Good news, friends.
I just finished submitting my first novel, Antosfall - The Scorching, onto the Kindle platform, able to be viewed on all Kindle devices as well as iPhones and iPads as long as the Kindle app is installed.
My novel weighs in at around 99,000 words for a reasonable price of $3.99.
I've put my time and blood into writing this book, operating with a $0 budget and a complete lack of support staff is a bit of a reality check compared to the romanticized visions I had before I em barked on this endeavor.
In a few hours it will exit the review portion of the publishing process and will be available to the world at large, my little baby is leaving home and trying to make his way in the big big world :..(
Judging my the reception of my beloved and cherished audience, I will either continue work on the next book in the series (Antosfall - Ghosts of Antos), or work on my next planned book with a currently undecided title in a different genre.
Thank you to anyone that has helped me make this possible :)
-Matt Milanese
Monday, October 21, 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Close the Deal
Good news! I am approaching the point where I could call this story finished and wrapped up. I've put down all of the chapters and tied them all together in various ways to make transitioning between chapters as smooth as possible. Furthermore, I've spent the last two weeks working rather intensively to go back and do some loose editing and additions, putting in stuff that wasn't there before, cleaning up stuff that was messy, etc.
Writing a book is a pain in the butt especially when you have to do it all yourself, this is to say that I am operating without a proof, edit, copy, or marketing staff... but who is? All I really feel the lack of are proofers. The stage I am entering now with this project is where I need proofers to come in and test my product, to make sure that I am not in denial about aspect that need to be changed. This does happen, you know.
However, since I have a total budget of $0 and no one I know is really into this sort of thing (I was thinking interests in lieu of payment), I'm going to have to do it myself and damned if I'm not going to beat the everloving shit out of it when I do. Seriously. I'm five inches away from putting the deathgrip on this proof read thing.
What I mean to say with all this is: it will be done soon!
Earlier this week I sat down and said: I'm almost done! Release it in seven days!
But then I said: I will release it when it is finished.
As has been the norm throughout the entirety of this project, deadlines are hard to hit for something you love but doesn't pay your bills, and something usually comes up to occupy my time with pointless trivial pursuits instead of the honorable work of wordsmithery.
Soon, my brothers. Soon.
Writing a book is a pain in the butt especially when you have to do it all yourself, this is to say that I am operating without a proof, edit, copy, or marketing staff... but who is? All I really feel the lack of are proofers. The stage I am entering now with this project is where I need proofers to come in and test my product, to make sure that I am not in denial about aspect that need to be changed. This does happen, you know.
However, since I have a total budget of $0 and no one I know is really into this sort of thing (I was thinking interests in lieu of payment), I'm going to have to do it myself and damned if I'm not going to beat the everloving shit out of it when I do. Seriously. I'm five inches away from putting the deathgrip on this proof read thing.
What I mean to say with all this is: it will be done soon!
Earlier this week I sat down and said: I'm almost done! Release it in seven days!
But then I said: I will release it when it is finished.
As has been the norm throughout the entirety of this project, deadlines are hard to hit for something you love but doesn't pay your bills, and something usually comes up to occupy my time with pointless trivial pursuits instead of the honorable work of wordsmithery.
Soon, my brothers. Soon.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
So... about the Patriots.
Hello there.
So I've put Antosfall through a bit of the spin cycle. I know I've been talking about how awesome the Patriots are, but after a long period of consideration, I decided to cut them from the story.
Being as it is, though, I did not dispose of the content. The current amount of content for the Patriots is enough to fill a 50k word short novel.
Why would they be cut?
It felt like all of their chapters were a series of unrelated short stories involving the same group of people. Not to mention the fact that they were completely disconnected from the multitude of other stories being told, which all had a similar thread on their own. The Patriots just felt... unrelated.
So perhaps once I finish with this story, I will put together a book of old and new short stories that tie into the main story arc in various ways. It sounds like a fun project.
Also, the three little mini stories associated with the Patriots were:
1) a fast and brutal depiction of loss of humanity (become a machine or become an alien, etc)
2) a vivid and outlandish telling of the loss of sanity
3) a traitor
All of them have been revamped to contour to existing characters.
This change is positive. Anything that needed to be expressed within the Patriots has been imposed into the remaining characters with good effect, it really serves to make everyone that much more defined and bright.
Besides, I think it will be cool to read the revamped version in Antosfall, then read the original version of that same story written from the eyes of completely different people in a different setting in the Patriot short story collection. I probably wouldn't add a price tag to it, just because it will be unfluffy fun stuff (UFFS).
So I've put Antosfall through a bit of the spin cycle. I know I've been talking about how awesome the Patriots are, but after a long period of consideration, I decided to cut them from the story.
Being as it is, though, I did not dispose of the content. The current amount of content for the Patriots is enough to fill a 50k word short novel.
Why would they be cut?
It felt like all of their chapters were a series of unrelated short stories involving the same group of people. Not to mention the fact that they were completely disconnected from the multitude of other stories being told, which all had a similar thread on their own. The Patriots just felt... unrelated.
So perhaps once I finish with this story, I will put together a book of old and new short stories that tie into the main story arc in various ways. It sounds like a fun project.
Also, the three little mini stories associated with the Patriots were:
1) a fast and brutal depiction of loss of humanity (become a machine or become an alien, etc)
2) a vivid and outlandish telling of the loss of sanity
3) a traitor
All of them have been revamped to contour to existing characters.
This change is positive. Anything that needed to be expressed within the Patriots has been imposed into the remaining characters with good effect, it really serves to make everyone that much more defined and bright.
Besides, I think it will be cool to read the revamped version in Antosfall, then read the original version of that same story written from the eyes of completely different people in a different setting in the Patriot short story collection. I probably wouldn't add a price tag to it, just because it will be unfluffy fun stuff (UFFS).
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Antosfall Character Showcase: Daina Rowen
Who is Daina Rowen?
Well, so glad you asked.
Here is a short scene of Harold and Daina interacting, please follow this link to my public Drive document and don't forget to comment and share if you like :)
Friday, August 30, 2013
Antosfall Character Showcase: Mariette
Antosfall: Book One
Mariette Preview
by
Matt Milanese
For information on this book or anything else, contact me here:
###
To read the preview, please follow this link to my public Drive document
###
Ten reasons why you should read my book.
Some of these reasons are out of date :O
as of 9/17/13 that is.
Read the explanation here if you like.
Why should you read my book?
1) Bearmen
2) Demons
3) Guns
4) Magic
5) Magical guns
6) Demons shooting magical guns
7) Humans shooting demons with magical guns
8) Robots powered by lightning
9) The Deathforge Cannon™ Mk. 12 (sup)
10) Because fantasy books need a good kick in the ass already and I'm here to do it.
Bearmen
Antos is neighbor to tribes of bearmen that are pretty kick ass. The one that Antosfall follows is Broon, a young man that is sort of 'swept up' into the events of the book, but will turn out to be equally kick ass.
Demons
Bad ones, AND good ones! These guys aren't your typical mythos of heaven/hell demons, they are actually multidimensional creatures that are made of pure energy... and badass. Most of them have guns, which leads us to our next point-->
Guns
Antos invented guns, believe it or not, a few years prior to Antosfall. The entire province was in the middle of an industrial revolution when the place turned into a giant toilet, in fact.
Magic
The 'barbarians' that live north of Antos still practice the mystic arts of magic and sorcery, unwilling to change and adapt to the inevitability of technology!
Magical Guns
Speaking of inevitability, what is better than having a gun? How about a gun forged with some crazy ass magic that makes it do insane shit? Works for me!
Demons Shooting Magical Guns
The demons are bad enough, now we have to deal with THEIR technology too? What do you mean the Antosi responsible for inventing firearms sold their souls to demons for the knowledge?
Humans Shooting Demons With Magical Guns
When you can't beat em, kill a few, steal their guns, and shoot the rest with their guns.
Robots Powered By Lightning
The Core-Men! Humanoid automatons powered by thunder-cores, awesome stone cold badasses.
