The Jed Herne Audio Experience
Jed Herne is a fantasy & sci-fi author. On this show, he shares writing advice, author interviews, and other writing-related shenanigans. For links to his books, free stories, and to join his email newsletter, check out www.jedherne.com
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead.
"The perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else." - Nicole Wallace, editor of Synopses by Sarge.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead.
"The perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else." - Nicole Wallace, editor of Synopses by Sarge.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.
This is the key to elevating description to art.
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead.
"The perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else." - Nicole Wallace, editor of Synopses by Sarge.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.
Article I wrote on Question Arcs: http://www.betternovelproject.com/blog/question-arcs/
Podcast I made on Question Arcs: https://anchor.fm/novelanalyst/episodes/3---Harry-Potter-and-the-Half-Blood-Prince-by-J--K--Rowling---Creating-Suspense-Using-Question-Arcs-e3ubui
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead.
"The perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else." - Nicole Wallace, editor of Synopses by Sarge.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.
Particularly in dialogue, what tactics do your characters use to get what they want?
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead.
"The perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else." - Nicole Wallace, editor of Synopses by Sarge.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.
Making readers feel what you want them to feel is all about information transfer. In this episode, I lay out one method for subtly transferring your emotions into readers' hearts.
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead.
"The perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else." - Nicole Wallace, editor of Synopses by Sarge.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.
The 3 sliders: likability, competence, proactivity. Which one are you engaging with in your opening chapter?
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead.
"The perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else." - Nicole Wallace, editor of Synopses by Sarge.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.
Just like reality, great fantasy worlds are never simple.
My podcast analysing The Gutter Prayer: https://novelanalyst.com/2019/09/17/the-gutter-prayer/
My interview with Gareth: https://novelanalyst.com/2019/09/19/gareth/
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead.
"The perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else." - Nicole Wallace, editor of Synopses by Sarge.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.
Most people warn against them, but sometimes ... they're what readers want.
My interview with Gareth Hanrahan, who gave me this advice: https://novelanalyst.com/2019/09/19/gareth/
My analysis of The Gutter Prayer by Gareth Hanrahan: https://novelanalyst.com/2019/09/17/the-gutter-prayer/
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead.
"The perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else." - Nicole Wallace, editor of Synopses by Sarge.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.
Seriously. Avoid it.
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead.
"The perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else." - Nicole Wallace, editor of Synopses by Sarge.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.
Is this the key to great fantasy novels? In my experience: yes.
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead.
"The perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else." - Nicole Wallace, editor of Synopses by Sarge.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.
The Mistborn trilogy is one of the finest epic fantasy series of all time. This episode examines how Sanderson crafted a sequel that was arguably better than the first.
If you want more Mistborn analysis, I did another podcast episode on book 1: https://novelanalyst.com/2018/10/30/episode10/
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead.
"The perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else." - Nicole Wallace, editor of Synopses by Sarge.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.
Revision tips from Gareth Hanrahan, author of The Gutter Prayer.
My podcast analysing The Gutter Prayer: https://novelanalyst.com/2019/09/17/the-gutter-prayer/
My interview with Gareth: https://novelanalyst.com/2019/09/19/gareth/
Wrong words = remove
Wrong order = keep and reorder
‘Asking yourself “how do I fix this?” implies that the text is a problem, and that the simplest solution is replacing it. Asking “how do I make this work?” makes you think of the text as a machine that’s clogged, or misaligned, and you’ve got to unjam it. ‘ - Gareth Hanrahan
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead.
"The perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else." - Nicole Wallace, editor of Synopses by Sarge.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.
Intrigue + sympathetic investment = a gripping opening.
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead.
"The perfect read for someone looking to be quickly immersed in a magic system unlike anything else." - Nicole Wallace, editor of Synopses by Sarge.
Available in ebook, paperback, hardback, and audio book.
This powerful question helps you get to the heart of your characters. Let me know the answers for your story! Email me at: jed.herne1@gmail.com
Buy my debut fantasy book, Fires of the Dead, before Sep 27th to claim exclusive launch week bonuses: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
- A personalised thank-you video message
- A free prequel story
- Chapter annotations (my comments on what I think about each chapter)
- A Spotify companion playlist, perfect for listening to while you read the book
To claim your bonuses, send a screenshot of your receipt to:
jed.herne1@gmail.com
with the subject line: FIRES OF THE DEAD BONUSES
Then I’ll send you the bonuses!
My first fantasy book, Fires of the Dead, just released TODAY! (Which is why this video is a few hours late - sorry!) Get it here: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
When I'm struggling to write, rather than giving it all up, I often change my approach. Coming at a story from another angle can free you, and help produce your best writing even when you don't feel like it.
Send me a message - I love hearing from you and I respond to every email! jed.herne1(at)gmail.com
If it’s an interesting process/journey/event, then you should show it in your story.
