Author Notes

An Insight and Celebration by Luke Cowling. I've always thought of motivation as the lazy brother of discipline, and relying on it as a sure-fire way to avoid productivity. Though, the practice is much easier thought than willed, and like it or not, I too am a victim of the motivation curse. I am not speaking on will to produce Gearpox, I love that project and how it is coming together so much, that is it's own motivation. I'm speaking on the production of the two Bestiary books so far. I know there will be more, as the universe expands in my newest works, and once I complete the anthology of critters I will be happy, but I must admit I am in a slump when it comes to producing another. I only mention it as the success of the Notes series surprises me, and is clearly something people wanted from the universe I am building. Notes II E-Book has cracked the top fifty fantasy short reads on Amazon. Top 50. Yeah that was cool. I'll take some motivation from that, and...

A Direction by Luke Cowling. The process that took Owenoak from an idea, to an audiobook, felt like an extremely long one. Though now that the audio has released on most platforms, I feel a great sense of accomplishment. I was not terribly proud of the first novel, the longer we moved away from its release date, but I can say that I am proud of the audiobook production. Of course this pride comes in part to Sean's brilliant performance, but I have the feeling some novels are read better than they are written. Or is that too self indulgent? I don't know. Either way I am excited that the piece is now released on iTunes, Google Play, and a number of other Audiobook retailers. The audible release is not too distant in the future either, and your patience for that platform is appreciated. I'll throw in some links on where to find the Owenoak Audiobook. Listen to Owenoak Audiobook on iTunes here. Listen to Owenoak Audiobook on Google Play Store here. As always, ...

An Addition by Luke Cowling. As the progress for my new novel 'Gearpox' comes along, I get inspired sometimes to share crude drawings from the universe that have helped me articulate their likeness in word form. I have a few examples from the book to share today, and whilst they are by no-means done by an artists in any way, I feel like this a common method for helping writers make the transition from imagination to novel. DM Cornish was a big inspiration for this, and Tolkien to a lesser extent, as far as my methods are concerned anyway. Although the practice has helped a lot, I doubt they'll ever reach print, as my mentor's have. More soon, LPC.

An Insight by Luke Cowling. As much as I'd like to keep the characters and plot for my next book close to my chest until it's actual release, I've decided that the tentative name that I've given the book will actual be it's title, and have locked it in. I've gone back and forth over the last few months, but the more I work on the project the more I am sure that the name will be concrete. I wont be providing a synopsis prior to the release, as this will spoil much of the fun that comes with surprise, but I don't think the title will give too much away. Though it will provide some guesswork, which will be more fun for the reader, especially once the full scope of the project is reveal. Nevertheless, I give you the plague entitled The Gearpox. A central feature troubling the Owenoak universe's population, and also the title of the upcoming sequel. Sean and I are already in talks to produce the audiobook edition of Gearpox, and I am hoping t...

An Insight by Luke Cowling.  As the upcoming Owenoak sequel project comes together, I get more opportunities to share bits and pieces of the work that I am excited about. Character perspective chapters is something I am excited about deeply, as I've thrown a few in there. We're about 1/4 of the way through the story, as it sits on my desk right now. But that fraction is constantly changing as the story evolves, gains, loses, in my imagination. Maybe Easter is my estimation of the release date, but who knows really. To be honest I am just having fun writing it, production and sales have always been secondary. Surprisingly well, and welcome, but secondary nonetheless. In the mean time I wanted to share another crude drawing of something that will feature heavily in my upcoming novel. I've said in most of the another posts like this that I am no artist, and that the pictures are going to be from a novelist's perspective, not a illustrator's, so nevertheless you...

A Witticism by Luke Cowling. Trolls are the best fantasy trope. Simple as that. I challenge anyone to provide a better example. Harry Potter? Trolls are badass. Warcraft Universe? Badass. Tolkien? Badass. Lawrence? Super badass. Every fantasy genre or perspective? Yeah, they badass. Every universe they're in, absolutely the coolest of the critters. Orcs get a lot of love in comparison, and goblins too. But no, trolls are the most diverse, the most intimidating, the best focal point, the most fantastical. Trolls are just cool. They're consistent. That's what you've got to love about trolls. No matter whose imagination is bringing them to life, they're always equally badass. Every iteration. Every interpretation. That's why they're the best. You cannot dispute this. Look for trolls, LPC.

As Insight by Luke Cowling. Spare a thought for my boy today. He's the source of much of the happiness in my life. And he's doing it tough. He's having knee surgery to sure him up for longevity, and the wait to get him back home has been torture. Fenrir in full flight 2019 . I've already written blog posts on what pets bring to the creative process, but it is in times where they are missing, that this couldn't be more true. A muse gone, is an art ruined. I just wanted to provide an insight to what goes into my process, because as I've mentioned before, much of the characterization that is seen in the books, and especially in the upcoming one, comes from real life examples - most of which are my family. It feels as though their lives, struggles and personalities seem to evolve in literature as their real life counterparts evolve too. I suppose that makes for easy character development? Or is that just me phoning it in? Haha. Anyway, spare a thought t...

A Thought by Luke Cowling. I'm re-reading my way through a song of ice and fire, though this time as an audiobook collection. Whilst Roy's performance leaves a lot to be desired, the source material is still of the highest caliber. Though I've not shared this post in the effort of reviewing the production. I want to share an excerpt from the last book, A Dance with Dragons. The script is from the midway point in the book, and it's something I heard this morning on my commute into work, that had stuck with me enough to blog about. It's meaningful, and true, and it makes me happy. How true, LPC.