The Lost Books Of The Angel Filomena: Book 1: The Olympian Forge

So book two is actually already done, and will be getting copy edited soon. So in my spare time, I tend to still write things, so I have decided to write some short chapters with the characters from the "Of Angels and Olympians" series. I figure I will post one every week or so giving some insight into the world we have created. At this point none of these will be used in books, but hey you never know if they turn out good I may use them in book three. So please feel free to let me know if you do. Keep in mind these are not edited and are just stories that pop in my head. Well anyway here is the first one.

“The Olympian Forge”

Hephaestus stood in front of his forge, staring into the fires that bellowed under the glowing metal he had been working, lost in his thoughts, the anger welled inside of him, his creations, the weapons he had spent eons forging, the weapons he put his blood and his sweat into where now in the hands of these newborn Angels. When Zeus had originally approached him about the idea, he had thought for sure it was in jest, how he could make such a request of him like this was beyond reasoning. He had originally refused Zeus, he would not stand for such a defilement of his labored artwork, how could he, as angry as he was with Zeus asking, Zeus had been as equally angry at his response. In the end he had no choice but to bend to the will, and wishes of his King and the Father.
He had considered crafting inferior pieces for inferior life forms but could not bring himself to allow anything but pure perfection to leave his forge. He let out a long exhale and turned his head to glance over to where a few of these Angels had gathered. He looked upon them in disgust as he watched those same creatures wave their newly acquired weapons he had just forged like some Satyr child receiving a new prank toy. He shook his head in contempt as he placed his hammer upon his anvil and put his hand to his pocket as if in doing so he would be guarding his great secret. A smile came upon his face as he considered the drawings that his hand covered. He dared not leave them lying around, for he could not afford to have them discovered, lest anyone ask questions of what type of weapon he was designing. He closed his eyes and envisioned the death toll it would take upon these Angels once the Titans had been destroyed. Oh how he longed for that day. “Hephaestus?” He quickly snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at the newborn who had spoken his name, he had seen him around Ares tent, he was one of their leaders, that he knew for sure………”What is it Angel?” He said in a gruff voice. “As you already know, my name is Michael, I wanted to tell you how appreciative we are of your weapons, and they have proved themselves to be great assets in battle and….”With a wave of his hand Hephaestus brought Michael to silence,” I make them because I am told I must Angel, but don’t for one moment ever think I want to, you neither deserve nor have you earned the privilege to brandish a weapon such as I have made you in battle.” Hephaestus noticed Michael prepare to interrupt him and again raised his hand to stave him off. ” Angel tell me something, have I said anything to you to make you think I would want to hear your voice? That I need to hear from you of the caliber of my creations? Or that I even care what you or your ilk might think of me or my weapons? ”His last sentence hung in the air like the smoke that plumed from his fires, he could see the anger on this Angels face and hoped he would strike at him so he could pluck the feathers of this Newborn creatures wings.
“My name is Michael Olympian you would be well to remember it. ”Hephaestus could feel his face turning red in anger as the Angel quickly turned on his heels and started to walk away, how dare he speak to him like that, and then turn his back on him……..
At that moment Hephaestus decided…. He would remember the name Michael............ he would etch it into his memory as if he had etched it into the stone of the great Mount Olympus itself. He would remember it so that he would never forget it, he would remember the name Michael, for Michael will be the first Angel Hephaestus will destroy once this war is over, and he will lay the Angels broken body on the steps in front of Zeus, and he will say nothing, for without Hephaestus there is no fire, without Hephaestus there is no forging of metals, and without Hephaestus………..  there are no weapons!!!!!!!!

4 of 5 Stars Compelling Combination of Mythologies : New Review

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling combination of Mythologies December 21, 2013

By Dastrn

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

J.D. Rice and R. Sardella created an interesting universe in the first of (hopefully) many installments in the "Angels and Olympians" series. The combination of christian and greek mythos is unique as far as I'm aware of, and they pair up well. I'm finding the Titans in particular to be well-written.
The pace is rather brisk, as is necessary for novellas of this size. Dialogue is brief, which leaves character development short, which took a star away in my rating, as I'm usually very keen on books with strongly-written characters (see Joe Abercrombie, George R.R. Martin, and Tolkien for some obvious examples within the fantasy genre, and Stephen King as the penultimate example of well-written character with complex inner workings).

