BardLyre and Cliff Hanger share their secrets!

Today we’re talking to BardLyre and Cliff Hanger, both top tier LitRPG writers on Royal Road!

Thanks for joining us! Right out of the gate, congrats on your success! What drew you to Royal Road, and what was the first thing you read on the platform?

BardLyre: I stumbled across it wholly be accident. I’d taken out a KU subscription, and one of the stories mentioned it in their acknowledgements. I started reading widely on there and, eventually, thought about trying out adding my own scribblings. But it was when I realised you could get ‘previews’ of series I loved that I really started reading!

Cliff Hanger: Pretty simple. I like anime. I watch anime. Then the anime ends and I’m forced to wait… or, I can read the Manga/Light novels. Which I did. I read all the good (and many shitty) novels available. As I searched for more to read, I eventually found royalroad.com (Formerly Royalroadl.com). It was on that website where I read my first and still favorite novel Those Who Aspire to Become Gods: A darker fairy tale novel.

Tell us a little bit about your main series. What sets it apart from the other stories on Royal Road, and how have you sought to make it unique?

BardLyre: One of my readers described the series as ‘Lady Terminator versus the Sadistic Prick.’ I think that sums up the vibe well! Overall, I’m aiming for a blend of LitRPG and Grimdark that’s a little more character driven than can sometimes be the case in that genre!

Cliff Hanger: Inexorable Chaos follows a main character by the name of Quasi Eludo. Quasi is a Summoned Hero for hire. He is a guy that gets summoned to another world as part of his job. He’d been summoned 28 times before and my novel begins right before his 29th summon. In this summon, Quasi finds himself in a world where people gain skill and classes.

In essence, we are putting a slightly psychotic 9000+ year old hero in a completely new environment to play with. Quasi is capable, knowledgeable, experienced, and very crazy.

What has been the best part of being in the Royal Road Community?

BardLyre: I’ve had some awesome support from other writers – lots of advice and plenty of constructive criticism. The ability to get instant feedback from readers too is very helpful – it’s like having hundreds of beta readers!

Cliff Hanger: Comments. I love reading comments. Just knowing that people read my stuff floods my blood with dopamine.

What aspects of Royal Road have been frustrating?

BardLyre: you have to keep tell yourself not to feed the trolls. I’ve been relatively lucky – compared to others I know – but when someone decides they hate your book, but reads (and comments) day after day, it’s pretty wearing.

Cliff Hanger: They keep changing the damn algorithm!

Check out Inexorable Chaos on Royal Road today! Join the millions!

If you could snap your fingers and add any feature to Royal Road, what would it be?

BardLyre: It would be great if you there were a few more tools in order to get visibility. The rush for Rising Stars is a bit OF a pain, and it would be great if that could be smoothed out a little!

Cliff Hanger: SHOW ME THE ALGORITHM!

Tell us a little about what you have coming next! New novels, new series, etc.

BardLyre: The second book in my Tales of Shattered Glass, Stonehand, will be coming out in the very near future. The third book, Shadowbound, is 20k in on Royal Road if people want a preview. Book 1 of my new series with a very different tone – ‘Chance’s Gambit’ – is just reaching its climax. For fans of chaotic LitRPG comedy. Book 2 starting there soon too!

Cliff Hanger: My second series IC: God Games continues with the same main character, except crazier, more creative, and with significantly more cats.

If you could make a cross over with your main character into any other Royal Road series, which one would it be?

BardLyre: I think Daine would enjoy kicking arse and taking names alongside Azarinth Healer.

Cliff Hanger: I think Quasi would get along with Erin from the Wandering Inn. Both are crazy humans, just one of them has been crazy for a much longer amount of time.

Read or listen to Darkhelm today!

Everyone has—for better or worse—a favorite review that sticks out in their head. What is yours? What makes it so memorable?

BardLyre: I love the one I’ve mentioned above, but one from a troll sticks in my mind. ‘If this wasn’t so well written, I’d have fucked it off months ago.’ There’s a compliment in there somewhere.

Cliff Hanger: My most memorable reviews are easily by the people who praise the comedy. For example, here is a comment from a recent review: “genuinely funny to the point I can’t read them on the bus.”

There is also this one: This much good story, me likey very good much, yes yes. This good story. Me not slave of author no no. Me strong independent reviewer and not evil homunculi slave to author-chan.

Honestly, my readers are weird.

Interview with Bardlyre, author of Darkhelm!

Thanks for doing an interview, Bardlyre! 

Read the book for FREE on RoyalRoad! Click the pic!

Right away, tell us about the name. What does it mean? How did you pick it? 

I’m a huge fan of Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen. The character of the Bard, Fisher, especially. When I was looking for a pseudonym, I wanted to channel that energy! Also, as a teacher from the Midlands in England, no higher calling than wanting to be known as the Bard! 

What got you into LitRPG? 

I accidentally signed up for Kindle Unlimited a few years back and came across all these books that weren’t like anything else I’d read before. I quickly blitzed through all the big names – DCC, DoftF, HWTWM, PH – and then spiralled out into everything and anything else. I really enjoyed the idea of System that ordinary people could use to get access to incredible powers. 

How has the experience of writing on Royal Road been? Pros and cons? 

