Wizardoms Inspiration #1

This is the first in a series of four blog posts I plan to share regarding what inspired FATE OF WIZARDOMS. Enjoy.

What inspired this book? It's a common question for authors: While we can toss out easy answers, the truth is often more complicated because there are so many elements to a book or series (characters, plot, worldbuilding, politics, themes, religion, magic system...). This post will focus on characters, which I feel is the most important aspect to any good story.

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Jerrell "Jace" Landish: I list Jace first because he is the central character, which isn't easy because he is not a fierce warrior or powerful magic user. Instead, he was inspired by the likes of Mat Cauthon, Locke Lamora, and Kaz Brekker. He is clever, arrogant, and a complete rogue. As a thief for hire, his exploits have become legendary, forcing him to use alternative names or face fierce distrust from others. His sharp tongue and flamboyant nature make him a blast to write. Yes, he is a scoundrel, especially in the first book, but he has a core of loyal integrity beneath his self-centered exterior. He is pictured in the art above.

Rhoa Sulikani: In nature, Rhoa is similar Lyra, to the main character from my book, Rogue Legacy. She is fierce, brave, and determined. When she was nine years old, her parents were taken from her, a tragic event that molds her personality and motivations. I wrote her in as an acrobat as a plot tool, partially driven by the opening scene of the book, and because I wanted to include a menagerie (circus) as a unique element of the world. She is similar to Inej from Six of Crows in many ways (I was nearly finished writing Eye of Obscurance when I read Six of Crows). Rhoa is pictured on the art above, wielding her unique fulgur blades.

Narine Killarius: As a princess and wizardess, Narine grew up in a different reality, pampered in every way...until you realize neither her father nor brother offer an ounce of affection(her mother died when she was a toddler). Although beautiful and curvy, she envies her bodyguard, Adyn for her lean frame and athletic prowess - classic "grass is always greener". Narine really gets a chance to shine in the second book of the series and beyond, joining Jace as a true "central character". In fact, by the middle of book three, I have a total crush on Narine, and I am the author! She is a sort of conglomeration of numerous women from Wheel of Time, combining the aspects I liked best from Egwene, Elayne, and Nynaeve. You can find her pictured on the cover of the second book in the series, Wizardoms: Balance of Magic.

Rawkobon Kragmor: Rawk is a dwarf of a different sort. Unlike his brethren, who take great pride in their beards, Rawk is hairless and has been treated as an outcast his entire life. When Rawk violates a sacred law of his people, he is cast out of his mountain home. Shy and reserved(very undwarf-like), Rawk is loyal to a fault to those he cares for. Also, he can do a special type of magic and his unique abilities become critical tools at opportune times. I very intentionally make Rawk a non-standard dwarf and needed a character who just didn't fit in his society.

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There are other characters, including scheming antagonists, power-hungry wizards, a world-traveling storyteller, additional dwarfs, seers, and many others. I also add new POV characters as the series progresses, including a jaded ex soldier who is drawn into the main quest (you may know him from my prequel novella, Legend of Shadowmar).

One final note: I happen to love dialogue, particularly banter. The interactions between these characters is among my favorite elements of the series, and it only gets better as they spend more time together.

More inspiration posts will follow over the coming weeks. If you have questions or feedback, contact me at JLKohanek@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you.

EFFy Awards

Three of my books have been selected among 200 epic fantasy novels for the first annual Epic Fantasy Fanatics (EFFy) awards. The cool thing about this award program is that READERS choose the winners.

The first step is to nominate books that advance to the judging round. You can only nominate two books, so choose wisely. There are a ton of great books to choose from, and I would love to be among the authors who advance to the next round. If you have read and enjoyed any of the books below, this is your chance to show it by tossing in a nomination. To do so, just click above the image and nominate the book. Other books can be found at: www.epicfantasyfanatics.com.

Best wishes,
Jeff Kohanek

The Buried Symbol

A Warden's Purpose

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Rogue Legacy

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Issalia Books Reading Order

When I began writing the Runes of Issalia series, I had a firm grasp of the story and knew from the start that it would result in a three-book series. What I never counted on were the stories that would come later, all set in the same world. This resulted in eight full-length novels and a novella with multiple entry points for new readers to consider. At the same time, these choices create confusion for readers who wish to experience the full saga of Issalia.

Where should I begin? readers ask me. Honestly, The Buried Symbol, Rogue Legacy, A Warden's Purpose, and ICON are all potential options, but if you intend to read them all and desire the best reader experience, begin with The Buried Symbol and then follow the chart below. Even then, if you have questions, feel free to reach out to me. I love to engage with readers and there is nothing I enjoy discussing more than the stories and characters I have created.

