Blue Daunia – BenjaminBrunson.com

Transformations (and Honesty)

Please don’t buy the first two “issues” of Blue Daunia if you haven’t done so already!

It’s an ongoing process, this “art” of writing. Ongoing not only in the sense of the writing itself, but also in the sense of learning.

Two months ago, I thought I had wanted an ongoing monthly serial. That’s what the Blue Daunia saga was meant, from the outset of inception, to be. I regaled myself with the starry notion of reviving the old-school dime novel serials, or even of putting the comic book “continuum” thing into text form.

I did not find the schedule of such a task to be overly rigorous… it was, and is, quite possible to maintain and sustain a monthly serial. So it’s not really the difficulty of the undertaking (as massive as it is) that has recently caused me to change my mind on the format.

And indeed, the format is changing. I’ve come to realize how daunting a task the marketing of a monthly serial can be. Here are a couple of the problems:

A) The Time In-Between: I mean this from the point of view of the reader, not the writer. Where a series is concerned, the modern-day audience is trained to digest installments on a weekly basis, as per television… or by binge-digesting the “season”, as per Netflix or Hulu. True, when I speak of Blue Daunia I am speaking of the written word rather than an audio-visual production, but the modern take on output and consumption has been formed nonetheless. Furthering this analogy, as I am equating “issues” of a “serial” with “episodes” of a “series”, I would also equate “novels” of an ongoing “saga” with “sequels” of a “movie”: with a series of novels and movies alike, the reader/viewer is content to wait a year or more between larger, novel- or movie-sized chunks. It is as expected as the weekly interval of episodes of a series. (This having been said, I will not be making my potential readers wait even that long… I plan on publishing a Blue Daunia novel every 6 months or so, not every year or two).

B) The Pricing: I pose a question to those who may be reading this: When you are seeking out new reading material, would you rather discover a series of novels that piques your interest and pay $4 (give or take) for a novel-sized volume and realize you only missed out on one or two others that you would have to invest in…. OR… Would you rather discover a serial that piques your interest and realize that, while the current issue is only 99 cents, you’ve already missed 22 issues and would have to invest 22 bucks to catch yourself up, and then realize that it will have to wait a month between each portion? Or, to put it another way: if, three years from now, a friend of yours talked up an excellent serial they’ve been reading as something you should really check out, how would you feel when you discover that, having been three years, there are 36 one-dollar issues you would have to invest in just to have to read 720,000 words (roughly 3,600 pages) just to catch up to where your friend is? The marketing and price-to-volume logistics are troublesome, to say the least.

So, as much as I would love for you to do so, I’m here and now asking you not to invest in the first two “issues” of the Blue Daunia saga available on the Kindle store. As much as I would love your support and your dollars, I’m going to be honest… as soon as the third chunk of what has turned out to be a three-part story arc is complete (later this month, October 2017), I’m going to release all three parts as the proper First Novel of the Series of Novels it really should have been all along. For the several dozens who have already invested in the first two issues, I am still going to publish the tail-end as “Issue #3”, as I feel it is only right to do so, rather than to make these loyalists essentially re-purchase the first two issues all over again, just for the sake of being able to read the conclusion of the first story-arc. But for everyone else, you can (if I may so humbly request you do) pick up the first NOVEL of the Blue Daunia saga, which will be known as Volume One.

From that point on, the series will be handled in novel format, like Fleming’s James Bond or Rowling’s Harry Potter. The reasons for doing so, much like Problems A and B above, are two-fold:

A) I’ve jammed myself up with Issue #3 in terms of the length and pacing. I’ve spent the first two issues building up slowly to the action, and both of the first issues were 20,000+ words. But now that it’s all set up, the action of the 3rd issue, if so published, would be so lightning-fast compared to the first two as to seem alien to the reader, not only in terms of pacing but also in terms of page-count: you see, I’ve not much more to say to finish the first tale other than another 10,000 words or less, half or less the length of the first two issues… and could therefore not justify charging the same price (which I will have to do anyway, sadly, as 99 cents is as cheap as Amazon will allow a Kindle book to be).

B) I won’t feel so confined by a set monthly word-count, and can allow future novels in the series to breathe a bit more, develop at a more natural pace, than trying to time everything out in a monthly 20k-word allotment. I can develop the characters more thoroughly… add subplots whereas the current telling of the tale focuses on following one specific set of people along one path towards a unified goal. I can build the world more strongly, vibrantly and dynamically, adding politics and struggles and regimes and rises and falls. I can even do spin-off novels of certain characters (Redwood and Morlana spring to mind). And, most importantly to me personally (again being quite honest here), I can explore other much-dreamt-of writing projects in-between, not the least of which is this blog itself (which I have woefully neglected), as well as other non-fantasy novels which have long been brewing in my mind.

To current readers of the series, I apologize for any inconvenience all of this might cause. As I’ve stated, the 3rd chunk will still be made available separately, so that you don’t have to re-purchase what you’ve already bought by buying the first novel. But yes, from now on, Blue Daunia will be a series of novels rather than a monthly “comic book in text form”.

Anyways… Cheers! And Happy Reading and Writing!

New Covers to Pay Homage to Series’ Roots

I wanted to update the covers of the Blue Daunia series. . . something to reflect my love for the comic books of the 1980s (a huge influence on the series) as well as pay homage to the series’ roots in the pulp fiction genre. So, moving forward. . . for now, anyway. . . the covers will look like this:

Screen Shot 2017-09-21 at 12.51.47 PM

A minor change, really. . . just added that corner price/issue designation and upper brand designation banner which is a total ripoff of the Marvel comics from the early 80s. I dig it, though. Others may disagree, and if you do, please do drop a comment and let me know. As for now, however, I’m really into this aesthetic, as the whole point of the series was for me to have a comic book in text form (which is essentially what pulp fiction and the “dime novels” were).

And speaking of the series, just a friendly reminder. . . the first issue is still FREE on the Kindle store from now through the end of tomorrow (9/22/17).

Cheers!

Blue Daunia Issue #2 Now in Paperback

Well, the paperback is now available. This leg of the story, I guess you might say Act II of a three-act arc, was a labor of love, and while the old adage maintains that you’re not supposed to favor one of your own children over another, I must say, I absolutely adore this issue. That’s a difficult thing for me to say, too, because despite marketing’s main goal and purpose being to play up the hype and appeal of your product, I’m a bit modest really when it comes to my own work. But I will allow myself the indulgence of telling you this, with all sincerity: If you pick up these first two issues (the first one currently being free for two more days on the Kindle store), you might find the first one slow-building, but I firmly believe you will not be disappointed by the end of the second issue. I really do feel that strongly about it. I’ve often heard and read the advice “write the book you would like to read”. . . well, Issue #2 is that book. I’m serious when I say I don’t like to brag, but it’s just such a quick-moving, fun 122-page read!

Speaking of the FREE first issue, here’s the link to that. . . good through the 22nd. And Here’s the link to the second issue in paperback, as well as the in the Kindle store.

And, just because I wanted a longer post, the following is the introduction from Blue Daunia Issue #2: The Sinister Sleep of Shevara:

INTRODUCTION

For Christmas of 1992, I got my first word-processor. I was 17 at the time, and had big plans for that thing, which is fitting, because it was a big thing, literally. I want to say it was a Smith Corona, but whatever it was, the thing was the size of a small suitcase. It had a built-in printer, a thin green monochrome calculator-style LCD screen, and a 3.5” floppy drive. That last one really excited me, you see… because at last I could rack up volumes of my upcoming masterpieces and save them all on such tiny little storage media.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas that year, I could barely contain my excitement, because I already knew I would be getting this thing, and I had worlds to create! I was very much a fan of comic books back then, and even moreso what they represented to me: vast universes in which a creative, resourceful individual could create characters both mundane and mystical, and in which the stories of these characters and their interactions with each-other could be told in a continuous series. (Incidentally, this is the same reason I love Dungeons & Dragons, but I digress).

More than anything else in the world, at that moment, I wanted my own comic book universe, which I could mold and shape and tinker with to my heart’s desire. But here’s the thing… I cannot, CANNOT, draw. My stick figures sometimes get mistaken for ampersands, if that tells you anything about my artistic abilities. So what was I to do? Well, I could write. Everyone seemed to say so. Sometimes, every now and then, they still do! So that was my angle… I would do a comic book universe in text form, and store every story on those tiny little floppy disks, because surely, those would never, ever get lost or fall prey to the hands of time.

