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Old 04-10-2013, 03:00 PM   #1
John Carroll
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Wyvern, Book 1 of the Wyvern Series - John H. Carroll

"Wyvern" is now available! Full length fantasy novel - Book 1 of the Wyvern Series and the 7th book set in the world of Ryallon.

This is a continuation of Pelya's story from the Dralin Trilogy.

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Book 1 of the Wyvern Series

Pelya Jornin rides away from Dralin, never to return. Nightmares travel with her, haunting the lonely roads that threaten to drive her mad. The dangers within her own mind outweigh the perils of traveling alone.

The Blue Wyverns are a mercenary group dedicated to providing safe haven to any woman who arrives at their door. For centuries, they have grown and their power now extends throughout the Kingdom of Eddland and into bordering countries. They protect the roads and merchants of the countries with waypoints and well-trained companies of women soldiers.

It is Pelya’s intention to join the Blue Wyverns. However, things are not as they should be. Rather than being welcomed, Pelya is regarded with suspicion and contempt. The Recruit Program is unwelcoming and in disarray.

Pelya befriends other young women who also look to escape hidden pasts. Rather than admiring her experience and knowledge, they find her to be reckless in her actions. Pelya draws into herself, fearing loneliness even in the midst of company.

Will Pelya’s mind conquer battles that cannot be fought with a sword? Can she escape the eyes that haunt her sleep? Will her new friends discover the secrets of her past? Who will turn out to be a true friend and who has deception in their heart? Intrigue and danger surround Pelya as she learns the history of the Blue Wyverns. Will the beginning of her new life bring about the end?

The Wyvern Series is a swords-and-sorcery fantasy series following the life of Pelya Jornin as she begins her life away from the city of Dralin.

Last edited by John Carroll; 07-21-2017 at 09:32 PM. Reason: Fixing images
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Old 04-11-2013, 07:55 AM   #2
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Hmmm...decisions, decisions. How long till the rest of the books are out? I generally wait until a trilogy is out before buying the set, but I'm enjoying this series enough that I may have to pull the trigger early.

BTW, do you have a phonetic spelling for Ebudae? When I have trouble deciding on a pronunciation for a name, my fractured brain takes over and makes up a total nonsense label for the character. Don't let her be known as Eedeebooboo forever...

(Eedeebooboo is not the worst I've come up with. I had a terrible time with War and Peace...)
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Old 04-11-2013, 11:06 AM   #3
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Hi 5thWiggle.

I honestly don't know how long. I haven't even started writing them, though I have them conceptualized. I'm about to move cross-country and it's interfering with my writing time. At the earliest, the next one will be out in 6 months, but more likely 8-10 months.

This book can stand alone. It begins 6 days after "Pelya" and has a definite ending without a cliff hanger. There's more to her story, but it's not dire.

*grin* I love your pronunciation of Ebudae. I have a hard time with character names while reading other books, so it's perfectly understandable. I pronounce it "eh-boo-day"

The name was inspired by the Enya song of the same name. It's beautiful and mysterious.
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Old 04-12-2013, 09:08 AM   #4
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Hi 5thWiggle.

I honestly don't know how long. I haven't even started writing them, though I have them conceptualized. I'm about to move cross-country and it's interfering with my writing time. At the earliest, the next one will be out in 6 months, but more likely 8-10 months.
Understood. Moving bites, especially a big move. I hope all goes well and you get settled in your new home quickly and with *major* incidents. (I know there is no such thing a move without incidents at all, but hopefully they will be minor. May your sofa bed never unfold in the elevator!)

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*grin* I love your pronunciation of Ebudae. I have a hard time with character names while reading other books, so it's perfectly understandable. I pronounce it "eh-boo-day"

The name was inspired by the Enya song of the same name. It's beautiful and mysterious.
Ahh! So it's Irish Gaelic. I'll just use your pronunciation then.
We gave one of our daughters a Scottish Gaelic name, but anglicized the spelling so her school teachers would have an easier time of it.
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Old 04-12-2013, 07:23 PM   #5
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Understood. Moving bites, especially a big move. I hope all goes well and you get settled in your new home quickly and with *major* incidents. (I know there is no such thing a move without incidents at all, but hopefully they will be minor. May your sofa bed never unfold in the elevator!)

Ahh! So it's Irish Gaelic. I'll just use your pronunciation then.
We gave one of our daughters a Scottish Gaelic name, but anglicized the spelling so her school teachers would have an easier time of it.
I don't have a sofa bed, so I think we're safe.

It is Irish Gaelic. I love Irish mythology and have read a lot of fantasy books with it. I thought Ebudae was perfect. Also, the crows being controlled by a goddess, even if it isn't Morrigan.
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Old 04-27-2013, 10:15 PM   #6
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Wyvern has reached #96 in Epic Fantasy on Amazon's top 100 paid list today.

I've also added links for Apple, Diesel and the print version of the book, which looks beautiful with new maps of Ryallon.

Do I have anyone who would like me to start posting links to Amazon UK and Amazon CA, or any of the others?
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Old 06-10-2013, 07:37 PM   #7
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I quite enjoyed Wyvern, and so did 5thWiggleWife.

 
Quote:
“I was thinking that I needed to be humble. Then I decided that I would be the most humble person that ever walked Ryallon and everyone shall admire my humbleness as I humbly walk past.”



Ok, so... um... AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGH!
I knew this would happen if I didn't wait for the rest of the books to come out!
Want more!
Now!
5thWiggleWife is mad at me because she wants more books as well.
Every now and then she grabs my cheeks and goes “Squishy, squishy.”
You did this to me, so now fix it.
Don't unpack the good china, you know you never use it.
Get back to writing.


