Tag: author

Book Update – 24/04/2019

by wfthorne, posted in Book News

Greetings everyone! I hope you’ve been doing well and, for those lucky enough, enjoyed the long weekend.

It’s been over a month since my last update so I’m going to make this a bit of a big one! What’s been happening since last time? Quite a lot actually!

New Zealand – Australia’s Canada!

I recently returned from an epic trip to New Zealand. I’ve never been before which is really slack on my part considering I live in Australia. I guess with New Zealand being so close to home I took it for granted.

I loved New Zealand! The country was beautiful. The people were extremely friendly. And, most importantly, the food was great!

My American mates flew all the way from New York City and joined me in Middle-Earth. Come on, you had to expect there to be at least ONE Lord of the Rings reference! Trust me when I say there were plenty of them on the trip…

We spent most of our time hiking around the national parks of the South Island which included Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, Mt Aspiring National Park, and Fiordland National Park. Unfortunately, some of the trails we wanted to do were closed off due to some recent storm damage. Regardless we still got to see some amazing scenery including this shot from Gertrude’s Saddle:

Despite being in New Zealand for a few weeks I felt like I was there for a few months. The fresh air and stunning natural landscapes put my brain into a creative overdrive. Though it was sad to leave New Zealand and bid farewell to my mates, I looked forward to coming back home so I could get back into writing.

Zoya – My Feline Distraction

As you might recall, I’m now the proud father (?) of a Russian Blue kitten called Zoya. She continues to follow me around everywhere and is constantly preventing me from progressing further with my writing! I mean, look at this photo for example:

You might be asking yourself, “Shouldn’t he be writing, and not playing Sekiro?” Yes, I probably should be writing but if she’s not sitting on my keyboard or walking over my keyboard… or sleeping on my keyboard… she’s standing in front of my screen and attacking the mouse cursor.

Now I think about it, I should’ve posted a photo of that instead…

In any case! She’s a little furball of fun and recently has grown bored with my desk.

Encyclopedia Sarcadia – Vampire Section Complete!

Since returning from my trip I’ve put in a LOT of work into the Cardinal’s Encyclopedia Sarcadia. I’m happy to announce I’ve completed the vampire section of the Encyclopedia Sarcadia!

In the last update I mentioned I finished working on the backstory for Octavian, the First Vampire, and Darius Aventis, the first human turned by Octavian. Since then I’ve completed backstories on multiple key vampire characters as well as various vampire clans in Sarcadia.

Here’s just a quick sample of some of the major vampire clans and who their leaders are.

The Cardinal are the most dominant vampiric force in Sarcadia. It’s their belief humans should be under the rule of vampires, specifically the Cardinal, in order to ensure humanity’s survival from supernatural threats and to save them (humans) from themselves.

The six founding members of the Cardinal were responsible for Octavian’s death. The factions & leaders within the Cardinal are as follows:

  • House Aventis led by Darius Aventis (click here to see a brief rundown on him).
  • Clan Magnar led by Magnar Blutfest, a feared barbaric warrior with a violent, short temper.
  • The Duchy of Stagnum led by Beatrice Ellsworth, a Duchess from Hartland infamous for her cruel regime and ravenous appetite.
  • The Torino Dynasty led by Thomas and Tabitha Torino, a pair of twins who pride themselves on their appearance.
  • The Lyceum of Shadows led by Leverett Augustine, spiteful boy who loathes being trapped in the body of a child for an eternity.

The Menagerie are an aggressive vampire clan spread throughout Sarcadia. Initially the group was comprised of Octavian’s three hundred neophytes and their fledglings. The numbers suffered greatly due to the vampiric civil war known as the “War of the Blood Moon”.

Those still loyal to Octavian continue to fight in his name to this day. They’re bitter rivals of the Cardinal and are feared throughout Sarcadia for their ruthlessness. The Menagerie believe Octavian will rise again and will shroud Sarcadia in permanent darkness.

What’s next?

The next, and final, major section of Encyclopedia Sarcadia will focus on the countries which exist in my world. There’s a decent amount of work to do as each country has its own history, religious beliefs etc. that need to be fine-tuned.

Despite there being a lot of work ahead of me, I’m confident I’ll have this section completed by the end of May. I’ll be keeping you updated at least once a week with how things are progressing. That way, it should motivate me to write at a quicker pace!

