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". 

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!"

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).

 

Two more sword and sorcery tales accepted for publication

I have just received word that two more of my sword and sorcery tales have been accepted for publication this year.

The stories are The Moneylender of Oriaska and Ossani's Apprentice. My almost tame sorcerer-cum-apothecary, Ossani and his girl apprentice appear in both tales. The Moneylender of Oriaska will be published online first (probably in April) then both will be included in the print and ebook anthology Swords & Heroes 2 during the summer. 

That makes the total of new sword and sorcery stories to be published this year as follows:

Essayan's Terrible Machineries of War (Crimson Quill Quarterly #5)

Lies and Treachery (Crimson Quill Quarterly #6 and #7)

The Moneylender of Oriaska (Swords & Heroes online and Swords & Heroes Vol 2)

Ossani's Apprentice (Swords & Heroes Vol 2)

Mask of a Mad God (Welgar the Cursed)

Emerging from Their Twilit Realms (Welgar the Cursed)

 

Plus these reprints:

Ossani the Healer and the Beautiful Homunculus (Welgar the Cursed)

The Dark Priestdom (Welgar the Cursed)

Welgar the Cursed (Welgar the Cursed)

The Forbidden City of Cyramon (Welgar the Cursed)

The God in the Keep (Schlock! Webzine August issue) 

My sword and sorcery tale Lies and Treachery to be serialised in 2-parts next year

Contract signed for another sword and sorcery tale, Lies and Treachery, which is a further adventure of my mercenary heroes Horbeck, Brud and Asner. This longish story (11,100 words) will be serialised in April and July next year.

This is a sequel to The Demon from Another World which was recently published in Anthology of the Damned: Necromoirrium from TreeShaker Books. This was also quite a long tale, standing at 9,900 words.

I now have to find homes for my other Horbeck & Co tales: The Mummified Demi-God, Dead Thieves in the Night and The Sorcerer's Casket.  

Just to add to the tally I'm currently working on yet another story in their saga, A Murder of Necromancers.

New Horbeck story finished: The Sorcerer's Casket

I have just completed another story, a novelette really, about my mercenary hero Horbeck and his comrades in arms, Brud and Asner. The latest story is called The Sorcerer's Casket and is the sixth in their ongoing saga.

The tales so far in chronological order are:

The Unhappy Inquisitor

The Demon from Another World (Anthology of the Damned: Necromoirrium)

Lies and Treachery

The Mummified Demi-God

Dead Thieves in the Night

The Sorcerer's Casket

In total these add up to 57,200 words, which is amazing to me as I never intended to create a series of stories when I first wrote about Horbeck. 

Illustration for The Demon from Another World

 

Dead Thieves in the Night - my latest Horbeck sword and sorcery tale

I have now finished Dead Thieves in the Night, my latest sword and sorcery story involving the mercenaries Horbeck, Brud and Asnar. This finished at 10,000 words, a novelette.

As soon as I completed this, though, I found myself embarking on yet another yarn of this trio, possibly titled The Sorcerer's Casket.

The list of Horbeck & Co stories so far are:

The Unhappy Inquisitor

The Demon from Another World (Anthology of the Damned: Necromoirrium)

Lies and Treachery

The Mummified Demi-God

Dead Thieves in the Night

Another new sword and sorcery tale finished - Dead Thieves in the Night

I have managed to more or less put the final touches to a new 10,000 word sword and sorcery tale tentatively called Dead Thieves in the Night. It's another story in the ongoing saga of my mercenary heroes Horbeck, Brud and Asnar, who started life, for Horbeck at least, as a minor character in The Unhappy Inquisitor, before coming to their own in The Demon From Another World, Lies and Treachery, and The Mummified Demi-God, defying Fate by somehow or other staying alive, though how much longer this will last I do not know... 

So far only one of these tales has been published, The Demon From Another World in Anthology of the Damned: Necromoirrium from Treeshaker Books.

The Demon from Another World is now out in Anthology of the Damned: Necromoirrium

My sword and sorcery novelette The Demon from Another World is now out in Anthology of the Damned: Necromoirrium as a paperback and kindle ebook from Treeshaker Books. 

This features a group of mercenaries, chief of whom is Horbeck, who has appeared in several other stories I've written. He first appears as a minor character in The Unhappy Inquisitor. Since then he has appeared as the main character in two sequels to The Demon from Another World: Lies and Treachery and The Mummified Demi-God, plus another I am still writing. 

New sword and sorcery story finished - The Mummified Demi-God

One week after I finished my last sword and sorcery story involving Horbeck and his mercenary comrades, Brud and Asnar, I have now completed another involving their misadventures: The Mummified Demi-God.

This makes four stories in which Horbeck appears: The Unhappy Inquisitor, The Demon from Another World, Lies and Treachery, and now The Mummified Demi-God. Of these only The Demon from Another World is scheduled to be published at the moment. It will appear later this month in Anthology of the Damned, Necromoirrium from Treeshaker Books.

From its opening paragraphs:

The three mercenaries rode leisurely down the winding, hard-packed road, their camels and packhorses burdened with sacks of gold, payment from a particularly rewarding job. Despite their nonchalant appearance, though, all three kept their eyes alert on the surrounding woodlands, bushes and small hillocks, wary of bandits.

Their erstwhile leader, Horbeck, was a huge northerner with a sun-bleached beard and long, dust-filled hair, his rugged chainmail only partially covered by what remained of his leather jerkin, scored so often it was all but rags. His fellow northerner, Brud, was slightly shorter but no less robust in appearance, a well-used battleaxe hanging from the saddle of his camel from which, in the north, he would have hung the heads of his enemies, a habit he had been persuaded to forgo in the civilised south. The only non-northerner in this trio was Asnar, a black-bearded Josanian archer. Like his comrades, his clothes had seen better days. His lacquered leather breastplate had all but lost whatever colouring was scrolled across it when he first set out as a mercenary years ago. Over one shoulder hung an unstrung bow of surpassing power and accuracy, though he also had a scimitar sheathed across his back in a gaudy scabbard. All normally wore steel helmets, plain, serviceable and much dented; these now hung from straps beside them as the sun beat down on their heads. Two wore straw hats to keep it off. Asnar preferred a felt cap.

In the distance they glimpsed the gleaming towers of a large city, though none of them knew its name, having lost track of where they were many months ago when they were pursued across the Great Desert by their enemies.