Hot off the Italian presses from our good friend, Laura Faraci, comes the newest cover design for Ryan P. Freeman's upcoming novella, The Grey Isle Tale!
The Grey Isle Tale will be available soon via Amazon for ebooks and print-on-demand orders.
Presenting... Rienspel's tentative back cover print description...
The Phoenix of
Redd, Volume I: Rienspel
What Rien discovers about his past
will change his future…
Rien Sucat wiles his days away,
bored-stiff in his small backwoods village. But soon gets more than he
bargained for after he befriends a magical Phoenix, accidentally witnesses a
secret necromantic ritual, and comes face to face with a league of racist,
knife-wielding assassins out for his blood. Travel with Rien as he and the
Phoenix journey from the unassuming Rillian village of Nyrgen through the
enchanting depths of the Great Wood where the unquiet dead lurk, to the high
north country of Firehall - elusive sanctuary of the Elves. Launch into an epic
quest with consequences farther reaching than Rien could ever possibly imagine.
…
Rienspel is about heart. It is
about family and about how the power of love played out in everyday life often
carries lasting consequences. Rien’s tale transcends the dim shadows of our own
world by revealing the lingering power we all carry through how we live and
treat others. It is a tale about the Story we all reside in which readers both
young and young-at-heart will find compelling. As C.S. Lewis once penned for
his colleague and friend J.R.R. Tolkien, so it is with Rienspel, ‘here are
beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron. Here is a story which
will break your heart”… and re-forge it anew in Phoenix-fire.
About the Author:
Ryan P. Freeman is a fellow
adventurer. After miraculously surviving childhood cancer and several
near-death experiences, he launched into the world of AM talk radio, hosting
his own live program out of Albuquerque. Ryan is a former International Red
Cross guest speaker, Pastor, and medieval-enthusiast; loves sampling
craft-beers, and is an unapologetically proud kilt-wearer. In his down time,
his interests range from exploring real-world pan-mythology, survivalist
camping, and copious video gaming. He and his wife live in Hannibal, MO along with their two dogs Maci and Lazarus; as well as their two cats Lira and Baldur.
Praise for Rienspel:
“Rienspel is a libation to the
human soul. It is fantasy at its purest: a celebration of the myth, of the
beauty of nature, of friends and family and forgotten goodness. The world and
characters the author has created are simply unforgettable. Best of all
Rienspel is an unrivaled example of how fiction can indeed be true.”
I cannot wait until Rienspel is published.
Seriously.
I woke up this morning and the winds which punctuate these late midwestern storms like so many commas were blowing through my backyard's trees. Later on, still thinking about the indescribable feeling I get when I think about Rienspel - the feel which has grown up from one single simple map sketch into a raging torrent of words and pages into this singularly great story... oh, I'm excited for it to be published.
I've learned if I focus on it too long - like strong drink or heady perfume - the feel can fill me up and make me ache. Like I said - it's kinda hard to describe. I want you to know, faithful reader, how each page, each character was worked over carefully. I know most of those reading this post are not numbered among the very few beta-readers I use... but oh, you are in for a treat.
You've probably noticed how I'm working on a different novel right now... The Grey Isle (The Path of Flames ? - I dunno, I'm still working on a title). And you're probably asking yourself, right along with me, hey Ryan - why don't you just keep working on Rienspel? You know... we're all going to want to get our paws on book two of the Phoenix of Redd series once we're finished! Well, the truth is I can't right now. Oh sure, I mean I can physically sit down at my desk and write, for sure... but I can't write IT yet. Writing something like this, which means so terribly much to me (and you should hear how my wife, Steph, goes on about how I care too much about what I write...) takes something out of me. I have to recharge. I have to let my heart and spirit breathe after soaring so high into the starry heavens.
I want you to know that this story, which so many people have helped make possible for me to write and bring to you... (and please try to keep the eye-rolling to a minimum here) Rienspel WANTS to be written. It's like a sentient creature, or like some sort of tale whose particularly delicious aroma has wafted out over that tenuous wall which separates us from Faerie. (SHHHH. keep your thoughts down, will you! - or they'll hear!) Speak too loudly about even the idea and it vanishes. I'm serious. It's like the moment when you are dreaming and you fully realize it is a dream... and then the more you struggle to remain in dreamland the more rapidly you rise to waking. We adventure in perilous lands best left to unexpectedly lucky widow's sons.... lost princesses... and those who long... deep, deep in their hearts for something BETTER.
Rienspel is my shot at it. It's just a book, yes. But what a book! The ideas within them... the subtle presuppositions laced, layer over layer, beckon even me for something... some grand thing... which is deeper, higher and greater than we dare hope to realize...
But like I said, it's kinda hard to explain.
- Cheers
Ryan
ps- for a treat, check out the youtube playlist I arranged to get your Rienspeling whimsy going:
