Priestess of War Preview: Chapter One

Howdy folks, The writing is going strong. I’m on track for a pre-Christmas release of Priestess of War. To wet your whistles, I thought I would post the first complete chapter of the book.

SPOILER WARNING for those who have not finished The Troll King. This directly deals with events at the end of that book. Here it goes. Enjoy, and let me know what you think in the comments below!

 

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Chapter One

 

Fist let out a sigh of contentment and placed his large hands behind his head, his eyes closed. He was lying on his back on a comfortable bed. No, it wasn’t a bed. It was softer than that. The ogre felt lighter than air. It was as if he was lying on a cloud. He could feel the warmth of the sun upon his body.

At that thought, a slight frown crossed his features. He had experienced this before. Many times. He grew certain that if he opened his eyes the peaceful feeling would be gone, replaced by some kind of horrible vision. He clenched his eyes closed, willing that softness and warmth to linger.

A rumble reached his ears and the warmth of the sun was diminished by a cool breeze thick with the smell of rain. A storm was coming. Fist groaned. It was happening again. He tried to ignore it.

“Let the dream stay nice,” he pleaded.

A sudden weight settled on his lower body, pushing him deeper into the cloud. A thin hand smacked his face and an insistent female voice said, “Hey! What are you groaning about, Big Guy?”

Fist cracked an eye open and saw Maryanne’s amused eyes looking down at him. She was leaning over him, the tips of her hair dangling down to tickle the sides of his face. The sun behind the gnome’s head lit her auburn hair, turning it the color of fire. Fist smiled up at her, his cheeks flushing as he realized she was straddling his hips.

“What?” she asked, sitting up. Her skin-tight leather armor creaked as she folded her arms. “Don’t just lay there grinning stupidly. We’ve got things to do.”

“No we don’t,” he said and reached up one arm to grasp the back of her neck. He pulled her back towards him. Her eyes narrowed in playful protest but she allowed him to bring her in for a deep kiss.

It lasted only a few moments before she pulled out of his embrace and sat up again. “I mean it, Fist,” she said reproachfully and pointed off to the right. “That storm’s coming on quick and it ain’t made of clouds.”

The cool breeze picked up again, turning into a gust that blew her hair to the side, exposing her floppy ears. The smell of approaching rain was thicker now, but beneath it was a putrid undertone. There was a rumble of thunder and, despite his determination to ignore it, Fist looked in the direction she was pointing.

Lightning flickered in the menacing oncoming clouds. Only Fist knew that it wasn’t truly lightning. The clouds were made up of swarms of flies and winged moonrats and the flashes of light were caused by the flickering glow of their eyes. As if on cue, Fist heard the stomp of oncoming feet and saw his father running towards them, his heavy feet obliterating the clouds beneath him.

“This is my dream!” Fist growled.

Mistress Sarine had taught him that his recurring dreams were part of his spirit magic. She said that they were the Creator’s way of speaking to him and that if he could hold onto his awareness that it was a dream, he could control certain aspects of it. In this case, he wanted to go back to his interesting encounter with Maryanne. He willed everything else to go away.

Evidently, that was not an aspect of the dream he could control, because the storm only grew darker. Crag’s face was bloodied and bruised as he shouted out at him. “Fight!”

Maryanne stood and held his mace out to him, her gaze firm. “C’mon, Fist. He’s right. Stand up and fight!”

Grumbling, Fist rolled to his knees and climbed to his feet. If this was how the dream had to be, he would face it as a warrior. He snatched his mace from the gnome’s hand and he was suddenly outfitted for war. His iron breastplate shimmered with earth magic and his shield was heavy on his left arm. Fist gritted his teeth and sent out threads of earth and air magic. Lightning crackled over the surface of his skin.

“We will fight this evil together,” he promised.

Yes! Fight! Kill! cried Squirrel enthusiastically, appearing on Fist’s shoulder. The furry animal was wearing a vest made of chainmail and a tiny sword was clenched in one of his small hands. Fist lifted one thick brow. Squirrel certainly had grown bloodthirsty since arriving in the mountains.

The wind picked up, buffeting Fist as the smell of rot increased. His father ran towards them as fast as his legs would carry him over the fluffy clouds. Crag arrived just in front of the storm, a look of frustration on his battered face. “I said fight!”

“I am ready,” Fist said, his eyes fixed on the oncoming horde. He was able to make out individual beasts in the cloud now and between the snarling moonrats and specks of flies were larger winged creatures, some of them as large as Fist himself.

“Not them, Toompa!” Crag shouted and swung a heavy fist.

Fist had known this was coming. This dream usually began with Crag punching him off of the clouds. He raised his shield to catch his father’s blow. There was a meaty thud and the ogre chieftain grimaced, shaking his hand.

“We will fight together this time,” Fist declared and reached out with his magic, sending a bolt of lightning into the enemy ranks. There were pained screeches as moonrat eyes burst and blackened bodies fell from the air.

Maryanne fired rapidly, her arrows taking out moonrats one-by-one. Fist saw a large beast break free from the others and hurtle towards her. It was dark and menacing, a tangle of clawed appendages attached to wings. Maryanne’s next arrow struck at the heart of it. The creature continued towards her as the light died from its eyes.

“Maryanne!” Fist cried out as the beast’s heavy body slammed into the gnome warrior, bowling her off the edge of the cloud.

Fist didn’t hesitate. He ran and dove off the edge after her. Squirrel wisely leapt from his shoulder and landed on Crag. Crag and Squirrel continued to fight, Squirrel valiantly skewering flies on his tiny sword as Fist fell from view.

As Fist plummeted after her, he saw Maryanne push her way free from the dead beast’s limp limbs. The spry gnome spread her arms and legs wide, somewhat slowing her descent. Fist plowed into her back.

“I got you!” he declared, wrapping his massive arms around her.

“What the hell’re you doing?” Maryanne shouted back at him in surprise. “Did you jump after me on purpose? Now we’re both falling, ya goblin brain!”

“I know that,” Fist replied. He wasn’t afraid for himself. He always fell in his dream and the landing never hurt him. Of course, landing in the Black Lake led to its own unpleasantries, but he had learned how to will himself not to fall into the Black Lake.

Maryanne, on the other hand, might not be under that same protection. Despite the fact that he knew this was a dream, he couldn’t bear the idea of seeing her die. Besides, he knew from experience that some aspects of the dream tended to come true.

“This is my dream,” he said, holding her tightly as the wind whipped past them and the distant ground closed in. “I choose.”

“Then choose to let go of me!” she snapped and struggled in his arms.

Fist ignored her, willing their descent to slow down. He tried to change the reality of the dream, envisioning both of them standing safe on the shores of the lake below. But as he looked at the approaching mountain range, he realized he wasn’t falling towards the Black lake this time. He was headed somewhere between the lake and the Thunder People Territory.

“Let go,” Maryanne repeated, still trying to pull free. “You’re gonna land on top of me!”

“We’re not gonna hit the ground,” Fist promised her, but his normal tactic wasn’t working. They were still hurtling towards the rocky ground below. As the earth rushed up towards him, Fist could make out the forms of a large group of people rushing away from the Thunder People’s home. It’s my dream, he thought again and tried to picture himself and Maryanne joining the group of people below.

“I said, let GO!” Maryanne snapped her head back, smashing his nose. To his horror, she managed to push free from him just as the ground came up to meet them.

The gnome warrior spun in the air and landed deftly, somehow absorbing the momentum of the fall in a roll on the ground before rising to her feet.

Fist, on the other hand, landed with a splat, face down in the mud. The air was blasted from his lungs and he laid there for a moment unmoving, humiliated. Of course she would land fine without his help. She was a gnome warrior after all.

He could hear the rattle of armor and stomp of footsteps as people marched all around him. A powerful hand gripped his shoulder and pulled him free from the muck, bringing him to his knees. “Dag-gum it, Fist! Get yer sorry hide up. We got a garl-friggin’ war goin’ on!”

“Lenny?” Fist said, wiping mud from his eyes.

The dwarf’s familiar red handlebar mustache was askew and he looked battered and bruised from the fighting, but he just grinned his gap-toothed grin and charged ahead with the others, waving Buster in the air. Fist stood, watching as Academy warriors and brawny ogres rushed past him, intermixed with Mage School wizards. He tried to make out faces to see who else had come with Lenny, but they were all ablur.

“C’mon!” said Maryanne, standing beside him without a spatter of mud on her.

The gnome warrior ran on ahead of him, pulling an arrow from the magical quiver at her waist. Fist tried to run after her but his movements were slow. His arms felt heavy and he grew lethargic and weak. People continued to rush by him, heading towards what he was certain was a massive battle at the Black Lake. Fist tried to take charge, tried to will himself forward, but for some reason this was yet another aspect of the dream he couldn’t control.

“Oo-ooh! Ride?” Rufus asked.

