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Win some, lose some

So this week was a good news, bad news kinda week. I’ve sold a story to an anthology I was really excited about and am now just waiting for permission to formally announce it. I was really happy with the story when I finished it, and am glad I was able to land a spot where I had intended it to go.

On the bad news front, a story I felt was a potential contender for another anthology didn’t make it through the second round of cuts. I wrote something I hoped would be far enough outside what they were likely seeing lots of, but perhaps it was a little too far out. It’s always letdown when you experience the initial “We love it!” and then a followup of “…just not IN love with it.” This is the reality of things though, and we move on. I’m pretty confident I’ll find a home for it eventually, as the theme was pretty broad.

On the TTRPG side of things, I am just about ready to publish another adventure. This one, called “The Crypt of the Four”, was the result of me overthinking something else I was working on, stripping out an entire subplot, and make it an adventure on its own. I’ll leave the details for when I post it to the Dungeon Master’s Guild (it’ll be soon!).

I’m also coming to the end of the second adventure in the trilogy I was working on, and think I have a doozy of an adventure planned for the third and final story. It’s really going to put a cap on things, and I hope folks will give it a shot.

One thing I love doing is selling books personally at conventions, and I’ve been trying to think of ways to make these adventures into physical projects that could be sold. I’m currently exploring a number of different formats for this. I know the easy one would be to bind a bunch of them up in a book, but I’m also looking at smaller ways of doing this. I’ll keep you posted.

The art I’ve included is from my forthcoming adventure, “The Crypt of the Four”. Hope you like it!

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A new project or three

First, a couple updates on the fiction front.
I recently heard back from an editor I respect and admire greatly that a story I had submitted has made it to the final round of consideration for an upcoming anthology. Great news! The last anthology this editing team put together landed them an Aurora award – I was lucky enough to have made it into that one as well.

I have another story that has made it past the first round of cuts for another anthology, and am waiting patiently to hear back from several others. I’ll keep you posted.

Following the successful launch of my first two short D&D adventures on the DMs Guild, I sat back and watched the money roll in.

Ok, that’s a lie, because a) I immediately got sucked into a much larger project, and b) everyone knows there is no money in writing these days.

I finished another adventure, but the story just didn’t seem to be over. So in the grand old tradition of Dungeons and Dragons, I just… kept going. The adventure is now going to be a trilogy, and my plan is to release them all together because waiting for things is annoying.

I am very lucky to know one of the smartest D&D minds out there, one of my best pals, who is able to very clearly tell me when my ideas are getting off the rails. Usually, it’s things like “Resist overcomplicating this at all costs.” Every creative person out there knows the value of having people around you can bounce ideas off who won’t immediately go to “You should do this!” And I happen to have a few of them.

So about this new trilogy? My working title for it has been “The Glimmering Plague” and involves a group of dwarves uncovering an ancient elven artifact that’s been corrupted. after wreaking havoc on the nearby village, the story gets bigger from there, putting the players, the elves, and the dwarves all in conflict, while dealing with a growing horror that threatens the entire region. Since I need to have a photo to go with this post, I’ll give you a little teaser of something that happens in the first act of the trilogy. Hope you enjoy it!

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The second foray

I mentioned yesterday that I had published two adventures, but didn’t say much about the second one. This was another adventure I wrote for the two-year Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign we recently completed.

One of my players is a huge fan of new and interesting things in D&D. In this case, his wizard was hoping to find spells and other types of magic that he (as a player) had never seen before. We’ve all been there. We’ve all seen a +1 longsword and thought, well, what’s so special about this longsword?

The adventure I originally wrote involved wolves, the cold, and an ancient underground library dedicated to Jergul, a dead god in the Forgotten Realms. It also contained the first spells created with a Far Realm theme, something my player was very interested in.

This version has been generalized and no longer takes place in the cold, but rather a generic Kingswood type forest of lush and green and sunshine. The perfect place for a horror story, in other words.

I’m really enjoying this type of storytelling – our group is currently on a break – defeating Auril the Frostmaiden takes a lot out of you – and this is as close as I am getting to running a game at the moment. I’m playing in two, but I’m sure forever DMs out there will agree it’s hard to let go of the chair.

