In case any of y’all forgot…

I’m so thankful for all the support my fellow bloggers/readers have shown.  Check out what they’ve been saying about my first book!

“This is a well-paced story with compelling main characters and plenty of action.” (Fan, four star review) (Smashwords.com)

“Lots of action and interesting philosophy on good versus evil, with a nice set of mysteries. The battle scenes are well-described., and am looking forward to further stories.” (Author Christy Nicholas, four star review) (Smashwords.com)

“This is a great fast-paced, action-packed adventure story. I kinda wish the fight with the dragon lasted a little longer though.” (Fan, four star review) (Smashwords.com)

“After I read the prologue on the author’s blog, I knew I had to read the rest of the book, so as soon as I heard that it was published, I got it. I was not disappointed.

John Hedekira and Faith Pinck are both realistic characters with depth, and the story is fast-paced and exciting.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a action-packed adventure story. I can’t wait to read the next one!” (Fan, five star review) (Smashwords.com)

“This is an intense action/fiction. The book is well written. The characters, landscape, and especially fight scenes are artfully described by the author. The plot is extremely fast-paced. This was hard to get used to at first, but I have a feeling that the length of the whole series will make up for any trace of a rushed plot in each volume. Despite the fast-pace of the story, the author seems very determined to slowly develop his characters, which, coupled with the awesome action really makes for a good story. I would recommend this short novel to anyone, especially people who enjoy fantasy, anime, or manga.” (Fan, four star review) (Amazon.com)

“This book was one of the best books I ever read! Everything was clear and easy to read. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves action and adventure.” (Fan, five star review) (Amazon.com)

Click here to read a book review of Volume 1 at Thoughts and Theories

Interested in downloading a copy?  Volume 1 is free!  Feel free to click the picture of Volume 1 in the sidebar or just click here.  I promise you won’t be disappointed!

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Stay awesome!

Dom

Why We Love Anime #3

Showing you how awesome anime is…with absolutely stunning pictures!

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I’d like to live there!

Well Hello :)

I know I haven’t really posted anything in a while.  It’s been a rather busy time, of course.  I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and shopped responsibly on Black Friday.

Things have been pretty busy for me, as far as the book series goes, and my own personal life.  I’m preparing to undergo surgery on Wednesday (I tore my ACL playing football [prayers are not suggested, although they are recommended :P]), and I also have rehab every day.  I actually could work on The Golden Lands while I do my rehab (which is basically just some simple stretching), but the exercises are too distracting, and my writing tends to lack very much emotion.

So I’ve been reading!  If anyone wants a nice, long fantasy novel to read, check out Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.  A friend recommended it to me…and dang.  I mean dang.  It’s a great series.  And it keeps me in good, fictional company during my periods of rehab.

What’s going on now that the first arc of The Golden Lands is finished?   Well, revisions are being made to the presiding book covers, as promised, and I’m looking for literary agents for Volume 1.  I’m also writing Soul Bleeder, a behind-the-scenes novella set in the world of The Golden Lands.  And Volume 5 is also being written (just finished the first chapter yesterday!).

ALSO…although I’m not going to tell you what it is, my sister and I are working on creating something else for The Golden Lands…something very special.  It’s sort of a surprise…but just to get you excited, here’s a little teaser:

Yes, that’s John, the main-character.  This is a screen shot from the program I use to color all of our pictures.  I believe this will be the most epic piece of artwork that Clare and I have created…I can’t wait for you to see it!

So that is what’s up with me!

Stay awesome!

Dominic

The Golden Lands, Volume 1, is a Novella Acclaimed by Fans

PRAISE FOR THE GOLDEN LANDS, VOLUME 1: SHADOWS IN THE SUNLIGHT

“This is a well-paced story with compelling main characters and plenty of action.” (Fan, four star review) (Smashwords.com)

“Lots of action and interesting philosophy on good versus evil, with a nice set of mysteries. The battle scenes are well-described., and am looking forward to further stories.” (Author Christy Nicholas, four star review) (Smashwords.com)

“This is a great fast-paced, action-packed adventure story. I kinda wish the fight with the dragon lasted a little longer though.” (Fan, four star review) (Smashwords.com)

“After I read the prologue on the author’s blog, I knew I had to read the rest of the book, so as soon as I heard that it was published, I got it. I was not disappointed.

John Hedekira and Faith Pinck are both realistic characters with depth, and the story is fast-paced and exciting.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a action-packed adventure story. I can’t wait to read the next one!” (Fan, five star review) (Smashwords.com)

“This is an intense action/fiction. The book is well written. The characters, landscape, and especially fight scenes are artfully described by the author. The plot is extremely fast-paced. This was hard to get used to at first, but I have a feeling that the length of the whole series will make up for any trace of a rushed plot in each volume. Despite the fast-pace of the story, the author seems very determined to slowly develop his characters, which, coupled with the awesome action really makes for a good story. I would recommend this short novel to anyone, especially people who enjoy fantasy, anime, or manga.” (Fan, four star review) (Amazon.com)

“This book was one of the best books I ever read! Everything was clear and easy to read. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves action and adventure.” (Fan, five star review) (Amazon.com)

Interested in downloading a copy?  Volume 1 is free!  Feel free to click the picture of Volume 1 in the sidebar or just click here.  Volume 1 is also free on iBooks, Kobo, or as a Nook Book!  I promise you won’t be disappointed!

ALSO: Volume 4 is still free, and the discount for Volumes 2 and 3 continues!  Click here to check them out!

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Stay awesome!

Dom

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Aul

The Evolution of Volume 5 Cover

The cover of Volume 5 has been officially released!!!  This means that Volume 4 can finally get published (since the cover of the next book always goes in the back of the present one).  The first arc of my series, The Golden Lands, is officially finished.

Check out the evolution of the cover for Volume 5:

First, my sister Clare, who does an amazing job with all of my covers, drew Kiilda.  “Kiilda” is the name of Volume 5, so I thought it was fitting to have Kiilda on the cover.

The first outline of Volume 5, as drawn by my awesome sister, Clare

Next the coloring began, which has always been my job when it comes to creating our book covers.  The program I use, Pencil, has a few setbacks; namely, it will shut down about every fifteen minutes, so if you didn’t save your work, your progress is lost.  So it was difficult combating against Pencil while endeavoring to color/animate Clare’s original sketch.

A semi finished version of Volume 5 Cover

Sometimes I will change what Clare initially whips up.   The main thing I changed for this cover was making Kiilda’s mouth open.  It’s a small change, but I thought it added some eerie emphasis.

After finally finishing the animation, next came:

DUM-DUM-DUM DUMMMM!

Copyright 2015

Add in the template I’m now using for all of my covers, a little extra shading on the ground, and Kiilda’s sword, and you’ve got an intense, dark, exciting cover for the beginning of my second story arc!  I’m genuinely pleased with this cover.  I hope you guys like it too!

And so there you have it: the evolution of Volume 5’s cover!

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As always, Volume 1 of my series, The Golden Lands, is free!  Click here to download a free eBook version.

Stay awesome!

Dom

Want to know more about Dominic?  Click here for a Smashwords Author Interview.

The Golden Lands, Volume 1, is a Novella Acclaimed by Fans

PRAISE FOR THE GOLDEN LANDS, VOLUME 1: SHADOWS IN THE SUNLIGHT

Copyright 2015

“This is a well-paced story with compelling main characters and plenty of action.” (Fan, four star review) (Smashwords.com)

“Lots of action and interesting philosophy on good versus evil, with a nice set of mysteries. The battle scenes are well-described., and am looking forward to further stories.” (Author Christy Nicholas, four star review) (Smashwords.com)

“This is a great fast-paced, action-packed adventure story. I kinda wish the fight with the dragon lasted a little longer though.” (Fan, four star review) (Smashwords.com)

“After I read the prologue on the author’s blog, I knew I had to read the rest of the book, so as soon as I heard that it was published, I got it. I was not disappointed.

