Re-shaded Deathsworn Arc 4: Rise of the Archmage

Thanks so much for reaching out! Thanks so much for the kind words! Have you signed up for the newsletter by the way?

To answer your questions, first of all YES! Deathsworn Arc 4: Rise of the Archmage is in the process of being edited now. Book 4 is another longer one, around the same length as Book 3. I think it’s been a tricky book to get right, the story introduces some new character and expands existing ones. It’s a complicated book. I don’t really dare start book 5 until 4 is finished, because I still might have a to make a few changes. I wish I could tell you more about it, but I don’t think I can without using spoilers. I will reveal that on their travels the companions meet another dark elf, a female whom you see on the cover. Book 5 is likely to be ‘The Temple of the Mad God’ now. I was close to getting there in Book 4, but because I started covering more groups, I got to a stage where the story was told and it was time to close the book up.

I plan to release ‘Deathsworn Arc 4: Rise of the Archmage’ at some point within the next three months. It might be 4 weeks away at the earliest. I don’t want to repeat my mistake of releasing books too early when they still have errors and issues to sort out.

The length of the series I originally thought would be about 8 books. However at the time I was expecting the companions to get to the ‘Temple of the Mad God’ in book 2 or 3. I now wonder if it will run out to ten books or more? I know what happens next, I know what happens later and I know how it ends. This is NOT a series which will run on forever.

As for the length of the books, to be honest I honestly intended for the companions to get to the ‘Temple of the Mad God’ in book 2, but I got them out of the well and I realized it was a finished story at that point. There’d been a build-up and a climax and a new episode was starting. The same is true of book 3. If I’d stuck to my original intention book 1 would have been 62,000 ish words and book 2 would have been half a million words!

As for combining several books into a larger volume – I have thought of this. Currently I was debating whether to make books 1-3 into a boxed set. That would make one boxed set book of about 200,000 words which is more inline with hardcore fantasy books. I could include book 4 too of course, which would make it closer to 285,000 words. But maybe it makes more sense to put them together in trilogies?

With regard to long sections of travelling and longer novels. It’s a funny thing but some readers complain that there is too much travelling and talking in the books! I’ll be honest I feel it’s something I don’t have a great deal of control over. Sometimes there is a lot of travelling because there has to be. In book 4 there is a lot of travelling, the book starts in Cormaroth, but by the time they’ve gotten as far as they get to go in the book I think you understand Vashni, Brael and Elden Roth a lot more.

I love talking to people about my stories and learning what people took from them. The best thank you any reader can give me, is writing a review, it doesn’t have to be technical or a literary review, I just like to read about what people liked and didn’t like. Sometimes people pick up on things in a different way to how I expected them too. It’s actually something of a fear about book 4, because I really take things in new directions. I ended up spending a lot more time on Vexis, Fox, Lindie and Kaya than I expected to. I’m hoping to be able to write book 5 a little faster. Book 4 has been a slow one partly because of the complexity, it revisits characters and locations I’ve already covered – and I want the books to be consistent. But also because I’ve been studying Creative Writing and Science throughout the time I’ve been writing it. I also work full time and have two kids and a house to look after! I’d love to write full-time and put more books out, but alas at them moment it’s a pipe dream.

Have you read the Lambton Worm by the way and The Return of the Worm Slayer? They’re technically folklore and only short stories, but they are the same flavour as Deathsworn Arc. I’d love to know what you thought!

If you haven’t already, please consider writing me a short review for Amazon and Goodreads! I haven’t had a review for ages it seems and a positive one would really lift my spirits! 🙂

Thanks again for contacting. I’d love to discuss books 1 – 3 with you on email. Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss them!

I do occasionally post on my Goodreads blog so it might be worth following me for updates if you’re interested:-

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6545672.Martyn_Stanley/blog

I also post concept art and other little bits of news to my facebook page here:-

https://www.facebook.com/DeathswornArc/

I’m trying to raise money for Cancer Research UK too, by doing the January dryathlon. If you can spare a couple of quid it would be amazing if you’d consider sponsoring me!

https://www.justgiving.com/Martyn-Stanley-dryathlte2016

Do keep in touch! It can feel very lonely sometimes, putting these stories out, then waiting months for people to review, wondering what they thought of the latest book!

Best wishes,

Martyn Stanley

3 thoughts on “Re-shaded Deathsworn Arc 4: Rise of the Archmage”

Hunter says:

January 11, 2016 at 5:11 am

First off, I’d like to take the time to compliment you on thinking up such a wonderfully vivid story of strife and moral ambiguity of religion. Fan of your work, bought all three of your books, even though I first seen your book advertised free. Supporting the art, and what not. I’m in the midst of Book 3, hearing Korhan speak of leaving Torea to return home proud/ accomplished, i just had to find out if there were more books in the process of being written. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind potentially announcing a possible release date? It can’t come soon enough!

