A Heavenly New Series

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Also Available at Amazon.com!

Modern vs Medieval in The Last of the Sages

From what I can gather, The Last of the Sages is a love it or hate it affair with a little bit of people mixed in-between. This I don't mind because what is dividing most people from the beginning is the fact that there are modern items mixed into the medieval setting: fridges, cafeterias, even cameras are introduced later on the series. And why is this? Is it because I have no knowledge of the rules of a Fantasy world and I'm too lazy to fix these things?

No.

It's because these modern items play a part in the world I'm trying to create and yes, there is a major yet subtle reason why. No, this isn't M. Night Shamalyan's the Village, in case you were wondering. But I did take all this into account. I wanted to create a fantasy series that was more than the typical fantasy novel. I wanted to stand out, and of course, this means taking risks that have come back to me in the form of a few 1 star reviews. Yet at the same time, no one can deny the 5-star reviews (and those reviews are not from family or friends). There's something about the series that people love and that's that. I can understand why some may read it and get turned off by the modern items in a more medieval setting but that's the risk I take. Perhaps they'll come back when they find out it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

So in summary, if you want to give the series a shot while realizing that I've taken all aspects of the novel in account, awesome! If not, that's okay. Everyone has the right to their opinions. Bottom line is that conforming to the status quo for the typical novels in any genre will get me nowhere. I have to branch out. I hope you understand. 

In the mean time, I'm taking some more risks. Get ready to be amazed! Or disappointed...lol

Launch of Sage Trilogy Book 3 and the next novel coming...

Well, the Sage trilogy is complete and I'm very excited about this one. It's titled: Hail to the Queen and focuses on Catherine just as much as James. This is a story I really enjoyed and I especially loved writing the villain. I loved hearing him speak to our heroes. It's one of those trilogies that turned out the way most trilogies should. The first book is good or gets the momentum going. The second book is even better and really digs into the heroes, and the third is the most exciting of all, leaving a great conclusion that should stick with the reader/viewer.

I can't help but think of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy from writing this because I was disappointed in the Dark Knight Rises. Not saying it wasn't bad. It was a really good movie. It just didn't live up to the second one so therefore the greatness gets watered down. I hope the Sage trilogy doesn't follow that same format. 

Anyways, the next novel is going to be another fantasy but more of a comedy than anything. A lot more lighthearted and humorous than the Sage trilogy (since it does get a lot darker towards the end). It takes place in a fantasy world where the protagonist actually works for the villains. He's a punk and a whim but he gets thrust into the leadership role because all the bad guys want fresh tactics and to see if this goody-goody can actually come up with a plan to defeat the heroes. I'll let you know more of what's going on with that as it progresses. In the mean time, April is upon us and the A.E.U is getting its makeover!

Also, check out the new kindle covers for The Deadly and Fall of Lucifer (The Angelic Testament, Book 1). They are AWESOME!!!

Until next time!

Taking risks, cover art and chinese food

I just finished The Sage trilogy recently and I am so excited for it that I couldn't sleep well last night. Let's just say I want to go back to that world. I really, really do. The problem is that stories are complete. Done. Finished. No more to tell. So I guess that's that.

Next month is A.E.U month. My company and I will be going over all the titles within in with a fine tooted comb and do a major overhaul. Some works will be expanded, titles changed, some deleted, others put to the side. Very exciting times. Also, I've found an amazing cover artist that's going to be working on my titles so that's incredible. All in all, it's been a great week. 

But enough about that, I'll tell you more about what's on my mind. Before we actually chose a cover artist to hire, we posted an ad for the job, and in it was a line that I kept wondering if I should delete. It said: Looking for someone who doesn't think they know everything (we are all 28 and under). 

Now, I wasn't trying to discriminate by age, just that I've noticed an alarming trend. People...think they know everything. GASP! I know! I was shocked when I found that out too. But it also gave me hope for this generation. See, I look around at the disrespect, the cries against authority, the rebellion and sure, it's not a pretty sight. But at the same time, I wonder how awesome it would be if that energy was channeled to more productive pursuits. After all, a defiance against the status quo is exactly what is needed if anything is going to change. I believe that maturity is important, but a person must stay young at heart. This means that they'll be willing to evaluate themselves and experiment constantly - a valuable skill in an ever-changing world. 

We must all strive to be futurists. See what's coming before it actually does and act accordingly. For example, say you've always had a dream. It doesn't matter what it is. We all have them. Well, it won't happen until you get up and DO SOMETHING. People tend to think doing something means a big leap like if you wanted to be a biologist, all of a sudden you just enroll in school and biology classes. Nope. WRONG! That's what the world wants you to think. Go out and forge your own path, day by day, little by little, and eventually, your dream will be accomplished on your own terms. You're not going to defeat the dragon in one swing of your sword. You have to pick at it. And why go to school and take out loans and go into debt when 50% of graduates can't find a job. Something's wrong. Somebody lied. And apparently, someone doesn't know what they're talking about.

*sigh* here I go ranting again...I was supposed to tell you more about me...um...let's see.

I like Chinese food, but I'm scared to know how it's made because it's so delicious. And I don't mean real chinese food from china, I'm talking americanized chinese food. You can tell they don't actually eat the stuff they cook because usually there's only rice and vegetables in their bowl. MAYBE some meat. 

...maybe...

Let me start over...

I feel like I haven't been fair to anyone who's been reading this blog. After all, if you clicked on it, surely you're curious as to what type of person I am. Sure you know I'm an author. Sure you know I have other titles coming out and all that good stuff. But it doesn't tell you anything about me...well, here it goes.

My author name is Julius St. Clair, but that's not my real name. The main reason I keep my real identity a secret is not because I fight crime or anything, but because I've made some...I don't want to say enemies, but let's just say that when you're very vocal about change, there tends to be opposition. While we're on that subject, I guess I'll explain further. See, before I really started writing hardcore, there were two time consuming activities I was engaged in. The first was church, and the other was teaching. I loved both almost equally. Church gave me a sense of community and false righteousness that made me feel like I was in God's good graces. Teaching gave me a sense of purpose. It was finally a chance for me to give all the knowledge and little things life doesn't tell you to my inner city students. Between the two, I wanted to change the world. Literally. Not that I thought I was powerful or my words mattered more than anyone else's opinion. Simply that I believed in the good of people and I just couldn't understand for the life of me why everything was in such disarray.

I'm sure you have an idea of what I'm talking about. You see what's going on in Washington, or you look at gas prices, or you think about the horrible crimes being committed, and like you, I wonder how this could go on. Although I'm 28, I still think of myself as a teenager in a lot of ways. It doesn't matter that I've been married for a few years (with her for 10) and I have my own son to raise. I never thought that made someone an adult, and teaching in an inner city high school, let me tell you, there's plenty of young parents going around. Anyways, I digress. What I'm trying to say is that I believed that adults did have some kind of mystical powers. After all, they were real quick to demand obedience and claim that they know everything. Being a naive kid, I believed them. So when I became more involved with my church and I wasn't just a kid anymore, I learned that my perception had been wrong. Most of them were still trying to figure who they were and what was right and wrong while giving orders to those younger than them. And I'm not saying that no one should honor or respect their elders. I'm saying it gets a little ridiculous when leadership in a church begin turning opinions into heaven or hell issues and demanding obedience without question. Or when teachers complain in every department meeting about how the school is rotten, but no one's willing to get together and change it. I remember starting a club for my students after school called "Chill Club." It was so students wouldn't hang out in the streets and engage in some disturbing activities. I had each student who wanted to come sign up ahead of time for that day (it was one day a week), and then they would give me a dollar. I would use the money to buy food (for many of them went home hungry) and board games. We would play music, talk about life and have a good time. The first day, I had twenty, the next week - fifty. By the third week, I had to have another teacher help out because it was over a hundred. The kids loved it, and no one got hurt. No one fought. It was just some good times. Bu of course, another teacher who said so many kids shouldn't be gathered together in one place, fought to get it shut down. Enough teachers backed her, and eventually, the principal gave in and asked me to end Chill Club. It was just one of many attempts to reach out, but I just couldn't understand why whenever a horrible thing is proposed like lowering what an "F" means, or passing everyone along to the next grade even those with a 0.3 GPA - whenever that happens...there's silence. But when a good thing is put into place...it's shut down. I don't get it...I just don't...

Anyways, I'll go into more depth later, but...I guess the main thing I want you to know about me more than anything is that I want to change the world for the better. Because the way I see it - only human beings reside on this planet. It's not like we're under alien oppression, or to my knowledge our leaders are really being controlled by parasitic organisms, although IT WOULD MAKE A LOT MORE SENSE! We really just need to fix things. Like, stop talking about it, and just do it. Because we can...because we run this. So, yeah, that's what I'm striving to do, and if my writing helps with that becoming a reality in any way, so be it...whew! That was a lot! And now you've learned something about me, including this also:

I love breakfast (no, you don't understand just how powerful that sentence was. I heart Breakfast foods)

My favorite Tv shows are: The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, Dexter, Hell's Kitchen, Survivor, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Breaking Bad (I apparently also heart anti-heroes)

My favorite movies are: The Matrix, Quentin Tartintino films, Almost all superhero films (Catwoman doesn't count...can you believe the villain is just a woman who wore too much make-up and her face hardened? How did that get by the screening?) The Raid, Tony Jaa films, and too many more to count...

My favorite books include: The Hunger Games, The Lords of Discipline, Nearly all Michael Crichton novels, Knightfall, A Song of Ice and Fire, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 

My favorite Mangas include: (Yes, I read Manga) Bleach, Naruto, Gunslinger Girl, DEATHNOTE!!!!, Fullmetal Alchemist, Claymore, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the world.

Well, that's it for now, but there's a whole lot more to tell, and again, if you ever want to talk just for fun, you can e-mail me at: juliusstclair@yahoo.com

(take note of the double s in the middle)

A.E.U Major Overhaul

The Alternate Ending Universe (or A.E.U) is beginning to pick up in popularity, especially its poster boy of sorts: Champion. However, it still needs some work. When it first began, it was just a bunch of people getting together with a common goal: to create their own universe with heroes the way they saw fit. But there was little to no organization. That's about to change. In April, after The Last of the Sages III is complete, there will be major changes to the A.E.U including a possible name change for the universe as a whole. In order to make sure we have the greatest products possible, it's just something that needs to be done. Even Apple wasn't always known by it's world renown label. In order for things to improve, there must be changes.

Some already in effect includes:

Champion: prices lowered

My Best Friend is a Killer: all three volumes are turned into a collection and sold at a cheap price as a prelude of what will be called the real first season

Goth Kid Smiles: Titles changed back to The Dark Gentleman

The Last of the Sages: Print copies available soon

The Weather Brothers: cover and price changes

A.E.U Crossover # 1: cover change

Also, all series up to this point will be known as Season 1. Season 2 will launch with a lot more new properties. More details to follow. In the meantime, send me an e-mail if you have any input on changes that should be made to the A.E.U including the name itself. Until next time!

~Julius St. Clair

Shield of the Gods by S.M Welles and "On Writing" by Stephen King

Recently I've started reading "On writing" by Stephen King, and it's quite interesting. He talks a lot on whether to outline or not, what words make exposition stronger and so on. But nothing hit me more than reading about his humble beginnings. He claims that he's not a talented writer, he just works hard and continues to perfect his craft. Again, I can relate.

I consider myself an average writer. I have a basic knack for what plots will do better than others, what constitutes a good idea or not, but everything else I have to truly work for. There's this character in the manga, Naruto that really impresses me. If you don't know what Naruto is, don't worry about it, I'll tell you the important part. In the world of Naruto, there are ninjas, or Shinobi, but they use mystical arts, they have powers and abilities and techniques that go all over the place from illusion techniques to summoning giant creatures for battle. 

Well, in Naruto, there is one character named Rock Lee that is unlike them all. Due to how he was born (like someone being born blind), he is unable to use any kind of ninjustu. No powers, no mystical abilities, nothing special. Everyone wrote him off. And the only thing he worked on was his physical prowess. The old fashioned punch and kick. So, after years of hard work, he tries his hand at joining the others in an exam. Rock Lee kicked butt. He was quick, he was strong, and he was able to go toe to toe with a student that many were afraid of, and only because of hard work. I want to be like Rock Lee.

Do I think I'm a great writer. No. Do I think I'll be a best-seller someday? Hopefully. All I know is that I can write full time and I'm counting every day as a blessing. I want to get better and I thank everyone that's supported me.

In other good news, my new publishing company, L & W Books, has released its first book. Entitled: Shield of the Gods by S.M Welles.

Check it out! You'll love it!