*Originally posted 3/6/19 on the Weber Forums.
PLEASE NOTE: This post will contain a few vague references to parts of The Gordian Protocol‘s plot and characters. I’ll do my best to keep from spoiling anything, but those who wish to experience the novel without any spoilers of any kind should avoid this post in its entirety.
Though, honestly, if you’re reading this, are you really trying your best to avoid spoilers? 🙂
Now, onto the story.
It’s spring of 2017, I’m deep into writing my scenes for The Gordian Protocol, and I come across a…problem. Not a big problem, mind you, but more of a “Hmm, how best to handle this?” kind of situation. I was quickly approaching a scene where I needed to get a key character onto the protagonists’ time machine. And the character (let’s call him “Jimmy”) had to board the time machine willing. That’s the important part, and I need to be snappy about it, because the story was on a serious crescendo, and I wanted to maintain that forward momentum into the climax.
Problem is, there’s a lot tying Jimmy to his native place in history. A lot.
This is a man for whom duty runs thick through his veins, especially to his…goldfish. (Okay, you know it’s not his goldfish, but I’m rolling with this as part of my anti-spoiler tactics.) He needs a Very-Good-Reason to leave his goldfish behind. He and that goldfish have been through some tough times together! Granted, our protagonists have that Very-Good-Reason, but their story isn’t the easiest one to digest, and Jimmy is no fool, especially when the needs of his goldfish are concerned. There will be questions. There will be discussions. There will be…delays.
Hence, I had a problem.
I took a step back and reviewed David’s notes. This was often my first step when I wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. Between the alternate history notes and deep character background, I had over 40,000 words of material to pull from when writing my scenes, and those notes almost always provided the guidance I needed to support David’s vision for the novel.
So, I looked up David’s notes on Jimmy and… Aha! This particular goldfish wasn’t named here! It only listed that Jimmy…found a second goldfish, long after the untimely passing of his first goldfish. (Have you figured out what the goldfish is?)
Well… 😜
Let me segue for a moment here and talk a bit about the collaboration process. As the junior partner on a project, I view it as my responsibility to support the senior partner’s overall vision for the novel while also contributing my own original ideas. Balancing the two can be tricky at times, so I was always keen to identify which parts of this story I needed to strictly follow David’s lead and which parts were my sandbox to explore.
The lack of a name for Jimmy’s second goldfish was like a bright green flag waving in my mind. We were in sandbox territory here! Yes! I could do whatever I wanted with the goldfish!
I pondered how to approach the problem with this newfound narrative freedom. And then it hit me. Jimmy’s goldfish couldn’t tie him down…if it wasn’t around anymore!
So I blew up the goldfish during one of the novel’s action set pieces. Little smoking pieces of fish strewn everywhere. Thus Jimmy was free to board the time machine without hesitation, and the plot could move forward efficiently. The engineer in me was quite pleased with how I’d dealt with the problem. KISS principle, you know? (Keep It Simple Stupid)
Sometimes it’s easiest just to dynamite the obstacle.
I went on to finish my portion of the novel and hand it over.
A little while later, David reviewed my work, and we had a conversation that went something like this (heavy paraphrasing to follow):
DW: So, you know Jimmy’s goldfish?
JH: The first or the second?
DW: The second. The one you blew up.
JH: Sure, I do. I’m the one who blew it up, after all.
DW: Right, about that. You do realize I had a story planned for that goldfish in the sequel.
JH: …You did? 😬
At this point, my internal dialogue looked something like this: Oh, &%#$! Oh, &%#$! Oh, &%#$!
DW: Yeah, you mind if I rework those scenes?
JH: What? Oh, uhh, no, not at all! Please, be my guest! Edit away! I wasn’t sure how best to approach that part anyway!
A little while later, I received David’s next set of revisions. And boy, was I in for a surprise!
You see, he didn’t take the goldfish death out. In fact, he ended up making the death scene even WORSE! He didn’t just blow it up! He mangled the goldfish’s body, had it flopping around on the floor, gasping for air, and then had it die in Jimmy’s arms!
I remember reading it, thinking to myself, “Wait a second. Isn’t the goldfish supposed to live?” And then a little bit later, “Huh. Guess not.”
And, wow. I absolutely loved the changes he made. He took a scene I wrote out of a desire to move the story forward as cleanly as possible, reworked it here, massaged it there, and then cranked the emotional impact up to eleven! It was a fantastic scene, but it’s also one he wouldn’t have written if I hadn’t killed…the goldfish…when I shouldn’t have. A small misunderstanding ended up blossoming into something neither of us would have written on our own, and it’s moments like this that make collaborating with another author such an awesome experience.
That said, I told David afterwards we should probably establish a “Thou Shalt Not Kill These Characters” list for future projects. 🙂
Speaking of which, I think I’ve procrastinated enough today. Time for me to get back to work on the sequel to The Gordian Protocol. I’ve got a lot of [REDACTED] to blow up this week. 😄😄😄
Writing
Interview with Keystroke Medium!
Earlier tonight, David Weber and Jacob joined Josh and Steve over at Keystroke Medium to chat collaboration, publishing, and The Gordian Protocol. Check out the interview below! 😀
And of course, for more interviews and writing insight, visit Keystroke Medium’s website and YouTube channel!
Also, LESS THAN ONE DAY TO GO, Y’ALL! 😀😀😀
Countdown to The Wizard’s Way!
It’s been eventful here at Holo HQ!
Stars aligned so that H.P. could transition to working full-time for Holo Writing, which means that you’re about to see many more updates, contests, giveaways, appearances, and yes, BOOKS.
Speaking of which, The Wizard’s Way is well on its way to being released! Comments from beta readers have come in, edits have been made, layout is complete, and now all we’re waiting for is that final glorious proof copy. Once we’ve affirmed its perfection, it’ll be time to release the Steelgore!
We love all our books, of course, but we’re especially excited to bring you this one.
Though Jacob contributed a lot of content, The Wizard’s Way is primarily H.P.’s weird, hyperactive brainchild, and in it, you’ll see a face of the Holoverse that you’ve never seen before. Namely the face involving fire-breathing steel lions, pug butlers, bear libraries, and lots of general mayhem. But the latter is nothing new. 😛
And hey, if you’d like to receive an update when the novel releases, be sure to join our mailing list!
The Wizard’s Way – Cover Reveal!
Well, it’s been an adventurous month, but it takes more than a malfunctioning eyeball and a collapsed lung to stop me, which means that Draft #4 of The Wizard’s Way is DONE!
Our next step is to see what our beta readers have to say, apply their advice in the next round of edits, and then drop this bad boy – okay, bad but well-intentioned; Chaucey is complicated – on September 1st!
Who’s Chaucey, you ask? Read on to find out—and then to get your first official look at the cover art!
J. Chaucey Thatcher has a monster inside him, but this is the least of his worries.
A murderer prowls the Iron City, slaying inventors. An angry mob storms close behind, blaming wizards. Any they find, they burn alive.
Chaucey is an inventor. He is also secretly a wizard, and the only person who can help with this secret was just murdered before his very eyes.
But when it comes to investigating, Chaucey is as dogged as his best friend is dog. With the help of his loyal pug butler, his sparky (almost? maybe?) girlfriend, and a sleuth of rambunctious bears, he has vowed to unravel the mystery of these murders and save the city from the grips of terror.
But the monster inside him burns for escape.
Will he save the Iron City? Or will the monster destroy it first?
And now, drum roll please…
…
…
…
Though really, forget drum rolls. Let’s bring out the whole band for our illustrator, Mandy O’Brien (aka Painted-Bees on DeviantArt, Tumblr, and Twitter).
I’d been following her art for years on Deviant Art (I mean LOOK AT THIS), so when I started pondering illustrators for a colorful fantasy adventure with two civilizations of talking animals, I didn’t have to ponder long. Her vibrant style combined with the animated quality of her art meshed perfectly with the world I’d pictured in the novel, and looking at these illustrations is like looking at characters that walked right out of my brain onto a computer screen!
Read about them this Fall!
Monsters. Murder. Swashbuckling Pug Butlers.
Coming September 2016.
