Weekend Writing Warriors 17/4/2016

This is my entry for Weekend Writing Warriors. 
If anyone hasn't come across WeWriWa before, you need to go here to see all the extraordinary talent on display.
My snippet this week is again from Impcatcher. Tal Djandiss, the eponymous impcatcher of the title, is still in a dark cellar. Flame have erupted from the skin of the rogue imp he is struggling with.

 

Don't ever believe any fool who tells you imps are cute little critters. Virtually all are vicious, sadistic and psychopathic, and they get a great deal of pleasure out of hurting us humans. If they can kill one of us, so much the better. This one had every intent of achieving that aim. I've read assertions that an imp has to claim a mortal life to rise to a higher status, or to become a fully-fledged demon. I've no idea if it's true, but I didn't intend to let this wretch use my mortal essence to get higher up some infernal greasy pole.

Flames blossomed under me, licking around my leather jacket. The brightness scorched at my eyes after the previous gloom, spreading shadows cavorting like mad dancers all around the cellar. 

As always, comments welcome!

Weekend Writing Warriors - 10th April 2016

This is my entry for Weekend Writing Warriors. 
If anyone hasn't come across WeWriWa before, you need to go here to see all the extraordinary talent on display.

My snippet this week is again from Impcatcher. Tal Djandiss, the eponymous impcatcher of the title, is still in a pitch black cellar. The rogue imp he was hunting has just bitten him - Tal is fighting back...

I swung my heavy, squirming burden down onto its back against the stone floor with a solid thud, hoping to knock the fight out of it before it thought to start throwing fire around. 

So far, it had been playing games, amusing itself with the idiot human. Now that said idiot had proved to be reasonably capable, it might well use some of the more dangerous abilities in its arsenal. It twisted and shrieked, but in anger, not dismay. Not to my surprise, it snarled something else, and its skin began to smoke. Small flames began to lick from its skin – the grey slab walls around us flickered red from the glow, wet moss reflecting the light in wide patches on the ancient stone. 

I hauled the imp off the deck and slammed it down again with all my strength. A quozac is not an easy customer - most have an evil sense of humour and a good line in incendiaries. This one was obviously no exception.

As always, comments welcome!

The final SFFS

This is the last ever SFFS - it's been home for a group of writers for nearly five years, and I've been proud to be a member of this august company for much of that period. The details of the others participating are here, providing an impressive selection of extracts from a variety of stories. I've formed some strong friendships as a result of being part of the group, and even though SFFS has reached its natural ending, those friendships will go forward. I hope to stay in touch with all of you.

I particularly want to express my thanks to Laurel C Kriegler who has been the creator of SFFS and primarily responsible for the group - thank you for putting up with our madness over the years! Here is a bottle of champagne for everyone - unfortunately only virtual!



My final snippet is the ending of Sorrel Swordless, a short story in which our brave heroine found herself confronting a large, hungry and dangerous horror. Again I'm grateful to Laurel for allowing me to break the usual sentence count so that I can conclude the tale! In the previous snippet, here, the creature struck out as Sorrel scrambled out of the lake onto her 'plane...

The glass side windows of the Swan shattered. The ruzdrool shrieked again, its high-pitched whistle sounding more like a steam train than a living creature. Dark blue ichor was dripping from deep gashes in the tentacles. It struck at the Swan again, driving its spines into the glass. I stared at it blankly, before realising what it was attacking. It had seen its reflection in the large sheets of glass, and had believed it faced the most deadly of all opponents – its own kind. A third assault broke the glass over the top of the cockpit, and then the giant ruzdrool tottered back on its stilt-legs, backing away, two of the tentacles severed. Ichor was pouring from the ruined flesh, and the ruzdrool clearly decided retreat was the better part of valour. It picked its way up the slope, past the bushes where Kelhene was still lurking, and moments later was out of sight.

By then I had scrambled over the top of the fuselage, evaded the broken glass, and swung down and into the cockpit. I had the coronet on my head a moment later, but my potential target had vanished.

The cockpit hatch opened again, and Kelhene scrambled inside.

'You all right, Sorrel?' At my affirmative, she sank into her seat with relief. 'Can we fly with this much damage?' she asked anxiously.

I nodded. 'it didn't smash the front windscreens' I said with relief. 'So long as I keep our speed down, we may get a bit winded, but we can fly.'

'What happened?' she asked. 'Why did it attack the 'plane?'

I grinned. 'For once, something actually listened to me – it picked on someone its own size.'

As always, comments welcome...  and on that note, I bid SFFS farewell, with grateful thanks to everyone who has been a part of it over the years!

Weekend Writing Warriors - 3rd April 2016

This is my entry for Weekend Writing Warriors. 
If anyone hasn't come across WeWriWar before, you need to go here to see all the extraordinary talent on display.
My snippet this week is again from Impcatcher, and comes from a few lines beyond where we were last week. Tal Djandiss, the eponymous impcatcher of the title, is still in a pitch black cellar, where he has managed to grab hold of the rogue imp he was hunting.

   

The imp was not greatly troubled at being caught. It turned, chortling, and sank its teeth into my arm. Quozacs have more ivories in their mouths than any creature has any right to have. Not that they are unique amongst imps in that respect. The teeth carved through the thick leather of my jacket, and I felt them clamp into my flesh. The pain was appalling, like a dozen snakes biting at once, and I cried out in anger and agony. I twisted desperately, and the back of the brute's head slammed into the pillar near me. For a moment, the impact drove its teeth deeper into my bicep, but it howled in pain in response, mouth opening wide, releasing my arm.

I wasn't going to give it a second chance.

 As always, comments welcome!

SFFS 2/4/2016 Sorrel Swordless part 9

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone else is still posting here, but I'm going to carry on doggedly simply to complete the story I'm posting. If there is anyone else on this weekend, their details are here.

This is part 9 of a complete short story (in snippets) set in Sorrel's world. For those who have already read the Sorrel novels (and if you haven't, you should - they're good books!) this is set after the end of Sorrel in Silver - but you don't need to have read the novels for it to make sense, and it doesn't contain too many spoilers for the main trilogy. Part 8 is here, in case you missed it last week. A giant horror has crept up on our hapless heroine. She is swimming in the lake, trying to stay out of its reach, and has swum over to her moored seaplane.

Thirty seconds were enough to get me onto the top of the lower wing, clinging onto the engine cowling. Big Violet strode closer on its stilt-like legs. Kelhene was still lurking well back. The main fuselage was between me and the monster. I could get onto the top of the fuselage. Unfortunately, unlike my old amphibious aeroplane, the Swan didn't have any hatches on top. Very remiss of the designers. If I got out of this alive and got back to the surface I would have words with them.

The monstrosity had moved further up the bank, so that it was almost alongside the Swan. The fat violet snake-body was swaying back and forward, tentacles swirling and writhing, the two eye-stalks twisting and peering downwards. I watched it, puzzled as to what it was thinking or feeling (assuming it did either).

It struck lightning-fast. Four tentacles slammed forward as it shrieked a battle-cry.

Next week we find out if Sorrel survives the creature's actions! As always, comments are welcome.

Weekend Writing Warriors 27/3/2016 - Impcatcher

This is my entry for Weekend Writing Warriors. 

Firstly, thank you to everyone who made me welcome last week. 

And secondly, anyone who hasn't come across WeWriWar needs to go here to see all the extraordinary talent on display.

My snippet this week is again from Impcatcher, and carries on from where we were last week. Tal Djandiss, the eponymous impcatcher of the title, is in a pitch black cellar, attempting to catch a rogue imp...

Lady Varra had said the imp was only a recent arrival, a weak little tyke without the experience to be troublesome.

A sudden rattle of movement warned me that said weak little tyke was endeavouring to be thoroughly troublesome. There was a swishing sound in the still air as another choice vintage spun towards where my head currently was. I ducked, tripping against one of the wooden wine frames and jamming the neck of a bottle into my ear painfully. I swore, the epithet drowned by the latest bottle smashing on the arching stonework behind me. My net was draped over a crate of wine somewhere in the gloom. I suspected my catching a Vildani red from 2744AA wouldn’t qualify me for my fee. Come to think of it, if this little bastard’s aim improved, my only reward would be an early arrival in the hereafter.

I love my job. Honest.

