The contest is being held by the website Dreamonus. There are 5 copies of Ashes of a Black Frost up for grabs. All you have to do is sign up and I think perhaps send a tweet (or something like that) and you’re entered to win.

And I wanted to share a few really cool pieces of art done by friends and fans. The first is simply a phenomenal tattoo of the regimental crest. Tom in Canada decided to go all out and got this beauty and all I can say is I am honored and in awe:

Aeri Mekah (Into the Fire) regimental crest of the Iron Elves tattoo by and on Tom

Then there is the slightly less permanent t-shirt design by Janelle (with Cathy modeling as well) that I think is hysterical:

Finally, there is the cover image from Watch The Skies done by Eric when I hung out with the fantasy and science fiction writer’s group at the Camp Hill, PA B&N many moons ago:

The Viceroy's table from A Darkness Forged in Fire

I truly am honored and appreciative for all of these. If you’ve drawn, painted, stitched, inked or otherwise done some Iron Elves artwork please feel free to share. Who knows, I might just have to start a new contest 🙂

Cheers,

Chris

Anne McCaffery died on November 21st after suffering a stroke. There are articles about her life and career all over the net, HERE and HERE. As so many have already said, she will be missed.

I wasn’t able to run while on the RV road trip between the driving and the killer tooth ache. I finally got in a nice long run in the park on Sunday and it was glorious. It feels so amazing that there are points in the run when time stops and I am absolutely convinced I could run forever. I don’t know that I’d call it euphoria, more like a vast, all encompassing contentment. Not being religious I think this serves as a mechanism for centering myself. There are times this feeling goes so deep I would need a few seconds to remember my name if asked. I’ve been tempted more than once to imbue a character with this and try to describe it in more detail, but honestly, I don’t know if I will. It’s like trying to define being in love. You are, or you aren’t. When I’m running, I just am. But then there are times when I am writing and that same endless plain spreads out before me and I, well, I just am. Maybe the two activities aren’t as different as I thought.

I write, I am.

I run, I am.

I cook…ah, who am I kidding, I cook, I burn my oven mitts. Some things I am not.

Manga Maniac Cafe were kind enough to host a giveaway contest for the series and to conduct an interview with me. You can read the entire interview HERE, but I’ve included some of the highlights below:

[Manga Maniac Café] What have you learned about yourself through your characters?

[Chris Evans] That I should seek professional help as soon as possible! It’s a bit surprising at times to see how dark or how brave (or cowardly) one of my characters can be. There’s a temptation to want to read something about yourself in that, but when you write fiction you really are going beyond your own experience. I’ve never charged the enemy with my sword drawn, but I grew up playing hockey in Canada so I suppose I have some experience with battle at close quarters. I suppose the most interesting thing I learned is that there’s more to me than I realized. I think all of us slowly take on a few roles in our lives – profession, spouse, parent etc. – and start to forget how limitless our imaginations used to be as kids. Writing for me connects me with that childish wonder.

[Manga Maniac Café] What three things do you need in order to write?

[Chris Evans] I need to be wide awake and focused. I can’t write worth a darn when I’m drowsy or pre-occupied. I need silence, or at least random background noise. I’ve tried many times, but I can’t write with music playing, even songs without singing. I need a pen and pad, or better yet, a leather journal. Even if I am typing on my laptop, I still need to be able to jot down notes. I love the feel of a pen in my hand and the sound it makes moving across the paper.

I was tempted to write a lot today on this subject, but I think these say what needs to be said: