Category Archives: Heartstone

Celebrating Ronald Calica

I was just writing about the wonderful cover of my book Tears of Gallia, which was created by Ronald Calica. Since his work was so amazing, I thought I’d share all of the covers he made for me. He has a computer game designing background, which shows in the complexity and realism of his works. It has been some time since he moved back to the Philippines, but he is still a master of his craft. There is a link to his BlogSpot page below if you want to learn more.

As a writer, we all want our images to bring out stories to life. When a prospective reader is considering buying, the first thing they see is the cover. The first seconds they look at it, they will decide whether it is worth their time to turn to the back or read something about the tale; and even whether to buy or not. But it was an honor to work with such a talented artist. Here is the link to his page:

http://ronaldcalica.blogspot.com/

And without further ado, here are the covers:

Why I like to write fantasy novels

There is plenty going on in the real world to write about, but somehow I am increasingly drawn to fantasy. It is not because reality is boring. On the contrary, I think reality might be too much to deal with. The frenetic pace of technology, politics, crime, international relations and the general hubbub of life is enough to wear anyone out. There is something about escaping to a different world, perhaps one where right and wrong are more clearly defined, or at least where a person can immerse his or herself in unexpected experiences without facing the day-to-day concerns of real life.

It is also heartening to see heroes overcome obstacles and defeat their antagonists, which is not so easy to accomplish in the real world. Our protagonists can have special abilities or be surrounded by others to help them through the most arduous circumstances. Again, not all of us can count on such beneficiaries, or at least it does not feel like we can. In our real lives, the path forward is often difficult even though the obstacles may seem mundane by fantasy standards. We hear the stories of others who have been supremely lucky and ended up with massive wealth. While we would never begrudge them their success, often their paths turned out to be quite simple (at least in our minds). In a way it is like the lottery. All of us can pitch in our one or two dollars per ticket. The winner is not a better person than us, or more deserving, or smarter. They were lucky, and that luck often evades us.

In a fantasy novel, the hero deserves the reward. They face insurmountable challenges, and through a combination of smarts, unique powers, and the help of friends, they overcome the challenges and win. That reward for hard work and being good makes us feel warm, happy and satisfied. I sincerely hope all of us can experience that in our lives, but in the meantime, I can make it happen for a protagonist in my writing, and then pass the warm fuzzies on to me and anyone willing to read the words.

For me personally, there is still a bit more to it than that. I have a life-long love for science fiction and hard science. I enjoy reading books and watching programs on cosmology, theoretical physics and quantum mechanics. Crazy, right? Something in the scientific community has been grating on me for a while. Perhaps it is just some of the science television programs I watch, but there seems to be a kind of zealotry brewing. To be clear, I am not a scientist, and they may be 100% correct in what they say. My issue is dark matter and dark energy.

For clarity, based on observations, galaxies are rotating at rates that should cause them to fly apart, based on the calculated mass of the material in each galaxy (hundreds of billions of stars plus planets, gas and black holes). Since the galaxies are not flying apart, there must be A LOT more mass that cannot be seen, which is labeled dark matter. It is estimated there is 5 times more dark matter than the matter we can see or account for. So far, it has not been seen and cannot be detected, but according to science, it is there.

Similarly, according to observations, space-time expansion is still accelerating 13.8 billion years after the Big Bang. In a typical explosion, after the energy is expended, things slow down and eventually stop. That happens with a firecracker in a couple seconds. In the universe, it is continuing to go faster 13,800,000,000 years later. For the observations to make sense there has to be another source of energy out there, which is dubbed dark energy. That stuff makes up 70% of everything in the universe. So the breakdown is: Dark Energy 70%, Dark Matter 25%, the galaxies, stars, planets, you and me, and everything else detectable 5%.

I am not saying any of that is not true, although the descriptions provided to date are very unsatisfying. I just saw a program stating that the expansion of space generates dark energy. That means the vacuum containing absolutely nothing is generating power. Hey, energy crisis solved! The zealotry I mentioned is the certainty some express regarding the nature and effects of these undetectable or measurable things. I was always taught to say “I don’t know” if that was the truth. Obviously, others are more confident in their knowledge.

While I have no better answers, these less-than-scientific theories are incredible fantasy and science fiction fodder. Everything we have known or detected since the dawn of time accounts for 5% of reality. What is the rest of it? Phantom planets in parallel dimensions? Invisible demons moving through us and changing our minds? Perhaps.

I have enjoyed weaving my own theories into stories and plan to continue to do the same. No one can tell me I am wrong? But I am not saying I am right either. I am a storyteller after all, not a scientist. Read one of my stories or write your own. The Dark stuff has given us a whole new genre to exploit.

An interesting experience

photo-1I saw my books on the shelf at a local bookstore yesterday, and I have to say it was a unique experience. There they sat on the next to bottom shelf, and I wondered how anyone would ever find them among all the other works. I don’t have the name recognition of a major bestselling author (yet). I guess that is the real challenge in the business. But they are there, and I guess I should be happy enough with that.

Two shelves over they had the books for teens, and that area was mobbed with kids looking for something to read and chatting with their friends. Perhaps I need to consider that genre?

Available at a bookstore near you

I just received a second approval from a major national bookstore chain (I am not allowed to mention the name). Once they process the orders, six of my seven novels will be test marketed in different stores across the country. Please look for The Dave Brewster and Heartstone series books at your neighborhood store in the coming months.

Also, while you’re thinking about it, download a free e-book of The Hive right now! There’s only a week left on the promotion, so hurry. Here is the link.

http://storycartel.com/books/495/the-hive/

TimeWalker-websize_400x600pxHIVE-ebookcover-SCBF

The Time Walker Is For Sale

Heartstone: The Time Walker is now on sale everywhere. You can buy the printed and e-book versions from online retailers. While you’re surfing, please check out the press release for this new work at:  http://newbookjournal.com/2013/10/the-time-walker-heartstone-series-book-two-by-karl-j-morgan/

Thanks for your readership, and keep an eye out for The Accord, the fifth book in the Dave Brewster Series coming soon.

Two weeks from today!

Heartstone: The Time Walker will be released in fourteen days! I hope  you’ll take a look. You can preview 20% of the book for free right now on Smashwords.com. The e-book version is priced at only $2.99 for the first two weeks after release. Then it will go back to the normal e-book price of $4.99. The link to the book’s Smashwords.com page is shown below, and thanks for your readership!

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/354882

 

Cover art for The Time Walker

TimeWalker-ebookcoverHere is the cover for my latest book, Heartstone: The Time Walker, which will be available in print and e-book versions on October 15, 2013.

This story is very different from the first book in the series. The Time Walker is a dark tale of revenge and the desperate attempts of a black mage to return to power. Keedu, leader of the mages, joins with an ancient evil to go back in time to keep Bill Marshall from ever gaining the power of the Stones.

The scene depicted on the cover occurs near the end of the book as Osphalon the Demon attempts pull the life-force from Bill Marshall’s body.

The book will be available for preorder on most e-book sites in the next few days. The e-book will also be available at a bargain price for a week or so beginning on the release date. Please check it out. I think you’ll enjoy it.

The Time Walker- Chapter One

Attached to this posting is a PDF of the first chapter of Heartstone: The Time Walker, which will be released on October 15, 2013. This chapter sets the stage for the wild ride that follows. It will be available in print and virtually all e-book formats. Please let me know what you think.

TimeWalkerChptr

If this sample piques your interest, you can preview more of the book on its Smashwords page, which you can find at:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/354882

Please be a fan of Smashwords. They offer all e-book formats and provide an outlet for new writers like me. If you are an author, please consider them to publish your e-book. They also act as an aggregator and can get your book on many bookseller sites.

I will be posting the cover image of my new book later this week (although you can find it on Smashwords now, and on many other sites in the coming days).

The Time Walker is coming soon!

OsphalonI have seen the cover art for the newest Heartstone novel and it should be finalized very soon. Bill Marshall must struggle to save his family and own life as Keedu seeks to avenge his defeat in Sentinels of Far Sun. It is a dark tale where evil seems to be winning at every turn, and our friends must suffer and cling desperately to hope that the stones will help them. Time travel plays a critical role as Keedu and Osphalon change history to defeat the Candu Mali Siwa.

Heartstone: The Time Walker will be released in print and in various e-book formats simultaneously (I hope). I will post another note when the release date is confirmed. Thanks again for your readership!

Osphalon the Demon

OsphalonAllow me to introduce you to Osphalon Balakak, the worst of the villains in my new book, Heartstone: The Time Walker. He looks like a real sweetheart, I know. Who would think this guy is bad? And before you ask, no, I was not the model for his face.

In Tears of Gallia and Time Walker, I wanted to explore the dangers of time travel into the past. In Tears, other mysterious forces acted to stop changes to the past and preserve the reality that existed before the change. In Time Walker, no such entities exist, and fixing the changing course of time becomes the job of those few who can recall reality before the change due to their extreme experiences at that time. It is up to those few who do remember to try to stop the evil doers from achieving their sadistic goals. Our hero, Bill Marshall, is not so lucky. He must face the new realities and try to save his family at every turn, until fate and his friends can turn the tide against Keedu and Osphalon.

As soon as the cover is complete, I’ll post this entire image. I hope you will enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for your readership.