If the process isn’t compelling and you just need readers to know the outcome, then you may consider telling.
Neither approach is better. It’s about picking the best one for each specific scene.
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
Send me a message - I love hearing from you and I respond to every email! jed.herne1(at)gmail.com
Do you need it? If you don’t, then maybe don’t waste time worrying about it.
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
Send me a message - I love hearing from you and I respond to every email! jed.herne1(at)gmail.com
Understanding the difference is the key to creating captivating character arcs.
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
Send me a message - I love hearing from you and I respond to every email! jed.herne1(at)gmail.com
There is no shortcut. And if you’re desperate for one, you might not truly be in love with the process.
I’ve been doing this since 2012, and I still consider myself a massive newbie. After all that time, I’ve just got my first book coming out into the world. And I’m stoked with that, because I love the process so much and I love all the challenges ahead of me. Writing makes me feel alive. If it does the same for you, then it won’t matter that there isn’t a shortcut - because the long road will be worth it.
Don’t ask, ‘what’s the least I can do?’
Instead, ask, ‘what’s the most I can bare?’
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
Send me a message - I love hearing from you and I respond to every email! jed.herne1(at)gmail.com
As tempting as it may be to discuss your story ideas with friends, you have to be careful. In my experience, I’ve sometimes found that talking about stories you’re going to write can delude you into thinking you’ve already written them. After all, if friends say that your story sounds cool, you might feel like you’ve done your job as an author - this, your motivation to actually write the darn thing may decrease. If you keep it pent up inside you, however, and only start talking about it once you’ve done the first draft, it will motivate you to write that first draft as quickly as possible so that you can share it with the world. For instance, I almost always only talk publicly about stories that have moved beyond the first draft.
Plus, there’s the other downside of talking about stories you haven’t yet written: your walk probably won’t match your talk. I see so many people talking about all the great stories they’re going to write, and how they’re going to be an awesome author ... but their actions don’t map to their ambitions. They’re taking the talk, but not walking the walk - not actually getting into the grind of pumping out that story.
On the other hand, selective and careful discussion of your story can help improve ideas and spot errors before you waste time writing them. Like with so many things, this is about intentions. If you’re telling someone your story idea to seek approval, it will probably be counterproductive. If you’re telling them with an open ear for critical feedback, you will win.
Ultimately, you have a choice: talk about the stories you want to write, or actually write them and then talk about them. I suggest you do the second.
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
Send me a message - I love hearing from you and I respond to every email! jed.herne1(at)gmail.com
For over a year and a half, I’ve used a spreadsheet to keep track of basically everything I’ve written. It’s become a valuable habit that encourages productivity. Particularly in the first draft phase of a project, it helps me stay focused and make substantial daily progress. It can do the same for you!
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
Send me a message - I love hearing from you and I respond to every email! jed.herne1(at)gmail.com
Don’t ask ‘did you like it?'
Instead, ask:
1) What bores you
2) What confuses you
3) What don’t you believe
4) What’s cool? (So I don’t accidentally “fix” it.)
These questions come from Mary Robinette Kowal, who uses them for early beta readers (http://maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/how-and-why-i-use-online-alpha-readers-while-writing-novels/). What’s great about them is how they focus readers on giving big picture feedback, which prevents them obsessing over micro details that will probably change anyway (I.e. spelling errors).
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
Send me a message - I love hearing from you and I respond to every email! jed.herne1(at)gmail.com
Don't make my mistakes! Here's what I learnt:
1. Prefer free indirect speech over direct thought
2. Avoid tricky punctuation and formatting
3. Take regular breaks
4. Voices are hard, so work them out beforehand.
5. You can do this yourself - even on a budget.
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
When writing fantasy novels, we often think that world building = making cool creatures, religions, and societies. That's certainly part of it. But it's also useful to consider the subtler ways you can create an interesting world for your characters to inhabit. That's what today's episode is all about.
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
WIN: What's important now? It's such a valuable question to deal with feeling overwhelmed - because as an author, there's a lot of reasons to feel overwhelmed.
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
What if? This powerful question recently helped me take a character from bland to great - and you can use it in your own stories.
My favourite 'what if' questions:
1. What if your protagonist's goal is the opposite of their current one?
2. What if the antagonist is more sympathetic than the protagonist?
3. What if you remove the most interesting character?
4. What if your character does something no one expects them to do?
5. What if your protagonist gives up?
6. What if your antagonist wins?
7. What if your main plot finishes at the midpoint (a la 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress') and the second half is all about the fallout and consequences? Listen to my podcast on this here.
Let me know about your What If? questions - I might feature them on a future episode :). Email me here: jed.herne1(at)gmail.com
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is a fantastic demonstration of how you should consider foreshadowing big twists, by providing micro twists earlier in your story. This episode analyses how you can pull off the same trick.
My Ender's Game podcast.
Read my debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead: https://amzn.to/33Ebcs0
Whilst working on my upcoming book, I made a big mistake that I want you to avoid.
Aren't tropes just the worst? In this episode, I call out the most heinous ones - I bet you won't guess what common trope I detest!
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Read my debut fantasy book, Fires of the Dead: http://bit.ly/FiresOfTheDead
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
Aren't tropes just the worst? In this episode, I call out the most heinous ones - I bet you won't guess what common trope I detest!
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Read my debut fantasy book, Fires of the Dead: http://bit.ly/FiresOfTheDead
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
Goodwill Hunting is one of the most emotionally resonant films I've seen. It has a way of getting under your skin and making viewers care. Today's episode analyses how it achieves this, drawing upon theories from The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass.
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Read my debut fantasy book, Fires of the Dead: http://bit.ly/FiresOfTheDead
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
Readers can only read forwards. Writers can cheat. Use this to your advantage, authors!
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Read my debut fantasy book, Fires of the Dead: http://bit.ly/FiresOfTheDead
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
Gabriel Bergmoser said that The Name of the Wind somehow makes a man playing an instrument more suspenseful than a man fighting a dragon. That's not an insult. That's a compliment, because Patrick Rothfuss' incredible fantasy novel is a masterclass in making small stakes feel huge.
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Podcast I did analysing The Name of the Wind in more detail: https://novelanalyst.com/2018/08/07/episode1/
Read my debut fantasy book, Fires of the Dead: http://bit.ly/FiresOfTheDead
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For readers to appreciate how far characters have come, you need to show how far they've gone. This episode describes how.
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Read my debut fantasy book, Fires of the Dead: http://bit.ly/FiresOfTheDead
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
Happy Saturday! Something special for you today :)
I recently gave an in-depth creative writing workshop to an audience of 10 year-olds. They were amazing! Such good questions, and such attentive engagement. In this workshop, I discussed the main tenants of good stories:
Plot - what happens
Character - who is happens to, and who makes things happen
Setting - where it happens
This is an hour-long, in-depth, super detailed audio recording of that workshop. It originally aired on my YouTube channel, but I wanted to share it with you here, because I was very pleasure with how deep I dove into these aspects of the story craft. Hope you really enjoy it, and let me know what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts if you like it :)
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Read my debut fantasy book, Fires of the Dead: http://bit.ly/FiresOfTheDead
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
In The Emotional Craft of Fiction, a wonderful writing advice book, legendary literary agent Donald Maass outlines how writers can make readers feel emotion. As he says: "readers can read a novel, or they can experience it." One technique to achieve this emotional engagement is to consider plot vs. emotional goals. Having both is the key to empathy. In today's episode, we'll examine how Toy Story achieves this.
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Read my debut fantasy book, Fires of the Dead: http://bit.ly/FiresOfTheDead
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
According to Gary Chapman's book, The Five Love Languages, we each have unique ways of showing and giving appreciation. These are:
1 - Quality Time
2 - Words of Affirmation
3 - Touch
4 - Gifts
5 - Acts of Service
As an author, you can use these love languages to create more complex, interesting, and realistic characters.
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Read my debut fantasy book, Fires of the Dead: http://bit.ly/FiresOfTheDead
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
While I don't believe in writer's block, I do believe that procrastination exists. However, I don't want it to exist, so in this episode I'll outline a four-step approach to diagnose and solve the enemy of productivity. This four-step approach has the handy acronym of DUST.
We procrastinate because things are:
D - Difficult
U - Undefined
S - Scary
T - Tedious
Read my debut fantasy book, Fires of the Dead: http://bit.ly/FiresOfTheDead
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
For free fantasy & sci-fi stories, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and to stay updated with my writing, join my free email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/
Hey podcast! My debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead, releases in 10 days on September 20th! It'll be available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook forms. I'm so stoked to share it with the world :). Can't wait to hear what you think!
Blurb:
Wisp is a Pyromancer: a magician who draws energy from fires to make his own flames. He’s also a criminal, one job away from retirement. And it can’t come bloody soon enough.
Leading his misfit crew, Wisp ventures into a charred and barren forest to find a relic that could change the realm forever. But they aren’t the only ones on the hunt, and the forest isn’t as barren as it seems …
A jaded gang leader longing for retirement
A bloodthirsty magician with a lust for power
A brutish fighter who’s smarter than he looks
A young thief desperate to prove herself
A cowardly navigator with secrets that won’t stay buried
Together, they must survive fights, fires, and folk tales that prove disturbingly real – if they don’t kill each other first.
Fires of the Dead is a dark fantasy novella with a unique magic system, perfect for anyone wanting a fast-paced read.
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To stay updated with the book launch (and my writing in general), you can join my free author email newsletter: https://jedherne.com/club/. When you sign up, you'll get some bonus fantasy and sci-fi stories!