John Hedekira and Faith Pinck are both realistic characters with depth, and the story is fast-paced and exciting.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a action-packed adventure story. I can’t wait to read the next one!” (Fan, five star review) (Smashwords.com)

“This is an intense action/fiction. The book is well written. The characters, landscape, and especially fight scenes are artfully described by the author. The plot is extremely fast-paced. This was hard to get used to at first, but I have a feeling that the length of the whole series will make up for any trace of a rushed plot in each volume. Despite the fast-pace of the story, the author seems very determined to slowly develop his characters, which, coupled with the awesome action really makes for a good story. I would recommend this short novel to anyone, especially people who enjoy fantasy, anime, or manga.” (Fan, four star review) (Amazon.com)

“This book was one of the best books I ever read! Everything was clear and easy to read. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves action and adventure.” (Fan, five star review) (Amazon.com)

Interested in downloading a copy?  Volume 1 is free!  Feel free to click the picture of Volume 1 in the sidebar or just click here.  I promise you won’t be disappointed!

Want to know more before downloading?  Click here for the prologue and first chapter of Volume 1.

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Stay awesome!

Dom

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Aul

Editing for Volume 4 is Complete!

The title says it all.  Editing for Volume 4 has been completed, which means I am one (huge) step closer to publishing Volume 4!

I hope you understand what is going on in the grand scheme of things; I hope you understand how big this is, not just for me, but for the overall series of The Golden Lands.  The first arc has been finished.  This means that the entire series, as it now exists, will be undergoing a sort of transformation, as if in honor of the first arc being complete.  The cover of Volume 1 (which is, by the way, still free as an eBook) has been changed/updated, and I intend to implement similar revisions to the other covers as well.  Volume 1 is also undergoing more vigorous editing…it shouldn’t change a whole lot, but the general idea is that Volume 1, the place where all of this began, will be given a new, fresh, professional feel.

Tell me that doesn’t look swagged-out

New ideas are springing into my mind like flowers in spring.  “Soul Bleeder”, the mini/background series that was supposed to be like “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (but in The Golden Lands, of course), as of now, will become its own mini book series.  Writing a blog-series just doesn’t reach far enough, and it doesn’t make “Soul Bleeder” official enough.  Thus, turning it into a book series will ensure that I give “Soul Bleeder” the attention it deserves.

More artwork should be on the way too; I plan to make a poster in honor of the first arc.  It’s almost like the cover for a season of a TV show, containing epic shots of all the characters, but combined into one photo.  Volume 5’s cover is also on the way…it should be done fairly soon.  And, although I’m not sure if this will actually happen, Volume 3 might get an entirely different cover…maybe with *cough* Bernard on the front.

TONS of stuff happening, people.  Get hype and spread the word!!!

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Stay awesome,

Dom

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Aul

All images are copyrighted in this post.

The Evolution of My First Book Cover

Recently, I’ve been doing some work on changing the covers of The Golden Lands, in honor of the completion of the series’ first arc.  I’ve only gotten around to finishing (I think) the cover of Volume 1.  And I think it looks great!  But I think it’s just crazy to look back and see how the cover has progressed since we drew the first sketch.  See what I mean…

Copyright 2015

Then came the “colored pencil” version:

© Copyright 2015 

Not bad, but definitely not professional!

Copyright 2015 Clare Sceski

This eventually lead to the current cover; the graphic-tablet-colored version.  Waaay better!

And last, after making a few changes as I saw necessary (or was just inspired to make):

Copyright 2015

Tadaa!!!  Quite a change.  But I like it!

What do you think?  Any critique or suggestions?

Thanks so much!

