Things haven’t been quiet on the Fenriswulf Books front of late – in fact, they’ve been positively deafening (or at least that’s Chaz’s excuse for not getting enough sleep of late).
While Lulu.com go about the interminable process of trying to re-discover Chaz’s remaining block of ISBNs (purchased in 2008 and now seemingly lost in their cavernous system somewhere, and still no customer support in 4 weeks of emailing and livechat), Chaz has pushed on ahead with 2011’s release schedule as follows:
Trinity Chronicles - Maranatha (2nd revised edition): to be released ASAP
Wish and the Will: Sundancer’s Regret, Episode 1: ASAP!
Trinity Chronicles – Venus in Saturn: scheduled for summer 2011
Last Rose of Summer: Late 2011
Jolly good, you cry. Glad to hear Chaz is so busy and creative. So what about those freebies you spoke of earlier?
Well, we’re seeking “beta readers”, as they seem to be referred to in these circles, or kind people who love reading, with lots of time and their hands, who don’t mind going through the proof of a text and providing constructive feedback and opinion to the author.
If anybody out there would like to take part in this, we’re currently looking to gather opinions on Venus in Saturn and Sundancer’s Regret, ideally within the next 4-8 weeks. Leave a comment here or send us an email and we’ll pop you a proof of the text in PDF format. Your payment, should you wish it, will be a free copy of the finished product (signed, print edition of Venus, full-colour illustrated edition of Regret in e-book format) when all the work is done.
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Thursday, 10 March 2011
'Maranatha' - New Teaser Trailer revealed
The old, twitchy black-and-white trailer has now bitten the dust. Chaz decided to reveal his newly-completed full-colour illustrations of the main cast of 'Maranatha' in the form of a new and much-improved teaser for the forthcoming second edition of the Trinity Chronicles novel.
The soundtrack is a little quirkier, and as such fits well with the whole Fenriswulf ethos. (Trivia note: part of the audio was achieved by Chaz himself throat-singing through an echo box).
The new trailer is on show at the bottom of this very blog page. Alternatively, you can catch it right here, on Youtube.
The soundtrack is a little quirkier, and as such fits well with the whole Fenriswulf ethos. (Trivia note: part of the audio was achieved by Chaz himself throat-singing through an echo box).
The new trailer is on show at the bottom of this very blog page. Alternatively, you can catch it right here, on Youtube.
Monday, 7 March 2011
'Maranatha' Finds Another Review
Thanks to the wonders of Facebook, some of Chaz's new-found friends and associates have proved to be very helpful and accommodating, with a special mention here to Mary and Gerry at Our Book Reviews Online.
Gerry made the effort to contact Chaz beforehand to discuss the book's content and influences, and also seems to have genuinely enjoyed the read.
The full review is on the Book Reviews blog, here.
Gerry made the effort to contact Chaz beforehand to discuss the book's content and influences, and also seems to have genuinely enjoyed the read.
The full review is on the Book Reviews blog, here.
Saturday, 5 March 2011
Maranatha: the Second Coming
The new edition of Maranatha is effectively in the can, with work completed on the new front cover:
We felt it was about time that Vanessa Descartes got included in the artwork, and now that the interior black and white illustrations of the old first edition have been removed, Chaz saw a prime opportunity to come up with a brand new portrait of the Trinity Chronicles' heroine.
Release date for this new edition is tentatively set for this Easter, assuming our current problem with assigning ISBNs can be overcome by Lulu.
We felt it was about time that Vanessa Descartes got included in the artwork, and now that the interior black and white illustrations of the old first edition have been removed, Chaz saw a prime opportunity to come up with a brand new portrait of the Trinity Chronicles' heroine.
Release date for this new edition is tentatively set for this Easter, assuming our current problem with assigning ISBNs can be overcome by Lulu.
Monday, 21 February 2011
'Maranatha' in the Self-Publishing Press
Well it took some time, but finally Chaz's campaign to find some serious press for Maranatha is beginning to pay off. The following write-up appeared in the Winter edition of The Self-Publishing Magazine and is reproduced with permission, and without any 'judicious edits':
"...Religion-peppered thrillers are fast becoming cliches these days, and Maranatha immediately suffers by sporting a pedestrian cover with a tagline that sounds more like the fusion of two computer games than an introduction to a novel. Wood demonstrates flair and potential in his writing style and some passages draw the reader in. But this is not sustained throughout the text and clumsy, overly-descriptive passages rear their heads at opportune moments and jar with the edge-of-your-seat pace the novel needs to create to hook and hold the reader.
The presence of pictures is a puzzle as one thing Wood does excel in is the creation of characters. Indeed, the illustrations do push the novel into graphic novel territory, which in turn pushes the text towards a niche genre. Holding onto an understanding of the plot without a degree in Theology can be a struggle at times, but Wood keeps things just on the right side of accessible to the average reader. A lingering, almost voyeuristic preoccupation with the precise details of the violence of the murders in the story does mar things somewhat, and feels unnecessary given that there is a fine line between ritualistic murders and a gore fest.
