The Myridian Constellation Continues to Grow, thanks to YOU.

30 years ago, even before The Door Within, I had an idea for a fantasy story centered around an assassin seeking redemption from a haunting past. The story began with "A Sword in the Stars." Here's a peek at the new cover concept.

The story begun with "A Sword in the Stars" continued to reveal itself to me with a reluctant young king, trying to live up to expectations and struggling to avoid his father's mistakes. Before I knew it, there was a really nasty red dragon and a devastating unexpected invasion. A sneak peek of "The Errant King" cover concept is below.

From the very beginning the Dark Sea series (now The Myridian Constellation), had 7 books outlined. Book 3, however, took me by surprise when it became such a behemoth that Amazon wouldn't even publish it in paperback at its size. It became clear that there were two very unique story arcs, and so I made the decision to split the third book into book 3 and book 4. I never imagined how much work and time it would take to re craft those tales into individual books of the series. "The Forsaken Continent" became book 3 and took nearly 5 years to complete. Here's a peek at the new cover concept for TFC:

"Mirror of Souls" was going to be book 3, but I quickly realized that too much needed to happen to lay the groundwork for what I think has become the turning point of the series. Here's a peek at the full cover of Book 4, Mirror of Souls. Release date is August 9th!

Author's Note: Thank you, readers for the opportunity to write for an audience. I'm no Tolkien or Rowlings, but you've all been so very kind to make it clear that these books have an audience. God made my dream come true and gave me a mission, but I'd get nowhere fast without knights and swordmaidens like you. I'm forever grateful.

Logo Contest for The Myridian Constellation Series

Calling all clever and talented graphic artists!

Announcing the Myridian Constellation Logo Contest!

I’m looking for a seriously crafty artist to design a logo for my 7-book epic fantasy series called "The Myridian Constellation."

Here’s the concept: since stars and constellations figure prominently in the books, I’m looking for a full logo for book covers and merch. This logo would show a seven star constellation and the text “The Myridian Constellation” is some kind of epic fantasy composition. A small version of the logo would appear on the covers of each of the seven books.

Here’s the trick: the logo would need to be able to be subdivided on the spine so that each book gets its own numerical star. IE: the first book “Sword in the Stars” would have the beginning of the constellation with the first star alight with the number 1 imposed over the star.

Then, when all seven books are placed on the shelf next to each other and spine-out, the entire 7-star constellation will show across the spines.

All entries are due by January 31st, 2021 (is that enough time?) The prize for the winning entry? PRIZES (plural!)

1) All seven books of The Myridian Constellation, signed by the author

2) Direct promotion for your graphic arts services via a FULL PAGE AD in all 7 books

3) HTML ads for your work on all my websites

4) Frequent social media promotions, etc.

5) Fair payment (negotiable, but keep in mind that, I too, am a starving artist).

If you are interested in entering, please send submissions in jpg, png, or tiff format to me via the email below:

batguy21784 (at) yahoo (dot) com

What the FONT?

This summer, I plan to RE-release Dark Sea Books 1 (Sword in the Stars) and 2 (The Errant King). I'm not changing the plotline in any significant way, but I'm doing a lot of what I call "Rendering."

As in digital animation where, pixel-by-pixel and line-by-line, the image becomes more detailed, more lifelike, and altogether more breathtaking to behold, I've done a serious overhaul of the language. Often it's as simple as deleting one word from a sentence. At times, it has been fleshing out a setting that I carelessly "mentioned" in the original. In sum, the new versions of Sword in the Stars and The Errant King will be the same story, told more precisely and more vividly. And yes, Dark Sea book 3 "Mirror of Souls" will follow shortly afterward, aiming for Fall, October-ish release.

If you've read this far, thank you. That probably means that this book series means something to you. So here's where I could use a little help: I need a front cover branding-kind of font for the series. There are a gazillion fonts out there, but I'm looking for something that speaks of "Fantasy" but not of hokey, over-the-top fantasy. I want something totally readable, even when it's very small. When I say branding, I want this font to become the brand name look so that whenever you see the font, you'll know it's a dark sea font, you'll know it's this series. Above all else, it'll need to be professional.

If you have a font in mind that might fit the description above, post a screen shot of it, or if you've seen another fantasy book cover that has a very cool font, please post it in the comments. If you come up with a font, and I end up using it (or even one like it), I'll give you a first edition signed copy of "Mirror of Souls" BEFORE ANYONE ELSE GETS IT.

*I should also mention that the reason this font needs to absolutely ROCK is because I'll have BRAND NEW COVER ART for the whole series. If you've seen Caleb Havertape-illustration​'s work, you know these images are going to blow people away, so a lame font just cannot be permitted.

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.

Bat Fiction Update: The Incredible Shrinking Author and More!

Happy Fall to everyone! As always, thanks for being faithful readers!

Lots of news to pass along. First:

The Errant King, the 2nd book of the Dark Sea Annals, is due out at the end of October. And this just in, the final cover image. What do you think?