Impcatcher is a fantasy novel set in the town of Freebridge. When mages make mistakes, imps and elementals escape and make trouble. The Impcatcher of the title, Tal Djandiss, has the job of dealing with the little horrors. The novel opens with him facing just one such imp...

To find out how he does, and to learn the more worrying plot he becomes entangled with, get the book on Amazon here, or in other epub forms on Lulu, here.

As always, comments are welcome!

SFFS 26/3/2016 Sorrel Swordless part 8

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone else is still posting here, but I'm going to carry on doggedly simply to complete the story I'm posting. If there is anyone else on this weekend, their details are here.

This is part 8 of a complete short story (in snippets) set in Sorrel's world. For those who have already read the Sorrel novels (and if you haven't, you should - they're good books!) this is set after the end of Sorrel in Silver - but you don't need to have read the novels for it to make sense, and it doesn't contain too many spoilers for the main trilogy. Part 7 is here, in case you missed it last week. A giant horror has crept up on our hapless heroine, and she has decided to swim for it; her friend Kelhene is on the shore.

 

We were both in trouble, a point accentuated when something swished past me in the water. A lake-snake? Or a zhark? Or some other Sorrel-eating horror?

I wondered about trying to use my sorcery without the coronet. It would almost certainly mean I was wracked with agony, which in my current situation might well make me drown. No, not an option unless nothing else occurred to me.

Nothing else was occurring to me. I was well and truly stuck. I glared at the big ruzdrool. I was treading water, well outside its reach, but there was definitely something in the water with me. I was also aware that my thighs were aching – I needed to get out of the lake.

I swam towards the Swan. The starboard wings were stretching out over the lake above me - I could get to the side of the hull easily, and the footholds in the fuselage would let me scramble up to the starboard engine. Much good that would do me.

On the other hand, it was better than staying in the lake. Despite the mucky green of the water, I could see a dozen silvery shapes swimming around me now. If they weren't hungry yet, I suspected it wouldn't be long before they were.

Three more snippets to go before the end of the story. As always, comments welcomed!

Weekend Writing Warriors - 20/3/2016

This is my first appearance on Weekend Writing Warriors - so welcome all, and enjoy the snippet below!

If you've not encountered Weekend Writing Warriors, it's an opportunity for writers from a range of genres to showcase their work. Find the others here.

So with no more ado - the first nine lines from my novel Impcatcher.

    A high-pitched, manic giggle cut through the velvet blackness of the wine cellar as the echo of breaking glass faded. I took a deep breath, and the alcoholic fumes from the shattered bottle left me feeling light-headed for a moment. I had dropped the lamp when I dodged the missile. Doing this job, there's no way I'd use a modern bound-imp lamp, so I'm stuck with an oil lantern. The glass had not survived the accident, and now the old stone chamber was stygian. 
    A slight clacking sound to my left, like a big rat in tap shoes, hinted at my quarry’s location. It was trusting to the darkness and my lowly human eyes to conceal it. I glowered into the gloom. This had been supposed to be an easy job.

Impcatcher is a fantasy novel set in the town of Freebridge. When mages make mistakes, imps and elementals escape and make trouble. The Impcatcher of the title, Tal Djandiss, has the job of dealing with the little horrors. The novel opens with him facing just one such imp...

To find out how he does, and to learn the more worrying plot he becomes entangled with, get the book on Amazon here, or in other epub forms on Lulu, here.

As always, comments are welcome!

SFFS 19/3/2016 Sorrel Swordless part 7

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. SFFSat is a place where a number of authors post snippets from their written works, and give the opportunity for comments, support and encouragement. Please also explore the other blogs that are part of this group - you can find the information here.

This is part 7 of a complete short story (in snippets) set in Sorrel's world. For those who have already read the Sorrel novels (and if you haven't, you should - they're good books!) this is set after the end of Sorrel in Silver - but you don't need to have read the novels for it to make sense, and it doesn't contain too many spoilers for the main trilogy. Part 6 is here, in case you missed it last week. A giant horror has crept up on our hapless heroine, and she has decided to swim for it; her friend Kelhene is on the shore.


