Berinfell Prophecies 3: The Tide of Unmaking IS HERE!!!

Berinfell Prophecies Book 3: 

The Tide of Unmaking

is HERE!!

Click the Pic to order Berinfell 3

For Kindle Version, Click Here!

For Print Version, Click HERE!

The NEW Cover: Berinfell Book 3--The Tide of Unmaking

Okay, folks, here it is, the new cover design by NewLifeMedia. Berinfell Prophecies Book 3: The Tide of Unmaking!!

Woo hoo! So, whaddaya think? Oh, and Elves, if you're visiting and feel the need to EXPLODE, please be sure to clean up. Thank you.

Berinfell 3-The Tide of Unmaking: Update

Go ahead. Throw the flag. 
We've earned it. 

Christopher Hopper and I have been furiously working on Berinfell Book 3: The Tide of Unmaking, but unable to work furiously enough. We wanted the release date to be end of May. Then we wanted end of June. Trust me on this: we are dying to get the book into your hands.

But part of being an author is knowing when a book is ready for readers. Part of being a Christian author is knowing when the book is of a high enough quality to honor the Lord. Tide of Unmaking just isn't there yet. It's good. It's very good. But it's not ready for you yet. It can be better. It can be much better. Shoot, it can make the word Epic run home crying to its momma. But CH and I must have more time to invest in it. 

It's my sincere hope to have The Tide of Unmaking in your hands before the end of the summer. CH and I will try. But more than anything else, we're going to pour ourselves into making the book the best it can be. You've honored us by reading our stories and by being patient. Let us honor you by taking the time to craft something spectacular.  

--Wayne & Christopher

Cue Dramatic Music and Fanfare: Announcing the Title of Berinfell Prophecies, Book 3

Greetings and a very fond hello from Tannersville, PA, the new location of Christopher Hopper and my Writer's Bootcamp. We are ensconced in a hotel that is literally built into the side of a mountain, and madly chewing away the hours of Saturday with a frenetic display of head-to-head typing. Seriously, we are hitting the keys so fast and for such a prolonged stretch that our fingers are beginning to tingle. :-D

{Hey, Wayne, shut up about the writing already and get to the title!}

Oh, oh, right! The title. The title for Berinfell Prophecies Book 3…that title? {YES! THAT TITLE!}

Right. Now to it! The title for Berinfell Prophecies book 3 is:

The Tide of Unmaking

{Um, Wayne, I don't see anything there. Where's the title???}

You have to work for it. Just click in the open space above and highlight the invisible text. Or, you can just look in the fine print on the photo below!

Mark your calendar. Berinfell Book 3 will release in all formats May 15th. Info for the Collector's Edition Hardback will be forthcoming soon.

The Unthinkable Has Happened! Hear ye, hear ye! The Battle of the Books has Come!

My books have declared war on...each other. How can this be? I have no idea. But my question to you is, who would win? I mean if each of my series of books went to war against each other, the main characters and supporting cast--who would win? You the readers will determine the victory!

It's the First Annual Battle of the Books! We're setting it up in playoff fashion. Who will win the first round?

ROUND 1: The Matchups

The Door Within Trilogy  

versus

 Isle of Sword/Isle of Fire

The Dark Sea Annals (Sword in the Stars, Errant King)

versus 

The Berinfell Prophecies

Readers and Fans: you will determine which series move on to the Ultimate Book Championship. Starting now, I will keep track of votes that you post as comments! All you have to do is say which books series will win each matchup, and why you think so! Voting for the first round will remain open until November 15th!

What say you, then? How will Aidan, Antoinette, and Company fare against swashbuckling Cat, Anne, and the crew of the William Wallace?

Can unbeatable exAssassin Alastair Coldhollow and young King Lochlan hope to match arms against the likes of Tommy and Kat?

We'll find out! Let the games begin!

Green Light for Berinfell 3!

Hi, Faithful Readers and Assorted Elves!

Unlike the poor folks in the cars above, I have good news for you! After months of prayers and waiting, Thomas Nelson has officially made it possible for Christopher Hopper and I to go ahead with Book 3 in the Berinfell Prophecies series! That's right, the long awaited sequel to Curse of the Spider King and Venom & Song is on the launch pad and ready to fly!

