Argentum
Welcome to The Violet War, an urban fantasy setting about a murderess who can’t remember her crimes. If you want to read more of my work, be sure to check out the free fiction page for more samples.
The book that I’m in the middle of revising right now is called ARGENTUM. This title does carry some significance and weight to the overall theme of the Violet War setting, which I’m exploring more in the book. In Latin, the word “argentum” means “silver.” Silver is one of the many metals used by the Alchemists. What does it mean here? Since the series is based on Alchemy, there are themes in the book that relate back to the true meaning of the word “argentum.” Feminine. Lunar. Forbidden.
Both the chapters and the pieces of Serafina’s memory that are offered here were part of my very first draft for Argentum. By providing you with the chance to the draft, I’m offering you a glimpse of my novel writing process for this urban fantasy book.
Are you ready for a war?
Preparation
Before you perform or gather the ingredients for any Rite of Alchemy, you must prepare your body, your mind and your table. — Prometheus, the Father of Alchemy
Prepare yourself.
First Draft of Chapters 1 through 3
Why are you providing us with a first draft?
Writing and editing a novel is a process unlike any other. Some might compare it to creating a sculpture; I think it’s a lot like tuning into the right radio station to record a person’s voice. While each writer’s process is different, writing a novel is still a journey and doesn’t happen overnight.
In THE QUEEN OF CROWS, which was one of the first enhanced e-books to hit digital media, I shared my first draft with you along with other goodies. Why? Because this process means everything to me. Often, it’s taboo to share a first draft because conventional wisdom says that you will judge the quality of my work so harshly you will get a lasting, negative impression in your mind. The truth is, what you see in print is often not the full story. For my own work, there’s so much story and shifts in voice that often you only see a small part of the tale. To me, however naive or “wrong” it may be, I think you’ll get more out of your favorite tales if you can follow along from the beginning.
I invite you to read the first draft of the first three chapters of my novel and the chapter breaks. If this story intrigues you, I would like to extend that invitation to follow my journey on the Violet War Blog.
As always, I appreciate your support. For you, dear reader, will always wear the crown.
Book Trailers
When I first launched the site, I was playing around with the idea of providing the entire novel online for free. To generate interest in the story, I came up with this book trailer. Even though I ended up pursuing things differently with this setting and my novel, creating the trailer was a lot of fun. It was a great experience and I ended up creating other book trailers, too. The music in this trailer is from a band I really enjoy called Nox Arcana. They’ve given me blanket permission to use their music, and I’m more than happy to support their work.
This book trailer was created to promote THE QUEEN OF CROWS e-book. My friend, professional composer James Semple who is writing music for THE HOUSE OF HELL, wrote the unique track. I hope you enjoy it!