The World of Ryallon: short story

Showing posts with label short story. Show all posts

Friday, June 12, 2015

John H. Carroll Bibliography

Why am I creating this bibliography?

Because I want to! Nyah! . . .

*Cough Cough*

errrrr, the emo bunnies tell me that wasn't very polite.

Apology

They also tell me I must apologize. Therefore, I apologize. I am truly, deeply, sincerely, utterly, exceptionally . . .

Laying it on too thick

The emo bunnies tell me I'm overdoing it. Therefore, I'm sorry.

Anyway

A friend recently asked me for a list of all my books with links. I said sure . . . then I went home and realized I didn't have one. So here it is:

Bibliography
Note: Any book that says FREE! is for the ebook copy only. I am not able to give away printed copies.

Compilation

Wings of Fantasy (A compilation of 4 stories by myself, Melanie Nilles, Stephen Nowland, and E.M. Sinclair)
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/470530?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NK6W2ES
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/wings-of-fantasy/id913427017?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wings-of-fantasy-john-h-carroll/1120262959
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/wings-of-fantasy

Ryallon Series

My full-length novels are set in the world of Ryallon. They are high fantasy with rogues, knights, dragons and flower children. You can get them at the store where you found this one.

Dralin Trilogy (Set in time before the Willden trilogy)

Book 1: Dralin FREE!
Print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1479286982
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/96981?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005WFA4M2
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dralin/id478046022?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dralin-john-h-carroll/1106721519
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/dralin-1

Book 2: Ebudae
Print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1479382906
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/161921?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00833PJ84?
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ebudae/id543046061?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ebudae-john-h-carroll/1111398751
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/ebudae-1

Book 3: Pelya
Print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1479383198
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/260147?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AM4IGO6
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/pelya/id585944465?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pelya-john-h-carroll/1114042863
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/pelya-1

Willden Trilogy (Written first)

Book 4: Rojuun FREE!
Print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1475268254
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/31154?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TXS0DI
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/rojuun/id409277486?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rojuun-john-h-carroll/1029147189
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/rojuun-1

Book 5: Anilyia
Print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1478286628
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/51951?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004VMPY8Q
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/anilyia/id433804578?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/anilyia-john-h-carroll/1102292819
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/anilyia-1

Book 6: Kethril
Print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1478331968
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/74403?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005D5J1SE
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/kethril/id452923522?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kethril-john-h-carroll/1104361937
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/kethril-1

The Wyvern Trilogy (Parallel to the Willden Trilogy, set in time after the Dralin Trilogy)

Book 7: Wyvern
Print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1484079329
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/304813?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CAUH6ZA
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/wyvern/id635556128?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wyvern-john-h-carroll/1115163276
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/wyvern-4

Book 8: Liquid (August 15, 2015)
Print: *Not yet available
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/546948?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YKBCE1S
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/liquid/id1000776959?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/liquid-john-h-carroll/1122044464
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/liquid-2

Book 9: Cloudswept (Coming 2016)

The Crazed Trilogy (Set in time after the Willden Trilogy)

Book 10: Liselle
Print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1492319163
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/353884?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EY75H6M
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/liselle/id705769333?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/liselle-john-h-carroll/1116894298
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/liselle-1

Book 11: Bounty (Coming 2017)

Book 12: To Be Announced (Coming 2017)

Stand-alone Novella
Rain Glade
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/235595?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009A4FYVW
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/rain-glade/id562793225?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rain-glade-john-h-carroll/1113045680
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/rain-glade-1

Coming soon:
The Morhain Trilogy (Set in time after the Willden Trilogy)

Stories for Demented Children:
Odd tales of anti-heroes doing their best to survive odd circumstances.

Books 1-5 are found in A Collection of Stories for Demented Children
Print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1482719185
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/98171?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005Y05RAO
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/collection-stories-for-demented/id478043704?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-collection-of-stories-for-demented-children-john-h-carroll/1106851059
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/a-collection-of-stories-for-demented-children-1

The Emo Bunny that Should (Illustrated)
Print: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1478286415
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/39089?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007S77AZG
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-emo-bunny-that-should/id419798714?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-emo-bunny-that-should-john-h-carroll/1113035459
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-emo-bunny-that-should-a-story-for-demented-children

Zachary Zombie and the Lost Boy
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/54691?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ZR02XO
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/zachary-zombie-lost-boy/id433798726?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/zachary-zombie-and-the-lost-boy-john-h-carroll/1115835323
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/zachary-zombie-and-the-lost-boy-1