The outline is done. We'll take the next few months to make sure it's sharp. Hopefully we'll have the principle manuscript complete by the fall, and have the book ready for readers by the Christmas Holiday season. Initially, we'll be releasing Berinfell 3 as an eBook in multiple formats: Kindle, Nook, .PDF, etc. Also we'll use a print on demand service to do Paperback copies.

And, if we can generate enough interest, we are thinking of releasing Berinfell 3 as a special Collector's Edition Hardback. These would be numbered and signed by both authors and would include exclusive artwork by the authors, readers' guides, and other behind the scenes stuff.

If you're going to post a comment, please let us know what format you'd most like to get!

And thanks to all who have been praying for book 3 to happen. Christopher and I are stoked to get writing, and if the outline is any indication, Book 3 will definitely be the best of the series. Absolutely EPIC!!

And the Tribebuilding 2 Winner is.......

Tribe Building 2 Champion

Before announcing the winner (you didn't think I was going to come right out and just say it, did you?), I feel a bit of preface is in order. During one span of the contest, the Amazon Blitz, I inadvertently created a scoring glitch that compromised the true spirit of the contest. It left Tribes in a state of apprehension and me in quite a pickle. For to double back on what I had originally permitted feels much like not honoring my word, while allowing such a gimmicky technique undermines all the hard won points on both tribes. So in the end, after much thought and a convo with Christopher Hopper, we've made a decision. And it is time to announce the winner of the Venom and Song Tribe Building Contest.

And the winner is...

(You'll have to use your mouse and highlight the space below)

Tribe

Swiftstorm

Congrats to both teams. We will be discussing prizes soon!

Today's The Day: Tribebuilding 2 Contest Ends

Well, alas, all good things must come to an end. The 2nd Tribebuilding contest draws to a close today. No matter what the results, Christopher Hopper and I thank all of you for participating in this adventure with us. We're very honored to be associated with such fine Elves. And in the words of a dear friend of ours, "Alas, two years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable Elves." [Insert cheers.] "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." ;-)

So, Tribe Leaders, please submit your final totals before Midnight tonight! And so that this particular author doesn't go cross-eyed, please make sure all totals and results are clearly marked. :-D CH and I love you and thank you. There's much greater mission here--than just helping books sell.

Tribebuilding 2, Contest Deadline Moved to December 14th!

Tribebuilding 2 Contest Continues!

And so, after much deliberation amongst the Elves, I believe all parties concerned will be best served if the official deadline for the Tribe Building Contest be moved to Tuesday, December 14th. In this way, NaNoWriMo will be well and good over, and Elves will have two weeks--and weekends--to pour it on for the Tribe Building Contest! I think it's best not to go too far into the Christmas season because, as we all know, Elves are already very busy around Christmas. ;-)

Also, I'm cooking up some new Tribe Quests to throw out at you. Woo hoo hoo ha, ha, hah {cough} ha {cough} heh, {hack} heh {wheeze}...uh, yeah.

Christian Authors all over Champaign? Gasp!!

I just know there are some tea totalers out there thinking, "See, I told you those fantasy authors are agents of the devil! Look, they are drinking champagne and boasting about it!"

{Sigh}

Not champagne...we mean Champaign, as in the cool city in Illinois!

As a result of the Tribe Building Contest, author Christopher Hopper and I will be flying out to the great state of Illinois and having a private book signing party with Nightwing Tribe, the Tribebuilding Challenge Winner from last year.

But later that day, Christopher and I will descend upon the local Borders store to meet and greet the public. ALL are WELCOME!! You don't have to be an Elf! But please no Drefids or Warspiders!

So if you live in Illinois or will be in the area, please drop by and see us! Even if you can't go, tell friends and family who might be in the area. Signed books make RIGHTEOUS Christmas gifts! :-D

Here are the details of the event:

Where: Borders, West Town Blvd, Champaign IL

When: Saturday, Oct. 16th, 2pm-5pm

What: Authors Christopher Hopper and Wayne Thomas Batson

Why: Well, because we are two wild and crazy, entertaining author type dudes who will sword fight, insult each other (not you), and sign your books with all kinds of pithy wisdom stuff!

Hope to see you there! You are coming, aren't you? Don't make us beg. :-D

About Migmar the Gnome...

