New Short Story – Ghosts

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As he stood on the porch and waited, the teasing breeze played with leaves overhead and underfoot. Absent in his thoughts, he reached up and rubbed his bare arms as goosebumps prickled his skin. The hint of chill entombed him, drawing contours in the hair on his arms and ruffling the thick brown mop on his head. He stared, distant, his clear blue eyes seeming prophecies of the impending season. A familiar hollowness lay within him, aching, settling.

Another puff of wind, as though something impish were playing with the air. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes again she was there. Continue reading

Words of Radiance – A Review

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The following is a review of Book Two of Brandon Sanderson’s colossal epic fantasy series, The Stormlight Archive. While I will be refraining from posting any major plot spoilers, there are still some thematic elements discussed herein. If you’ve only read The Way of Kings, I’d recommend proceeding with caution. Continue reading

All Flames Cast – Harael II

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The roar of celebration was overwhelming. Harael and Teramus cheered, mugs of ale held aloft, as a group of young red-robed apprentices linked arms and danced in the street. A four-piece band played on the nearest corner, and their pace picked up when they saw the youngsters dancing.

The increased speed led to mistakes, and one fresh-faced lad stumbled over an uneven cobblestone. The whole line of apprentices went down in a pile on top of and around him. Laughter erupted from the bystanders, and more drinks were poured. Serving girls from the taverns on the street wove through the crowd, collecting empty cups and mugs, passing out pitchers of ale and wine and more potent drinks. It was pandemonium, and it gladdened Harael’s heart to see it. If anything could redeem his friend in the Faith, it was a display like this. Continue reading

Drew’s State of Writing – January 2014

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The past year or so has been a busy one, for a few reasons (not insignificant among them being my graduation from college), and my writing has gone in some pretty drastic spurts. I’ve recently been in the midst of a big push, after spending a couple months off while reading far too much. The result is that I’ve got some pretty big plans for the next year or so, and even beyond that.

The first big news is that Seeds of Doubt has now been changed to All Flames Cast as the working title for the first Burning Shadows book. While Seeds of Doubt is a great title for describing the actual goings on in the book, I have never really liked it; I think it’s too cliché. So, All Flames Cast is what I’m going with for the time being. I’ve been at work on this one for about a year and a half now, and I’m nearing completion on the first draft. I will be posting another chapter or two on here in the coming days, to continue the first three that I posted about a year ago.

Now, Burning Shadows is a big project for me. Continue reading

Poem – Aura

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Since I’m too busy with writing long-term fiction (i.e. Seeds of Doubt, which should be done in a month or so) I’ve decided to start legitimately trying my hand at poetry. The following is the first such result:

Aura

Frosting in shallow night
Flames that dance and move
Hope that burns none so bright
Only time to prove

Aura effervescent
Fleet but calm and cool
Crystal season silent
Shatter now the rule

Moths before the flame
In abyss and light
Helpless to the name
Under frosted night