Maranatha reeks of talent and potential but often finds itself treading water. The cover does not stand out or entice, which is a shame as, nestled on the bookstore shelf, it could easily be missed or passed by. Clumsy phrasing disturbs the flow of the thriller, but there is method to the madness of the plot and, if you like your thrillers to have that touch of the ritual and 'outside normal', then this is the book for you."
Chaz was very happy with that, deeming it fair on all counts. The presence of the illustrations and the issues with the cover are of course documented in this very blog (all the way back to late summer '08) when he was making the first steps into the big world of publishing, and was not at all confident in his own abilities as a book cover artist. Now over 2 years down the line, and Chaz has just completed his second official book cover commission (Dr. Frank English's Magic Parcel children's series), and far happier with his abilities as recent postings of the forthcoming Venus in Saturn cover will show. With the core text of Maranatha now over 5 years old in places, he has also learned a trick or two when it comes to writing in that time.
As a result of the above, Chaz is now in the process of revising Maranatha for a new, second edition, this time with no interior art, a full-colour pictorial colour, and Trinity Chronicles visual identity to tie it to Venus in Saturn and the forthcoming sequels. The text will also be given an overhaul and this new edition launched around the time that Venus goes live, in March or April this year. He's long wanted to make changes to the original edition since it was first released, but with the strict rules governing what can and cannot be altered under the same ISBN decided to leave it until he could resolve all the issues in one go. And Troubador's review has helped to do just that.
He's also now considering quoting the last line of the review on the cover...
The Self-Publishing Magazine is published by Troubador. Review content (c) 2010 Troubador Publishing Ltd., used with permission.
"...Religion-peppered thrillers are fast becoming cliches these days, and Maranatha immediately suffers by sporting a pedestrian cover with a tagline that sounds more like the fusion of two computer games than an introduction to a novel. Wood demonstrates flair and potential in his writing style and some passages draw the reader in. But this is not sustained throughout the text and clumsy, overly-descriptive passages rear their heads at opportune moments and jar with the edge-of-your-seat pace the novel needs to create to hook and hold the reader.
The presence of pictures is a puzzle as one thing Wood does excel in is the creation of characters. Indeed, the illustrations do push the novel into graphic novel territory, which in turn pushes the text towards a niche genre. Holding onto an understanding of the plot without a degree in Theology can be a struggle at times, but Wood keeps things just on the right side of accessible to the average reader. A lingering, almost voyeuristic preoccupation with the precise details of the violence of the murders in the story does mar things somewhat, and feels unnecessary given that there is a fine line between ritualistic murders and a gore fest.
Maranatha reeks of talent and potential but often finds itself treading water. The cover does not stand out or entice, which is a shame as, nestled on the bookstore shelf, it could easily be missed or passed by. Clumsy phrasing disturbs the flow of the thriller, but there is method to the madness of the plot and, if you like your thrillers to have that touch of the ritual and 'outside normal', then this is the book for you."
Chaz was very happy with that, deeming it fair on all counts. The presence of the illustrations and the issues with the cover are of course documented in this very blog (all the way back to late summer '08) when he was making the first steps into the big world of publishing, and was not at all confident in his own abilities as a book cover artist. Now over 2 years down the line, and Chaz has just completed his second official book cover commission (Dr. Frank English's Magic Parcel children's series), and far happier with his abilities as recent postings of the forthcoming Venus in Saturn cover will show. With the core text of Maranatha now over 5 years old in places, he has also learned a trick or two when it comes to writing in that time.
As a result of the above, Chaz is now in the process of revising Maranatha for a new, second edition, this time with no interior art, a full-colour pictorial colour, and Trinity Chronicles visual identity to tie it to Venus in Saturn and the forthcoming sequels. The text will also be given an overhaul and this new edition launched around the time that Venus goes live, in March or April this year. He's long wanted to make changes to the original edition since it was first released, but with the strict rules governing what can and cannot be altered under the same ISBN decided to leave it until he could resolve all the issues in one go. And Troubador's review has helped to do just that.
He's also now considering quoting the last line of the review on the cover...
The Self-Publishing Magazine is published by Troubador. Review content (c) 2010 Troubador Publishing Ltd., used with permission.
Friday, 18 February 2011
The Origins of the Trinity Chronicles
Prior to the release of the next book in the Trinity Chronicles series (Venus in Saturn), Chaz has been working on a piece to set the scene for the whole background to these labyrinthine and layered books. In this short story, Beneath the Lion, we are taken back over ten millennia to outside the walls of the Garden of Eden...and a date with destiny for a certain notorious fallen angel. Heavily influenced by the forbidden lore of the Watchers and the Nephilim, Beneath the Lion also helps to set the scene for the third book in the series, and which sees the ultimate resolution of the complex mix of themes and conflicts which have entwined themselves through the past twelve thousand years of human history.Friday, 4 February 2011
For Fenriswulf's Followers - A Springtime Freebie
Taking a break from editing Venus in Saturn, the next book in the Trinity Chronicles, Chaz thought it might be a nice idea to offer a free sample of the text to Fenriswulf's visitors and followers.
Simply browse to the e-Book page here and download the PDF. The free 63-page sample contains the first half-dozen or so chapters of Venus as things stand at present. Some of the work is still in 'beta' format, so any feedback or opinions at all will be gratefully received.
Warning: some disturbing and adult content lies within.
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