Boston Spartan Sprint 2014

August 9, 2014

The Boston Spartan Sprint was my first Obstacle Course Race (OCR).  The past few years had been tough on me and my family, and so seven weeks before the event I signed up as a way to motivate myself to try to get back in shape. Given the condition I was in, seven weeks wasn’t long enough to prepare for a Spartan race, but at least I could get started. I was confident I would be able to finish, and this race would serve as a means to learn what I needed to work on to better prepare for the next one.

Book Review: What Kings Ate and Wizards Drank

I picked up What Kings Ate and Wizards Drank: A Fantasy Lover's Food Guide by Krista D. Ball after seeing it mentioned on David Gaughran's inestimable writing blog, Let's Get Visible.  I respect David's opinion regarding anything to do with writing, and it seemed like a perfect research material for a fantasy writer, so I snapped it up.

The Grand Masquerade is now available in Paperback!

The Grand Masquerade is now available in Paperback!

The pirate city of Alnari burns, a victim of its own success. In the aftermath, the pirates thirst for revenge, the rival nations Isalus and Vaskuen grow ever more antagonistic, and the downtrodden nation of Hesborea is eager to play all sides against the middle.

The two young nobles Arycke and Martyn, survivors of the punitive raid on Alnari, attempt to settle in the city of Vinyalas, quietly attending the university while enjoying the exotic culture. But the threat of war throws their plans into chaos, as Duke Karleo of Alene conspires with his fellow Hesborean nobles to take advantage of the rising tensions to strengthen Hesborea’s position and exact revenge on his enemies.

Arycke and the noblewoman Starissa are sent on a diplomatic mission to Hesborea only to get more than they bargained for. Back in Vinyalas, Martyn is welcomed into the home of his new mentor, but when danger arrives on their doorstep, he must risk everything to protect his adopted family from the coming storm.

The Grand Masquerade continues the gritty fantasy adventure story begun in The Pirates of Alnari. It is a tale filled with glamorous masquerade balls, deadly political intrigues, brutal sieges, daring escapes, desperate swordfights and fiery naval battles.

The ebook is available from:

Amazon US	Amazon UK	Amazon IN	Amazon DE
Amazon FR	Amazon ES	Amazon IT	Amazon JP
Amazon BR	Amazon CA	Amazon MX	Amazon AU

The Paperback version is available from:

Amazon

 Createspace

Book Review: The Martian by Andy Weir

I don't do many book reviews on this blog, but The Martian by Andy Weir was good enough that it warrants one.

The Grand Masquerade is Released as an ebook!

The Grand Masquerade is now available on Amazon as an ebook!

The pirate city of Alnari burns, a victim of its own success. In the aftermath, the pirates thirst for revenge, the rival nations Isalus and Vaskuen grow ever more antagonistic, and the downtrodden nation of Hesborea is eager to play all sides against the middle.

The two young nobles Arycke and Martyn, survivors of the punitive raid on Alnari, attempt to settle in the city of Vinyalas, quietly attending the university while enjoying the exotic culture. But the threat of war throws their plans into chaos, as Duke Karleo of Alene conspires with his fellow Hesborean nobles to take advantage of the rising tensions to strengthen Hesborea’s position and exact revenge on his enemies.

Arycke and the noblewoman Starissa are sent on a diplomatic mission to Hesborea only to get more than they bargained for. Back in Vinyalas, Martyn is welcomed into the home of his new mentor, but when danger arrives on their doorstep, he must risk everything to protect his adopted family from the coming storm.

The Grand Masquerade continues the gritty fantasy adventure story begun in The Pirates of Alnari. It is a tale filled with glamorous masquerade balls, deadly political intrigues, brutal sieges, daring escapes, desperate swordfights and fiery naval battles.

The ebook is available from:

Amazon