Monday Morsel: The Warhammer - An Excerpt from 'Stalking the Demon'

Welcome to the Monday Morsel feature. Previously I've shared short excerpts from the first draft of my adult epic fantasy/fantasy romance, In the Company of the Dead, but from now until its release, I'll be sharing excerpts from my upcoming novella, Stalking the Demon. This sequel to Confronting the Demon will be the second installment in the Seven Circles of Hell Series.

* * *

Alloran stepped into the room, pushing the door shut behind him, and his gaze fell on the item in Dalvor’s hands; a warhammer.

He strode across and dragged the heavy hammer away from his assistant. The head glowed with the light of infinitesimal runes, predominantly indigo scattered with crimson and pale gold. ‘What do you think you are doing? No one is to work on this except me, or under my direct supervision!’

Dalvor recoiled and blinked up at him. Though the younger man possessed a wizard’s jade green eyes, he always looked like a mole emerging blinking into blazing sunlight. ‘I – I just wanted to study it. These spells, the interlocking runes, the – the way you’ve built layers of magic, hoping to – to find and exploit any weaknesses the hellcats might have is – is – is exquisite.’

The thud of the hammer hitting the surface of Alloran’s workbench cut off Dalvor’s stammering praise.

‘No one but me.’ He glared, enunciating each word with care.

Thanks for dropping by! Don't forget, this is a first draft, and as such won't be perfect. If you like what you read, and are so inclined, show your support by leaving a comment. Stalking the Demon is expected to be released in August. If you'd like to sample more of my writing, check out the free short stories available on this site.

If this is your first visit to Monday Morsels, find others in the series by clicking on the ‘Monday morsel’ tag, or go to the first installment for Stalking the Demon.

More about Stalking the Demon:

Alloran did everything within his power; he banished the demon and sealed the portal. But the world is still careening into hell.

Six months after the demon's defeat, Gisayne is fading away from a baffling illness. Alloran is desperate for a cure, but he has a secret - the fabric of reality is collapsing, threatening to spill unrestrained demons into the world of Verusia. Is Ladanyon striking back at Alloran from the hell to which he was condemned, or is there a traitor among them?

The only people he can turn to for help deciphering the linked mysteries of Gisayne's affliction and the collapse of the world are the two research assistants set to spy on him for the council of wizards - but he knows he can't trust them.

Everything Alloran loves races toward destruction - and all the answers are locked away in hell.

If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to check out my previous posts if you haven't already. If you're finding yourself here often, you might like to join as a member, sign up to the blog through RSS or email, or sign-up to my newsletter. Check out my May Newsletter if you missed it.

Don't forget to share the love and spread the word on Twitter, Facebook or StumbleUpon (or other social networking site of your choice) if you know other people who might also enjoy this.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting!

The Halberd: Medieval Weaponry and Accoutrements

Today we’re looking at the halberd – basically because a conversation I had on Twitter turned to this weapon as a curiosity and remarked on its under-appreciation.

The halberd is a two-handed pole weapon which features both a spear point and an axe head – talk about bang for your buck! A hook on the opposite side of the axe head helped to balance the weapon and could be used to pull enemy soldiers from their saddles. How can you go past such versatility?

The word ‘halberd’ is believed to be German in origin and essentially boils down ‘staff axe’. Well, yeah. I can see that it literally is an axe on a staff. This puts the halberd in the ‘polearm’ category, with other weapons mounted on ‘poles’ that could vary between 4 and 14 feet in length, although generally the halberd ranged from 5 to 6 feet. I’m not sure I'd want to try and carry a weapon 14 feet long!

Halberd for the Guard of Emperor Maximilian II

The weapon was most effective against mounted knights, as the long pole allowed sufficient force to be applied with the axe head to cause injury to a knight in full plate armour, or his horse. To combat this, armour for horses was developed, but even so couldn’t offer much protection against a blow from a halberd.

The halberd underwent constant improvements, including the addition of steel rims around the pole to deflect swords, or lengthening the haft to better combat pikes, or improving the point to fight pikes and spears and to push back oncoming horsemen. 

The weapon was that of a foot soldier and was relatively cheap to make. It was most effective as an offensive weapon, and was used most when pikes fought other pikes. When the units were increasingly used to defend others, such as artillery positions, the proportion of halberds in the pike units began to fall.

Halberdiers from a modern
day reenactor troupe.

Expert halberdiers were deadly. A peasant armed with a halberd killed The Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, and it’s suspected that a halberd put Richard III to his end as well. In modern times, the halberd is still the weapon carried by the Swiss Guard in the Vatican.

Next month I’m considering looking at the Lochaber axe, the glaive, or the khopesh. What do you think I should choose? Or offer your own suggestion! 