 

Kelhene was moving cautiously along the skyline, keeping down and trying not to attract the ruzdrool's attention. Not much danger of that – its eyes were firmly on me. Assuming the white globes were eyes. I swam a little further out, and wondered if I could get to the far side of the Swan and clamber aboard from the stern. I'd still be too close to the ruzdrool.

'Kelhene!' I bellowed. 'Can you lure it away for long enough for me to get my coronet?'

The ruzdrool shrieked at my words, clearly angered at my audacity in daring to shout. It tottered forward to the very edge of the water, but still did not venture in. Either it couldn't swim or it thought there was something in the lake even nastier than it was.

Not a thought I liked.

Kelhene was shaking her head, wisely not calling out or catching its attention. I could see her point. In the time it took me to get ashore, get into the Swan, don my coronet and fry the ruzdrool it would have chased her down, driven half a dozen tentacle spines into her body and enjoyed the first few morsels of rare Kelhene steak. My making the ruzdrool extra-well-done would be too late to save Kelhene from being a meaty dish.

As always, comments welcomed!

Imp of the week - Jurgroths

I've created a number of strange creatures for the Impcatcher novels. This is another page from Garkosio's Guide to Imps, which is the most widely used reference book in Tal's world. This is Tal's copy, with his annotations in blue.

 As always, comments welcomed!

 

SFFS 12/3/2016 Sorrel Swordless part 6

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. SFFSat is a place where a number of authors post snippets from their written works, and give the opportunity for comments, support and encouragement. Please also explore the other blogs that are part of this group - you can find the information here.

This is part 5 of a complete short story (in snippets) set in Sorrel's world. For those who have already read the Sorrel novels (and if you haven't, you should - they're good books!) this is set after the end of Sorrel in Silver - but you don't need to have read the novels for it to make sense, and it doesn't contain too many spoilers for the main trilogy. Part 5 is here, in case you missed it last week. A giant horror has crept up on our hapless heroine, and she has decided to swim for it, despite bleeding from a wound the brute inflicted.

 

I was more than a dozen feet from the shore. The ruzdrool stood still, tentacles writhing, both eye stalks focussed upon me, assuming I was right about their function. Kelhene was well back, a couple of bushes and a large tree between her and the monster. I couldn't see her sword, either. We both should have learned by now that if somewhere looks safe and inviting in the Chasm, it isn't.

I just hoped there were no carnivorous fish in the lake. I knew from past experience that some of the waters down here contained dangerous predators. The blood I was spilling into the lake ought to attract anything that liked fresh meat. So far, nothing had turned up looking for dinner. I wasn't sure how long my luck would hold out.

The Swan was moored to the bank only ten yards from the silent ruzdrool. The hatch was open against the bank. The hatch on the lake side was dogged closed. I knew that – I'd locked it shut before getting out. There are times when I think I deserve a gold medal for stupidity above and beyond the call of imbecility.

 As always, comments welcomed!

Imp of the Week: Jathraks

I've created a number of strange creatures for the Impcatcher novels. This is another page from Garkosio's Guide to Imps, which is the most widely used reference book in Tal's world. This is Tal's copy, with his annotations in blue.

 

As always, comments welcomed!

SFFS 5/3/2016 Sorrel Swordless part 5

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. SFFSat is a place where a number of authors post snippets from their written works, and give the opportunity for comments, support and encouragement. Please also explore the other blogs that are part of this group - you can find the information here.

This is part 5 of a complete short story (in snippets) set in Sorrel's world. For those who have already read the Sorrel novels (and if you haven't, you should - they're good books!) this is set after the end of Sorrel in Silver - but you don't need to have read the novels for it to make sense, and it doesn't contain too many spoilers for the main trilogy. Part 4 is here, in case you missed it last week. A giant horror has crept up on our hapless heroine, and she has decided to swim for it.

I heard Kelhene shout in alarm behind me. The violet monster wasn't interested in changing targets. I concentrated on a graceful dive off the bank into the water. The lake was deep enough, here, for the Swan to have sufficient draft – I hoped my relatively flat dive wouldn't take me too far towards the muddy, weed-filled lake-bed. Something slammed into my leg before I hit the water, and I yelled in pain. It meant I got a mouthful of warm green water rather than the deep breath I had been planning to take. I went under, momentum carrying me further into the lake. The agony in my calf lessened as the spike was pulled out by my motion. I had no doubt that the water was turning a similar shade of crimson to the grass. All the vegetation in the depths of the Chasm is red. Water isn't normally that shade, but my blood is.

