Crimson Quill Quarterly #7 now available as a paperback and ebook

The latest issue of Crimson Quill Quarterly is now available as a paperback and ebook.

Crimson Quill Quarterly #7 

Copied from its online description: 

Lies and Treachery (Part 2 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.

Feast of the Hidden Moon by Gregory Mele: A night’s carousal in the city of Na Yxim takes an unexpected turn when Ométl Five-Rabbit literally stumbles into a near-naked and badly abused young priestess, only to have abducted by a winged-horror. Reporting the encounter to her superiors only deepens the mystery. With Anaklyse, the priestess’s far more martially-minded sister, Ometl turns to his sorcerous employer find answers, and learns that there is far more afoot in Na Yxim society that he’d have ever guessed.

Chronicles of Fierge – Bloody Escape by Tom Doolan: After successfully escaping a cultist temple with the treasure, and his life intact, Fierge the White Rat runs afoul of a few particularly tenacious cultists. Seeing they aren’t going to be smart enough to turn back and leave him be, the warrior turns and deals with them in the best way he knows how.

Chitin is Not Bone by Robert Bose: Deep within the jungle canyons of Tsombu, Lord Ravencroft, the Baron of Bone, and Lady Cyn, Knight of Lost Carcosa, find themselves recruited by the insect like Jaru to deal with the ravenous child of an elder, potentially unforgiving goddess.

Into the Siege by Malcolm North: Clegg, a half-orc freebooter, is sent on an extraction mission that requires him to infiltrate an invading army and break into a besieged city. But he must contend with horrors that extend beyond war and a mission that he does not fully understand.

Judgement for All by Jason M. Waltz: Once again, Death stalks where Pawft walks. One botched theft, escaped hanging, street warfare, religious assault, and devious God later, the Breath of Death again walks alone.

The Kingdom of Memory by Tim Waggoner: A simple Egyptian fisherman finds himself trapped in the afterworld, pursued by a monstrous crocodile, and haunted by a suppressed memory as terrifying as any ravenous reptile.

Cover reveal for the next issue of Crimson Quill Quarterly

Issue 7 of Crimson Quill Quarterly will be available soon as a paperback and kindle eBook, but this is the cover, listing all the authors whose stories will appear in it, including the second part of my serialised Horbeck the Mercenary tale, "Lies and Treachery". 

The 2nd Part of my interview with Crimson Quill Quarterly

 

Here’s part two and the conclusion of David A. Riley’s Author Interview!

 

On the other hand, what do you think makes a good villain in an S&S or dark fantasy story?

 

They must be powerful enough to pose a genuine threat to the main protagonist. At the same time they should have at least some unique features about them to avoid being just some stock villain, which is not always as easy as it sounds. Preferably they need to be evil enough that the violent end they will almost certainly succumb to at the hands of our hero is justified.

 

Of your published works, do you have a favorite tale?

 

I have a fondness for my Horbeck stories. “Lies and Treachery” is the second of them, the first being “The Demon from Another World” which appeared in Anthology of the Damned: Necromoirrium last year. I also like my Welgar tales, all of which were collected in Welgar the Cursed from Tule Fog Press earlier this year, though I must admit I have been far from kind to him. On the other hand I do have a special liking for “The Storyteller of Koss”, which introduces two of my recurring characters, Nadrain the Storyteller and Ossani the Healer. This was first published in Summer of Sci-Fi and Fantasy in 2022.

 

Can you offer any more advice, wisdom, or guidance to aspiring writers?

 

Study the markets you are writing for and be as unflinchingly critical of what you have written as you would be to anyone else’s stories, so that, hopefully, you can improve. Read as much as you can in the genres in which you intend to write so you fully understand them and can avoid the cliches.

 

What is the best way for readers to keep up with your work? Are you available on any form of social media?

 

https://davidandrewriley.blogspot.com/ is a site in which I talk about my stories and announce any news about them.

https://paralleluniversepublications.blogspot.com/ is my publishing site, which I provide news and details of books from Parallel Universe Publications, which I have run for several decades now.

I also have a couple of Facebook groups:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/799792464049764 which is called “Swords & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy Public Group”, which discusses all things sword and sorcery.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002067187340 is my personal Facebook group where I usually announce anything I have being published, etc.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1537345449688760 is my Parallel Universe Publications Group.

Interview in Crimson Quill Quarterly

Delighted to see the second part of my Horbeck the Mercenary story "Lies and Treachery" will soon appear in the July issue of Crimson Quill Quarterly.

This is my second Horbeck tale, the first being "The Demon from Another World" (Anthology of the Damned: Necromoirrium). Since then I have written four others, finishing the last only yesterday at 14,000 words.