Drippy the Peg Legged Rainbow FREE!
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/90553?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OEERVA
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/drippy-the-peg-legged-rainbow/id470215066?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drippy-the-peg-legged-rainbow-john-h-carroll/1115835329
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/drippy-the-peg-legged-rainbow-1

Unholy Cow
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/93587?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005S1YW0U
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/unholy-cow/id474985281?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unholy-cow-john-h-carroll/1115835331
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/unholy-cow-1

Attack of the Sugar Plum Fairies
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/98188?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005Y2EGCC
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/attack-sugar-plum-fairies/id478041406?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/attack-of-the-sugar-plum-fairies-john-h-carroll/1115835333
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/attack-of-the-sugar-plum-fairies-1

Novellas (Halfway between a novel and a short story)

Alien Coffee - Sci-fi
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/85562?ref=johnhcarroll

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KH5I3C
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/alien-coffee/id465217962?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alien-coffee-john-h-carroll/1105313708
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/alien-coffee-1

Short Stories

Blue Haired Alien Girlfriend - Sci-fi FREE!
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/31388?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ZR9FSW
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/blue-haired-alien-girlfriend/id409279278?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blue-haired-alien-girlfriend-john-h-carroll/1029147045
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/blue-haired-alien-girlfriend-1

Test Pilot - Sci-fi
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/34646?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ZR9G5O
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/test-pilot/id412775321?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/test-pilot-john-h-carroll/1029450539
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/test-pilot-4

Don't Ever Change - Horror
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/43855?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ZR0BH6
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dont-ever-change/id422757572?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dont-ever-change-john-h-carroll/1030162943
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/dont-ever-change

The Storage Room in the Grey Void - Fantasy
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/339047?ref=johnhcarroll
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E2571IS
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/storage-room-in-grey-void/id678901472?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-storage-room-in-the-grey-void-john-h-carroll/1116227666
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-storage-room-in-the-grey-void-1

In Conclusion

The emo bunnies tell me I need to write many more. As I do, I will add them to this list.

All my best,

John H. Carroll

Monday, May 13, 2013

Blue Haired Alien Girlfriend

Blue Haired Alien Girlfriend

Description

Joshua is a manager at FishBurgers who walks home alone every evening. One night, he comes across an unusual young woman by the name of Mariella sitting on a bench. He's thrown for a loop when she tells him where she's from, but he doesn't mind. He doesn't mind the fact that she has blue hair either, in fact it makes her all that much more interesting.

The people around Joshua feel that he's a bit odd and know very little about him. Each comes to their own snap judgements about him.

Sometimes love can be a little quirky, sometimes it can be a lot quirky.

You can get it at these stores:

Smashwords
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
Apple
Amazon
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Sony
Diesel

What inspired the story

My wife and I met at Burger King where I was a manager. She had a crush on me and I was oblivious to that fact as well as much of reality. We've been married for 16 years, so I'm sure she's forgiven me for that fact.

Because I was so quiet all the time and never brought a girlfriend to work, my wife was told by co-workers that I was gay. She took a chance anyway. Three kids later . . .

I would always take long walks at the time and listen to my music. She always teased me that I had a blue haired alien girlfriend that I would meet on my walks. I admitted to it of course. ;) Anyway, that series of events led me to write this short story. It's a mix of moments in my youth, mixed with a generous helping of fantasy. None of it actually happened, though similar things did.

Writing process

This is one of the first short stories I wrote. After writing my first book, Rojuun, I went back and looked at this. I really liked the story, but realized that my writing at that time wasn't very good. It helped me to understand why it was initially refused by Asimov Magazine when I submitted it to them back in 2006.

The biggest problem when I was editing was that I didn't start a new paragraph each time someone talked. I understand that rule now, but at the time I didn't. Recently, I made even more changes to improve the quality.

The cover is the Antennae Galaxy (one of my favorites) as taken by the Hubble Telescope. I found a picture of a park bench overlooking clouds and merged the two photos for what is my second favorite cover from my books.

Excerpt

Joshua stopped in front of the girl. They stared at each other, losing track of time.

“Hello,” she finally said in a silky voice that flowed over Joshua’s body.

He sat down next to the girl. “Hi.” The word seemed deep, not just a word, but so much more. It was as though Joshua was saying ‘hi’ with his soul instead of speaking a casual greeting. At that moment, hello and hi were the most significant concepts in the universe.

Her blue eyebrows wrinkled in puzzlement. “Nobody should be able to see me . . . why are you able to?” Her voice didn’t just enter his ears, it filled his entire being.

“Yeah. I’m kinda like that too. No one really sees me, which is the way I like it.”

She frowned and tilted her head slightly to the right.

