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Author: K.N. Nguyen

Exciting news!

Exciting news!

Greetings and good tidings friends!

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during this time of crisis. I know this has been a stressful time for us all, but as long as we stick together we will hopefully come out safely in the end.

Sorry for the radio silence. It’s been a tumultous year and I have barely had any time to sit back and reflect. The Time Traveler’s Bizaare was cancelled, so I unfortunately was unable to attend that. I have been in talks with the host and we’re hoping to stay in contact and have me appear as one of the Guests of Honor at the next one. Fingers crossed!

Not only have I been busy wrapping up Oath Blood (set to release this summer!!!), but I’ve also been honored to be included in a couple anthologies outside of DragonScript.

My first one was a short story, Requiem of Solitude, is about a vampire named Lilith and was featured in Dragon Soul Press’ Coffins & Dragons anthology. I am very excited to be a part of their family.

My second short, Merilyn’s Might, appeared in Irish Horse Anthologies’ Once and Future anthology. This anthology is for all you lovers of Arthur and all that surround him.

Although this third one hasn’t been printed yet, Beyond the Distortion, will be published in Inked in Grey’s First Stain anthology. I have not had a chance to read everything in the anthology, but I am sure that with a theme that’s about the grey side of reality it will be an exciting one.

We are also excited to announce that DragonScript is working on a third anthology, New Horizons. You’ll be able to see some familiar faces and meet some new ones as well. This anthology will be the end of our dear Pestifar the Red’s trilogy, and we hope that you will enjoy it.

Lastly, I have helped our very own T.M. Lowe spearhead our first charity anthology to help the daughter of our New Beginnings cover artist, Brook Dean. His daughter was diagnosed with a very rare form of liver cancer earlier this year. She has been the epitome of positivity and resilience, and we hope that our anthology, a collection of poems, prose, and artwork, will reflect her spirit and shine brightly.

Towards the Sun is set to be released in both e-reader and paperback in June. We hope that people will hear her story and take hope in her bravery.

Until next time! 🙂



Sinister Creature Con 2018

Sinister Creature Con 2018

Greetings and good tidings friends,

K.N. Nguyen here. I’m sorry for the radio silence. Things have been crazy busy the last few weeks and I’m finally able to get a breather and share with you.

On October 13th and 14th, I had the pleasure of hosting my first booth at a convention with my good friend, Nicholas Walls. It was also our first time at that specific convention, Sinister Creature Con. This was such a wonderful experience for me because it allowed for me to practice something that I’ve always been bad at, interacting with people I don’t know (stranger danger lol) in an effort to try and sell my book.

I must admit that the first few hours were a bit rocky, but by the end of the first day, I found a way to conquer my fear 🙂 It also helped that we had amazing booth neighbors and the attendees themselves were unbelievably kind and open to speaking with us. Both days flew by in a blur.

To those who were amazing and purchased a book from me, I hope to see you at the next convention. I would love the opportunity to speak with you again. 🙂

As November draws ever closer, I may become silent once more as I work to complete the first draft of the second book in the Fallen series, Oathblood. I will also be working on my standalone novel, A Song of Strength, and two new shorts for the next anthology, which is slated to begin production in 2019.

Until next time! 😀

How King’s Blood was born

How King’s Blood was born

Greetings and good tidings, friends!

K.N. Nguyen here. With the upcoming release of King’s Blood, I thought that I would give a little background about this story.

King’s Blood is the first book of the Fallen series. Originally, it was to be a standalone novel called Wretched Gods, but as time went on, the name changed several times. The story was created back in 2002, and centered around a gremlin and a little boy. The boy was the “chosen one” and was supposed to bring peace to the land. As he traveled with the gremlin, they encountered several gods/monsters that proved to be too much for their party. At the same time, the magic system was based on blood stones that came from magi. Only a few characters survived the gutting of this original version. My anti-hero was less of an anti-hero and actually served as the antagonist. One of the gods in King’s Blood actually was a demon in Wretched Gods. Lastly, the main protagonist of my short story, Tears of Stone, was a character in Wretched Gods.

