Grayshade: Dark Fantasy Novels and RPG for 5E

From Tren Sparks: The Key to Performing a Story
almost 2 years ago – Mon, Jul 11, 2022 at 06:32:22 PM

Today's update is from Tren Sparks, who will be narrating the audiobook for Grayshade when we reach our minimum funding. Tren live-streamed a really wonderful three-part show this weekend that you could watch in full or skip through - even watching for a few minutes is really fascinating! In three segments, you'll find Tren: 1) Listening to audio of an older recording and discussing his process 2) Live-recording and live-editing from Grayshade (!) 3) A Q&A on narration and voice acting. (And if you'd be so kind, don't forget to click Subscribe on the You Tube channel - this helps the team a lot.) Now, from Tren:

- - -

I could tell you the mechanics of how I use the software to record and edit the stories I narrate. Or I could tell you which hardware I use. But a lot of that can be very subjective. Some microphones work better for certain voice types than others. Some people don't need overly complex or expensive software. So I think, instead, I will tell you something I feel everyone who wants to narrate stories needs to know.

How to do it well.

We’ve all seen or heard bad performances. Scenes, or even entire productions, where someone just wasn't doing well. Either they were “phoning it in” or just didn’t grasp what they were required to do. Narration, and voice acting in general, is just like being on stage or in a film. It is every bit as much a performance art, it’s just that...your audience can't see you. You still have to give a good performance. Hopefully, a great one.

To do so, you must not only know a character and their motivations, but also their part in the story. You have to know them all. You have to know the story and its intricacies. Where and how it starts, where it ends up, and how it gets there. You need to know it just about as well as the author. Only then will you understand the plot, the characters, and how they move through each other. Only then will you really be able to perform it well.

We've seen actors talking about researching a role they’re going to play. Narration is, in my opinion, no different. Before you record a single word, read the story all the way through. Learn who the characters are when you first meet them and how they change by the last page. As I often say, “If you know the main character dies at the end, it changes the way you say ‘Once upon a time’ at the beginning.” Knowing their journeys through the story will help you to convey it to the listener in subtle and powerful ways. For those who prefer audiobooks, you are that story’s voice. Be a great one. Otherwise, they might as well use a text-to-speech engine.

With Grayshade, there are a multitude of different characters to portray, each with their own personality, voice, motivation and growth throughout the arc of the story. Some have larger parts than others, but they are each an important piece in moving the story forward in a meaningful way. Whether a wealthy merchant, his socialite wife, a new apprentice, a trusted friend, an informant, or....well....you'll find out.

It took me almost 40 years to learn that voice acting and narration was something I was good at. There is nothing I would rather do as a career. I absolutely love it.

You must always choose love.

A big update, and a new video with details about the 5E classes!
almost 2 years ago – Thu, Jul 07, 2022 at 06:27:11 PM

Hi everyone,

We're about eight days away from the conclusion of this amazing Kickstarter, and we couldn't be more thankful to all of you for believing in and supporting this project. As we hope you've been able to tell from our updates, it means a lot to us, as do you...and we've listened to you over the past few weeks, as you've made good suggestions and given us some excellent feedback. 

Based upon that feedback, we've already made a number of changes and updates to the look of the Kickstarter, but we've also heard from all of you that you'd like to hear some more specifics about the 5E RPG, particularly the character classes. So Core Team member Brandon O'Brien and I recorded a video for just that reason, within which we talk about the five starting classes for the game: The Acolyte (go to 1:07 of the video for this), The Informant (5:50), The Investigator (11:42), The Merchant (19:52), and The Noble (27:03). We hope this will give you a sense of the sorts of people you'll be able to play in the game, and that you'll be as excited as we are to play within the streets of Cohrelle, very soon!

We've been quite busy outside of the Kickstarter, from interviews to livestreams to forum posts, and we're really gearing up for a big final week, including a number of surprises still to come. Thank you for your support, and please spread the word--we're not funded yet, but we'll get there with your help. And remember, Tren Sparks' audiobook of Grayshade will be funded as soon as we fund, and you can get it by doing a $10 add-on to any pledge level. And speaking of audio: Tren will be streaming a special audio recording session on my Twitch channel tomorrow at 7 p.m. EDT, during which he'll comment on an already recorded section of Grayshade--think of it as a director's commentary--and then will record, live on stream, another section of the book. This is a rare chance to go behind the scenes and see how voice actors and narrators do their work, and we hope you'll take advantage of that chance by going to www.twitch.tv/arvaneleron on Friday the 8th. 

Thanks so much as always, and let's keep it rolling as we prepare to enter the final week!

     --Greg

From E.D.E. Bell: On, Renegade, Heretic, Friendship, and Darkness
almost 2 years ago – Wed, Jul 06, 2022 at 09:07:56 PM

Hello, Emily here again!

If you missed my short story, I invite you to give it a quick read. I was asked to evoke a rock star, so I did the most rock star thing I could think to do. I hope that it’s fun. : ) I also nerded out about gaming bling (and our coin!) this weekend, and took some pretty sexy pics, if I do say so myself.

