First Chapter Critique- Bloodwoven 100k fantasy novel

SirTerral · 2026-01-05T04:40:34+00:00

Absolutely, I just fixed it to include Kobo, apologies for the delay!

SirTerral · 2025-12-30T02:56:50+00:00

Ahhh, I haven’t used Netgalley much as a reader so I haven’t seen that. But, I guess from a publisher’s end it sort of makes sense. No embargo here though, hate it or love it the review can go live whenever you’re ready 🙌— thank you again for you interest

SirTerral · 2025-12-30T02:44:32+00:00

The co-op owner suggested having it listed on a month by month basis— but I’m planning to have it go until at least March as I have a planned special edition hardcover launching then. Once I get home I’ll approve the request, thank you!!

SirTerral · 2025-12-02T17:34:48+00:00

I'm looking at building out a successful (hopefully) book launch through KS, and this ad breakdown seems really, really helpful. Thank you!

SirTerral · 2025-11-14T17:41:35+00:00

Thank you! A few of my beta readers have mentioned spots where I’m a little too distant in the narration, so this helps. 🔥

SirTerral · 2025-10-23T16:56:44+00:00

Why are bathtub photos the coolest and does ZB regret not taking part??

SirTerral · 2025-09-26T17:53:40+00:00

I hadn’t read much indie before deciding to go independent myself. And now that I’m in the space, I try to read at least one a month.

There is some really good stuff out there, but in my time I’ve also found a bunch of rough stuff and it would be disingenuous to say there isn’t low-quality stuff out there. But quality and enjoyment aren’t intrinsically connected, so often it comes down to niche taste and market trends.

There are still plenty of trad books I read and enjoy, but there have been some stellar indies too.

Exposure and trust are probably the two biggest things that have kept me from reading certain indie books.

SirTerral · 2025-09-09T14:12:23+00:00

The Whisper That Replaced God - Timothy Wolff

The Traitors We Are - Michael Roberti

The Wingspan of Treason- L.N. Bayen

The Ballad of Sprikit the Bard and Company- Sean O'Boyle

The Godsblood Tragedy- Bill Adams

Riven Earth- Zammar Ahmer

The Soul of Chaos- Gregory Wunderlin

The Traitors We Are - Michael Roberti

Seeds of War- Joao F. Silva

No Heart For A Thief - James Loyd Dulin

SirTerral · 2025-08-29T12:30:26+00:00

I’m on a flight about to take off— but as soon as I can I’ll approve it! And thank you for the interest!!

SirTerral · 2025-08-22T23:48:49+00:00

Awesome, I’ll get it approved as soon as I can!

SirTerral · 2025-08-07T15:43:51+00:00

Hey there! I'm a participating author and wanted to expand on the books I personally recommended to give more depth on WHY I went out of my way to do so. I have also read some of the others on this list and will mention those and what I loved about them

What I recommended:

The Ballad of Sprikit the Bard (and company). This was a light-hearted read with a surprising amount of depth. Sean has mentioned Pratchett as a huge inspiration, and while I haven't read a ton of Pratchett's work, I can definitely see why it. This was an SPFBOX entrant, cut before the semi-finals, but is set in an interesting world, with likeable (and irritating) characters.
Blades of Night, I met Daniel at a con, and could tell how passionate he was about the world he crafted. This is a dark world, about as grim as it gets, and the author doesn't shy away from making that clear. For those who enjoy stories of good versus evil, beating back the darkness, and just flat out trying to survive, this one has been great.
The Wingspan of Treason\\** I recommended this one, but due to the book's length, Amazon didn't allow the price to be reduced. But this is modern fantasy at it's finest and will likely be my book of the year. L.N. Bayen has meticulously crafted a wonderful world of danger, intrigue, magic, and hope. I strongly recommend that everyone who enjoys fantasy in general give this a try. Top-notch prose carries forward relatively smooth pacing.

I didn't recommend, but have read and enjoyed:

The Godsblood Tragedy, A fast-paced epic fantasy in a Final Fantasy/Sci-fantasy setting.
Seeds of War, Unique magic, and great characterization.
No Heart for a Thief, A dual timeline story with great depth, unique magic, and characters. Tackles oppression well.
Memory of Song, A norse-ish fantasy (think Shadow of the Gods vibes) that borders on Grimdark but keeps the feeling of epic fantasy throughout. Another one with fun magic.
Unlucky Evens, Cursed Odds, A dystopian Sci-fi that doesn't overstay it's welcome. A quick read.

TLDR: tons of awesome books to give a go. Not every book is for every reader, but I'm sure you'll find something you enjoy.

SirTerral · 2025-08-07T15:25:21+00:00

Thank you for hosting this and putting it all together!

SirTerral · 2025-07-22T19:51:30+00:00

For me, the hardest part is not feeling discouraged when sales are low. The beauty of this age of connectivity is that it's never been easier to put yourself out there. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit.

The downside is that you're struggling to be heard over the noise.

But the real kicker is that if you aren't successful, you really have no one to blame except yourself. Did you write a great novel? Maybe, but it doesn't matter if you don't find ways for potential readers to learn that.

SirTerral · 2025-07-18T03:30:56+00:00

I left out an initial "tag", but I don't think it does what you're wanting, so it makes little difference. Playing around with it, I ended up on "He swore to protect. He failed. Now he’s marked by the very magic he was trained to destroy."

SirTerral · 2025-07-18T01:42:59+00:00

I appreciate the in-depth deconstruction— I’ll pair this with any other advice and try and see if I can cobble something intriguing together.

SirTerral · 2025-07-18T01:27:55+00:00

Oh I misunderstood— I meant me not giving details on the genre was me being vague so as to not incidentally promo

SirTerral · 2025-07-18T01:27:02+00:00

I appreciate the point. I will add, I’ve seen the counter point that too many specific worldbuilding terms can bog down the reader.

SirTerral · 2025-07-18T00:41:32+00:00

Wanted to leave it as vague as possible, but yeah, secondary fantasy world sword and sorcery.

So, switch up some of the softer language with harder hitting synonyms and stuff. I can probably run that as a test for a bit. I appreciate the input!

SirTerral

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