2015- Woah.

Well, I can't say I'm sorry to see 2015 end. There have been some serious low points. BUT overall 2015 has been the most sucessful year I've ever had. BIG BIG things are coming. And so I'm sharing a list of all the things that happened this year and a sneak peak at where we are headed. Thanks so much to all of you for your support and your love and your reviews and for reading. I could not be doing all of this without all of you. :)

So here's what went down this year

Death and Other Ends released: April 10, 2015

• #9621 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Anthologies
• #18437 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Anthologies & Literature Collections
• #39526 in Kindle Store > Kindle Short Reads > Two hours or more (65-100 pages) > Literature & Fiction

You can pick up a copy by clicking on the picture :)

I did a podcast appearance with Dave Robison, Mike Luoma and Andrew Weston for The Roundtable Podcast!

Voices In Poetry happened and morphed into Words In Progress!

I am the director of these programs, which bring poetry and short fiction workshops into local schools. We are entirely grant funded and the programs release publications at the end of each one. Our first publication: 

 The Book is currently available for puchase and all proceeds go towards funding future workshops.Our next publication: Words In Progress Volume 1 will be released in the spring of 2016.

As if all of that wasn't enough: I was signed with The Ed Greenwood Group!

TEGG is the first of it's kind. An interactive publishing group that is helmed by Ed Greenwood (The Archmage himself) the renowned author of The Forgetten Realms books and game setting for Dungeons and Dragons. This is an incredible place, with settings for everyone: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Erotica, Horror, you name it, we have a setting for it. I will be writing books for the Winterknight Towers setting, with my first novel The Renshouse Affair releasing in 2018. I will also be the acting Lore Guardian as well as an Author for The Great Galactic Game setting. For this incredible science fiction world I have gained a partner. An incredible artist and engaging voice: Dan Barrett.  Our first book for this setting is scheduled to release summer of 2019 and is entitled: The Laird's Ken. For more information on TEGG or either of these settings please visit OnderLibrum.com.  You can also visit the currently active setting HELLMAW and delve into the world of Daemons with currently available titles: Your World is Doomed by Ed Greenwood, Dragon Dreams by Chris Jackson, and Blind Justice by Erik Scott de Bie

And last but certainly not least. I've added some incredible people to my team.

 My creative partner Dan Barrett is a graphic artist and writer that has added imagination, depth and a wealth of knowledge to my science fiction creations and I am so incredibly thankful for him.

And my fierce editor Michalea Moore is an author as well as an editor and my friend. She shows me no mercy and I love every minute of it. Her insights have been and will continue to be invaluable in my writing now and for years to come. She is also an author and is finishing up her first novel Queen of Heka. 

Thank-you again everyone for such an incredible year! More to come in 2016!

Best Wishes and Happy New Years!

C.E. Robertson

When Authors Write With Other Authors

So, I'm sitting at the local Panera, getting ready to focus and work on my first novel for The Ed Greenwood Group and I have my fellows around me. Michalea Moore and Jerilyn Dufresne work in entirely different genres so getting their take on the world is a nice step outside of my own little box. It's an interesting set up that allows for me to focus even though I'm surrounded by the public at large and speaking the atmosphere is extremely conducsive to productivity. Something I had not expected.

But, hey, the words are happening, so stayed tuned: The Renshouse Affair releases October 2018

Thanksgiving Announcements!

Good morning! On this, the day of thankfulness I wanted to get back out on the blogverse and give all of you amazing readers a quick update on what I've been doing (so sorry, I will try to post more regularly)


As you know, I have been accepted to work with The Archmage himself: Mr. Ed Greenwood in his The Ed Greenwood Group publications venture. (Still fangirling over here) BUT what you may not know is what that means exactly, so I thought I'd take a minute and fill you all in.

So, if you head on over to the Onder Librum you will see that there is a chapters menu with a World Foundry in it. This is where you can see the different settings that are being published and filled with novels and games and you will find my books in The Great Galactic Game  and Winterknight Towers


My first book is in Winterknight Towers and is scheduled to release in October 2018 and it will be followed by a three book series with release dates in October 2019, 2020 and 2021! Winterknight Towers is where you are going to get the dark, rich, horror that I so love to write and I really cannot wait to share more with you all in the coming months about these books!

If you clicked the link above to The Great Galactic Game, you may have noticed that I am listed as the Lore Guardian  in that setting! This is extremely exciting news! The Great Galactic Game is a wonderfully quirky science fiction setting and the writers there are top notch. I am thrilled to be working so closely with them as they develop their stories, and I can't wait to meet new creatives to share with :) More than that, I also have a saga of books in the setting with scheduled release dates of June 2019, 2020, 2021 and possibly the years beyond. I am not writing these books alone. My writing partner and The Great Galactic Game Art Director is Dan Barrett, a graphic artist and visionary Dan has brought energy and vitality to my science fiction and kept me on my toes. I am beyond pleased with this partnership and I can't wait to see what comes of it down the road!

I'll be sharing more details on Dan and my upcoming releases (as well as those of my fellow authors) so be sure and follow to stay up to date!

Until Next Time!

C.E.

Welcome to Hellmaw!

Finally! We are opening the doors of the Onder Librum! The gigantically excited brain child of Ed Greenwood is now open for your viewing pleasure! Be sure to register for an account and keep up to date on all of the exciting books and games coming your way from The Ed Greenwood Group!

First on the list is HELLMAW, with Your World is Doomed by Ed Greenwood now available for pre-order and a host of other exciting works right on it's tails. You will be dazzled by the incredible art of Eric Belisle and the stories from a long list of talented authors, such as



Ed Greenwood
Erik Scott de Bie
W.O. Cassity
Dave-Brendan de Burg
Angela Meadon

Not to mention the partnership with Dave Robison of Wonderthing Studios. Oh the epic goodness that will come from this pairing is too absonome!

Want to know more? Hear what Ed himself has to say on The Melting Potcast with A.F. Grappin and the Hellmaw teaser video!

Special Episode of The Melting Potcast

The Latest: Memories, Zombies and A theme park??????

What's new in Science and Horror this week? Check it out


If you have trouble remembering, well science is working on that for you

Scientists to bypass brain damage by re-encoding memories

Zombie fans can get the latest installment of Z-Risen by Timothy W. Long!

Reavers

*Update. Paperback version is now available!

Looking for a good scare? Check out Before I Wake now in theatres

Interested in a new SciFi read? Try out The Capital of Latecomers by Nina Nenova available Oct. 1

Bonus! Check out this announcement from BioWare about a MassEffect ride coming in 2016!

Until Next Time!

Collaboration

I've never really written with a partner before. I wasn't planning on doing it now, but sometimes you just have to acknowledge that their perspective and voice is exactly what your story needs. Sometimes another persons enthusiasm is what keeps you motivated to continue. Sometimes you just get the most brilliant ideas from them to run with. I am learning this as I write this latest book. I really can't wait to see to how all this turns out :)



Until Next Time!

My new logo for the Science Fiction world!

Discovering a new Genre and The Latest Updates

So, the best part about taking on new jobs is discovering new angles, new characters, new stories to tell. I've always been a darker story teller, and while that hasn't changed I have been working in the Science Fiction genre of late. So very different from horror. Sure there are elements of horror in scifi, but there is so much more room to play with different themes, add humor without poignant irony and generally get a new outlook on my craft. More details to come on this project later on :)

Another new thing is childrens literature. I've lately completed a text for a picture book that I'll be submitting to publishers. Wish me luck!

I have been remiss in posting this last week so here's The Latest:

In science

Making 3-D objects disappear: Ultrathin invisibility cloak created

In Horror:

Happy Birthday to Stephen King!

In Books and Movies:

The Green Inferno releasing Sept 25th 2015

The Best Horror of the Year volume 7

Until Next Time!

The Latest : Vampires, Grandparents, Undiscovered Species and new Funko!

You can now pick up The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith. Releasing to much acclaim this book follows Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter's Henry Sturges in this historical fantasy sequel. Grahame-Smith's unique voice is not one to be missed, check it out on Amazon!

M. Night Shyamalan is back at it with The Visit. Releasing 9/11/2015 this is the first Shyamalan film in a while that I think might be worth checking out.

Even science is getting in on the act this week with a brand new spread of species bones. Check it out!

Fossils suggest new species from human genus

And for those of you with a fetish for Funko ( like me) Head on over to The Nerdist and check out these awesome new Crimson Peak and Nightmare Before Christmas figures! I LOVE THEM!

Until Next Time!

