The characters (part 12)

THE CAVE MONKEYS

(This is the twelfth in a series of character descriptions from The Death Wizard Chronicles, my six-book epic fantasy.)

Who are the cave monkeys and what is the worm monster?

Cave monkeys are small creatures (about two feet tall and weighing around twenty pounds) that more resemble lemurs than monkeys. But they were given the name cave monkeys by the Torg, the Death-Knower wizard, because he could think of no other. These clever and wondrous creatures live in caves and tunnels deep in the bowels of Mount Asubha, several leagues beneath the surface.

The colony of cave monkeys that Torg encountered numbered about fifty, though the wizard never knew their exact number. They were furry creatures, with pointy noses and mouths filled with flat teeth, and they had long, bushy tails. Their most striking physical feature was their bioluminescent eyes that glowed in the dark. They were supremely athletic and energetic, but also kind and gentle, and they communicated between themselves and with Torg using a very powerful yet noninvasive telepathy.

Also residing beneath Mount Asubha was a titanic creature called the worm monster, which was most likely the largest living being on Triken. Somewhere hidden far beyond finding was the monster’s core body, but extending from it were hundreds of thick tentacles, each more than a mile long and each containing a fang-filled mouth at its tip that was capable of devouring anything it found in the underworld, including cave monkeys. But the worm monster was not particularly intelligent, more an eating machine than anything else, while the cave monkeys were brilliant creatures by any standard. And in an ironic reversal of fortune, the cave monkeys were able—using stone daggers—to leap about just out of reach of the tentacles’ mouths and carve pieces of flesh from the tentacles. This flesh was quite tasty, and it was the cave monkey’s main source of sustenance, along with mushrooms. With these ingredients and a few others, they made delicious soups that Torg quickly grew to adore.

Cave monkeys also were wonderful artists, and they decorated the stone walls of their underground home with intricate drawings using mineral extracts and worm fats to create multicolored pigments.

Was the colony Torg encountered beneath Mount Asubha the only one in existence? And was there only one worm monster on Triken? Or did each large mountain on Triken have its own version of these creatures living deep beneath the surface? The answer to this was beyond Torg’s knowledge.

Photo by Dreamstime.

Up next: the final installment, which will be a list of other characters, both ordinary and magical, with short descriptions of each.

The characters (part 8)

THE DRUIDS

(This is the eighth in a series of character descriptions from The Death Wizard Chronicles, my six-book epic fantasy.)

Who are the druids and are they evil?

Druids are insect-like monsters that dwell in the dark forest called Dhutanga, which is the largest forest on Triken. Druids stand more than ten feet tall, and though they are thin and angular, they are deceptively strong. Their outer flesh looks more like bark than skin, and they have fiery eyes and large mouths, with black holes where there should be ears.

The druids are indeed evil, because they are the creation of the druid queen, a bulbous and hideous creature that resembles a maggot the size of a great dragon. Though the druid queen is filled with malice and dread, she has a terrifically powerful mind, and she uses her psychic sway to control the druids en masse, forcing them to do her bidding. They are her slaves, but they love her, nonetheless.

At the time of The Death Wizard Chronicles, there were more than 100,000 druids, given birth one at a time over the centuries by their queen. They are the caretakers of Dhutanga, and literally eat wood for their sustenance and magic. In addition to their physical strength, they are able to spew corrosive acids from their mouths that devour flesh and burn through armor.

Photo by Dreamstime.

Up next: Mala and the snow giants

Update on ordering books one, two, and three

For reasons I can't discern, Amazon has not yet ordered more copies of books one (The Pit) and two (Moon Goddess). Book one already sold out through its first stock, but more have not yet been ordered, which has created a waiting period that really seems to have hampered sales.

If any of you are waiting for this to be resolved before you place an order, you also can order books one and two directly from the Rain website (click here). And book three will be available there in just a couple of days. I'll put in another update when the Amazon situation is resolved.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

In other news, I was mentioned on a sfsite.com as a new arrival.

Plusses and minuses

Though I have published many articles as a journalist in my lifetime, The Death Wizard Chronicles represents my debut as a novelist. Since (and actually long before) Book One came out in early September, I have been marketing the series like crazy.

Thus far, here's what seems to have worked well and not so well:

1: I attended a large book festival in Florida, had 55 people at my talk, and sold about 40 books. No world record, obviously, but I count that in the plus column.

2: I did an interview for the St. Petersburg Times (Florida's largest newspaper) that ran on the cover of its features section. A big plus.

3: I received a very positive review in the Tampa Tribune, another large Florida newspaper. Another big plus.

4: I did an internet podcast/interview with Mr. Media that has been linked to sites literally all over the world. I would have to think that at least several hundred people have listened to at least parts of the interview, so I count another in the big plus column.

5: I've done two radio interviews, after which my amazon sales seemed to pick up for a day or so ... so another plus.

6: I did one internet/video interview, and again amazon sales seemed to pick up temporarily. A plus.

7: I did six in-person book-signing appearances. Despite a large amount of advance publicity for each signing, these did not go particularly well. I never sold more than nine books at any appearance. About the only good news was that I spoke, face to face, with several hundred people all told, so perhaps some residual benefits will come from that. Still, at this point the bookstore appearances have to go in the negative column. If you're not a big name, it's difficult to attract attention.

8: I have had one great review and two Q/A's on two popular blogs, plus several mentions of my series on others. So, another plus.

Overall, the plusses far outweight the minuses. Again, I'll have to wait and see how much any of this will impact sales, not so much in the short run but in the long run. My fingers are crossed.