A couple of noteworthy things happened on the writing front this last couple of weeks. First up, my short story, Spellbreaker, was published by Swords and Sorcery Magazine.

Spellbreaker is a short story based in my Fallen Times setting. It’s about a mercenary with principles and his struggle against a guild that is capitalising on increasing unrest in the empire. We’re talking, swords and sorcery, betrayal and honour, and the emergence of some very big problems for the world.

I have a few projects in this setting in various stages including another short story, The Fate of Kastenmark, which is under submissions. So far, it’s received some excellent feedback from pro markets but hasn’t found a home just yet.

The other bit of news is that I finally posted the last chapter of my Warhammer: Age of Sigmar fanfic, The Aurora Citadel, on the blog. Here’s the full version in PDF.

I wrote most of this during a 3-week trip to Spain last year. The pool and mountains of Sierra Nevada made for quite a different backdrop to the dining room in Stoke on Trent.

Since Black Library hold the Warhammer: Age of Sigmar IP, I can’t really do anything with it than post it online for anyone interested to read it for free. So you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a daft idea to write a whole novel that I can’t sell. But selling it wasn’t the point. A bunch of Life Things caused me to put down writing for a while so I needed to get back into the groove. The idea for Aurora Citadel was bursting to see the light of day and the world building was already done for me, so it felt like ideal practice. And if anyone enjoyed reading it, that’s great. I had a blast writing it, and there’s loads of scope for the Knights of the Aurora and its characters, particularly Kimmani, to continue their adventures in the mortal realms.

Right now, I’m about 30% through the second draft of another novel. It’s an adventure fantasy aimed at younger readers (say, anyone from around 7+) about a fisherman and his adopted son who bring their nets in one afternoon to find Princess Kisna inside them. They’re soon swept up in a contest of adventure between the princess and two other nobles, taking them through seas and jungles, into legend and magic, on the trail of history’s most famous explorer.

That’s about up to date on writing. I have another couple of short stories doing the rounds so keep your eyes open for when one of them is picked up. Finally, my current round of copy-editing for Awaken Realms is complete and the products (The Edge: Dawnfall and Nemesis) should be out in the wild soon.