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Another of my continuing characters, the secretive sorcerer Ossani the Healer, who is sometimes the main character in my stories and at others just a secondary one, may have his own collection next year. Negotiations are underway.

More to be revealed later - probably much later.ÌýIn the meantime two of his stories will appear in Swords & Heroes Quarterly Volume 2: The Moneylender of Oriaska and Ossani's Apprentice, in which I introduce my first female main character in a sword and sorcery tale.

I have been given permission by Crimson Quill Quarterly #6 to quote the full review published in this issue of my swords and sorcery collection from Tule Fog Press, Welgar the Cursed:

DavidA. Riley’s chronological collection of his Welgar the Northerner’s/Cursedadventures compose a gripping collection of new-age sword and sorcery withenough of the golden age flavor to bring readers new and old to the revivedS&S genre. Each tale within stands as their own separate pieces, but whentold one after the other, as Riley has finally been able to do here, they buildupon each other, with the next tale being that much more enjoyable by havingjust finished reading the one before. Brutality and action are balanced withpoignant periods of introspection that is equally haunted and lethal.

Whatimpressed me most as a reader, however, was Riley’s ability to blend real worldtyranny into tales of fantasy in a way that was not preachy or allegorical, butrather by revealing hints of what may have inspired him to write theseincredible pieces of S&S in the first place. Furthermore, the depths ofRiley’s story-telling prowess is on full display when viewing the collection asa whole, as it shows that this was no random string of wandering escapades.There is a slow and compelling evolution that allows readers to experience theworld, as well as rummage through Welgar’s own thoughts, alongside him.

Welgar the Cursed is an extravagant tapestry of the struggle tosurvive and overcome, led by one of Riley’s most compelling characters thatI’ve had the pleasure of reading. One can only hope there is more planned forhim in the future.

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The latest PUP Newsletter was emailed yesterday. If you would like to read the pdf of it now please click on the following link:

Two great deliveries today, the latest issues of Phantasmagoria Magazine and . I only have a short piece in what is possibly the most impressive-looking issue of Phantasmagoria so far, but Crimson Quill Quarterly not only contains the first of my two-part story Lies and Treachery, but a truly splendid review of my collection Welgar the Cursed, which ends: "Welgar the Cursed is an extravagant tapestry of the struggle to survive and overcome, led by one of Riley's most compelling characters that I've had the pleasure of reading. One can only hope there is more planned for him in the future."

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My final Lovecraftian tale The Psychic Investigator is being reprinted in . Not only is this my final Lovecraftian tale, it is also my final Grudge End tale as well.

My final Lovecraftian tale The Psychic Investigator is being reprinted in . Not only is this my final Lovecraftian tale, it is also my final Grudge End tale as well.

I am pleased to announce that is now available as a paperback and eBook.

The latest issue contains the first of a two part story by me called Lies and Treachery, which details a further adventure of my on the run mercenaries led by Horbeck, who first appeared in The Demon from Another World last year in Anthology of the Damned: Necromoirrium.Ìý

From this issue's description on amazon:

"Heart of the Depths by Ethan Sabatella: In this Stone Age Slasher, five youths break the rules of their tribe and stay out in the wilderness after nightfall. The superstitions of their people prove all too real as a terrible darkness creeps out from the Earth and stalks them one-by-one.

The Saga of the Stew by Randall Madden: Trolls have ravaged the mountainside around Ravian, and all but the hardiest have fled. Yet two brave souls travel toward the danger, in search of an ancient book near the mountaintop. Damica, the aging singer, finds an unlikely ally in Morgho the swordsman. Together they move for Ravian itself—the very source of the troll attacks—so that Damica might complete the most important ritual of his long life.

The Forbidden Land by Mike Adamson: In an ancient land, legend warns of the dire fruits of trespass. Not for nothing does taboo keep the tribes away from the northern woods, as Jareth the Hunter and Sho’nee the Beautiful discover when the girl flees the warrior to whom she is promised...into the embodiment of all mortal terror.

Lies and Treachery (Part 1 of 2) by David A. Riley: After having escaped death in the Great Desert as they fled from their pursuers, Horbeck and his fellow mercenaries are hoping for some time to recover in the small, stockaded town they reach beyond the desert’s edge, little realizing they will be betrayed and forced to grapple with creatures of appalling evil, some demonic and some human.

Dark Secrets Entombed by J. VanZile: Balthen Verdugo wants to hunt monsters and make money. If he can gain a bit of notoriety and fame along the way then all the better. A rich purse leads Balthen to a town with a beast who has been killing by night and hiding in a graveyard by day. When Balthen learns the beast may be linked to the town and its people in ways he wouldn’t have expected, he must decide what he values more; truth and justice or his business.

Choir of the Mad Anatomist by Logan D. Whitney: Wayward rogues Indryk and Cor find themselves embroiled in the aftermath of one man’s musical obsession…and another’s greed.

Snowblind by Shephard W. McIlveen: Onyx the Tigerheart stumbles upon a bizarre murder scene when he finds four men half-buried in the snow, each with their eyes burned out through the backs of their skulls. As he examines the bodies, he is set upon by a small order of armored men each dressed in a uniform matching the corpses at his feet. To clear his name and show good faith, Onyx agrees to aid the men on the search for the real killer, but how long will it take for the hunters to become the hunted?"

Crimson Quill Quarterly have just revealed their cover for issue No 6, which includes Part 1 of my two-part story Lies and Treachery.Ìý

This story is a sequel to The Demon from Another World which appeared in Anthology of the Damned: Necromoirrium last year.

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ÌýNice to see a new 5-star review on amazon for Welgar the Cursed, this time from Canada.

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I am really pleased to announce that my sword and sorcery tale Lies and Treachery will appear in the April issue of Crimson Quill Quarterly. This is the second story about my disreputable mercenary heroes Horbeck, Brud and Asner, who first appeared in The Demon from Another World (Anthology of the Damned - Necromoirrium).

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