Blog

Greetings to all! I hope you’re doing well? Hows it all going? 

Firstly, suffice it to say that North America is full of hate and horror at the moment. Matters of race and discrimination are on everyone’s lips and streets. Personally, I stand with anyone who is being oppressed or treated unjustly in these so-called modern times. There is no excuse for barbaric and outdated thinking. We are all equals on this earth, and while this update is not and will never be a political message, that is where I stand. Inequality and racism are simply inexcusable. Remember, the most dangerous phrase in any language is, “We’ve always done it this way.” The time to make a change for the better is now. That’s how I stand.

Outside of this crisis, not a huge amount has changed here on Vancouver Island in the last few weeks. Although a lot of us are easing out of lockdown, I’ve chosen to stay a bit safer and stay indoors or away from people whenever possible. Antisocial? A little. Safer? Hopefully. More productive? YOU KNOW IT. The words have been flowing.

Writing Progress

The Forever King (Scalussen Chronicles Book 1) is rocketing along like a greyhound on cocaine. I’m pleased to say I’m on the final stretch and so very eager to finish. Hell, it’s been a blast being back in Emaneska. I think this book will clock in around 150,000 words, which is about 20k longer than the original The Written, published back in 2010. Just shy of the longest book in the Emaneska series: Pale Kings.

As such, focusing on that has shifted Dread Rising, my super secret book project onto the back burner for a week or two. It can be difficult switching between books, especially when you have to switch tense and perspective. It hasn’t caused me much trouble until now, when both books are getting more complicated and require more concentration to wrap up effectively.

My awesome web developers put together these cool progress wheels on my site. That way you can see exactly which stage I’m at in a book’s creation and you can stay up to date. CHECK IT: www.bengalley.com/progress/

Veil of Ruin launches DISCONCERTINGLY SOON

As you may have seen, I’ve been writing for a local tabletop game company called Project Dark Water. The guys behind it are amazing, and I’ve been writing adventure text, character backgrounds, creature descriptions, and worldbuilding the post-apocalyptic jungle world of Orman since the middle of 2019. What we’ve been working on is Veil of Ruin: primarily a tabletop game but it also has a standalone DnD 5e version, and the DnD part is launching on Kickstarter on June 19th! It’s a full DnD adventure setting and campaign, with 3D printed miniatures, maps, character options, a giant bestiary, and all sorts of stuff. The teams The art alone is just… DAMN. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/246051873/veil-of-ruin?ref=3zkuxy&token=cf0c79aa.

On that page you’ll find a trailer (that a certain somebody might have done the voiceover for) and all the info on our rewards, the game, and what Project Dark Water have built. The team and the DnD experts and co-creators Salt Games have done an epic job with this, and it’s been an honour to be involved and lend my writing skills. It’s been an extensive and busy road getting to this point, for all of us involved, but it feels unreal to have the 5e adventure less than two weeks away from crowdfunding launch. I know how many gamers there are amongst the Elite Circle, Guild, and my social circles, so I hope you’re excited!

Big News

The big piece of news for this update is my switch in distribution strategies. I have decided, for the first time in 10 years, to make The Emaneska Series exclusive with Amazon Kindle.

(Those of you who only reader paperback or audio can mosey on as this won’t affect you at all) 

Now, this wasn’t an easy decision, because I know I have a lot of readers across all sorts of stores and e-reader devices. The Emaneska Series has also been available on all ebook stores since its release. However, times are a-changing, as a Bob Dylan said once, and the benefits of being wide, both in terms of meeting new readers and financially, have shrunk for me. In order to get more security and stability, I have made almost all of my books exclusive to Amazon, Emaneska included, at least for the next 90 days.

What you may not know is that for books in the Kindle Unlimited program, authors get income from pages read, similar to Spotify listens. This additional revenue could really support me for months and years to come, without the uncertainty and fluctuation of other stores. It also allows me to focus on smarter marketing. Without trying it, I’ll never confirm it.

This all sounds very businessy, I know. But, as an indie author, entrepreneur, and a self-employed individual, I have to act like a business. That means keeping revenue and security in mind. Yes, I write out of passion for fantasy, love of entertaining, and for you, the reader, but a boy’s also got to make a living. In uncertain times as these, any certainty is helpful. Going all-in on Kindle could give me that, and so that’s why I’m giving it a shot.