The Den and The Changelings have garnered a handful of sales this weekend, and I’ve been telling my daughter it’s time to quit my job. I have already made enough for a cup of coffee – but from Tim Hortons, not Starbucks.

The teaser from the adventure:

A horror is growing in the woods…
Beneath the ancient boughs of the Kingswood, something stirs. Mutilated animal
carcasses litter the forest floor, their remains too gruesome for even the bravest
hunters to stomach.

Villagers speak of goblins, werewolves, or something far worse—unseen horrors
whose howls pierce the still of night.

A hunting party ventured into the woods to uncover the truth, only for one survivor
to stagger back, delirious and dying.

Unbeknownst to all, the pack of wolves that once ruled the forest has fallen victim
to the sinister power of a forgotten necromancer’s lair, their corrupted spirits bound
by ancient magic—and hungry for blood.

A horror Story for levels 3-5

Here is a link to The Den on DMs Guild:
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/510010/The-Den?affiliate_id=3648540

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My first foray into adventures

As a palate cleanser between stories this year, I have been working on something I have been doing for fun for damn near 40 years, but have never put out in the world. Dungeons and Dragons adventure modules. The first two are live now on Dungeon Masters Guild, and I have a longer one I am just wrapping up.

These first two adventures were one-offs I wrote into a two-year Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign that we just wrapped up before Christmas. I probably added a dozen or so adventures to that game and an entire subplot involving time travel and Vecna, and I would like to get some of them down before they are lost forever. I probably have 1,000 or more commercially-licensed maps, and no end to ideas when it comes to one or two-night adventures.

The first of the adventures I’ve called The Changelings.

A Storm is brewing, and something hungry is here…
Weeks of relentless storms have drenched the region, but the true danger lies beneath the surface. Deep in the woods, a forgotten megalith, once used for blasphemous rituals to an ancient, otherworldly being, has suddenly reactivated.

Lightning has pierced the veil between worlds, unleashing ghastly creatures from the far realm.

Now, the idyllic village of Applewood is under siege. The creatures are infiltrating, wearing the flayed skins of their victims and mimicking their lives. As fear grips the villagers, can anyone uncover the horrifying truth before it’s too late?

Enter the storm, unmask the terror, and face the unspeakable…

A Horror Story for levels 1-3

I have put it up on Dungeon Master’s Guild for $2.99 US (sorry, Canadians – gotta get that money before the tariffs come in!)

If you are interested in this sort of thing, and pick it up, I would love to hear how it goes.

For more information, please check it out over here:

https://www.dmsguild.com/product/510011/The-Changelings?filters=45469

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From silence to stories.

So I have spent the past couple years very quietly. This year is looking to be the opposite of that. I currently have four short stories out for consideration, written since the beginning of December, and two of whom have made second round consideration. Another one is out for some feedback. That’s not much, but it is something. What it IS is this idea in my head that short story theorycraft is finally starting to make sense to me. Almost 50 years old, better late than never.

I love Dungeons and Dragons and I’ve been playing it since I was a kid. The first time I played was with my mother and her friends, I was all of eight years old. I played through 1st and 2nd editions in Jr. High and High School. And then 3rd edition came out and I was all in on that. I still think 3.5e is the best version of this game. Problem is trying to find players who want to go back to an old edition.

I recently wrapped up a 2-year Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign I was running, and my party is on a break. Wanting to capture some of the adventures I wrote to thicken the plot soup of Rime, I’ve been rebuilding them as generic adventures. I own a ton of Dyson Logos commercial maps, and between that and my friend Erin (The talented E.M. MacCallum, check out her books!) I have started building them into something serviceable. I know AI art is not a popular thing right now, but I’ve been using MidJourney to create images for the adventures.

I don’t expect to sell more than a handful of copies of these things (if any), so dishing out a grand or more for a handful of pieces and waiting months on them being completed is outside the scope of this experiment. I’ll post about them when I stick ’em up on DMs Guild.

I plan on writing a lot more this year. I wrote almost nothing last year, but I was neck deep in some personal drama. Not an excuse. Well, actually, that’s exactly what it is. It was an excuse to focus on nothing and do even less.

That’s all over with. Bring it, 2025. I’m ready for you.

