Howdy, Folks!
A Happy Xmas and a Merry Holidays to you all! There’s lots of fun stuff going on here at the Cooley Ranch. Here are a list of things I want to talk about:
-Noose Jumpers info
-Mother of the Moonrat Audiobook (Edit: available now! http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Mother-of-the-Moonrat-Audiobook/B018YICZT8)
-New Eye of the Moonrat art video
Part One: Noose Jumpers
First and foremost, I want you all to know that I am currently busy writing, Noose Jumpers, and hoping for a release late December. Now I have received several questions about this book, so I thought I would do a short Q and A for you.
Q: Odd title. Is this the next Bowl of Souls book?
A: No. Noose Jumpers is the first book in a new unrelated series. It is a Fantasy Western and will have an all new world and characters.
Q: What do you mean by the term Fantasy Western? Is there supernatural beings? A magic system? A quest to destroy the one ten-gallon-hat?
A: This question is a bit complicated and I have wondered how much to explain since I don’t want to give away the plot. I know that Fantasy Western’s are a rare breed. In this case, the story could almost be called an “alternate history”. It is based in the later 1800’s and takes place in the “Wild West” period. There are no elves or dwarves or fantastical creatures in the traditional fantasy sense. The thing that makes this a fantasy is that there are supernatural beings involved. There is also a magic system of sorts and it fits in with the American Folklore tradition. I won’t explain it further, because this is information that unfolds as the story progresses. But no, there is no quest where a party of cowpokes takes the one ten-gallon-hat to Pike’s Peak so that it can be destroyed, though that would be a pretty cool LOTR parody if anyone wants to take that idea and roll with it.
I will reveal this much about the story. It has to deal with three young men who are part of a time in the “Wild West” called the Noose Jumper Era. This is a period of time where a large number of up and coming outlaws caused havoc in an apparent attempt to become famous. Since so many of these men and women ended up at the gallows, the term Noose Jumpers was coined to describe them.
Q: What is this about a short film you keep mentioning?
A: If you have been watching my Facebook Page you may have noticed several posts regarding this. The idea for Noose Jumpers was loosely based on an old satirical article I wrote on my old abandoned joke blog. (See the link if you’re curious. I won’t vouch for the quality of my old work, BTW)
Then early in 2014, my brother Jared approached me interested in the idea for a TV show pitch. So we discussed possible plot evolutions. I put together a pilot episode script and wrote a short film script that we could use as an example for the feel of the show. It was during this period of time that I became excited about the idea of writing a book series based on this world and characters. Jared filmed the short film in June and has been working on post production ever since. When it is completed, I plan to use it as a book trailer as well as to pitch the series.
Q: So when can we see it?
A: Well, it is nearly complete. The only thing remaining is sound touch ups and foley work. Jared has an exciting individual lined up to do the work, but the amount he needs to finish it takes the project way over its budget. Jared is currently trying to raise money to finish it, so please help if you can. He is currently $2,300 short of funds and any little bit you could spare helps immensely. Below is a video he made explaining it, followed by a teaser trailer.
Q: But what the hell? Why are you fooling around with this when you could be writing the next Bowl of Souls novel?
A: I understand the frustration. I am eager to continue that story as well. But sometimes a writer needs to switch things up just to keep fresh and motivated. I have been writing nothing but Bowl of Souls novels for a very long time and this is a fun break. Besides, I need more stories out there to bring in some new blood. When someone stumbles upon the Bowl of Souls series, they have to ask themselves if they really want to start a series that is ten books and counting. That is a large investment of time and energy for a reader. I’m hoping that this new series will bring in folks that have been passing on that large undertaking thus far. Don’t worry. I hope to write two more Bowl of Souls novels in 2016.
Q: Will there be a Noose Jumpers audiobook version and, if so, when will it be available?
A: It will definitely be made into an audiobook. As far as a timeline, that depends on when the book is completed and where Andrew is on the narration of Tarah Woodblade and what his schedule is like. I will let you know more as the time approaches.
Part Two: Bowl of Souls Audiobook News
Andrew Tell has finished narration on the fifth Moonrat Saga book: Mother of the Moonrat. It has been submitted to Audible and Itunes and should be available some time in the next two weeks or so. NOW! http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Mother-of-the-Moonrat-Audiobook/B018YICZT8 I will let you know on this site as soon as it is available. He will start work on the next book, Tarah Woodblade, soon with a hopeful availability date of Mid January.
Part Three: Cool Eye of the Moonrat Video
You may remember a post I did a while back regarding some Tarah Woodblade fan art and a video done by the lovely and talented Monique Renee. Well she has recently gotten around to reading Eye of the Moonrat and has done a new piece of art featuring Justan and Jhonate. Those of you that have listened to the audiobooks know that she has developed her own pronunciations of the character names, but she did a fantastic job and I truly enjoyed her commentary during the video. Please check it out Here:
Well, that about does it for now. If you have further questions, post them in the comments below. I will answer them directly in the comments and will perhaps update this post with your questions and answers.
Thank you all for your continued support,
Trevor