Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy" discussion
Authors, Books and Series
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[Publisher/ Editor] Rogue Blades: Foundation (RBF) and Entertainment (RBE)
Mod
Thank you for taking the time to update us on RBE's status. I'm really sorry to hear that. Isn't it possible through crowdfunding and/or Pod releases to have at least a digital release out every few months or twice a year?
Forgive me if I seem a little too forward with this, but I was thinking of Scott Taylor's Art of the Genre and Charles Saunder's PoD books.
Also, may I ask about RBE's covers? It seems that most of them are drawn with traditional techniques (acrylics, reminding of the great S&S anthologies of the '70s), by Didier Normand. Would you like to talk about the process of choosing each painting as a wraparound cover?
And a last question, apart from the already digital RBE books, are there any plans on digitizing all your titles?
*for anyone interested, here is a nice RBE anthology offer.
I am quite saddened by the passing of Rogue Blades -- though it lives on in new Dorgo story as a band of mercenanries. I met Jason Waltz almost 3 years ago, and RBE became my re-intro to the world of sword and sorcery. Some of you may know of the articles I wrote for their website. These articles were later reprinted by Black Gate, thanks to Jason and John O'Neil. I treasure my RBE anthologies, and hope to see something new and wonderful arrive out of the ashes.
Periklis wrote: "Rogue Blades wrote: "RBE is, bluntly, broken - no real apparatus/structure, little to no funds or time, and a disheartened staff of one. Forgive the whine, it's not meant to solicit pity, just tryi..."
Not too forward at all my friend. Yes, one would think such options would be viable, and they are, yet each is rife with its own complications, which in and of themselves are overcomeable...but once combined with the complicated conditions I currently find myself in, ahh, there's the rub, you see.
As has been observed (and quite fairly), the 'digital' version of Demons, well, sucks. Totally below my allowances, put out there more as a test than anything else, a test of conversion (proving what I feared, that it would require time for a laborious re-do) and a test of e-purchases (proving what I surmised, that most e-sales (especially free ones) aren't read, for if they were, however could readers have allowed the travesty that is the digital Demons exist without complaint or return?!).
Complications for me exist in capability (some of my software no longer works, my last two titles were produced in a software that only exports in PDF the conversion to anything else of which has proven problematic, in some instances I can only move at the pace of others), in funds (I'm in credit card debt for what has gone before and what has not yet been produced, I've taken on a second job to assist the meeting of ends), in time (see reference to second job, add in life), and in brain power (a day job that once required no to little thought during the day and none after leaving has grown into a massive brain-drain during the day with much continued and forward-facing thinking outside its confines, most of my layout, production, and administration skills are self-taught and stagnant and my ability to relearn them has atrophied, and the joy of discovery and creation and holding a finished product has been stomped by the dullness of administration). Review the above and you'll see it's become a vicious circle that feeds upon itself until I recoil in horror and wonder how I ever reached this woeful stage.
I prattle too long. Suffice to say, I feel battered, I feel I've failed both others and myself, and I am discouraged. Then I join groups like this, find fans of stories and authors and titles I love, read encouraging posts from new friends and old -- and I am rejuvenated. :)
Not too forward at all my friend. Yes, one would think such options would be viable, and they are, yet each is rife with its own complications, which in and of themselves are overcomeable...but once combined with the complicated conditions I currently find myself in, ahh, there's the rub, you see.
As has been observed (and quite fairly), the 'digital' version of Demons, well, sucks. Totally below my allowances, put out there more as a test than anything else, a test of conversion (proving what I feared, that it would require time for a laborious re-do) and a test of e-purchases (proving what I surmised, that most e-sales (especially free ones) aren't read, for if they were, however could readers have allowed the travesty that is the digital Demons exist without complaint or return?!).
Complications for me exist in capability (some of my software no longer works, my last two titles were produced in a software that only exports in PDF the conversion to anything else of which has proven problematic, in some instances I can only move at the pace of others), in funds (I'm in credit card debt for what has gone before and what has not yet been produced, I've taken on a second job to assist the meeting of ends), in time (see reference to second job, add in life), and in brain power (a day job that once required no to little thought during the day and none after leaving has grown into a massive brain-drain during the day with much continued and forward-facing thinking outside its confines, most of my layout, production, and administration skills are self-taught and stagnant and my ability to relearn them has atrophied, and the joy of discovery and creation and holding a finished product has been stomped by the dullness of administration). Review the above and you'll see it's become a vicious circle that feeds upon itself until I recoil in horror and wonder how I ever reached this woeful stage.
I prattle too long. Suffice to say, I feel battered, I feel I've failed both others and myself, and I am discouraged. Then I join groups like this, find fans of stories and authors and titles I love, read encouraging posts from new friends and old -- and I am rejuvenated. :)
Periklis wrote: "Also, may I ask about RBE's covers? It seems that most of them are drawn with traditional techniques (acrylics, reminding of the great S&S anthologies of the '70s), by Didier Normand. Would you like to talk about the process of choosing each painting as a wraparound cover?
And a last question, apart from the already digital RBE books, are there any plans on digitizing all your titles?..."
Last question answered first: Yes, RBE plans to digitize all future titles, re-digitize/digitize all existing, except Mythic Memories, which due to its vast quantity of pictures will remain only in print and PDF. RBE intends to become an e-publisher with the occasional print release following successful e-titles.
As for the first question: RBE's first cover artist was Johnny Perkins. I had found a piece of art by Johnny I absolutely loved, but rights had already been sold. So I asked him to create a cover for Return of the Sword and he delivered spectacularly!
Johnny paints in plastic of all things! He has some sort of technique mixing melting plastic and oils. Once he completes a piece he then photographs and sends me the image. He's delivered the covers for Return of the Sword, Demons, and 3 of the 5 limited edition covers for Rage of the Behemoth. He would also have been the artist for Roar of the Crowd and a hither-too un-announced Rise of the Undead...neither of which will see release unfortunately.
Didier Normand is a school teacher in France who paints with oils on the side. He prefers oils, and if I give him time will paint in oil, but he can create in Photoshop as well. His two limited edition covers for Rage of the Behemoth as well as his original Assassins cover (which will be the omnibus cover if it ever is released) are all oils, as is a truly terrific painting he created for the first title in a trilogy by an author we all know but which also unfortunately will not be appearing from RBE. The 4 covers Didier created for the e-versions of Assassins (the sadly missing eSsassins) were all created in Photoshop.
As for cover size, I've always wanted wrap around art, and I designed RBE covers to be color-coded from the onset. I'd intended each color to represent a line so that at the glance at a bookshelf one could readily identify RBE titles and series.
The only covers not part of that plan are the Challenge! covers which are meant to stand out from the RBE lines and instigate more than encompass their contents. These covers I solicit from artists older works, so these are not designed for their specific titles.
And a last question, apart from the already digital RBE books, are there any plans on digitizing all your titles?..."
Last question answered first: Yes, RBE plans to digitize all future titles, re-digitize/digitize all existing, except Mythic Memories, which due to its vast quantity of pictures will remain only in print and PDF. RBE intends to become an e-publisher with the occasional print release following successful e-titles.
As for the first question: RBE's first cover artist was Johnny Perkins. I had found a piece of art by Johnny I absolutely loved, but rights had already been sold. So I asked him to create a cover for Return of the Sword and he delivered spectacularly!
Johnny paints in plastic of all things! He has some sort of technique mixing melting plastic and oils. Once he completes a piece he then photographs and sends me the image. He's delivered the covers for Return of the Sword, Demons, and 3 of the 5 limited edition covers for Rage of the Behemoth. He would also have been the artist for Roar of the Crowd and a hither-too un-announced Rise of the Undead...neither of which will see release unfortunately.
Didier Normand is a school teacher in France who paints with oils on the side. He prefers oils, and if I give him time will paint in oil, but he can create in Photoshop as well. His two limited edition covers for Rage of the Behemoth as well as his original Assassins cover (which will be the omnibus cover if it ever is released) are all oils, as is a truly terrific painting he created for the first title in a trilogy by an author we all know but which also unfortunately will not be appearing from RBE. The 4 covers Didier created for the e-versions of Assassins (the sadly missing eSsassins) were all created in Photoshop.
As for cover size, I've always wanted wrap around art, and I designed RBE covers to be color-coded from the onset. I'd intended each color to represent a line so that at the glance at a bookshelf one could readily identify RBE titles and series.
The only covers not part of that plan are the Challenge! covers which are meant to stand out from the RBE lines and instigate more than encompass their contents. These covers I solicit from artists older works, so these are not designed for their specific titles.
Mod
As a new RBE fan, I hope you continue to focus on the positives. Granted, the econversion of Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology may reflect some of the struggles RBE is tackling, but as a reader of that I still appreciated the passion & design exhibited within it and its predecessors Return of the Sword and Rage of the Behemoth. I remain excited about the approaches being taken for Roar and eSassins (whatever their fate).