Dom

The Golden Lands, Volume 1, is a Novella Acclaimed by Fans

PRAISE FOR THE GOLDEN LANDS, VOLUME 1: SHADOWS IN THE SUNLIGHT

Copyright 2015

“This is a well-paced story with compelling main characters and plenty of action.” (Fan, four star review) (Smashwords.com)

“Lots of action and interesting philosophy on good versus evil, with a nice set of mysteries. The battle scenes are well-described., and am looking forward to further stories.” (Author Christy Nicholas, four star review) (Smashwords.com)

“This is a great fast-paced, action-packed adventure story. I kinda wish the fight with the dragon lasted a little longer though.” (Fan, four star review) (Smashwords.com)

“After I read the prologue on the author’s blog, I knew I had to read the rest of the book, so as soon as I heard that it was published, I got it. I was not disappointed.

John Hedekira and Faith Pinck are both realistic characters with depth, and the story is fast-paced and exciting.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a action-packed adventure story. I can’t wait to read the next one!” (Fan, five star review) (Smashwords.com)

“This is an intense action/fiction. The book is well written. The characters, landscape, and especially fight scenes are artfully described by the author. The plot is extremely fast-paced. This was hard to get used to at first, but I have a feeling that the length of the whole series will make up for any trace of a rushed plot in each volume. Despite the fast-pace of the story, the author seems very determined to slowly develop his characters, which, coupled with the awesome action really makes for a good story. I would recommend this short novel to anyone, especially people who enjoy fantasy, anime, or manga.” (Fan, four star review) (Amazon.com)

“This book was one of the best books I ever read! Everything was clear and easy to read. I’d recommend this book to anyone who loves action and adventure.” (Fan, five star review) (Amazon.com)

Interested in downloading a copy?  Volume 1 is free!  Feel free to click the picture of Volume 1 in the sidebar or just click here.  I promise you won’t be disappointed!

---

Stay awesome!

Dom

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Aul

Volume 4 Overview

That’s right, everyone!  IT’S HERE!!!!!

Presenting to you the overview of Volume 4, the awesome, climatic conclusion of the “Soror and Frater” Arc!

Copyright 2015 Clare Sceski

PLOT SUMMARY:

John, Faith, and Bernard have come farther than they ever thought possible.  They’ve persevered through every struggle, every personal trial, and every foe that has come their way.  Now the final battle has arrived.   Allying with the people of Castrum Fortress, John and his friends must storm the city of Howaito Maki and defeat the three Evil captains…or every prisoner of the Evil will die.

GENRE:

Fantasy/Anime/Action/Emotional/Dark

EXCERPT:

We come to a halt, stopping right beneath the wall which rises high above us.  Thunderous booms sound in the distance, and we can vaguely hear the clashing of weapons and the screams of pain.  “So the fighting has already started,” says one of the scouts with us.

“That’s our diversion,” states Ashida.  “Let’s make the most of it.”

A long rope dangles from where we fastened it at the summit of the wall.  It’s our only way up and into the city.  I raise my eyes to the top of the rope, and I feel my heart beat faster.  I don’t know why, but the top of this rope…it’s like the threshold—the threshold of destiny.  Once I climb this rope, I’ll be in the city.  I’ll be on the final part of my journey.  I’ll be on the doorstep of rescuing my siblings.

My siblings…

This is the final endeavor.  I feel like I’ve known everything that would happen up until now.  I’ve never been surprised truly.  There hasn’t been as much mystery as I feel there is now.  Nothing about the future is clear anymore.  Nothing is black and white.  Because, from here…

—I look at the sky, the clouds, the dullness and gloom that fills this region—

…everything is gray.

I cast a worried glance at Faith and Bernard, and I can’t help but feel closer to them at this moment.  “Listen,” I say, “whatever happens, I want you both to know that you’ve been great; you’ve been my best friends.  I know we’ve been through a lot, and a big part of that is my fault, but—”

“John,” Bernard cuts me off, “it’s okay.  Stop acting like we’re going to die when we get in there.   We can do this.”  He smiles reassuringly at me, as does Faith.  “Come on,” Bernard says, stepping towards the rope, “let’s go get your brother and sister.”

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Hope you guys are excited!!!  I know I am.

If you haven’t already or you’re interested in my series, you can download a free copy of the first book, Volume 1: Shadows in the Sunlight by clicking here.

Thanks for being awesome!

Dom