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Tale of a Frozen Heart COVER REVEAL!!! #Writing #Fantasy #SciFi

And so here we are…

As promised, the cover design is now live and ready!!! The book’s scheduled release date is a go!

Drakin_Frozen-Heart_Final-Poster-Web

 

Allow me the luxury of introducing the talented people behind this work…

Artist: Brett Warniers 

Photographer: Rick Chandler

Model: Jenson Tavares

These people are very talented and I’d recommend them and their work any day of the week!

The release date of the book is still on track for May 25th! So stay frosty, stay safe, and read a book! We’ll talk to you again soon!

“Tale of a Frozen Heart”

Blurb…
“War always comes with consequences, many of which are not immediately apparent. The remaining dragons were allowed to integrate into human society, despite many underlying tensions. A recently discovered ability that makes dragons appear more humanlike has helped move things along. However, not everything is as peaceful as it seems.

Asher Cole is attending his final year in one of the many integrated high schools. Life is relatively mundane until he crosses paths with Taryn, a green-eyed girl who does nothing but make his life difficult. They wind up stuck working together on a science project. As he works with her, it becomes apparent that there is more to her than meets the eye.

A dark secret that even she doesn’t know could threaten the fledgling peace. Taryn’s dreams become haunted by a malevolent entity that is hell-bent on destroying her. Ash is in a race to save them both before they both lose their sanity. If he fails, she will not have the strength to prevent this unknown evil from wreaking havoc on the world.”

The projected release date of the book is May 25. So stay frosty! Releasing a new book never get’s old and I’m very excited for this one!

Stay safe, stay healthy, read a book!



Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Note:
If you have read my books, PLEASE log into Amazon and post a review. I really love to hear everyone’s thoughts and constructive criticisms. Reviews help get my book attention and word of mouth is everything in this business!

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

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From My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

 

“One listen and you’ll feel like you can run out and slay a dragon!”

Finally got my hands on Dragonforce’s latest album. Paint me relieved!!!

The Power Within was great, but it wasn’t up to DF’s normal standard… the lengthy guitar solos and speedy tempo were noticeably absent from many of their songs.
Then came Maximum Overload… Ugh… I mean it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. Scaled against the other Dragonforce albums, it was arguably the worst one. Dragonforce is a band I can often listen to from cover to cover, and being a huge fan…

DF1(Perhaps super fan might be a better name…)

While I have a hard time saying anything bad about them, I was wholeheartedly relieved by this album. Reaching to Infinitely has everything the old Dragonforce used to have. It’s no Ultra Beatdown, but… let’s face it, NOTHING is going to top Ultra Beatdown.

When to listen:
“We reached for the moon
We conquered the stars
We cried for the tears of yesterday
Still strong to the end
‘Til we’ll meet again
Remember the glory of the brave

We stand at the dawn
Our kingdom reborn
And wait for the sun to rise again
A light in the sky
So free and so wild
A light from our last eternal flame”

Final fight build-up. No doubt about it. This is where all hope will either be justified or lost.

 



Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

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From My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

 

 

You ever love a band so much that you buy an album, sort of glance over it, and then it goes into your CD vault for months or years with barely another thought? That happened with this one… and boy am I kicking myself. Thorn Without a Rose is an amazing song off of Edguy’s Tinnitus Sanctus album!

When to listen: General playlist. This is modern hair metal at its finest. God I love this band… It also could be used as a celebratory song at the end of an album.



Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

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The Ins and Outs of Publishing, A Directory of Advice. #Writing #Author #Advice

Okay, so it looks like I’m still getting a lot of publishing questions. These are recurrent questions I get on a regular basis, and while I want to try to respond to everyone who reaches out to me, I don’t want my blog becoming redundant. So I think I’m going to repost this on a weekly basis from now on to help people navigate the publishing world. I don’t really see another way around it.

So if you have questions regarding publishing, PLEASE check below to see if any of this helps you before reaching out. I’m always happy to help, but I may have already answered your question.

Publishing is a tough road to navigate. Please check out the links below. These are previous posts I’ve made about the ins and outs of publishing. They should be of assistance in your journey:

Am I Ready To Publish? This is a must read BEFORE even considering starting the process. I can’t tell you how many authors burned bridges by not being ready.

Editing… There is a Cost That Must be Paid… or is There? You can skip this one if you’ve already had your writing edited (by someone other than you!). However, I’d still recommend reading.

Getting Published… the basics… In this post, we explore traditional publishing vs. self-publishing. Here you’ll get the pros on cons of each and the steps you need to go through in order to be successful in either.

Finally…

Copyrighting my Writing. Am I Protected? This isn’t required reading… however, if you’re concerned about plagiarism, or in the future may need to file a copyright claim, I recommend giving it a read.

Feeling overwhelmed yet? I’d be surprised if you didn’t. The only sage advice I can offer you other than the documents above is simple…

  1. Do not give up. A million “No’s” suddenly become irrelevant if you get that one “yes”.
  2. People will tell you that everyone and their mother wants to publish a book. You’re up against insurmountable odds and a flooded market. This is false. You’re not up against everyone and their mother. Permit me the luxury and I’ll prove this mathematically: First of all, take the entire group of people who want to get published. Now take that number and reduce it by roughly 60%. You just eliminated all the people who want to get something published, but don’t have the time, ability, drive, or inspiration to write. Next, eliminate another 20%. You’ve now taken down all the people who can put pen to paper but can’t afford the time/money to put the work into advertising and getting published. Eliminate another 10% who can’t take criticism and thus aren’t going to be able to get their writing properly edited. Now eliminate another 5% either don’t have the patience for or get discouraged by receiving a series of “No’s” from publishers.
    Now take that last 5% and eliminate all of them, except you. Why? Because they’re irrelevant. You have your writing and they have there’s. Whether or not you get published and how successful you are isn’t about other people’s writing. Yes, in the end, it’s you against one person, you. Whether or not I’ll ever get to buy your book off the shelf depends on you; how much time, effort, and funds you’re willing to put into your writing. So make it good!

Let’s open it up to the floor. Readers, do you have any publishing advice for our friend here? Let her know in the comments!



Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Note:
If you have read my books, PLEASE log into Amazon and post a review. I really love to hear everyone’s thoughts and constructive criticisms. Reviews help get my book attention and word of mouth is everything in this business!

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

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Tale of a Frozen Heart (New Book) Update!!! #Writing #Fantasy #SciFi

I promised myself and my readers that I’d keep providing regular updates, but new news when it comes to production of a book is hard when its in its final run through…

Legal is all set. Everything’s been registered and assigned.

The cover is almost done… and it is EPIC! Brett sent me preliminary images and it sent a chill down my spine. Given that this is a dark fantasy, that’s what I’m going for.

Final edits are just about done, though I’m considering a last read-through before release.

And so here we are…

“Tale of a Frozen Heart”

We even have the blurb ready to go…
“War always comes with consequences, many of which are not immediately apparent. The remaining dragons were allowed to integrate into human society, despite many underlying tensions. A recently discovered ability that makes dragons appear more humanlike has helped move things along. However, not everything is as peaceful as it seems.

Asher Cole is attending his final year in one of the many integrated high schools. Life is relatively mundane until he crosses paths with Taryn, a green-eyed girl who does nothing but make his life difficult. They wind up stuck working together on a science project. As he works with her, it becomes apparent that there is more to her than meets the eye.

A dark secret that even she doesn’t know could threaten the fledgling peace. Taryn’s dreams become haunted by a malevolent entity that is hell-bent on destroying her. Ash is in a race to save them both before they both lose their sanity. If he fails, she will not have the strength to prevent this unknown evil from wreaking havoc on the world.”

The projected release date of the book is May 25. So stay frosty! Releasing a new book never get’s old and I’m very excited for this one!

Stay safe, stay healthy, read a book!



Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Note:
If you have read my books, PLEASE log into Amazon and post a review. I really love to hear everyone’s thoughts and constructive criticisms. Reviews help get my book attention and word of mouth is everything in this business!

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

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From My Writing Playlist

Not going to lie, this one is on my normal playlist. I am a huge fan of Lindsey Stirling and I do like Peter Hollens as well. They do a great job with this song, which is the opening to my favorite game of all time; Skyrim.

When to listen: Fight scenes. Any fight scenes will do. This song has all the dynamic of a fight. A build up, the initial clash, the quiet agony and pushing yourself to continue and the triumphant close. Give it a listen.

 

 



Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

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From My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

 

First of all… I really fucking hate this movie. The fast-paced editing gave me an absolute headache, there were limited original songs, the story was akin to a Disney princess tale mix with the Bohemian Rhapsody, and just… ugh. Nothing but the scenery was worth watching… until the finale. This song, one of the few originals was actually well done. I can’t find the original version where the owner sings the final refrain… the better version, but oh well.

When to listen: Duh… ITS A LOVE SONG! Play it at the conclusion of any love story plot line, even if that’s not the end of the book. Let the romance go out with a bang!

 



Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

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Drakin, where to buy, and what’s next? #Writing #Fantasy #SciFi

Hello all!

I hope everyone has enjoyed The Drakin Series!! Please don’t forget to leave me a review on Amazon once you’re done. That really helps me out a lot.

Copies of these books, as well as my others, can be purchased on Amazon by following this link:

James Harrington’s Author Page

They’re also available at Barnes and Noble, as well as many other places where books are sold!

Please feel free to like and reblog this post. Word of mouth helps us writers out a lot!


Drakin: The Story of Raiya


Book Synopsis:
‘ “Abomination, freak, monster…”  You get used to names like these when you have yellow eyes, horns, and scales, but Raiya could have really cared less.