As an update regarding upcoming books, I recently finished writing the final entry in the Wardens of Issalia series. A Kingdom Under Siege is set to release in May, but eBook readers can enjoy the story early by purchasing the Wardens of Issalia Boxed Set, which will include all four books at a special, limited-time price when it releases on April 4th, 2019.

Best Wishes,
Jeff

For more info about my books, visit https://JeffreyLKohanek.com 
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A Fresh Coat of Paint

Finding reader love for Lyra and her tale has never been the issue. Check out review snippets below as reference:

• "ROGUE LEGACY by Jeffrey L. Kohanek is the story of a girl who met Fate head on and created her own destiny as a strong, intelligent warrior who will forge ahead into the unknown setting the stage for the future and the Runes of Issalia." - Tometender Book Blog Review ★★★★★    
• "Love the characters. It has some great twists and turns to the story. Readers will enjoy reading it. I look forward to reading more of Jeffrey's books." - Amazon ★★★★★
•  "Rogue Legacy is the best possible prequel the series could have, I loved everything about it from the worldbuilding to the characters. It will resonate to the series fans. Jeffrey Kohanek has once more written a tremendous book." - Goodreads ★★★★★
• "An enjoyable read with wonderful characters. I recommend this story wholeheartly." - Amazon ★★★★★
• "I hadn't read the books that were released before this book until after I finished this one. As soon as I did finish it tho I immediately looked for the other books and I'm currently reading those. I loooove this story so much" - Amazon ★★★★★
• "My first read from author Jeffrey L. Kohanek was excellent! I'll be reading more from him." -  Amazon ★★★★★

Instead, Rogue Legacy has never been successful in finding READERS in the first place and has sold far fewer copies than any of my other novels. It's a shame that more readers haven't discovered this fun, heart-warming fantasy adventure.

In hopes of rectifying the situation, I sought out a new cover design that was more suitable to the story found within. This new cover coincides with a relaunch as I hope to get the book into more reader's hands and Lyra into their hearts. Yes, a cover DOES significantly impact a book's success, and I hope this new one will grab the attention of readers and draw them in as so many other wonderful books do. Along with the cover, I have a new tagline that better conveys what the story entails:

"A fantasy retelling akin to The Princess Bride, but in this one, the girl saves herself."

The old and new covers are posted below for comparison. What do you think? Do you like the new cover? Does it make you want to know a bit more about the story? Feel free to email me with feedback at JeffreyLKohanek@gmail.com.

Best Wishes,
-Jeff

NEW COVER

OLD COVER

Cover Reveal: An Imperial Gambit

The third installment of the Wardens of Issalia series is finished and in the final stages of editing. The print version of An Imperial Gambit releases on December 13th, and the eBook drops on December 26th. 

As you might guess by the amazing cover below (thanks J. Caleb Design!), this title is loaded with action, suspense, and magic. The book synopsis is included below as well. I'd love to hear what you think of the cover.

Best Wishes,
Jeff
 

A conflict of ideals - magic versus fire-powered weapons. The fate of Issalia hangs in the balance. 

A new Empire has risen to power. Already in control of the east coast, the Imperial Army sets its sights on Issalia's western kingdoms. Tensions rise as both sides prepare for war.

What deadly weapon will the Empire develop next?

Brandt and Quinn are espions - part spy, part thief, part assassin. Under false identities, these spies find themselves deeply entrenched within Empire headquarters. There, they gather information, seeking a means to foil the Empire's plans for conquest.

One misstep by either warden could result in death - their own and thousands of others.

They are joined by a small squad of fellow wardens:

• Wildcats - warriors trained to fight while powered by magic 
• Rangers - experts in nature, these archers scout enemy forces 
• Gadgeteers - engineers who invent magic-powered machines and weapons 
• Arcanists - those who can wield Chaos - a destructive, rune-based magic 

Driven by the core belief that Chaos magic is evil, the Empire seeks to stamp out this scourge. If victorious, Chaos will be outlawed. Those who can wield it...will be executed.

The wardens must stop this Imperial gambit.

The Writing Process

As my sixth novel releases today, I find myself reflecting on my author journey, which began four years ago.

The first draft of my initial book took a year to craft. At the time, it was a bloated, rough, unwieldy thing that sorely needed revisions and editing. Another sixth months, and dozens of revisions later, I had something that resembled a publishable book. In comparison, it now takes me about six months to produce a better, more refined story, from concept to release. While writing a fiction novel is largely a creative endeavor, the final result is still a product. As with any product, a refined process will ensure better results in a shorter period. That is what I wish to share with you today.

Fellow authors, some less seasoned than myself, others with far more experience, often ask me about my writing process. Even readers inquire about it. I believe that each author must discover what works for him/her, and that often begins by learning about what works for others. Here is what works for me.

I begin with an outline – one that is far less detailed than what I used for my first few books. It is more of a list of key plot points that will guide me, similar to points on a map. I ensure the story stops at each point, but I am unsure of how I will get from one point to another until the characters take me there. With that in place, and my key characters defined (that’s a whole different blog post), I write. The first draft of an 80K-90K word novel takes about eight weeks for me to craft.

Revisions come next, fleshing out the story, polishing the prose, and dragging emotion out of my characters. Sometimes, I revise during the first draft as well. Regardless, three total revision rounds yield the results I desire.

Technical edits follow my revisions. This is the term I use when leveraging software that analyzes my book and points out areas of improvement, including repeated words, phrases, adverb use, and a myriad of other potential grammar improvements. The revision/technical editing phase requires four weeks to complete, putting the calendar at twelve weeks since I began. That’s when I kick my book off to my editor.

My editor, who focuses on copy editing but also provides developmental feedback, spends about three weeks with the book before it returns to me. I spend another week incorporating edits and then the book heads to my proofreader. However, during the three weeks when the book is with my editor, I have already outlined the subsequent novel and am prepare to begin the first draft.

Proofreading takes a week, followed by a day for me to fix the errors discovered. My book then goes out to beta readers, who have two weeks to pour through the material and provide feedback. Advanced Reader Copies(ARC) are then sent out to my ARC team, giving them four to five weeks to read the book and offer feedback before it releases. During this activity, I continue writing the next book. When release day comes, six months after I began, the first draft of the sequel is complete. At the same time, the new release should have around thirty reader reviews ready to roll from my ARC team.

This process is working and allowing me to release three to four books a year. It took time to develop and required testing various models during my first four releases. Now that my writing process is firmly in place, I feel confident that I am weaving exciting adventures filled with interesting characters that will result in a quality, enjoyable book for eager fantasy readers, young and old.

Writing Process Summary:

·        Weeks 1-8          Outline/rough draft                                      

·        Weeks 9-12        Revisions/technical edits                             

·        Week 13             Send to editor                                                

o   Begin outlining the next book                                                   

·        Weeks 14-16      Editor and incorporating edits     

o   Begin first draft of next book                                    

·        Weeks 17-19      Proofreader/beta readers                           

·        Weeks 20-24      ARC Readers                     

·        Week 25             Release

o   By the time release hits, I am 8 weeks into the process for the subsequent book, with a complete first draft

Finding Purpose

Back in early 2017, I completed the final book in the Runes of Issalia trilogy and found the moment bittersweet. The overarching plot for the series was something I had conceived two years earlier, before I even wrote the first book. Seeing the story come to fruition felt wonderful. At the same time, I knew there were many more stories to be told within the world I had created. In fact, the history I had documented while writing the Runes series gave me an outline to write Rogue Legacy, a stand-alone novel set four hundred years before Brock was even born. However, that prequel was just the beginning of what was yet to come.

Over the summer of 2017, I began to jot down ideas of what the future held for Issalia, detailing how changes to the political climate, social structure, and the discovery of Chaos magic might impact the world. As the events following the collapse of the Issalian Empire began to coalesce, so did my next tale. From those notes, I wrote a prequel novella titled ICON, and that set the table for an entire new series.

  

  

The Warden’s of Issalia series has just kicked off with A Warden’s Purpose, which released on May 17^th, 2018. The story begins seventeen years after the fall of the Empire. As the first book in a series, it offers an entry point for new readers without rehashing what seasoned readers have already learned from my previous books. I cannot say much without spoiling the plot, but I CAN tell you that the series is shaping up to be a bit like The Kingsmen movies, but with magic replacing technology to create inventions and gadgets.

The last pieces of the puzzle, but the most important, were the characters. An author whom I respect once quoted “Fiction novels should be about interesting people doing interesting things.” I could not agree more. A Warden’s Purpose features two main characters, each possessing very different personalities and abilities. Everson is brilliant and driven to prove his usefulness through his inventions. This drive comes from an internal need to overcome his feelings of inadequacy related to his physical disabilities. Quinn, Everson’s sister, is bold, defiant, and overprotective when it relates to her brother. Her relentless determination and distaste for the bullies of the world define her as much as Everson’s needs define him.

Fans of action, adventure, intrigue, magic, discovery, and betrayal will find A Warden’s Purpose a fun read that will leave them eager for the sequel. I am currently in the revision process of The Arcane Ward, Wardens of Issalia, Book Two. The novel will go to my editor in a few weeks and should release in early September. In the meantime, if you have read A Warden’s Purpose, I suggest you also read ICON as it will answer a few questions that may linger. ICON is only available to subscribers of my author newsletter, which can be found at my website: www.JeffreyLKohanek.com .

Best wishes and happy reading.

-Jeff