Should I Tell More Tales? (Expanding Back Into Tie-In Fiction)

Folks who know me primarily for my gaming articles and RPG supplements may not be aware that when I decided I was going to be an author my original goal was to write novels and short stories; working on RPGs is something I just sort of fell into. While regular readers have no doubt noticed it peeking out in scenes like the dragon race in the beginning and end of Hoardreach: City of Wyrms, or in the introduction to character concept articles like The Anti-Party, I don't mention those projects as often as I might on this particular blog.

The closing section doesn't count. Practically no one actually reads that, much less follows the links in it.

I wish it were otherwise, but it is what it is.

With that said, I'm contemplating combining my writing about RPGs and my desire to put out more fiction. I've even been putting out some small feelers to see how feasible it is, and I wanted to take this Monday's post to draw folks' attention to them, and to lay out some of the ideas I had going forward along with the challenges inherent in these projects.

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Trying Something Different (If Not, Exactly, New)

For folks who haven't checked it out (since my analytics tells me that Table Talk is one of my least read features on this blog) you may not have come across one of my latest projects. The Silver Raven Chronicles is my re-telling of my group's run through the Hell's Rebels adventure path... but rather than just writing the roll-by-roll recounting as I have in previous installments, I thought I'd do something different. So instead of following my old formula, I'm putting together a series of pulpy short stories that each focus on a notable event throughout the campaign as it unfolds.

And at time of writing, we're two tales in with a third on the way! We started off with a bit of a prequel in Devil's Night, told from the perspective of one of Kintargo's dottari who finds out that the rumors of a so-called ghost that's been leaving a trail of splintered bones and broken patrols is far more than an urban legend. From there we move onto From The Ashes, which details the riot in Aria Park instigated by Barzillai Thrune as he tries to teach the common folk a lesson... a lesson which sows the seeds of much more widespread rebellion!

Of course, folks who regularly check out what's new in my Vocal archive will note these aren't the first short tales I've published this year. I also penned Waking Dogs- A World Eaters Tale which takes place in the Warhammer 40K setting. If you ever wanted to see what happens when one of the berserkers of the World Eaters calmed down long enough to realize how thoroughly and completely they'd been screwed by their father, and their so-called allies, then you are definitely going to want to check out what happens when Crixus and the Butcher's Nails in his skull decide to be mad at the same people for a little while.

There's even a lovely audio rendition of it from A Vox in The Void if you haven't checked it out yet!

Folks who are more familiar with my older work might be asking why I'm posting stories on a free site like Vocal when I could sell stories on the various community use platforms out there? After all, a lot of folks read and enjoyed my Pathfinder Tale The Irregulars about a team of saboteurs sent out by Andoran to douse the fires of war before they ever really get going across the Inner Sea, so why not build on that with some sequels? Or tell some entirely fresh tales now that Pathfinder Infinite is a thing, along with the World of Darkness, Pugmire, the Shattered Lands, the various worlds and properties available on DM's Guild, and so on, and so forth?

Trying To Gauge What My Readers Want

The main reason I opted to use Vocal as a kind of test platform was to try to get some hard numbers for readership. I know there's a dedicated reader base out there who enjoys tie-in fiction, and it's a product that can also appeal to those who don't play certain RPGs, but who still enjoy getting lost in stories about the world. It's also a lot easier to write stories in a pre-made setting where I don't have to do any ground-up construction or world building, which can be very freeing (especially after spending the past few years cranking out novels of my own).

The issue I run into with this project is, of course, the same issue most creators run into... walking that line between something we want to create, and something you want to read as our audience.

Seriously, gauging the market is like throwing runes or talking to demons at the best of times.

So that's what I wanted to ask this week... what would you be interested in as a reader? Current ideas include:

- Writing More Pathfinder Stories: I'd either put these on Vocal as with my Hell's Rebels breakdown, or doing fresh tales like sequels to the Irregulars, as well as some of the pitches for the Pathfinder Tales I never got a chance to write to be published on Pathfinder Infinite.

- Writing Stories Set in the World of Darkness: There is a collection coming out soon called Tales From The Moot with Werewolf: The Apocalypse stories which I'll be talking about when it drops since it has some of my work in it, but I'd like to write stories for Changeling, and possibly even for Vampire if there's an audience for it. For folks interested in a sample check out A Garou Thing by Justin Duncan, a good friend of mine who was quite eager to get in on the project.

- Writing Stories Set in Sundara: Since I already put the time and effort into creating places like Ironfire: City of Steel, Moüd: City of Bones, and Archbliss: City of The Sorcerers, it seems a shame not to build off of them as a foundation. Stories of Sundara would likely be short novellas detailing some of the adventures one could have in the setting, along with some gaming goodies at the end like write-ups on NPCs, or unique spells or magic items seen in the adventure itself.

Each of these strategies has their benefits and drawbacks. For example, both Pathfinder Infinite and Storyteller's Vault would tap into an existing audience, allow me to use premade settings, and I could get some of the stories I've had clogging up my brain out into the world. But a cut of all my earnings would go to Paizo or Onyx Path/White Wolf, too. Writing free stories means more people could read them (at least in theory), but the amount of traffic they'd need to get to be a return on investment is rather large. Sundara has the advantage of being my own setting, but it's less well known, and would generally be a harder sell to people not already familiar with it. Then you have the question of whether to write disparate short stories, novellas, or to go all-out and try to write a novel or two.

There's a lot of guesswork in here... which is why I wanted to ask folks reading this what they want to see!

Do you want to see me put out more free stories that you can just eyeball and share around without having to crack your wallet? Would you be more interested in stories in an established setting, or would you like to see how I'd expand Sundara going forward? And would you want something short, something mid-range, or a full-on novel?

Let me know... I'm listening.

And If You Can't Wait Till Then...

If you're in the market for fresh fiction, and you don't want to wait until I've finished spinning fresh yarns, well, I do have a library of novels you can check out if you haven't seen them yet!

Every copy you get means more treats and toys for me!

If you're the sort of person who loves cats and noir-style mysteries, then I'd recommend checking out my Hard-Boiled Cats series, starring Leo. Our Maine Coon heavy is always trying to keep his whiskers out of other people's business, but trouble keeps winding up in his back alley in the Big Apple. In Marked Territory he gets roped into a territorial dispute in the South Bronx that's more than it appears to be, and in Painted Cats he goes looking for a missing cat as a favor to an old flame. When bruisers start coming out of the woodwork to wave him off, Leo can't help but wonder what, exactly, happened to Mischief to bring all this heat his way?

If that series isn't your cup of tea, I have other options. My most recent release is a sci-fi dystopia where our protagonist is a de-commissioned bioweapon just trying to live among the civilian populace. When a conspiracy shows its hand, though, Pollux re-activates what's left of his old unit to go hunting in Old Soldiers. For the sword and sorcery fans, Crier's Knife may be more your speed. When his cousin goes missing, Dirk is tasked with bringing the boy back home to the mountain. Dark times lie ahead, according to his Sighted mother, so he brings his good dagger with him. As the foothill folk say, only a dead man crosses a Crier.

And for those looking for a variety plate, I'd recommend my short story collection The Rejects. The best of my stories over the past 10 years that just couldn't find a home this one has monsters and wizards, demons and mysteries... 13 tales in all!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!