A good clean 4 stars for Rice and Sardella, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Received a 5 Star Review: "A rattling good escape!"

Here is the review from Amazon:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rattling good escape! December 20, 2013

By Alan Walsh

Format:Paperback

I picked the book up hoping for a story to take me far away from the workaday world and this definitely achieved that. A mesmerising sequence of events, characters and mythical creations that I would recommend to anyone. I felt the story gathered pace throughout and can't wait for the next volume. It also seems like it would work very well for the screen actually... although maybe that's just how well the descriptions work. A great read!

A new Excerpt from "Pilgrimage of Angels" First battle with a Hellhound

Here is Chapter 4 of the book. It is the first battle and also the first time the Angles meet a Hellhound. This is all new to them and they are unarmed .......... I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 4

Angels screamed and called out, pointing and yelling at the unknown terrors that surrounded them in the darkness. Around him, Greagian saw an ever-growing cloud of ash that seemed to suck the life out of the grass, leaving only withered, brown husks in its wake. Within that cloud, Greagian could see bodies circling the angelic crowd as the angels jostled and shoved each other into a tight circle. The starlight failed to illuminate these creatures, but Greagian found he could see far into the darkness and make out their shape. Long bodies, two sets of powerful legs, sharp claws, and an aura of shadowy fire that, rather than giving off light, seemed only to absorb it and create more darkness. They ran quickly around the angelic tribe, circling, coming closer, and letting off that foul smoke that began to hide even the stars from sight and increase the angels’ sense of blindness.

            Before he knew what was happening, Greagian heard a roar come out of the darkness and felt himself being jostled once again by those around him. An angel cried out, his voice garbled as if his throat were filled with liquid. The sound was quickly drowned out by the cries of the others.

            Another angel fell. Then another. Greagian was knocked to the ground by a powerful blow and saw blood on the ground. But not his own. The dark-skinned angel who had walked alongside him for many hours lay dead at his side. In this moment, he could not remember the man’s name. Looking up, he saw one of the shadows eyeing him through the darkness. Only its eyes were visible, the rest of its form now completely enveloped in the black smoke that seemed to stream from every pore of its dark skin. The eyes spoke to Greagian. Told him that he was nothing to them. Nothing at all but another meal, another game.

            Then Greagian and the surrounding angels grew strangely quiet. It seemed to them that suddenly the clouds seemed less black, the sky less dark. Greagian could see the creature plainly. Like a lion it was, but hairless and covered in scales. Pacing and snarling among the remains of the once-hearty field of grass. Sharp fangs, sharp claws, sharp eyes. But Greagian’s eyes were sharper.

            The creature hesitated for a moment as the angel stared it down.

            It waited.

            The other angels stopped moving and set their eyes into the darkness as well, as if all were filled with sudden resolve.

            Then the moment passed. The creatures pounced. Greagian pivoted to the side, redistributing his weight by instinct in preparation for the blow. He then stretched out his hand just as the creature came at him and caught the monster by its scaly throat. Claws fell onto his shoulders, digging in and tearing into his flesh, yet still Greagian held. Held and squeezed. Strength was in his fingers, and the creature gagged. Spittle flew into Greagian’s face, stinging him but leaving him undeterred. He would not let go until the creature breathed its last breath. All the while, the shadow’s powerful forelegs kicked and scratched and tore into the angel’s shoulders.

            Then the kicking slowed. The creature’s body convulsed. It moaned and finally it lay still, collapsing into a heap by Greagian’s side.

            Greagian had only enough time to take a breath before another shadow fell upon him. He felt himself flung onto his back, gripping the creature’s forelegs as its jaws snapped in his face. For a brief moment, he thought this would be his death, an unsatisfying end to such a short existence. But then a few of his fellow angels grabbed the creature from both sides and flung it back and away into the surrounding clouds of smoke. One of his companions offered Greagian a hand, but he could only wave his rescuer off. He was already feeling light-headed from loss of blood.

