CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

DSDU = Dark Side Down Under : A group of Australian writers of romance and other paranormal genres has kindly hosted me today on their regular Magic Thursday blog spot. Today I thought I’d share a little about the importance of world-building in general, and creating the magic of Tzamesch in particular. Feel free to come over and join me.

Not a lot of writing achieved this week (if you don’t count blog entries). I focused a bit more on my photography, and did a bit of needed sewing, as well as catch-up on what I didn’t get done when the internet slowed down. Overall, it was a productive week. Overview New words produced: 4,272 Old words revised: 0 Works completed: 0 Works revised: 0 Covers created: 0 (1-2 variations) Works published: 0 (2-3 release platforms) Works submitted: 0 Competitions Entered: 0 Publishing Tasks I spent the week catching up on things that I’ve been putting off or neglecting, and in trying to get ahead on the blog entries . They were as follows: Created 12 blog entries for this blog; Updated the Tales of Tzamesch , Madeleine Torr, Carlie Simonsen and Simpson Anthologies pages on this blog; Created 6 blog entries for C.M. Simpson Publishing blog; Updated the Our Authors , Anthologies , Fantasy Fiction , Paranormal Romance , Contemporary and Romantic Suspense...

Shadow’s Fall is the third and final novel in the Shadow series trilogy. This tale contains strong elements of horror, following the path of a small group of heroes who must work together to prevent an ancient evil’s escape. High Priest Urkhrist has settled to his task as the keeper of Beauwallin’s prison. With his long-time friend and companion, Vorgren, guarding his back, and the spymaster’s apprentice, Tara Bloodthorn, acting as his representative in the city of Thargood, he had thought the battle over, but something is wrong. Beauwallin stirs within his prison, and wizards, priests and sorcerers are being taken from Thargood’s streets. The pattern is similar to the one they saw when Beauwallin attempted to break free the last time. Gilzereet must find out if the Old One is trying to escape, again, and discover how he is garnering the power to do so—and then he must try to find a way to defeat him, to succeed, where a pantheon of gods has already failed. Shadow’s Fall ...

Two years ago, if you had asked me if I wrote horror, I would have said ‘no’… and I would have been wrong. Over the last twelve months I have been editing the Shadow series trilogy, and Fisherpriest , and I have realized that I *do* write horror—of a kind. It is horror in a fantasy setting, but it *is* horror nonetheless, and that surprises me, because I just don’t think I’m the kind to be able to write that sort of stuff. I’m a nice person who writes fantasy with a few dark elements. You know the kind of thing: human sacrifice, evil powers, undead monsters created from living men, torture, blood, guts, loss and regret. Since at least one of the elements forms the crux of the Shadow series, and the rest seem to play major roles or make regular appearances I’ve been calling it dark fantasy. And what is it about? Your usual ancient power trying to escape its millennia-long imprisonment from a time when different gods ruled, and those raised by the current pantheon to oppos...