The ape-like rogue horse ran up beside him, his enormous mouth stretched with a wide grin, exposing plate-sized teeth. Squirrel was standing on Rufus’ shoulder and Fist’s eyes widened at small animal’s appearance. His chainmail vest had been replaced with a bandoleer of tiny throwing knives and his wide fluffy tail was gone. In its place was an arching reptilian tail with a pointed barb on the end.

“What happened to you, Squirrel?” Fist asked slowly, curious despite his sluggish state.

I am Deathclaw, Squirrel replied and opened his mouth to expose razor sharp teeth.

Fist would have recoiled but, somehow in the logic of the dream, it made sense. “Thank you, Rufus,” Fist said and tried to raise his heavy leg.

No! said Squirrel, shaking his head. You can’t come up. Not with all those snakes.

“Snakes?” Fist looked down and discovered that his arms and legs were weighed down by dozens of mud-covered brown snakes, each of them latched to him with their teeth.

Fist wasn’t a squeamish sort. He fought giant spiders and ravening trolls without fear. But there was something about snakes that he found unnatural. There was the sinuous way they moved and the fact that even the smallest ones could kill an ogre if they were poisonous enough. He had killed many before, but always with a shiver. This was too much.

He screamed. It was a deep and sluggish sound. It had to be the venom of the snakes that was affecting him.

Fist . . , came the familiar sound of Justan’s thoughts.

Fist didn’t listen. He frantically tried to wave his arms and stomp his legs to shake the snakes off, but all he managed was an odd sort of slow shuffle. His scream continued, panicked in his mind, but aloud it sounded as if he were simply trying to hold a low note.

Fist, I need to talk to you, said Justan’s thoughts again and Fist realized that Justan was there, standing in front of him. There was a tired look on his face.

“Snaaakess,” Fist said in slow motion, pleading to Justan. “Heeellp!”

This is just a dream, Fist, Justan said patiently, his arms folded. Sorry, but I need you to wake up. Something horrible has happened.

The sorrowful feeling coming from Justan’s thoughts jolted through to Fist and he realized that he had let the dream take over. The sluggishness disappeared. “Justan, is that really you and not part of my dream?”

It is, Justan replied. He held out his hand.

Fist reached out to him and the snakes weren’t there anymore. The moment their hands touched, the dream faded from his mind. Fist became aware of the hard ground beneath the thin layer of his bedroll. He could hear Maryanne’s soft snore nearby and could feel the weight of Rufus’ heavy arm over him.

Fist muted those sensations and focused on his connection with Justan through the bond. I am sorry, Justan. I was trying to reach you a while ago and while I was waiting I must have fallen asleep.

It was a long day. We just now stopped for a few hours of sleep ourselves, Justan said. I couldn’t wait for tomorrow, though. I needed to talk to you.

Once again, Fist was overwhelmed by the weary sadness that filled Justan’s thoughts. The ogre was afraid to learn what he had to say. I have a lot to tell you, too, but what happened? Did someone . . . He hesitated to say the word die, but that was definitely the feeling he was getting.

I-I . . . Justan hesitated, unable to form his thoughts into words and Fist’s heart sank. I’ll just show you.

Justan’s memories flowed into Fist’s mind. He saw the two massive armies facing each other. He saw the small platform in the middle of the small marsh at the center of the valley where Jhonate’s father was meeting with the Gnome Warlord to decide whether there would be peace or war.

Aldie led Justan away from the valley and Fist’s heart leapt as Talon came into view. She’s back? Fist feared that Deathclaw’s sister had killed someone close to them. What was she doing in Malaroo?

Just watch, Justan replied and the memory continued.

Fist watched with awe as Justan used his sword to try and heal Talon’s insanity. Then Justan’s focus shifted to the treachery occurring at the armies’ center. Chaos erupted as the ancient troll behemoth rose from the ground beneath the armies and men were swallowed right and left. Thousands of lives were lost right before Justan’s eyes.

When it was over, Fist’s mind was just as numb as Justan’s had been. So many gone. Fist didn’t know most of the people personally. Justan had spent more time with the victims of the massacre. But he had known Djeri the Looker. Fist had spent several nights on guard duty with Lenny’s nephew and had liked him.

And Aldie, Justan said. I didn’t see it myself, but I heard. He was helping evacuate the valley and was pulled underground.

Fist winced. Sir Lance’s son had been so brave during the war. For him and Djeri to die in a foreign land in a war that wasn’t theirs? Horrible.

There were so many lost that the remainder of the army has been in confusion. Since we stopped, Xedrion has had his officers put together a list of those missing. The number keeps growing, Justan sent and his sorrow turned to rage as he added, and it’s all because that gnome was in league with Mellinda.

That last thought pierced through the haze in Fist’s mind. But that can’t be true.

And yet, it is. Somehow she survived our attack in the Dark Forest and found a new body, Justan said, sending the images he had pulled from Talon’s mind. Fist, she has the Rings of Stardeon. She must be more powerful than ever.

But, Justan, Mellinda is here, Fist said. Locksher saw it. That’s what I was going to tell you tonight.

It was Justan’s turn to be stunned. How is that possible?

Fist sent his memories through the bond and told Justan about their mission to the Black Lake and how it had grown in size and the number of infested monsters had increased. He showed Justan how Locksher had allowed himself to become infested so that he could follow the evil magic to its source.

He discovered that it was Mellinda’s power, Fist explained and repeated what Locksher had said, telling Justan that when Jhonate had hewn Mellinda’s soul in two, her power had found a way to escape into two orange moonrat eyes that had been left behind in the mountains. Her evil is what created the larvae. It worked a lot like the way she made the moonrats.

Justan digested all that Fist had shown him. Then what you’re facing is her power only? None of her old intelligence is behind it?

That is what Locksher sensed when he was communicating with it, Fist replied. The way the wizard had explained it, this was just the abscess that had grown from Mellinda’s soul as she had accumulated more and more evil power over the centuries. Her intelligence was gone.

And Locksher thinks that the Dark Prophet has taken control of this power? Justan asked.

He said that this is the part of Mellinda that was connected to the Dark Bowl. It was running wild and the Dark Prophet sent one of his servants to take charge. This had made the evil more dangerous than before. Now the larvae had more of a purpose than to mindlessly breed and control the living. This servant is using some kind of red spirit magic to make Mellinda’s power do his will.

Red spirit magic? Justan hadn’t heard of that before. Every spirit magic he had seen had been white, black, or gray.

Dark red, Fist replied. He hadn’t seen it himself but that was how Locksher had described it.

Justan considered it for a moment. I’ll have to ask Beth or Tolynn if they know what that color means.

Locksher thinks that this person is probably one of the Dark Prophet’s old soldiers or priestesses, Fist added. She was really powerful. We barely escaped.

It had been the storm that saved them. It had been a harrowing ride away from the lake for the four of them clinging to Rufus’ broad back. The thickly falling snow had obscured their escape, but the mysterious woman had come after them, blindly lashing out with air magic in a vicious attack. Wind whipped at them with the fury of winter’s last gasp.

Rufus’ climbing skill had been sorely tested. The rogue horse nearly fell several times. The ice and slush that clung to the mountainside was treacherous and that was before their enemy sent out vibrating strands of earth magic. Tremors shook the cliff face. Rocks loosened from beneath his hands and he had been forced to make several ill-advised leaps.

For his passengers, the experience had been terrifying. If Locksher hadn’t used air magic to lash everyone to Rufus’ back, surely some of them would have fallen to their deaths. As it was, all of them had been battered and bruised by the constant jerking about. Rufus himself had fractured a wrist after one particularly long fall and Fist had needed to repair it through the bond before they continued on.

Did Maryanne ask my great grandmother if she recognized the woman? Justan asked.

She was going to, but I fell asleep before she had time to tell me what she found out, Fist replied. Mistress Sarine’s bonds had given her an extraordinary lifespan. She had been one of the Prophet’s companions during the war two hundred years ago. If their new enemy was one of the Dark Prophet’s priestesses she should recognize her.

Okay, let me know what you find out tomorrow night, Justan replied and Fist felt the bonding wizard’s weariness overtake the bond again.

I will, Fist said. A feeling of guilt surged within him. The evil he faced in the mountains seemed small compared to importance of the events Justan faced. Justan . . . I am sorry that I was not able to be there with you.

Don’t be, Justan assured him. I can see now that we are both where we need to be. Your mission is every bit as important as . . . His thoughts brightened as an idea occurred to him. Fist, maybe more help is coming than you know. Before he left, the Prophet told Tarah Woodblade he had somewhere else important to be. Somewhere where major players needed his help. Maybe he’s coming to you.

Really? Fist replied, hope stirring in his chest. If the Prophet came surely everything would all end up alright.

I don’t know it for sure, but it makes sense now that we know the Dark Prophet has taken control of the Black Lake, Justan pointed out. And even if the Prophet isn’t coming, the news of what Locksher learned today should force the Mage School and Academy to get moving up there.

I hope so, Fist said somewhat doubtfully. They certainly had been dragging their feet so far. It was mainly the Mage School Council that was slowing things down. The Academy wasn’t prepared to move on their own.