Joshua noticed her eyebrows were blue all the way to the roots rather than dyed. He leaned in to study them.

She leaned in as well, gazing deeply into his soul.

Her violet eyes were faceted like gems. It was nice being so close to the girl. She smelled . . . different . . . nice. The scent wasn’t a perfume, but nice . . . like her voice.

“That’s not what I mean.” A mystified expression crossed her features. “I’m invisible, as in people can’t see me.”

Her face was perfect with smooth, flawless skin. Joshua had an urge to run his hand along her cheek. “What do you mean?” he asked in confusion. Speaking in full sentences was difficult because he just wanted to stare at her. The girl’s lips twisted a bit. Joshua noticed they seemed to have a touch of blue as well.

“What I mean is that I have a device that makes me invisible.” She tapped a round object attached to her utility belt. It had little lights that slowly blinked.

Joshua did a double take. He hadn’t noticed the utility belt at first, being too lost in her eyes. He looked at the rest of her. She was dressed in a simple burgundy tunic and a long black skirt. Around her waist was the silver utility belt with devices attached. Many of them had flashy lights like the invisibility device. “Ahh, you’re a Trekkie,” he said with a nod.

Her eyebrows furrowed again. Joshua loved staring at them. They were the most amazing eyebrows he had ever seen in his life.

“I am not a Trekkie, whatever that is.” She took a deep breath, which was enjoyable to watch whether she was a Trekkie or not. “I’m not even supposed to be here. I just . . .” She trailed off, looking toward the silhouette of the mountains.

Joshua put his hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” He tried to concentrate on what was going on with her and at the same time, pay attention to how nice her shoulder felt under his hand. He succeeded at neither, his mind exploding in a mixture of sensations.

Conclusion

If you get a chance, I hope you check the story out. It's a fun little tale of a lonely young man and his blue-haired alien girlfriend.

All my best,

John H. Carroll

Monday, February 25, 2013

How to start a story

Beginning failure

Yesterday, I sat down at my computer and opened a document that already had a short story idea. I had convinced myself that I would bust it out in a day or two.

Then I sat there, staring at the screen, wondering how in the world to write it. Keep in mind, I've written 8 short stories, 2 novellas and 7 novels by this point. Yet I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out how to write this one. I mean, I knew the plot. I knew the characters, I knew what was going to happen and everything. But I didn't know how to write it!

This was very disturbing to me, to say the least. So I've spent the last day trying to figure out what happened. Why couldn't I write a story?

It finally came to me that I desired to just dump the entire story onto the page. I just wanted the words there and magically delicious. "Poof!" as Vevin (One of my characters) would say.

However, writing doesn't work that way. It's like a fine wine that is best sniffed and sipped at first and then rolled across the tongue and savored over time. I wanted to chug the bottle in one gulp. *sigh*

So I tried to figure out how I was supposed to start the story and then it hit me.

I said, "Ow".

Beginning success

Starting a story isn't really all that easy, but I have a method that's worked for me in everything else I've written. However, I never realized before that that's what I was doing. What is it you ask? . . . Or perhaps you don't ask? . . . Hmmm . . . I'll take a chance that you are asking.

I get to know my first character. When I start a book, nothing else matters but that first character in the scene. I begin by telling where they are and how they feel about where they are. I find out if there's danger or a person to talk to. I find out what the weather is like and how my character feels about it. I find out why the character is there.

Nothing else matters, not the story, not the plots, not the ending; nothing.

Once I know who my character is and have a basic understanding of them, then I begin developing the story. It really doesn't matter if I have an outline or an ending, because the character I've created may choose not to follow that path. If I try to force the character along it, then I find myself losing interest in the story.

My characters are the most important aspect of my books. Everything else is secondary. When I say character, it doesn't actually have to be a person or an animal. In the Dralin Trilogy, the city itself is just as much of a character as the people within it. It starts with a young couple named Sheela and Frath, but I'm introducing Dralin to the reader just as much as anyone else.

I have a few stories floating around, ready to write. Now that I realize what my own method is, I'll be sure to remember to slow down at the beginning. I won't worry about what's supposed to happen next, but instead, I'll get to know the character. I'll let them tell me their story instead of me trying to tell them.

It's fun to write this way. I think my characters become more real when I let them have their personality and be who they want to be. Instead of working, I'm listening to a story and taking a journey.

Author's note:

Writers spend far too much time telling how things must be done to write a book (*cough*StephenKing*cough). What I've told you here is merely how I write. Perhaps something similar would work for you, perhaps not. There are just as many methods of writing as there are writers, I believe. I talk about my methods largely because this entire process is a journey for me. I often have revelations and like to write them down so I understand myself and can improve in the future. If it helps others, well, that's just a bonus. :)

All my best,

John H. Carroll

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Why many of my short stories are no longer free

Sad Day

Most of my short stories are now $.99 instead of free, in spite of the fact that I originally intended to leave them free forever. In addition, I will be charging for future short stories that I write, including the Demented Children stories. :( I'm still leaving the first books of my trilogies free and one of the Demented Children books free at a time. It'll alternate throughout the year.

Why they were free in the first place.

For two reasons. One was the obvious marketing aspect. Most readers buy the books of the authors they know. The best way for me to get people to want to buy my books is to give them a sample of my writing.

The second reason was that I enjoy giving them away for free. Life is hard and often times many people can't afford a lot. There have been times when I've spent my last few dollars on a book rather than a meal. At a couple of points in my life, I've been homeless. If I got a few dollars, I would buy a used book and sit in the park while reading it. Also, a lot of young readers don't have a big allowance for books, so it's really nice to have free ones available.

Why they are not free now.

The self-publishing world is changing fast. What worked a year ago is ineffective now. Giving away hundreds of thousands of copies of my stories was an excellent way to get people to know who I am and gauge whether or not they like my writing style.

That's no longer the case. Amazon is especially eager to put the brakes on free books. When I gave away Rojuun in January of last year, I gave away about 25,000 books in the first two months. When I gave away Dralin this year, I got about 4000 downloads. That's even taking into account that my timing and marketing were better. Part of this is due to a glut of free ebooks on the market and part of it is due to adjusted algorithms that sweeps books under the rug much faster.

I've also noticed similar trends with Apple and B&N. It's getting much harder to compete and they're adjusting how they calculate sales and which books to highlight.

Now, an actual sale where money is exchanged causes my popularity to jump a bit, bringing me closer to the eyes of the masses. Therefore, if I sell a book at $.99, it doesn't just give me $.35, it also makes me more noticeable. The more noticeable I am, the more likely bookstores are to feature my books.

The more books I sell, the more likely I am to be able to make a living off of my writing. If I can do that, I can write more books and that's a win for everyone except the people who hate my writing!

I've mentioned in the past that I really don't know what I'm doing. Most of this is just guesswork based on observations I make about the market. All I can say is that I'm doing my best to write as many books as I can and hopefully make a living off of it at some point in the future.

I still have 3 books for free, "Rojuun", "Dralin", and "Drippy the Peg-Legged Rainbow".

I wish you all the very best and hope you find many wonderful stories to read. :)

John H. Carroll

Monday, December 24, 2012

Attack of the Sugar Plum Fairies

Attack of the Sugar Plum Fairies

Just in time for Christmas, I wrote "Attack of the Sugar Plum Fairies, A Story for Demented Children", the fifth installment of the Stories for Demented Children. It's a humorous adventure story featuring three pretty little sugar plum fairies and their quest for equal rights . . .

Stories for Demented Children

My first story for Demented Children, "The Emo Bunny that Should" has been wildly popular. I then wrote Zachary Zombie and the Lost Boy, which is rated and reviewed higher than any other story I've written. The series is becoming popular and probably creates the best chance of getting me noticed.

When I write these stories, I try to think of something or someone that wouldn't normally be a hero. A common term is anti-hero. Emo bunnies, rainbows, cows and zombies are definitely not the standard hero. Then I put them in an odd situation and try to figure out what they would do. Throw in a dash of humor and there you have it.

The snowflakes were added to the cover using a brushes pack for GIMP

The story

I decided a few months earlier that I wanted to do a Christmas story. Various ideas came to mind, but some of them had been done and others just didn't really catch my imagination. I honestly don't remember how I came up with this one, but it started with the title, "Attack of the Sugar Plum Fairies".

Next was figuring out the plot. I had to have attacking Sugar Plum Fairies. Why were they attacking? How many of them? It's not always easy to come up with something odd. One of the biggest issues was that I had to limit how many characters I actually showcased. In a short story, there is very little time to develop characters or a plot. The key is to keep the characters to a minimum and the timeline of the plot to a single event.

I remembered in "The Emo Bunny that Should", I wrote about labor issues with the Easter Bunny and woodland creatures. In it, I commented that elves had organized a labor union. I decided to latch onto that idea and have it so that the Sugar Plum Fairies weren't treated fairly in the original contracts. Then I came up with the concept that they always had to wear skimpy outfits and were being exploited.

At this point, I'd like to remind you that they are stories for "Demented Children", not normal children. I gear them towards older kids too. Plus, I think I have more adults reading these things than kids, so . . .

When I went to write it, I made up the three fairies that were the main characters. Araedae is the leader of the group. She's brave and smart as any leader should be. Sydae is the wise-cracking fairy and Zannae is an MIT graduate . . . because I needed a computer hacker . . . Remember, the title says "A Story for Demented Children".

I generally have little favorite parts of a story. A lot of people may not notice them, or think they're all that great, but I find them enjoyable and fascinating to write. In this book it was the descriptions of the fairies and how each had their own color.

An excerpt: Her brilliant violet eyes sparkled in the light from the nearby streetlamp. Every Sugar Plum Fairy in the world had different color eyes with wings and hair to match.

The tutorial I used to make the candy cane text. It isn't the best tutorial, so I spent a lot of extra hours trying to get it right.

Description

The Sugar Plum Fairies are tired of dancing for nothing. To make matters worse, the North Pole is freezing, they have to wear skimpy outfits and their poor little legs get worn out quickly. When the Elvin Labor Union was formed, the poor little fairies were left out of any sort of fair bargaining agreement.

The time has come for all of that to change.

Everyone knows Christmas Eve is the best time to attack the North Pole. Santa’s getting ready to deliver toys, the elves are partying and the reindeer have finished playing their reindeer games. Can the legendary North Pole withstand yet another attack? Will Christmas come to a screeching halt?

Join three stealthy fairies: Sydae, Araedae and Zannae, as they try to make life easier for all Sugar Plum Fairies. Will they be able to succeed in their mission? What’s happened to Santa? Will the elves stop the fairies from their task? And what secret is Mrs. Claus hiding from the world?

This is a short story approximately 4600 words long.

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Diesel

"Attack of the Sugar Plum Fairies" is also included in "A Collection of Stories for Demented Children", a compilation of all five of the Demented Children stories. Each story can be had individually for free and I encourage you to download them. I charge a token price of $2.99 for the collection in hopes of increasing my chances of becoming a self-supporting writer. :)

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The Emo Bunny that Should - Illustrated Edition

Why an illustrated edition?

Why? Because illustrations are awesome!

Plus, it's a children's book, albeit for demented children. All children's books should be illustrated. All children should be illustrated. That's why they draw on themselves all the time, right?

Why illustrate "The Emo Bunny that Should"?

Why? Because emo bunnies are awesome!

This is also my most popular story and the first of the Demented Children series. It lends itself well to illustrations and the ones that have been included are absolutely beautiful. They capture the emotions of Emo and all the other woodland creatures perfectly.

Evil duck wagon and beaten deer

Why choose Arlene Rose to illustrate and who the heck is Arlene Rose anyway?

Hey! One question at a time. Sheesh!

Arlene Rose is a childhood friend of my wife's. She's a wonderful person and has crazy talent that appears to have been hidden away from the rest of us. Here is a little more info about her:

Arlene Rose is a freelance artist out of Houston. She is a stay at home mom to three and a fairly decent housewife to one. To her everything is art and art is everything. Nothing you can see, hear, taste or touch exist without some form of artistic expression and she loves to work and play in every medium life and the world has to offer because she believes art isn't a learned thing, it is practical and yet wildly eccentric, it's a way of being...it's a matter of being born.

Pretty flowers

What is "The Emo Bunny that Should" about?

If I had known that there was going to be a quiz today, I would have stayed in bed. Egads!

The story is about an emo bunny that . . . should. Umm . . . Emo is a sad bunny that lives in a coffin and enjoys . . . ummm . . . prefers rainy days. (He doesn't really enjoy anything) Anyway, one day he gets involved, which, if you've ever gotten involved in anything, you know is a terrible idea. So there's this Easter Bunny guy, and a factory and lots of little oppressed woodland creature and a cute girl bunny named Haylo.

That's what the story is about.

Easter Bunny, rabbits, squirrels, fox, robins, racoons, mice, chipmunks

What in the world is wrong with you, Mr. Carroll?

Hey! Be nice.

Will there be other illustrated Stories for Demented Children?

Duh! Of course.

Arlene Rose is currently working on "Zachary Zombie and the Lost Boy". I believe she is a natural artist who has a desire . . . no, a need to find an outlet for that art. :) (don't tell her I said that! (Ignore the fact that she'll read this blog)) It is my hope that we are able to create many more children's books together and possibly even find prosperity by doing so. (Prosperity is a sneaky little ninja that likes to hide)

Seriously, what's wrong with you, Mr. Carroll?

That's it! I'm done. Goodbye!

Angry duck

The World of Ryallon