Stalking the Demon: Cover Reveal

It’s all happening – Stalking the Demon is back from first-round edits and I’ve worked through one third of those, and the cover art is all finished. 

The bad news is I can’t possibly finish all these edits in time for an end of August release as planned, so the release date will have to be pushed back to mid- to late-September (I almost wrote December – that wouldn’t have made anyone happy!). 

I am sorry – this is my fault for muddling up the first four drafts so badly so that the plot still needs smoothing to be believable. However, I won’t release a sub-standard product.

To make up for that disappointing news, here is the paperback cover art (without text) done by Lydia Kurnia and Isaiah of Worlds Beyond Art. 

And the ebook art - with text.

About Stalking the Demon 

Alloran lost his hand to thwart his renegade friend–but the world is still going to 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 seven circles of hell are unstable. His worst fear is that the terrible mirror spell cast upon Gisayne has wrought some connection between her and the demon dimensions.

As everything Alloran loves races toward destruction, he does the unthinkable and refuses to obey the council of wizards. The only people who can help him are the two research assistants assigned by the council–but he knows he can't trust them.

All the answers are locked away in the last place anyone wants to go: hell. 

The usual Monday Morsel feature will return next Monday! 

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 July Newsletter if you missed it. 

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The Mace - Distinguishing Your Bludgeoning Weapons: Medieval Weaponry and Accoutrements

Flail. Mace. Morningstar. I’ve been asked what’s the difference?


Quite simply, they are all crushing weapons. The flail features one or more striking heads attached to a handle by a rope, strap or chain. Both the mace and the morningstar have the head affixed directly to the handle, and so are the two most similar of these three weapons. A mace may or may not have flanges or knobs but does not have spikes. A morningstar always has a spiked head, and most particularly, has a spike extending straight up from the top of the head. A flail may have spikes, but of course is differentiated from the morningstar by the head not being affixed to the shaft.


And now we've come full circle.


Each weapon is worth examining separately, so today we have the mace. Last month we looked at the flail, and next month we’ll examine the morningstar.

The Mace 

A mace is typically a strong metal or wooden shaft with a heavy head of stone, copper, bronze, iron or steel. The head could be smooth, although knobs and flanges were incorporated in some versions to allow the weapons to be used more effectively against wearers of plate armour. Damn knights! That said, the force of a blow from even a solid mace head without flanges or knobs was significant enough to injure a man even through plate armour.

Maces varied in length from 2 – 3 feet for infantry maces, through to the longer cavalry maces, with the longest being the two-handed maces. This was not a weapon designed to be used in close formation, and were most effectively used by heavy cavalry.

A popular belief is that clergy used maces to avoid shedding blood – evidently the inspiration for Dungeons & Dragons where clerics can only use blunt weapons, but there is little actual evidence for this practice in reality. The myth seems to be largely based on a picture of Bishop Odo of Bayeux wielding a club-like mace at the Battle of Hastings in the Bayeux Tapestry. However, other Bishops were depicted with the arms of a knight, contradicting such a theory.

Maces exist in modern society largely as ceremonial items, particularly in parliaments following the Westminster system, where they are carried in by the sergeant-of-arms (or other mace-bearer) and placed on the clerks’ table while parliament is in session. As well as being removed when the session ends, the mace is removed when a new speaker is elected to show that parliament is not ready to conduct business. 

Ceremonial maces are also used by the clergy as a symbol of jurisdiction, in parades as part of military bands, and in universities in a similar manner to parliament.

It's a Flail! A Mace! No, it's a Morningstar! Simple Chart To Work Out the Difference

 

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 July Newsletter if you missed it.

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Monday Morsel: A Wizard’s Folly - An Excerpt from Stalking the Demon

 Above, visible through the glass set in the dome, the sky lit with sudden purple thunder. Could a sound be purple? And yet the entire sky flashed a deep violet as a soundless impact rocked the citadel. The floor tilted beneath their feet, spilling the councillors to the floor in a smattering of indignant shouts and yells.

Alloran grabbed at the council table for support. Another jolt of the earth beneath his feet instead smacked his head hard against the carved timber. Dazed and clutching at his forehead, another huge shaking of the ground sent him staggering across the floor towards a row of seats. He crashed into them and collapsed, clinging to the timber with his one hand. As his fingers closed around the polished length, parts of it simply ceased to exist, and his momentum carried him backwards into the marble tier. His head cracked against stone.

The room swam before his eyes, dividing into two sets of images in which sword wizards and sorceresses whirled and danced in a desperate attempt to stay on their feet. Harlden screamed somewhere in the background, the words incomprehensible through the ringing in Alloran’s ears. The constant shaking of the citadel vibrated him across the floor, and Harlden crawled on all fours.

Behind the lord wizard, a lean black shape sprang from the hell-gate. A sword wizard knelt nearby, his hands braced with flat palms against the marble floor. Before he even had time to reach for a weapon, the demon tore his throat out. Blood sprayed across the white marble.

Thanks for dropping by! Don't forget, this draft is pre-edits 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 late 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 lost his hand to thwart his renegade friend–but the world is still going to 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 seven circles of hell are unstable. His worst fear is that the terrible mirror spell cast upon Gisayne has wrought some connection between her and the demon dimensions.

As everything Alloran loves races toward destruction, he does the unthinkable and refuses to obey the council of wizards. The only people who can help him are the two research assistants assigned by the council–but he knows he can't trust them.

All the answers are locked away in the last place anyone wants to go: 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 July 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!

Rob Roy’s Grave and Dalnair Castle Lodge: Touring Scotland with Ciara Ballintyne

We’ll be staying in the Trossachs as a base of operations for about two weeks. Last night I discovered Dalnair Castle Lodge, and I’ve absolutely fallen in love with it. It’s a Scottish baronial gatehouse in the village of Croftamie in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. The village pub and restaurant is a 5 minute walk, and the lodge has that quintessential feature – a castellated turret. Because, you know, turrets are a must.

The catch – it’s expensive. Of course, we are travelling in peak season (which I never do in Australia) so I may just have to accept accommodation is going to be expensive no matter what I do.

Also, it’s perfect. We’re travelling with my parents, so something that offers two ‘main-type’ bedrooms with own bathrooms is a must, and a second sitting room with TV would be useful so they can have their own space. The Castle Lodge offers upstairs bedrooms for us and the girls, with a bathroom, while downstairs offers my parents a double bedroom with own bathroom, and a ‘reading room’ separate from the main sitting room so they can watch TV separately if they desire. So much of the accommodation that is big enough to accommodate us only offers one double room with the others all being twins or singles, so this is a rare find.

Rob Roy’s Grave

Now that we’re settled in, we’ll be off on a relaxed sightseeing programme. I’ve already been to Rob Roy’s Grave, but I would like to go again and take my Dad. We saw some beautiful scenery on the way, and stopped at Monachyle Mohr hotel for lunch afterward.

You can find Rob Roy’s grave at Balquhidder Parish church in the village of Balquhidder. We never would have found it the first time (or even known it existed) except for the advice of our host, Donnie, at Ballochneck House.

Balquhidder kirkyard is interesting in its own right and reflects Celtic worship for 4000 years, being situated in what the Celts believed to be a ‘thin place’ between our world and the spiritual world. The hill above the kirkyard is called Tom nan Aingeal, meaning ‘hill of fire’ as it was used by Druids as a site for sacred fires at Beltane and Samhain.

The first known church was built here in 1250 by Abbot Labhran; his heirs became known as the Clan MacLaren. A stone in the kirkyard records how the MacLarens were attacked by the MacGregors of Glen Dochart. In 1558, the MacGregors murdered 18 MacLaren families and got away with it! This was one of the factors (along with killing several hundred Colquhouns in 1603) that later led to the outlawing of the entire Clan MacGregor. As a result, even the name MacGregor became a capital offence.

In case you don’t know, Rob Roy was a MacGregor – although since he died in the 18th century, I think it’s safe to say he wasn’t directly responsible for any of the murders in the 16th and 17th centuries. That outlawing lasted a long time, and I can see how a hundred years later you might feel justifiably aggrieved by not being allowed to use your clan name. His gravestone was added to the kirkyard in 1981 and bears the inscription ‘MacGregor Despite Them’. 

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. Somewhere you think she should go or stay? Please comment!


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 July 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!

Monday Morsel: Fear of Silence - An Excerpt from 'Stalking the Demon'

 Stalking the Demon is with the editor! Hurrah! I’m pitching for a late August release date.

* * *

‘Father has c-c-called for another vote on silencing you, in l-l-light of your refusal to cooperate. The lord wizard has h-h-held it over until after the gate opening, but Father seems c-c-confident Harlden, Seraphine and Merildwin will vote in his favour this t-t-time.’ Dalvor turned his head away, but the red staining his cheeks was still visible.


Alloran’s whole body went rigid, and he slammed his hand against the bars. The clang of the metal echoed through the confines of the oubliette. Silenced. To forever be unable to feel the interdimensional energies and make magic with them. The sudden flood of emotion left him numb and unable to respond.
 

Thanks for dropping by! Don't forget, this draft is pre-edits 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 late 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 lost his hand to thwart his renegade friend–but the world is still going to 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 seven circles of hell are unstable. His worst fear is that the terrible mirror spell cast upon Gisayne has wrought some connection between her and the demon dimensions.

As everything Alloran loves races toward destruction, he does the unthinkable and refuses to obey the council of wizards. The only people who can help him are the two research assistants assigned by the council–but he knows he can't trust them.

All the answers are locked away in the last place anyone wants to go: 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 July 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!