My head broke the surface and I spluttered desperately, trying to get half the lake out of my lungs. The giant ruzdrool was still on shore, tentacles waving wildly. It wasn't waving me a fond farewell – but it also wasn't following me into the lake.

As always, comments welcomed!

Imp of the Week - Storrinags

I've created a number of strange creatures for the Impcatcher novels. This is another page from Garkosio's Guide to Imps, which is the most widely used reference book in Tal's world. This is Tal's copy, with his annotations in blue.

 

As always, comments welcomed! 

SFFS 27/2/2016 Sorrel Swordless - part 4

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. SFFSat is a place where a number of authors post snippets from their written works, and give the opportunity for comments, support and encouragement. Please also explore the other blogs that are part of this group - you can find the information here.

This is part 4 of a complete short story (in snippets) set in Sorrel's world. For those who have already read the Sorrel novels (and if you haven't, you should - they're good books!) this is set after the end of Sorrel in Silver - but you don't need to have read the novels for it to make sense, and it doesn't contain too many spoilers for the main trilogy. Part 3 is here, in case you missed it last week. A giant horror has crept up on our hapless heroine, and she suspects it is going to eat her...

I was wondering what had become of my co-pilot. Kelhene was smart, capable, and could wield a sword if need be. She wasn't as good as me, but she ought to be able to distract the horror for long enough for me to get to the aeroplane and barbecue it.

I wished a certain dragon of my acquaintance was around, but he was busy on the surface with his fellow dragons. 

 

The brute suddenly shrieked, a high-pitched wail that I was pretty sure meant it was angry. If this had been a true ruzdrool I would have said “angrier” - an ordinary ruzdrool is only calm and peaceful when it is either dead or very dead. This definitely didn't fit that category. It lunged, and I flung myself sideways desperately. I began to wonder if it had paused simply out of surprise. Perhaps it had never seen a human before, and needed time to decide if I was good to eat. I was disappointed, though not totally surprised, that it had reached a positive decision on this tricky question.

Three spikes slammed into the ground where I had been standing a moment before. I was already tumbling through the red grass towards the water. I didn't know if super ruzdrools liked water, or if they could swim. I wasn't a great swimmer, but I had no chance of out-running it, so a swimming contest suddenly seemed like a smart option.

As always, comments welcomed!

Imp of the Week - Clyriass Imps

I've created a number of strange creatures for the Impcatcher novels. This is another page from Garkosio's Guide to Imps, which is the most widely used reference book in Tal's world. This is Tal's copy, with his annotations in blue.

 As always, comments welcomed!

SFFS 20/2/2016 Sorrel Swordless - part 3

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. SFFSat is a place where a number of authors post snippets from their written works, and give the opportunity for comments, support and encouragement. Please also explore the other blogs that are part of this group - you can find the information here.

This is part 3 of a complete short story (in snippets) set in Sorrel's world. For those who have already read the Sorrel novels (and if you haven't, you should - they're good books!) this is set after the end of Sorrel in Silver - but you don't need to have read the novels for it to make sense, and it doesn't contain too many spoilers for the main trilogy. Part 2 is here, in case you missed it last week. A giant horror has crept up on our hapless heroine, and she suspects it is going to eat her...

I had a sneaking suspicion I was about to find out what it felt like to be a giant ruzdrool's dinner. I suppose in a sense it's fair – I've eaten ruzdrool meat before. They're just about edible, assuming they don't eat you first.

Except that so far it hadn't gone for me. Ruzdrools are virtually brainless. Nothing but hunger, savagery and more hunger. I'm assuming they have fond feelings for ruzdrools of the opposite sex, but otherwise they aren't friendly towards anyone. This creature was different – in a weird way, it almost seemed to like me. I couldn't think of another reason why it hadn't already tried to drive one or more of its spikes into my heart. There was no way it could believe I was a potential mate – so why wasn't it attacking? We had been facing each other for at least a century. All right, perhaps thirty seconds, but my initial description felt more believable. Why hadn't it lunged?

Not that I was complaining, you understand.