If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to check out my previous posts if you haven't already. If you're finding yourself here often, you might like to join as a member, sign up to the blog through RSS or email, or sign-up to my newsletter. Check out my May Newsletter if you missed it.

Don't forget to share the love and spread the word on Twitter, Facebook or StumbleUpon (or other social networking site of your choice) if you know other people who might also enjoy this.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting!


 

Lisette Brody Interviews Ciara Ballintyne at the Writers' Chateau

Lisette Brody had a chat with me this week over on her Writers' Chateau - make sure you drop by to check out the full interview!

Later today you can expect the usual medieval accoutrements post - we'll be looking at the halberd!

My Writing Process Blog Tour

Last week I was tagged by Lorna Suzuki for this blog hop - and according to my recently checked junk mail, also Will Hahn a few weeks ago.

What am I working on?

I am in the first round of revisions on Stalking the Demon, the second book in the Seven Circles of Hell Series, and sequel to Confronting the Demon.

I’m also almost 70% of the way through an epic fantasy novel In the Company of the Dead.

You can check out excerpts from both of them in my Monday Morsels.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I’m not sure anything is ever completely unique, but things that differentiate my work (I believe) from large parts of the epic fantasy genre are:

• Protagonists don’t necessarily have fantastic magical powers (although some do) even though magic is a prevalent theme of the books;

• The use of equal numbers of male and female supporting characters (to buck a general trend of token females in many genres);

• Detailed and original world-building, rather than creating a Tolkien-esque world;

• Blending mystery and paranormal themes.

Why do I write what I do?

Write what you know, and write what you love. I know fantasy because I love it, although pinning down why is harder. It has to do with the way fantasy (and the speculative fiction genre in general) deals with real world issues in a safe setting. It is also, in part, because of its aspirational nature.

I don’t write ‘gritty’ fantasy because it runs counter to what I love most about fantasy. It is said gritty fantasy is more reflective of the real world, but I think classic epic fantasy is reflective of humanity’s soul – a deep desire to rise above, for good to triumph, for right to win. When reality depresses me, the yearning of fantasy’s audience for some of the values embodied in the genre reminds me that humanity isn't totally a lost cause.

How does your writing process work?

How long do you have?

A story usually starts with a core idea. A female assassin with an abiding distrust of men. A wizard whose addiction to satisfying his curiosity gets him into trouble. What happens when a man falls in love with a woman dedicated to a goddess of death?

Usually I develop the main characters at this point, including character profiles and doing extensive goal, motivation and conflict charts. This helps me to then do a full plot outline and chapter breakdown.

If this is a new world, I would then usually pause to draw a map and world build, including establishing for each country a political structure, racial appearance, language, currency, clothing, main trade items, architecture and religion.

Then, I begin to write. I may have new ideas along the way which need to be blended in with the original outline.

When I’ve finished, I revise. If revisions are extensive, I’ll do another read-through and tidy up before sending to betas to assess things like plot consistency, continuity and characterisation. Feedback prompts another revision, and what edits I can do myself.

The story then goes to my content editor, after which I do more revisions, then my line editor, and finally proofreaders.

I'm tagging Safireblade and M. E. Franco - although I admit I'm massively sleep-deprived and have not given either of them advance notice of this fact. By all means check out their blogs, but I can't guarantee either of them will participate!

Monday Morsel: The Vanishings - An Excerpt from Stalking the Demon

Welcome to the Monday Morsel feature. Previously I've shared short excerpts from the first draft of my adult epic fantasy/fantasy romance, In the Company of the Dead, but from now until its release, I'll be sharing excerpts from my upcoming novella, Stalking the Demon. This sequel to Confronting the Demon will be the second installment in the Seven Circles of Hell Series. 

* * * 

Harlden heaved a sigh, his expression slumping into glumness. ‘The king says this has been going on for two months, long enough, he insists to warrant my personal attention. I don’t know what he expects from me – if the lawkeepers can’t find anything, why should I?’

Alloran whipped back around to face Harlden. ‘They haven’t found anything? By which you mean – not even a single clue?’

‘Nothing. The best protected items vanished from locked and guarded strongrooms, in one case even the vault of the city bank. The same for the most important personages. No one saw or heard anything. They’ve found not even a footprint in a garden bed. To all appearances, everything just… vanished.’

Alloran wet his lips. Surely it wasn’t happening already… 

Thanks for dropping by! Don't forget, this is a first draft, and as such won't be perfect. If you like what you read, and are so inclined, show your support by leaving a comment. Stalking the Demon is expected to be released in August. If you'd like to sample more of my writing, check out the free short stories available on this site.