That’s all for now! Thank you for reading and thank you for your continued support. Once I’ve completed the first draft of this encyclopedia, the real fun will soon begin!

Until next time, be safe and take care!

W.F. Thorne

Book Update – 19/03/2019

by wfthorne, posted in Book News

Hello everyone! It’s time for another update on how the editing for Encyclopedia Sarcadia is coming along.

Progression has slowed down a bit more than what I had anticipated but for a good reason! In my previous update I mentioned I was going to be getting a cat. Allow me to introduce to you my Russian Blue kitten, Zoya (the Destroyer)!

She’s been doing great and has settled in very well. She’s very playful, friendly, and purrs her head off constantly. She’s taken up most of my time (seriously, it’s like raising a child) but now she’s comfortable in her new home I should be able to start writing and editing again.

Fortunately, I do have a quick update this week! I’ve started to edit the vampire section with the aim of completing this by the end of the month. Here’s a quick summary of two important vampires in Sarcadia:

Octavian – The Fallen Son

Octavian was once the favourite son of Sarcadia’s deity, Atriarch. He was unique among his brothers as he took an interest in defending the innocent Sarcadians from Tenebris’ demons. Atriarch granted Octavian permission to assist Sarcadia, a decision he would ultimately regret making.

Octavian would be killed by an avatar of Elysia, the ruler of Tenebris, then resurrected as the first vampire. Atriarch was angered by Octavian’s transformation as he believed his son shouldn’t have allowed himself to be deceived so easily. Not only did Atriarch turn his back on his once favourite son, but he ordered the execution of all his sons, judging them to be weak and just as corruptible as Octavian.

Initially the Fallen Son tried to resume his normal life but Sarcadians throughout the realm violently drove him away. Octavian bared witness to his sisters slaughtering his brothers and it was then that he finally succumbed to his supressed rage and anger.

For over 300 years Octavian unleashed his “Menagerie” of vampires on Sarcadia and they spread his terror. Octavian’s demise would come at the hands of his own vampires who disagreed with his plans to eradicate humanity from Sarcadia. His death was orchestrated by the first vampire he created, Darius Aventis.

Darius Aventis

Darius Aventis is the first human turned into a vampire by Octavian. He originally served as a Senator in Alibrium and was highly revered for his progressive views and selflessness. Darius, like most of his Senators and the general population of the country, despised their ruler – Imperatur Mavos IV.

Darius was in talks with the major houses of Alibrium to install him as Alibrium’s new ruler, but this would never come to fruition. Octavian not only turned the Senator into a vampire, but also slaughtered Darius’ entire family. Darius stayed by Octavian’s side for over 300 years, slowly plotting and scheming his master’s downfall which would occur at the end of the vampire civil war.

Darius was too familiar with the dangerous threat of vampires and the supernatural. He also knew how cruel and heartless humans could also be to themselves. Along with the other vampires who helped him kill Octavian, Darius founded “the Cardinal” with the intention of protecting humans by ruling them.

Darius is regarded as the most powerful vampire in existence today and his faction, House Aventis, controls more than half of the continent of Alibrium. In doing so, Darius has established a haven for both humans and vampires.

That’s all for now! I’m hoping to have at least one big update before I leave for my trip next week. If not, I promise to post more photos of Zoya!

Until next time, be safe and take care!

W.F. Thorne

Book Update – 04/03/2019

by wfthorne, posted in Book News

Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a lovely weekend or are still enjoying the weekend depending on where in the world you’re reading this from.

It’s time for another update on how the editing for Encyclopedia Sarcadia is coming along. I’m very happy to announce I’m way ahead of schedule! I gave myself the aim to have the section on Tenebris edited by the end of the week. I surprised myself by achieving my goal on last Thursday, which means I’ve started editing the section on Vampires earlier than what I anticipated!

“So, what’s a Tenebris?” I hear you ask? Allow me to give you all very quick rundown.

Tenebris – The Realm of Darkness

Tenebris is my universe’s version of Hell. It’s a vast, endless battlefield shrouded in shadows. Tenebris is inhabited by multiple races of evil, vile beings and creatures collectively known as “Tenebites”. They constantly fight and murder one another unless they’re battling the armies of Caelum, (my universe’s version of Heaven).

