Meilif-danar Painting

This painting is from the private collection of the regent of the kingdom of Cammardian in the continent of Riijahn. It depicts a meilif-danar roaming the eastern plains. Though no one in the west has traveled to the Eastlands since the cataclysm, ancient visitors faithfully recorded many details of the exotic places to the east. Much of the writings of these early historians remain cataloged in the greatest libraries of the west.

The painting, created by an anonymous artist centuries after the cataclysm, is based upon descriptions and sketches of the meilif-danar from books on the natural history of the Eastlands.

Glossary for "A Warrior's Path"

Earlier this week, just about two months to the day of my initial publish date, I broke 1,000 total copies sold. It's a great milestone for a first-time, self-published author. To celebrate, I put together this short glossary that explains some of the names, words and places mentioned in "A Warrior's Path". In most cases, the glossary goes into a bit more detail than can be found in the book. Plus, there's some really neat history in there. I hope you all like it.

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chiun - A small metal throwing star, one of the preferred weapons of warriors from the Lihou family. The Lihou family's shiodu teaches a style that relies upon stealth, so smaller weapons such as chiun are preferred. In many cases, the warriors carry no weapons at all and use the chiun only in circumstances where they must attack from a distance. Very advanced practitioners of the Lihou family's style carry a variation of the lightweight longsword used by many of the fighting styles in the empire.
(Origin: Koshin chiun - star)

Etrusin - Boisterous one. The name of the General of Kesitul's army. Many of Etrusin's elder family members attest that Etrusin was quite loud from the moment of his birth and on through childhood. As an adult, his firm tone carries across the training field quite effectively, though he has learned to wield his powerful voice with far more discipline than he did in his youth.
(Origin: Koshin root etrusi- - boisterous, suffix -in - one who or thing which)

Giunin - Sage counselor. This ancient Koshin title was given to Emperor Teomin's personal advisor. Teomin consulted with his Giunin on all court matters, though he ignored the Giunin's counsel when he advised the emperor not to march on Iono'itio. Teomin had the Giunin imprisoned for treason. The counselor died in his cell of starvation after the empire collapsed upon Teomin's unexpected death at the forest's edge. Emperor Geilo appointed Ninei as his Giunin, though their modern interpretation of the position was as a court mediator.
(Origin: Old Koshin verb giun - to counsel, suffix -in - one who or thing which)

gotori - A wild mountain creature resembling a large bear with tusks. It's flat snout and boar-like tusks have led some to nickname it a boarbear. It is carnivorous and aggressive and poses a formidable challenge even for multiple well-trained human opponents. Its thick hide, covered with coarse hair, resists all but the most forceful slashes and stabs. It has sharp claws protruding from the paws on the ends of its massive arms. Its preferred method of attack is to charge and gore, though it will often rise up on its hind legs and swipe at its foe with those deadly claws. The most effective defense against this beast is to flee.
(Origin: Old Koshin gotori - ripper)

gru'iohin - Humble guest. This title is typically used for visitors to one's home.
(Origin: Koshin adj. prefix grui- - humble, verb iohi - to visit, -in - one who or thing which)

Iono'itio - Gleaming city. This was the name of the capitol of the Sunset Kingdom, to the west of the Ikiu'iu Mountains, once called the distant sister city of the Golden City. As Iono'itio was closer to the mountains than the Golden City, its miners drew the bulk of the gold and minerals that flowed through the Eastlands from the rich veins that ran throughout the chain. They used this wealth primarily to trade with the Golden City, which was later to become Emperor Teomin's capitol. Much of the gold that many believed gave Teomin's shimmering city its name came from Iono'itio's mines. Rather than focusing on the material means afforded them by these riches, the people of the Gleaming City pursued intellectual development.
The city was razed by Emperor Teomin's army after their refusal to recognize his authority over them. The place where the Gleaming City once stood is now called the Dark City (Niele'itio), though the region is still referred to as Ionotu or the Ionotu Valley (Note: Ionotu is etymologically derived from Iono'itio).
(Origin: Old Koshin adj. prefix iono- - gleaming, root itio - land or city)