I should go now, Justan said and Fist felt him yawn through the bond. Xedrion will want to continue our march soon and I should sleep as much as I can.

Okay. Justan . . . Tell Jhonate I am sorry about her siblings.

I will, Fist. We’ll talk again tomorrow.

As always, Fist replied. It was their common goodbye at the end of the night, yet Fist felt a twinge of sadness every time Justan’s presence faded.

Fist’s awareness of the world around him increased as his thoughts retreated from the bond. He could hear the distant sound of ogres at campfires, but everyone in their own camp seemed to be asleep. His body was still tired and sore and he tried to drift back to sleep himself, but his mind was too active after all that Justan had shown him.

Fist carefully lifted Rufus’ heavy arm off of his chest. Fist hoped not to wake him, but rogue horses were notoriously light sleepers. The intense core of energy that powered them meant that they needed very little rest, but Rufus had used an immense amount of power the day before. To his relief, the ape-like beast simply rolled to his back with a grunt and kept sleeping.

Fist turned to his other side and reached out to gently nudge the gnome sleeping next to him. “Maryanne,” he whispered.

Her snore stopped mid-breath and she cracked an irritated eye at him. “Huh?”

“I just finished talking to Justan,” he replied, feeling a bit guilty for waking her.

She let out a soft groan and rolled to face him. “And?”

“And . . .” He grimaced. “I wanted to know what Sarine told you.”

She sighed. “Sorry. It’s just that I feel like I was tied up in a sack and beaten by a dozen orcs.”

“Sorry,” Fist said, well aware of the beating they had all taken earlier that day.  “Do you want me to heal you?”

“You do know how to make me tingle in all the right places.” Maryanne gave him a tired smile. “But no. I’ll be fine. What did your bonding wizard have to say?”

Fist briefly told her about the disastrous events in Malaroo. “He says that the woman leading those troll people was Mellinda.”

She frowned. “Impossible.”

“That’s what I told him,” Fist said. “But the people that saw her swore it was true.”

“Sure is something strange going on there,” Maryanne said.

“Did you ask Mistress Sarine about that red spirit magic Locksher saw?” Fist asked.

“Yeah. That concerned her. She said she was going to look into it,” Maryanne replied. “Sarine was pretty distracted, though. She said the Prophet showed up at the Mage School today raising holy hell.”

“Really?” Fist said with a grin. “Justan said John might be coming up here to help us!”

“I don’t think so,” she said regretfully. “He was mainly mad at them because they hadn’t done the ceremony to call a new head wizard. He told them to get off their butts and start making decisions and then he left.”

END OF CHAPTER ONE

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Updated Noose Jumpers Cover!

Howdy Folks!

I have a pretty neat announcement to make. I am updating the cover for the Kindle and Audiobook versions of Noose Jumpers.

While I really do love the original cover art, I have received feedback from readers and passionate relatives that the cover wasn’t as immediately eye catching as it should be. Especially in thumbnail form. It is the kind of cover that is more interesting after having read the book, but may not pull folks in from the beginning. So, with a mixture of excitement and sadness for the cover that was, here is the reveal:

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I think it screams action and calls back to the old posters of the Spaghetti Western era.

This new artwork was done by the narrator for my audiobooks, Mr. Andrew Tell. As you can see, he is not just a vocal talent, but is also a brilliant cover artist.

For the time being, the Paperback edition will keep the original cover.

What do you folks think?

Trevor H. Cooley

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Priestess of War Cover Reveal!!

Howdy, Folks!

I am very excited to reveal the cover for the next book in the Bowl of Souls, PRIESTESS OF WAR.

Coming soon!

Coming soon!

Renu did a fantastic job with the artwork, as usual. Special thanks to Soers D’ Armes for the beautiful leather armor work. They are the same designers that produced the armor for the Tarah Woodblade cover. You can see more of their work here: http://www.lagueuse.com/

Priestess of War is just weeks away. I am writing like the wind, (If the wind had a mind addled by stress and a mix of Diet Sundrop and Mountain Dew.) I’ll keep you updated here with more details as we get closer. I will be posting preview chapters as well.

For now, I’ll give you the back cover blurb. SPOILERS AHEAD for those who have not finished the TROLL KING yet.

“While Malaroo reels from the Troll Mother’s attack, Justan discovers untapped potential in his magic. Now that he has finally gained the trust of Jhonate’s father, he finds himself opposing the Protector.

Born of war and kept young only by the darkest of magic, the Dark Prophet’s most powerful priestess has returned to the Trafalgan Mountains to take control of the Black Lake’s mindless evil. Now, with a growing army of the infested and dead under her power, she turns her gaze on Dremaldria.

Fist’s chances of helping his former tribe destroy the Black Lake are bleak at best. The combined help of the Academy and the Mage School may not be enough to help him defeat The Priestess of War.”

Thank you so much and if you haven’t already, please give Noose Jumpers a chance. I need to pay some bills!!

Trevor H. Cooley

 

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Noose Jumpers Audiobook is Here!

The wait is over! You can get your copy now!

http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Noose-Jumpers-Audiobook/B01M32BBHA

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14 Hrs long and narrated beautifully by Andrew Tell. Give it a chance, folks. You need something to read while you’re waiting for me to finish Priestess of War, right?

Here’s a bonus fan art Noose Jumper’s Poster by Andrew Tell himself.

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“A novel set in a fantastical version of the American West.

The Noose Jumper Era was a chaotic time of lawlessness in the late 1800s when a growing tide of outlaws engaged in a race to become famous. Most of them ended up at the noose.

Three young men emerge from a small town in the territory of New Mexico. They are bound by a pact and guided by mysterious powerful beings that no one else can see. Together they must face off against the Sheriff of Puerta de la Muerte, a wicked man who cannot be struck by bullets. Are they destined to become legends, or are they just mere noose jumpers?”

It should be on Itunes shortly!

Coming up next week, The Priestess of War cover reveal!

Let me know what you think and please, tell your friends.

Trevor H. Cooley

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October Update

Howdy folks!

Let me start off with some great news.

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The Noose Jumpers Audiobook has been completed and submitted to Audible and Itunes. It should be available to purchase some time in the next 5-10 business days. Please let me know once you see it! I’ll be posting links to it once I have them.

Andrew Tell did a fantastic job with the narration as he has done on the Bowl of Souls books. It runs about 14 hours long and is a lot of fun. He did amazing things with the characters of our heroes and their legendary backers.

For those of you that aren’t audiobook listeners and are eagerly awaiting the next Bowl of Souls novel, please give the Noose Jumpers Kindle Edition or Paperback a chance in the meantime. I know that many of you are put off by the fact that it is set in the Old West, but this is not your standard Western. It is a fantasy in a new world and the beginning of a new series that I plan to write between Bowl of Souls books. Setting aside it’s unconventional setting, it is still my characterization and sense of humor. Judging by the reviews so far and conversations I have had with readers, those of my fans that give it a try really like it and look forward to the next one. I could use your support.

Now for more updates.

Writing of Priestess of War (Book Ten of the Bowl of Souls series and Part Five of the Jharro Grove Saga) is coming along fine. I hope to be finished by the end of November. My wife is holding my grits to the fire to get that done. I think you are going to enjoy where this story goes.

SPOILER WARNING IF YOU HAVEN’T FINISHED TROLL KING. It features Fist and Justan most heavily, focusing on the aftermath of the disaster in Malaroo and Fist dealing with the new threat that has harnessed the power of the evil in the Black Lake. END OF SPOILERS.

Renu is working on the cover as I write this. There were a few delays along the way, but her work should done soon. I am excited to share that with you.

Also, I am still holding that Bowl of Souls audiobook promotion. I still have many codes left. If you are interested, I would be happy to send you a code for a Bowl of Souls audiobook. Any one of books 1-7 that you wish. The audiobooks are fun alternate way to read the story again and I’d love to get you started.

Finally, I would like to mention that the Noose Jumpers short film is making its rounds of the festival circuit, showing this weekend at the Orlando Film Festival as well as the Way Down Film Festival in Columbus Georgia. My brother is keeping busy attending both of them.

EDIT: The film was nominated for Best Short Film at the Orlando Film Festival! Even though it didn’t win, it’s still a huge honor. Only five were nominated out of over 200 short films!

Thank you. I hope to have more updates for you soon!

Trevor H. Cooley

 

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Signing at the Wild Bunch Film Festival in Harrah, Oklahoma, September 24th

Howdy Folks!

I mentioned this briefly in my last post, but I figured it was worth posting again.

I will be at The Wild Bunch Film Festival in Harrah, Oklahoma this Saturday, the 24th of September. It is a festival for independent Western films, mainly short films with a few feature length films thrown in. The website for the festival is here. Be warned, it’s old school and there is auto play music, but it has any information you need to get there.

The Noose Jumpers Short Film is being screened at 2:00 PM and afterwards I will be available to sign books. I’m not sure what the accommodations will be like but it should be fun. I will have copies of Noose Jumpers with me and will sign any Bowl of Souls book you bring with you.

