Gear and guns: The Technology of ‘Crosswind’

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Steve Rzasa here. Got another look at the behind-the-scenes of my upcoming book, Crosswind, due out from Marcher Lord Press in November. * * * * * Prior to writing Crosswind, most everything I’d written was science fiction. World-building there is fun, but requires a ton of work. Don’t get me wrong, I like work. Mostly. But I also like it when there’s pre-established technology I can borrow to use in my story world. And I also thoroughly enjoy history. So when it came to creating a technological base for the world of Perch, I knew what had to be …

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But Who Would Be Dumb Enough To Try It? (Episode 14)

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It is time, once again, for “Speculative Story Saturday” here at Marcher Lord Press. This week concludes my (Kerry’s) portion of the story. It has been a pleasure to be a part of this experiment. Next week Steve will be here to finish all up. Enjoy! ♦    ♦    ♦ We found ourselves in a large circular room. It was lit only by torches hung around the perimeter. There was a stairway on one side, seemingly leading both up and down. But between us and that stairway, was a crowd of the most malevolent beings I’d ever laid eyes on. Some I recognized—wolf-men …

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Creating a Branter — Saddle Up

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When I started gathering notes for Crosswind in early 2011, it was at that point just a concept called “Perch” based on several ideas cobbled together. What I decided early on was that the animals in this world needed to be quite different from those in our own, to help this semi alternate history stand out. So, what animal is prevalent in stories set in the real time period of the late 1800s and early 1900s? The horse, of course. (Insert Mister Ed jokes here.) I didn’t want a horse. I wanted some sort of prehistoric creature that would make …

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But Who Would Be Dumb Enough To Even Try It (Episode 13)

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Once again, “Speculative Story Saturday” has arrived at Marcher Lord Press. Unfortunately, our matron of fantasy, Jill Williamson, was too entrenched trying to get her latest book ready (Check out the main page!) to be able to contribute this weekend. So, you’re stuck with an interloper. ♥ In fact, in the midst of writing the episode for this week, I realized there was no proper place to break it off in order to hand it on to our next talented writer, Steve Rzasa. So I kept writing. Before you knew it, I had over 3,000 words…which was enough text for two …

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But Who Would Be Dumb Enough To Even Try It? (Episode 12)

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Abelard had always been near the truth, yet it eluded him like a branch just out of reach. His was faith not wholly acted upon. Were he only to leap, his hands would have grasped, and he would have risen. He would have seen a farther horizon, perhaps even beyond the Fortress of Doom. He saw the stars, how they shined. His eyes appeared tired, but there was a deeper malaise set within them. They doubted. They feared. They refused to act. He had suspected who I was; studied my disguise in earnest. He had known in a timid part …

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But Who Would Be Dumb Enough To Try It? (Episode 11)

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It’s Saturday and time for another episode of MLP’s Collaborative Story. Enjoy! A heavy, solemn presence lay over all like a thick fog. I see, but cannot see. I hear, but cannot hear. All I can do is stare at the small pile of grey ash. Cludge…was not Cludge. He had been something more. One of the ancient ones from the last Great Age. Tekla sobs as Barzillai helps her to her feet. He bends his face toward hers and whispers something. She sniffs and wipes her face. Her eyes come to full bore on me. “Why didn’t you do …

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But Who Would Be Dumb Enough To Try (Episode 10)

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It’s time for Speculative Story Saturday once more and now that the heroes have had their fun, and made a noble sacrifice I think it’s time to go back and see what Landgrave is up to. I’m sure it’s nothing good.  Enjoy! Landgrave Christoph recoiled in pain and snarled a curse. He had anticipated resistance from the group when he had lured the assassin into his trap, counted on it even. But he had never expected to encounter a Celestial in mortal shackles. He held up his shriveled left hand, scorched and crippled by the Celestial’s sacrificial surge that had …

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