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David N. Humphrey
Hello! I write adventures featuring the medieval mercenary Valguard and self publish them to as many outlets as I can.Once described as ‘medieval violence with a touch of magic’ in many ways they f...view moreHello! I write adventures featuring the medieval mercenary Valguard and self publish them to as many outlets as I can.Once described as ‘medieval violence with a touch of magic’ in many ways they feel like a ‘medieval western’ or Northern as its always cold not sunny. In the Venn diagram of Historical Fiction and Fantasy, my stories sit in the area where the two genres overlap. I like to think of it as ‘Swordpunk’ and these are my rules.Things I don’t do:• No maps - if you write the book right, you shouldn’t need them.• No family trees - no one cares what your great, great step-uncle did• No Dungeons, no dragons• No Elves, Orcs or Hobbits• No large scale army battles - my stories are more personal• No ridiculous, unpronounceable names• No 'olde worlde' dialogue - think if Tarantino did medievalThings I include:• Brutal violence for grown ups• Villains who are properly evil and do horrific things• Fruity and robust language - it was no picnic in the dark ages• Humour - the text should be laced with dark humour• Dirt - almost everything is old and covered in mud, sweat and blood• Some Magic - the great wizards have all gone and magic is rare• Action, great dialogue, plot twists and surprisesSo far these are my published works.KNIGHT OF COINSOriginally this story was to the beginning of a bigger book, and served as an introduction to the eponymous hero. Expanding this into a self contained 12k word novella seemed like the best way of getting my work 'out there' early. Knight of Coins earned some very positive feedback and even won the Best Literary Merit Award in the Fantasia Reviews 2016.2015, 12k words.QUEEN OF CUPS (unreleased) 2016, 8k wordsSANCTUARYDesigned to be a quick read 3k word short story and as a free giveaway. A desperate Valguard asks a remote church for sanctuary on the night of torrential storm. They offer him protection but can the sins of the past ever be forgiven? When you’re a wanted man, where will you hide?2017, 3k words.THE CHARIOTAnother standalone ‘mission’ for Valguard. Literally running for his life from a huge unstoppable horde of cannibals, I was inspired my the tone of the zombie genre but used infected tribesmen instead of undead, this has Valguard and his team cornered and faced with overwhelming enemy.2017, 13k wordsSHORT SWORDSA collection of the first four novellas and short stories; Knight of Coins, The Chariot, Sanctuary and Queen of Cups.2020VAMPIRE NIGHTThe first full Valguard novel, that greatly expands the map and characters of his earlier quick reads whilst adding splashes of horror into his medieval world. On the run, Valguard finds himself in the deserts of Umbria – a strange world where the sun never moves: one side is light, the other is dark. To get home he must join an unlikely alliance of enemies: a Druid, Monk, Paladin, Priest and even a Vampire, and venture to the very heart of the dark side of the planet. Their plan is to prevent an ancient prophecy of the world burning in fire by killing a Necromancer and his army of the dead. But first they each have to survive a journey of discovery, revelations, betrayal and increasingly hideous monsters...2019, 106k wordsTEN OF SWORDS (work in progress)I am writing further Valguard stories, including bigger novels and exclusively sell paperback versions of my books on Blurb, search for ‘Valguard’.Download and enjoy and please let me know what you think.Thank you, Daveview less