 As always, comments welcomed!

Imp of the week - Zilberdasks

I've created a number of strange creatures for the Impcatcher novels. This is another page from Garkosio's Guide to Imps, which is the most widely used reference book in Tal's world. This is Tal's copy, with his annotations in blue.

As always, comments are most welcome!

SFFS 13/2/2016 Sorrel Swordless - part 2

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. SFFSat is a place where a number of authors post snippets from their written works, and give the opportunity for comments, support and encouragement. Please also explore the other blogs that are part of this group - you can find the information here.



This is part 2 of a complete short story (in snippets) set in Sorrel's world. For those who have already read the Sorrel novels (and if you haven't, you should - they're good books!) this is set after the end of Sorrel in Silver - but you don't need to have read the novels for it to make sense, and it doesn't contain too many spoilers for the main trilogy. Part 1 is here, in case you missed it last week. A giant horror has crept up on our hapless heroine...

 

    I was further north than I had ever flown before. Almost a thousand miles from Tolgrail, assuming I was right in guessing the wind speed. The Swan bobbed on the water of the lake, slight ripples disrupting the glassy surface so that the reflection of the cream biplane was crumpled. The bulbous windowed front of the Swan gave excellent visibility, though when it was in the air it felt as though I was sitting in a bubble of glass. The propellers were silent, much to my relief. It had taken six hours to get this far. The constant roar of the engines had left me temporarily deafened, which is probably why I didn't hear the brute until it was between me and my aeroplane.

    I was unarmed – my sword was in the 'plane. So was my coronet, which meant I couldn't cast sorcery. Yes, alright, I was stupid to leave both behind. The stretch of scarlet grass on the bank had looked comfortable and peaceful, and there had been no hint of ravening monsters in the vicinity. Kelhene had gone looking for fruit on the bushes, and I had intended to sprawl for a few minutes and get the kinks out of my spine.

    Which was when tall, violet and hungry crept up. I knew that an ordinary ruzdrool could run faster than I could, so this was definitely going to beat me in a straight race. I had a sneaking suspicion I was about to find out what it felt like to be a giant ruzdrool's dinner. 

 As always, comments welcomed!

Imp of the week - Cohl-imps

I've created a number of strange creatures for the Impcatcher novels. This is another page from Garkosio's Guide to Imps, which is the most widely used reference book in Tal's world. This is Tal's copy, with his annotations in blue.

As always, comments are most welcome!

SFFS 6/2/2016 Sorrel Swordless - part 1

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. SFFSat is a place where a number of authors post snippets from their written works, and give the opportunity for comments, support and encouragement. Please also explore the other blogs that are part of this group - you can find the information here.


I've missed a couple of weeks due to real life interfering with important things like books. I warned that there wouldn't be any more Impcatcher for a while - instead, I present Sorrel Swordless. This is a complete short story (in snippets) set in Sorrel's world. For those who have already read the Sorrel novels (and if you haven't, you should - they're good books!) this is set after the end of Sorrel in Silver - but you don't need to have read the novels for it to make sense, and it doesn't contain too many spoilers for the main trilogy.

So with no more ado...

Sorrel Swordless

'Why not pick on someone your own size, you volging lafquas?'

Usually when I say that, I'm goading someone to take a swing at yours truly. Not this time - fear and anger were churning in my stomach and making my mouth sound off without me thinking about it, but for a change, I didn't want my target to go for me. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything else the horror could pick on. It was over nine feet high, with a dozen spindly legs supporting a violet, snake-like body. 

If it had been blue, and a bit smaller, I'd have called it a ruzdrool, but this looked like a ruzdrool's angry big sister. Just like a ruzdrool, where a mouth ought to be on any sensibly-designed monster, there were a cluster of long, writhing tentacles, each tipped with a vicious spike. But this had two extra tentacles, each ending in a white globe the size of a large apple, each twisted towards me – a black dot was in the middle of each globe. Normal ruzdrool don't seem to have eyes, though this doesn't stop them. This brute? I suspected the white globes were eyes, which meant as well as sensing me with whatever freakish senses an ordinary ruzdrool had, this one could see me as well. Great.

