Colin Brodd's Blog
October 1, 2023
Coming Soon . . .
I'm not going to say a lot right now - only that I moved back home to Rhode Island a few months back, and having settled in, I feel like I might be able to get back to productive writing fairly soon. So . . . watch this space for updates as they become available!
September 10, 2020
FREE Giveaway on Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume III (today through 9/14/20)
Hey everyone! Just a quick reminder that you can get Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume III on Kindle absolutely FREE from Amazon from now through 9/14/20! Volumes I & II are also available for just $2.99 each!
Happy Reading! Skál!
~ Colin Anders Brodd
September 8, 2020
Kindle Book Giveaway 9/10/20 - 9/14/20 - Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume III!
Good news, everyone! Some of you know that September 10th is my birthday, so for my birthday this year, I decided to give YOU a birthday present! From September 10th, 2020 to September 14th, 2020, the third volume of my short stories, Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume III, will be FREE on Kindle from Amazon. You can get volumes I & II on Kindle for just $2.99 each if you don't already have them, but volume III will be absolutely FREE!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Reading! Skál!
~ Colin Anders Brodd
July 27, 2020
Apocalypsis Lyndisfarnensis and Other Works Forthcoming
Hello everyone,
It has been far too long since I published an update! Since my last update, I had my little kids (now 7 and almost 6) home for a summer, took a new teaching job, endured a hospitalization and long recovery, and survived a global pandemic (so far, anyway!) - so much going on, and so little of it writing!
So what changed today? Well, I give full credit to Ann Livi Andrews from SIA (Support Independent Authors), who e-mailed me today about SIA's latest short story contest. As you may know if you've been following my writing, I am a previous winner of an SIA short story contests (with the story "Remember!"); and the new contest. with the theme of Apocalypse (gee, thanks, 2020!) intersects neatly with an idea I had been kicking around for a story based on the Viking raid on Lindisfarne in 793 C.E. So I sat down and started pounding the keyboard, and a few hours later, the story I had been meaning to write emerged.
So for the first time in far too long, I have a new story up on Tales From Midhgardhur on Channillo: "Apocalypsis Lyndisfarnensis" is a Midhgardhur take on the apocalypse that befell the priory of Lindisfarne in what was probably the summer of 793 C.E. (yes, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says January, but the leading theory is that Ian. was a mistake for Iun. (June). Not an apocalypse like zombies in a movie or TV show, or even like Covid-19 in real life, but the end of the world for those poor monks! So I hope you enjoy this first take on a Midhgardhur apocalypse. There may be others forthcoming (I may have other ideas kicking around, and there is no limit on entering the SIA contest!), but I am proud of this first entry!
What else is coming? Well, expect to see another story relatively soon about Hrafn the runecaster, and I hope to get back to other stories planned but not written (like the Runestones of Rys stories).
Happy Reading! Skál!Colin Anders Brodd
It has been far too long since I published an update! Since my last update, I had my little kids (now 7 and almost 6) home for a summer, took a new teaching job, endured a hospitalization and long recovery, and survived a global pandemic (so far, anyway!) - so much going on, and so little of it writing!
So what changed today? Well, I give full credit to Ann Livi Andrews from SIA (Support Independent Authors), who e-mailed me today about SIA's latest short story contest. As you may know if you've been following my writing, I am a previous winner of an SIA short story contests (with the story "Remember!"); and the new contest. with the theme of Apocalypse (gee, thanks, 2020!) intersects neatly with an idea I had been kicking around for a story based on the Viking raid on Lindisfarne in 793 C.E. So I sat down and started pounding the keyboard, and a few hours later, the story I had been meaning to write emerged.
So for the first time in far too long, I have a new story up on Tales From Midhgardhur on Channillo: "Apocalypsis Lyndisfarnensis" is a Midhgardhur take on the apocalypse that befell the priory of Lindisfarne in what was probably the summer of 793 C.E. (yes, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says January, but the leading theory is that Ian. was a mistake for Iun. (June). Not an apocalypse like zombies in a movie or TV show, or even like Covid-19 in real life, but the end of the world for those poor monks! So I hope you enjoy this first take on a Midhgardhur apocalypse. There may be others forthcoming (I may have other ideas kicking around, and there is no limit on entering the SIA contest!), but I am proud of this first entry!
What else is coming? Well, expect to see another story relatively soon about Hrafn the runecaster, and I hope to get back to other stories planned but not written (like the Runestones of Rys stories).
Happy Reading! Skál!Colin Anders Brodd
March 10, 2020
Midhgardhur Norse fantasy books are still on sale!
Just a reminder that the Kindle editions of The Saga of Asa Oathkeeper: A Midhgardhur Fantasy and The Tale of Halfdanur the Black are FREE until the 12th of March, 2020; and the Kindle editions of the collections Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume I, Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume II, and Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume III are on Kindle Countdown Sale until the Ides of March (March 15th, 2020). If you enjoy Norse sword-and-sorcery fiction, now is the perfect time to load up your Kindle!
March 8, 2020
Happy International Women's Day!
Happy International Women's Day from Midhgardhur Books! Today through March 12th, The Saga of Asa Oathkeeper: A Midhgardhur Fantasy and The Tale of Halfdanur the Black are FREE on Kindle, and there is a Kindle Countdown Sale through March 15th on the collections of short stories set in the world of Midhgardhur: Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume I, Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume II, and Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume III! This is the perfect time to stock up on Norse fantasy stories on your Kindle! Check them out here: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00ZGTY30S
March 7, 2020
International Women's Day Promotion
Tomorrow (3/8/20) is International Women's Day! I usually run some kind of promotion for that day - this year, my novel The Saga of Asa Oathkeeper: A Midhgardhur Fantasy and novella The Tale of Halfdanur the Black will both be FREE on Kindle from tomorrow to the 12th, and my 3 collections of short stories (Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume I, Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume II, and Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume III) will be on Kindle Countdown Sale until the 15th! If you enjoy Norse fantasy and swords-and-sorcery, check it out while it's free or on sale! Skal!
February 1, 2020
Audiobook and Coming Soon . . .
Hello all,
I've been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately, and it feels like it's a great time to remind people that you can listen to some of my stories on audiobook! “Tales from Midhgardhur, Volume I,” is on audiobook from Audible or iTunes! Norse fantasy short stories featuring Vikings, Shieldmaidens, Runecasters, and Dragons . . .
https://www.audible.com/pd/Tales-from-Midhgardhur-Book-1-Audiobook/B078T3DNXH
Also, I've finally been tinkering with some new stuff for Tales From Midhgardhur on Channillo, and a new story should be coming by mid-February! Be on the lookout!
Cheers! ~ Colin Anders Brodd
I've been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately, and it feels like it's a great time to remind people that you can listen to some of my stories on audiobook! “Tales from Midhgardhur, Volume I,” is on audiobook from Audible or iTunes! Norse fantasy short stories featuring Vikings, Shieldmaidens, Runecasters, and Dragons . . .
https://www.audible.com/pd/Tales-from-Midhgardhur-Book-1-Audiobook/B078T3DNXH
Also, I've finally been tinkering with some new stuff for Tales From Midhgardhur on Channillo, and a new story should be coming by mid-February! Be on the lookout!
Cheers! ~ Colin Anders Brodd
April 29, 2019
New Release! Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume III
Hello everyone,
Well, it's official! Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume III is available from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle formats! I was projecting that it would be out in late 2018, but technical difficulties prevented its release until April 2019! This volume compiles ten more short stories that appeared in the award-winning series Tales From Midhgardhur on Channillo:
1. The Trade
2. Luck of the Lytlingar
3. Purity
4. Vikings and Vrykolakes
5. Sons of Aegir, Daughters of Ran
6. Wolfsbane
7. Under the Arena
8. Spring Sacrifice
9. Far From The Tree
10. The Gorgonades Shipwreck
Check out the new book on Amazon today, and if you want to stay ahead of the books, subscribe to Tales From Midhgardhur for just $4.99/month!
Happy Reading! Skál!
~ Colin Anders Brodd
Well, it's official! Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume III is available from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle formats! I was projecting that it would be out in late 2018, but technical difficulties prevented its release until April 2019! This volume compiles ten more short stories that appeared in the award-winning series Tales From Midhgardhur on Channillo:
1. The Trade
2. Luck of the Lytlingar
3. Purity
4. Vikings and Vrykolakes
5. Sons of Aegir, Daughters of Ran
6. Wolfsbane
7. Under the Arena
8. Spring Sacrifice
9. Far From The Tree
10. The Gorgonades Shipwreck
Check out the new book on Amazon today, and if you want to stay ahead of the books, subscribe to Tales From Midhgardhur for just $4.99/month!
Happy Reading! Skál!
~ Colin Anders Brodd
April 24, 2019
Word Count Wednesday - New Tales From Midhgardhur!
Hello everyone,
Well, when last I updated Word Count Wednesday, I was working on "The Gorgonades Shipwreck," and I was up against some serious editing challenges. For example, the story was for a contest with a 2500 word count limit, and I was at 3524 words and counting. Final word count of the first draft was close to 5000 words, and I needed to cut it down to less than half of that!
I am happy to report that with some help from my wonderful wife, Tanya, I accomplished the mission! I was stuck for a long time at about 2600, having cut out a couple of sub-plots, several major characters, and some scenes I really loved. At that point, I was so burned out from re-reading the same words over and over, and hacking away at my manuscript, that I really needed a fresh set of eyes (thanks again, Tanya!). But the thing I love about editing for a word count goal like that is how tight the writing becomes after a while. Redundancy is pared away, fat is trimmed, and you're left with a far leaner, heavier-hitting story. I was really happy with the way it turned out, and finally clocked in at about 2460 words!
So, the story is finished, and submitted to SIA for their "Mythic March" story contest (started in March, but deadline is April 30th, 2019, with winners to be announced in early May). I also posted "The Gorgonades Shipwreck" to Tales From Midhgardhur on Channillo (you can read it there now, if you're a subscriber!), and added it to the manuscript for the forthcoming Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume III.
Yes, the manuscript for Volume III is finally complete! I had to wrestle a bit with the new system on Amazon for submitting books (I used to do it in Create Space, now defunct, and then have Kindle Direct Publishing, or KDP, base the ebook on that version. Now I had to fight with KDP's new system a bit, and it involved deleting the table of contents from the ebook version, but I got it done!). Both paperback and Kindle versions of Volume III are under review and should be released soon, I hope!
Also, speaking of Tales From Midhgardhur on Channillo, the series was understandably listed as "Postponed" since my lack of a computer meant I couldn't update it regularly from November until now. I wrote to the fine folks at Channillo and asked them to put the series back on "Ongoing" status, which they have done, so I'm back on the map! I'm very glad to say my readership is growing again - thanks to all my new subscribers! "The Gorgonades Shipwreck" is available there now, and I finally posted a long-term project there for May 1st ("Wolf's Head," first in a series called "Runestones of Rys" intended for a zine that never happened - I'm still going to do the series, anyway!). And while I am working on other projects, I want to make sure Tales never becomes inactive for long, I'm finally posting "The Tale of Halfdanur the Black" (June) and "The Tale of Ingjaldur the Mad" (July) there too (previously only available in the collections Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume I and Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume II , respectively). So, current and upcoming schedule so far:
April - "The Gorgonades Shipwreck" - available now!
May - "Wolf's Head" (Runestones of Rys, Part 1) - available May 1st
June - "The Tale of Halfdanur the Black" - available June 1st
July - "The Tale of Ingjaldur the Mad" - available July 1st
I'm still trying to get back in the habit of writing every single day, and hope to start thrashing out some stories that have been languishing for far too long!
