Introducing myself, my book, and my world!

I’m kind of a nerd.

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring.

I grew up reading the greats. I can still remember the smell of the original version of The Hobbit that my mom gave to me, it’s pages yellowed, it’s classic 70’s style black framed cover (because that’s when my mom first bought it) starting to crack away to white. The Lord of the Rings I read when I was ten, all three books combined into one large tome that made my hands ache when I read it laying on my back, trying hard to balance it’s weight on my chest. I made it all the way through (even the Entmoot!) at the age of ten. I then discovered Terry Brooks and his epic Shannara series, opening my mind to the possibility of endless stories told within a fantasy world. Harry Potter, Eragon, Dragon Riders of Pern soon after. The list goes on.

By the time I was in High School, during a time where creativity is usually shoved aside for algebra and history, I was already fully entrenched in the science fiction and fantasy culture, having also been brought up on Star Wars, Star Trek, The Dark Crystal, C.S. Lewis, Steven King, and more. So while I sat through US History 1, I would stare out the window into the woods across the street and imagine what world awaited me on the other side.

It was right there in that classroom that I decided to write a book with my own world, my own characters, and my own stories. That was in 2004. It is now 2019 and Darkwerks, which was my original title/place holder until another title reveals itself, has grown, and grown, and grown. However, it has grown solely inside my head and I couldn’t contain it in my head. I need to get it out on paper.

I have tried over the years to in different ways. I never landed on a format that really worked for me until finally, this year, I must have cracked the code. I’ve been outlining and writing with wild abandon and I feel I am heading in a great direction.

Professionally, I am a Community Manager (among many other things!) and I’ve been doing this for 5 years. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but *toot toot* I’m pretty good at it. I figured now is the time to build up a community around my writing so when I do eventually release it, I won’t be releasing it to zero people. This may work, this may not! It’s worth a shot.

So what is Darkwerks?

Right now that is just the working title but Darkwerks itself is the world where my story takes place. The people of Darkwerks are of a few different races, some you may be familiar with, some not. For example elves exist but are not the magical Tolkien creatures you might associate Elves with. They are in fact very selfish and reclusive. The humans have expanded through most of the planet with the gentle Ovis, a human-like race with horns, staying in the North.

The main story follows a few characters, a rich 7,000 year history of warring nations, a threat shrouded in legend that many disbelieve, and in the end a reveal that rocks everyone’s world, no matter who you are in Darkwerks. Religion, war, and self identity are important themes in this series, including a Queen who has lived for 7,000 years, the only human to ever live that long. As Queen of Greater Darkwerks she must grapple with ruling, being the prophet of their main religion and mouth piece of “The Gods” who granted her this immortality, as well as her own fatigue of living for so long. Wouldn’t you be tired of seeing everyone around you die for 1,000s of years while you live on? Would you find a way to die, or keep on keepin’ on?

There is so much more to this world and story and I will absolutely share more as this blog evolves! I can say though that my goal is to create another “universe” i.e. the Marvel Universe, the Star Wars Universe, the DCEU, etc. I want to create a connected universe where endless stories can be told.

What will I be on this site, exactly?

A few things, a plethora, a platter of things, if you will:

• Blog posts about my progress which will include NaNoWriMo, write-ins, roadblocks and how I got through them, tips that I have found really helped me, etc.
• Excerpts and peeks at the world. I do a lot of side-writing to help build my world and I will probably be posting a lot of that here. It won’t give away any plot or secrets, but it will help you understand the world and it’s characters!
• Practice writing. I love to talk about movies, books, and TV shows, and I love to review them. I will probably be posting a lot of that which will include story and character analyses. Plus any little things I write in between!
• Cats. I have two tabby cats who are brothers, Shea and Grandy. They keep me sane and cuddle with me while I write in bed so they will undoubtedly make an appearance. Plus they are the most adorable so there is no reason they wouldn’t make frequent appearances here!

Who will like this world and story?

• Fans of science-fiction and fantasy.
• Fans of “magic at a cost”, meaning magical elements that aren’t rampant, common, or easy to use.
• Readers who enjoy dark elements and “no one is safe” writing.
• Map fanatics! Darkwerks map coming soon.
• People who think that people aren’t just “good or evil”, that characters can change, be fluid, and sometimes be both.

How often will you post?

As of right now I am planning to post once a week, but I want to make my writing and my writing progress more present on my social media, which I update daily. You can follow me there below!

• WordPress
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

I’m very excited for this venture! I hope you will join me on it.