            Greagian lifted himself to his knees, unable to do much more. Blood continued to drip from his mangled shoulders, pooling on the ground beneath him. For several moments, he simply watched the battle unfold.

            Ahead of him, the bright-eyed angel who had started the march came charging into the battle, another angel not far behind. The shadows had little chance to react to this new foe as the bright-eyed one caught two of the creatures by their forelegs and sent them tumbling to the ground in a mess of feathers and scales and darkness and light. Greagian tried to move, tried to aid in the battle, but his wounds were too severe. He could only watch as the bright-eyed angel grappled with the creatures, fiery eyes blazing as he punched, kicked, held, and threw each in turn. Always scrambling, always moving, always predicting where the next strike would come. A master of battle at less than a day old. An archangel.

            Soon the trio of wrestling figures became a fuzzy mess in Greagian’s eyes. He could no longer hear the snarls of the creatures, could hardly smell the foulness of their smoke. His vision was fading as the blood loss finally stripped him of consciousness. The last thing he felt before passing out was the soft, loamy soil cradling him as his body dropped to the ground.

You can see more of the book here:  Pilgrimage of Angels 

An in Depth Review of my book from a Blogger.

On November 8th a reader of my book wrote this on Amazon as her review:

 Strangely drawing, and refreshing in how original it is. November 8, 2013

By K. Cross

Format:Kindle Edition

Pilgrimmage of Angels afforded a new twist on greek mythology that I wasn't expecting.

Sardella and Rice use a combination of mythological creatures and current religious parallels that I couldn't miss and really enjoyed. On the other hand, it wasn't so obvious that I'd say it has Christian undertones, just parallels. They have a few main characters that they follow in the story, and I think that really helped spread out the intense nature of the fight. Because it's so battle-oriented, switching the character perspectives made it so that I never got bored. The writing was solid and I don't recall any hiccups or spots that bothered me.

I would say that what Pilgrimmage of Angels really has going for it is the originality of the story. It's truly a twist I have never heard before, and I think that was where most of my forward momentum came from. The angels have different motivations, different opinions, different viewpoints, but all the same objective. It makes for a really interesting read.

One of my only complaints was that dialogue didn't come as often as I would have liked, or am used too, but it never stopped me from reading. There were also a lot of battle scenes, but I never felt like they went on for too long at any one time. I was invested enough in the characters that I wanted to know how they fought in battle as well, and how they came out, so the battle scenes were okay. There were a few parts I started to skim a paragraph or two, but that was about as long as it went before I picked back up and started reading.

Overall, they did a good job wrapping the first book up without an annoying cliff hanger, but enough that I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Well done, Sardella and Rice.

Finally made an Author page on Facebook

Hello all my twitter friends,  I made my authors page for my book and subsequent ones to come out. I am trying to break 200 likes and would appreciate anyone here liking my page.

https://www.facebook.com/raymondsardellawriter

Book is finally available

It has been a long struggle to finally get this done and I am so glad to have it finished. There is so much more to actually getting a book published than most could ever imagine, the minutia involved in the little details that have to be done are incredible. But it has certainly been a learning experience. I have created a facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/raymondsardellawriter

and a website to sell my books on.

http://raymondsardella.com/

It has been a great ride and I really enjoyed working with JD Rice, he is a great writer and you can see some of his work here:

http://unscriptednarration.wordpress.com/

I hope those that purchase the book enjoy it, there is a teaser chapter from book two at the end.
JD and I will start on that one in late September probably. And I have two other books to come out starting around Christmas time, if all goes well anyway.
Once again thanks to all that gave their support and guidance.

The New Prologue to "Pilgrimage Of Angels"

Here is the new beginning to the book, the changes that were suggested by the Beta readers was taken into account and is now being Copy Edited with the hopes of having it released in mid July. I know it is running late, the process is a much more involved one and both JD and I have been trying to keep to a schedule on it. I hope you enjoy the new start.