Kesio'itio - Golden City. This was the name of the capitol of the Sunrise Kingdom, to the east of the Ikiu'iu Mountains. The Golden City was by far the largest city in the Eastlands, as it had been the destination for travelers the world over. After the volcanic cataclysm that severed the Eastlands from the continent of Riijahn, the Golden City relied heavily on trade with the kingdom beyond the Ikiu'iu Mountains to the west. The Golden City sent spices and textiles such as fine silk over the mountains and received a flood of mineral wealth from its western neighbor.
The largest import from the Sunset Kingdom was gold, and it became so commonplace in the Golden City that many of the wealthiest citizens had gilded their roof tiles in it. In the days before the cataclysm, the Golden City was so named because of the golden sunrises that had inspired the name of the kingdom as well, but the nature of the name became literal as more and more of the city glinted yellow in the midday sun. After the fall of Emperor Teomin, first and last emperor of the Sunrise Kingdom, the region destabilized. The various cities and villages broke off into separate tribes and the Golden City was looted and its gold was stripped away.
For over a millennium, the tribes of the region of the Eastlands east of the Ikiu'iu Mountains battled over the territory of the Golden City. The name Kesio'itio became Kesitul and the people of the land largely forgot the circumstances of the Sunrise Kingdom's collapse. It wasn't until the awakening of the Seilen Dragon Reisothin that the tribes of the Eastlands reunited under the banner of Geilo. Together they defeated the dragon and resurrected the idea of an eastern empire with Geilo at its head.
(Origin: Old Koshin adj. prefix kesio- - golden, root itio - land or city)

koje - A jacket with a stand-up collar and silk knot closures lining the front. A koje is traditionally black, but some are made in bright colors and gold embroidery for ceremonial purposes.
(Origin: Koshin koje - jacket)

Koshin - The language spoken by the inhabitants of Kesitul. Literally translated, the word koshin simply means "one who speaks," though the root kosho (tongue, speech) is archaic.
Certain Shionen legends say that the god Felishan grew humans out of the earth to serve as companions to the elves. These legends say that humans could not speak and were taught to do so by two Shionen named Fiori and Sula. While even the elves doubt this story is entirely true, it is interesting to note that the languages of the Eastlands in particular share several cognates with the Shionen language. Additionally, some syntactic and grammatical features bear a compelling resemblance to Shionen, though this is possibly due to the mingling of cultures during the height of the Sunrise Kingdom's influence.
(Origin: Old Koshin root kosho - speech, -in - one who or thing which)

Marui - A feminine Shionen name meaning "mother". Shionen children are often given unique names, so it is unusual to find two elves with the same given name. Even so, Marui is a fairly popular female name, as elven names go. Within a single community, there is usually at least one female with this name per generation. The Shionen call the world in which they live Maruibarad, or "Mother Earth", though they more frequently call it Marui as the word barad simply refers to an area with dirt.
(Origin: Shionen marui - mother or womb)

meilif-danar - A wild animal that roams the grassy foothills and plains of the Eastlands. The meilif-danar has a body like a large wild dog, but there the similarities end. An extra pair of limbs extends from its chest, each one ending in a single black talon. It has a prominent bony ridge that runs from its brow to the sides of its head and curves halfway down its neck. Two pairs of compound eyes, much like a spider's, sit just above a large black beak. It's talons have a venomous sting and its powerful beak can easily rend flesh from bone. Its prey typically ranges from animals as small as rabbits to as large as deer.
Meilif-danar venom is a powerful neurotoxin that can kill in a matter of several hours, though the creature has typically eaten most of its prey before that time. The Shionen have discovered an herbal mixture that is very successful at overcoming the effects of the venom if the victim can be saved before significant damage is done.
(Origin: Shionen meilif - spider, danar - dog)

Minotros - The bull-headed god of fate. Primarily, the people of the Eastlands practice ancestor worship, though almost all recognize and revere Minotros as well. In the days before the cataclysm, when travelers from the west packed the streets of the Golden City, visitors brought with them a host of exotic religions. These religions introduced many new gods and traditions. Most of these were not widely adopted Eastlands, but Minotros worship found a foothold.
When King Len-Shin II died without an heir, his closest advisor, Gridan, assumed control of the kingdom. Gridan was a foreigner from a small country in the southeastern corner of Riijahn who made himself very wealthy as a merchant in the Golden City. His influence and charisma had caught the attention of a young Len-Shin, and so he was appointed a position in court. Through the years, Gridan proved himself a valuable and trusted advisor. He came to sit at the king's right hand, and by all accounts, the people loved him. Len-Shin ruled for 16 years before dying from a sickness he acquired while traveling in the north. The rest of Len-Shin's court voted to appoint Gridan as steward of the throne. He ruled the Sunrise Kingdom for 19 years and was the patriarch of a dynasty that would rule until his last known descendent died around the time of the cataclysm.
Minotros had been the deity worshipped by Gridan's people, and that religion was passed down through his family and gained wide popularity throughout the kingdom. While the people of the Eastlands acknowledged the existence of other deities, some even worshipped them, no other gods were so universally accepted as Minotros.
(Origin: Old Karnoan minos - bull)

Niele'itio - Dark City. After Teomin's army destroyed the Gleaming City of the Sunset Kingdom, they discovered that they could not return to the empire. The Shionen forest had closed behind them, prompted by elven magic. To the south of the forest, the trees and brambles grew even over the edge of the treacherous cliffs, and hundreds of miles to the north, the forest drove travelers into the frozen wastelands and mountain peaks that consumed any who would venture into their icy peril.
Seeing no way back, Teomin's army rebuilt upon the site of the Gleaming City. The height of their pessimism was evident in the new name they gave to the site. The soldiers built a huge stone lintel upon two pillars to commemorate the founding of the Dark City. The left pillar was decorated in relief with the razing of the Gleaming City, while the right contained a relief of the army's search for a path back to the empire. The lintel was carved with the inscription "Niele'itio. Urishenutoi'isonu," which translates, "Dark City. The fruitless victory."
(Origin: Old Koshin adj. prefix niele- - dark, root itio - land or city)

Ohe Ren Utsouri - Tomorrow's Eye. This phrase refers to an ability to see future events through visions. In the Eastlands, innate magical abilities and the practice of magic were seldom seen before the rise of Reisothin. After the cataclysm separating east and west, magic seemed to simply fade away. For millennia, the people of the Eastlands thought of magic only as the domain of the clergy and as a rare gift bestowed by the gods. But in the decades leading up to Reisothin's awakening, magic began to be seen more frequently. Many people believed that the resurgence of magic was to blame for the dragon's appearance, but their suspicion of magic subsided when Geilo's gift of Ohe Ren Utsouri helped them escape and eventually defeat the beast.
(Origin: Koshin ohe - eye, genitive annex ren - of or belonging to, utsouri - tomorrow)

Seilen - Demon. Seilen refers to massive monstrous demons described in ancient legends of the Eastlands. When Reisothin appeared, some people who had never seen an illustration of a dragon called him a Seilen. With the destruction the creature had wrought all throughout the countryside, even those familiar with the dragon myths could not help but agree with that interpretation. Reisothin came to be called a Seilen dragon, or demon dragon.
(Origin: Old Koshin seilen - demon)

seishin - Master/mistress. This honorific is typically used for instructors at a shiodu, though it also frequently refers to the master/mistress of a household or any superior.
(Origin: Koshin verb seishi - to know or master, -in - one who or thing which)

shiodu - Martial arts school. Many families in the empire have their own shiodu where they teach the style of combat passed down by their ancestors. In most cases the schools are closed to outsiders, though a few have opened their doors since the reunification. Many of the basic hand-to-hand fighting techniques are similar, though each shiodu adds its own flair and has unique form exercises for practicing the style. Also, each family has two or three unique weapons that it teaches along with the basic weapons (staff, dagger, longsword and spear). The entire array of Eastlands weaponry makes for an impressive and exotic display of blades, chains and polearms.
(Origin: Koshin shiodu - school)

Teomin - Determined One. Approximately two and a half millennia after the cataclysm, a king named Teomin ascended the throne of the Sunrise Kingdom in the palace of the Golden City. Teomin, seeking to expand upon his father's acquisitions of the largely untamed lands far to the north of the Golden City, attempted to push his kingdom westward. He declared himself emperor of all lands from the eastern coast of his own empire to the scar of the cataclysm far to the west. When the leaders of the Sunset Kingdom refused to recognize his authority, he sent his army to attack their capitol, the Gleaming City.
After his army did not return as expected, Teomin sent out messengers to discover their fate. When none of his messengers could penetrate the forest, he began to suspect that the Shionen had interfered. Since the cataclysm, the Shionen had secluded themselves in the forest, rarely visiting human cities the way they had when travelers to the Eastlands were commonplace. Travelers through the forest still encountered them fairly regularly, but that was before Teomin's invasion force marched through. The elves had sealed the path behind the army by magic with thick brush and brambles that resisted even the most persistent attempts to push through.
Teomin rode out with a host of soldiers behind him with the intention of confronting the Shionen on their interference. He set up camp at the forest's edge and shouted into the trees until he was hoarse. When it became clear that no response was forthcoming, he ordered his men to light torches and throw them into the forest. As the first man's arm stretched back to toss his torch, a hail of arrows emerged from the forest and cut down every warrior, even Teomin himself.
The bodies of Teomin and his men were never found, and the dispute among his heirs as to succession threw the empire into disarray. Different factions of the people supported a different one of Teomin's three sons, and each son had a different idea about what it was he was inheriting. The factions split off from one another and kicked off a series of bloody conflicts. The empire collapsed and the capitol city was looted of all its riches. For almost a millennium and a half the people of Kesitul fought amongst themselves for control of the entire region until the appearance of Reisothin and the reunification efforts of Geilo.
(Origin: Old Koshin teomi - to be determined, -in - one who or thing which)

Uchilin - Archaic form of the title General.
(Origin: Old Koshin adj. prefix uchi- - supreme, ilio - to command, -in - one who or thing which)