Anyway, to look toward the brightest future possible. As you venture forward, you may benefit from new found resources. For instance, die-hard Sword & Sorcery fans who dabble in publishing, have access to software, work for the sake of helping, and may be able to shoulder bits of the work (i.e. converting formats)--I'll ping you offline to determine if some volunteer work would be helpful. If not, no worries.
Mod
Thank you so much for this heartfelt response. I've been living with the recession for the last 4 years and I completely understand your situation. If there is anything that can be done in order to help RBE back on its feet (like Seth pointed out, above), please do adress me and the group.
Hang in there, Jason. (You too, Periklis). And don't feel discouraged, you've already given us some very fine titles.
Jason has always been a pleasure to work with. More importantly, as a publisher he has a keen understanding of what S&S is about. It's unfortunate things turned out the way they did, but there's always hope. What this genre needs is RBE.
I've met Jason twice, and I hope to meet him again. I've said this many times to people -- RBE was a main factor in my getting back into sword and sorcery. Old scool stuff with a modern edge and sensibility. And i always loved the covers. I really wanted to be part of RBE. The story I started to write for the Stealth challenge turned into a 26,000 word novella! But the character I modeled after the cover, and the demon I named Stealth, are still there. The story is Dorgo the Dowser tale, and it's called The Order of the Serpent. It was bought by Weird Tales, and it will (this year, I hope) appear in the PDF (and extended) version of their sword and sorcery special edition.
Much thanks to the lot of ye for all yer kind words that're makin' me blush something fierce. ;)
Thanks Joe, Jason, Bruce for your appreciation and encouragement. I have been blessed throughout my tenures as slush reader, acquisitions editor, editor, and publisher in having very few disgruntled interactions and very many terrific ones with authors such as the three of you!
Thanks Joe, Jason, Bruce for your appreciation and encouragement. I have been blessed throughout my tenures as slush reader, acquisitions editor, editor, and publisher in having very few disgruntled interactions and very many terrific ones with authors such as the three of you!
S.E. wrote: "Rogue Blades wrote: "...but as a reader of that I still appreciated the passion & design exhibited within it and its predecessors..."
Funny you should point that out S.E., as I've recently come to the conclusion that I sound like a gushing bride in my acknowledgements and intros. I'm fairly certain that if I re-wrote those today they would be somewhat different :)
Funny you should point that out S.E., as I've recently come to the conclusion that I sound like a gushing bride in my acknowledgements and intros. I'm fairly certain that if I re-wrote those today they would be somewhat different :)
And RBE and Jason were my intro to many fine writers who since become fine friends, as well.
Yeah it kind of sucks. I just found RBE's anthologies in the past year or so and they published the S&S that is exactly my style mostly. I've found many good authors to look out for by reading just them.
Jason,Sorry to hear. The piece we did for you and the concept into which it fit was truly stimulating. Hope you can recover from this setback. You have good and original ideas, plus a respect for the history of the literature -- a rare combination. janet morris
Bruce wrote: "Jason has always been a pleasure to work with. More importantly, as a publisher he has a keen understanding of what S&S is about. It's unfortunate things turned out the way they did, but there's al..."I thought I remembered you having something published in RBE and I've always heard good things about it. So let Jason know that we do feel his pain! It is amazing Janet and I get as much done as we do considering how difficult it is to deal with multiple formats and sellers. My next purchase will be an external hard drive in case of catastrophic computer failure!
Sarah wrote: "Bruce wrote: "I thought I remembered you having something published in RBE and I've always heard good things about it. "I had stories in Return of the Sword and Rage of the Behemoth. Both featuring my character Mortlock the Footman. 'Yaggoth-Voor', from Rage of the Behemoth even garnered a nomination for best short fantasy/SF in the annual Prix Aurora awards (Canada's HUGOS). Sadly, it didn't make the final cut. I also had accepted stories for two more RBE volumes, but one was cancelled outright, and the other may, or may not, live again.
Mod
Among the superbowl news feed items storming Facebook today, there was Jason M. Waltz's announcement that the next RBE title is only ten days away:
" Good news is I just finally wrapped the interior for the first RBE title to be seeing release since 2010. That's Great News actually! Just have to finish the cover and she's golden. Expect new RBE goodness by Valentine's Day...why, there will be no better way to show your special loved one just how much you care :) "
And that the forthcoming title is going to be a non-fiction book:
"[...] you are free to share, help hold me to my word. Please note two things: This is not an anthology - this is the nonfiction how to write fantasy heroes book that's been in the works since 2010. And I'm promising print by 2/14, planning for electronic as well, but we'll see. It will follow for sure, don't worry! "
I was very happy to see this announcement, I remember Jason telling me about this book a while ago and it sounds terrific. Fantastic cover as well.
Come on in here and tell us about it, Jason.
Come on in here and tell us about it, Jason.
What a great cover. I think this might be the one I contributed to; hope so. One way or another, I can't wait to read it... janet e. morris
It's one and the same Janet! Thanks for sharing your excitement to read it too. And I'm very happy to hear the praise for the cover! This turned out to be a blessing in disguise find, as this is the perfect art for this book in so many ways...but the road to find it was just as arduous as gathering the contents was.
In the beginning, there was a dream and a plan. Way back in 2009 I was designing this book, though I didn't start peddling its theme and soliciting its contributors until 2010. I found an artist, told him what I wanted, gave him links to examples, and got back absolutely not what I wanted. Gave him another chance, worked with him on finding the closest thing we could for an example, found one, discussed it, agreed on it, then promptly never heard from him until I finally and so far for the only time ever had to fire an artist.
That sucked and led to me looking for existing art, which I found...one wanted more money for the rights than RBE has ever even netted...two more didn't have rights back so couldn't sell even non exclusive rights...two more never bothered to reply to inquiries...and then with a little searching help from designer and layout master J. M. Martin we both found splendid artwork by the same artist - Dleoblack! A few mock ups, an exchange of emails, and 'The Hunt' was the new cover for Writing Fantasy Heroes :)
Then there was the contents...long bouts of time hearing back from invited contributors...a few backed out and I had to find replacements...and a few have 'gone dark' since then, leaving me short of a few requested components.
But it's finally done! And will finally grace the hands, homes, shelves and backpacks of dozens of storytellers looking to create more believable heroes and dozens of readers who crave strong characters! I am very glad to finally be delivering this book :)
Jason,That is an absolutely beautiful cover. For those of us not Facebooking it, where can we catch a glimpse of the ToC?
Mod
That is an absolutely beautiful cover. For those of us not Facebooking it, where can we catch a glimpse of the ToC?"
I found the full cover, titled "The Hunt" on the artists deviantart page.
Thanks all! Here's the info and list of contributors:
"Fantasy heroes endure. They are embedded in our cultural fabric, dwarfing other literary figures and the mere men and women of history. Achilles and Odysseus, Gilgamesh and Beowulf. King Arthur and Robin Hood, Macbeth and Sherlock Holmes, Conan and Luke Skywalker. They dominate our legends, and tower over popular culture.
The stories we tell each other begin and end with fantasy heroes, and the 21st Century is as thoroughly captivated with them as ever. From Batman to Gandalf, Harry Potter to Tyrion Lannister, the heroes of fantasy speak to—and for—whole generations.
But what makes a fantasy hero? How do the best writers create them, and bring them to life on the page? In WRITING FANTASY HEROES some of the most successful fantasy writers of our time—including Steven Erikson, C.L. Werner, Brandon Sanderson, Janet & Chris Morris, Cecelia Holland, Alex Bledsoe, Jennifer Brozek, Ian C. Esslemont, Orson Scott Card, Ari Marmell, Cat Rambo, Howard Andrew Jones, Paul Kearney and Glen Cook—pull back the curtain to reveal the secrets of creating heroes that live and breathe, and steal readers' hearts.
Whether you're an aspiring writer or simply a reader who loves great fantasy and strong characters, this book is for you."
ToC:
Alex Bledsoe - “Man Up: Making your Hero an Adult”
Jennifer Brozek - “NPCs are People Too”
Orson Scott Card - “The Reluctant Hero”
Glen Cook - “Shit Happens in the Creation of Story, Including Unexpected Deaths, with Ample Digressions and Curious Asides”
Steven Erikson - “Foreword”
Ian C. Esslemont - “Taking a Stab at Writing Sword and Sorcery”
Cecelia Holland - “The Heroic Will”
Howard Andrew Jones - “Two Sought Adventure”
Paul Kearney - “So You Want to Fight a War”
Ari Marmell - “Tropes of the Trade”
Janet Morris and Chris Morris - “The Hero in Your Blood”
Cat Rambo - “Watching from the Sidelines”
Brandon Sanderson - “Writing Cinematic Fight Scenes”
C. L. Werner - “Monsters—Giving the Devils their Due”
After a brief snafu at the printers, the book will be available next week!
