Moving on. Come see the new place!

Hi! I have moved. Please come see me and learn more about my newest works at:

http://tlbarrett.com

Thanks!

Hairy Bromance Cover!

Coming December 1, 2012 just in time for the apocalypse! Hairy Bromance. This satire, road trip, buddy story with monsters, conspiracy, and a lot of laughs is coming your way soon. Damnation Books have said it is all right to reveal the wonderful cover done by Jessica Lucero.

Progress...

Okay, I have not written as much as I'd like in the year 2012. Why? Because I have written a lot in the last three years and it was time to reap some of that sowing. I have been editing/revising six different novels that I've cranked out and hope to have in people's hands by the mid point of 2013. Here's the break down:

The Wardmaster (A Crimm Chronicle): A Vanaheim fantasy epic will be published by Post-Mortem Press in October 2012.

Hairy Bromance: A horror comedy will be published by Damnation Books in December 2012.

The three volumes of The Vale of Shade will be out in October 2012, January 2013, and March 2013.

The Door to Halloween (A Children's Fantasy): should be out by June 2013.

In the mean time, check out The Night Library, a collection of short horror stories I cranked out between July of 2009 and March of 2012. I only picked the best of these spooky fruit to go in the basket!

And between all of these projects, I still plan to have the Horror/Action book, Ride, Valkyries, Ride! done and ready to submit by March 2013.

Whew! I guess I can't be so hard on myself!

The Vale of Shade is coming!

Hey all,

My first foray into novel writing will finally see the light of day! The Vale of Shade, naively conceived as a giant 1 volume monster of an epic, will be published soon in three volumes by me! Originally the first 2/5ths of the work was published by The Twisted Library, and I am still so thankful for the chance they gave me to see my work in print, but it has been a long haul and now I have the rights back. Over two years since accepted for publication, people will get to read the full journey of Arden, the cursed Prince, and his motley band of friends.

Curtis Hale, painter extraordinaire will be doing the covers. I've already seen the first one and man, you are in for a Gothic artistic treat!

The proposed publication will be:

Vol. 1: Test of a Prince- Some time in early October

Vol. 2: The Bastard Prophecy- Some time in January 2013

Vol. 3: Lord of an Endless Realm- Some time in March 2013

Man, I am very excited. These should be available both in print and for the kindle at those times.

Free Labor Day reading!

Passed out randomly in the middle of the night and gave myself a concussion and a black eye. Scared the Dickens out of myself. Recovering and feeling like my poor addled wits can write again in the next couple of days. In the meantime, I have some short stories for you to read. The links are on your right: The Dragon Wager and Thorbadin's Dilemma. Spread the word and enjoy! They will be free for the Kindle September 2nd and 3rd!

Yours Truly,
Trav

Hairy Bromance is official!

Hairy Bromance will be published by Damnation Books on December 1st, 2012. Just in time to laugh your way through the apocalypse.

Lots of News!

Well, a lot of news:

Hairy Bromance will see publication with the wonderful Damnation Books! More to come!

Wardmaster has gone through edits and should be out this October!

I did my first book signing in Lyndonville, VT.

My cat Mr. Cuddles returned to us after two months of absence.

My wife has developed severe arthritis.

My work on the Vietnam Memoir hit a stand still and although it will continue in the future, I needed to walk away from this one for a while.

Ride, Valkyries, Ride! the first volume about monster-slaying motorcycle mamas is well on the way, and I hope to have it done by the end of the year. It is only the first of many more to come.

The summer is pretty much over for me, but the rest has been good because of a rough year last year. Now, I look forward to Autumn smells and sights, Halloween, and loads of days when there is nothing to do but write.

I hope you all have had a restful summer and I promise I'll keep you updated more frequently.

