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!
Category: Sins of the Father, Song of 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. quick loans
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. quick loans
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!
Category: Song of the Elves |
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Posted By David Shepherd on December 14, 2011
With bated breath I await the arrival of the first paperback version of Sins of the Father. After a final page by page check for errors, we will be pushing ahead with the publication of the third volume of Song of the Elves. At SOTE HQ we are still hopeful of a Christmas release – at the latest Book 3 will creep out sometime between Christmas and the New Year (fingers crossed).
Started to get into the Christmas spirit this weekend. Brought a smile to the face of my three year old with a flower broach from RachelCreates, a great designer local to Cheshire, who works with textiles, ceramics and many other media to produce a range of lovely goods. I’m currently steeling myself for the annual visit to Manchester for the Christmas shopping; it will be a trip to rival the journey of Agatha and Eidur in The King’s Blades, no doubt!
I’ve had a few queries since the last posting about the Sisters of Mercy reference with regard to the wonderful cover designs of the series. The Sisters were renowned for using black covers for their E.P.s and albums, against which iconic images vibrantly sat. The cover for A Shadow Falls was created with this inspiration from my youth in mind. I wanted the potential reader to feel drawn to the oak tree as a potential safe haven, moonlight puddled around it’s boughs, a stout and reliable reference against the foreboding, encroaching darkness. My particular favourite in Sisters’ cover art was for their second full length album, Floodland. One cannot escape ones gothic roots so it seems! Keep those embarassing 80s photos in your cupboard mum!
Until next time, up the elves!
Category: Song of the Elves |
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Posted By David Shepherd on December 4, 2011
Imagine, a tumble-down castle, broken walls spilling from the rocky outcrop where it perches above the plains; beyond, a might mountain range broods, lit by the full moon; the vale in between is shrouded in mist. If you can picture this, you will be getting somewhere close to the majesty of the new cover for Sins of the Father. The design is now complete, subtleties of shade and tone capturing the mystery of Majora, lost capital of the elves.
Once again, the visual inspiration is somewhere between Tolkien’s landscapes and a Sisters of Mercy album cover (Floodland anyone?). the end result is a quite beautiful and poignant scene, fitting for the series but most importantly capturing the pathos of this third installment of Song of the Elves.
Anyway, enough eulogising. I’m off to put up the Christmas tree now as my three year old daughter has just crawled up on my knee to remind me of the more important duties of the day.
Until next time, up the elves!
Category: Sins of the Father |
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