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The Wizard’s Way – 1st Draft Complete!
artwork by Mandy O’Brien
Hey, everybody! H. P. here! I’ve been largely invisible on this blog for the past age or so. This is partly because I’m a lazy blogger and partly because I do all the marketing, layout, and graphic work for Jacob’s books while he makes the writing magic happen. Mostly, though, it’s because I’ve been devoting every valuable microsecond of my free time to finishing my own first novel, which is…
~ F I N A L L Y F I N I S H E D ~
(The first draft, that is.)
Now, you may be asking, “What is this masterpiece that H. P. has been so reclusively working on?” Well, it comes down to three things:
Monsters.
Murder.
Swashbuckling pug butlers.
Yes, you read that right.
Beyond that, The Wizard’s Way is a story of a young man finding his way in the world. This is challenging for any young person, but it’s especially challenging for one whose way involves keeping giant mechanical flamethrower lions from popping out of him.
Specifically, it comes down to this:
artwork by Mandy O’Brien
J. Chaucey Thatcher has a monster inside him, but this is the least of his worries.
A murderer prowls the Iron City, slaying inventors. An angry mob storms close behind, blaming wizards. Any they find, they burn alive.
Chaucey is an inventor. He is also secretly a wizard, and the only person who can help with this secret was just murdered before his very eyes.
But when it comes to investigating, Chaucey is as dogged as his best friend is dog. With the help of his loyal pug butler, his sparky (almost? maybe?) girlfriend, and a sleuth of rambunctious bears, he has vowed to unravel the mystery of these murders and save the city from the grips of terror.
But the monster inside him burns for escape.
Will he save the Iron City? Or will the monster destroy it first?
artwork by Mandy O’Brien
The TL;DR version? Wizard puberty is the worst.
Now you may be asking, “How soon can I expect to read this redonkulous thing?” Presently, the Jacob half of Holo Writing is giving the book its first hardcore editing pass. Pending a few revisions, we’re aiming for an early 2016 release. (SUMMER 2016 UPDATE: Well, that didn’t happen. But it’s happening soon, so hooray!)
While you wait, however, you can feast your eyes on the above sketches of the cover art, produced by the talented artist linked above! And also here because you are totally not making good use of your Internet life if you skip her page.
Subscribe to the Holo Writing Newsletter to receive updates on our current and future books.
Disciple of the Dead – Released!
Book 3 of the Seraphim Revival is now on sale in in paperback and eBook!
H.P. and I are immensely pleased to announce the release of the third and final book in the Seraphim Revival trilogy. This series has really been a labor of love from start to finish, and we’re very excited to finally have the full trilogy out there.
Fueled by the Soul. Hunted by the Dead.
In an empire ruled by the honored dead, seraphs are the ultimate weapons. Fueled by the pilot’s very soul, these colossal humanoid war machines are unstoppable in battle. Only a few possess the gift to control such craft, and those men and women are prized above all others.
Seth Elexen and a small group of elite pilots have tracked the renegade Veketon to the far side of the galaxy. With only one ship and a single squadron of seraphs, they alone must face the tyrant within the heart of his growing power.
But Veketon is no easy mark. Through perverse sciences, he has been reborn as a pilot of terrifying power, and Quennin S’Kev, a woman Seth abandoned for all the wrong reasons, stands by his side and will defend him to the death.
Now Seth has one final desperate chance at success, but in order to get to Veketon, he must be willing to kill the only woman he has ever loved.
The Seraphim Revival trilogy is complete!
Disciple of the Dead brings everything together for one huge, thrilling conclusion. The stakes are massive, the villains have all the advantages, our heroes are in over their heads, and the nearest help is on the other side of the galaxy.
But something is about to change … something no one expects … something so small and yet so huge at the same time, and it will finally give Seth and the others the fighting chance they so desperately need.
While Disciple of the Dead has all the blistering action found in the earlier books, it is also a very personal story of love and loss. These characters are put through the wringer, and they come out changed, not all of them for the better. If you think you know how the trilogy will end or who will live and who will die, think again, because this book comes packed with shocking twists and world shattering reveals.
Welcome back to the Seraphim Revival. 🙂
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Throne of the Dead – Released!
