Hostile Newsletter Takeovers and Fantasy News!

Top o’ the morning, all!

I’m interrupting your regularly scheduled dose of Taylor for the week to poke my head in, wave, and say, “Hi!” I promise that Taylor will return in two weeks with more stories about what video games he’s playing and what movies he’s watching.

For those who don’t know me, my name is Ryan Kirk, and I’m the quieter half of the Ashes of the Ascended project. I’ve known Taylor for about five years now, and it’s an honor to work alongside him. This project, in particular, has been a fun one for both of us, and we’ve worked out a fairly grand vision for where this all will go. It’ll take us a while to get there, and for those of you who have joined us early, right here near the beginning, I say “Thank you.” We live in a world of virtually endless entertainment options, and it means everything to me to have you here.

My reasons for writing today instead of Taylor are threefold. First, I wanted to introduce myself to those of you who haven’t met me. Second, I wanted to share my thoughts on our collaborative process, and third, I want to shamelessly shill my upcoming release. I’ll start with the shilling, and I promise I’ll be brief.

Of Blood and Broken Dreams

My new novel releases May 30, and it’s the first book in a brand-new world. Ancient forces are rising from their timeless slumber, and a small group of warriors stands in the midst of the maelstrom. Of Blood and Broken Dreams follows a warrior-king, a young girl, and the commander of a small elite unit as the world begins its descent into chaos. This story was a pleasure to write, and if you haven’t checked out any of my work before, I think it’s a good place to start. If you’re interested, you can pre-order direct from me (and get the story early) here:

Of Blood and Broken Dreams at RyanKirkAuthor.com

Or, if you prefer, it is also available at all major retailers here:

Of Blood and Broken Dreams at all major retailers

The Heart of Collaboration

When people ask Taylor and I what collaborating is like, my usual answer is that it’s really fun. Writing is usually such a solo endeavor, it’s a treat to share the experience with someone else, and Taylor is an unusually excellent writing partner.

In general, Taylor and I work on the story idea together, and then Taylor writes out the first draft in a creative frenzy. I’ll take a read-through and then we’ll sit down and we’ll talk about any changes I might want to make. Sometimes the changes are pretty minor, and sometimes we end up essentially rewriting the story from scratch. It’s an iterative process, and never the same between stories.

Some stories, like last week’s tale of “The Third Ascended,” go through substantial changes. Of the final 4000+ words, less than 500 are from the first draft. Others, like next week’s adventure, “The First Expedition of Farris and Fenton,” remain almost entirely as Taylor wrote them.

In next week’s case, it’s because Taylor has a gift I do not. He writes stories that are funny, and next week’s story is a madcap adventure. It’s not something I ever could have written, but I hope you’ll enjoy.

I certainly did.

Thank for being here, and thanks for reading,

Ryan