So, I’ve mentioned a few times in passing on these posts and throughout my various social media profiles that I’ve been working on a series of dark fantasy short stories in the vein of the Witcher meets Dark Souls but a little more high magic. Now, I’m prepared to begin the formal introductions to what is so far called Tales of the Veiled Rose.
The series is set to follow, for the most part, the adventures of Anya “The Veiled Rose” Petrova, a warrior nun of the Order of the Veiled Sisters. This ascetic order of women holds three vows: First is the Vow of Necessary Speech. A Sister speaks only the words necessary to convey sentiment so that when she chooses to orate, her words are heeded as meaningful. Second is the Vow of Veiled Visage. When in pubilc, a Sister’s face is veiled either by her helm or by cloth, for she represents the Order and its teachings to all. Third is the Vow of Charitable Aid. No request for aid can be refused—regardless of the ability to pay.
I’m sure keen-minded readers will be able to see how this could be problematic for her in the future.
But given what I’ve said so far about the stories, here’s what you can expect: Monster slaying (some monsters will even be traditional fantasy monsters and not corrupt people in power), combat, political intrigue, some romance. There will also be gothic elements and elements of cosmic horror thrown in. As should be expected from a Witcher x Dark Souls type of setting.
I’m planning on a lot of action, a lot of adventure, a lot of high stakes drama in these short pieces. By short, I mean between 9,000 and 12,000 words for most of the stories. I’ll talk more about the structure later and in other places, but these are dark fantasy adventure stories with blood, violence, and a decent amount of horror.
I am going for a more iconic character with the protagonist. So, for those unfamiliar with the term, an iconic character is one who doesn’t change a lot from story to story. Think of your old pulp fantasy like Conan the Barbarian or Fafnir and the Grey Mouser. Brandon Sanderson describes these characters characters who are highly competent at what they do, and the pleasure comes from watching highly competent people be highly competent. He uses the example of the older James Bond books and films. You don’t enjoy Bond expecting him to have deep character development. You enjoy Bond because you want to watch a super spy play with cool toys, bed the hot woman with a thinly veiled double entendre name, do cool super spy things, and save the world. The tension and drama comes from wondering if “this will be the time he fails.” That’s what I’m going for with Anya. She’s a powerful, passionate, and compassionate protector of people, but she is a mere human in a world of terrifying monsters. At some point, her skills, her strength, and her resolve could fail…
When, Where, and How to Read?
So, I’m planning on offering multiple options for those who want to read them. I will be releasing two of these novelettes/short stories per month, starting 2 May. Each will be released as an eBook for $2.00 each (direct from my website, amazon, etc.). You’re more than welcome to buy them that way. I do ask if you do, you buy from my website, as I get larger royalties than if you purchase from any other online site.
I will also be offering them in a subscription service named “Ream.” You subscribe for a set fee per month. There are three tiers of subscriptions, and each comes with different perks.
Yes, the discount links and offers of signed paperbacks will apply to all new paperbacks across all pen names. For those interested, here is the link. There isn’t a lot there now, but I’ll have everything ready for launch on 2 May.
And finally, I will eventually release collections of these stories in paperback once I have enough for a reasonable collection. I’m thinking 12-14 stories. And there might be 1-2 in each collection that are either new and unavailable any other way.
Do I want people to buy my books when released? Yes. But I know that times are tough economically, and I’m hoping offering a subscription model with lower price points as well as low-price eBooks will give options. Plus, Ream, which is more of a Patreon for fiction, will give me a chance to interact with more of my readers, see what they’re interested in, and get to share things in a different way.
As always, if you have any questions, send them my way!
-Robin
cursingravenbooks.com 