Book 2 of the Seraphim Revival is now on sale in in paperback and eBook!
H.P. and I are very happy to announce the release of the second book in the Seraphim Revival trilogy. A ton of hard work has gone into this trilogy, and it is so rewarding to finally put it out there for people to read.
So, this is the “hump” book, right? The book in the middle of the trilogy. Typically, that means it’s the slow one that spends a lot of time building things up for the finale, right? Well, to that I ask … why? Why does the book in the middle of a trilogy have to be the slow, boring one? Answer: It doesn’t!
Throne of the Dead takes the fast-paced giant robot action of the first novel and kicks it up even further. Alliances will splinter. Characters will fall. World-shaking reveals hit fast and hard. In short, things happen in this book.
I wouldn’t have it any other way, and I think you’ll agree with me. 🙂
Coming in a few short months …
The final books is on its way! All seraphs launching 2015!
Subscribe to the Holo Writing Newsletter to receive updates on our current and future books.
Seraphim Revival – Book 3 Cover Art!
In an empire ruled by the honored dead, seraphs are the ultimate weapons. Fueled by the pilot’s very soul, these colossal humanoid war machines are unstoppable in battle. Only a few possess the gift to control such craft, and those men and women are prized above all others.
The incredibly talented Adam Burn has completed the third and final Seraphim Revival cover for Disciple of the Dead!
Normally, here’s the part of these art reveals where I talk a little about what or who is on the cover … only I can’t this time. Astute observers who have already finished the first book may recognize that the giant robot on the cover is not a seraph, but other than that … yeah, sorry. I can’t talk about what it is. I can’t talk about who the pilot is. And I certainly can’t talk about that really tall tower in the background. Trust me, if this series interests you, you’ll enjoy it more if you discover it for yourself. 🙂
What is the Seraphim Revival?
This is a story of Intense Mech Combat. The seraphs represent the absolute pinnacle of combat technology. Fueled by the pilot’s own soul, seraphs are capable of drawing upon almost limitless power. The relationship between pilot and machine is symbiotic to the point where any boundaries between them vanish. In a sense, the pilots become their seraphs. Clashes between them are brutal contests where willpower matters just as much as hardware.
This is a story of the Living Ruled by the Dead. Here is a society where the preserved minds of the deceased exercise absolute authority over the living. Seraph pilots are extremely rare, and therefore incredibly valuable. Not everyone, dead or alive, has their best interests in mind.
This is a story of Honor and Betrayal. The best way to take out a seraph is with another seraph, but the gift to command such a craft is hereditary. Many pilots share common bloodlines, and when sides are chosen, some divides fall in the worst possible places.
All seraphs launching 2015!
Subscribe to the Holo Writing Newsletter to receive updates on our current and future books.
Bane of the Dead – Released!
In an empire ruled by the honored dead, seraphs are the ultimate weapons. Fueled by the pilot’s very soul, these colossal humanoid war machines are unstoppable in battle. Only a few possess the gift to control such craft, and those men and women are prized above all others.
Jack Donolon is the most powerful pilot in existence, a hero of Earth with a mind fractured by his seraph. On the far side of the galaxy, he uncovers a terrible truth about the seraphs and their pilots. Now he must return on a mission no one will understand, to face and kill the people who once called him friend and comrade.
But the death he will bring is insignificant next to the destruction that will follow, should he fail …
Book 1 of the Seraphim Revival is now on sale in in paperback and eBook!
H.P. and I are extremely excited to finally be releasing this trilogy. The seed for this series started a long time ago in my mind, and it is incredibly gratifying to finally see the first book realized in physical form with beautiful cover art by Adam Burn. With the Seraphim Revival, readers are in for one wild, action-packed ride. Not only do we have giant robots tearing up the place, but there are so many twists and turns in these three novels that I can’t even begin to describe what happens in the third book without dropping massive spoilers. So, it’s probably for the best if I don’t say anything else. 🙂
For now, I’ll simply leave you with this.
Coming in a few short months …
Book 2 is on its way! All seraphs launching 2015!
Subscribe to the Holo Writing Newsletter to receive updates on our current and future books.