Urietsin - The swift one. This name is somewhat unusual in the Eastlands as most parents avoid use of the definite article in names as a matter of modesty. It also sounds slightly archaic, as the prefix uri- (meaning "the") has largely been replaced by us- in most of Kesitul. Even so, most people simply use the shorter and more humble-sounding Etsin or "Swift One," which is much simpler than the most formal version of the name, Urietsi'in.
(Origin: Koshin prefix uri- - the, adj. prefix etsi- - swift, -in - one who or thing which)

Urishenutoi'isonu - The fruitless victory. This phrase is inscribed on the lintel that stands over the entrance to the temple in the Dark City.
(Origin: Old Koshin prefix uri- - the, prefix she- - not, adj. prefix nutoi- - fruitful, root isonu - victory)

Uselu'ikio - The big water. This generally refers to any ocean, but many use it specifically for the ocean that meets the eastern coast of Kesitul, which is the only ocean most people in the Eastlands have ever seen.
(Origin: Koshin prefix us- - the, adj. prefix elu- - big, root ikio - water)

Ushisorein - Most loved one. This is the title bestowed upon Emperor Geilo by the people after his leadership in the reunification of Kesitul the defeat of the dragon Reisothin.
(Origin: Koshin adv. prefix ushi- - most, sore - to love, -in - one who or thing which)

Usinte'ikio - The living water. This is the name of the major water source in Kesitul. It begins in the glaciers far to the northeast of Kesitul and snakes southeast terminating in a spectacular waterfall that cascades over a sheer cliff and into the ocean below.
(Origin: Koshin prefix us- - the, adj. prefix intei- - alive, root ikio - water)

Over 500 and Still Going!

Earlier this week I broke 500 in sales. And when I checked this morning, I was over 600. Averaged out over the week, I'd say I sell between 10-20 books a day. The weekend seems to generate the best numbers, which is not surprising, I guess, since many people have those days off.

Also, I think Amazon is doing some subtle but effective marketing. About 97% of my sales have been through KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). I know that they sent out at least one email recommending books to members, in which my book was listed. Also, they do a pretty good job of recommending similar items or "people who bought this also bought" kind of marketing. I'm guessing that's what's driving a lot of these sales.

I'm hoping that the volume I'm getting from whatever Amazon is doing will get the word of mouth going and sales will really take off. I just hope I can stay focused and get the next book out before readers get too impatient for it!

Thanks everyone!

Over 100 Copies Sold Already!

Well, it's been about a month since I first published, and as of this posting, I've sold 102 copies of A Warrior's Path. I know in the grand scheme of things, 102 is not a huge amount, but I had very modest expectations. I'm really glad to see that it's selling so well. I'm guessing that, without any marketing effort on my part, sales could drop off quickly. I'm working on that, but in the meantime, I'm excited to be 1/10th of the way to 1000 copies. I need to get cranking on the sequel (still in chapter 1).

Thanks to everyone for your support!

Finally on Barnes & Noble!

After what seemed like forever, my book is finally available on Barnes & Noble's website. At the moment, it doesn't seem to have the summary anywhere, so the listing is kind of generic, but it's finally there.

So, now that the final major bookseller is carrying it, here's the rundown of everywhere you can get the book:

Buy "A Warrior's Path" in print from CreateSpace (preferred).
Buy "A Warrior's Path" in any ebook format from Smashwords.com (preferred).
Buy "A Warrior's Path" for your Kindle from Amazon.
Buy "A Warrior's Path" in print from Amazon.
Buy "A Warrior's Path" for your nook from Barnes and Noble.
Buy "A Warrior's Path" for your Sony Reader from Sony.

And if you have iTunes, look for "A Warrior's Path" by J. A. Goguen from the iTunes bookstore!

Now Available in Print!

I ordered a second proof of "A Warrior's Path" to clean up some minor issues with the cover image, and it came out great! So, I approved it and it's already available on Amazon.

Get A Warrior's Path now in print!

First Proof of "A Warrior's Path"

I just got my first proof of my book in print. It's pretty slick. I have to say, I can't help but be a little excited about it. After seeing it, I did make one modification because of the quality of Urietsin's image, but it was very close to what I wanted. I'm really pleased with it.

As a point of interest, I wanted to share the evolution of the cover image with you. I started out with a really cheesy, low-res mockup I created in Photoshop Elements years ago:

As I started getting closer to publishing and finalized my decision to self-publish, I knew I would have to do better, so I went back to the drawing board. This time, I tried to make it not just a better resolution but all-around better. This is what I came up with:

You'll notice that this is pretty much what the cover looks like for the digital copy cover image I'm using on Smashwords and Amazon. Well, here's an actual photo of the proof I received today (the background behind the book is photoshopped):

This looks so close to my second mockup, I was really stoked to see it. I've had one of the two mockups hanging over my desk for years as an inspiration to get this done. Now, to see it in front of me in reality, the manifestation of my vision of this project, makes me feel like it was totally worth all the effort!