The Deathforge Cannon™ Mk. 12
Okay, I'm not going to spoil it or anything, but if or when it gets build this monster is going to literally end the war. The DFC-12 is a WMD, it WILL end the war in the favor of humanity provided they can get the damn thing built!
Because fantasy books need a good kick in the ass already and I'm here to do it.
That's right. I'm here to kick your favorite genre right in the blowhole and laugh gleefully when I do it. My book has magic, demons, guns, nudity, robots, bearmen, artillery cannons, tracked vehicles, trains, armies, fireballs, wolfmen, hot chicks... etc.
If you want the "safe" bet books that tell the same, recycled, bullshit stories only set in a fantasy setting, then you better take your ass down the road because I don't want to hear your complaints.
My book is for people who want to ride it like a $17 dollar hooker from start to finish and feel filthy as hell by the last chapter but hungering for more! I don't pull punches, I'm a potty mouth, a complete and utter nutter and I let it show in my writing.
When you are done with your same old same old come to me and experience the genre mashing, fourth wall breaking, sexually deviant, soul-shatteringly inhuman departure of morality that is ANTOSFALL!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I WILL STAIN YOUR SOUL WITH MY DEVIANCY!
as of 9/17/13 that is.
Read the explanation here if you like.
Why should you read my book?
1) Bearmen
2) Demons
3) Guns
4) Magic
5) Magical guns
6) Demons shooting magical guns
7) Humans shooting demons with magical guns
8) Robots powered by lightning
9) The Deathforge Cannon™ Mk. 12 (sup)
10) Because fantasy books need a good kick in the ass already and I'm here to do it.
Bearmen
Antos is neighbor to tribes of bearmen that are pretty kick ass. The one that Antosfall follows is Broon, a young man that is sort of 'swept up' into the events of the book, but will turn out to be equally kick ass.
Demons
Bad ones, AND good ones! These guys aren't your typical mythos of heaven/hell demons, they are actually multidimensional creatures that are made of pure energy... and badass. Most of them have guns, which leads us to our next point-->
Guns
Antos invented guns, believe it or not, a few years prior to Antosfall. The entire province was in the middle of an industrial revolution when the place turned into a giant toilet, in fact.
Magic
The 'barbarians' that live north of Antos still practice the mystic arts of magic and sorcery, unwilling to change and adapt to the inevitability of technology!
Magical Guns
Speaking of inevitability, what is better than having a gun? How about a gun forged with some crazy ass magic that makes it do insane shit? Works for me!
Demons Shooting Magical Guns
The demons are bad enough, now we have to deal with THEIR technology too? What do you mean the Antosi responsible for inventing firearms sold their souls to demons for the knowledge?
Humans Shooting Demons With Magical Guns
When you can't beat em, kill a few, steal their guns, and shoot the rest with their guns.
Robots Powered By Lightning
The Core-Men! Humanoid automatons powered by thunder-cores, awesome stone cold badasses.
The Deathforge Cannon™ Mk. 12
Okay, I'm not going to spoil it or anything, but if or when it gets build this monster is going to literally end the war. The DFC-12 is a WMD, it WILL end the war in the favor of humanity provided they can get the damn thing built!
Because fantasy books need a good kick in the ass already and I'm here to do it.
That's right. I'm here to kick your favorite genre right in the blowhole and laugh gleefully when I do it. My book has magic, demons, guns, nudity, robots, bearmen, artillery cannons, tracked vehicles, trains, armies, fireballs, wolfmen, hot chicks... etc.
If you want the "safe" bet books that tell the same, recycled, bullshit stories only set in a fantasy setting, then you better take your ass down the road because I don't want to hear your complaints.
My book is for people who want to ride it like a $17 dollar hooker from start to finish and feel filthy as hell by the last chapter but hungering for more! I don't pull punches, I'm a potty mouth, a complete and utter nutter and I let it show in my writing.
When you are done with your same old same old come to me and experience the genre mashing, fourth wall breaking, sexually deviant, soul-shatteringly inhuman departure of morality that is ANTOSFALL!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I WILL STAIN YOUR SOUL WITH MY DEVIANCY!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Antosfall: Book one factions
There are many races and factions appearing in Antosfall.
