Today’s look at the Royal Occultist universe deals with one of the previous incumbents – the oft-mentioned Earl of Holderness, Prince Rupert of the Rhine. (more…)
Patreon
The Vordenburg Papers
Yesterday saw the wrap-up of my five part Royal Occultist serial, “The Coventry Street Terror”. If you haven’t caught up with it, why not do so this weekend?
All five parts are available on Patreon, and absolutely free to read, whether you’re a patron or not. Just click the ‘serial’ tag, and get started!
And if you’ve already read and enjoyed the story, why not take a moment to vote in this quick poll, regarding the possible further adventures of Baron Vordenburg?
For more on the adventures of St. Cyprian and Gallowglass, as well as past and future holders of the office, take a look at the Royal Occultist chronology on this site, as well as a number of free short stories, available only on Patreon. And be sure to ‘Like’ the Royal Occultist Facebook page, in order to keep up with all the latest news and info on the series!
The Baron and the Terror
Welcome to the second instalment of my look into the Royal Occultist universe. Today we’re taking a look at the Styrian monster-hunter, Baron Palman Vordenburg. (more…)
The Sforza Curse
I’ve posted a new Royal Occultist short story over on my Patreon site. “The Creeping Man” finds St. Cyprian and Gallowglass attempting to contain the titular menace before he claims what he’s come for. While the story was originally the opening chapter for the third Royal Occultist novel, The Infernal Express, that book is sadly out of print. As this tale easily stands alone, I figured I might as well pop it up for folks to enjoy.
To that end, I’ve made the story free to read. If you enjoy it, be sure to check out the other Royal Occultist stories available on Patreon, and maybe hit ‘Like’ on the Royal Occultist Facebook page!
Daughter of Pnath
A month back, I conducted an informal poll on social media, looking to see what sort of short story patrons of my Patreon were interested in. Sword and sorcery won handily, so, I decided to use the opportunity to revisit one of my favourite characters – Amina Algol.
Amina is a Lovecraftian Mowgli of sorts, albeit one raised by ghouls, rather than wolves. Alongside her monstrous siblings, Arif and Bera, she wanders the strange kingdoms of Earth’s Dreamlands, upholding the laws of the charnel-god, Mordiggian. Amina and co. have appeared in several of my stories, and there’s at least one more forthcoming this year. But for the moment, patrons can enjoy their newest adventure, “The Orphan of Bones”, in which Amina and her kin pursue a cagey pair of tomb robbers across the deserts of Khem, for the low price of a dollar.
If you do enjoy it, be sure to check out the other stories on my Patreon page – including a number which are free to read – and perhaps leave a comment, hit the ‘Like’ button, or even consider becoming a patron.
Hungerpillar
Recently I conducted a poll, asking readers what sort of Patreon story they’d like to read. Sword and sorcery won by a fair margin, and I intend to start work on that story in the next few weeks, but I thought I’d give patrons a horror story involving a coffin, a pond and a county work crew to tide them over.
“Hungerpillar” is a bit of an experiment for me, in terms of plot and pacing. I wanted to try my hand at a proper weird tale, something I haven’t written in a while. Much like “The Bayonet”, it’s light on plot and explanations and heavy (I hope) on atmosphere and tension. I enjoyed writing it, and hopefully, you’ll enjoy reading it!
If you do enjoy it, be sure to check out the other stories on my Patreon page – including a number which are free to read – and perhaps leave a comment, hit the ‘Like’ button, or even consider becoming a patron.
Is Creating Short Stories
Early last year, I decided to bite the bullet and set up a Patreon account. There are a number of reasons for this. Simple pragmatism was one. Multiple income streams are a necessity for a professional writer, these days. But I also had a desire to see if I could make it work. I’ve tried various forms of self-publishing over the years, and Patreon’s relatively idiot-proof set-up appealed to me – simple, efficient, with minimal investment, and potentially maximum profit. (more…)
