Tag: The Half-Elven Orphan

Finally, Relief

Since I was already using OGIS height information, the step to rendering those height differences wasn’t huge. Getting editing tools working the way I want, was somewhat more complex. Still work-in-progress, but we’re making headway.

This is an overview shot, with the relief exagerated by something like 15 times to make it visible on a global scale. You can change the exageration on the fly.

The Thetwick area (features prominently in The Half Elven Orphan), with map overlays turned on. You can see my new snow feature lays over the top of it for currently unknown reasons.

Exact same shot with map overlays off. As you can see, I’m still working on refining the brushes to be able to get natural heights. Keeping rivers flowing downhill is an interesting thing for the tool to have to accomodate.

As I’m working on this, I’m beginning to think that maybe I will be able to place buildings and plots with this eventually. Mainly I’m wondering if I can keep it usable. This now already has a two-step system where it shows the changes made immediately, then bakes it in in a background process.

Photomode Distractions

My new Godot tool, other than the mapping functions, has a photomode for use with the (so far rudimentary) scenes I’ve generated. Still, it’s already usable to produce some imagery that I think is getting to capturing the ‘feel’ of the tales of Vatan setting.

Alagariel, the protagonist of The Half Elven Orphan practicing sword forms (I.33 sword and buckler) near Maiden's Tower.

Alagariel practicing sword forms (I.33 again) at night, with Maiden’s Tower in the background.

The Fire Wraith (pass 3)

Another incremental improvement to a Godot 4.7 photomode render of the Fire Wraith scene out of The Half Elven Orphan. I like grounde settings so the tower is an amalgamation of historical ruins from the period 850-1050. Planet curvature, moonlight etc all derived from the moon and the star system also modelled in Godot. The Wraith herself is Makehuman and Blender, with a historical kirtle-and-chemise outfit. The sword-form pose is from the I.33 manuscript.

I’m doing this because I’m finding it’s very hard for an author to generate promotional material. Walls of text don’t draw people in to a post, pictures and video does. So, this is my solution. Get assets into Godot, make compositions and make stills or animations with them. I’ve used Claude Code to help me make the tools for this (I would never have had the time for it otherwise), but the creative input is my own or the artists I hire. Besides the widespread irrational hatred for generative AI, it’s also just very poor at making the image you want. I’ve experimented with it, but I’d say generating 10,000 images per usable one is about the hit rate. It’s a waste of time, quite aside from the fact that you never know how closely what it flops out is plagiarising someone’s work.

I have more ideas what I might want to do with these 3D assets in the longer term, but I’m a very long way from getting any of that done.

The Half Elven Orphan in Stock

I have enough copies of The Half Elven Orphan in stock if anyone wants to order from me directly. It doesn’t seem worthwhile to put together a whole webshop for just one product, so if you want one, just send me an e-mail (books@jceberdt.eu) or use the contact form (below). Please let me know in the mail roughly where I’ll need so send the book.

I’ll send a Paypal payment request and send you a copy. Currently pricing is 20 euro’s, including shipping (unless shipping costs are crazy for your region but I’ll let you know before you pay anything if that’s the case).

The cover of The Half Elven Orphan, with the protagonist, a femal half-elf, crossing a river at night mounted on a black horse.
Name

A Parcel Has Been Delivered

Despite the best efforts of his superiors, a parcel with some books from Milton Keynes has arrived.

I have yet to understand why I was charged for the privilege of receiving 0% tariff book while I have VAT and EORI numbers, but they’re here and that’s certainly something.

I’ve decided to fulfill direct orders. Obviously, I don’t have to pay the retailer 55% like I do on in-store prices, but I do have to ship it. The book is 349g, which means that with packaging it’s quite expensive to ship individual copies. So, it’s the same price as in stores which is €20, but shipping is free everywhere in the EU.

Paperbacks Everywhere

Just a small update to the previous post. Paperbacks seem to be orderable off all Amazons, Barnes and Noble and presumably other places. Waterstones does not appear to have added it to their catalogue unfortunately. I’m not sure what I would need to do to achieve that. In any event, many of the sellers on the Where to buy page now offer the paperback. I’m not wild about delivery terms, but hopefully (ebook) sales makes them take a few in stock.

Ebook Released Today!

The Half Elven Orphan became available today on all the big sites. I’m attempting to list the places where it’s available on the Where to buy page. It’s also on Goodreads now. Obviously, I’m in dire need of reviews, so if you’re a reviewer and would like a review copy, please let me know.

Where to from here?
Next up, I’ll be polishing Dropship Down book one of the Clausewitz Series. I’ve been going through it a bit the last few days and honestly it doesn’t need all that much work. It’s about 160k words and I doubt much will be changed. The time for another long stretch of editing. Never say never, but I might manage to get this out in a few months.

After that, I’ll be focussing on The Value of Nobility, book two of the Alagariel Series. How fast I try to get that out honestly depends a little on whether The Half Elven Orphan generates any interest at all. It is going to have some major work done to it before it’s up to the same standard as Alagariel I.

It’s hard to see the future beyond that, but of the 10-15 books I have in a state that look a little like completeness, I’d like to publish one every six months or so. Time will tell if that can be achieved.

“It has been well said that an author who expects results from a first novel is in a position similar to that of a man who drops a rose petal down the Grand Canyon of Arizona and listens for the echo.”

P.G. Wodehouse, Cocktail Time

Available November 15th (Amazon)

The amazon page is now up. The print-on-demand version will be a few more days I expect as there was a problem with the cover and they’re very busy at Ingram Spark.

Anyway, it’s beginning to look like I may have published a book…

It’s a little poetic that this coincides with the release of Episode 59 of the version of The Half Elven Orphan that’s on the site here (20k words shorter than what’s on Amazon).

A interesting tidbit: Episode 59 actually became Episode 1 of The Value of Nobility (Tales of Vatan: Alagariel Book Two). It’s not in the longer book that’ll become available at all the e-book stores over the next few days.