As someone who has always tinkered away with stories for an audience of one, the idea of this massive potential audience you can out your work into simply blows me away. The fact that I have people that come back three times a week to see how my thing is going is a huge buzz. Cons? As with everywhere on the internet, there are Trolls at there and people who enjoy causing drama. Such closeness with the audience is an amazing privilege, but it can get pretty raw when someone wants to give you a kicking. 

Daine Darkhelm is an awesome character. Her no nonsense attitude and witty inner dialogue are certainly fan favorites of the series. What was her inspiration? 

There are far too few older women in fantasy literature and LITRPG especially. I didn’t think the world needed anymore socially awkward, young male powerhouses tearing up the landscape. I was interested in what the end of that hero journey looked like. When you’ve been kick-ass for too long and you don’t really want to keep going. There’s a Bill Hick’s routine I love which he starts with “I've been on the road doing comedy for ten years now, so bear with me while I plaster on a fake smile and plough through this shit one more time.” That’s the stage where we meet Daine. 

Tell us a bit about the class system in Darkhelm and how you came up with it. 

I liked the idea of Class being via inheritance and being a completely frozen, locked in thing. I think one of my antagonists described it best: For the most part, year after year, Bakers bred Bakers, Stonemasons had little Stonemasons, and so and so forth until the end of time. Then you get the ones who are able to break free of those restrictions  – like Daine or Eliud (who seems to be most people’s favourite character – his Class has an unlimited mana pool and is not afraid to use it). I wanted to explore how that sort of rigid social structure was not sustainable. 

What are some of your favorite non-LitRPG books, and have any of them influenced your writing? 

I mentioned the Malazan novels – seriously, if there’s anyone that’s not read them, they must (after they read Darkhelm, of course). I love Joe Abercrombie and, of course, Brandon Sanderson. I have a room in my house that is basically a shrine to Terry Pratchett… 

What’s next on the horizon after the Darkhelm series is finished? 

I’ve learned so much writing these books. There’s so many things I look back on and realise a different choice would have created a really different experience for the reader. Looking forward to exploring some different worlds! 

You’ve put out a lot of content in a relatively short time. Any writing tips for other authors struggling to meet their word count goals? 

Best advice anyone gave me is the killer of most stories is constant rewriting. I write a chapter, get some thoughts from my beta readers, make some changes,  proofread then move on. You’ll kill your love for it if you worry it to death!

Read Darkhelm for FREE on RoyalRoad!

Want more LitRPG? Click here!

Umbral Blade 2: Mournstead - Get it today!

The wait is FINALLY over.

An ancient history of magic—rediscovered.

Alster and Elsey have found the tomb of Alistair the Fourth. Four hundred years ago, the mighty general was sealed away in what was supposed to be his eternal prison. Hidden in the mountains, protected by magic, and forgotten for ages…


Not anymore.

The feared magic of shadows has returned to Vecnos, and no one is safe. With the Umbral Blade restored to its rightful owner, Alster and Elsey must seek another artifact—and their journey will send them into Mournstead, the dreaded capital of the east, where a single misstep means death. If they don’t succeed, all of Vecnos will perish under a brutal regime of shadows.

Mournstead is the wild conclusion to the Umbral Blade epic fantasy duology by Stuart Thaman. Brace yourself for the thrilling journey of a lifetime as two friends leave their home in search of long-forgotten adventure.

Tips for Querying a Small Press

I own Nef House Publishing, and I used to work at Hydra Publications as the production / acquisitions manager. I know a thing or two about the small press industry.

What do you need to know to land a contract with a small press? What can you avoid? What stands out?

As always, let’s dive right into it:

  • Make sure you know the difference between a small press and a vanity press. A vanity press publishes anyone who submits and then charges them a hefty fee, sometimes in the $10,000+ range. Vanity presses are scams. If a publisher of any kind ever tries to charge you money, RUN AWAY! Real small presses operate more or less just like traditional publishing, just on a much smaller scale (as the name implies). As a general rule: money always flows to the author.

  • Make sure you actually want to be published by the press you submit to. Don’t take a shotgun approach and query every publisher under the sun. Check out the publisher’s work to make sure it looks like stuff you would be happy producing. A lot of small presses cheap out on things like covers and editing, and you don’t want your manuscript treated the same way. Along those lines, make sure the genres match. Some publishers go for any and all genres, but most are specialized to things they know how to sell. Does your project fit? Will it look good next to the other titles on a table at Comicon?

  • Read the submission guidelines! Failing to follow the submission guidelines is not just an instant rejection—it also makes you look like a fool. Don’t submit a children’s book to a press looking for adult horror. Again, you just come off as foolish, and that’s not where you want to be. Keep in mind that many, many small press owners and authors know each other. The industry is fairly close, and people talk.

  • Do not have a backlog of subpar self-published novels in your query. I see this one all the time. Allow me to explain: if you have a link to an author website or other published works in your query, I am absolutely going to click it. I want to see what else you have. Are your other books selling? That’s a point in the good column. Are your other books stagnant? That’s not good… but the worst thing I can see when I click that link is a slew of amateur covers on equally amateur novels with no editing, no formatting, no reviews, no sales, and no hope. It tells me the author isn’t serious. They don’t care about their projects, so why would anyone else? And perhaps most damning of all, it would reflect poorly on the press to sign someone with an amateur backlog. Say you do get signed and a professional quality book is produced. People read it. They want more. They search the author name… and they find a disaster. Or, more likely, a whole catalog of disasters. They assume all those other books are also from the press, and it tarnishes the entire company.