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Proof copies have arrived!

Proof copies of A Quiet Place showed up today, and I’m more than thrilled with how they turned out. I ordered five, and will have some very sharp-eyed people go through it for me one last time before we are ready to go live.

As you can see from the interior photo, each story comes accompanied by an illustration.

These are art pieces I built myself using AI software – a strange and amazing process. I’m in no way any kind of visual artist, but it has been amazing getting to know this new technology better and being able to explore this kind of art.

The cover and interior work was all done by the outstanding Alberta writer, artist, and graphic designer E.M. McCallum. She does really great work!

I’m still shooting for a mid-October release date, so keep an eye out here and on my FB and Twitter pages for more news.

I’ll also be highlighting more of the art in A Quiet Place as we move along, so watch out for that as well!

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ToC Announced for Negative Space 2: A Return to Survival Horror

The awesome folks over at Dark Peninsula Press have officially announced the Table of Contents for their new anthology, Negative Space 2: A Return to Survival Horror.

I’m super thrilled to included among the many fine writers who will make up this collection.

My story, “The Places Where Sunflowers Grow”, is a about a girl who is obsessed with painting her mother’s favourite flowers – sunflowers. But the world of an artist can be dark, and this one is made darker still by the worldwide appearance of billions of otherworldly monstrosities that flit through the night thirsting for blood…

I’m really excited about this book, as some of you know I have a real soft spot for the end of the world.

Here is the full ToC:
“Dominion from the Deep” by Benjamin DeHaan
“The Place Where Sunflowers Grow” by JW Schnarr
“The Bird is the Werd” by Xariffa Suarez
“Meat” by Kristin Kirby
“Eight Glasses” by Scott McCloskey
“Your Memories of Mine” by Brad Kelechava
“Derelictus” by Stephen Kozeniewski
“Sap” by SR Miller
“Brown Bear, Brown Bear” by Scotty Milder
“Adrift” by Ashley Lezak
“Badlands” by Richard Beauchamp
“Portrait of Dad With Cuts and Holes” by Rosemary Thorne
“The Night Before Midnight, off Arkansas River Trail” by Eric J. Guignard
“Monastery Blood Moon” by MJ Mars

You can read the full news release here.

And here is a little piece of art to give you an idea of what’s in store when you dig into “Sunflowers”…

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A new version of “A Quiet Place” is being released!

It’s been nearly a decade since “A Quiet Place,” J.W. Schnarr’s second short story collection, was first published by 5 Rivers Publishing. But a new illustrated version is scheduled for release late in 2022!

The book will feature a new cover and complete interior redesign by Alberta author and book designer/cover artist E.M. MacCallum, and each story will feature a full-colour piece of A.I. generated art. A Quiet Place will self-published in e-book, paperback, and hardcover formats.

From the original text:

J.W. Schnarr’s second collection of short horror stories marks a distinct development in his very aggressive style, yet demonstrates a growing subtlety into the psychological over the physical. We journey with him through the hazardous discovery of adolescent female sexuality, the imperatives of affordable labour, watch myth become reality, environments launching attacks, and the dark landscapes of minds battered into breaking. Eleven short stories that will leave you anything but comfortable…

A Quiet Place is the first of a number of re-releases planned by J.W. Schnarr over the next year, and readers can expect a brand new novel out in 2023!

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Negative Space 2: Return to Survival Horror

Looks like things are moving along with a new anthology I’ll be part of, and that’s great news!

A few days ago, Dark Peninsula Press (@darkpenpress) announced via Twitter that they have signed on the last few authors for their anthology, NEGATIVE SPACE 2: A RETURN TO SURVIVAL HORROR.

My story, “Sunflowers”, will be among them. I’m very much looking forward to seeing this book in print!

Sunflowers is a story about a painter who spends the final days of the world doing what she knows best, cloistered away with her parents on the family farm. But there are no safe places when the world ends,

And the sound of sunflowers shushing the wind isn’t loud enough to drown out the dread beating of wings that fill the sky after sunset…

For more information on this project, please visit Dark Peninsula Press.

Check out the cover here!

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A new me

Welcome to my redesigned website! I’ll be tinkering with this constantly.

Check back soon!