Posted By David Shepherd on May 21, 2012
Hi All - we’re in the middle of an editing frenzy here at SOTE HQ. Book 3, Sins of the Father is completed and ready for release. I am doing a bit of a spring-clean on Books 1 & 2, with the help of my editor, Col Peirson. More news on these books in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I am going to concentrate on giving you updates on forthcoming projects over the next few weeks, until we are ready to launch on Book 3.
Currently I am plotting Book 4 of Song of the Elves, The Lost the Lonely and the Damned. I will commence work on the next installment in the fall. I am intending to spend the summer months seeking a publisher to support the sale of the paperback versions of the books, so if anyone is out there…
However, my mind is awash with other plotlines that need finishing too. Wolves of Winter III is still a work in progress. I am slowly chipping away at this final story of the Winterlands, set in Rhoderica in the days before the elves came to the continent. There’s also the matter of writing ‘To the Ends of the Earth’, a tale of Rhoderica following one man’s search for his daughter and is inspired by John Wayne and John Ford’s ‘The Searchers’. If only there were 48 hours in the day…
Until next time, up the Elves!
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Posted By David Shepherd on April 26, 2012
It is with great delight that I finally announce the completion of ‘Sins of the Father’. Book Three of Song of the Elves is now with the technical team, being prepared for release as an e-book through kindle store at amazon, and as a papreback through lulu.com.
It has been an intense twelve months, bringing the original manuscript to full publishing readiness, a goal that I would not have achieved without the extra editorial help of Col Pierson. I am sure that you will like the results, and I will bring you news of a publication date in the forthcoming weeks.
To relax, I am enjoying the revival of some old goth favourites of mine – Fields of the Nephilim have released a dynamic new live double CD entitled Ceremonies, encapsulating all the phases of their career in one package. Ex neph founder member Tony Petit continues to apply his distinctive bass playing to new project, The Eden House. Check out their new Timeflows EP for the best in goth since Nephilim’s Elizium album.
Until next time, up the elves!
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Posted By David Shepherd on April 7, 2012
Things have moved on apace with Sins of the Father, Book Three of Song of the Elves. I’ve now received back the final edit from Col, which I have to say is tremendous. I am delighted with the time he has put in to ironing out chinks in the narrative and bringing his critical eye to make this the best read it could possibly be. Action packed, full of gusto and sorrow, this is the read of the saga so far.
I am now doing a final grammatical and word level check on the manuscript before I hand it over to the technical team (Nick) for final preparation. Col and I then have plans to have a look at books one and two, to see if we can deliver a super-slick edit of those first two instalments to enhance your reading pleasure.
I look forward to bringing you news of release dates for Sins of the Father within the next fortnight. Until then, up the elves!
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Posted By David Shepherd on March 21, 2012
Light nights, wind-battered daffodils, the tantalising aroma of warmer weather on the wind. Spring has sprung, and the writing bug is settling back into the Shepherd household. I’ve been doing a lot of scripting of SOTE Book 4, The Lost, The Lonely and the Damned, in my head, but first I will be finishing Wolves of Winter III.
I am a keen reader of detective noir and there is a definite touch of Hollywood hard-boiled cop to the role of Rulnik in the latest instalment of WOW. The streets of Sunamor are more intimate, shadowed canyons than the grid patterns of New York or LA, but the methodical approach of the Captain and his team would not be amiss in the world of Marlowe or Hammer. Like Mickey Spillane, my characters also take great delight in abandoning reason in favour of violence – as long as the means serves the end – the life of the King is at stake after all.
Until next time, up the elves!
Category: Song of the Elves, Wolves of Winter |
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Tags: mickey spillane, rulnik, sunamor, the lost the lonely and the damned, wolves of winter
Posted By David Shepherd on March 7, 2012
Progress on the final edit of Sins of the Father continues apace. I am looking forward to bringing you the third installment in time for your summer reading.
In the meantime, I’ve taken the first tentative steps with Wolves of Winter 3. Rulnik is leading an investigation into multiple attempts on the life of the King of Westaster. The plot takes place amidst the dark streets and soaring towers of Sunamor. The city is as important to the plot as the characters. Whereas the action in WOW I and WOW II swept across the bleak landscape of Winterland, the scenes of WOW III are played out in the high vaulted hauls and claustrophobic cellars of the High Seat of King Stephen.
I am enjoying the creation of the city and its three class-divided tiers. The action also provides an important glimpse into the past for followers of SOTE.
Until next time, up the elves!
Category: Short Stories, Sins of the Father, Song of the Elves, Wolves of Winter |
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Tags: sins of the father, wolves of winter
Posted By David Shepherd on February 22, 2012
Sorry for the lengthy break in transmission. A combination of technical changes and a very busy day job have kept me from my updates. Rest assured, it will be business as usual from now on.
What have I been doing over the last few weeks. Well, I’ve penned a few more scenes of Wolves of Winter III. Rulnik is hot on the case of an unknown assassin, with seemingly endless ways in which to assail the King on the eve of his wedding. More to come on this project soon.
Sins of the Father is coming along nicely with its final edit, thanks to Col Peirson. It should see the light of day on kindle and lulu.com by the summer.