    • What should you do if you have a rough backlog and want to query? Lying about it won’t get you the right answer, so fix it instead. If you’re serious, either professionally produce the projects and relaunch them or just bury them. Unpublish what you should not have published in the first place. Trust me—I’ve had to bury two novels and relaunched four. It isn’t fun, but it is necessary.

  • Edit your sample. The query letter and sample need to be as close to flawless as possible. A single typo can mean an instant rejection. Why? Small presses, even miniscule presses, get hundreds of submissions every single week. There are so many submissions that acquisitions managers like me can wait for a better novel in the same genre to come along. It isn’t worth taking a shot on a sample with typos when the next 10+ samples don’t have typos. Just nix the bad sample and move on.

    • Pro tip: even if you don’t want to hire a professional line editor for the whole manuscript before querying presses, at least hire an editor to go over the first 5k words. It won’t cost you much, and the benefits will be immense. Ask the editor what they think of the quality. Is it ready to submit? They have no skin in the game, so they’ll tell you. And it should go without saying, but self-edit the hell out of it. Showing your potential publisher that you’re serious about your craft and dedicated to producing quality goes a long, long way.

  • Stick to the book. Don’t give a full life story or curriculum vitae. You aren’t applying for a job. A few pertinent details about your writing career are fine, but nothing else is really important.

  • Keep the query short. Remember how many submissions come in? No manager wants to read 1.5k words of the query before even getting to the sample. There just isn’t enough time. Keep it short, to the point, and impactful. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you can get them interested with the first line, they’ll read the pitch. If they read the pitch, they’ll start the sample.

    • Examples: don’t start with “Hello, my name is xxx” or anything equally boring. Start with something cool like: “Welcome to the world of Uncity, a gripping post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller following a sexy cyborg cop caught in a web of lies, deceit, and destruction in the seedy underbelly of Chicago, 2967 A.D.” Something like that will instantly grab someone’s attention. That’s the goal.

  • Set expectations low. Most presses deny something like 95 - 99% of all submissions without even asking for a full manuscript. Don’t lose faith after 10 rejections. Analyze whatever feedback you received, look at your query with fresh eyes, and reposition yourself to do better next time. If you get denied because your book doesn’t fit the genre, recalibrate your targeting. If you get denied for typos, hire an editor. You get the idea.

  • If you find a press you really like and want to hit a homerun, talk to an author or two in your genre from that press. Reach out to them. Read their work, ask them questions, and get a feel for the press. Ask what worked with their query. Get whatever advice you can from the authors who have made it out of the slush pile and onto the shelf.

  • Don’t take production steps. I see this one every now and then, but thankfully not super often. What does it mean? I’ll get into a sample I like and request the full manuscript, and it’ll be delivered with a cover, ISBN, formatting, etc. All of that is a nightmare for a small press. Right out of the gate, if it has an ISBN, I’m instantly out no matter what. I do not want to worry about how / if the book is registered anywhere or to anyone or anything like that. Formatting is just as much of a nightmare. If you’re accepted by a press, extensive edits are going to take place. Editing blows up the formatting. Not only is it a wasted expense (the press pays for formatting, of course), it can make your manuscript cumbersome. Remember, with so many submissions coming in at all hours from all reaches of the planet, it is much easier to nix a manuscript than worry about undoing formatting.

  • Don’t try to get into a press based on non-writing elements. It should go without saying, but trying to play up things that have nothing to do with your sample is a bad idea. No good acquisitions manager wants to read about your life as a struggling single mother of 19 (obviously, this doesn’t apply to non-fiction and self-help) when you’re submitting a sample of an esoteric horror set in Medieval Europe during the plague. The worst thing I’ve seen people do is try to create a sob story / reason to be accepted based on irrelevant factors like race, heritage, and sexuality. If you’re querying for a horror novel, your appearance and personal life simply do not matter. Especially not at the query stage. By way of example, I had someone query a sci-fi novel with a whole paragraph about how they deserved to be published because they survived a heart attack a few years ago. It didn’t even make sense.

    • Know your audience. If you’re querying a self-help book targeted to a Jewish demographic, being Jewish is obviously something you do want to mention. If you’re querying a badass epic fantasy saga in the style of Game of Thrones, being Jewish is irrelevant. Hopefully that makes sense.

    • The quality of your writing and ideas and marketability of your project should be the only relevant things to a decision.

  • Don’t query an unfinished project. If you’re sitting at 60k of a planned 90k word book, you aren’t ready yet. Don’t put the cart before the horse.

  • Don’t query a small press seeking “representation.” I see this one pretty often. Small presses are not agencies or agents. They are the publisher, not the agent, so you aren’t looking for representation at all. You’re looking for a press. Similarly, a lot of presses (my own included) do not accept represented manuscripts. The reason is the cost and trouble associated with it. A manuscript with an agent means the agent will demand a hefty advance, usually take a long time to respond to simple questions, and overall just get in the way.

