Tag: Books

The General Worldbuilding Guide

by JM Paquette

September 1, 2023

As a writer, I like to think I know everything about my characters and the world they inhabit.

But do I? I certainly don’t always recall those details—and definitely not when I need them most. Cue the dive down an internet rabbit hole for the next hour instead of continuing to write my draft. There’s a time for writing, and there’s a time for worldbuilding—and they aren’t the same!

Use this book to build your world in all its glory, so that the next time those townsfolk are suspicious of strangers, you know what happened the last time they trusted someone who walked into town from the world beyond. Just imagine, when you sit down to write, already knowing the answers to questions like:

What is that song on the radio at the bar?
How long does it take to drive from Town A to Town B?
Who established that law about bathtubs in the street?
Where is the best place to get a burger in this town?
When did that family take over the monarchy?

Tackling everything from creation myths and cultural practices to building relationships and measuring time, this worldbuilding guide has the questions and activities you need to help you craft a believable world for your story.

Dawn

by Rick Heinz

September 16, 2023

For centuries, a global conspiracy of secret societies have hoarded magic, keeping it hidden from the rest of the world.

Before the age of reason and science, magic ruled the world. Now, it’s coming back. If most of humanity gets wiped out in the process … well, sometimes you have to break a few eggs. A group of anarchs and heretics in Chicago work to tear down the barrier that has kept humanity ignorant of demons, forgotten myths, and ancient legends. Obsessed with discovering evidence of the afterlife, Mike Auburn’s death-defying stunts have brought him closer than ever to lifting the veil of reality.

However, his ventures to the edge have not gone unnoticed. The boss of a tenebrous organization recruits Mike to their cause. Nothing can possibly go wrong. Right? Before long, a world ruled by the scientific method and rational thinking is challenged by the supernatural. Drawn out by the long-awaited return of magic, the dead, the damned, and the demonic will stop at nothing to bring it back for good. Suddenly, Mike is stuck at the center of a battle between the forces of reason, of good, of evil and everything in between.Dawn is a clash of American Gods, Constantine, and The Dresden Files.

Potarium

by Kyle Sorrell

September 17, 2023

Potarium, the city of heaven, has finally revealed itself.

After reaching the bottom of Munderworld and speaking to the enigmatic and all-powerful Munder King, Cynkz is granted passage to the heavenly city. Once washed upon its shore, he reunites with an old friend, and the two seek assistance in finding the long lost Sister of Elm.

Cynkz gets more than he bargained for when a dark secret from his past comes back in the worst way imaginable. New allies lead him down a dangerous path, and the jester must come to terms with his mistakes to save the last bastion of peace. Old grudges and new dangers put the fate of every living soul on the line, and Cynkz finds himself at the dark center of it all.

Traitor

by D. Lambert

September 17, 2023

History is written by the victors.

Victory has been bought with a bracelet; Tohmas Galanth is to be married. With Arnika Trulin’s hand comes the Princedom of Trulin, freeing Tohmas to continue his conquest of Espar. But even magical love is real, and Tohmas is blind to any betrayal from within his ranks. As he marches, his enemies from this word and beyond plan a unified strike meant to stop him and free the conquered princedoms. Arnika is not the only target.

The closer he comes to success, the further Tohmas feels he is from what he wants for himself and for Espar. Chief Tamv of the Rydans is expecting homage and obedience. How can a son, even a pretend son, not honor his father?

He was born Esparan but raised Rydan. Now Tohmas must choose which to serve.

Midnight Cumbia

by Lyra R. Saenz

September 27, 2023

Some people fall in love like feathers dancing in the breeze. Others plummet.

I’ve known my husband’s name since I was twelve years old: Chike Nagi, Crown Prince of Ebele. On our wedding day, as he led me in a dance throughout the untamed wilds, I wondered, “Is this what falling in love feels like?” Or was it just the savannah heat?

As a diplomat, I am accustomed to navigating different social spheres, but love is another beast altogether. I have been taught that love isn’t as important as power. But when his hand touches mine, I feel strong.

We couldn’t have known how rapidly our whole world was about to change.

Orchestrated Love

by A.J. Buchanan

September 30, 2023

Love hurts—is a second chance worth the risk?

Over a decade after breaking up with the love of his life, 42-year-old Jackson Knox has given up on finding anyone new. Breaking things off had been for the best for both of them, and Jackson has learned to live with the heartache. As he prepares to start a new job at a well-respected music school far from the place where he and Noah Santiago fell in love, he unexpectedly bumps into him again. Is it fate?

Musical genius Noah Santiago is hiding in his family’s home in a lakeside town in upstate New York, trying to figure out how to go on without being part of the world-renowned Barrington String Quartet. The pain of losing his career has left him gutted. The last person he expects to bump into is the man who still owns his heart after all these years.

Noah is wary of opening himself to more pain, and Jax fears Noah will never forgive him. Can their withered love bloom again? And how will they find their place together after so long apart?