It has been an incredible week of Venom and Song discussion. During the CSFF Blog tour, over 75 separate posts have been made with who knows how many comments. Please see the previous article here and visit some of the links. Amazing analysis. But there was a post today by author John Otte asking about CH and I including a character in Venom and Song with a certain, er, uhm, problem. And I thought, wow, I better clear the air on this issue. {Pun very much intended}

Official Disclaimer: If the very mention of the word "flatulent" or any of its synonyms causes you feelings of dread, apprehension, or disgust, DO NOT READ ON. And by NO MEANS should you click on the picture below.

So here's the skinny on Migmar the Gnome King and his, uh, condition. There's a story behind that. Kind of a behind the scenes story. Christopher Hopper and I were in Scranton PA together, working on the outline for Curse of the Spider King. And you know how it is trying to come up with fantasy names. Some of us can take forever researching etymologies and looking up roots from Welsh, Celt, Saxon, etc.

Well, we stumbled upon, not a name generator, but a generic fantasy character generator. It basically had a HUGE database of creatures, races, and people PLUS identifying characteristics. It was pretty late at night, and Christopher and I were kind of goofy. And we kept clicking the generator to read these really random silly character combinations. Things like: drooling, red-headed knight, bug-eyed gargoyle with a limp and so forth. We were literally in tears and clutching our gut b/c the funniest character generated was "Flatulent Barrister Gnome!" Ever since then, it's been an inside joke and we decided to bring Migmar to life in Venom and Song.

So there it is. Don't hate us.

Venom and Song Blog Tour Monday thru Wednesday!

Venom and Song

Hi, all!

Christopher Hopper and I are stoked because starting today (Monday), RIGHT NOW, Venom and Song is the featured book for the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour. That means that bloggers all over the country will be posting interviews, behind-the-scenes info, reviews, and all kinds of Berinfell craziness!

All readers, please check out the blogs below for uber cool stuff about Venom and Song! The tour begins today, but there will be new stuff posted every day of the tour! Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday! Righteous!

PS: if you visit a site and you don't see Berinfell stuff, check back later as we all live in different time zones.

Angela
Brandon Barr
Keanan Brand
Amy Browning
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
Melissa Carswell
Jeff Chapman
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
April Erwin
Tori Greene
Ryan Heart
Bruce Hennigan
Timothy Hicks
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Leighton
Rebecca LuElla Miller
John W. Otte
Donita K. Paul
Chawna Schroeder
Tammy Shelnut
James Somers
Kathleen Smith
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Jason Waguespac
Dona Watson
Phyllis Wheeler
Jill Williamson
Nissa

Huge thanks to all the bloggers for all your hard work on behalf of the mission. Thanks to my readers for checking out some of these great blogs. You may find some great writing resources too!

The Venom & Song Blitz is NOW: Tuesday, June 22nd, 7pm EST!!

IT'S ON

Warriors and Swordmaidens, the time has come! Right now we begin our hostile (well sort of) takeover of Amazon's Bestseller list.  I hail all those who will raise a sword (or any other sharp, pointy thing) in this effort. The goal is attainable: Top 100 on the Amazon Bestseller list for Venom and Song.

Should you wish to join our merry band of conquerors, simply click the link below and purchase Venom and Song between 7pm and 8pm EST. If you're a reader of Batson or Hopper books, or just looking for a good summer read, please consider joining in the Blitz.

Click Below to Join the Blitz and Purchase Venom & Song

The Blitz Link

Click Above to Join the Blitz and Purchase Venom & Song

As of today at 7pm EST, Venom and Song is already climbing at 6,038th. How much higher will it go? I don't know, but I'm excited to find out.

It's 7:24 EST and already the number is dropping! Go Readers! WOO Hoo!

This just in! Venom and Song hits 443rd on Amazon's Bestseller list! The Blitz continues!

 

 Check back here often between 7pm and 8pm. I will update the ranking as often as I can!

Tribebuilding Contest: Quest #1--Stoke the Amazon Blitz Fires!

Yo Tribes! Here's the first time sensitive Venture Quest!

As you know, we're getting ready for the Venom and Song, Amazon Blitz. Just less than a week away now. Christopher Hopper and I want the Internet to be flooded with word of our hostile takeover of Amazon's Bestseller List. So here's your mission, should you choose to accept it:

Every member of your tribe can post about the Amazon Blitz once a day (including but not beyond June 22nd) on as many social websites, blogs, etc. as possible. Each member should keep track of exactly where he/she posted--a running list would be best--and send that list to your Tribe Leader on the 23rd of June, along with a total of points earned.