  • Review and negotiate your contract. Are there terms you don’t like? Speak up! Once you sign that contract, things aren’t likely to change. Does your contract have an out? What happens if the relationship sours and you want or need to be out of it? Are the rates what you expect or want?

    • If contracts aren’t your thing, please hire an attorney to look it over. Signing a publishing deal is a big decision—don’t make it lightly. At the very least, get a trusted author in your genre to look at the contract if you don’t want to spend some cash on an attorney.

  • Ask questions! Even if you get denied outright, ask a friendly question or two about specific feedback. You might not get an answer, but you might. And that answer might be incredibly useful.

  • Don’t query the same book to the same publisher. No matter how much time has gone by, many publishers keep master lists of rejections.

    • You can, however, query a new project to the same publisher. Should you remind the publisher that you’ve been previously rejected? Maybe. It depends how far you got. If you were denied outright, I wouldn’t mention it. If you made it to full manuscript stage, I would. In the end, use your judgment.

That wraps it up. Have any advice of your own? Comment below!

A look at Bruce Jamison's new LitRPG series: Dead Again

Just over a year ago I found myself working abroad in Türkiye. Away from family and a bit of time on my hands, I had room for a few extra hobbies.

It was toward the end of COVID and traveling still hadn’t completely opened. My job, working out, and studying the Turkish language only kept me busy for so long. I wanted something better to do with my time than streaming and playing video games, so one Saturday morning I grabbed a cup of coffee, fired up my laptop, and started typing.

Before that day I’d never thought about creative writing, but the words just started to flow. Hours turned into days—then into months—as taking the stories from my head and putting them into words became my new favorite activity.

I always feel strange when I tell people that I just decided to start writing one day out of the blue, but that’s what happened, and that’s the first thing I learned about writing:

It doesn’t matter what you write, as long as you’re writing something.

Take the thoughts in your head and make them tangible. Whether it’s a notebook and pen, a typewriter, a voice recorder, or, in my case, a laptop, only you can get the story out of your head and make it real.

It doesn’t have to be coherent, and it definitely doesn’t have to be perfect, but the more you write, the easier it is to keep up the process. If found that one of my favorite things to do was wake up early and read whatever whiskey-induced things I had come up with the night before. Some of them were genius or hilarious, but most were garbage. However, as the days ran on, the sporadic concepts started to meld together into something resembling a story.

I let a few of my friends read it, and they gave me the encouragement to see it through to the end.

Finally, as I got on the plane to come home to my friends and family, I typed the final scene. I had done it. I had written a book. It wasn’t pretty, but in 80K words, I had created a fantasy world like the ones from J.R.R. Tolkien and Lloyd Alexander that I had worn the pages off as a child.

That was the easy part. When I started writing, I had no intention of ever publishing, but since it was done, I wondered if anyone else would enjoy reading it. There was a problem, though. If I wanted to get my book out there, I would have to get it published, but that concept was as foreign to me as Türkiye was when I first arrived.

With a lack of knowledge, I did what any good millennial would do… I turned to Google. For weeks, I read through every blog, website, and anything else that offered advice on getting my work out there. The more I learned, the more I realized I was unprepared to take on the task myself. Thousands of dollars on several different types of editing, working through social media to develop a following, and competing with thousands of other authors just in the fantasy genre were just a few of the daunting tasks before me.

I needed help, and that’s where I learned my second lesson:

Put yourself out there as much and as often as you can.

I don’t remember how many agents and publishers I reached out to, but I know it was a lot. It took a bit of digging, but the internet had no shortage of agencies accepting submissions.

Most didn’t respond back. A hand-full gave a simple thanks-but-no-thanks. Even a few foreign publishers seemed interested, but I wasn’t ready to navigate those waters.

When I had just about given up hope and started looking into self-publishing, my current publisher, Nef House, asked for the full manuscript. I was beyond excited and within a week, they read my story and came back with a suggestion: We like the book, but have you thought about making it a LitRPG? For those who don’t know, LitRPG stands for Literary Role-Playing Game.

I had read a few LitRPGs and as an avid D&D player, I was familiar with the concept, though completely re-writing my novel was not something I was prepared for. However, the more I thought about it, the more what I had created seemed like it was begging for the RPG elements to be added in.

I realized that if I was writing a story that I wanted other people to read, I needed my book to realize its full potential.

Don’t be afraid of major changes—take the opportunity to make your story better.

I resolved myself to make the book as enjoyable for the reader as possible, so I hunkered down and spent two months changing my novel into a LitRPG. I proudly submitted my updates and started working on books two and three, but the process was far from complete.

Remember when I said I was an amateur author that had never considered creative writing? That was painfully obvious when I got back my line edits. I thought I was at least a somewhat decent writer, but it seemed like every single line had something wrong with it. My spelling, grammar, and punctuation were terrible, but those were the easy pieces to fix. Some of the feedback pointed out major loopholes. Other parts of my book that I thought were crucial actually took more away from the story than they added.

Based on that feedback, here’s the fourth thing I learned:

It’s an incremental process. Embrace the criticism and grow.

