Coven of the Worm

Book One: Estranged Earth

Linda Caldwell attends Putty Hill Senior High with her friends Jane and Candy, where she meets and falls in love with an intriguing young man named David Yeng-Chi.

David seems perfect for her, but he has a dark secret. His father Hamaki had trained him to use a deadly mix of martial arts and magic in the service of his god—Chai'Huon Ju, the Defiler. David is a descendent of the Worm Clan of a long forgotten prehistoric nation called Hunjan. There were other gods and different beliefs among these people, but the Worm Clan had believed in Chai'Huon Ju's legacy of evil.

As the relationship between David and Linda grows, Linda begins to have prophetic dreams warning her to stay away from him. The visions are so insistent and frightening that she surrenders to them and breaks up with David. Enraged, David resolves to have revenge by conjuring his god to Earth.

Linda has a secret too, however—one that might help to save her soul from the Defiler. Prophecy was merely the first of her abilities to develop and—she soon discovers—there were more powers to come.


Book Two: Mystic Moon (in progress)

Eric is the son of David Yeng-Chi, who had unleashed Pure Intensity and wreaked havoc on a Maryland town in 1995—all in the name of revenge. When Eric discovers his true identity, he sets out to fulfill his destiny, which is to assemble a Coven and use it to release his evil god on Earth.

Daniel is an Avatar of the gods, and only he knows how to find the others like him. It is his destiny to gather the Avatars and lead them to battle against the Defiler before he can wage war on Heaven. Together with Dawn Lu, Linda Levinston, and FBI agent Carl Timmers, Daniel searches for Eric and his coven—hoping to find them before they can succeed with their diabolical plans.

Monday, June 4, 2007

Getting Back to Work

It's about time for me get back to work, as daunting as that sounds to me right now. I've got a science fantasy short that needs finishing, a dark fantasy draft that needs editing/revising, and a 50,000 word draft of the second book in Coven of the Worm that needs work. I also need to start making submissions again. I'm sure I've given Baen's Universe plenty of time, and there are definitely other markets that I'd like to try for Hex Moon. Not to mention that I still haven't heard anything from the last agent I queried about Estranged Earth.

I've only read three stories so far for the second issue of Tower of Light, too. Fortunately, the first two were very good, and the third was also pretty good - despite having a few typos. There's still a lot more submissions to read, however, and that takes time - as well as a critical eye.

On the plus side, the second issue should feature a book review. I need to keep an eye on my email to make sure I don't miss anything. I should hopefully receive a copy of the book in time to read it and write the review before the end of August. I think this book in particular might be sci-fi, which is a little out of place for Tower of Light, but I like sci-fi. It shouldn't hurt and may well help draw more readers in the future.

Well, here's hoping I can get off my lazy #@! and do some work!

8 comments:

Dawn said...

That art work for Tower of Light looks tremendous. I'm sure it will be a success.

Getting back to work after a layoff, whether voluntary or forced upon you, can be daunting. I know the feeling. I have a rough draft I simply must start work on again.

Michael said...

Thank you, Dawn! I must admit, however, that the artwork came from a free site, but I made sure to include a link to that site and gave credit to the artist (in the icons at the bottom of the index page).

Crabby McSlacker said...

I should get back to work too, but my blog ate my WIP. Someday.

Sigh.

Good luck with yours, Michael, and glad to see you back in the blogosphere!

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Hi, Michael! Just remember you don't have to do it all and you don't have to do it now. It can be so intimidating to jump into a big project that one almost has to mentally break it into small, manageable bites.

I answered your question on my blog, btw. Thanks for stopping by and expressing an interest!

Jim Melvin said...

Three years ago, I forced myself into a routine of writing at least three hours every evening. No TV or other entertainment for me, though I usually drink 2-3 light beers before all is said and done. Sounds like you've got a lot going on in your life -- and most of is very positive! Keep up the good work!
-- Jim Melvin
Author of The Death Wizard Chronicles
A six-book epic fantasy
Coming September 2007 (Rain Publishing Inc.)

Anonymous said...

Good luck with your revisions! They can be a pain sometimes, especially on a book that you've worked on so much, but take things a step at a time, and before you know it, you'll have it ready. And best of luck with your submissions, too! :)

Leah J. Utas said...

Sounds like you've got lots of projects on the go. That's good. You can flip between them if you find you work that way. I used to do something similar when I was reporting. I'd flip between stories on deadline day. It gave me time to think and take a break while still getting work done.

Michael said...

Thanks you everyone for your kind comments. Since this was posted at least two weeks ago, I'm still behind! (Sigh). I'll get there, I'm sure.

Crabby: Oh, those hungry blogs!

Bunnygirl: How right you are.

Jim: September 2007, huh? would you be interested in letting me do a review of the first book in my magazine? Okay, so I'm trying to con you out of a free copy - but I would do the review if you wanted.

Thomma: Thanks. I'm still waiting to hear from an agency for the book. I think I need to give them about another 3 months ...

Leah: You're right, and I tend to that. If get stuck with one project, it helps to have another waiting.