How many points? 100 points per person, per post, per site, per day. Only exceptions to the one post per site, per day rule: Facebook and Twitter (up to 5 posts per day)


Suggested post: don't use this exact wording but something similar. Be sure to use the date and time and a link. Be creative!

Like to read fantasy? Join us for the Amazon Blitz on June 22nd, 7pm EST. For details: http://is.gd/cQG7Y

If you choose to accept this mission, God's speed. This message will self destruct in six days.

TRIBE BUILDING CONTEST BEGINS: NOW!!

Build Your Tribe

Begin Your Quest

Last year's Tribebuilding Contest for Curse of the Spider King was a HUGE success! We had six active tribes who worked together to do some absolutely amazing things! Venom & Song, book 2 of The Berinfell Chronicles will ship to stores beginning June 9th, so in honor of Book 2's release Christopher Hopper and I are launching:
Tribebuilding Contest 2


This year's contest will use the same general rules as last year's contest,  so if you know the basics, skip the next part (in purple text). If you are new to Tribebuilding, make sure you read.

The BASICS:

1. You will gather 14 people (friends, family, etc) to join your Tribe. As the gatherer of this tribe, you become the Tribe Leader.

2. Your goal is to have each member of the tribe do as many of the Tribe Tasks as possible, earning Vanadil Points for your Tribe.

3. Tribe Tasks are things like reviewing Batson or Hopper books on Amazon, Borders, CBD, B&N, etc. or making posters or videos, or blogging, etc.

4. The Tribe leaders send me a Tribe Report on the 7th of every month. The report lists what each tribe member did and how many points total were earned.

5. That's it. That's the basic contest.


Major Changes for this year's version:

1. Tribe can earn GINORMOUS points for Creative Open Category Projects! It will vary by concept. Just propose an idea, and I'll tell you how many points will be offered.  

2. Last year, we had six of the seven tribe names taken. If those tribes want to participate again, please let me know immediately so we can secure the Tribe Name for you. Additional tribes can create their own tribe name.

3. Tribe must be at least 14 people, not 21 like last year.

4. Tribes need not be geographically close in location to each other, but it helps when we plan the private book party.

5. Amazon Blitz, coming soon, so do NOT order Venom and Song just yet. If you order ON THE BLITZ DAY, it will mean ridiculous points for your Tribe! I mean OUTRAGEOUS, IMPOSSIBLY LARGE Numbers! WOOT.

Be on the lookout for RULE CHANGES coming soon.

I've outlined the entire contest and uploaded it page-by-page as you see below. You can click all the images and read right from the Web.

OR

You can click HERE and download the pdf file.

Also, Tribe Leaders from last year, please email me about Rules/etc. that didn't work too well last year or were confusing. I'd like to make this year's even better than before.

 Let the games BEGIN!

Tribe Names Claimed Last Year:
*Note: email me right away if you want to reclaim your Tribe's Name, or I will open them for new Tribes!


Valorbrand: taken by Kiada/Starfast/Robby  

Silvertree: Taken by Keeneye 

Ashheart: Taken by AmyA

Nightwing: Taken by Jacob Parker  

Swiftstorm: Taken by Seth 

Shadowtear: Taken by TimV 

Oakenflower: Unclaimed


Flaming Arrow:Created by Sir Andrew

----------------------------------------------- 

Did you think I forgot to mention prizes?


In addition to the prizes from last year (Private Book Party, Swords, Signed ARCs, etc), how about having EVERY member of your tribe mentioned in the Acknowledgement section of Berinfell Book 3*???


How about access to a special "Member's Only" Website full of Berinfell Lore, original Desktop art, games, and more!


CH and I are still thinking about additional prizes, so check back often for updates!


PS: Last year's Prize Winners will begin receiving prize packs in June! Thank you for your patience!

You've got to hear it to believe it!

Like expectant parents, Christopher Hopper and I waited to hear the audio version of our first book together: Curse of the Spider King. OK, maybe not quite like parents, but still…you get the idea. We were very curious and a little worried. Would Oasis Audio hire serious voice talent? Would the voice actor/actress get it right? Would it be overly dramatic or too plain? Just as an actor or actress can absolutely make (see Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men) or break (see Natalie Portman* in Star Wars Prequels) a movie, the voice actor is everything to an audio book. But then, it arrived:

Order Curse of the Spider King Audio CDs!