I had never had someone take so much time to help me hone a skill—and believe me, writing is a skill. As an engineer, technical writing came easy to me; it’s complicated, but linear and direct. Creative writing is a different monster all together. Character development, engaging dialog, and simply putting the fantasy world in your head into writing are all complicated aspects on their own. Keeping them consistent through an entire novel was a huge weak point for me. However, I learned more in a month fixing those line edits than I had through grade school and multiple college degrees.

My publisher worked with me to turn my book into something that I can be proud to share with the world. I’m now two months out from my release and couldn’t be more excited to have my story out there.

As of this writing, I’m powering through the first drafts of books two and three, and I’ve started writing two separate books in the Sci-Fi and Urban Fantasy genres. I still wake up every day excited to put the thoughts in my head into my laptop and inch my way toward another release.

Bruce Jamison is a debut author with Nef House Publishing with his first release: No Sun Under the Mountain, Dead Again: Book 1. You can reach him at brucejamisonbooks@gmail.com

Dead Again 1: No Sun Under the Mountain

Henry already died once. Does he really need to do it again?

Now he's a skeleton with a stat sheet, skills, and an insatiable desire to kill humans. Lurking in the very depths of his bleached skull, some remnant of his old self still remains—and it wants to break free just as badly as Henry wants to figure out how he's a skeleton in the first place.

And Henry isn't the only one. Other skeletons are gaining sentience all over Jallfoss. Is there any way back? Any way to break the curse that holds all of Jallfoss in its icy grip?

More humans are coming, and if Henry doesn't learn how to keep himself alive, none of it will matter.

Umbral Blade 1: Shadowlith - Relaunch Complete!

An ancient history of magic. An epic journey to find it.

Alistair the Fourth was a mighty general from a long-forgotten war. Four hundred years later, Alster Lightbridge is barely a shadow of his legendary namesake. Crippled and confined to his family’s estate, he spends his days dreaming of something larger than himself—something worthy of his name.

Encouraged by his tutor to explore the Lightbridge archive, Alster discovers a magical dagger with the power to cleave shadows from their bodies. Blade in hand, Alster finally understands his purpose, though he needs to find a four-centuries-old grave in order to fulfill it.

Shadowlith is the critically acclaimed first installment to the Umbral Blade duology by Stuart Thaman. This new 3rd edition version from Nef House Publishing features a highly polished manuscript with minor adjustments to the original text while preserving all of the grand adventure that fans around the globe loved at original release.

The best of the best — Xena: Warrior Princess

One of my all-time favorite shows, especially when I was growing up, was Xena: Warrior Princess. What makes it so good? And is there anything out there like it?

Xena: Warrior Princess is an iconic television series that aired from 1995 to 2001. The show follows the adventures of Xena, a former ruthless warrior who seeks redemption by fighting for good in a fantasy world inspired by ancient Greece.

Xena is portrayed by Lucy Lawless, who became a cultural icon for her portrayal of the fierce and powerful character. Xena is known for her exceptional fighting skills, her intelligence, and her unwavering dedication to her friends and allies. Sure, Xena suffers from a lot of unnecessary fan service and “chainmail bikini” stereotyping, but I can look past that. The plots are cool enough that I really think the show took off in spite of the sex appeal rather than because of the sex appeal.

Throughout the series, Xena battles various villains, including warlords, gods, and mythical creatures. Interestingly, most of the plots and battles are actually based on real historical events or actual Greek mythology / folklore. She is often accompanied by her sidekick, Gabrielle, a former village girl who becomes a skilled fighter in her own right.

One of the unique aspects of Xena: Warrior Princess is its depiction of strong, complex female characters. Xena and Gabrielle's friendship is central to the show and is portrayed as a powerful bond that can withstand any challenge.

Xena: Warrior Princess has become a cultural touchstone for many fans, and its influence can be seen in subsequent television shows and films. Its message of redemption, empowerment, and loyalty resonates with audiences to this day.

The show is a groundbreaking television series that broke barriers with its depiction of strong female characters and compelling storytelling. It remains a beloved show that continues to inspire and entertain audiences around the world.

If you liked Xena, what else is there to watch?

You might enjoy these other TV shows that are similar in genre or style:

  1. Hercules: The Legendary Journeys: This show was a spin-off of Xena and shares the same fantasy-adventure genre. It follows the adventures of Hercules, who is played by Kevin Sorbo, and features similar themes of mythology, action, and humor.

  2. Game of Thrones: This HBO series is a darker and more violent take on the fantasy genre. It features complex characters and political intrigue in a fictional world filled with dragons, magic, and epic battles.

  3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: This show also features a strong female lead and mixes action, horror, and humor in a supernatural setting. It has a similar focus on the relationships between characters and features a blend of episodic and serialized storytelling.

  4. Legend of the Seeker: This show is based on the Sword of Truth series of books by Terry Goodkind and features a similar mix of action and fantasy adventure. It follows a young woodsman named Richard Cypher as he teams up with a powerful sorceress to battle evil in a magical world.

  5. Merlin: This BBC series is a retelling of the Arthurian legend and features a young Merlin as he navigates a world of magic, politics, and danger. It has a similar mix of action, adventure, and humor as Xena and features a strong ensemble cast.