After being forced into exile because of her appearance, Raiya’s mind has been focused on one goal; hunting down the dragon lord that killed her parents. For over thirty years, humanity has been locked in a struggle for survival against a race of dragons that had fallen from the heavens. They took everything from her and consumed the planet in a fierce war. Humanity’s numbers are quickly dwindling, leaving her few options in the way of allies.

What she doesn’t know is that her journey will strike at the very heart of the Red War and uncover truths about her past that she may not want to know. Can she finish what she started while coming to terms with the truths of her origin? ‘


Drakin: The Orphans of Haven


Book Synopsis:

The Red War may be over, but not all wounds have healed. For Sergeant Radley Zall, the nightmares never end. After years of struggling for survival, he finds himself in a dead end job, deporting wayward dragons to the Exclusion Zone. The horrors of his past have left him a broken man, slowing killing himself in a bottle of whiskey. It’s a wearying existence that many former soldiers have been subject to since the war ended, but for Radley, that is all about to change. Throughout his life, Radley’s hatred of dragons has been unmatched until one evening when a small one shows up on his doorstep. The pathetic creature is emaciated and begging for shelter. Her appearance reminds him of his younger self, compelling him to help her. That uncharacteristic decision forces him to confront his past actions— some of which may have contributed to a sinister plot to reignite the Red War and wipe out the few remaining dragons on Earth.


DRAKIN: An Empire of Ashes


 

Synopsis:

Two hundred years have passed, and the Red War has become a distant memory for most. Dragons and humans now live together in peace… but one powerful woman who has been deranged by her own history unleashes her vengeance on a helpless population.

Now, the world’s only hope for survival rests with Kaori, a naïve and wayward princess of the Eastern Empire. Having been disillusioned with her mother’s rule, she discovers a dark secret about her family that will change the course of history forever. She soon crosses paths with Nayeli and Joaquim, a pair of rogues living within her borders.

Their fight for survival takes an unexpected turn as a shadow of from the past reveals that the situation is more dangerous than they know. The fate of billions of lives rests on these three unlikely companions putting aside their differences to stand against the world.



Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Note:
If you have read my books, PLEASE log into Amazon and post a review. I really love to hear everyone’s thoughts and constructive criticisms. Reviews help get my book attention and word of mouth is everything in this business!

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

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From My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

 

Definitely one of the most unorthodox bands on my list. I absolutely love these guys. This song is not for soft ears, but if you give it a chance, it’s actually a pretty good build up song.

When to listen: It’s a good opening song. Definitely a song to listen to when writing the beginning of your story.

 

P.S. SERIOUSLSY, IS THAT ARIA STARK AT THE END!?



Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

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From My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

 

This beautiful power ballad brings a tear to my eye every time. It has everything an 80s hair metal band would have and more. Definitely one of the band’s stronger songs.

When to Listen: Eh… I mean there are two places I suppose you could. One could make the argument that this could be a song for a romantic or intimate scene, but I don’t.
With lines like ‘The Kiss of Death is All I need, Set me free from the night.’ Yeah this is a death or loss song. I listened to this in the past when I’ve killed off a character that wasn’t easy to part with. Simply put, this song can help push you past the hesitation.

 



Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

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Grammar in Dialogue? #Fantasy #Fiction #Advice

Hi Jim,

I’ve been working on my story for a while and it takes me through a lot of dialogue along the way. I’m trying to write a modern story with slang and lingo that people today understand. However my spellcheck picks it up and gives me the ‘correct’ recommendations. I don’t want my writing to sound unprofessional, but I don’t want my characters to sound like robots either. What should I do?

Thanks,
MandyMinx


Hi MandyMinx

Annoying isn’t it? My best advice is to turn off the auto correct and spelling underlines while writing or they will drive you nuts. Turn them on when you’re done. They’re there to help, but they can be a major distraction and source of frustration. Honestly if you were to copy/paste a novel by anyone from Stephen King to Mark Twain, to Homer into your spellcheck, you’ll be amazed what comes up. I would place correct grammar on the back burner when it comes to dialogue. Keep an eye on it only when you need to. If you have characters that talk with accents, characters that use broken English, or even characters that just talk the way people do today, it’s going to set off a bunch of red (or in Word’s case, green) flags.

It may be an unfortunate truth, but people do not speak in grammatically correct ways. Often it’s a requirement that you do not write with proper grammar if you want to establish a character’s personality and differentiate it from other characters. If you don’t… you’re left with something that would resemble Star Trek The Next Generation if the entire cast were restricted to 6 or 7 Datas (Trust me, it would not be entertaining).

Hope this helps!

Readers, do you have additional advice for MandyMinx? What would you tell her to do in this case?


Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim

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Off My Writing Playlist #Writing #Author #Advice

I can’t believe I’m doing this…

 

You’re a stronger person than I am if you can watch this video and still take this band seriously.All I’m going to say…

When to listen: DON’T!!!! Hahahaha Just kidding. This is a psych out song. Don’t listen to it while writing. You kind of have to watch the video to really get the full effect. It’s sort of a pallet cleanser to clear your mind (yes, it has that affect).



Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.

jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim