Wanted Hero™

Wendell plays for Kyliene

Jaime Buckley — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:36:24 +0000

H ave you ever wondered what a character might sound like, if they played a musical instrument? I certainly have. In fact, there’s a particular scene in Race to Til-Thorin where Wendell discovers a piano and lets his fingers mourn the loss of his friend, Kyliene.

One of my fondest wishes has been to have someone with talent, create musical wonders to add to this story. Things I could share with readers. Thanks to a reader named Kayla Jessop, I’ve had the opportunity to have a taste of what Wendell might sound like at that very emotional moment!

The book says (Chapter 2, Chuck’s Cottage):

Taking a long, deep breath, he looked down at the piano. With both hands, his fingers softly stroked the ivory keys. Then, finding their place, he slowly pressed a sad chord. He sat motionless, expecting the sadness to dissipate with the fading echo. It didn’t. And he was glad. In that moment Wendell didn’t know what else to do, but play.

At first, it was frustrating. His fingers felt fat and awkward, foreign to this instrument as they moved up the keyboard. But then, gently, her melody filled his mind, swelling in his chest and the music coursed through him. He closed his eyes, filling the room with a richness and bittersweet joy. He followed the melody, pouring out his heart and his frustration. Letting the tender music swell inside him, it poured out his fingers, until with one last reprise and an evocative minor chord, stopped short.

Sighing, Wendell rested his hands in his lap while staring down at the piano. Kyliene is gone. He was done.

Now here’s Kayla’s version:

Were you as impressed with her interpretation as I was? I know she was worried about it being a rough, live recording, but I was so overjoyed to have music that reflected the moment I saw in my mind.

Thank you Kayla for your time and talent…and I’m so grateful you enjoyed the story enough to create this for me to share with others!

-Jaime

TRENCH WARS, Part 2

Motherboard — Tue, 07 May 2013 02:18:10 +0000

How do you find a needle in a haystack of 1.5 billion gnomes? Carefully and methodically. While Chuck hunts down the last remaining Demoni Vankil seal, Wendell, Dax and Alhannah prepare a diversion by entering Trench Wars–an extreme fighting sport involving 20 feet robots. But first they have to find a sponsor…

Grab your copy of the second installment of Trench Wars!

Trench Wars: Are you big enough to play with gnomes?

Motherboard — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 06:37:08 +0000

The following snippet was taken from the Chime Time Times:

In the depths of despair, two brothers–intelligent, gifted and determined to defy the odds and prejudices of the day, changed the way of spectator sports forever.

Burton and Ernie Trench, gnomes from the lower districts of Clockworks City, turned a prison sentence into career opportunity. Both gifted mechanics and tinkerers, they were assigned to repair collection units for the utilities and recycling division in repayment of their alleged theft of government property. Using spare parts they collected over time, decommissioned units from the local junk yards were modified into S.L.A.G.s (Strong Lithe Armored Giants) and used in mock combat within the prison yard as a recreation outlet. The events were so dynamic, so intense, word spread.

When their sentence was served, news of their freedom had traveled throughout the lower districts, through various gangs and vagrants. The “Brothers Trench” were revered by their peers and eventually approached by sponsors, wishing to fund their new sport. That was four seasons and hundreds of millions of fans ago. Every paper and media station is now asking the same question to the Clockworks population:

If given the chance to let your skills and talents shine, would you rise to the challenge?

That’s the real question now, isn’t it? Do you have what it takes? Are you the next trick pilot, brilliant hacker in charge of the RAT support team…or perhaps you believe you’re the next Grand Champion of the games?

Now’s the time to find out!

Open trials will soon be under way. It doesn’t matter if your rich, poor, inexperienced or fresh out of University–if you have access to a S.L.A.G. and a sponsor contract, you can join the qualification round. This year will be packed with newer technology and fresh faces as the league grows larger than ever. As always, The VOICE will be there with you, play-by-play, followed by exclusive interviews with the pilots, their teams and sponsors.

Registration fees will be waved for the first twenty newcomers, courtesy of the Brothers Trench.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Here’s a bonus…
Click on the Facebook Cover below and spread the word about Season Four of Trench Wars!

More info on pilots and teams coming soon.

From Dragonlance to Doctor Who

Jaime Buckley — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:44:04 +0000

So now I’m at the crux of my writing: changing from a fantasy setting to a sci-fi setting within Wanted Hero.

I know it seems crazy, but that’s what you get when you start mixing gnome technology with the traditional might and magic of wizards. Trench Wars has been a long time coming. Even when I was still writing and drawing the comic books I was anxious to get to the gnomes–to roll the storyline in the greasy ponds of machines, smog and over population.

I love Clockworks City.

Yet I’m scared of how this might not be accepted by readers, and today I found myself hesitating. Oh, there’s not much I can do about it–frankly I don’t have anywhere to go in the story except forward–but I was so stressed, I decided to play hooky for a few hours and go grocery shopping with my wife instead. Tells you something about the mood, doesn’t it?

I’m wondering how you feel about it. Taking a dynamic, rich world with lore and a deep relationship to the elements of nature…and then thrusting your perspective into metal & smoke? Are you ready for the screeching gears of the S.L.A.G.s? Can you stomach the pilot combat of the biggest public sport, known as Trench Wars? Is it going to disappoint you if one of the essential keys to this overall story arc happens to involve technology as well as magic?

Yeah, I’m biting my nails as I write.