In the meantime Crimson Quill Quarterly have posted online the first of a two-part interview with me: 

 

"For our next Author Interview, we caught up with David A. Riley, whose story "Lies and Treachery" appears serialized over two parts starting in the April 2025 issue and concludes in our upcoming July 2025 issue of CQQ!

Story overview:

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.

Do you have further plans for this character and/or setting featured in your tale?

All the major characters already feature in an earlier story (“The Demon from Another World”). I have already written three more and have plans for a fourth. Whether or not all these mercenaries will survive these tales is another matter, but I am tempted for at least some of them to continue for a while yet as I have a great fondness for them.

Now that you have been published with CQQ (and possibly other markets) a number of times, how do you feel your style has changed over the course of your writing career?

For most of my writing career I concentrated on horror with an occasional venture into science fiction, though these tended to have elements of horror too. For the past four years, though, I have concentrated on sword and sorcery, or at the very least dark fantasy, such as in my tale “The Carpetmaker of Arana” which appeared in Savage Realms Monthly. My writing style had already changed over the years as, I think, I learned from practice and experience. This was brought home to me when I recently had to proofread two of my very earliest horror stories, due to be reprinted in a hardcover edition from a rather prestigious publisher. I was surprised how overwritten some parts of these tales looked to me now. And, of course, writing fantasy has seen another alteration in my style, with more emphasis on world building and action.

Furthermore, can you describe your writing process? Do you have a certain routine you like to follow or a certain time of day you like to write at?

I have absolutely no routine at all and never have. The first thing I need is to get into whatever tale I’m writing, then I might add more to it at all times of the day and night in short, productive spurts. I wish I could be like some writers who set aside certain hours of the day to sitting at their typewriter or, more likely these days, their computer to concentrate on adding thousands of words to whatever they’re writing. I can’t and never have done that, perhaps because I have never been a fulltime writer but always had a day job and writing was something I did in my spare time.

What do you think leads to the creation of a good protagonist in an S&S or dark fantasy tale?

They obviously need to be interesting or at least have something about them which can capture the empathy of the reader – and of me, of course, as their creator. I like to think of them as well-rounded characters with distinctive traits and personalities, and their fair share of virtues and vices to give them credibility.

Stay tuned for part two of David’s interview, which will be posted on Thursday!"

Review of Welgar the Cursed in Crimson Quill Quarterly #6

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:

David A. Riley’s chronological collection of his Welgar the Northerner’s/Cursed adventures compose a gripping collection of new-age sword and sorcery with enough of the golden age flavor to bring readers new and old to the revived S&S genre. Each tale within stands as their own separate pieces, but when told one after the other, as Riley has finally been able to do here, they build upon each other, with the next tale being that much more enjoyable by having just finished reading the one before. Brutality and action are balanced with poignant periods of introspection that is equally haunted and lethal.

What impressed me most as a reader, however, was Riley’s ability to blend real world tyranny into tales of fantasy in a way that was not preachy or allegorical, but rather by revealing hints of what may have inspired him to write these incredible pieces of S&S in the first place. Furthermore, the depths of Riley’s story-telling prowess is on full display when viewing the collection as a 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 the world, as well as rummage through Welgar’s own thoughts, alongside him.

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.

 

Phantasmagoria Magazine and Crimson Quill Quarterly #6

Two great deliveries today, the latest issues of Phantasmagoria Magazine and Crimson Quill Quarterly. 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."

 

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com 

Crimson Quill Quarterly #6 now available as a paperback and eBook

I am pleased to announce that Crimson Quill Quarterly #6 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. 

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 No 6 and my story Lies and Treachery

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

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

My sword and sorcery story Lies and Treachery will appear in Crimson Quill Quarterly #6 in April

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).

 

Nadrain the Storyteller

One of my recurring sword and sorcery characters is Nadrain the Storyteller, who sometimes narrates his own adventures (which he hates having) and of people he meets, which enable me to write in the first person for a change.

Nadrain's own adventures feature in The Storyteller of Koss (Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy 1, 2022 and Schlock! Webzine, October, 2024) and in The Dark Priestdom (Savage Realms Monthly #19, 2023 and in the next few weeks in the collection Welgar the Cursed, Tule Fog Press).

Additionally, he has retold the tales of the unfortunate snake charmer from In the Temple of the Snake (Crimson Quill Quarterly #3, 2024) and of the artist Essayan in Essayan's Terrible Machineries of War (Crimson Quill Quarterly #5, 2025).