If I could offer one piece of constructive criticism. One your are free to ignore, of course. Compound books 1 & 2, and maybe eventually 3 & 4. A bigger longer book will draw the more hardcore fantasy readers, you have created such a vivid world, you are in no danger of running out of content. Don’t be afraid of being boring, slow things down a bit, take them on A journey, nobody wants to read 30 pages about a simple trek between one destination and the next but it allows the readers to feel the heroes exhaustion, and then, elation, as they close out a arduous, transition to the next setting, while yet being a necessary segue for the plot.

If you ever want to bounce any ideas off your fans, I’ll include my email, as corespondence would be an honor.
1. martyns says:
  
  January 11, 2016 at 11:53 am
  
  Thanks so much for reaching out! Thanks so much for the kind words! Have you signed up for the newsletter by the way?
  
  To answer your questions, first of all YES! Deathsworn Arc 4: Rise of the Archmage is in the process of being edited now. Book 4 is another longer one, around the same length as Book 3. I think it’s been a tricky book to get right, the story introduces some new character and expands existing ones. It’s a complicated book. I don’t really dare start book 5 until 4 is finished, because I still might have a to make a few changes. I wish I could tell you more about it, but I don’t think I can without using spoilers. I will reveal that on their travels the companions meet another dark elf, a female whom you see on the cover. Book 5 is likely to be ‘The Temple of the Mad God’ now. I was close to getting there in Book 4, but because I started covering more groups, I got to a stage where the story was told and it was time to close the book up.
  
  I plan to release ‘Deathsworn Arc 4: Rise of the Archmage’ at some point within the next three months. It might be 4 weeks away at the earliest. I don’t want to repeat my mistake of releasing books too early when they still have errors and issues to sort out.
  
  The length of the series I originally thought would be about 8 books. However at the time I was expecting the companions to get to the ‘Temple of the Mad God’ in book 2 or 3. I now wonder if it will run out to ten books or more? I know what happens next, I know what happens later and I know how it ends. This is NOT a series which will run on forever.
  
  As for the length of the books, to be honest I honestly intended for the companions to get to the ‘Temple of the Mad God’ in book 2, but I got them out of the well and I realized it was a finished story at that point. There’d been a build-up and a climax and a new episode was starting. The same is true of book 3. If I’d stuck to my original intention book 1 would have been 62,000 ish words and book 2 would have been half a million words!
  
  As for combining several books into a larger volume – I have thought of this. Currently I was debating whether to make books 1-3 into a boxed set. That would make one boxed set book of about 200,000 words which is more inline with hardcore fantasy books. I could include book 4 too of course, which would make it closer to 285,000 words. But maybe it makes more sense to put them together in trilogies?
  
  With regard to long sections of travelling and longer novels. It’s a funny thing but some readers complain that there is too much travelling and talking in the books! I’ll be honest I feel it’s something I don’t have a great deal of control over. Sometimes there is a lot of travelling because there has to be. In book 4 there is a lot of travelling, the book starts in Cormaroth, but by the time they’ve gotten as far as they get to go in the book I think you understand Vashni, Brael and Elden Roth a lot more.
  
  I love talking to people about my stories and learning what people took from them. The best thank you any reader can give me, is writing a review, it doesn’t have to be technical or a literary review, I just like to read about what people liked and didn’t like. Sometimes people pick up on things in a different way to how I expected them too. It’s actually something of a fear about book 4, because I really take things in new directions. I ended up spending a lot more time on Vexis, Fox, Lindie and Kaya than I expected to. I’m hoping to be able to write book 5 a little faster. Book 4 has been a slow one partly because of the complexity, it revisits characters and locations I’ve already covered – and I want the books to be consistent. But also because I’ve been studying Creative Writing and Science throughout the time I’ve been writing it. I also work full time and have two kids and a house to look after! I’d love to write full-time and put more books out, but alas at them moment it’s a pipe dream.
  
  Have you read the Lambton Worm by the way and The Return of the Worm Slayer? They’re technically folklore and only short stories, but they are the same flavour as Deathsworn Arc. I’d love to know what you thought!
  
  If you haven’t already, please consider writing me a short review for Amazon and Goodreads! I haven’t had a review for ages it seems and a positive one would really lift my spirits! 🙂
  
  Thanks again for contacting. I’d love to discuss books 1 – 3 with you on email. Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss them!
  
  I do occasionally post on my Goodreads blog so it might be worth following me for updates if you’re interested:-
  
  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6545672.Martyn_Stanley/blog
  
  I also post concept art and other little bits of news to my facebook page here:-
  
  https://www.facebook.com/DeathswornArc/
  
  I’m trying to raise money for Cancer Research UK too, by doing the January dryathlon. If you can spare a couple of quid it would be amazing if you’d consider sponsoring me!
  
  https://www.justgiving.com/Martyn-Stanley-dryathlte2016
  
  Do keep in touch! It can feel very lonely sometimes, putting these stories out, then waiting months for people to review, wondering what they thought of the latest book!
  
  Best wishes,
  
  Martyn Stanley
Hunter says:

January 11, 2016 at 5:13 am

And the cover looks awesome!

Comments are closed.