So Christmas rolled around, and I got the gigantic word processor, and I cannot for the life of me think of a single blasted thing I wrote on that thing, except maybe a school essay or book report or some-such. Oh, and the screen could be tilted upward at different angles to better catch the light, because there was no contrast control… but whenever I would tilt the screen forward, it would ease itself on back down again. So I did what I had to do: I got the rifle-like weapon from JetFire of Transformers toy fame and wedged that behind the screen when I lifted it. That sure learnt it!

So, what am I trying to get at, amidst all this rambling? No, I’m actually asking you, because I honestly don’t remember. There was a point at some… point, I’m sure of it.

Oh! Manufactured universes. Fast-forward 25 years, and I’ve finally made myself one! And here it is!

Azaria
An exotic world not unlike our own, but entirely beholden to the mythology, legends, and pantheon forged by the almighty sea. With a myriad of cultures that run the gamut from backwater to highly advanced, Azaria is a world whose sole provider of technology is as secretive as it is powerful, at times competing with the oceanic pantheon itself for ideological supremacy. But there is something else beneath the shimmering surface, deep within the Hadopelagic Zone… waters so deep that all cultures unite in referring to them as “the Blue Hell”… something darkly intangible and unspoken. Could there be a third force, ancient beyond all recorded knowledge, vying for supremacy?

Daunia Bluehaven
In her ongoing quest to investigate the disappearance of the brother she barely knew, her adventures aboard her father’s final ship design would lead her crew all across the coastlands of the world of Azaria.

Set sail with the crew of the Blue Daunia on their harrowing oceanic journeys. The swashbuckling monthly serial continues here. Join Daunia and her crew as they traverse a world of towering cliffs and arctic tundras, dense tropical forests, sweeping mountainscapes, cavernous subterranean depths, marble palaces, gothic spires, dusty libraries and raucous drunken inns. In the life of a freelancer, you never know where your next job might take you, or what odds you might face to get it done.

In this second installment, the crew continue their stay in the port town of Illunstrahd, though far from the recreational stint they hoped it would be. Along the trail to solve a few grisly murders, death seems to haunt their every step. Exhausted and uncertain of their fate, they come at last to the ancient temple of the demi-goddess Shevara.

Blue Daunia Issue #2, and Free Issue #1!

After a three day delay, Issue #2 of the Blue Daunia series is finally available on Kindle, and will be available in paperback on Amazon and CreateSpace very soon.

Screen Shot 2017-09-18 at 9.20.25 PM

I have to admit, I’m proud of this powerful cover image, courtesy of Donna Chiofolo Photography. There’s just something about a lone seagull amidst stormy clouds that really captures the feeling of hopelessness in what I consider a gripping last chapter in this issue, if I do say so myself (which I certainly seem to do).

Also, from now until September 22 (2017), the inaugural issue of the series can be had on the Kindle store for FREE! It’s hard to beat free reads.

I would like to take a moment to apologize for my absence of late. I think it’s been a week or more since I’ve posted anything to my blogsite. This is not from any sort of disinterest in my followers or potential future followers. . . on the contrary, I’ve had a heck of a crunch-time this past week trying to make the deadline and polish a quality product on Issue #2. They say honesty is the best policy, and that’s the honest truth. . . a deadline paired with a day job is not a fun combination, especially when you allow yourself to get behind in that deadline goal. So, my many apologies, and Happy Reading & Writing, all!

The Horrors of Writing the Heartbreak of a Child

“I am getting through this issue with plenty of cat videos and Nintendo 3DS sessions”

One of the hardest things I’ve had to do lately. . . I am hesitant to say “ever”. . . is to write the words and third-person glimpses of the thoughts and mind of a young child whose parents have just been murdered. We’re talking five years old here. I had no idea just how difficult a task this would be, or how many pauses I would require to dab away tears of my own as I go. At times I even have to step away.

Sure, I’ve stepped away from my writing before. Plenty of times. It’s a bit of a ritual, actually: write until I hit a proverbial wall, then step away to coffee myself (or take a vape or whatever) and walk around a bit until I’ve come up with more to say. But this marks the first-ever time I have had to walk away for another purpose entirely: to gather my wits in the wake of a tumult of sheer emotional overload.

What is it about innocence, particularly the innocence of youth, that so firmly pulls at the heartstrings? The simple answer is “sympathy”. . . but is that it, or is there more to it than that?