Trav

Book Review: A Gathering of Crows by Brian Keene

Here is another terrifying jaunt into the twisted mind of Brian Keene and his mysterious 13 (the otherworldly beings which are older than our universe and hate it with a cruel and undying passion). This time a small dying Pennsylvanian town falls prey to five crows which are so much more five crows. The real terror begins rather quickly as everyone in this small town are killed in horrific and awful ways, shut off from escape and all technology.

Thankfully, Brian Keene's supernatural warrior-hero, the ex-Amish Levi Stoltzfus arrives, but can this spell slinging bearded man be enough to save the handful of survivors. Will he even be able to figure out what is doing it in time to make a difference?

This story has some real moments of terror, exemplified by Keene's natural ability to create believeable characters that might carry an entire novel themselves if their life expectancy was not so short.

Do I love Levi's character (who made his first appearance in the mediocre Ghost Walk, an inferior sequel to the wonderful Dark Hallow)? Not really. But he proves himself very heroic by the end of the novel. It is here that I adore Keene's writing and find that it sits above most of the supernatural horror out there today. The morality is always gray and the characters and situation are realistically displayed from multiple points of view. I had a good time reading this book, and would recommend it highly for anyone who loves horror. It isn't Ghoul, Dark Hollow, or The Darkness at the Edge of Town (all of which I loved), but it was a very entertaining read.

Hairy Bromance is a go!

My paranormal dark comedy has been accepted for publication by Damnation Books! I am very excited to have people read about Barry, the werewolf, and Glen, the sasquatch, the great hairy drinking buddy duo as they thwart reptilian conspiracies, cross the country and strive for the mecca that is Comic-con.

Hairy Bromance had been contracted with another company, but the company did not do anything with the book, nor could I reach anyone for comment. The contract stipulates that in this case it returns to me after one year. Thus, good things do come to those who wait... and wait... and wait...

Just a little while longer and things will get very hairy... stock up on your Frontline.

Time to revisit some very old wounds...

Hello, faithful reader. I've decided to really challenge myself this time and write about something that didn't come flying out of my head. I've taken on the daunting task of immortalizing my father-in-law's experiences in and around Vietnam. That's right, it is going to be a no-holds-barred memoir that will take the American Marine's perspective on the conflict that divided a nation and cost thousands of lives. I hope to do it justice.

I've been having some pretty eye opening conversations with Richard for the past few weeks and have managed to crank out thirty pages of narrative getting him to his deployment. After a few edits on a previous work, I should be ready to jump down into the darkness. Wish me luck!

Thorbadin's Dilemma is for free!

This solstice short story is free for kindle June 21-23. Download now!
http://www.amazon.com/Thorbadins-Dilemma-Tale-Jotunheim-ebook/dp/B0087VXOGG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340280207&sr=8-1&keywords=thorbadin%27s+dilemma

Summer Reading?

Need some summer reading? From June 15 through the 17th, The Night Library is available free on kindle! Download, read, tell yourself it is okay to turn out the lights, and leave a nice review!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Night-Library-ebook/dp/B007PFX7DA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1339773108&sr=1-1&keywords=the+night+library

Thank you, Ray!

Just the other day, I checked the Internet and my heart literally skipped a beat. Ray Bradbury had finally left the planet. I felt like my father or grandfather had passed suddenly, and for good reason. This guy wrote words that carved their way into my heart and my consciousness.

Reading Bradbury was such a moving and transformative thing to me, it was as if someone had reached out and grabbed me and dragged me along for amazing rides into the future, the past and into the red skies over Mars. I can remember the time and places where I sat and first read the works he gave us. It is like when one thinks back on the first meeting of a great friends or lovers. One day, I climbed into my parent's horse pasture and sat under an apple tree and cracked open the book Fahrenheit 451. I was playing hooky on a late spring day. When I finished the novel that evening, I sat there with my thoughts and only came down as the moon began to rise over the sky. I was a different person.

I hope that you will give Ray Bradbury a chance to reach out and grab you. I believe he will live on as a master of the 20th century, a true American Romantic, a mythologist and a fantasist of the highest degree. These are some of my personal favorites:

"The Toynbee Convector"- a short story that shines with Bradbury's brilliant optimism. Read on the steps of St. Johnsbury's Atheneaum.

The Martian Chronicles- a true sci-fi fantasy that makes me nostalgic for he red planet. Read this one on summer evenings on the front porch.

Something Wicked This Way Comes- A gothic marvel (more poetry than prose) about love, loss, youth and wonder. I read this one on my grandmother's couch.

and of course: Farhrenheit 451- the dystopian allegory of the cave that turned out to be pretty prophetic.

Thanks, Ray, for everything, and may your further journeys only give you back the wonder that you gave all of us!

A vampire anthology with a real bite!

Re-Vamping a Classic Tale is now available from Norgus Press. This vampire anthology packs a real bite with some very talented international authors. It also includes my tale of school children dabbling in necromancy: "The Scholomance on Spring Street". Check it out at:
http://www.amazon.com/Re-Vamping-classic-Tale-Jeffrey-Angus/dp/1475288972/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339158253&sr=8-1

Bring your stakes and crosses! Garlic, too. Heck bring a garlic pizza while your at it. Now that's something I could really put my teeth into!

The Dragon Wager is free!

The Dragon Wager is free for Kindle downloads (June 1-3)! Download, share, read, laugh, then (if you would), leave some kind words on Amazon.com. If you become inspired to, say, read more about Jotunheim and purchase the Test of a Prince, I won't complain.

http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Wager-Tale-Jotunheim-ebook/dp/B0086VZTGA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1338518490&sr=8-2

The Dragon Wager

My short story, "The Dragon Wager" is available for download for the Kindle at Amazon.com. This funny fantasy yarn is set in the same realm as Test of a Prince and the upcoming The Vale of Shade. This one was published a couple of years ago by a now defunct publisher, and published in that publisher's best of anthology.

http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Wager-Tale-Jotunheim-ebook/dp/B0086VZTGA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1338293304&sr=8-4

The Wardmaster is contracted!

The Wardmaster, a dark fantasy epic, has been contracted for publication with Post-Mortem Press! This dark and thrilling adventure about psychics trying to save a young and very powerful girl from the forces of darkness will be available some time in late summer/early fall of 2012. In the meantime check out a short story that features a major player in that drama: "The Witch-Father", available now for kindle format.

An interesting review...

This is what my friend, Sam Rowlett said about my writing:

"My good friend Travis is a writer living in Northern Vermont. His work is like Stephen King and J. K. Rowling making out in the bathroom of a roadhouse bar somewhere in the Green Mountains, only accessible by snowmachine. Read his books!"

The Witch-Father is now free!

May 20th to May 22nd, "The Witch-Father" is free on kindle!

The Witch-Father is now available!

So, you don't have time for a novel? You are craving some fantasy action and suspense? Love stories of fearsome desperate psychics as they wage an endless war against the corrupt and undead? Look no further. "The Witch-Father" is available for the kindle (or for free kindle apps). This is just the first published story about Crimm, the Pyrelord. Right now, a publisher is considering the epic fantasy novel: The Wardmaster, which details how Crimm awoke from a sleep of a thousand years. Here is the link and the description:

Tammas Graysheldson was a husband, father and grandfather to witches, a carpenter, and as good a soul as any in Vanaheim. When a cult kidnaps his twin grandsons, Tammas takes up sword against an ancient and awful evil. The Logos sees fit to grant him a companion in Crimm, the Pyrelord and the last of the Vraghmin. But will a psychic warrior and a grandfather's love be enough?

This short story is a Chronicle of Crimm, the warrior who awakens from the sleep of a thousand years to find his beloved Vanaheim in the clutches of the monstrous Twisted Ones. Look for The Wardmaster, a epic dark fantasy novel that tells the tale of the Pyrelord's awakening.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0084FM6SW