About five or six years later, the story changed to be more magic centric with a circle of magi who gave their lives to seal the ancient evil into the sky. The concept of a chosen person was still around, but version two was never fully fleshed out, so their arc was never realized.

It wasn’t until May 2015 that the current version of King’s Blood came to fruition. What started as a standalone story to test my writing chops, turned into an ever-expanding universe and at least four full-length novels (the remaining ones are in progress 🙂 ).

I’m so excited to see how much the universe is growing, and I hope that you all will join me in this journey.

Until next time! 🙂

 

Good News, Everybody!

Good News, Everybody!

Greetings and good tidings, friends.

K.N. Nguyen here. I know it’s been a while, but things have been very exciting for us over here at DragonScript, especially on my side.

DragonScript is currently in the final stages of completing our second collaborative science-fiction/fantasy anthology, New Adventures. Unfortunately, we are saying good bye to Millie Jean in this anthology. However, we are excited to welcome a new talent, C. Red, to our fold. She’s a wonderful, fresh voice and embodies the DragonScript spirit.

In addition to the second anthology, I will be releasing my debut fantasy novel, King’s Blood. This is a story that has been almost a decade in the making as I’ve been tweaking my concept off and on until I’ve gotten my universe completed. It is the first book in my Fallen series and is slated to be released by mid-June.

I will be offering my book for sale at the Sinister Creature Convention in October alongside fellow author, Nicholas Walls. He will be releasing two of his works, Primal Real Estate and Butcher’s Tale. We hope that you are able to stop by and check out our stories.

Until next time! 🙂

Call for authors

Call for authors

Greetings and good tidings!

K.N. Nguyen here. I decided to take a break from working on the second book in my Fallen series to listen to the rain. After listening for a few minutes, I realized how lucky I am to be able to sit at home and work on my passion, all while being soothed by the gentle plinking of raindrops. Not everyone is so lucky to get this luxury, and I am truly grateful for this opportunity.

I originally started this post as a call to authors. Starting in January, I will be working on a new short story anthology with, hopefully, my fellow authors from the New Beginnings anthology. However, I would love to allow for another author to join in our new venture. If you are interested, please message us on our Facebook page. 🙂

And now, as promised in the previous post, here’s a little sneak at our Dinosaur Time Lords shorts:

When Dinosaurs Roamed the Earth or   Of Paradoxes and Theropods  by  Nicholas Walls

“Hello, good urchin! Would you like an adventure?”

Billy Tattler jumped at the roaring voice, his sulking interrupted. He wasn’t sure what an “urchin” was, but from what he remembered from English class it wasn’t real flattering. He’d already been ticked that his buddies stood him up, leaving him wandering around the old soccer field, with just his teenage angst and rusting, netless goals as company. The jean and sweatshirt clad teen turned to tell the loud jerk off. He froze, jaw open mid retort.

Now, Mrs. Tattler would surely have chided her son about catching flies, but she might have made an exception in this case.

It isn’t everyday one sees a Tyrannosaurus Rex in a top hat.

It loomed twice the size of a Volkswagen, a tad small for a Lizard King, but its jaws seemed plenty wide to the thirteen-year-old boy. A top hat sat propped at a jaunty angle on its head while a monocle glinted in the Saturday afternoon sun. It wore a vest of brown leather and a belt, festooned with bright widgets, gadgets, and what looked like a hair dryer with a row of light bulbs bolted on.

Yes, Billy’s mum surely would have forgiven his slack jawed faux-pas.

As the silence stretched and Billy gawked, the T-Rex cleared its throat, startling nearby birds to flight.

“I say again, human boy, would you like an adventure?” It grinned at Billy, rows of razor sharp teeth gleaming in the sun, a bit of spinach trapped by his gums.

“You’re a dinosaur.” Well, the obvious had to be stated.

The resulting snort set dogs barking several blocks away. “Bright one, aren’t we? Dear urchin, I am Professor Tekles Grammaticus and I am a Temporal Marquee, thank you very much.”

Billy raised an eyebrow. “You gotta be kidding me.”

“I most certainly am not!” Tekles’ face betrayed outraged indignation. A herculean feat for an apex predator from the dawn of time. “My title is granted directly from the Great Saurian Deliberative. Quite official, I assure you.” A tiny claw reached into a vest pocket and drew out a golden pocket watch. “Now come along, tiny mammal child. Mustn’t miss our flight window.”

Even as the erudite reptile trundled off, Billy followed after him, mind reeling.

“Wait, if you are a time master-thing, why do you need me?” Billy’s addressing of the elephant in the room would have no doubt impressed Mrs. Tattler, had she been present for the sequence of increasingly bizarre events.

The oversized lizard, which Billy started to think of as a “he”, rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Because that is how adventures work! You can’t do one alone, then it’s just perverse.”

The two marched in silence until they came to an abandoned gas station. Professor Tekles tutted and checked his watch repeatedly while Billy looked around. Joggers, dog walkers, and other passersby went about their business. No one seemed to be giving the giant lizard a second glance. Billy wondered if he was being pranked or just lost his marbles.

“So….um….what are we doing here?” Another obvious question and further theoretical approbation from the boy’s mother.

“Meeting our ride, of course.” The dino’s eyes scanned the skies unceasingly.

Billy nodded like he understood and kicked an empty soda can. On the second clang the skies opened up with thunder.

Lights and sound crashed from the sky with a fury, a gale kicking up dust and tearing the can farther down the lot. Tekles’ giddy laughter could just be heard above the riot. Descending from the sky came what looked to be the unholy love child of a zeppelin and a yacht, all done up in shiny brass and polished wood accents. Stabbing spears of multicolored light zigged and zagged over the ground, coming to alight upon the Temporal Marquee and comparably diminutive traveling companion.

It alighted with a stately thumping, vestigial wings at its back flapping furiously, obviously too small to support the ship’s bulk. A boarding ramp, sized appropriately for the dinosaur, descended with a clank.

Professor Tekles looked smug as he ascended into his ship. “Well there we are! Right on time. We just made our departure window. Come along, hairy one.”

Billy ran up the ramp after him, legs pumping to keep up with the larger being’s stride.

“This is your ship?”

Tekles did the offended look again, which still seemed impressive for a supposedly extinct carnivore. “Of course it is. What did you expect, a blue box?”

 

Until next time! 🙂

Halloween Countdown

Halloween Countdown

Greetings and good tidings friends!

K.N. Nguyen here. Halloween is fast approaching and I find myself without a proper costume. Last year I tried my hand at facepainting after watching some YouTube videos and this year I’m hoping to do something different. I guess we’ll just see what inspires me.

As we get closer to the holidays, I’ve been working with Nicholas, my fellow author, on our collective series of shorts known as the Dinosaur Time Lords. If you’re a fan of British inspired dinosaurs who get involved in whacky misadventures, this may be right up your alley. Think of them as a cross between The Chronicles of Narnia and Dr. Who.

Alas, time is short today. Until next time! 🙂

Renaissance Faire Shenanigans

Renaissance Faire Shenanigans

Greetings and good tidings friends!

K.N. Nguyen here. Today we went to the Folsom Renaissance Faire dressed as characters from my Fallen series. We had an amazing time. I think we spent the majority of our time eating. My favorite thing to eat was the curried lamb meat pie coupled with some of their famous lemonade. We also tried their turkey legs, sausages, crepes and shepard’s pie. After we finished stuffing ourselves, we browsed the vendor booths and watched some shows. We met a great Irish storyteller named M. Todd Gallowglas. His performance was filled with audience interaction and literary references that made me laugh so hard my cheeks hurt. You can check out some of his works here. Lastly, we enjoyed some jousting. One of the jousters was a young woman from Canada, and the other two were uncle and nephew. You can imagine the rivalry that those two guys had hehe. We took some pictures so be sure to check them out in our Gallery.

Sorry to keep this entry brief. I have been working on a new project that I’ll hope to be introducing you to next year. 🙂

Until next time! 🙂