elcome to the website of Shawn C. Speakman — webmaster and writer. Shawn has developed websites for
New York Times bestselling authors Terry Brooks and Greg Keyes, among others.
Shawn also writes full time. The Dark Thorn, Book One of The Dark Thorn cycle, begins an urban fantasy in the tradition of Terry Brooks's Word/Void trilogy, Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files and Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. The first novel is currently being written.
To gain a glimpse of The Dark Thorn, read the Prologue (HTML | PDF)! Feel free to post your comments about Shawn's progress or any questions in his blog below.
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Prologue Uploaded
Just a quick post to let you all know I have uploaded the Prologue of The Dagda King to this website. It is in HTML and will eventually be made into a .pdf file. The Prologue! Read it and post your thoughts on it here! Labels: The Dagda King
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23 Comments:
Yeah! An RSS Feed!
Now, when can I download the book itself? That's what I'm looking for. The Prologue just isn't enough.
Shawn,
I can't seem to find the Prologue.
Also I have a a full version of Adobe if you would like me to convert the file for you. Just shoot me an email.
tk42one: The book isn't finished yet. I am currently writing Chapter Five of what will be approximately a 27 chapter book. So you'll just have to wait.
If you are talking about Fell Hammer, I'm still mulling that one over.
J.David: I edited my post to include a link to the Prologue. That should help. The link was originally in the text above the blog, but it needs to be highlighted better I think.
As for Adobe, I too have the full version. But I create the .pdf by laying out the chapter in In Design like it would appear in a book and then producing the .pdf. I am hoping -- for a laugh, mostly -- that people going to the NY Comic Con in April will print off the .pdf and have me sign it when Terry signs Dark Wraith of Shannara.
Terry's editor will be there. It might go a long way in showing his publisher people are interested in my writing.
Uhh, yeah. That's what I meant. Guess my brain is still on vacation.
Shawn,
It's excellent! I'm not a fan of urban fantasy myself; they usually come off more like a horror story than anything. But this is great! There are so many things I want to know more about, you definitely have grabbed this readers attention.
tk42one: Ahh, that's what I thought you meant. I'm still thinking about it. There is a large part of me that wants to do it and that might grow over the next few months as I crave feedback from all of you.
J.David: Glad you enjoyed it! My urban fantasy isn't horror-oriented, although it has some very dark elements to it. Aidan Moher knows the general synopsis of the book, and he believes I am taking the best elements in epic fantasy and urban fantasy and mixing it up into a new hybrid. I hope I don't let him down.
Shawn,
Thanks for letting have a glimpse into this new story you're creating.
Let me start by saying "Great Job!" - the prologue was great. I would purchase this book based off of it. It hooked me and pulled me in - I *was* in the Seattle Underground. Great Job there.
I emphasized with Richard and felt bad for him when it cost him companionship to be certain that secrets were kept and people were safe.
I want to know more about Richard, his order, and this "other world". I really want to know what havoc the three surviving fairies are going to wreak on the world.
And why a guy would go to a bookstore to have his injuries looked at?
All very intriguing.
I only saw a couple of things - and I'm no expert - that I'd personally change. For example where it basically says "The underground tour for tourists" - maybe change the word "tourists" to something else like vacationers or something. It just seems repetitive.
Maybe that's a little nit-picky, but I'm pretty sure you would want any and all feedback right? ;)
Anyway, great intro to the story. VERY intriguing. Can't wait to read more.
-Mark
Oh and if I was going to the NY Comic Con I'd dang well be happy to print out Fell Hammer and have you sign it in front of anyone if it'd help.
Cheers!
Oh and just so you know I'm still getting rocked by a head cold so I apologize for any topographical errors in my previous post.
And this one.
Thanks!
IncubusJax: Nice catch there with the "tourists" part. I had read it earlier and had tried to figure out a different word for them because of the repetition, but didn't find one. Then, after thinking about it at your suggestion, I changed it to "sightseers." Thanks for the catch!
Glad you liked the Prologue. I had a lot of fun writing it. Richard will probably be my most complex character to date if I can create him right. I am pleased you have all of those questions; all of them are answered in due time.
Oh, and I was only half-teasing about NY Comic Con. But thank you for the offer!
No worries! Always glad to help out. Sightseers is a good change!
Keep up the good work!
IncubusJax: I'm terrible at repetition sometimes. I am a pace walker, which means I write a few sentences, I get up, I walk away, look outside, look at my computer from a distance, and then I sit back down again and write a few more sentences.
When I do that, sometimes I use the same types of words -- or even the same words -- in close proximity to one another. Usually my editing fiend -- yes, fiend -- catches them. But she missed a few this time and I caught some while posting it online and you caught one.
This is one of the flaws of my work I wish I could change. But I'm a pace walker, sadly. haha
like it, a lot, except for the last sentence. Something seems wrong there, like a word is missing. I will hopefully catch you in NY this spring, and will happily print out the pdf for you to sign :)
Tammy: I agree. There is something wrong with that sentence. I think there is a negative problem with the words "envied" and "could not be."
I could fix it. But then it loses some punch for some reason. Hmm. We'll see what others say.
Thanks for reading it, Tammy! Glad you liked it.
It was good. honestly, i liked the sample parts of Fell Hammer better. But hey, good thing is just goes to show those publishers that there really is a desire for diversity in what we read, and yes, even diversity in the arena of Fantasy. p.s. on a personal note, it frustrates me that the publishing world wants to believe that the fantasy market is overly saturated from a historical standpoint--i.e. there have been so many great epic stories already produced that we don't need any new ones. insane!!
well that being said, Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss was excellent even if it was a new fantasy fiction book. Oh Well. they'll figure it out someday
Anonymous: I couldn't agree more with your comment. Do you know how many people do not like Terry Brooks's Word/Void series? A lot. Why? Because it's not epic fantasy that he has been known for.
I hadn't even thought about if people would rather read Fell Hammer over Dagda King after reading both Prologues. Extraordinary. Eh, maybe I will release Fell Hammer as a download. Hmm.
I really need to read The Name of the Wind. Pat is a bud of mine. When I heard Wise Man's Fear would be pushed back a bit, I decided not to until I get closer to that date. Instead, I am going to read The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch and then read Pat's book.
Maybe by then, I'll get an early peek at it. hehe
Anonymous, thanks for the feedback. It's appreciated. The one thing I do like about this Prologue is it feels tight to me as opposed to what I wrote before. But, epic doesn't need to be tight sometimes and that's probably why you liked it. Take it easy, whoever you may be!
Shawn,
I keep thinking about your prologue, and what you said about being a "pace walker" and I've been thinking about how funny it is - the things that we who write (or at least *try* to write) do to be able to transition these thoughts and ideas from flashes in our minds to words on a page. (Wow! Run on sentence!)
My co-writer, I don't know what he does. I think he just waits until I pester him for his "part". Either way, it's always brilliant.
Me I'm a crack-head. Okay not a literal crack-head (my old Drill Instructor in the Marines used to call me that, well, he called EVERYONE that. But anyway,) but I do a lot of things that don't make sense.
I sit at my desk - staring at a blank screen - watching all kinds of scenes, listening to dialog, changing things here, tweaking them there - and it's ALL in my head and I turn off my PC and go to bed without writing a word.
Then I lie in bed and do the same thing. And all the next day at work, and driving home, and it goes on and on until eventually...
I just start to write. And I bolt it out - the chapter, the scene, two chapters, whatever. Whatever it was that had been building up it just comes out.
And that's my process. What's funny, is I'll write the dumbest stuff, dialog that just hurts and descriptors that are way off. But I know that the "gist" of it is there, and it's a first draft and that's all I'm really after for now.
