And The Winners Are . . .

A few weeks ago I announced a contest to give away one of my novels performed by John Pruden available on Audible.com (three Abolethic books, and two Sword of Gods books). 

Well, that contest has run its course, and the three winners have been selected! The winners are as follows:

Ken Hart (@KenofGhastria on Twitter) gets an audio copy of Plague of Spells!

Doug Hopkins (@combatadvantage on Twitter) gets an audio copy of Sword of the Gods (Book 1)!

Randall Newnham (@coffeeswiller on Twitter) gets an audio copy of Plague of Spells!

I'd like to thank everyone who entered for your interest in these books. 

Tome Show Podcast Appearance

The folks at the Tome Show (a Dungeons & Dragons news, reviews, and interview program) where kind enough to review Plague of Spells and City of Torment, then interview me in the bargain.

It turns out reviews and interviews on the Tome Show are in-depth and far-reaching.

In fact, having just listened to the episode in which I appear, I'd liken it to one of those DVD Criterion extra discs, which delves into the material to provide a deeper level of understanding of both the story and the intent, motivations, and inspirations behind the story.

Which means, if you haven't read Plague of Spells or City of Torment yet, I recommend you just let me tell you Will Wong's "short short version" of the review: They're both good books; you should buy them.

On the other hand, if you've read the two novels or you don't mind learning a couple plot points ahead of reading them for yourself, head over to the Tome Show site or iTunes and download the episode. Few interviews have previously pressed me so closely!

City of Torment, Book 2

I have gotten so caught up in my presence in Twitter, Facebook, and even the new Wizards community that I've neglected my touchstone online presence, what should be "Bruce R. Cordell headquarters;" my blog.

Which means I've failed to announce (here on my blog) the release of the 2nd book in my ongoing trilogy, City of Torment.

City of Torment picks up immediately after Plague of Spells. Japheth was forced to make a desperate play, and Raidon Kane is none too happy. But of them all, Anusha has the most to lose; her mind and soul is dragged down to a City of Torment, and baring a miracle will serve as food for the eldest aboleth!

What do others think? Check out this review at Grasping for the Wind, for starters!

Audible Reading Chapter 7 Plague of Spells

Wizards posted a podcast of me reading Chapter 7 of Plague of Spells HERE. Take a listen! (there is about a 10 second gap in the middle as of this posting, hopefully that'll be fixed up soon enough).

-http://media.gleemax.com/podcasts/DnD_Episode32b.mp3

Fantasy Book Critic on Plague of Spells

Many thanks to David Craddock and Robert Thompson at Fantasy Book Critic for their review of Plague of Spells HERE.

An excerpt:

The warrior monk's Spellplague-caused trauma temporarily renders him an amnesiac, and this loss of identity puts the reader on equal footing with the character. Though Raidon has appeared in other Forgotten Realms works, not much is known about him at first: he has a daughter, and he is a creature bounty hunter. As Raidon regains his memory and searches for his daughter—Did she survive the Spellplague? Raidon doesn't know, and neither do you—the reader is able to follow Raidon step for step. The result is an easily forged connection with the character, as well as the world itself.

Plague of Spells Desktops!

My friend Miranda Horner created these fantastic desktop images for Wizards to promote the novel Plague of Spells. As the author, I'm more than happy to promote them, too. I've actually had the one pictured here as my desktop on my computer since before the holidays... and as the desktop on my new phone, now that I think of it.

Here's your opportunity to see novel art in its original large size. A lot of details I missed on the cover become visible.

Plague of Spells Reviews

In the spirit of book promotion,I sent out my author copies of Plague of Spells to online sites that review fantasy novels about four weeks ago. Now, the reviews are coming in! Take a look:

Grasping For the Wind

The Beezer Review

Graeme's Fantasy Book Review

Take a look at what the reviewers are saying!

Plague of Spells: Ruins of Starmantle

Another bit of Plague of Spells novel promotion, this time in the form of a fragment of the narrative turned into a D&D encounter you can add to your game!

In this scene, Raidon Kane comes upon the city of Starmantle, but finds it has changed much since his last visit . . .

Starmantle was gone.

In its place was a madman’s fancy. Translucent emerald
spires reached from the earth in wild abandon. Each hummed
a single flutelike note. In their thousands, the spires produced an
atonal melody that clawed at sanity.

If you're a subscriber to DDi (and Dragon and Dungeon magazine), download the PDF.

If you're not a subscriber . . . I apologize. As the author, I'd hoped to make this a purely promotional piece for Plague of Spells, but Dungeon saw it as premium content that its subscribers should have the benefit of, which I understand. So, if you really want to see this scene of the book come alive as a D&D encounter, consider it another reason to take the plunge and subscribe to DDi.

Find it here at:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/duad/20081203

Plague of Spells Released Today!

Guess what? The novel Plague of Spells is officially released today. (In good Shadowrealm company.)

For a taste, download the free first chapter here.

If you'd like to talk about the book, you can do so in the comments here, in the comments at plagueofspells.com, or on other online forums I'll find links for.

Reviews are pending, but please provide your own, I'd love to hear it!

Plague of Spells Chapter 1 (and author interview)

Download a free copy of the first chapter of Plague of Spells here!

If you want, you can also read my answers to several interview questions regarding the novel.

It's all right here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4spot/20081201

Little of This, Little of That

Today I spent a total of 6 hours in a Muay Thai test for my level 6 certification.

I pulled my glut half way through, and I'm going to have some terrific bruises, but I claim success nonetheless! Moreover, my friend Karol got her level 7 certification, and Todd his level 12 (well, his test is going to last this entire week...)

I'm pretty hungry, so I'm hoping a celebratory dinner is in the offing. But before that, a couple folks are coming over to take a look at the foster kittens even now trying to jump on the keyboard. It'll be fabulous if these two cats find a final home. As wonderful as they are, this house is already filled with adopted shelter cats (and a dog).

Finally, there is some interest from sites I've querried that review fantasy books in Plague of Spells. If you run a review site and would like a copy, I may have a couple to spare. Email me at bruce [ampersand] plagueofspells [period] com if you want a copy.

So ends this stream of consciousness blog entry. Where's the ice and ibuprofin?

Plague of Spells Dec 2

The final cover for Plague of Spells has appeared on Amazon. Very nice! In two more months, the Abolethic Sovereignty shudders towards a long-foretold awareness. Will you be ready?

Plague of Spells Cover

This caught me by surprise, but it looks like the Plague of Spells cover is finished. Finished, and updated on Amazon, even!

I wonder if color reproduction on this art piece is accurate to the actual cover. The the blackish goop snaking into the frame from the lower right to strike the figure should be more blue in color, and more fiery in composition. I hope the actual cover is true to that description, but if not, not the end of the world. (Just as the Year of Blue Fire/the Spellplague isn't the end of the world for Faerûn . . . For some creatures that linger beneath Faerûn's catacombed mantle, it is just the beginning.)

Either way, I dig how this cover looks.

I'm already 25k words into the 2nd book of this trilogy. I'll be glad to see this first one hit the book stores.