If this is your first visit to Monday Morsels, find others in the series by clicking on the ‘Monday morsel’ tag, or go to the first installment for Stalking the Demon.

More about Stalking the Demon:

Alloran did everything within his power; he banished the demon and sealed the portal. But the world is still careening into hell. 

Six months after Ladanyon's defeat, Gisayne is fading away from a baffling illness. Alloran is desperate for a cure, but he has a secret - the fabric of reality is collapsing, threatening to spill unrestrained demons into the world of Verusia. Is Ladanyon striking back at Alloran from the hell to which he was condemned, or is there a traitor among them?

The only people he can turn to for help deciphering the linked mysteries of Gisayne's affliction and the collapse of the world are the two research assistants set to spy on him for the council of wizards - but he knows he can't trust them.

Everything Alloran loves races toward destruction - and all the answers are locked away in hell. 

If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to check out my previous posts if you haven't already. If you're finding yourself here often, you might like to join as a member, sign up to the blog through RSS or email, or sign-up to my newsletter. Check out my May Newsletter if you missed it.

Don't forget to share the love and spread the word on Twitter, Facebook or StumbleUpon (or other social networking site of your choice) if you know other people who might also enjoy this.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting!

Buckingham Palace: Touring Scotland with Ciara Ballintyne

Let’s hit the Palace! Because you can't pass through London and not see the Palace, right?

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what Buckingham Palace is, given that the official residence of the Queen of England is fairly well-known. While the palace isn’t the seat of government in the United Kingdom, it is the headquarters of the monarchy, and the location from which The Queen carries out her official and ceremonial duties as Head of State.

Buckingham Palace viewed from the gardens

The Queen also lives in private apartments on the north side of the Palace, with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Other members of the Royal Family have rooms on the upper floors of the north and east sides, and the ground floor and south wing is used by household staff. The State Rooms used for court ceremonies and official entertaining occupy the main west block.

Here’s some royal trivia:

• If you are received privately by The Queen, you have been granted an Audience. The Prime Minister has a weekly Audience with The Queen, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer always has an Audience before presenting a Budget;
• Over 50,000 people visit the Palace each year as invited guests;
• The Queen’s Garden Parties are held three times each summer and are attended by roughly 30,000 guests;
• The Diplomatic Reception is the main diplomatic social event of the year in London and the the largest reception held at the Palace, with over 1,500 invited guests from 130 countries;

You can’t visit all of the palace, but you can visit the State Rooms – although only at certain times of the year. As this is generally when The Queen departs the Palace to holiday at Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands, these dates vary from year to year, and are announced only a few months in advance. 

This year the State Rooms are open all through August and September, which is a long season. Some years it is as little as 6 weeks – and is likely to begin after we leave London, and possibly end before we return. Balmoral Castle will be closed to the public at the same time (this year it closes on 31 July), meaning we won’t be able to go there either while in Scotland.

We won’t know until 2016 if we can go to the State Rooms, but if we can’t we’ll be sure to see the changing of the guard and go to the 

The Royal Mews

A pair of Windsor Greys drawing The Queen's carriage

As I mentioned in my first post in this series, I had some bizarre notion that a mews was where you keep falcons (you know, for hawking…) but it’s actually where you keep horses!

Yes, it’s a stable.

At least that’s how I interpreted it. The British government will tell you that the Royal Mews is an important branch of the Lord Chamberlain's Office and provides road transport for The Queen and members of the Royal Family by horse-drawn carriage and car.

But that's really just a fancy way of saying stable.

The Royal Mews are responsible for the training of the Windsor Greys and Cleveland Bays, the horses that pull the royal carriages - because if you’re a member of the Royal Family you can legitimately still travel by carriage without being laughed at.

The State vehicles are also housed at the Royal Mews, including the carriages used for Royal and State occasions. These carriages are used 50 times a year just to convey newly appointed High Commissioners and Ambassadors from their official residence to Buckingham Palace to present their credentials to The Queen – that number doesn’t even include royal usage


If you visit the Royal Mews, you can see the Gold State Coach used at every coronation since that of George IV in 1821.

The Gold State Coach

Touring Scotland with Ciara Ballintyne

Ciara Ballintyne is visiting Scotland in 2016 - join her on a virtual tour of Scotland and other parts of Great Britain as she plans her trip.

If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to check out my previous posts if you haven't already. If you're finding yourself here often, you might like to join as a member, sign up to the blog through RSS or email, or sign-up to my newsletter. Check out my May Newsletter if you missed it.

Don't forget to share the love and spread the word on Twitter, Facebook or StumbleUpon (or other social networking site of your choice) if you know other people who might also enjoy this.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting!