Kings of the Night

G.W. Thomas's online fantasy magazine, Kings of the Night has some very nifty fantasy tales and also features some great artwork by M.D. Jackson (see the included painting). He even has a section on Sword and Planet stories and makes mention of the Dire Planet series (which Amazon is carrying at the new low price of $11.95 each) in a most complimentary way! Check out the Sword and Planet section here.

As a side note, I'm currently entrenched in writing the fourth Dire Planet novel, Lost Tribes of the Dire Planet, which I'm about 25,000 words into. As usual, the characters are dictating the story to me--instead of the other way around. The former galbran, Naegrik, is making himself a prominent part of the story. Also, an exile warrior who took part of the invasion of Ledgrim --who I thought was going to be a minor nemesis in this novel--has let me know that she has contradictory plans of her own.

Of course, these are just a couple elements of the novel. Kurt Vonnegut has said, about writing, that every character in a scene should want something-- even if it's just a glass of water. I find that when I listen to my characters wants and desires that the plot thickens in ways that I never imagined, and minor characters surprise me and become major players.