Balefire and Brimstone, Book 2 of the Krueger Chronicles, is now available for purchase for the Kindle and on Smashwords. It’s been a good month for the one-eyed Chosen. Probably not so good for his enemies. In the next few weeks, the print copy will be available on Amazon, and I expect that he’ll have reached Barnes and Noble and the Apple store in e-format by early August. 

I wrote the first draft of the book during National Novel Writing Month 2010. After I had failed to complete the first Krueger novel in 2008’s NaNoWriMo, I was determined to finish this one.  After falling painfully behind schedule, no one who knew me thought that I was going to make it. Somehow, I got into a great writing zone over Thanksgiving, and I finished at 11:45 pm on the final day. I’m pretty sure that I slept well that weekend. 

Souls of the Everwood, my first Krueger book, remains eligible for free purchase on Smashwords this month. Just use the coupon code SW100 listed on the Smashwords page on checkout (check the page just in case they change it). It’s a great way to take a look at the book and decide if you like it. If you don’t, well, it was free. 

My original concept for Souls of the Everwood came from the idea of conflict between fantasy elves and men. As I wrote Krueger, the protagonist, he morphed into someone much deeper and darker with quite a bit of influence from Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane. At the same time, he’s definitely a different character, much more of a lost soul than Howard’s fanatical Puritan. Suddenly, the entire concept of the book changed and revolved around him.

In a lot of ways, I was influenced by Westerns in writing Krueger and the book has some aspects of the genre while mixing in magic, the Fey and undead.

Okay, maybe I wasn’t influenced in a “lot” of ways by Westerns, though I will admit that I liked the idea of a character using a gun against mystical enemies.

I’m very thankful to Blue Oranda for publishing Krueger and the Hawks. Additionally, one of my fellow authors, Brad A. White, has his second mythological noir novel available through Blue Oranda, A Pearl for Her Eyes. Speaking of Blue Oranda, they have a new website now with an image of HeroNet Files, which I’m lucky enough to have a short story inside.

I think I’ve done enough linking for now. If you get a chance to get a copy and would like to comment or e-mail about it, I’d be glad to discuss the book. I’m hopeful that both Krueger books will continue to sell reasonably well, as I have outlines for about 5 more. 

Wishing everyone the best!

Harry