New Years' Revolution

Resolutions, Never Again
by Shaun K. Thornhill
January 1st, 2013

I will not make any resolutions. After forty two years of life, thirty one making resolutions, I have learned that I cannot sustain any resolution. Failure to follow through seeps into other aspects of my life. I will not put my family thorough my mood swings due to wrestling with personal failure. However, I am Determined to do What is Right Every Opportunity I am Offered. This is not a resolution that can be cheated, diminished, or forgotten. I have the full force of my commitment to God, my family, and to me behind this proclamation. The standard is high. The work is difficult. The profit will be for all those around me.
By proclaiming this openly, I know that I am opening myself up to ridicule, scorn, and mockery when I fail. However, I am determined to do what is right with every opportunity offered. I will ask forgiveness. I will offer consolation. I will use the shame of failure to spur me to renewed vigor. I will endeavor not to make the same mistakes twice, while taking enough time to think through to the point of not making the first one. I am not your example of how to be a man. I am just a man, called by God.
I am not ashamed of the man that God made, I am ashamed of what I allowed myself to squander with it. I am determined to do what is right with every opportunity offered. As lone as my voice may seem to you, I will speak for those that cannot. I will speak for those that are afraid. I will speak the truth as well as I know it. I will use my voice, and sometimes keyboard, to expound truth.
I have the weight of God behind me. If I am wrong, it is me alone, not God. I am determined to do what I right with every opportunity offered. My hands are for the improvement of everyone around me. From my family, their living arrangements, to the structure we dwell, to the state of said dwelling, I will use my skills and work ethic to do what must be done.
From my code of Chivalry, to my daily discipline of renewed health, I am determined to do what is right with every opportunity offered. I will not sit when I can stand. I will not be still when I can do something. I will check off projects as fast as quality craftsmanship demands. I will defend the weak. I will protect the innocent and logic bomb the confused.
Batten down the hatches, for I sail into the storm of life. I will no longer drift as a anchored buoy. I am charging the waves. I am plotting a new course. I am seeking betterment.

First friend, Reading in Action

Intense concentration. I'm sure he was engrossed.

Reading in Action, First pic

While waiting for my order!

Kalamar Throx- backstory

Kalamar Throx- the beginning
Kalamar grew up a happy boy. His parents provided a modest life which allowed the young lad to grow relatively free of the harsh realities of life in Norkatome. Kalamar soon took to sport at a fairly early age. Although not strong, nor bulky, he could learn quickly, especially anything physical. He wasn't the best student, but he could apply what he learned to real life quicker than any of his friends. He also excelled at applying his strengths to any situation to ensure his success. Most of his classmates liked him, but one particularly strong boy, Prosse, saw him as a threat. Prosse began to chide him in class then challenge him before and after school. When Kalamar outwitted Prosse, the big boy beat Kalamar in front of a large gathered group of peers. For the rest of the year, Kalamar's life was miserable.
          Kalamar's mother, a beautiful woman who followed the teachings of the Mighty Man Manual, taught him throughout his childhood the Way and how to be a great man. In adolescence, he turned away because of his problems with Prosse. His mother never stopped believing in her son. She encouraged him to get stronger during the harvest break, for she knew what it would take for her son to regain his confidence. During this six month respite from formal school, his growth spurt began. For once in a long while, Kalamar listened to his mother and strong he became.
          One spring morning still feeling the gnawing cold of ebbing winter, Prosse met Kalamar on the way to school. Looking Kalamar directly eye to eye, Prosse's fear gripped his heart. He swung with all his might. Kalamar batted it away with ease. Astonished, Prosse swung again. Kalamar ducked and rose with an upper cut that flattened Prosse on his back in the dust.
          Kalamar learned the wrong lesson that cold morning. Instead of trial by combat establishing justice, he learned that might makes right. As soon as he graduated he joined the Red Army as served under his father, General Albast Throx. His abandonment of the Way secured, he climbed quickly through the ranks of the Red Army, much to the pleasure of his father. Kalamar was prompted to general during the golden age of the Red Army. He was also in the final battle that saw the infamous army wiped from the face of Ekana.

kindle version is live!!!

Here is the kindle link.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00R4ZX5NS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_twi_2?qid=1419019996&sr=8-1

Now, you have no excuse, not to own your own copy. Get it now for Christmas!!

Please explain Birth Of Legends?

How can I synthesize 24 chapters of epic characters and plots which encompass 176,000 words? Very inadequately…. But here is my elevator speech.
Birth of Legends begins the epic saga of various young men seeking their place in the world during international upheaval with plenty of political intrigue, desperate battles between good and evil, and establishment of lifelong friendship.
This swashbuckling adventure fully immerses a unique blend of frontier themes, proto-steampunk elements, and high fantasy with a dash of mystery.
Four men fleeing their past, search to find meaning and purpose, amidst sinister multinational conspiracies.
One man seeks to build a new paradigm of world power.
One man at the height of power and influence, enacts his final plan insuring it to come to fruition.
BoL has plenty of fantastic elements which sooth a fantasy reader into familiar territory, yet injects new and intriguing aspects that increase the experience. This story builds the world in which all of my future writing endeavors occur.

Proto-steampunk- the era of technological growth akin to the preindustrial age, where fantastic technological advances begin to emerge mixed in with the very beginning of the classic steampunk characteristics. Steampunk? The alternate history where steam power became the dominate driving force of the industrial revolution, thus supplanting the internal combustion engine.