Seraphim Revival – Book Spine Art!
In an empire ruled by the honored dead, seraphs are the ultimate weapons. Fueled by the pilot’s very soul, these colossal humanoid war machines are unstoppable in battle. Only a few possess the gift to control such craft, and those men and women are prized above all others.
The Seraphim Revival book trilogy is one step closer!
The highly skilled Adam Burn has done it again! Above you can see artwork for the spines of the Seraphim Revival paperback editions, which will form the whole image once all three books are placed together.
Featured in this striking art is the mighty seraph of Seth Elexen, the prodigy. Despite first piloting a seraph as a mere child, his background is an anomaly, having descended from none of the bloodlines his people cultivate to breed pilots. Even his namesake comes from his adoptive father, who was the previous generation’s most powerful pilot, and whose death Seth was at least partially responsible for during a critical battle twenty years ago.
Despite this, Seth has not only survived decades of ceaseless combat, but thrived thanks to an unflinching and indomitable will. In combat, he utilized an aggressive, fast-paced fighting style that takes full advantage of his agility. Eschewing ranged weaponry almost entirely, he assaults his foes with an unending blitz of quick strikes.
A simple man at heart, Seth greatly prefers the purity and clarity of combat to the murky machinations of his people’s leaders, but this single-minded focus leaves him vulnerable to the very plots he so despites.
Seth makes his first appears at the beginning of the trilogy in Bane of the Dead.
What is the Seraphim Revival?
This is a story of Intense Mech Combat. The seraphs represent the absolute pinnacle of combat technology. Fueled by the pilot’s own soul, seraphs are capable of drawing upon almost limitless power. The relationship between pilot and machine is symbiotic to the point where any boundaries between them vanish. In a sense, the pilots become their seraphs. Clashes between them are brutal contests where willpower matters just as much as hardware.
This is a story of the Living Ruled by the Dead. Here is a society where the preserved minds of the deceased exercise absolute authority over the living. Seraph pilots are extremely rare, and therefore incredibly valuable. Not everyone, dead or alive, has their best interests in mind.
This is a story of Honor and Betrayal. The best way to take out a seraph is with another seraph, but the gift to command such a craft is hereditary. Many pilots share common bloodlines, and when sides are chosen, some divides fall in the worst possible places.
You mentioned a trilogy of books.
Yes I did. And they are …
Book 1 – Bane of the Dead
Book 2 – Throne of the Dead
Book 3 – Disciple of the Dead
All seraphs launching 2015!
Subscribe to the Holo Writing Newsletter to receive updates on our current and future books.
Seraphim Revival – Book 2 Cover Art!
In an empire ruled by the honored dead, seraphs are the ultimate weapons. Fueled by the pilot’s very soul, these colossal humanoid war machines are unstoppable in battle. Only a few possess the gift to control such craft, and those men and women are prized above all others.
The Seraphim Revival book trilogy is heading this way!
The very talented Adam Burn has produced another beautiful image for the Seraphim Revival trilogy, and I have to admit, I really really really like this one! Here you can see the cover art for the second book Throne of the Dead that showcases one of the pilots.
Pictured in the artwork is Tesset Daelus, the blind empath. Kidnapped as a child and experimented on in secret, Tesset only has empty pits where her eyes should be. But this deliberate mutilation has forced her to develop a sense unique to seraph pilots. She can perceive her surroundings with surprising clarity and can even see into the souls of those around her.
In combat, Tesset is a formidable stealth specialist, striking without warning and then vanishing without a trace. She lacks the brute strength to go face-to-face with most foes, but this hardly matters when they can’t even see her coming. Outside of combat, Tesset still struggles with her new role as a pilot, having been freed from captivity only a few short years ago. Seraph pilots are typically raised from youth, but she found herself thrust into their martial way of life as an adult.
Tesset makes her debut appearance in the second book, Throne of the Dead, and may show up in the third … if she survives. 🙂
What is the Seraphim Revival?
