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Post by Sporty on Jul 28, 2024 12:29:59 GMT -5
Not 100% sure this is the right place for this thread, I was kinda debating between Writer's Workshop and Positive Spin, but since it's writing related I figured here was best. Mods, feel free to move the thread if I'm wrong lol Anyway, yes, after many years of dreaming and practicing and messing around with fanfiction and whatnot, I have finally managed to write and self-publish an actual real book! It's a pretty short read, somewhere in the vicinity of either a long short story or a novelette, but it's also something of an introduction to a fantasy setting that I'm going to expand into a series of novels. It's called Wyrm and it features weird magic, not-weird magic, talking canines, monitor lizard dragons, a giant magical mutant version of said dragons, and the power of friendship. If that all sounds interesting and/or mildly baffling, you can check it out on Amazon and maybe possibly purchase a copy (or add it to your Kindle Unlimited library, if you have one) here! Lizica, tagging you here since you wanted me to keep you posted on the book  |
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Post by Tam on Jul 28, 2024 21:05:41 GMT -5
!!! Congrats, Sporty! That's an amazing accomplishment! I can only imagine how exhilarating it must feel to get the first piece of something out there that you've been working on for so long. I am a sucker for a good science/magic blend in fantasy world-building, so I will absolutely be reading this when I get the chance. <3 Way to go again!
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Post by Lizica on Jul 30, 2024 0:45:15 GMT -5
Eeeee, this sounds awesome, Sporty!! Huge congrats on your book's release! 8D I can't wait to check this out soon. (Also, the cover and such look super snazzy! =o )
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Post by Sporty on Jul 30, 2024 9:13:45 GMT -5
Thank you guys, for both the comments and likes! And yesss, my cover designer did such a good job <3 Tam: Ooh we are of the same mind then. The science/fantasy blend is pretty much what my blog is about too, haha |
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Post by Lizica on Oct 23, 2024 14:07:21 GMT -5
Sporty!! I finally got to read Wyrm at the end of September. =DDD (And I read the latter half in the dark during an outage with candles and a flashlight, which was very atmospheric. xP) This was great!! First off, the way you interspersed the present time with Wyrm and the events leading up to that encounter was just such a clever way to build the story. It kept me interested the whole way through, waiting to see how the two parts would converge and lead up to the other and how the story overall would resolve. It was also just a neat way for us, the readers, to learn about and explore the world literally alongside the characters.
The worldbuilding itself intrigues me so much, and the way the characters are learning about it as well as their own misunderstandings about it just feel so natural, and also sometimes dangerous (in a nervewracking-but-exciting-to-read way). It makes me feel the stakes much more that even the characters don’t know what to expect out there.
And the characters themselves I found very endearing, and it makes me glad you already have more books in the works for them! xP Quin and Kris were wonderful both as a duo and as individuals, and I loved Wyrm’s sort of blunt but kind disposition. It also felt sort of cathartic to me that this encounter ended up being so nice and could result in the beginning of a friendship. Like, the world may be terrifying and full to the brim with unknowns, but there is still kindness out there in the wild. And there’s so much to learn and gain from exploration and from engaging with the people who live in what we think of as unknown. And as many questions still remain about the world outside and what’s happening, that knowledge is very warming and encouraging to me. I thought that was a beautiful thing to begin with for this novella. ^^
Okay, and also? The writing itself? Gorgeous. Like, some of your descriptions were just SO tangible and/or visceral, it was awesome. Parts that come to mind especially are the way Quin can feel the distant magic “ring in his ears and tingle on his tongue,” and other shorter bits like the wind magic Wyrm uses--“somehow thick and viscous”--like dang, I could feel that. (I also swear there was another super vivid and poetic description of the wild magic that really struck me, though I’m having trouble finding it again to transcribe--something like “it was light and color and sound and yet none of these things.” Just...oooooh.)
(Also, bit of a postscript, but Wyrm acknowledging Quin’s part in helping Kris was very sweet and very wise, and I appreciate her counter to negative self-talk. =3) Anyway, this was fantastic, and I’m so glad you could share this awesomeness with us, and I can’t wait for more. 8D |
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Post by Sporty on Nov 3, 2024 16:53:54 GMT -5
Lizica: Oh my gooosh thank you for such a kind and thorough review! T_T It's always kind of daunting to share my work with fellow writers since you all have the passion and experience to have higher standards, so to speak, so seeing how much you enjoyed the worldbuilding and characters and everything you mentioned means so much to me! And yes, I am really looking forward to getting more books out there I've mostly been in the brainstorming stage aside from some random scenes that I've speed-written during writing workshop sessions at my library, but those scenes alone have been so fun to write and I'm planning to start the first "official" draft this month!
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