The Conclave Discussion

Hello everyone! While I am busily working for The Ed Greenwood Group, my personal projects are also still happening (just a tad bit slower than they were before). One of those projects is my two book set The Conclave.  I had the pleasure of workshopping it with Dave Robison, Andrew Weston and Mike Luoma on the distinguished (Parsecs Awards Finalist!) Roundtable Podcast.

One of the great things about RTP is that you can go listen to the episodes as many times as you want and you can also leave your thoughts for the the authors and presenters in the forums! If you have thoughts or questions about The Conclave please head on over to the forum and leave them for me! I'd love to hear from you!

Didn't get a chance to listen to my episode yet? That's alright, you can tune in to it here!

I am so excited to tell you all.....

I have officially joined The Ed Greenwood Group!!! (take a moment here to geek out with me my fellow gamers, because yes, I do in fact refer to The Archmage himself!!!!!)  So what does this mean? As a Creative in TEGG Sessorium I will be working with Mr. Greenwood and other amazing Creatives within some new world settings that Mr. Greenwood has created for this incredible new venture. In fact, I'll be writing in two different world settings and have signed on for a grand total of four books!! The first two to be released in 2019. I can't say more right now, but keep your eyes peeled for more wonderful news as I can give it to you. I am beyond excited and immensely grateful to be a part of TEGG.  Check out my Profile :)

Want to know more? Check it out here!        

Follow me on Twitter
Follow Mr. Greenwood on Twitter
Like my Facebook Page
Like Mr. Greenwood's Facebook Page


And stayed tuned. There is so much more to come.


For now
C.E. Robertson

Create Your Team

Super fun activity today from my fellow Author
Briana Robertson 
In her latest Blog post: Create Your Team

The task is to create your dream team of Heroes and Villains.  You choose one DC character, one Marvel character, one Video Game character and one Anime character for each category. Be sure to check out her list and create yours! Comment with a link to your blog post or just comment your choices :)  You can learn more about mine by clicking on the character names

My Heroes

DC: Black Canary 

Black Canary is a bad ass. Her incredible gift for tactics paired with her fighting skills, sonic abilities and her motorcycle prove that. Her stint as the leader of Birds of Prey gave her a chance to shine and her longstanding alliance with the Green Lantern is one of my personal favorites within the DC Verse.

Marvel: Iron Man

This really doesn't require an explanation.
Iron Man,
Tony Stark
Enough Said. 

Video Game: Hawke from Dragon Age II

 Forged in the tragedy of the war against the Blight. Hawke travels to a new city, and makes a name for himself before saving it from it's corrupt leaders. He's resourceful, strong, powerful, loyal and just a tad rebellious. Oh, and sexy as hell. Bioware really did this character right.

Anime: Alucard from Hellsing

 The ultimate Vampire is a bit unstable but he is not to be trifled with, after all, his mantra goes like this:
 "In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation. Amen."

Did I mention he has different levels of badassery to release? Because he does. 

My Villains

DC:  Poison Ivy 

It doesn't get any sexier or any more dangerous than Poison Ivy. Outside of The Joker, Ivy is arguable Batman's more powerful nemesis with her poisoned lips and her ability to control plant life this bodylicious villain is a strong member of my axis of evil.

Marvel: Magneto

 Magneto is the quintessential Marvel villain, a victim of WWII he was manipulated and twisted by the darkest of humankind. What he became is legend. 

Video Game: Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII

 The disillusioned super soldier that turned on Shinra and then the rest of the world is as frightening as he is beautiful. He was best of the modified SOLDIERs and his unrivaled abilities make me a must have. 

Anime: Griffith from Berserk

 Sometimes the coldest heart hides behind a beautiful face.  Griffith is just that kind of villain. His brutality and lack of empathy make him the one on my team that you should be the most afraid of. 

So there you have it readers! A fun little break while I work on my submissions. Come back next week for more writing updates and information and don't forget to share your teams with me! Comment you lists or your link to it. Tweet about it using #CreateYourTeam and share it with the world!

Until we meet again!

C.E.

Focus ( and a new story seed!)

Sometimes it seems like everything happens at once, good or bad, and then you are just left waiting. That has definitely been me lately, a huge windstorm swept through out town knocking out my power and Internet access for several days. Once I got back on, I couldn't seem to focus at all! But I'm back in the swing of things with my new writing area set up, working on a short story submission, a novel, two role playing games, a pitch for an exciting new project! Woah! It's a lot going on! So thank you for your patience as I have revamped. This will not be the last time I'm sure.