"Fantasy heroes endure. They are embedded in our cultural fabric, dwarfing other literary figures and the mere men and women of history. Achilles and Odysseus, Gilgamesh and Beowulf. King Arthur and Robin Hood, Macbeth and Sherlock Holmes, Conan and Luke Skywalker. They dominate our legends, and tower over popular culture.
The stories we tell each other begin and end with fantasy heroes, and the 21st Century is as thoroughly captivated with them as ever. From Batman to Gandalf, Harry Potter to Tyrion Lannister, the heroes of fantasy speak to—and for—whole generations.
But what makes a fantasy hero? How do the best writers create them, and bring them to life on the page? In WRITING FANTASY HEROES some of the most successful fantasy writers of our time—including Steven Erikson, C.L. Werner, Brandon Sanderson, Janet & Chris Morris, Cecelia Holland, Alex Bledsoe, Jennifer Brozek, Ian C. Esslemont, Orson Scott Card, Ari Marmell, Cat Rambo, Howard Andrew Jones, Paul Kearney and Glen Cook—pull back the curtain to reveal the secrets of creating heroes that live and breathe, and steal readers' hearts.
Whether you're an aspiring writer or simply a reader who loves great fantasy and strong characters, this book is for you."
ToC:
Alex Bledsoe - “Man Up: Making your Hero an Adult”
Jennifer Brozek - “NPCs are People Too”
Orson Scott Card - “The Reluctant Hero”
Glen Cook - “Shit Happens in the Creation of Story, Including Unexpected Deaths, with Ample Digressions and Curious Asides”
Steven Erikson - “Foreword”
Ian C. Esslemont - “Taking a Stab at Writing Sword and Sorcery”
Cecelia Holland - “The Heroic Will”
Howard Andrew Jones - “Two Sought Adventure”
Paul Kearney - “So You Want to Fight a War”
Ari Marmell - “Tropes of the Trade”
Janet Morris and Chris Morris - “The Hero in Your Blood”
Cat Rambo - “Watching from the Sidelines”
Brandon Sanderson - “Writing Cinematic Fight Scenes”
C. L. Werner - “Monsters—Giving the Devils their Due”
After a brief snafu at the printers, the book will be available next week!
Wow, that's an impressive line-up and some interesting chapter titles. Thanks for posting the information.
Mod
"Fantasy heroes endure. They are embedded in our cultural fabric, dwarfing other literary figures and the mere men and women of history. Achil..."
Really looking forward to this. Especially Esslemont's, Morris' and Cook's entries.
Agreed. Great lineup. And Cecelia Holland? Her historical novels are excellent. This is a must have.
Thanks all! I have a passion for this title and can not wait to put it in people's hands. It's been a long time coming...unfortunately there seems to be yet another snafu delaying release. The printer says the black gradient of the text is inconsistent and rejected the file. A proof copy should be in my hands Monday and I will review it. I'm not sure how/why that would happen as I didn't do it intentionally, but hopefully it's a simple fix.
Jason M wrote: "...unfortunately there seems to be yet another snafu delaying release...."
OK, one page has text that is 87% black (rather than 100%), and three of the grayscale author photos are "tiled"? I'm not sure what that means as I didn't "tile" them, in fact did nothing different with them than I've done with any other grayscale photos. So as soon as I figure that out, I'll send the text file to the printer again.
Other than that, I'm currently holding the most beautiful writing advice book I've ever seen! :)
OK, one page has text that is 87% black (rather than 100%), and three of the grayscale author photos are "tiled"? I'm not sure what that means as I didn't "tile" them, in fact did nothing different with them than I've done with any other grayscale photos. So as soon as I figure that out, I'll send the text file to the printer again.
Other than that, I'm currently holding the most beautiful writing advice book I've ever seen! :)
WRITING FANTASY HEROES is officially released for publication! Writing Fantasy Heroes
Print run begins tomorrow, with shipping in 5 business days. The print edition should appear on Amazon and other online retailers in the next few weeks. As for the electronic version, PDF and Kindle formats will be available soon.
Thanks for all the patience and support y'all! I wish there was a simple Facebook-like 'Like' button to click on all the great posts and comments above - I like 'em all!
Print run begins tomorrow, with shipping in 5 business days. The print edition should appear on Amazon and other online retailers in the next few weeks. As for the electronic version, PDF and Kindle formats will be available soon.