The Noose Jumpers Short Film is nominated for the Festival Director’s Choice Award and we’re hoping it wins.

The version of the film being shown at the festival is the extended cut. You can see the new standard cut here. http://trevorhcooley.com/noose-jumpers-short-film/

If you want to buy a copy of the book at the festival I will be able to take Visa or Mastercard as well as cash.

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Sorry it’s such short notice, but I hope to see you there!

Trevor

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Bowl of Souls Book 10 Title Reveal and September Update!

Howdy folks!

I’ve got several updates to give you, but first an announcement. In the past I have known quite a while in advance what the title of the next book in the Bowl of Souls series is going to be. This time I wasn’t quite sure. I took suggestions from readers and discussed it endlessly with my wife/editor and nothing felt quite right. Finally, while discussing the cover art with the fabulous Renu Sharma, it came to me.

The title of the new book will be, Priestess of War.

Priestess of War is Book Five of the Jharro Grove Saga (There will be one more book in the saga after this one.) and book ten of the Bowl of Souls Series overall. It continues where the Troll King left off. It will deal with Justan and the aftermath in Malaroo, but the main focus deals with Fist’s part of the storyline. The evil in the mountains has grown and, as we found out, a new villain has arrived to take control of the situation. She is the titular character.

More news:

As I mentioned, I have been working with Renu on the cover for the book which I hope to reveal in the next few weeks.

Following the cover reveal, I will begin posting sample chapters of the book, much like I have in the past.

On the audiobook front, Andrew Tell is beginning narration work on Noose Jumpers. We hope to have that book completed and available in October. (Please, if you haven’t picked up the kindle version, do so! This book needs your support!”

The audio version of Priestess of War will be next in the works.. Andrew will start it as soon as he can once I have the book finished.

In other news, The Noose Jumpers short film has been entered into several film festivals. It has been accepted into two of them so far. It will be shown at the Wild Bunch Film Festival in Harrah Oklahoma on September 24th. Link here. I will be there with the director and will be available to sign books after the screening. I will have some copies of Noose Jumpers with me. If you want a sneak peek at the film, see it here. http://trevorhcooley.com/noose-jumpers-short-film/ . The version shown at the film festival will be a longer cut with more of a Sergio Leoneish feel.

Finally, I am still running the free audiobook promotion. If you have not yet received a free copy of a Bowl of Souls audiobook, post a comment here or send me a message on my Contact Page or my Facebook Page.  Only one per family and it must be books 1-7 or Hilt’s Pride. (Also the free codes only work on Audible.com. They can’t be used on AudibleUK or AudibleDE.)

Thanks everyone for your support!

Trevor

 

 

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Get a Free Bowl of Souls Audiobook

Howdy Folks!

I mentioned this in the last post, but I thought I would make it more official. To celebrate the release of the Troll King on audible, I am giving away free codes for Bowl of Souls audiobooks on Audible. Here’s why.

I think audiobooks are an underappreciated medium for storytelling. It’s a growing medium for sure, but one most people pass by. A good narrator can open up the world of a book in a new way that you may have missed reading on your own. Andrew Tell does such an amazing job with these books I know that it has added enjoyment of the story for my family.  In my mind it’s akin to seeing a film version or stage play of a novel you like. Only, it sticks to the script.

I have a growing group of audiobook fans, but since this is a new thing to most of my readership, I want to get you started. If you like it, maybe you’ll want to buy the rest. Who knows?

Here are the restrictions.

  1. It must be a Bowl of Souls audiobook and it must be books 1-7 or Hilt’s Pride. (That means not Ogre Apprentice or Troll King)
  2. One free copy per family.
  3. Quantities are limited, so it’s first come first serve.

If you are interested, there are three ways to get your free copy. 1. Contact me with the contact page on this site. 2. Leave a comment on this article (I’ll see your email address). 3.Message me on Facebook. I’ll email you with instructions and your audiobook code.

That’s it. I hope you contact me and get started. It’s a lot of fun.

Trevor

 

P.S. If you are an audiobook listener and already have all the books and feel a little left out, contact me and I’ll see if I can’t get you a free Kindle copy.

P.S.S. I just found out that the codes can’t be used on Audible UK or Audible DE. Sorry!

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The Troll King Audiobook is HERE!! And Giveaway Announcement!

Yes, our long national crisis is finally over. The Troll King is available in audiobook format now!

http://www.audible.com/pd/Teens/The-Troll-King-Audiobook/B01KGFTPOU

TTKaudiobook

This is a big one at 16 hrs and 10 mins. Andrew Tell did an amazing job as usual. I think this narration may be my favorite one yet. I love his voice for the Troll King.