Christopher and I were thrilled. No, that's understatement. The narrator, Greg Whalen did a terrific job with all 104 speaking characters. How does he come up with so many voices? I have no idea. The thing is, he got it right. The voices in my head somehow turned out to be the voices he spoke. Looking for something new to listen to? Click the link above or the link in my sidebar. If you'd like to hear a sample, click below:

Chapter 1 of Curse of the Spider King as read by Greg Whalen

* To be fair to Ms. Portman, Hayden Christensen shared the worst dialog in cinematic history! "I love you." "No, I love you more." Blech! Eaccchh! Hack! Cough! Of course, it was Lucas who presumably wrote the dialogue. And to be fair, Revenge of the Sith was actually the best of the Star Wars prequels. At least Jar Jar Binks didn't have a staring role. 'Nuff said.

Kill this Thread and Win Venom and Song

Have you ever played "Kill this Thread?" You say you're against all forms of killing? I SO agree…uh, except for this game. Uh, and except for when I find a spider on my bathroom floor. Okay, back on topic.

Kill this thread works like this:

1. Comment on this post.

2. Be the last person to post a comment before the thread "Dies."

How does the thread die? Easy, all that has to happen is for NO ONE to post a comment for one single day. Every time you post a comment, you prolong the thread's life 24 more hours and put yourself in the potential winner's seat!

So, say Biff posts a comment at 3pm today. If no one posts another comment by 3pm tomorrow, then Biff wins the prize. But, if Zelda posts a comment at 2:59pm tomorrow, BOOM, the thread lives on 24 more hours.

Now I've seen this done a number of ways, but one thing I hate is that the comments posted are too quick and very boring. So I'm adding one more REQUIREMENT:

3. Make your comment something meaningful. Give us one of your favorite quotes. Tell us why you like it. Give us something from God's word to munch on. Talk about your hopes and dreams. Encourage someone you care about. Talk about a new band you "discovered." Tell people why they should buy my books--you know, anything meaningful like that! :-D

Oh, and what's the prize? How about a PreRelease Advanced Reader Copy of Book 2 of the Berinfell Prophecies series: Venom and Song--autographed by BOTH authors (CH and Me!)

Sound good?

Post away! Kill this Thread!

Tribe Contest WINNER!

Hi, all! The Tribe Building Contest has at last come to an end. Christopher and I are stoked about the results. Really kind of awed. You are simply amazing people. We're a little overwhelmed by the flurry of late activity, but we cannot, CAN NOT thank you enough. More on prizes later. See below:

As you recall, this was the order of the leaders as of a month or so ago:

1: Nightwing

2: Silvertree

3: Shadowtear

4: Swiftstorm

5: Ashheart

6: Valorbrand

The 2nd ranking was:

#1 Silvertree

#2 Nightwing

#3 Swiftstorm

#4 Shadowtear

#5 Ashheart

#6 Valorbrand

The FINAL UPDATE Leaderboard is as follows:

#1 Nightwing

#2 Silvertree 

#3 Swiftstorm

#4 Shadowtear

#5 Ashheart

#6 Valorbrand

And now…it is time to announce the CONTEST WINNER!! 

 Oh, but you'll have to click HERE to find out who one.

By the way: if you have anything to comment or post on, do it here, not the site this links to. lol

Tribe Building Contest Ends Sunday, March 7th

Tribe Building Contest Ends Sunday, March 7th! 

I know, I know. It was supposed to be March 1st, right? But I want to post the Tribe Leaderboard one more time before that! So look for the LAST leaderboard right here, as well as, on the Underground--later today!

Speechless: Teens Create Promo Video for Curse of the Spider King

Why title this post "Speechless"? Easy. That's what I was when I watched this video. You need to understand that ALL of this is totally original material. These brilliant kids wrote the script, filmed, acted, edited, created the special effects, and applied them postfilming, and wrote and performed the original soundtrack.



I don't know about you, but I nearly jumped out of my chair when I saw that giant Warspider on the kid's roof. Please post a comment and let these prodigies know what you think of their 100+ hours of effort.

Post Script: It seems that this blogger format won't show the full screen version of the video and like a third of the right part of the screen didn't show up. Here's the link so you can see it full screen:

Click Here for the FULL SIZE version!

Post Script 2: My 12 year old son watched the video and just about flipped off of our bed!