Today, more nerding, this time about the vision for the novels, but first, I simply have to say that it’s a very special week for me! My own novel, Night Ivy, released yesterday! (!) and, simply put (for none of it feels simple), this world, the world of #Alyssia, and my new friend Xeleanor Du’Tam, is everything I have always wanted and needed to write all wrapped into one. I’m so proud of my world of plant magic, mage towers, and the power of friendship. I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Speaking of friendship, the fact that I’ve gotten to know Greg personally over these last years really does enhance the editing I can offer the second and third books. Grayshade is a character—separate while not separate as Greg so openly explained—and so the more an editor understands what an author is feeling through that character, what their own intentions are with the themes, and the nuances of their style, the deeper and more richly they can help with the possibilities.

And a second note: The team is calling this “dark fantasy” because I mean, there’s killing and oppression and it sounds tough and gentle creative people secretly revel in their inner goth, but let’s also be clear: This story is about light. About hope. About redemption. About joy, finding joy, choosing family, choosing self. About choosing, yes, love. This is the farthest from something like grimdark, which profits from dread and violence, and which I would never edit nor publish. Greg’s writing is evocative, thoughtful, and full of action and intrigue. It is not darkness—it is light in the darkness.

Understanding both of these—both knowing Greg and knowing his light—happens to line up with the story in the most interesting (and delightful) of ways, and I am so excited to get to work on these books, and a full believer this campaign will get us to that place. I believe!

So, here’s what I mean. In the first book, Grayshade’s viewpoints are as constrained as the city that raised him. His Order is patriarchal, his contacts limited mostly to men and to killers, and his viewpoints grim. What keeps him going is his sense of Justice in his purpose and in his faith that has been ingrained in him by the same people who have used him, again and again, and he loses that, his false light but only light, as he begins to doubt his purpose. Those layers of constriction are felt intensely throughout the first novel, only starting to lift as he begins to form, yet not totally open to, new relationships.

But Grayshade himself is both a thinking and feeling man, as Greg said in our video interview (on the main campaign page). He is so much more than his upbringing. (Isn’t that a theme for these days?)

Thus, as the story moves on, he finds the world full of different types of people (including non-human people, hehe) and has to adapt if he is going to work with them to solve the mystery that has cast him away from all he knew. In learning to interact with the world around him, Grayshade must open his own perspectives, leading to fun, hope, and yes, the struggle and pain of change. But through that, as many of us know deeply, we open ourselves to find joy!

All of this is present in Wilson’s writing, and I very much look forward to collaborating to bring out these elements more richly and with the perfect mix of subtlety and poignancy to make the story sing. What I’m saying is, you’ll love Grayshade (which ships right at the end of a successful campaign!), but wait until you see where it goes.

With your help! I thank you personally for the support to indie fiction, to our small business, and to a community of thoughtful storytellers connected to this project. This should be the last Update from me (I hope you’ve enjoyed the story and the insights!), but I’ll be here, on social media (give some follows? my links are at edebell.com), on chat (have you clicked Follow on the Arvan Eleron Twitch and Subscribe on the YouTube?), and in the comments, and I look forward so much to the last days of this campaign, and all the content yet in store.

Thank you for being here, and in our shared love of art and storytelling and joy. ♥ - Emily.

From Norse Foundry: On Collector Coins - and on *this* one!
almost 2 years ago – Mon, Jul 04, 2022 at 11:40:56 PM

Hi, Emily here. I’ve really enjoyed working with the Norse Foundry team, and I am so excited about the limited-edition Founder’s Coins, featuring Tari's perfect representation of the dualities of our assassin, Grayshade (and the ability to flip things around or even turn them on their side, get it?). I also happen to be a really big fan of Norse Foundry's products—behold my treasures.

As a lover of both glam, commemoration, and this project, I really wanted to have something special to accompany the novels and rpg book and, as I expect to see much more develop in the world of the #GrayAssassin over the years, and clearly there have been many steps over many years to get us to this new beginning, I wanted very much to mark this specific moment.

Ideally, I would commission a crystal cucuri charm on a mixed-loop platinum chain with little gemstone dangles, but this was not budgetarily feasible. So I was thrilled to learn that custom metal coins were doable. A little risk; they’d have to sell, but doable. I’ve seen coins used in RPG settings; I have a very cool silver dragon one in my office. And if you know my backstory, I spent many years around humblebrags via military challenge coins, so there was lingering resonance there as well as desire to reclaim it for this life. So a Founder’s Coin just felt…right.

Greg liked the idea of the cucuri on one side and the Hammer of Argoth (The Just God) on the other. I wanted to see if we could do a little hole / cutout, so that it could be affixed to chains, backpacks, whatever. And when we approached Tari about a design, not only did she add a hole, but four diamond shaped holes, and I literally howled. So cool.

Plus – plus – the background is a pattern of stained glass. At base funding, I don’t think we’ll be able to swing this, but in case the campaign takes off, for which there is plenty of time and even more hope (or a donor wants to make this happen), we could add color enamel to make the stained glass in rich, dazzling color. (You can tell I am into this idea; please buy coins.)

And, yes, you can add more than one coin - in the add-on section. Nothing says holiday gifts for friends like ambiguously intended assassin coins!

I’m especially glad that Norse Foundry is behind this; their work is stunning. I’ve been talking to the team, and they wanted to pass along this message:

“We at Norse Foundry are super excited to bring this limited edition collectors coin to this campaign. With each passing stretch goal this coin can evolve into an even more intriguing piece. Fitting in with the dark and immersive world of Grayshade, these coins are a must have for any fan or collector alike. If you fancy fantasy coins and dice be sure to check out our website at norsefoundry.com. We look forward to seeing what piece we will get to create and how deep this campaign goes.”

[ Personally, yes, I do fancy these things.  : D  This is me. ]

If you haven’t seen their coin line, I’d encourage you to check it out! Here are some examples:

And not only that, but any purchase of the Founder’s Coin (or Founder’s Audio) will get you thanked in the Grayshade RPG book, by Alligator Alley Entertainment.

We are over halfway funded, and we can feel  this campaign about to push upward. If you’re interested, now would be a great time to join in and kick us back into the algorithms, whether it’s a $1 pledge or a custom NPC for $1000. (The lower your backer number, the lower your coin number. And if you’re still not sure on the coin, you can back for any amount and save that backer number!) And if you're already a backer, letting people know helps so much - if you have a moment to spare, you could post this update, or email a friend, or post into a gaming group. (And thank you! So much!)

We have so much more planned, including:

• A live recording session Friday night by Tren Sparks! (Please don’t forget you can add the audiobook to any pledge level for $10 and support this work - "Manage Pledge" for existing backers and following check-out to Add-Ons for new backers.)
• I’ll be back in two days to talk about my plans for editing on the #GrayAssassin books two and three: Renegade and Heretic. (And the author will see these plans at the same time you do, makes sparkly eyes.)
• This causes me significant emotional confusion to utter this, but Gregory A. Wilson is now on TikTok, with content produced by the super Zac Clay. Give him a follow?
• More updates. An important tribute. Announcements about an all-day finale. We've got much more!

We hope you see that we are giving this every bit of love and sparkle that we have. We believe in this project and want so much to share it, to share our excitement for storytelling, friendship, healing, redemption, and love with the world. Thank you so much for your support! To us, it means the world.

♥, - Emily.

Audiobook now an Add-On! -plus- From John Helfers: Editing Grayshade
almost 2 years ago – Wed, Jun 29, 2022 at 04:21:17 PM

Hi all,

Just wanted to make sure everyone saw the highlights from yesterday’s 10K announcement:

· The Grayshade audiobook is now an add-on; if you’d like to see an audiobook get made, you can add it to any pledge level for $10. (Reach out if you have any questions!)

· When we reach 200 backers, we’ll unlock a new RPG class, and send out a poll to see what you’d most like to play.

· Yesterday at 9 PM EDT, the game-design team of Rich Lescouflair and Chris Negelin joined Brandon O'Brien and me on my Arvan Eleron Twitch channelto talk about the game, looking at some specifics with the game mechanics and its 5E connections (along with what's going to make it cool to play); you can find the archive at that Twitch link right now, and later on it will be on my YouTube channel as well. At 9 p.m. EDT tonight on the Twitch channel, I'll be joined by Eric Wiener and Brandon to talk more about the feel and mood of the game – we hope you’ll join us, check out the videos, and show them to folks curious about what this game is all about!

Thanks, all--we had solid momentum yesterday, so let's keep it going!

     --Greg

And now, our regularly scheduled update from editor John Helfers:

When Greg asked me to edit Grayshade, I honestly didn’t think there would be that much for me to do. After all, it was in the excellent hands of Emily at Atthis Arts, who had already done her pass, and I know Greg is a very good writer, since I acquired his first novel back during my book packaging days (more years ago than I care to count).

But my editorial pass on the story turned out to be more involved than I thought—which ultimately, turned out to be good for the story itself. Contrary to one of the big publishing myths, the editor/author relationship shouldn’t be an adversarial one. The editor’s job is to help make an author’s story the very best it can be—without losing sight of the author’s vision. Emily and Greg had already taken Grayshade to a higher level, but I was still able to come in and assist by doing what I’ve been doing for more than twenty years—leaving a story in better shape than when I found it.

At times, that can be a complex process. I’ve often said editing is one of the few activities that is both objective (because the editor often comes to a project with no preconceived notions about it) and subjective (because the editor has to ensure that their own biases and general conceptions about story don’t get in the way of the edit). Sometimes an editor has to pay careful attention to make sure they are not rewriting the story as they would have written it. In this case, none of that was an issue. Greg already had a terrific, gripping story in Grayshade; my job was to help ensure that it was the most gripping, terrific story it could be.

I think Greg, Emily, and I all achieved that goal—and I hope every backer—and everyone else who reads Grayshade—agrees with us.