Prologue

            The endless fields of heaven burned for days on end, blades of grass stubbornly refusing to turn to ash, fires fed by the boundless energies locked within the celestial plain. At one time, the heavens had been populated by a great many spirits. Spirits of fire and of water, of forests and trees, of the wind and the sky. Now, all was consumed by the wrath of the lesser gods. Monsters and giants had driven the spirits away, leaving nothing but simple grassy fields behind, where once great forests and seas and mountains once dwelt. The heavens were abandoned, and what little life was left behind now burned in a fire unquenchable.

            I know this, because I watched God try to put the fires out, and fail.

            The lesser gods, the Titans and their Olympian children, had turned their full thought on the destruction of God and his heavenly home. I was among them, a foolish child hoping to please her parents, not realizing the weight her actions carried. Power flowed out of us in boundless waves of unchecked and unchallenged energy, blazing the earth black and the sky red. Still the grass held its form, life protected by the might of The Father, a God who could do so little to stop the destruction his own creations were bringing against him.

            I marched with the Titans across the whole length of heaven, burning everything in my sight, coming finally before the great throne of God, protected by the pillar of marble and light that rose high above our heads. My eyes glistened with youthful pride as Cronus and Zeus hammered on the doors of the great tower themselves, calling to the so-called King of Kings to come forward and answer for his crimes. He'd withheld the Earth from us, denied us the birthright of the world we'd helped create. He would pay for his selfishness and pride. We would have what was ours.

            One last laborious strike, and the great marble doors of the tower burst from from their hinges, white light streaming out from the inside. I shielded my eyes at the brightness, and for the first time, doubted our cause. Could a being so pure as The Father truly be as evil as the Titans say? Was he keeping the Earth to himself, or did he understand some greater purpose that my creators did not?

            But look, I thought. How he trembles in his tower, alone and defenseless. He hides his shame in the light.

            What a fool I was.

            “Come out and face us!” Cronus called from outside the bare doorway. “Come out and meet the judgment of your children!”

            A few moments of silence passed, where even the Titans themselves held their breath awaiting the answer of the greatest being in the heavens.

            “Judgment belongs to me alone,” came a voice from within, weak and labored, tired from resisting our power as we matched across the heavens to reach his throne.

            “Judgment belongs to the strong!” Cronus called. “And you have revealed your weakness. Against the combined power of the gods, you are nothing!”

            “Maybe...” the voice answered, more pained. “But would children truly turn against their father so easily, for a cause they do not fully understand?”

            “You call yourself the King of heaven, the creator of all,” Cronus responded. “And yet it is we who aided you in your labors of creation, who helped fashion the heavens and the Earth, and the spirits who now hide on the outer reaches of the heavens, where our fires will soon reach. Who are we, if not your co-creators? Who are we, if not your successors?”

            As I listened to Cronus's challenge, and to the weakened voice of the God I once loved, my heart was stirred to pity. How the mighty had fallen. God, brought to his knees by his own children, and Cronus, leading his own son Zeus in rebellion against a dying king. Would the heavens truly benefit from such a loss? Could there not be peace between us? In my heart, I prayed for mercy, but I did not know to whom my prayer was directed.

            “What would you do with the Earth, were I to turn it over to you?” the voice from within the tower asked, at almost a whisper.

            Cronus laughed.

            “We would shape it as we please and reserve no place for your baseless, weak, feeble creations to come,” he said. “We could craft a world in our image, according to our vision, and its splendor would endure for all eternity.”

            “Such is not my will...” the Father said sadly, my ears straining to hear his last, quiet words.

            “Such is the will of the gods,” Cronus said, and all the army of the Titans shouted out their agreement. My voice alone did not join in the chorus.

            Just then the great fires that surrounded us roared into the new life, growing taller and burning hotter than ever before. The blades of grass, which for so long had clung to life by the Father's power, vanished in a blaze of ash and heat, extinguished by the flames of our zeal. He protected them no more. He was defeated.

            Or so I feared.

            Suddenly the light from within the tower flashed with an intensity I never imagined, and I was forced to divert my eyes for fear of being blinded.

            “My will cannot be turned by any one's power,” the Father's voice roared, far louder and far angrier than I had ever heard. “You claim to be gods! You claim to be immortal! Then see, see what your immortality has given you!”

