As you are reading this (probably) I’m either prepping for or enjoying our Annual Hanson Halloween Bash. I was born on Halloween (yeppers, it’s my birthday!), and both of my parents were born in October, so we started having one big Halloween birthday party in 2002. In 2004 we made it into a much bigger event including costume contests, a scavenger hunt, a haunted hayride through several scary scenes set up in the pasture, and a winding down next to a large fire. It’s a lot of work to put together and I’m so thankful that my whole family pitches it to pull it off. Pics of the event to follow in next week’s newsletter. For now, you’ll have to settle for a very young R.J. sporting his super-cool race car shirt. I always loved the ’67 Stingray Corvette.  Odd story about being born on Halloween. For the longest time when I was a kid, I thought the whole country celebrated my birthday by giving out candy and dressing up in costumes. I thought all the Halloween events were for me and my birthday. It was a pretty great feeling. Oh, and the kind folks at Book’s Shelf contacted me for an interview last week. They posted the interview here; Book’s Shelf. Anyway, before we get to the Notable & Quotable, we have some exciting news. After a few requests, we have set up a means on our website, http://www.bloodlinesreforged.com, so that fans can purchase a personalized autographed paperback with Paypal or any major credit card. The personalized books are $30 each, come with an 8×10 map of Stratvs, and the shipping is free. They are only available in the U.S. This week’s Notable and Quotable comes from Roland’s Path, Book I in the Heirs of Vanity epic fantasy series. “Very well. You have done good work for me Shadow Blade. If I have need of your services again how should I get in touch with you?” “In the city of Bolthor there is a blacksmith who has a shop next to a tavern called the Rusty Nail. Go to that blacksmith and ask for two mercshyeld tipped arrows with pine shafts and Ostridge feathering. He can get in touch with me.” “I thank you again, Shadow Blade. Travel safely.” With that the Warlock breathed the familiar vapors from between his blood red lips and was gone in the mist. Ashcliff, now able to relax, shuttered a bit, breathed a quick prayer to whatever god might be listening, and then went below deck to his cabin. His first mission was complete. Package delivered and payment collected. He was indeed a Shadow Blade now. I hope this week’s newsletter finds you all well. If you’re looking for a starter into the Bloodlines Reforged Saga, Fires that Forge and/or Roland’s Path are the starting blocks. The complete first trilogies of both are available on Amazon and can be found here; Heirs of Vanity and Lords of Order & Chaos. We have at least two more series planned (Orphan’s Blade and Templar’s Rebellion) that will go into the over all Saga. Each series is set up to stand alone, but you will find a deeper understanding of all the characters involved if you read all the series. Please consider leaving us a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Thanks! We are experiencing a significant delay with ACX in regard to the final approval of the Heirs of Vanity audiobook. So, please be patient with us as we work to get that out in the coming weeks. Keep an eye out for the announcement of a winner in the audiobook giveaway of Heirs of Vanity, the boxset of Roland’s Path, Roland’s Vow, and Roland’s Triumph! You can find an ever-growing glossary and geographic guide on our website here; http://www.bloodlinesreforged.com. You can also find a few spoilers such as the lineage of kingdoms, the Code of the Cavalier, and so on. I need to tell you about Starfell Book One, The Book of Chaos, by Jessica Renwick. Here’s what an Amazon reviewer had to say, “Wow! What a delightful and enchanting book this has been. A FANTASTIC middle grade adventure that will keep your kids and even adults hooked from page one. It’s fast paced, great characters, lots of magic, some funny moments, well written and also with a heart, for family and sisterly/brotherly love which makes it even more appealing and charming.” This week’s collection of Kindle Unlimited Reads is entitled ‘A Bit of Magic.’ All on KU available to read for FREE! On the home front, we’re going to begin creating a few videos of me reading segments of Roland’s Path and Fires that Forge which can be found on our Facebook page here; Facebook Bloodlines. We just added a new page to our website where those videos will be showcased. Here’s hoping you’re all surviving the Big Q and adjusting to the huge changes we’re all facing right now. Let me know how you’re doing. Feel free to drop me a line at rj@bloodlinesreforged.com with word of how you’re doing, questions about our tales, or comments about the story or the world of Stratvs. If you enjoy our brand of ‘humor’ or just want more frequent updates, you can follow us on Facebook here; Roland’s Quest! Until next time, ‘Crush your Enemies!’ R.J. Check us out on Amazon |