Overall, if you enjoyed the action-packed adventure and strong character dynamics of Xena: Warrior Princess, these other TV shows are definitely worth checking out.

Want more strong female leads?

The punishment for vampirism is to be burned at the stake.

Necromancers, should they be captured, are hung.

I am both.

My master bestowed upon my shoulders a monumental task, one that has become my life's ambition. Should I fail, at least I will burn with a smile on my face, knowing that I did not live by my father's rules, the life he would have forced upon me as his heir. I have brought a legion of slaughter to the foot of the altar where I will soon carve my destiny, and I know that more bloodshed will follow.

I welcome every drop.

Read or listen today!

Origins of LitRPG

LitRPG, short for Literary Role-Playing Game, is a genre of fiction that combines elements of role-playing games and science fiction or fantasy literature. These books typically follow the journey of a character who finds themselves trapped within a virtual reality game world, and must navigate challenges and level up their skills to progress through the game.

The roots of LitRPG can be traced back to the 1980s, with the emergence of the first online multiplayer games such as MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons) and MUSHs (Multi-User Shared Hallucinations). These games allowed players to immerse themselves in virtual worlds and interact with other players in real-time. As online gaming evolved, so too did the idea of stories set within virtual worlds.

The first book widely considered to be LitRPG is "Only Sense Online," a Japanese light novel series by Aloha Zachou, which was published in 2012. The series tells the story of a young girl named Yun, who logs into a virtual reality MMORPG game to escape the stresses of real life. The success of "Only Sense Online" paved the way for other LitRPG series to follow.

One of the most popular LitRPG series in recent years is "The Gam3" by Cosimo Yap, published in 2015. The series follows the journey of Alan, a gamer who is recruited by an alien race to fight in a virtual reality game that will determine the fate of Earth.

Since then, the popularity of LitRPG has continued to grow, with countless authors exploring the possibilities of virtual worlds and gaming mechanics in their writing. Some of the most successful LitRPG series include "The Land" by Aleron Kong, "Awaken Online" by Travis Bagwell, and "Ascend Online" by Luke Chmilenko.

LitRPG books have also sparked a renewed interest in tabletop role-playing games, such as Dungeons & Dragons, as well as online gaming communities. Many LitRPG authors are themselves avid gamers, and the genre has become a way to bridge the gap between literature and gaming.

In conclusion, the history of LitRPG books can be traced back to the emergence of online gaming communities in the 1980s. Today, the genre continues to grow in popularity, offering readers a unique and immersive way to experience virtual worlds and gaming mechanics through literature.

Ready to start a new adventure?

Read or listen today!


History of Fantasy Fiction

When did fantasy fiction start?

Fantasy novels have been around for centuries and have captivated readers of all ages with their imaginative worlds, magical creatures, and epic battles between good and evil. The genre has a rich history that spans back to ancient myths and legends, but it was not until the 20th century that it became a recognized literary genre.

One of the earliest examples of fantasy literature can be found in ancient myths and legends from around the world. These stories often featured gods and goddesses, monsters, and heroes with supernatural powers. One of the most famous examples is Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, which tells the story of Odysseus and his journey home after the Trojan War.

In the 19th century, authors such as Jules Verne and H.G. Wells wrote science fiction stories that included elements of fantasy. Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth and Wells' The Time Machine are examples of early science fiction novels that featured fantastical elements.

However, it was not until the 20th century that fantasy literature became a distinct genre with its own conventions and tropes. The publication of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit in 1937 and The Lord of the Rings trilogy in the 1950s is often credited with establishing fantasy as a popular genre. Tolkien's epic tales of Middle-earth introduced readers to a fully-realized world filled with dwarves, elves, orcs, and other fantastical creatures.

Other notable fantasy authors from the mid-20th century include C.S. Lewis, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia series, and Ursula K. Le Guin, who wrote the Earthsea series. These authors helped to establish many of the conventions of the genre, such as the use of magic, mythical creatures, and epic quests.

In the latter half of the 20th century, the popularity of fantasy novels continued to grow, with authors like Terry Brooks, George R.R. Martin, and J.K. Rowling becoming household names. Today, the fantasy genre remains popular with readers of all ages, and new authors continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in fantasy literature.

What’s the best of the modern era?

Fantasy literature has always captivated readers with its vivid imagination, epic battles, and enchanting creatures. The 20th century was a prolific period for the genre, producing many classic works that have endured the test of time. In this article, we will explore some of the best fantasy novels of the 20th century that have captured the hearts of millions of readers.

  1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien First published in 1954, The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel that follows the journey of hobbit Frodo Baggins as he sets out to destroy the One Ring and defeat the evil Lord Sauron. The novel is set in the fictional world of Middle-earth and has been widely praised for its world-building, character development, and rich mythology. The Lord of the Rings has influenced countless works of fantasy and remains one of the best-loved and most-read novels of the genre.

  2. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels that began with A Game of Thrones in 1996. The novels are set in the fictional world of Westeros, where the noble houses battle for control of the Iron Throne. The series is known for its intricate plot, well-drawn characters, and unexpected twists and turns. The television adaptation of the series, Game of Thrones, has brought even more attention to the novels, making them some of the most popular works of fantasy of all time.