Kindle Version

Morning all. The kindle version is going live tomorrow. I am so excited.

Final Cover!

The Lush Valley of Zan

       Between rugged and forested mountain ranges, the Chapel to the north and Durren to the South, lies the temperate and fertile valley of Zan. The Zannian Valley differs from the plains of Viria due to the large rolling hills. Dense clusters of trees and hedges grow in the dales yet the tops of the hills are scoured bare. Only grass grows on the tops. Thousands of acres seemed to have been scrubbed off to the tops of the hills by a giant Hand of God. Early from the Calamity, early surviving Zannians used the natural flow of the rivers to search of shelter and food. Many discovered common refuge from the brutal winters and nearby food sources around the central lake north of Ertzer. 

      Ertzer was a ruin of Those Who Came Before that yielded material and structure to a refugee population. The Witchel River fed and drained the lake. Early Zannians used the plentiful fish and wild game in the surrounding hills for food. 

      The refugees began to reclaim their former occupations, farmers, ranchers, smiths, craftsmen, criminals and lawmen.

      Now, Zan is crisscrossed with many roads, orchards, farms, and ranches. Zan exports the majority of food for all of Ropermai. Their strong government enjoys peace due to this fact. 

     Over the centuries, the forest, south of the Chapel Mountains, has stretched deep on the hilly plain. The same has happened north of the Durren Mountains. New logging companies began and ship the finest seasoned lumber all across Zan. The population boom demands new structures. 

      Zan stands on the brink of greatness. Its potential for vast wealth and hearty people tempt many international criminals. Especially the ones bent on conquest and subjugation.

Kindle conversion release date announced

It will be complete and uploaded to your KDP account by December 18, 2014.


Direct from the Publisher. Mark your calendars now!! For all the parents of teens and college students, what a wonderful gift idea to get them a copy already downloaded on the Kindle you bought them for Christmas.

Reading in Action!

Good morning all.

As each new person buys a copy of Birth of Legends, take a few moments to snap a pic of you reading from it in your favorite place to read. Submit it here and I will post them. In addition, quote a section that really spoke, or related to you along with the pic. Extra experience points given to those with the best expressions.

South Viria

South Viria

       Southern Viria is a lush prairie dotted with large farms and ranches. Several large wild herds of Buffacows roam from south of Brow to the east. The self sufficient farmers and ranchers keep to themselves and are weary of strangers. As loyal Virians, they hold the law in deep esteem, yet will defend and take action against nare-do-wells. The majority of these stations are manned by large groups of families. They are tribal and clannish. Virian first, but the station is second in their heart. Each station is like a small town.

       Rainfall is heaviest during the early spring and late summer. 

       Holst is the manufacturing hub of South Viria. Almost any device, piece of furniture, tool, implement, furnace, forge, generator, armor smith, jewelry smith, and spell slinger can be located in the 175,000 population town. Many young people from the stations come to Holst seeking a trade. They already know how to work hard from their life on the stations.

Viria

Viria

         Viria survives as the oldest established kingdom in Ropermai. Through a succession of strong kings, society emerged from The Great Silence by conforming to strict moral codes. Survivors flocked to the castle at Manche for protection and substance. The Almsford line emerged as fair, honest, and just royal leaders. In the beginning, most of the conflict centered around protecting the people from roving bands of marauders. The second king began his reign with a few years of relative peace. No matter how one plans, peace never remains. Whether rouge, tribe of malcontent warriors, or emerging megalomaniac, they will seek to do harm, focus on one's resources, or destroy for fun.     
           For two decades, Viria troops fought many skirmishes to keep other tyrants at bay. The king decided to established clear boundaries and defensible points. With a series of heavily armed and barricaded forts on the main roads, Viria could control trade, secure citizen travelers, and repel invaders. 

           The populace prospered. The king never forced people to serve in the national defense, most volunteered. The combat training of the troops sufficiently handled every threat. The second king established a tenure service in the army. Only the highest trained and highest rank servicemen stayed their entire life.
           Families grew large. As the wars subsided, craftsmen and food producers began to export their wares. The very countries that sought to destroy Viria, bought food and goods for their decimated population and infrastructure. Zan and Gneger emerged as major trade partners.

           Kindred countries made mutual protection agreements and dedicated trade pacts with the King of Gneger and the Premier of Zan. As the third Almsford king took the throne, all three countries prospered. 

         

         Viria has vast plains with ample yearly rainfall suitable for large farms and ranches. Rastal and Arvorle forests supplied ample resources for Virian families. Many major rivers crisscross the countryside. The Chapel Mountains to the south produces Major coal1, gold, silver, and precious stones as well as large granite sources. Most of the homes are stout oak structures on top of stone foundations. 

          Virians now pursue any vocation their hearts desire. The level of freedom for the common man is the most of any country in Ropermai. King Franko Almsford II rules the country with the understanding that he is only there because of his people. He makes every decision for the good of the most people possible, yet he still dispenses justice for the poor and down trodden. The immigration and population growth is unsurpassed by any neighboring country. The total number of citizens lingers around sixteen million. The total Gross Domestic Product is two million, five hundred thousand gold pieces.

 1. Major coal- a precious energy resource. It burns hotter and longer than Bituminous coal. It takes very small amounts to produce steam. Virian engineers and scientists have developed micro furnaces using dots of Major coal.