I’ve also been enjoying a bit of Tolkien. I received a luxuriant copy of The Children of Hurin as a gift a couple of years ago, and have finally got round to reading it. What a joy – the story has so much content it could easily fill another three films (get your finger out Peter Jackson!). It is a romantic tragedy in the true tradition, endlessly inventive. No one conveys the weight of history like Tolkien. If you are into your high fantasy, I cannot recommend this read highly enough!
Until next time, up the elves!
Category: Short Stories, Sins of the Father, Song of the Elves, Wolves of Winter |
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Posted By David Shepherd on January 19, 2012
After a very pleasurable break from writing, I’ve set to once more with work on the world of Rhoderica. I am having a break from the main narrative of Song of the Elves while my dear friend Col finishes the final edit of Sins of the Father. Rest assured, you won’t be short of action from Rhoderica this year. Not only will book 3 of SOTE emerge before the summer, but you will also be able to experience all the blood and thunder of the Wolves of Winter.
If you’ve not already discovered the Wolves, check out the short stories on this website. Currently I am penning Wolves III, entitled Kill the King. The original idea for the story came to me a few years ago, inspired by the Rainbow song of the same title. You will not find any clues to my tale in the lyrics of Ronnie James Dio, it was merely the title that sparked off a train of thought.
Subsequently, since the Wolves emerged, this tale has now morphed into an adventure for Rulnik, Torbad, Yanuk and Beddor. Set before the elves invaded Rhoderica, the Wolves of Winter stories will give you an insight into the Western lands of the humans.
More soon…
Until then, up the elves!
Category: Short Stories, Song of the Elves, Wolves of Winter |
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Tags: col, dio, kill the king, rainbow, wolves of winter
Posted By David Shepherd on January 7, 2012
The wind certainly did blow wild, to paraphrase Julia Donaldson (having a three year old I now know the script of ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’ line by line). The fallen tree in our back garden is testimony to the gusts and gales that buffeted Cheshire over the course of the last week.
The wind of change is also sweeping through SOTE HQ. While my dear friend Col lends his expert eye to the final edit of Sins of the Father, I am polishing off a job long overdue. I’m currently writing Wolves of Winter III, revisiting the characters familiar to some of you from the first two escapades – Rulnik, Torbad and Yanuk to name but a few. Once this third installment is complete – sometime in the summer – the intention is to release the three tales as a single e-book on kindle and as a collectible paperback through lulu.com.
For those of you who have not met the Wolves, their story is set in the days before the elves came to Rhoderica. I will label the book as a Tale of Rhoderica, leaving the way open for more stories from the back history to the land in which Song of the Elves takes place. Rulnik and his men have battled ice wyrms, the fearsome ice men – the Nordakin, tackled changelings and villainous entrepreneurs. In this latest installment, the life of the King is at stake as the monarch prepares for a controversial marriage Rulnik and his men must locate the hidden assassins lurking within the royal city.
More to follow next week…
Until then, up the elves!
Category: Short Stories, Sins of the Father, Song of the Elves, Wolves of Winter |
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Posted By David Shepherd on December 30, 2011
On behalf of everyone involved in Song of the Elves, I would like to thank you for your support throughout 2011. I hope that 2012 is happy and prosperous year for you all. Here at SOTE HQ we are gearing up for the release of Book 3 in the fantasy saga, Sins of the Father. If you have been following my blog, you will know that I had promise to deliver the volume by Christmas Day. This ambitous deadline has obviously slipped by, but I am glad that I have held back on the release to get the novel exactly right.
Sins of the Father is a pivotal link on the Song of the Elves saga, wrapping up many of the plot lines introduced in A Shadow Falls and The King’s Blades, but introducing many teasers for forthcoming volumes. The manuscript is tantalisingly close to being finished; another edit of the script will bring it up to the standard that I am looking for. I am not going to shoot myself in the foot by announcing another publication date just yet – I’ll leave that for when I have a clear idea of what time is needed to finish it.
After Sins, I have a mind to complete the Wolves of Winter trilogy, though having said that, the temptation to dive straight in to Book 4 of SOTE – The Lost, The Lonely and the Damned – is also great.
So, thank you again for your support and your patience.
Up the Elves in 2012.
Category: Sins of the Father, Song of the Elves |
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Tags: book 3, book 4, deadline, sins, sins of the father, the lost the lonely and the damned, wolves of winter
Posted By David Shepherd on December 24, 2011
I had a wish for Christmas, that Sins of the Father, Book Three of the Song of the Elves saga, would be ready for a Yuletide release. Yet again I’ve dug myself in to a hole with promising something I cannot deliver (something similar happened with The King’s Blades). I’m going to move the relase of the novel back by a few weeks, to allow myself the time to do a final edit of the book. It will definitely be in your hands by Easter…
Sins of the Father is a large manuscript, almost as long as Books 1 & 2 put together, and as such there is quiet a lot of tidying up to be done. I had hoped that my last edit would be it, but on reading the paperback proof there are several elements that I’m not happy with. I will never release anything for purchase that is less than professional – you, my readers, deserve the best.
So, following a seasonal sojourn, I wil be launching back into the manuscript to iron out a few kinks. Rest assured, the wait will be worth it!
I would like to finish by wishing all my readers a very merry Christmas. You have made 2011 an exciting and rewarding time for all at SOTE HQ.
Until next time, up the elves!
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