 As always, comments welcomed! The picture, by the way, is actually a fendahleen, from a very old Doctor Who episode, which has been doctored (sorry!) to be a little more like my own horror. The tentacles aren't long enough, and lack spikes, and it is a little too like a slug rather than a  snake, but it's at least close. I'll try and produce a better picture of one before next time.

Imp of the week - the Truggulkin

I've created a number of strange creatures for the Impcatcher novels. This is another page from Garkosio's Guide to Imps, which is the most widely used reference book in Tal's world. This is Tal's copy, with his annotations in blue.

 

As always, comments are most welcome!

Imp of the week - Vrusks

I've created a number of strange creatures for the Impcatcher novels. This is another page from Garkosio's Guide to Imps, which is the most widely used reference book in Tal's world. This is Tal's copy, with his annotations in blue.

As always, comments welcomed!

Imp of the week - The Moulis

I've created a number of strange creatures for the Impcatcher novels. This is another page from Garkosio's Guide to Imps, which is the most widely used reference book in Tal's world. This is Tal's copy, with his annotations in blue.

 

A couple of people have asked if I'm going to produce a complete book of imps. I'm wondering about doing a guide to Impcatching, using these Garkoskio pages plus some other bits and pieces. Alternatively, I wondered about doing a D&D monster manual-style book either for D&D5 or for Pathfinder. Anyone got any views?

 

SFFS 16/1/2016 Impcatcher

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. SFFSat is a place where a number of authors post snippets from their written works, and give the opportunity for comments, support and encouragement. Please also explore the other blogs that are part of this group - you can find the information here.

 

Today's snippet is from Impcatcher, which is now on sale on Amazon for the Kindle and in paperback, and DriveThru in pdf format. The general epub version is at Lulu.

When we last saw Tal, a demon was trying to kill him. It isn't giving up...

 

Another lunge, another attempt to carve its name in my stomach. Two narrow red lines appeared, as if by magic, on my tunic. This was a good tunic, too – I snarled an objection, but the demon really wasn't interested. 

No way I was getting out of this. I was facing a glorathnar. Tenacious, tough, ruthless, and they didn't give up. Whoever had sicced this upon me wanted me dead.

Common sense said I should give up, let it slaughter me cleanly. At least it would be quick and relatively painless. Glorathnars aren't sadists, not like some of their ilk. Whoever had summoned this had picked a demonic assassin quite considerately.

Most of my ex-girlfriends will tell you I have no common sense. I wasn't going to give up quietly. I would go down fighting.

As always, comments welcomed! The bad news is that this is the last snippet from Impcatcher I'm going to put up for a while - so if you want to know how Tal gets out of this, you'll have to read the book!

Imp of the Week - Lurgals

I've created a number of strange creatures for the Impcatcher novels. This is another page from Garkosio's Guide to Imps, which is the most widely used reference book in Tal's world. This is Tal's copy, with his annotations in blue.

As always, comments welcomed!

SFFS 10/1/2016 Impcatcher

Happy New Year to you all!    

This is my snippet this week for SFFSat. SFFSat is a place where a number of authors post snippets from their written works, and give the opportunity for comments, support and encouragement. Please also explore the other blogs that are part of this group - you can find the information here.

 

Today's snippet is from Impcatcher, which is now on sale on Amazon for the Kindle and in paperback, and DriveThru in pdf format. The general epub version is at Lulu.
When we last saw Tal, a demon was trying to kill him. It isn't giving up...



 

It swung at me again, confident that I was on the deck and couldn't move fast enough again to escape being ventilated. Good guess, but wrong – becoming a pin-cushion is not one of my ambitions, and my lack of such a plan for my future gave me a strong incentive to move. I rolled clear and was back on my feet before big and dangerous could recover.

“Only prolonging the agony, Djandiss” the demon growled.

I shrugged. “You might get bored and give up.”

“Got a high boredom threshold.”

Would you believe it? A demon with a degree of witticism.

It lunged again. This time I struck with the dagger at the incoming arm. My blade scored home, carving a deep red trench into the demon's red skin that oozed black ichor, and the demon leapt back, snarling obscenities that would impress a hob.

“Sure you'd rather not get bored and give up?” I asked cockily.

“Positive - want some revenge, now...”

 

As always, comments welcomed!