Some of these Tenebite races include:

  • Daemons
  • Orcs
  • Lycans
  • Succubi
  • Ogres

Elysia – The Dark Mother

Tenebris is currently ruled by Elysia who was originally from Sarcadia. She used to be a devoted servant of Sarcadia’s deity, Atriarch. The two copulated and, unbeknown to Atriarch, Elysia fell pregnant with his child. Her claims she bore their God’s child angered her church. Her blasphemous statement resulted in her being severely tortured and left for dead in a forest.

Elysia and her unborn child survived her punishment and she would go on to give birth to a healthy baby boy. However, Elysia immediately committed infanticide in front of Atriarch as revenge for not coming to her defence. Atriarch killed Elysia and damned her to an eternity in Tenebris.

Elysia would become corrupted by the realm’s power and she would eventually be transformed into the demonic entity she is today. She would dominant all Tenebite races and wage a bloody war on Sarcadia. Elysia extract further revenge on Atriarch by turning his favourite son, Octavian, into the first vampire.

Werewolves

Werewolves exist in Sarcadia and derive from the ancient Lycan Tenebite, Xensaroch. Werewolves in Sarcadia aren’t humans who can transform into beasts. In this universe, werewolves originally were wolves who were turned into humans by Xensaroch. Most of the werewolves in Sarcadia maintain their human form and only morph into their Lycan-like bodies when necessary.

The strength, agility, and look of a werewolf is dependent on where in Sarcadia they originate from. For example, werewolves from Rykhart are the tallest and strongest, while werewolves from Un’Kabaal are slimmer but are the most agile.

Witches

Witches also exist in this universe – further contributing to the chaos caused by Vampires, Werewolves, and other sinister supernatural beings. Not only do they worship Elysia but they also worship the ancient Tenebite, Belzabardos. It’s through the “Chatterer of Secrets” that one gains unlimited knowledge of the dark schools of magic.

There are different types of witchcraft one could study. You could spend your life learning how to raise the dead as a necromancer or, you could learn how to summon a Tenebite to do your bidding.

I could go on, but I only wanted to provide you all with a bit of a teaser! I promise you there’ll be a lot more information on the subjects I’ve mentioned and much, much more once the encyclopedia has been edited.

At the pace I’m going the final product shouldn’t be too far away if I don’t get distracted… which might happen a bit more as a kitten will be joining my home soon! I can totally see this website being transformed into a shrine dedicated to my cat!

That’s all for now! If all goes well by this time next week, I should have another big update for you.

Until next time, be safe and take care!

W.F. Thorne

A Quick Update – 25/02/2019

by wfthorne, posted in Book News

Hi everyone! I hope the “Year of the Vampire” has been treating you very well. It’s crazy to think we’re already approaching the end of February. 2019 is flying by and will be over before we know it, so I think now’s a good time for a long over-due update.

Encyclopedia Sarcadia

The editing of Encyclopedia Sarcadia has been slower than what I had anticipated. I was aiming to have everything completed by the end of February but due to a few circumstances out of my control (and a few minor distractions) it looks like I’ll have the first edit completed by the end of March.

Despite the slowness of the editing I’m quite pleased with the quality of the encyclopedia. In fact, it has made me rethink how I’m going to release this once it has been finalised. I’ve decided to publish small sections encyclopedia in weekly posts. The aim will be to release information once or twice a week though I’m mindful about other content I’ll be posting.

In terms of how far I’ve progressed with the editing, I’ve completed one and a half of the major timelines of Sarcadia as well as the major section about Caelum – the Realm of Light. Again, I’m pleased with how things are coming along and I’m looking to have most of the encyclopedia completed towards the end of March.

Behind the Pixels

Admittedly, I’ve fallen a little bit behind with the “Behind the Pixels” series but I’m going to put time aside to have the remainder of the Mega Man series completed. I’ve got an idea on what video game series I’ll be focusing on next which will be fitting for this website. I’m going to look at adjusting my style of how I write the series as I’m not satisfied with what I’m currently doing. I guess that’s just part of growing and developing as a writer!

Minor updates to the website

I’ll be looking to make some minor updates to this website over the upcoming months. This will mainly have to do with navigation, especially now that I’ll be posting Encyclopedia Sarcadia on a regular basis.

That’s about all from me for now. I’ll be heading to overseas at the end of March, so I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me. Hopefully I’ll get in a few updates or so before I leave for what is going to be an amazing trip. I might even post a few photos as well!

Until next time, be safe and take care!

W.F. Thorne