And you know - that first draft, heck maybe that's really just my screwed up over detailed outline. I guess we'll see. ;)
So, don't sweat the pace walking. I'd love to be able to hold my attention long enough so that every single word I used has a meaning - I think we all would. Whatever you're doing, it's working. ;)
I think the cough syrup is starting to REALLY kick in. ;)
I'm out. Peace!
IncubusJax: When I sit down to write, I know what it is I am trying to accomplish. But pacing helps me get the flow right? That's about all I can relate it to. I never ever sit and stare blankly at the computer; that would be more frustrating than I can even imagine! How do you do that?
I see scenes, and I have my snippets of dialogue, when I am away from my computer, usually. These moments take place during my dream time periods, when I am in the shower or going to sleep or stuck in traffic.
Then again, much of those scenes and snippets of dialogue get put into the chapter outlining process, when I am just regurgitating what I've been thinking and dreaming about what the chapter should be.
I'll tell you one thing through: being sick is not conducive for writing or dreaming. I have zero ability right now to write. I hope the MD today can give me something to take the broken glass out of my throat and turn the fever dial down a notch; I am falling behind to Terry and his new Landover novel (yes, we are racing, weird eh?).
Shawn,
I wouldn't even *dare* race Terry. The guy's got his formula so down it's scary. ;)
I'm useless when I'm sick as well, so I feel your pain. Hope the doc is able to help.
Oh, and I think the sitting there, staring at the screen thing, for me, is just physical manifestation of my desire to write, but my mind knows it's not ready just yet. Who knows. With enough cough syrup, blank screens can become *very* interesting! ;)
IncubusJax: Well, that desire to write is very important! Even if the screen is blank, at least you are sitting there wanting to do it and have made time to do it. So many writers let their lives intercede to the point they never visit their blank screen.
About racing Terry, he doesn't scare me. *grins* One of the great things I learned at the Maui Writers Conference a few years back is that I tend to write fast. While my fellow students were fretting over their writing, I would already be finished and back out on the beach. So even though Terry gets all the free time in the world to write, I can almost keep pace with him. We both are on Chapter Six at the moment (if you count my Prologue as a chapter), but this illness is setting me back some.
I hope to get some "strong" cough syrup today -- the kind with codeine in it preferably. I am a zombie right now since I haven't slept in three nights. I need some oxycontin, antibiotics, and cough syrup to get the sleep I need to heal properly. Thanks for the well wishes.
Sweet. I'm doing the Pacific Northwest Conference in Issaquah(sp?) this year. Should be fun, close to home, so that helps.
Cheap, that helps too. ;)
Good Luck with the cold. Hope you get better!
I just read the Prologue, I love it and want more!
Rita: I am really happy you found me, read the Prologue, and liked it. :)
How did you find out about it? I love hearing how people find me.
Cheers!
Hello Shawn, It was fun receiving a email response from you. Thanks.
How did I find you? Lets see if I can remember, I have been on your email list for quite a while now.
I moved to Alaska and during the trip,several of my books, all of which happened to be by a favorite author, Terry Brooks, were water damaged. Very strange, they were well packed and in the middle of aprox 16 boxes of books, and they were the ONLY ones that got wet or damaged. I have had these books for years, many were first editions. I cried. About 3 years ago I learned that Terry was going to be at the Title Wave Book Store for a signing. Here! in Alaska! Wow! I was so excited, my friends had given me a few new books by Terry and now I could have them signed, I was elated. I am still trying to replace some of the damaged ones. I digress....I think it was around the time of the signing while looking for his website or maybe from his website, I came across yours. I immediately signed up! I always get a shiver of excitement when I get your emails, always the chance that there will be a new book I cannot live without being released with the opportunity to have it signed.
Now I am looking forward to your book.
As you can see I will never be a writer, painting is my talent. I love to read and when I paint I listen to my favorite authors stories.
Now I'm babbling, so time to say goodnight.
Have a wonderful Weekend!
Rita
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