Keep the power of Fire from falling into the hands of the main villain. As the story goes, Ahila suffers loss, trauma and utter despair. There are times where she feels overwhelmed and desires nothing more than to break down and stay down.
Fortunately for her, she has new friends that help her get through her ordeals, and eventually she gains the courage she needs to face the greatest threat to the Elements.

Character 2: Loki Aeson

With Ahila being the one where heroism is thrust upon her, Loki is the guy who gets dragged into it by pure accident. He is another youth of fourteen, orphaned since he was just a baby and raised by his father's best friend. Loki acts as a foil to Ahila's personality. Where she is serious, he is goofy. Where she is formal and old fashioned, Loki is casual and aloof. Whereas Ahila is a daughter of an all powerful Guardian (and being a Guardian herself), Loki is a normal boy and the son of a knight who went missing and is presumed dead. He has no magic, no special weapon or anything that makes him stand out from others his own age.
However, what he lacks in magical powers or weapons, he more than makes up for with pluck, charisma, a jest and several nicknames for Ahila, such as Fire Queen.
Oh, and also he has this strange ability where he can easily talk to animals. It isn't like he understands them in a way that he hears them speaking his own human language. It's more like an instinctive ability to guess with incredible accuracy what animals are saying or emotions they are expressing. This comes in very handy whenever it comes time for him to translate what the next character is saying...

Character 3: Charcoal

Charcoal is a male horse, partnered with Loki. In the country that Loki lives, horses are everything. The greatest among them are remembered just as often as their human riders, treated with respect and immortalized after great feats of courage and loyalty. It is a shared dream for Loki and Charcoal to become warriors for their king and queen, to join the ranks of the Horse Riders. However, the two have earned some unfavorable reputations. Loki, for instance, is a known prankster and has caused a headache or two over the years. Charcoal, however, is very different from other horses.
How different? For one thing, he is rather wild for a horse bred in a stable. His wild attitude caused him to be too difficult to be tamed by the usual trainer. With Loki's unusual ability to calm even the most aggressive animal, Charcoal fell into his care and the two had been inseparable ever since. Granted, that isn't the only thing that sets Charcoal apart from other horses. He's also a bit short tempered. He also fights dirty, using his hooves to intentionally knock people in the heads if they threaten him.
Above all else, though, Charcoal is a horse without fear. He'll charge mountain lions, armed enemies, anything, without a trace of fear. Where others would shake in their boots at the sight of a dragon, Charcoal would just give it a death glare.
Honestly, I think he's my favorite character of the whole bunch.

Character 4: General Drak

This guy is the previously mentioned warlord. He is the ruler of a kingdom called Helheis, which is a greatly militarized domain. There, the strongest, the most cunning and the most cruel rules. To live in Helheis is to live by an extremist's idea of what it means to be a warrior. They live, breathe and die in the belief that battle is everything. Because of this upbringing, paired with a dangerously large ego, General Drak believes with every fiber of his being that he is worthy of becoming a god.
He always had an inquisitive mind and a thirst for knowledge, equaled only by his lust for more power, which led him to discover that the Elemental Stones are real. After years of research, experiments and planning, General Drak devises a way to steal the powers of the Elements, with his mad ambition serving as the central threat of the story.

Character 5: Sergeant Copper

He is General Drak's second-in-command, the most loyal of the Helheis army. Sergeant Copper serves the purpose of showing how devout he is to his master's cause, easily shifting his worldview on a whim just so it can be more aligned with General Drak's. He is the epitome of a fanatic, willing to lay his life down in order to please General Drak but also fearing for his life whenever he causes his master to become angry. In the end, Sergeant Copper has no agenda or ambition of his own except to continue making General Drak proud of him.
Granted, that doesn't mean that Sergeant Copper is beyond that of mere soldier/follower. He is a high ranking warrior with no sense of mercy, empathy or morals. He is a complete sociopath, having no remorse in killing anyone who comes across his path. He is the kind of guy who sees no difference in killing an enemy on a battlefield and murdering a child who simply got in his way.
Sergeant Copper is sadistic, cold and vicious. General Drak should be lucky that he doesn't have any Starscream habits.