This is a story of Intense Mech Combat. The seraphs represent the absolute pinnacle of combat technology. Fueled by the pilot’s own soul, seraphs are capable of drawing upon almost limitless power. The relationship between pilot and machine is symbiotic to the point where any boundaries between them vanish. In a sense, the pilots become their seraphs. Clashes between them are brutal contests where willpower matters just as much as hardware.
This is a story of the Living Ruled by the Dead. Here is a society where the preserved minds of the deceased exercise absolute authority over the living. Seraph pilots are extremely rare, and therefore incredibly valuable. Not everyone, dead or alive, has their best interests in mind.
This is a story of Honor and Betrayal. The best way to take out a seraph is with another seraph, but the gift to command such a craft is hereditary. Many pilots share common bloodlines, and when sides are chosen, some divides fall in the worst possible places.
You mentioned a trilogy of books.
Yes I did. And they are …
Book 1 – Bane of the Dead
Book 2 – Throne of the Dead
Book 3 – Disciple of the Dead
All seraphs launching 2015!
Subscribe to the Holo Writing Newsletter to receive updates on our current and future books.
Seraphim Revival – Book Trilogy Reveal!
In an empire ruled by the honored dead, seraphs are the ultimate weapons. Fueled by the pilot’s very soul, these colossal humanoid war machines are unstoppable in battle. Only a few possess the gift to control such craft, and those men and women are prized above all others.
Jack Donolon is the most powerful pilot in existence, a hero of Earth with a mind fractured by his seraph. On the far side of the galaxy, he uncovers a terrible truth about the seraphs and their pilots. Now he must return on a mission no one will understand, to face and kill the people who once called him friend and comrade.
But the death he will bring is insignificant next to the destruction that will follow, should he fail …
The Seraphim Revival book trilogy is on its way!
That’s right. A whole trilogy! And it’s not like you’ll have to wait years to read the conclusion. All three books are well past the 1st draft stage. Our goal is to polish-polish-polish the entire series like crazy and then release all three books THIS YEAR!
UPDATE: Book 1 has been released!
UPDATE: Book 2 has been released!
We’re very excited about this new series. Both H.P. and I have been toiling on these manuscripts for the past several months, refining them to the level of quality you, our readers, deserve. We may be self-published here at Holo Writing, but we take the quality of our manuscripts very seriously.
As you can see, the highly talented Adam Burn has been hard at work producing gorgeous cover art for the trilogy. Here you can see one of the true stars of the books: the mighty seraphs!
What is the Seraphim Revival?
This is a story of Intense Mech Combat. The seraphs represent the absolute pinnacle of combat technology. Fueled by the pilot’s own soul, seraphs are capable of drawing upon almost limitless power. The relationship between pilot and machine is symbiotic to the point where any boundaries between them vanish. In a sense, the pilots become their seraphs. Clashes between them are brutal contests where willpower matters just as much as hardware.
This is a story of the Living Ruled by the Dead. Here is a society where the preserved minds of the deceased exercise absolute authority over the living. Seraph pilots are extremely rare, and therefore incredibly valuable. Not everyone, dead or alive, has their best interests in mind.
This is a story of Honor and Betrayal. The best way to take out a seraph is with another seraph, but the gift to command such a craft is hereditary. Many pilots share common bloodlines, and when sides are chosen, some divides fall in the worst possible places.
You mentioned a trilogy of books.
Yes I did. And they are …
Book 1 – Bane of the Dead
Book 2 – Throne of the Dead
Book 3 – Disciple of the Dead
What about Humanity Machine? Where’s that book?
I have good news and news (which is really neither good nor bad). The good news is that Humanity Machine will be released. Eventually. The novel is now a very polished 3rd draft, and it’s coming out one way or another.
I honestly wish we could publish the book now, but here comes the neither-good-nor-bad news.
How the novel will be published is a bit of an open question. Actually two open questions. I know that’s horribly vague, but to say anything more at this time would be premature. There are some potentially exciting opportunities here, and the delay comes from H.P. and I taking the time to explore them properly.
So, yes. Humanity Machine will be coming out. You can count on that.
When is the Seraphim Revival trilogy coming out?
Our goal is to release the complete trilogy this year. All seraphs launching 2015!
Subscribe to the Holo Writing Newsletter to receive updates on our current and future books.