With this release, the Bowl of Souls audiobooks have finally caught up with the rest of the series. Don’t feel too disheartened by this, though. The audiobook of my latest novel, Noose Jumpers, is coming in mid-October.

By then I should (If things go as planned) have completed Book Ten in the Bowl of Souls series. Keep your eyes trained here for more details on that new book, including the title announcement, in the next week or so. I have started talking with Renu about the cover art as of today so we have that to look forward to as well.

If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the Bowl of Souls in audiobook format, you should. It’s a fun way to relive the books again with the fantastic storytelling skills of James Foster (Books 1 & 2) and Andrew Tell (Books 3-ongoing).

In fact, I’m willing to get you started with an impromptu giveaway! Contact me and receive a free copy of any of the Bowl of Souls books (1-7) in audiobook format. Just use the form at the top of the page or leave your request in the comments. Tell me which book you want and I will send you a code for a free copy from Audible! Here are the books available:

http://www.audible.com/series/ref=a_pd_Teens__c2__1_sa?asin=B00OI2SVNY

There are some limitations. I can do this for books 1-7 and Hilt’s Pride only. I only have 100 codes so it’s first come, first served. Also one code per family unit, so choose carefully which one you want. Do you want to start from the beginning with Eye of the Moonrat or is there a particular favorite in the series you want to start with? The choice is up to you.

Thank you for all the support,

Trevor H. Cooley

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Noose Jumpers in Print and Other News

Howdy, folks! I have some updates to pass along.

First of all, Noose Jumpers is now available in Trade Paperback! Like the Bowl of Souls books, it is a 6×9 format with a glossy cover. It looks fantastic. Here’s the wrap around image. Click to zoom in. I love the noose on the spine with the series number in it.

Final Draft 1

 

Here are some links to the different versions of the book:

Kindle

Paperback

Also, for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, I thought I would once again include the Short Film that I wrote that inspired this whole endeavor. I talk about it in the author’s note at the end of the book. I wrote this short film as a teaser for a television show concept. Then I wrote the pilot episode. This happened in the months between the release of The Ogre Apprentice and The Troll King. My younger brother Jared and I hashed out the idea and I liked it so much, that I decided I really wanted to make a series out of it. I had already been thinking that I needed to start a new series that I could write between Bowl of Souls books and this was something that had so much potential I had to see it through.

So here, the link to the short film is below. It is an early version of the Noose Jumpers world, so you will notice some distinct differences. One glaring one is that Sandy Tucker and Pecos don’t face off against the Stranger and his prospect in the novel. (Also the Stranger is a bit different here than he is in the book.) The film was done on a tiny budget over a single weekend in New Mexico, but I have to say I was quite impressed with the result. Jared was able to put together an excellent cast and crew, many of whom we would like to be a part of the television show if we can ever garner enough interest to get it made. I actually think that the actor who played the Stranger, J La Rose, would be perfect for the role of the Coyote.

 

 

Now, it’s been a week since I completed the book. Early numbers are a bit slow. I figure that many of you are more interested in the next Bowl of Souls book and I understand that. I have certain authors who I like that have one series I prefer above others. (Like R.A. Salvatore and his Drizzt books.) But I hope you’ll give it a try. That way my family can eat while I write the next Bowl of Souls novel. In the future I plan to alternate bewteen the two series, but first I want to complete the Jharro Grove Saga.

Speaking of the next book in the Jharro Grove Saga, I have started writing it. Usually I take a month off between books, but this time I’m heading straight into it. I’ll try to keep you folks updated along the way more than I have in the past. I’m still not sure of the title, but that will come as I go.

I have spent some of the last few days listening to the chapters of the Troll King audiobook that Andrew Tell has finished so far. I thought you might be interested in how the process works. Basically, I send the manuscript to Andrew and he reads through the whole thing. Then he narrates the book in his home recording studio and sends the narration to me chapter-by-chapter. I listen to them and send him notes on character voices or any errors. It always impresses me how he manages to give all these characters their own unique voices. He’s a consummate professional and keeps recording references of each one so that he can remember how he did them. Once he has completed the narration and I have listened through, he does a final edit sweep and once I approve it, we send it off to ACX, who distributes it to Audible, Amazon, and Itunes.

We hope to have the narration of the Troll King finished in the next couple of weeks so that it will be available for purchase by mid August. Then Andrew will start on the narration for Noose Jumpers.

Thank you for your time and support. And please, if you haven’t had the chance yet, please give Noose Jumpers a try.

Sincerely,

Trevor H. Cooley

 

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