I have also used quotes from him at the start of several stories involving Welgar so as to set the scene and provide a few background details.

 

 

Crimson Quill Quarterly #5 now available as a paperback and ebook

My sword and sorcery tale, Essayan's Terrible Machineries of War, is in the latest issue of Crimson Quill Quarterly, which is available as a paperback and ebook.

amazon.co.uk 

amazon.com

 

First new stories to be published in 2025: Essayan's Terrible Machineries of War and Visit Fungosia

It now looks like the first new stories of mine to be published in the New Year will be a dark fantasy called Essayan's Terrible Machineries of War in Crimson Quill Quarterly #5 and a humorous science fiction yarn I wrote a few years back called Visit Fungosia, which will be in 4Star Stories #30. 

I do already have a third story lined up to be serialised in two parts later in the year, Lies and Treachery, which is a sword and sorcery tale involving three recurring characters Horbeck, Brud and Asner, who first appeared in The Demon from Another World (Anthology of the Damned: Necromoirrium).

My only other story so far scheduled for 2025 is a reprint of one that originally appeared in the online Sword & Sorcery Magazine in 2021. This is a tale called The God in the Keep and will be in the August issue of Schlock! Webzine.

Essayan's Terrible Machineries of War will be in Crimson Quill Quarterly issue 5 in January 2025

I am pleased to see a second story of mine will appear in Crimson Quill Quarterly. My fantasy story Essayan's Terrible Machineries of War will appear in issue 5 in January and will be my first brand new story to appear in the New Year.

My latest sword and sorcery story In the Temple of the Snake is in Crimson Quill Quarterly No 3

I am very pleased to be able to announce that my latest sword and sorcery story, an 8000 word yarn called In the Temple of the Snake, is in the latest issue of Crimson Quill Quarterly, along with some stellar contribributors.

Crimson Quill Quarterly is available as a papertback and kindle eBook. 

amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

A City of Phantoms (Part 2 of 2): Teel James Glenn - When their caravan is attacked, Dunal and Ada are captured and taken to the legendary city of Atlaztan, a frightening madhouse of magick and murder, and it is up to the two companions to not only survive - but escape against all odds!

Backed Up in Iber: Carl Ellis - Ceeon, wayward, once-retired thief, drowning in medical debt, takes on one final job in the hopes of rebuilding his life and reconnecting with his daughter. All he has to do is steal some items from one of the most heavily guarded vaults in all of Iber!

King of Killers: Mario Curic - The barbarian king Keroveh rules the former No Man's Land with the aid of an army of sellswords and an ancient relic of mysterious power. When another mercenary carries a similar gift arrives to offer his services, the ruthless warlord sees an opportunity to spread his reach, all the while plagued by a worm of doubt.

Trollslayer: Susan Murrie Macdonald - After being sent on what Vilne believed would be a boring errand, it was not long before he began to detect the presence of nearby trolls. After destroying their dwelling, he is set upon by a pair of the foul monstrosities. These monsters, however, may not be as mindless or heartless as legend has let on.

In the Temple of the Snake: David A. Riley - To the snake charmer, the proferred journey to the Temple of the Snake by the secretive sorcerer Roannda Caltrani was barely a challenge to his abilities, and in the end it would make him wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. Little did he suspect that the horrors he would find inside the forbidden temple would be incredibly far worse than anything he could have imagined and would change his life forever.

Trail of Steel: Damir Salkovic - Having narrowly escaped a hanging, three unlikely companions rob a wealthy merchant, set free a chain of slaves, and become embroiled in a tribal feud as they flee civilization. Over the mountains, the unruly coast beckons, a frontier of sinister magic and hungry swords where they hope to escape their past misdeeds. But redemption has a price, and the dangers are many on the trail of steel.

The Drakvur Challenge: Rab Foster - In a temple dedicated to a mysterious deity known as Drakvur, at dawn on the longest day of the year, six prisoners are forced to take part in a ritual. They must race across a lake using stepping stones that weave between sinister statues and rise above shoals of hungry fish. Unfortunately, they have a seventh competitor to deal with: Drakvur itself... 

My sword & sorcery tale In the Temple of the Snake to be published in Crimson Quill Quarterly #3

I am very pleased to be able to reveal that my 8700 word sword and sorcery tale In the Temple of the Snake will be in the third issue of Crimson Quill Quarterly. This will feature another appearance by Nadrain the Storyteller, though not in a central role this time. 

Nadrain previously appeared in The Storyteller of Koss (Summer of Sci-Fi & Fantasy), The Dark Priestdom (Savage Realms Monthly - #19) and Welgar the Cursed (Swords & Heroes).