Speaking of covers, I need your help! I'm working on Imagination Station book 8: Mystery of Starlight Island for Focus on the Family. And we've got three cover images on the table. These are black and white sketches of what the eventual cover may be. Which of the three do you like best and why?

And last but not least: Anyone else out there battled weight issues? I have been since the 5th grade. But in recent years, with all the deadlines and teaching (and 50 other excuses), I've really let myself go. I got on the scale and it literally said, "Ouch!"

I've tried tons of diets: South Beach, Atkins, Body-4-Life, The Real Food Diet, etc. etc. ad infinitum. And mostly, they work--to a point. But they often do your body a disservice in the process and make it easier to gain back and then some.

So, this summer, I found myself tipping the scales at the highest I've ever been. I won't tell you the number, but let's just say there are professional linemen in the NFL who would blush to see the number I put up. {Sigh}. I began to find my quality of life and my usefulness to others dwindling. I certainly understand that there are those who have legitimate metabolic issues. That kind of weight gain must be an awful burden for those who have it.

But for the vast majority of overweight folks, folks with normal metabolism like me, we just do it to ourselves. And it impacts absolutely EVERYTHING. Every part of our lives. How much we can get done at work. How much we can play with our kids. How active we can be. And seriously, I believe that we disgrace the Temple of the Holy Spirit and make God look bad when we're fat.

Now, I'm not calling eating a sin. God made it pretty clear to Peter that everything God made was good for food. But somehow I don't think God was urging Peter to eat a whole triple cheese, meat lovers deep dish pizza and follow it up with three pints of Ben and Jerry's. I won't speak for others, but for myself, I've committed the sin of Temple Abuse...over and over and over again. And now, I'm paying for it.

That said, God has given me a fairly resilient body. And I'm just 42. So I'm not throwing in the towel. Rather, I'm getting out of the premature grave I've been living in. And I'm making a change. Or rather, God's empowering a change in me.

I've begun the Jenny Craig program. What? Another diet? I thought you said--actually, I did say. And yes, I am starting another diet, but just in name. Jenny Craig is all about learning to eat the right kinds of foods at the right times and in the right portion sizes. So, really, it's more about life modification than some fad diet. The fantastic thing about Jenny Craig for me is that they provide meals. Yep, it costs. But really, it works out to be just about 30% more than my personal grocery footprint. And to have the menu made for you, the food right there, is absolutely essential for someone with a crazy schedule like mine.

Go to Jenny!

Yeah, I know, I know. Jenny Craig sounds girly. But seriously, there are tons of men on the program doing very well. Everyone from pro surfers to actors to regular Joes like me. Still, I wish they'd have a men's branch called, Stone Cold Craig or some such. Appeals to the macho in me.

So, how did my first week go? Pretty easy, really. And I showed up on Sunday for my weigh in 14lbs down. That's right 14lbs in one week. The Jenny Craig consultants told me it was a site record for their office. Praise God. Week two is going well. Can't wait to see what I weigh in on Sunday. I know it won't be a ridiculous number, but it WILL BE DOWN.

So, I pledge to you, my readers, that I will do this. And I will get down to my healthy weight. And I will come on here every week and let you know how much down I am. And if I don't, you can yell at me! Deal?

PS: If anyone else out there wants to use this as an opportunity to get fit as well, just post comments right along with me. Iron sharpens Iron.

Never alone.

Ghost: Book 1 Cover Image is Here!

Hi, all!

I just received the final cover art for my first supernatural thriller: GHOST. This is for older readers, probably upper high school on up. Definitely *NOT* for my usual YA audiences. Nothing gratuitous or seedy, but definitely intense, scary, and dealing with mature subject matter.

My plan is to release GHOST on July 1st for all formats: Kindle, Smashwords, Nook, CreateSpace, etc. etc. Just in time for the "Beach Reading Season!"

So here's the cover! Let me know what you think. Is this the time of book you'd pick up?

In the meantime, I'm working on the manuscript. I'm also looking for a professional editor with reasonable rates. Also looking for someone to do the formatting for the ebook uploads. I have a service in mind, but they are rather expensive. So, if you have expertise in either area, email me! Thanks!

The Plot Thickens, The Contest Continues...

Well, well, it seems many of you solved the mystery of the previous post. {Ahem, how many of you peeked?} The picture clips you see are indeed pieces of the cover of my new book "Curse of the Spider King," the first of a new fantasy series coAuthored with my good friend Christopher Hopper. The cover is so unspeakably cool that I can't post it all at once. ;-) So, you'll need to settle for a slowwwwwww, drawn out process.

PreOrder Alert!
You may not have noticed, but Curse of the Spider King is now available for Preorder on Amazon. Click on this link here, or use the link on my sidebar if you'd like to get your copy reserved now.

Meanwhile the Header Contest Continues. This blog needs a new Header. Using my books' cover art, desktop art from the sidebar, your own original art, Photoshop, and /or any other cool graphic/titling software, create a header according to the following specs:

1. Header must include text: Enter the Door Within.
2. Header must be the following dimensions: 660 x 105 pixels.
3. Header must be created in jpeg format.
4. Header must be emailed to me by May 1st. (see sidebar for email addy)

The Winning Artist will receive a signed copy of any of my books!

The Plot Thickens

We've talked a lot about how to create the opening of a novel that will HOOK your reader. Click here, if you missed that series of posts. But now that you've hooked a reader, editor, or publisher, how do you keep them reading?

Here are some tried and true techniques to thicken your plot:

1. Develop Your Characters: Readers like to get to know characters, love them, hate them, fear for them, etc. But no matter what, your readers must want to follow these characters through the novel.

• So, get out a scrap sheet of paper, or open a new Scrivener file. (See sidebar for the most fantastic and affordable writing software on the market). Answer these questions: What does she/he look like? Why does he/she dress like that? What are his/her goals? What are his/her motives? Does he/she have any physical quirks--ie things that stand out: a scar, a tattoo, crook in the nose, thin lips, walk with a limp, slurs his "S" sounds, etc?

2. Complicate the Path: Now that you know who your main characters are, ie: you know your good guy's goals and your bad guy goals, it's time to start throwing things in their path that complicate the matter. What can you throw in their way that will keep them from reaching their goals? Good guy is trying to get a job? Make him late for the interview. A watermelon truck turns over on the Interstate. Oops, good luck main character. Good Swordmaiden needs to prove she is queen? Let someone else show up claiming to be queen with evidence to prove it. Keep in mind, these events are not called Rising Actions for nothing. You must up the ante.

3. Multiply the Plotlines: This won't work for all stories, but some authors have driven us crazy with technique. You have multiple main characters. Instead of following one main character through his/her linear (straight forward) path, leave one plotline, preferably with a cliffhanger, and switch to another character. JRR Tolkien, Stephen King, Tad Williams, Tom Clancy...are just a few of the authors who do this to spectacular effect. What happens? You're dying to find out what will befall main character one, but you know you have to read through character two to find out. YAAAAHHHHH!!! {SCREAMS pulls out hair}. The readers will race through your pages. Imagine what happens when you leave character 2 on a cliffhanger as well? Heh, heh, heh! {Cue fiendish laugh}

Beware: this technique can be overdone. If you leave one character's plotline TOO long, you risk losing the reader. Patience can only be stretched so far.

Beware 2: Careful when you switch POV (narrator's point of view). If you're telling the first character's story in first person (I did this. I said...etc), then you should probably tell the other characters' stories in first person from their points of view. I prefer to use 3rd person omniscient, as I can go anywhere and into any character's minds.

4. Offer Intriguing Clues, but Don't Give Away the Farm: If you wrote a good hook in the story's exposition (introductory scenes), you have probably tempted your reader with a mystery of some kind: Who's sending those threatening letters? Why was the sun an eerie greenish color? Who is the killer? The reader wants to know the answers. So, give them a few clues, some text details that lead the reader closer to the answer, without giving the answer away. Devious and evil, I know. But readers love it.

I hope that helps you thicken your plot. Post a comment and let us know how you're using the techniques!

Isle of Fire...Are You Ready?

Isle of Fire (Final Cover Image Below) will be released in the U.S. the first week of September, and I am stoked about it. If feels like forever since I finished the last edits--very different from previous books which came out three months after edits.

Isle of Fire is going to turn the whole pirate genre on its head. You'll meet a new villain who would frighten even Bartholomew Thorne (if he still lived, that is). Ancient pirates will return from legend to wreak havoc on the seas. And young Cat will face a war within.


And, if you thought the Isle of Swords Treasure Hunt was a blast, just wait until I announce the Isle of Fire Treasure Hunt.

Tons of prizes and an adventure your not soon to forget!

Oh, and remember that announcement I promised a month ago? Well, check back often. I have HUGE news!

What's in a Cover?

Most people really do judge a book by it's cover, don't they? At least at first. If the story within isn't what you expect, you'll feel cheated and probably avoid that author in the future. I've been blessed with a publisher and design team that understands the importance of packaging. So, I feel very blessed with the covers I've been given.

So...two questions:

1. How important is the cover and packaging to you when you are book shopping? Why?

2. And...which of my book covers do you like the most? Explain.

First Look...Isle of Fire

Ahoy, lads and lasses. This here be yer first look at the cover of Isle of Fire, due to be released August, 2008. What do you think? Suggestions? Comments?

I really LOVE the mail! This just in...

I opened up my front door and found this cool, little white tube from my publisher on the porch. Inside was a shiny new dustcover for the soon to be released Isle of Swords. My scanner is pretty small, so I couldn't get all of it in, but please take a look at the front and back cover. I just have to hit my knees and say THANK YOU, GOD. I'm still in awe that Tommy Nelson Publishing saw something in my stories worthy of this kind of production. Gold foil titling, sweet multicolor images on dustcover and hardcover, colored inks inside--I don't get it, but I am grateful.

August 8th is the Official Release Date for
Isle of Swords
I hope readers of The Door Within Trilogy will enjoy
my venture into a new genre. I'm currently working on the
sequel to Isle of Swords. After that, God willing, its
back to fantasy in a BIG way.