           Suddenly a great tear appeared in the sky above us, a great streak of black stretching across the blood-red sky. A rushing wind howled in our ears, pulled us upward, threatening to take us off our feet. The Titans were the first to lose their grip on the soil, pulled by an unseen force into the tear above. Their forms disappeared in the cloud of black, their screaming voices heard no more. Ahead of me, I saw Zeus clinging to what little earth he could get his hands on, a look of terror and guilt upon his face.

            “Mercy!” I found myself screaming above the winds. “Have mercy on your misguided children!”

            For a moment, I believed that even the Father's mercy had run out, that we would be sent into oblivion with our forebears. But then the wind settled and the great tear above us disappeared. The sky was dark, and the light from the tower, once so bright, was now little more than a faint glimmer. Finding my feet, I walked alongside my Olympian brothers and sisters towards the broken door, peering inside with trepidation. The broken form of an old man lay kneeling in the center of a great hall, breathing harshly.

            “They are dead?” Zeus asked, looking up at the clear sky outside, his voice a mixture of guilt and fear.

            “No,” the Father said, straining to stand to his feet. “Only banished. If you wish to redeem yourselves for the damages you have caused, you must make ready for war again. My plans cannot be halted, but they may be forestalled. There is much work to be done.”

- The testimony of Artemis, god of the wild, on the last day of the First War of Heaven.

The Next Big Thing

I was invited by Jessie Mahoney, the author of The Community Vampire Series , and K.R.Rowe, author of Amber and Blue to participate in a question and answer blog interview about my newest book. I was more than happy to participate. I have added their links to the bottom of my page. Please take a look at both of their interviews and read about their books.

1. What is the name of your work in progress?
   The book is called “Pilgrimage of Angels”, it is the first book in a series that is entitled “Of Angels and Olympians” It will be my first published book, and it is co-written with a friend of mine named JD. Rice

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
   I had an idea a few years ago about having the Greek and Roman Gods be Angels that left heaven when Lucifer revolted because they had been so upset over the War between the Angels. So instead they decided to look over the evolution of man. But man, being who they are, instead looked upon them as God's. From there I wanted to incorporate the Titans into the story and the main nemisis and started writing my outline. It started to take on a life of it's own but then as it unfolded it had become to convoluted with too many sub plots and characters to keep track of. That is when I turned to J.D. To help sort it out and he did an excellent job. The real funny part is that I have the last book 75% already written. That is when JD felt we should start in a different place and lead up to that one.

3. What genre does your book fall under?
   This can be classified two ways I think, in one aspect it is a Fantasy Novella. But in another fashion it could be considered a Mythological story. I think it will depend on the reader take on the story. In book two it will take on a more Fantasy driven story and will see the introduction of many creatures that can be found in contemporary Fantasy works of today.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
   This question is much tougher than it would seem. Of course my knee jerk reaction would be to say Matt Damon or Brad Pitt, as a writer I think you always wish for a movie to be made of something you have created, and of course you want a big name star to be the lead, but when I think of Greagian I don't envision either of them to play the part. But I do think that Jonny Lee Miller of the TV show Elementary would be perfect in the role.

5. What is the one sentence synopsis for your book?
   Angelic and Mythical yarn spun to delight readers of all ages.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
   This book will be self-published and so will the next few in the series. We already have the basis for book two and the lead up into book three. I think I will try in the future to work with an agent, if one would be willing to tolerate me that is, but for right now the self-publishing is the best fit for me.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
   Minus the time it sat on my desktop as an icon before I sent it to JD, it took about 3 months of actual work after that. The re-writes are in the process right ow and we are still looking at a late April release date. And possibly a cover art release in Mid March.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
   I don't really know of any stories that mix Christian and Ancient Greek Gods together, so it is hard to compare it to any. I like to think we were able to take two very popular stories and meld them into one exciting tale.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
   The only inspiration was an idea I had about trying to bring an air of realism to Ancient mans beliefs into modern days. Basically it was just an idea I had while sitting around in a quit house.

10. What else about your book might pique the readers' interests?
    There will be a lot of action, and a lot of battles. Some of the Greek Gods you will like and some you wont and the same goes for the Angels. But I hope it will entertain any and all who decide to read it. 
    