What I’ve been worried about is disappointing you, my esteemed readers. That’s why you might have seen me do a survey on Twitter and Facebook last week. That really helped, and thank you if you commented or voted. Out of the 300+ responses I got, I was overwhelmed to see Kindle users accounted for over 85% of the responses. This eased my fears a bunch, but I know it’s not all of you, and that there are readers who my decision will effect.

Genuinely, my apologies if this decision has resulted in you not being able to read my books. Just know that if this all blows up in my silly face and doesn’t work, then this interruption will be for 90 days max. If it does work, well, it means a shitload more fantasy books for you to devour in the future. And, at very least, hopefully my books are worth transitioning – even briefly! – to Amazon Kindle. They make it hella easy with their free app. Massive thanks for understanding, and here’s to (fingers and claws crossed) a successful 90 days. Do get in touch if you want to share any thoughts: www.bengalley.com/contact

Thanks as always for your support and for reading. I’ll be back in a few weeks with another update, but if you want to catch up daily, I can always be found on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

In the meantime, let’s support each other out there. Care for each other and campaign for change. Above all, stay safe.

Ben

Ben’s Books

WHAAAT. Yes. Welcome, friend. This is indeed a post about a new Emaneska book and its cover. You will have either a) known about this sequel for a while and just gasped at this cover, or b) you had no idea about a new Emaneska book, and this cover is your first news of it. If that’s you then BAM! I’ll give you a moment to pick up the pieces of your mind. In either case, I bet you’re not as excited as I am to be looking at this 😀

It’s true. I’m writing a new Emaneska series, and the cover for the newest installment is below in the flesh: this is the cover concept (more on this concept malarkey in a moment) for The Forever King, book one of the new Scalussen Chronicles.

Who’s on the cover?

Speaking of badass, who is this fiery-looking woman? This is Mithrid, a young lady from the cliff-cities and villages of Hâlorn. This area of the world is the very western coast of Emaneska, pinched between the rough seas and coast of Albion. It was mentioned in Emaneska, and actually sailed past at the start and end of the series. Without spoilers, The Bitches can be found on the edge of Hâlorn. This is where The Forever King starts, and where we meet the newest protagonist in the epic, sprawling, monster Emaneska story arc.

I’m really enjoying exploring Emaneska from the POV of Mithrid. She’s quiet yet confident to the point of occasionally being surly, but quick of mind and tongue. She’s the tall, fiery-haired daughter daughter of a woodsman, hence the axe, and wouldn’t you know it? She’s got some connection to magic. (Some of you may know how I like to flip tropes, as I did in Emaneska. I’ll be toying with the strangely-powerful-farm-working-reject trope and turning it on its arse.) Mithrid’s young, impetuous, and a little similar to Farden when he first started out, but she’s not a mage, and has no intention of being swept up in the War of Magick.

Because central role to this series, I thought it only fair to give Mithrid the cover as I did with Farden for The Written. And, as I noticed when trying my bloody best to make Adobe Sketches to work, if you put the two books side by side, Written on the right, it almost brings this whole thing full circle right there.

Unexplored cover concepts

I had a lot of other ideas for this cover. There is an element of climate shift going on in The Forever King. A few aspects of Emaneska I’ve text to feature are a dragon, which I think will end up being the next cover (for book two, Heavy Lies the Crown), something architectural, or a weapon. Who knows what book three – To Kill A God – will have on its cover. As for The Forever King, I think I’ve made the right decision. From your abundant feedback on the old Fb page and Twitter, you seem to think so too!

While this cover goes off to the magic hands of the new artist, I’m just cracking on with the writing. I’ve got a third left to go, I reckon. Hopefully I’ll be updating my site with progress bars soon, so you’ll be able to see where I’m at with each project any time you want. The tentative launch date is winter 2020. As soon as the cover’s back, you’ll be able to mark it to-read on Goodreads and add it to your wishlists. If you want to be notified via email, then sign up to The Guild.

In other news…

Meanwhile, my new project Dread Rising is also coming along nicely. The tabletop boardgame I’m writing for: Veil of Ruin, also has a DnD 5e Adaptation coming out on Kickstarter mid-June. Check out veilofruin.com for all the artwork and info. I am utterly buzzing to be a part of that project.

Cheers for reading, you lovely bunch of bookish scoundrels. As always, you can follow me on the social-verses to get daily updates rather than monthly. Take it easy, stay safe, and keep reading.

Peace,

Ben

Ben’s Books

A week ago I posted some of these tips on my Facebook and Twitter.

I began by saying “it’s a strange and worrisome world right now, let’s be honest.” Well, it’s a week later, and it’s still a strange world, and possibly more worrisome. I’ve committed myself to writing and working like a beaver while I’m encased in my home.

Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to help my readers and fellow humans get through this crazy phase by sharing funny fantasy and book content, and also sharing whatever tips for working from home and isolation I can think of. I’ve spent the last 5 years working from home, and as only child with a big imagination, I can withstand boredom for a long time.

Cos I’m nice and all, I thought I’d collect all my suggestions in one place for you. As I’m a fantasy author and fan, a lot of these tips have a fantasy or general geeky flavour to them. Feel free to substitute your own fandom or interest.

I truly hope this helps, if even just a little. Above all, remember that we’re all in this together and that you’re not alone. It’s natural to feel anxious and scared, but just know there’s 7 billion others thinking the same thing. In fact, if you think about it, this could be the most unifying experience humankind has ever witnessed. ANYWAY…

Distractions

– 5 words: Lord. Of. The. Rings. Marathon.

– Read for some escapism. If you don’t have an ereader and can’t get to the library or store, download an ereader app onto your tablet and phone. Tackle that to-be-read pile!

– Try audiobooks or podcasts to get some ‘company’ if you’re missing a bit of human interaction or even voices around the house. Sounds strange but it helps. Audible have set a huge amount of audiobooks free for people stuck at home with a reduced income and you can get them HERE.

– Build a fort. Bet you haven’t done that in a while. I built one this week and confirm Netflix is much more enjoyable whilst ensconced in a fort.

– Do some writing of your own. Why not use extra time to escape into a world of your own design? It’s a good excuse to spend some time fleshing out ideas, or even channeling these feelings into powerful prose.

– Co-write a novel/quarantine diary/screenplay in a Google Doc with some friends or fellow quarantiners. If you’ve never co-authored something, or even just pissed about on Google Docs with other people, it can be a really fun experience. Who knows, it might just turn into something.

– Join or start an online book club to discuss the books everyone is reading while stuck indoors. You could even make some new bookish chums while you’re at it.

– Treat yourself to shed some anxiety. If you have extra time off due to no travel time, spend it on yourself, a hobby, playing Xbox, whatever.

– Make a short film on your phone. Because why. the fuck. not.

– There was a great post on Reddit Fantasy listing free/cheap books for people laid off work during this time.

– FaceTime or Skype an old friend. If not to catch up, just make sure they’re okay. Screw it. Just call a random number and make sure they’re not bored and feel okay.

– Make the ultimate Spotify playlist. Or an alternate playlist for your favourite film or book. I did this the other day for my Emaneska Series, and you can listen to it right here!

(Post continues below)

Look to the Future

– Find some old clothes you can’t use or donate and try to turn them into a cosplay costume.

– Plan your dream holiday to the letter. You can look forward to it once all this has blown over.

– Learn a poem or prose by heart. It’ll be hella impressive when there’s an excuse to recite it next time we’re all allowed outside.

– Document what is happening, or how you feel, because despite how scary and dire this might be, it’s a unique and historical moment. It will be intriguing to look back on.

– Learn one magic trick flawlessly so you can show it off in front of friends.

Working from Home

– Try to maintain a routine if you can. It’ll help give structure to your day and something to measure your productivity against. Portioning up time can also make it seem easier to spend.

– Make your own space. Cannot stress how important this is. It doesn’t have to be a whole office. Even a dedicated corner of your abode can be effective for concentration, productivity, and just separating work from home.

– Connect via voice or video as much as possible. We’re social creatures. Email won’t cut it for the long term. Get some face-time in with colleagues and coworkers to remind yourself you’re not the only person left after an apocalypse.

– Set daily goals to keep you focused. You’re also more aware what you’ve used the day to accomplish.

– Take breaks. If you take a lunch break at your work, then take a damn lunch break at home. Just because you can work on the couch all day doesn’t mean you should. It’s healthy for your brain to regularly switch away from complex or stressful tasks. Eat lunch. Recharge. Watch some Office, then go back to work.

If you’ve got any tips or tricks feel free to share them below. Stay safe out there, people. Stay safe and stay home. We’ll beat this soon.

Peace,

Ben

Ben’s Books