Thanks for all the patience and support y'all! I wish there was a simple Facebook-like 'Like' button to click on all the great posts and comments above - I like 'em all!
Best of luck, Jason. The presentation is beautiful. Rogue Blades wrote: "WRITING FANTASY HEROES is officially released for publication! Writing Fantasy HeroesPrint run begins tomorrow, with shipping in 5 business days. The print edition should appear on Amazon and oth..."
Taranaich gave a short review and shout-out to Return of the Sword and Rage of the Behemoth at his most excellent blog:
The Blog That Time Forgot
. As well he mentioned the graphic novel adaptation of my short story The Marsh God and The Desert of Souls by Howard Andrew Jones and The Lion of Cairo by Scott Oden. Nice having my name mentioned with those two authors.
Mod
"Henceforth, all RBE anthologies will be part of one continuous anthology line (numbered on the spine, distinguished by the subtitle in the colored banner line) and priced at $14.99 US. Note: Challenge! titles (Yes, they're still coming) will be their own numbered series and remain priced at $9.99."
Looks like fun, both in reading and writing.
Mod
I envisioned Writing Fantasy Heroes as a transcript of 14 enthusiastic panelists at a Convention as they tackled the topic "Fantasy Heroes." Would it be worth the price of a book (~$10) to get the transcript of this panel of authors (Orson Scott Card, Brian Sanderson, Steve Erikson, Glen Cook, Janet & Chris Morris, Ian Esslemont, Paul Kearney, Howard Andrew Jones...and more...)? Heck, yes!
https://www.facebook.com/RogueBladesE...Come one come all - if you haven't already snagged your own copy of WRITING FANTASY HEROES, next week's the time to do so - for anyone who shops for ebooks on Amazon.com and Amazon.uk :)
Sword Sisters: A Red Reaper NovelRBE's latest release is available on Amazon in print and Kindle formats! Sword-slinging heroines, nasty demons, ancient gods alongside self-confidence, friendship, and love. Yep, it all works! Come get you some! :)
Mod
"Effective 8/1/14, RBE is returning to what it originally was: A publisher of collaborative titles original to and owned by RBE only. This means that there will be no more novels and no collections released by RBE. The Tara Cardinal/Alex Bledsoe SWORD SISTERS novel and Seth Skorkowsky's BLACK RAVEN collections have found a new home with another press and will see the glory of Valhalla!
RBE will be releasing both CHALLENGE titles before forging ahead with a brand new themed anthology."
https://www.facebook.com/RogueBladesE...
Wow, been a bit. So...RBE is reigniting the fires beneath the altars of the heroic storytelling gods! First up, we finally release CHALLENGE! DISCOVERY. Should be out first week of November.
Facebook announcement and full cover...since I can't figure out how to share the cover here
Mod
Those gods told me you'd be back! Well done, Jason.
Glad to see you back, Jason. As I am not an FB person, thank you for posting this here. I look forward to future updates...and releases.
Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"
Books mentioned in this topic
Death's Sting--Where Art Thou? (other topics)Sword Sisters: A Red Reaper Novel (other topics)
Writing Fantasy Heroes (other topics)
Rage of the Behemoth: An Anthology of Heroic Adventure (other topics)
The Desert of Souls (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Howard Andrew Jones (other topics)Scott Oden (other topics)
Jason M. Waltz (other topics)
It's quite alright, really.
Thanks again for this offer!
Here's the Facebo..."
Well...Roar of the Crowd (RotC) unfortunately was finally cancelled last year. After two years delayed, contracts mostly expired, and no sight of its potential release on the RBE horizon, I had to cut the title and free the authors' rights.
Assassins (and its various eSsassins versions) has never been 'officially' cancelled, as I still desire to produce it in some fashion. However, two years and contracts have also expired here, several authors have requested and been granted their rights, and there are 3 other titles that have to be produced first. So, eventually RBE will reach a point where it can publish an Assassins title...the question will be if there will be any tales left to put in it.
I would like to publish at least 2 ethology eSsassins, followed by a print omnibus, but...
As for the previously mentioned other 3 titles, two are the Challenge! titles from 2010 and 2011, which will follow a nonfiction title's imminent release.
RBE is, bluntly, broken - no real apparatus/structure, little to no funds or time, and a disheartened staff of one. Forgive the whine, it's not meant to solicit pity, just trying to be honest: I'm tired and worn out to the point that even a little setback knocks me off stride so easily that even desire to see more authors and titles and covers in print isn't enough. I truly am sorry, but there it is.