Here’s the thing. It would be easy to gloss over the whole thing. It would be simple, if this were any other project, to state that a tragedy has happened, the poor child was all broken up by it, boo-hoo, and then five years have passed, or ten or twelve. But I can’t do that. This is an ongoing monthly series, and I am in the thick of the narrative which involves other plots and characters as well, so I can’t gloss over it. I have to be there, with and for this child, as she wakes the next morning, as the police conduct their investigation, as stern and official strangers question her about what she saw and heard and did, as the adult forces around her attempt to find her next of kin and determine where she will live until such time.

And all the while, I have to put myself in this child’s shoes. I have to muster the manufacture of her responses, verbal and non-verbal alike. It is a difficult task indeed to create, from thin air. . . to cull into being. . . something so heartbroken and confused and utterly abandoned (even if by force) as this. And then I still have to make it clear and succinct. Because the world still demands terse, lean writing. “Accessible and concise” rules the roost in the world of prose, and I find myself struggling to conform.

The overwhelming urge is to devolve into a Faulknerian stream-of-consciousness style (and I use the word “devolve” with all due respect to Faulkner, not to knock that style as anything “lesser” but merely to illustrate what feels like the expectations of the modern audience for clarity and sharp focus). It would be far less painful, or at the very least more therapeutic, that way. And indeed, I have used this style to open Chapter 2 of Issue #1, but it felt warranted then, because someone was unconscious yet still thinking, and it made for a hell of a flashback.

But this time, again, I have no choice but to face the horrors of writing out in painful detail the tribulations of this poor young thing. Not only have her parents been murdered, but she came face to face with her mother as the life was draining away. She had to endure the scarring sight of it, and the confusion of her own mother sounding, to her young ears, angry in urging the child to run.

“There was so much blood. I didn’t want to run, but Mama told me I had to. I didn’t want her to be mad at me and be so badly hurt, too.” She began to sob freely as she struggled through her next words: “I didn’t know why she was yelling at me to leave her. I don’t know what I did wrong.”

And that’s just one little passage, at one little point in time. Ugh, I can’t even. . . .

But I’ll plow through it. It is my job to do so. I have to go to the darker places in my created world, as well as the light. I have to plumb the depths of the horrors as well as the light-hearted quips and one-liners. There has to be stark contrasts from time to time, else the highs will never be truly as high as their potential allows. It is my personal opinion that if a writer does not explore the darkness of his or her creation, and take the reader down into those depths, the high points and humor will come across as mere bubblegum-pop-glitter.

It seems fitting to me that this exploration starts in earnest, in this particular case, in Issue #2. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have often said that the second installment of a storyline should be darker, with greater risks, truer threats and much more to lose. This does not, however, make the task any easier. I am getting through this issue not only by sheer force of will, but also with plenty of funny cat videos and Nintendo 3DS sessions. You have to do something when you step away, after all.

Just know this: It’s okay to cry when you write. When it happens, you’ll know you’ve hit a primal truth in some raw, lurking form, and there’s an overwhelming chance that this truth lurks not only within yourself, but within the reader as well.

Blue Daunia Issue #1

“Set sail with the crew of the Blue Daunia on their harrowing oceanic journeys”

Blue Daunia
Issue #1: Dark Tides of Illunstrahd

Screen Shot 2017-08-16 at 9.57.07 PM

A new ongoing monthly series begins!

Daunia Bluehaven
On her ongoing quest to investigate the disappearance of the brother she barely knew, her adventures aboard her father’s final ship design would lead her crew all across the coastlands of the world of Azaria.

Set sail with the crew of the Blue Daunia on their harrowing oceanic journeys. The swashbuckling monthly serial begins here. Join Daunia and her crew as they traverse a world of towering cliffs and arctic tundras, dense tropical forests, sweeping mountainscapes, cavernous subterranean depths, marble palaces, gothic spires, dusty libraries and raucous drunken inns. In the life of a freelancer, you never know where your next job might take you, or what odds you might face to get it done.

In this inaugural issue, embark with Daunia and her crew of “freelancers” as they travel to put a recently-acquired treasure into the hands of a prospective buyer, and to spend some much-deserved time in the company of old friends. The crew soon learns, however, that the sleepy port town of Illunstrahd might hold darker intentions lurking beneath its surface, and a long-forgotten secret which could threaten the fate of all of Azaria.