    
    These two fine ladies and writers were kind enough to include me in this opportunity and here are the links to their blogs.
    
    
    Jessie Mahoney's Blog 
    
    
    K.R. Rowe's Blog

Time traveling N.Y. homicide detective

I have been working on this book for a couple of years now. I have thrown away 3 complete manuscripts of it also, but bad writing is just bad writing, no sense keeping any of it but the story line.

I spent the time while the Angles and Olympians book was being beta read to refine the Character profile pages and changed some of their profiles to better match where the story line was heading, I also added some new character’s to the story. The main “hero” of the book is a NYPD officer in the future that ends up in the past, specifically on the day the Towers where hit, he was inside them and knowing his history knew he had to get out and tried to save as many as he could in the process. I am thinking of changing that a little bit to reflect his arrival immediately after the towers fall, I have two versions and I am still deciding on which one to use for it.

I have come up with a reasonable explanation for his time traveling, I did not use a machine, I have decide to use his eagerness, in his college youth, to make money and volunteering for an experimental drug from a Big Pharmaceutical company while attending New York University in Manhattan.  It is falling a little short on realism but I have written down some ideas on how to make that part of the story line more plausible. I am using the theory of the untapped potential of the mind to move it’s “essence” so to say, to different time periods and occupy different vassals, specifically one vassal in particular. With this of course there needs to be a nemesis, so I have created a serial killer that also has this ability, and I will have the crimes mirror each other in both time zones. So far I have made the serial killer extremely brutal, I may have to tone it down a little bit, but I may not, this book is not intended for children in any way and it helps keep to the realism. There is so much more to the story than just these two characters, there are two additional subplots that are happening also. I have completed the outline and have the first couple of chapters done, of course this is the first draft only.

This book will be a full novel, I am figuring somewhere around 80K words maybe a little more. As of right now I have this being a trilogy, but may leave it open for future stories also, I will have to see how people react to the characters and the story line.

Big Thanks To The Beta Readers: Rewrites Start Tomorrow

First I want to thank the beta-readers for taking the time and reading our story. And a big thank you for the feedback. My co-writer J.D. and I went over them all the last few nights and have mapped out and are outlining the changes we are going to make. We knew what some of it was going to be but wanted to hear the reactions from the readers.
One of the changes is going to be more scenes and chapters involving the Olympians. They were a big hit with the readers and every beta reader wants to read more with them involved. So we heard you and we are going to oblige your requests.
We are also going to change the prologue and may just start with a chapter and bring the story from there, we are going to write both beginnings that we discussed and see which one fits our particular story.
We also know some didn't like two of the characters and we are rewriting their profiles and will adjust their scenes according to their new profile.
As far as making it longer, it will undoubtedly be longer, but I think it will still stay a novella, just a longer then usual one. With these changes, it will bring automatic changes to book two which has already been started. We still will have chapter one of book two at the end of book one as a teaser.
As far as a time frame, we are still looking at the dates we had discussed earlier. We knew we wold be doing rewrites so this hasn't changed the time frame at all.
Once again thank you for those that were beta readers, and thank you to those that have been reading my blog.

Pilgrimage of Angels is with the beta readers

I haven't written a blog post in a little while, and I really need to get better at this, but a lot has been going on and decided to fill everyone in.
My co-writer and editor J.D. Rice, you should check out his blog at
http://unscriptednarration.wordpress.com/
he writes some great flash fiction besides his own stores, is receiving the feedback from our beta group for the first of hopefully many stories to follow the "Of Angles and Olympians" series. As many of you know the first book is called "Pilgrimage of Angels".
Well anyway JD is getting the feedback and we will be going over the suggestions that are made and see what we agree with and what we like and incorporate or change what we feel will make it a better story and more interesting for you, the reader, to enjoy it more.  This is going to be a big year for me as far as writing goes, and I know it is also going to be for JD. I will, after talking it over with JD, probably post the cover art in the next few weeks, I came up with the idea and format for it and JD has been kind enough to let me run with it, so in closing thanks to the beta readers, and to my buddy JD, and  a special thank you to everyone that reads this.