One last thought - what great fantasy (besides mine!) are you reading right now? I'm always reading when I can! Right now, I'm loving Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. It's African-inspired fantasy (rather than European) and it is definitely unlike anything I have ever read before! I'm not very far in, but I would recommend it! I hope i finish it before Tad Williams' Empire of Grass (the new Osten Ard book!) comes out next month - I have it pre-ordered from Amazon!
Happy Reading! Skál!
~ Colin Anders Brodd
Well, when last I updated Word Count Wednesday, I was working on "The Gorgonades Shipwreck," and I was up against some serious editing challenges. For example, the story was for a contest with a 2500 word count limit, and I was at 3524 words and counting. Final word count of the first draft was close to 5000 words, and I needed to cut it down to less than half of that!
I am happy to report that with some help from my wonderful wife, Tanya, I accomplished the mission! I was stuck for a long time at about 2600, having cut out a couple of sub-plots, several major characters, and some scenes I really loved. At that point, I was so burned out from re-reading the same words over and over, and hacking away at my manuscript, that I really needed a fresh set of eyes (thanks again, Tanya!). But the thing I love about editing for a word count goal like that is how tight the writing becomes after a while. Redundancy is pared away, fat is trimmed, and you're left with a far leaner, heavier-hitting story. I was really happy with the way it turned out, and finally clocked in at about 2460 words!
So, the story is finished, and submitted to SIA for their "Mythic March" story contest (started in March, but deadline is April 30th, 2019, with winners to be announced in early May). I also posted "The Gorgonades Shipwreck" to Tales From Midhgardhur on Channillo (you can read it there now, if you're a subscriber!), and added it to the manuscript for the forthcoming Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume III.
Yes, the manuscript for Volume III is finally complete! I had to wrestle a bit with the new system on Amazon for submitting books (I used to do it in Create Space, now defunct, and then have Kindle Direct Publishing, or KDP, base the ebook on that version. Now I had to fight with KDP's new system a bit, and it involved deleting the table of contents from the ebook version, but I got it done!). Both paperback and Kindle versions of Volume III are under review and should be released soon, I hope!
Also, speaking of Tales From Midhgardhur on Channillo, the series was understandably listed as "Postponed" since my lack of a computer meant I couldn't update it regularly from November until now. I wrote to the fine folks at Channillo and asked them to put the series back on "Ongoing" status, which they have done, so I'm back on the map! I'm very glad to say my readership is growing again - thanks to all my new subscribers! "The Gorgonades Shipwreck" is available there now, and I finally posted a long-term project there for May 1st ("Wolf's Head," first in a series called "Runestones of Rys" intended for a zine that never happened - I'm still going to do the series, anyway!). And while I am working on other projects, I want to make sure Tales never becomes inactive for long, I'm finally posting "The Tale of Halfdanur the Black" (June) and "The Tale of Ingjaldur the Mad" (July) there too (previously only available in the collections Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume I and Tales From Midhgardhur, Volume II , respectively). So, current and upcoming schedule so far:
April - "The Gorgonades Shipwreck" - available now!
May - "Wolf's Head" (Runestones of Rys, Part 1) - available May 1st
June - "The Tale of Halfdanur the Black" - available June 1st
July - "The Tale of Ingjaldur the Mad" - available July 1st
I'm still trying to get back in the habit of writing every single day, and hope to start thrashing out some stories that have been languishing for far too long!
One last thought - what great fantasy (besides mine!) are you reading right now? I'm always reading when I can! Right now, I'm loving Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. It's African-inspired fantasy (rather than European) and it is definitely unlike anything I have ever read before! I'm not very far in, but I would recommend it! I hope i finish it before Tad Williams' Empire of Grass (the new Osten Ard book!) comes out next month - I have it pre-ordered from Amazon!
Happy Reading! Skál!
~ Colin Anders Brodd