  3. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels that were written between 1950 and 1956. The novels follow the adventures of a group of children who are transported to the magical land of Narnia, where they encounter talking animals, witches, and other fantastical creatures. The novels are known for their Christian themes, but they have also been praised for their imaginative world-building and compelling characters.

  4. The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin The Earthsea Cycle is a series of fantasy novels that began with A Wizard of Earthsea in 1968. The novels are set in the world of Earthsea, where magic is a central part of life. The series follows the story of the young wizard Ged, as he rises to power and battles the forces of evil. The novels have been praised for their nuanced portrayal of magic, their complex characters, and their exploration of themes such as power, identity, and mortality.

  5. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling The Harry Potter series is a seven-book series that began with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997. The series follows the story of Harry Potter, a young orphan who discovers that he is a wizard and attends the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The series has been praised for its imaginative world-building, well-drawn characters, and themes of friendship, loyalty, and courage. The series has become a cultural phenomenon, inspiring a generation of readers and spawning a massive franchise that includes movies, merchandise, and theme parks.

The 20th century was a golden age for fantasy literature, producing many classic works that continue to captivate readers today. The novels on this list are just a few of the best examples of the genre, but there are countless others that are equally worthy of attention. Whether you are a long-time fan of fantasy or a newcomer to the genre, these novels are sure to transport you to magical worlds filled with adventure, danger, and wonder.

Ready for more?

Stuart Thaman is a fantasy author who has been making waves in the genre with his unique and imaginative storytelling. His novels feature complex characters, detailed world-building, and exciting plots that keep readers on the edge of their seats.

How to advertise books on Reddit.

Don’t screw it up!

Advertising on Reddit can be a true nightmare. One wrong move and you’ll get brigaded with 1-star reviews, personal attacks, death threats in your email, and probably worse. That said, I’ve made thousands advertising my books on Reddit. How did I do it? Let’s dive in.

Step 1: find subreddits in your genre. No, r/books is not in your genre. Avoid any subreddit with 100,000+ subscribers. You’re just white noise there. A waste of time. Find smaller, niche-focused communities like r/litrpg or r/haremfantasynovels. Millions of subreddits exist, so you can certainly find your niche. And you can also look at non-book subreddits. Wrote something about a parrot? Try r/parrots or something similar. You get the idea.

Step 2: follow the damn rules. I cannot stress that enough. Read, understand, and read them again. Follow them meticulously. Almost every single subreddit has a very strict no ads policy. Follow it!!! Posting a billboard for your book in a subreddit that disallows ads is about as good as sawing off your foot with an old knife.

Step 3: participate in the community. Join discussions. Actively comment and offer useful insight. A stranger will not be able to market at all. A familiar / respected name will.

Step 4: look for specific self-promotion threads. Find out when they go live. Many subreddits have weekly or monthly self-promotion threads. Drop your links in there, but only when the thread is fresh. If it already has 5+ comments, don’t waste your time.

Step 5: as you follow step 3 and develop a name and reputation in the community, you’ll come across posts looking for your exact kind of content. DO NOT SHILL YOUR BOOKS IN THE COMMENTS. Don’t be that guy. Instead, message the person asking for a recommendation to offer them a FREE copy of your loss leader (from Bookfunnel) and list the reasons your book matches their interests. The goal is to create a fan organically, not pressure someone into clicking a link and then forgetting about you.

Step 6: always use “Old Reddit” instead of the new redesign. It is just 1000% better. 10,000% better. Infinitely better. And NEVER use the Reddit app.

There you have it. My tried and true guide to making thousands of sales on Reddit. If you put in the time and effort, it works. If you skip step 3, it backfires horribly. Cheers!

Unsheathed has an audiobook!

Unsheathed: An Epic Fantasy Collection

Draw your blade. 

Fasten your armor. 

Prepare for war. 

The Unsheathed collection brings to life nine powerhouse tales of epic fantasy filled with daring duels, gruesome slaughter, and the ringing cacophony of battle.

“A diverse anthology of unique fantasy. Left me wanting for expansion to full novels!” - Amazon Review

Umbral Blade 2: Mournstead

I’m getting close!

I know there’s been a long wait since Shadowlith came out. Quite a few years, actually. Originally, I just didn’t know where I wanted to go with book 2. I wrote myself into a bit of a complex corner. Oops.

But that’s behind me now! I’ve moved past the blocks, and the book is coming along nicely.

So when will it be done???

I DON’T KNOW! Soon, I hope. I’m sitting just shy of 50k words right now. I’m planning on this book being just a tad bit longer than book 1, so maybe 75k - 90k. We’ll see when I get there. In all honesty, I really hope to have it at least in edits by the summer. That’s rapidly approaching. I think I can do it.

Anyway, that’s the update. Sorry for the delay!

Oh, and I’m planning on releasing a really cool combined duology edition as well. Maybe a hardback? I don’t know yet.

2022 Convention List

Sad news.

I currently do not have a single event scheduled for 2022.

Why?

Prices keep going up. By a lot. Booths that used to cost me $100 - $250 at events like Lexington Toy and Comic Convention or Cincinnati Comic Expo are now $700 - $1200. That price increase is absolutely insane. Smaller indie authors like me simply cannot afford to attend.