None of my other work taking place in Ti'cra has been made available to the public, so I will explain the background of these men and women and beasts here as well as in the book itself.
More factions will be added when time permits :)
The 'Denizens'
These are the remnants of the beastmen that live in a forested region north of the neck of Antos. They are descendants of early barbarians who have long since abandoned their ways to adopt connections with ancient animal spirits instead. There were two tribes before Antosfall, before the great conflagration of the entire province south of their home, two great and ancient tribes that were following the spirits of wolves and bears respectively. These cousin tribes have never known war with one another and have lived in absolute peace since their inception.
When Antosfall occurred, the southern forest of the Den was set to flame and burned to a crisp, effectively displacing the bulk of the wolf tribes. Since the splintering the wolves have gone into hiding or have gone renegade and have not been in touch with their cousin bears who are mourning deeply for the loss. The bearmen resolve to protect what remains of their home, to train up warriors and shamans to deal with the ever encroaching threat to their lives. Scouts and patrols are picked off each day, leaving strange bloated corpses of the alien threat. They are striking out of Antos in small numbers to scout and gather information on the Den, and it falls to the bearmen to find out what they want and ultimately stop them from arriving in force.
The Ironstruck
Many hundreds of years prior to Antosfall, there was a man named Pathius that strode Ti'cra. He was the son of the founder of a holy order called the Iron Paladins, and Pathius himself was a member until he was ejected from the order because of his habits. Pathius liked his women and wine, who can blame him? Pathius has several books written about him and appears in many books that are not, he is a reoccurring character that is crude and blunt, has a great sense of humor and even breaks the fourth wall from time to time.
Before Pathius died, he married a barbarian woman from the Ironskull tribe. While preparing for the future of his children he wrote many books concerning his craft of smithing and the nature of the threats to mankind. These books and this bloodline persisted many hundreds of years into Antosfall, in the form of the Ironstruck, a massive army of heavily armed and armored warriors that have been acting as an autonomous national guard for Ti'cra since it's inception.
This army that finds its origin in an order of holy warriors shows few similarities save practical. They are not holy at all, in fact they may be the opposite. The ideology of the Ironstruck is simple: all things man. They believe anything brought to Ti'cra by mankind is alright, and anything that is not mankind should be destroyed. This army of mercenaries is extremely xenophobic and highly set in their ways.
They have come to encamp around the Scorchgate, to die if they must and block the advancing army of demons with their bodies if it comes to that. For all their habits and dogma, the Ironstruck will lay down their lives to stop the advance into the unburnt territories.
The Arois
Before the time of Antosfall, the continent of Palom was dominated by tyrants that controlled the flow of money through various means, and using this control of gold and silver they essentially enslaved the population of Palom. It was a cadre of sorcerors and mages that came together and expelled the tyrant rules and liberated Palom. These fallen tyrants took what remained of their wealth and holdings and fled to the mountain of Arois, far in the north, beyond even the borders of Palom's northern reaches.
These people became the Aroisan, seen in Antosfall. After many hundreds of years of living in isolation the Arois have become a beneficent and compassionate people, they dedicate their time to education and enlightenment. Most of all, though, they are very concerned with the use of sorcery and the human species. The modern Arois can't remember why their ancestors made it so very clear that sorcery was dangerous and the plague of man, but they have the ancient texts that say to be vigilant and careful and to destroy rogue sorcerors at every turn.
This directive carried down from forgotten years has turned the Arois into a group of mage-monks dedicated to putting down other mages and sorcerors. Believing that they alone are enlightened enough to control the forces of magic through the use of their tomes and runes, the Arois have become singularly skilled at tracking down and policing these threats. Indeed they are somewhat of a myth among mages who practice outside of the Arois owned and operated colleges in Palom, for those who try to commune with the arcane powers of the universe soon hear whispers about hooded men asking about them or following them or watching their homes at night. The Arois are the stuff of nightmare for the rogue mage or sorceror.