That is that. Those are your main characters, the heroes and villains. Before I finish this up, I think I'll address a few things about them.

First, yes it seems that I have an odd thing about creating heroes who get their start at fourteen years old. I did it with Cyan, now I'm doing it with Ahila and Loki. Please, don't ask why. Just blame it on the things that I enjoyed in my youth that influenced me at the time when I first created these characters. You know, things like Avatar: The Last Airbender or Kingdom Hearts. At least I didn't make Charcoal a magical talking horse. I very much wanted to make a non-magical animal a main character but make sure that he was established as very different from normal animals. He might not be, say, Superman, but he sure as hell is a Batman.

Second, to head off complaints about the villains being one-dimensional, let me just say... I don't care.

Well, I used to care, but then things got really bad in the real world and true, real-life evil has shown us all that real-world villains really are that one-dimensional. We see them making power grabs for no reason but for the sake of obtaining power. We see them doing every cruel trick, short of mass genocide (but only in certain countries), to keep that power. We see real villains, right the hell now, being villainous for no reason other than it pleases them.

So, please don't tell me that my villains aren't realistic (aside from the magic, of course) because gaining power just for the sake of it while crushing innocent lives on the way is happening in the real world as I type this. In fact, in retrospect, I feel that I hadn't pushed the psychopathic zealot enough in this story.

Honestly, if I could go back and add something, it would be a scene where General Drak accidentally kills one of his followers  in a fit of rage/temper tantrum, look at said follower's broken and dying form and say, "Look at what you made me do!" Then, his other followers would nod sagely and agree, expressing that the one who got killed really did do something to earn that fatal blow. And then, to truly seal the death-cult portrayal, the follower would use his dying breath to utter, "You're right, this was my fault." ...And all he did was just stand there.

Well, on that dark and depressing note, I'll see you guys next time. Stay safe out there.

Sincerely, ESB 'Stringfellow'

The Hottest Update

Hello everyone, this is ESB 'Stringfellow' and I have a Hun-Gurrr, and this is...

The Newest Book Created By The Author!!!

Does anyone else realize how many "fire" related titles have already been taken?

 People, I am incredible happy to bring this long overdue update (it's been almost two years!) to let you know that I have not been idle.

I mean, for one thing, I work at retail, so any typing I get is very sparse. That means I can not, despite how very much that I want to, churn out a book every year or two. However, I truly feel that all of the work I put into this new book was totally worth it. I feel like this is my best one yet.

Here is the synopsis...

The Wind howls with the screams of the damned...

The Earth tears itself apart to consume the unfortunate...

The Water rages to violently wash away all in its path...

Only Fire remains to prevent the onslaught and destruction...

On the Great Continent of Colinaus, supposedly the birth place of gods and magic, a great and powerful secret remained hidden for millennia. The Elemental Stones...

For so long, these fabled and ancient relics had been lost to society they were regarded as nothing more than simple myths, stories told to incite awe and wonder. However, one man, a king of wars, believed them to be real and vowed to make their power his own. His thirst for power and his arrogance knew no bounds. So great were his beliefs that he considered himself worthy of godhood. In the end, though, his actions will create a terrible imbalance to the forces of the Elements. In his pursuit to fulfill his lofty ambitions, he will throw the world into danger, threaten to unleash untold chaos.

As the War of the Elements begin, all hope will fall onto the shoulders of the Fire Guardian... and she is only fourteen years old.

...

...

...

So, what do you think? I'm going to wait a bit before I talk it up some more, but in the mean time you (yes, YOU) can take this opportunity right now to check it out on Amazon (links to both paperback and Kindle versions are in the side bar to the right). After all, given how things are going, I hear that there's no better time to settle in with a nice long book (this sucker is 571 pages!).

So, get your Fiery Chaos today!