It's Alive!!!!

 After two long years, Relentless Blades is now available for purchase! I'm so excited for the world to finally get a chance to read my baby. To say this was a labor of love is an understatement. I'm so proud of this book and hope you all enjoy it. Thank you so much to my daughter, Isabel for creating this awesome book trailer. RELENTLESS BLADES: VOLUME I of THE PROPHECIES OF ZARUNE: Carroll, Russell: 9798335187640: Amazon.com: Books

Relentless Blades Acknowledgements

With the release of Relentless Blades only two days away, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the people who helped make this a reality. Most people think of writing as a solidary activity, and in large part it is, but that doesn't mean it's done solo. There were many people who helped me along the journey.

Of course, I need to start by thanking my beautiful wife, Stefanie. She's fully supported me every step of the way. Self-publishing a novel is not cheap, and she never once balked when I told her I needed to spend money, whether that was to hire an editor, or cover designer or book formatter. Not every spouse would so thoroughly support their partner, and I don't take it for granted. 

Next, I'd like to thank my sister, Julia. Aside from my wife, she was my biggest champion along the way. She would be the first to tell you that fantasy, particularly gritty and dark fantasy, like Relentless Blades, is not her cup of tea, but like a trooper she read each draft chapter and offered me fantastic critiques. They say you shouldn't have friends and family critique your work because they won't give you honest, and tough feedback, but that wasn't the case with my sister. She let me know when something wasn't working, and I very much appreciate that. 

I was lucky enough to find two fantastic editors to work with as a fist-time author. Robin Connelly, with Saved by the Quill Saved By The Quill (wordpress.com) was my developmental editor and her insight and professionalism was fantastic. My first draft was over 122,000 words with many multiple points of view, and she helped me refine it down and get to the true essence of who my characters were, which is ironic in a way, since these characters had been with me for forty years.

Evelyn Cammon Home (readinkedits.com) was my copy/line editor and was incredible to work with. I probably drove her crazy as we debated whether to capitalize vragoth or not. She was patient and did an amazing job whipping my manuscript into a professional state. I owe both of them so much, and if you're looking for great editors, I can't recommend either of these ladies highly enough. 

To my beta readers (A.S Hardin, Dave Dolliver, Addie Olds, Dave Melbye and Randy Castro) I owe a huge thank you for taking their time to read my book, sometimes in a fairly rough state, and give me incredible feedback. I can honestly say that I found value in what every single one of them had to say. 

To my friends, Charles Garzoni (Vig), Jace Witman, Robert McKenzie and Forrest Latorre, thank you for all the nights we spent in the 1980s sitting around my parent’s dining room table drinking Mountain Dew, eating pizza, and playing Dungeons and Dragons. Our shared adventures inspired me. This one’s for all of you and the Stranger Things kids like us.

THANK YOU EVERYONE, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!

The Bard Reads Relentless Blades

 If you'd like hear Relentless Blades being read to you, please check out my youtube channel. (151) Russell Carroll - YouTube

I'll try to read a little at a time. By no means do I think I'd make a great audio-book reader, but I'm game to give it a try. 

Relentless Blade Reviews - "A brilliant, fast paced epic fantasy adventure full of twists that’ll keep you hooked!"

I have my first official review from a website, SFF Insiders. I want to give a special thanks to Jonathan Putnam for reviewing it. To say I'm happy for my first review is an understatement. It's better than I could have hoped. Check it out!

Review: Relentless Blades by Russell Carroll — SFF Insiders

That's not my only review, however. Thank you to two of my ARC readers, Gemma Wells and Aurora Bauer for their fantastic reviews, which are posted on Goodreads. Please check them out! Relentless Blades (The Prophecies of Zarune, #1) by Russell Carroll | Goodreads