In Antosfall, the Arois have dispatched a single virces (Aroisan agent) to lend aid to the containment effort. Ever arrogant and believing that a single young virces will be enough to handle the entirety of the Antosfall incident himself, they have since closed the book on the subject and hold no further meetings as to the demon threat.
The Patriots
This is where it gets fun, boys and girls. When Antosfall came it demolished the majority of the province beneath a flaming fist, but in the capital city of Mumai there were left a group of survivors. These survivors were part of a group of outlaws and rebels called the Patriots, who pre-Antosfall were dedicated to living the anarchist life free of authority and governance and police. The Patriots believe that freedom is the only choice and governing authorities using police to bludgeon their will on the people is a crime against the nature of humanity.
They were involved in organized crime, manufacturing of weapons and the selling of arms to buyers both in and out of Mumai, champions of worker unions and the freedom of choice. These guys are hardcore, badass, leather bound, tattooed, bearded, grizzly biker dudes, minus the bikes. They like booze, guns, and money. Post-Antosfall, they became underground guerilla irregulars hitting the invaders at every turn, liberating slave gangs, demolishing supply lines and generally being a hardassed resistance force that has gone from outlaws to saviors.
The Patriots wrote a manifesto decrying the invaders and distributed it via aircraft over Mumai, the iconic words at the end being a rallying call to all displaced Antosi, addressing the demons the message is clear: leave now or be destroyed. The manifesto is found on every corner and in sweeping piles on every road, it inspires the survivors to band together under their leadership to fight back against the encroaching aliens to drive them back to whatever hell they came from.
When the government and military of Antos fell, it was the Patriots that unleashed a brutal first strike against the demon, and they continue to this day their terrible hidden war against the foe despite the fact that they are outnumbered several thousand to one. They utilize the underground network of infrastructure beneath Mumai to house their war effort, having since relocated much of the surviving technology of Mumai underground. Here they manufacture everything from guns and ammunition to food and water and clothing for their cause.
Found present in all of their endeavors is the Antos flag, be it driven into the chest of a dead demon or tattooed on the chest of a Patriot warrior, they love their country and they are willing to fight to the death for their freedom from what they consider simply another form of oppression.
None of my other work taking place in Ti'cra has been made available to the public, so I will explain the background of these men and women and beasts here as well as in the book itself.
More factions will be added when time permits :)
The 'Denizens'
These are the remnants of the beastmen that live in a forested region north of the neck of Antos. They are descendants of early barbarians who have long since abandoned their ways to adopt connections with ancient animal spirits instead. There were two tribes before Antosfall, before the great conflagration of the entire province south of their home, two great and ancient tribes that were following the spirits of wolves and bears respectively. These cousin tribes have never known war with one another and have lived in absolute peace since their inception.
When Antosfall occurred, the southern forest of the Den was set to flame and burned to a crisp, effectively displacing the bulk of the wolf tribes. Since the splintering the wolves have gone into hiding or have gone renegade and have not been in touch with their cousin bears who are mourning deeply for the loss. The bearmen resolve to protect what remains of their home, to train up warriors and shamans to deal with the ever encroaching threat to their lives. Scouts and patrols are picked off each day, leaving strange bloated corpses of the alien threat. They are striking out of Antos in small numbers to scout and gather information on the Den, and it falls to the bearmen to find out what they want and ultimately stop them from arriving in force.
The Ironstruck
Many hundreds of years prior to Antosfall, there was a man named Pathius that strode Ti'cra. He was the son of the founder of a holy order called the Iron Paladins, and Pathius himself was a member until he was ejected from the order because of his habits. Pathius liked his women and wine, who can blame him? Pathius has several books written about him and appears in many books that are not, he is a reoccurring character that is crude and blunt, has a great sense of humor and even breaks the fourth wall from time to time.
Before Pathius died, he married a barbarian woman from the Ironskull tribe. While preparing for the future of his children he wrote many books concerning his craft of smithing and the nature of the threats to mankind. These books and this bloodline persisted many hundreds of years into Antosfall, in the form of the Ironstruck, a massive army of heavily armed and armored warriors that have been acting as an autonomous national guard for Ti'cra since it's inception.
This army that finds its origin in an order of holy warriors shows few similarities save practical. They are not holy at all, in fact they may be the opposite. The ideology of the Ironstruck is simple: all things man. They believe anything brought to Ti'cra by mankind is alright, and anything that is not mankind should be destroyed. This army of mercenaries is extremely xenophobic and highly set in their ways.
They have come to encamp around the Scorchgate, to die if they must and block the advancing army of demons with their bodies if it comes to that. For all their habits and dogma, the Ironstruck will lay down their lives to stop the advance into the unburnt territories.
The Arois
Before the time of Antosfall, the continent of Palom was dominated by tyrants that controlled the flow of money through various means, and using this control of gold and silver they essentially enslaved the population of Palom. It was a cadre of sorcerors and mages that came together and expelled the tyrant rules and liberated Palom. These fallen tyrants took what remained of their wealth and holdings and fled to the mountain of Arois, far in the north, beyond even the borders of Palom's northern reaches.
These people became the Aroisan, seen in Antosfall. After many hundreds of years of living in isolation the Arois have become a beneficent and compassionate people, they dedicate their time to education and enlightenment. Most of all, though, they are very concerned with the use of sorcery and the human species. The modern Arois can't remember why their ancestors made it so very clear that sorcery was dangerous and the plague of man, but they have the ancient texts that say to be vigilant and careful and to destroy rogue sorcerors at every turn.
This directive carried down from forgotten years has turned the Arois into a group of mage-monks dedicated to putting down other mages and sorcerors. Believing that they alone are enlightened enough to control the forces of magic through the use of their tomes and runes, the Arois have become singularly skilled at tracking down and policing these threats. Indeed they are somewhat of a myth among mages who practice outside of the Arois owned and operated colleges in Palom, for those who try to commune with the arcane powers of the universe soon hear whispers about hooded men asking about them or following them or watching their homes at night. The Arois are the stuff of nightmare for the rogue mage or sorceror.
In Antosfall, the Arois have dispatched a single virces (Aroisan agent) to lend aid to the containment effort. Ever arrogant and believing that a single young virces will be enough to handle the entirety of the Antosfall incident himself, they have since closed the book on the subject and hold no further meetings as to the demon threat.
The Patriots
This is where it gets fun, boys and girls. When Antosfall came it demolished the majority of the province beneath a flaming fist, but in the capital city of Mumai there were left a group of survivors. These survivors were part of a group of outlaws and rebels called the Patriots, who pre-Antosfall were dedicated to living the anarchist life free of authority and governance and police. The Patriots believe that freedom is the only choice and governing authorities using police to bludgeon their will on the people is a crime against the nature of humanity.
They were involved in organized crime, manufacturing of weapons and the selling of arms to buyers both in and out of Mumai, champions of worker unions and the freedom of choice. These guys are hardcore, badass, leather bound, tattooed, bearded, grizzly biker dudes, minus the bikes. They like booze, guns, and money. Post-Antosfall, they became underground guerilla irregulars hitting the invaders at every turn, liberating slave gangs, demolishing supply lines and generally being a hardassed resistance force that has gone from outlaws to saviors.
The Patriots wrote a manifesto decrying the invaders and distributed it via aircraft over Mumai, the iconic words at the end being a rallying call to all displaced Antosi, addressing the demons the message is clear: leave now or be destroyed. The manifesto is found on every corner and in sweeping piles on every road, it inspires the survivors to band together under their leadership to fight back against the encroaching aliens to drive them back to whatever hell they came from.
When the government and military of Antos fell, it was the Patriots that unleashed a brutal first strike against the demon, and they continue to this day their terrible hidden war against the foe despite the fact that they are outnumbered several thousand to one. They utilize the underground network of infrastructure beneath Mumai to house their war effort, having since relocated much of the surviving technology of Mumai underground. Here they manufacture everything from guns and ammunition to food and water and clothing for their cause.
Found present in all of their endeavors is the Antos flag, be it driven into the chest of a dead demon or tattooed on the chest of a Patriot warrior, they love their country and they are willing to fight to the death for their freedom from what they consider simply another form of oppression.
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