I know a lot of authors on the convention circuit, and we’re all saying the same things. We just can’t afford to attend conventions this year. There’s going to be a significant lack of authors (and other indie creators) at your favorite shows in 2022. Get ready to see a lot of t-shirt towers and booths full of Funko Pops.

Right in my own backyard, Lexington Comicon TRIPLED their booth prices. That used to be my favorite event. Now I can’t even go.

It breaks my heart to say it, but I really don’t think I’ll be doing a single live signing event in all of 2022. You guys know I love to come out and do that stuff, but it just doesn’t make sense financially to schedule anything now. Big conventions like Lexington and Cincinnati require me to order about $600 - $800 worth of inventory a few months in advance, and paired with a booth cost of $700+, I just won’t make a single dime in profit.

The shred of good news is that if you still want a signed copy of a book, you can always order them right through my webstore. And if you’ve signed up for my newsletter (on the bottom of any page on this site), you have a coupon code already.

Let’s hope that 2023 sees a decrease in booth prices so I can get back on the convention circuit and meet some more fans!

An update for the fans.

What have I been up to in the past couple years?

Alright, that’s a fair question. The last book I launched was A Black Soul on December 15, 2019. We’re coming up on 2022 now. No, I have not quit writing. Not at all.

Here’s what’s been going on:

Firstly, I (necessarily) took 2020 off from serious writing endeavors in order to study for the Kentucky bar exam. Some of you might know that I graduated from law school in May of 2020 and was scheduled to take the bar in the summer. Due to Covid, the date of the test was changed a handful of times, and when the studying plan is a rigid, immutable 580 hours, that makes it tough. I actually started studying in November of 2019, and then I finally sat for the bar in October of 2020.

AND I PASSED!!!!

I took a new day job in the fall of 2020, making the jump from education into law, and with that I also moved about an hour south. Between studying for the exam, 30+ showings of my house, starting a new career, and moving to a new city during a plague, 2020 left me basically no time to write. I still churned out a little bit of content, but nothing substantial.

Welcome to 2021. I started the year working massive hours for pennies at a law firm that I very quickly realized was not for me, so I left in February to start my own practice. I’m now the proud owner of Baker Thaman Law in Georgetown, Kentucky. Starting the firm took a lot of work, and it essentially exhausted my mental faculties for quite some time. The prospect of working on a huge 125k+ LitRPG novel became daunting.

But the firm is off the ground now, we have steady clientele, and we’ve won a handful of cases.

During the summer of 2021, I opened Nef House Publishing to submissions, created a website for it, and started focusing on some other aspects of my author life. That’s been hugely exciting, and I’m proud to say that Nef House has some awesome new titles that you should certainly check out.

Back in the beginning of quarantine, I also decided to try and pursue one of my “bucket list” life goals. I desperately want to play guitar live in a metal band. That’s been a goal of mine for years. I’ve been a guitarist since I was 7. I’ve been playing at a professional level for at least 10 years. I’ve played innumerable acoustic, folk, bluegrass, and jazz sets, but never metal. In my heart, I’m a metalhead. My all-time favorite band is Epica, a symphonic death metal band from the Netherlands. I have multiple tattoos from the metalcore band Oh, Sleeper.

So sometime in 2020, I started writing black metal tracks and releasing them under the band name Saxo Grammaticus. For the moment, I’ve just been messing around as a 1-man solo project making random stuff that I know isn’t very good, but I’ve been slowly assembling a team that I think can make some top notch tracks and hopefully play a few shows in the future.

Anyways, that’s what I’ve been doing for the past 2 years when I should have been writing.

Welcome to 2022.

I’m writing again. It is official. I’m working on new material for Mournstead, and I intend to finish the first draft of the manuscript within a month or two. Both Nef House and my law firm are off the ground and operating smoothly on a day to day basis, so I have no more excuses. Writing has once again become a priority in my life. I can’t promise 4 novels in a year like 2019, but I really, really hope to have Mournstead ready for release in quarter 1 of 2022. After that, my focus will shift to A Ruined World.

And here are some notes about Mournstead:

  • You can read a teaser here

  • The first book was short. Shadowlith came in around 75k words. Mournstead is probably going to be around the 100k mark. That’s the goal

  • The tone is a lot darker than Shadowlith. Near the end of book 1, I hinted at some very dark themes that I knew would be in book 2. Those themes are getting a lot darker than even I anticipated. Expect the tone to be more in line with Forsaken Talents

  • The writing is vastly improved. Shadowlith came out in 2017. My writing has gotten so much better since then. I’m considering releasing a revised version of Shadowlith once Mournstead comes out, and my publisher is cool with the idea. We’ll probably do a special edition duology / omnibus version (hardback?) with an updated version of Shadowlith included

  • My editor is leagues better than before. I upgraded massively in that department. In my opinion, I have the absolute best in the business now. Mournstead is going to absolutely kick ass

  • Mournstead is the conclusion of the Umbral Blade series. We’re ending at 2 books, and the story will be complete. It feels nice

Well… There you have it. My life.

Drop a comment below and let me know how you’re doing or what you’re most excited to see from me next. No matter what, I always love hearing from fans.

Cheers. Drink some bourbon for me.