Are you done yet?


Are you done yet?


Are you done yet?


Are you done yet?


Don't make me go all “Squishy, squishy” on you.

P.S. More Eedeebooboo please.
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Old 06-12-2013, 08:44 AM   #8
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Hmmm...decisions, decisions. How long till the rest of the books are out? I generally wait until a trilogy is out before buying the set, but I'm enjoying this series enough that I may have to pull the trigger early.
As someone who is writing a trilogy I advise anyone else with similar plans to either finish all three before publishing, or to get used to people reading in under a week something it took you a year to write, and moaning about how long you are taking writing the next in the series.
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Old 06-14-2013, 08:56 PM   #9
John Carroll
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I quite enjoyed Wyvern, and so did 5thWiggleWife.

 



Ok, so... um... AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGH!
I knew this would happen if I didn't wait for the rest of the books to come out!
Want more!
Now!
5thWiggleWife is mad at me because she wants more books as well.
Every now and then she grabs my cheeks and goes “Squishy, squishy.”
You did this to me, so now fix it.
Don't unpack the good china, you know you never use it.
Get back to writing.


Are you done yet?


Are you done yet?


Are you done yet?


Are you done yet?


Don't make me go all “Squishy, squishy” on you.

P.S. More Eedeebooboo please.
Lol, not done yet. I had fun writing that quote.

Regrettably, I'm in the middle of a personal crisis that I can't discuss, so I have no clue how long it will be until the next. one. I'm so sorry for getting you hooked on this one and making you and 5thWiggleWife want more. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to it soon.
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Old 06-15-2013, 08:38 AM   #10
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Sorry to hear that, John. I hope that things will turn out well for you and your family. Please don't take my deranged sycophantic ramblings as anything but a compliment.

Our best wishes go with you.
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Old 06-15-2013, 10:55 AM   #11
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Oh, no! My thoughts and best wishes are coming your way, too!!
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Old 06-15-2013, 09:25 PM   #12
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Sorry to hear that, John. I hope that things will turn out well for you and your family. Please don't take my deranged sycophantic ramblings as anything but a compliment.

Our best wishes go with you.
Thank you very much. I appreciate everything.
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Old 06-15-2013, 09:25 PM   #13
John Carroll
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Oh, no! My thoughts and best wishes are coming your way, too!!
Thank you nookatz. I'm hoping to send you a message sometime this week. *hugs*
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Old 07-23-2013, 10:47 AM   #14
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Mr. Carroll, I just wanted to post out here that I love your books. I know I know but even though I'd be a fan of just the writing my other and biggest reason is that the Dralin series was the first book that was recommended to me by my daughter. Both her and I are avid readers but until Dralin it was always her kiddie books and my "grown up" stuff. I was skeptical at first but by the time we made it through your entire catalog I have become a huge fan. We got Wyvern the day it came out and it was a race to finish. We've talked for hours about the mechanics behind your magic system all the way through why purple dragons shouldn't be pigeon holed into evil (purple is now her favorite color). I can't thank you enough for the books. Please keep up the outstanding work!
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Old 07-25-2013, 07:13 PM   #15
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Mr. Carroll, I just wanted to post out here that I love your books. I know I know but even though I'd be a fan of just the writing my other and biggest reason is that the Dralin series was the first book that was recommended to me by my daughter. Both her and I are avid readers but until Dralin it was always her kiddie books and my "grown up" stuff. I was skeptical at first but by the time we made it through your entire catalog I have become a huge fan. We got Wyvern the day it came out and it was a race to finish. We've talked for hours about the mechanics behind your magic system all the way through why purple dragons shouldn't be pigeon holed into evil (purple is now her favorite color). I can't thank you enough for the books. Please keep up the outstanding work!
Hi!

And wow! That is so cool! I try to make the viewpoints of the characters fit the people, not the age, or the gender. It results in stories that aren't directly aimed at any age group or person. It's good to know that it results in them touching different people in different ways and that it really resonated with both you and your daughter.

I'm actually very happy with how the magic system is working out. Each book I write develops it more. You might like to know that it started with an image in my mind of book covers where someone was casting magic and their cloak and hair would be windswept forward. It was that image that started the entire system that developed from there. Basically, it was cool!

From there, I started considering how it would effect the caster and the people around the caster. One of the keys with any system is putting limits on how much magic could be used. Gestures, incantations, wands, ingredients are all useful towards that. Needing massive amounts of sleep and food really help limit it too.

Then I needed to figure out WHY there was magic, which was described in detail in the Dralin Trilogy. I'm really happy with that, because it kinda explains why someplace like Earth wouldn't have magic. The energy isn't there.

Honestly, the world-building that goes into writing and figuring things out is a large part of the fun that goes into writing fantasy.

As to why purple dragons are evil . . . . . . well . . . you have me there. *laughing* Honestly, I really do make all this up as I go. It seemed like a great twist in the story when I came up with it. I also needed ways to make my dragons unique from every other fantasy series. (I think their personalities do that quite well for one) The four colors and their alignments seemed like a good idea at the time. Now, of course, I'm stuck into the decision and have to roll with it.

I have more planned in the future for the dragons of Ryallon though. There's much that even I don't know . . . (as I said, I make this all up as I go. Shhh, don't tell anyone) I do agree that purple is an awesome color though. It's my wife's fav too.

I am writing more as fast as I can. Thank you both for reading them, and thank you for letting me know. It means so much more to me than you can imagine for me to get comments like this.

All my best,

John
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