I'd love to hear from you though! Below is my next Story Seed. If it inspires you, write a story (2k or less) and send it to me! I'll share my favorites!

Until then, Keep writing!

Story Seed #2

With everything in the world moving, why does it feel like I'm standing here, staring at those eyes?

Want to send me a story based on that seed? Send it to inanitusdolose@gmail.com with Story Seed in the subject line! Submission for this seed must be sent in by September 15th and be no longer than two thousand words. Happy Writing!

W.I.P. (Work in Progress) First Update

Well, today is July 1st. Day one of the summer session of Camp NaNoWriMo

and I am using it as a tool to jump start the second draft of The Conclave. Which is turning into more of a complete rewrite But, one of the biggest reasons I started this blog was to track the process of getting The Conclave published and open a window into my extremely chaotic process. I might even find a little organization along the way (fingers crossed).

I don't want to give too much away with this post, there will be excerpts and the groundwork for this draft is well laid out in my upcoming workshop interview on The Roundtable Podcast. Which will air on July 7th. (be sure and check out the fabulous 20 Minutes with Andrew Weston that is currently available)

The gentlemen interviewing and helping me spin ideas are author Andrew P. Weston, writer, producer and broadcaster  Mike Luoma and the incredible Dave Robison who produces the Roundtable Podcast among many other projects. They are truly remarkable men and I can't wait to see what their insights inspire in this draft .

My goal for the next 30 days is to finish the second draft of the conclave with a 2000 words per day count. Be sure to check back for the next installment of W.I.P. for an excerpt and a progress update!

Darkness in the World Today

I've often pondered what place my art has in today's world. As we grow more tolerant and even more violent at the same time.  A world that wants to forget the darkness by bringing it tolerably into the light.  The road to the light is lined with shadows,  people seem to forget that.  As the world moves closer and closer to equality, the groups still fighting for their fair share are getting more and more vocal, more and more aggressive, and we all look the other way.  So where do people who see the stories in that violence, in that human darkness, who dare to write about them fit?

No one wants to say it, but we are more relevant now than ever.  As I'm writing this, I'm watching Deliverance for the first time.  This is horror at it's absolute finest. My heart beat so powerfully I could hear it as if it was pounding directly into my sternum. No movie or book has elicited that response in me before. Ever.

Why, as these men are arguing do I feel such a powerful tug, as if I am a part of their struggle? I say it is because the darkness that we seek to obliterate by being so open with ourselves and each other is finally finding a home. It's ok to be just twisted enough that people know you are, and no one thinks twice about it. We make it part of the norm, and the evil that lives inside us becomes our neighbor, hiding in plain sight. Camouflaged in a way it never has been before.

So those of us that still see it, we voices of night and dark and terror and truth, we must speak out, and loudly. We must remind people of what lurks beneath the surface. We must stave off complacency in the world, feed the paranoia that is the taut string helping us survive.  We tellers of tales have that power. By exposing the monsters withing, we arm ourselves and our readers to face the monsters without.

And just for fun:

Hello There!

I've been considering doing a blog for awhile now and I've decided now is the time to start.  Since I've never been busier in my life so why not add a new thing? So what can you expect from me? Well, to start out one post per week, probably on Wednesdays, and I'll mostly be talking about my preferred genres, horror, neo-noir, dark fantasy and thriller. I'll mix in some high and sci-fi every so often as well.

You can also follow my journey to publication with The Conclave (working title). I'm seeking traditional publishing this time, and I'll be posting about how I'm going about it, giving you little teasers of the book itself and detailing the process.

Once a month I'll do a book review and every so often I'll drop you a story seed, like the one at the bottom of this post.  Whenever you see one of those, if you're inspired write it up and send it to me, I'' feature my favorites on the blog!

I'm looking forward to heading down this road with you and having this blogging experience, I hope we all enjoy it!

C.E.Robertson


Story Seed: Slug are the larvae stage of baby demons, they can be killed with salt at this stage because they are weak, but as they grow they get stronger and salt can only act as a barrier.

Want to send me a story based on that seed? Send it to inanitusdolose@gmail.com with Story Seed in the subject line! Submission for this seed must be sent in by July 15th and be no longer than two thousand words. Happy Writing!