At the head of that team are two partners, Bixby Alladocious and Frederic D’Aprile.  It felt criminal not to include both characters together, as they really are like the two dads of the group.  Frederic is an older man by appearance, but Bixby has a tremendous amount of experience and wisdom, and the two get along swimmingly, even with as strange as Bixby can be at times.  Wern captures their friendly relationship as early on as the sketches.

By the time we start to get into the coloring a bit, you can see things coming together very nicely.  Frederic has only been seen on the front cover of the book named after him, but Bixby’s been having opportunities to shine here and there for a few years now.  You can see right off the bad that his red, black and yellow ensemble is coming together nicely.

In this final picture of the two proud papas, the pair are just as welcoming of each other’s company as in the beginning.  More polish has been put into the design, and everything just ended up looking spectacular by the end of it.  When Frederic eventually rescues his wife, it’s going to be an odd situation meeting his new best friend, I’m sure.  A huge thank you to Wern for bringing this to life in such a wonderful way!

We’ve got plenty more from the world of Tellest, and from Wern in the future.  Be sure to come back this way and see what’s new, every week!

The post Character Art – Bixby Alladocious and Frederic D’Aprile appeared first on Tellest.

When I first conceptualized D’Aprile’s Fools, it was meant to be a very short story with some quirky characters with what I would describe as “less than adequate” affectations of the Strain.  They were meant to be the bottom of the barrel.  But long-time readers and lurkers will know that I tend to get wholly invested with my stories—even the April Fools ones.  What started as a quirky idea took over and ended up becoming an epic story about fighting for what’s right, even against bitter odds.  The characters ended up being multidimensional and rich, and they took over for me for close to a year.  The story also gave me an opportunity to explore a country that up until then was home mostly to the villains in the grand tapestry of Tellest.

Turning Fools into Gold

When all the heroes have been taken, fools will have to do.

Frederic D’Aprile is a warrior on a mission to right the wrongs of his country. When he finds himself outnumbered by the Ebon Hammer, he knows he needs help from unlikely places.

He isn’t expecting the mad wizard, Bixby Alladocious, to live up to his name.

Together, warrior and wizard set out on a quest to bring together new heroes battling with self-doubt and fears in a world that doesn’t take kindly to people with strange blessings like the Strain. But, united, they believe they can finally stand up to the tyranny taking hold in the nation of Blacklehn.

D’Aprile’s Fools embodies the future of Tellest.  It shows off a diverse cast of characters with interesting powers—even if they aren’t fully aware of how to use them—and explores relationships in heartfelt ways.  It shows how people become friends and families, how we can all be compassionate for one another, and how we all have to look toward a better and brighter future.  D’Aprile’s Fools is a story that is close to my heart, and it’s one that opens up a brand new avenue of talespinning for me.  I can’t wait to continue the story of these great heroes, but for now, I want you enjoy their introductions.  Because it’s currently running on its launch promotion, for $3 off, there’s no better time than now to pick up the next big thing from Tellest.  Check out the new Tellest novel, D’Aprile’s Fools, on Amazon today.

The post D’Aprile’s Fools has released! appeared first on Tellest.

Let’s start out with this piece.  This is the first time that I put anything together like this, because I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted the cover to look like.  I knew that I wanted the characters in a tavern, and that I wanted them kind of posed at a table.  I’m not great at sketching things myself, but I found a tool online that is spectacular for posing (and great help for artists that want their work to be anatomically correct).  JustSketchMe is great, and it let me set up a roundabout way of what I wanted the D’Aprile’s Fools cover to look like for Leo.

After that, Leo went to work making it his own.  My original sketch was far too wide for a front cover, but it gave the better understanding of where we were trying to go for it, and it allowed Leo to compose things better.  Six characters is a lot for a front cover, but he made it look easy.

Leo didn’t only fit them in, he made them pop.  This is the most characters we’ve ever featured on the front cover, even considering things like Tales of Tellest.  And each of them looks like part of the crew.  From left to right, we have Bixby Alladocious, Caira, Frederic D’Aprile, Leonell, Nellie and Mireya.

But of course a full book cover has a back, so we had Leo keep working…

If you click on this cover, you’ll see a full sized version of it.  We had to tweak things a little bit because our other two characters on the back weren’t fully centered, so this isn’t the final version.  Leo worked on it a bit more though, and you’ll see that final version here:

Assuming the book is out now, all you have to do to pick it up is click this link.  Check out D’Aprile’s Fools on Amazon today!

The post Cover Art – D’Aprile’s Fools appeared first on Tellest.

Well, this year we are back in business.

I’ve been working on this story for the last several months, and I’m finally ready to unveil it.  I’ve been telling people about it on my newsletter for what feels like forever, and they’ve been getting little snippets of it here and there.  But today, I get to really lay it all out.

I typically tell stories where one character is at the forefront.  He or she may meet other people that become part of the action, but I wanted to tell a story that encompassed a lot of people, and their experiences.  As Tellest is a story about heroes, I wanted to also talk about people who we wouldn’t normally see as heroes, and who definitely wouldn’t see themselves as such.  Most of them are affected by the Strain, but in ways that are a little unconventional.  Let’s learn a little more about them, shall we?

Frederic D’Aprile – The leader of the group.  Frederic doesn’t have powers, but he’s been around powered people long enough to know how to make the best out of their skills.  Due to unfortunate circumstances, after all the real heroes he knows have been captured by a growing force of dark agents with a hatred for magic and diversity, he must put together a team of ragtag would-be heroes with some…peculiar abilities.

Quicksand – Leonell has had a rough go of it over the last few years.  He lost his father, and then subsequently lost the man who took him in and treated him as a son.  That man’s biological son really does not care for Leonell, and makes him sleep in the shed within the pig pen.  Leonell plays along because he doesn’t want people to know his secret: that he has the Strain.  Leonell has the ability to manipulate the earth—but only where he is standing.

Spark – Poor Mireya learned early on that her power was very destructive.  After an accident at home, in a city where people were already hateful of those with powers, she used fire magic by accident and burned a building down.  To make matters worse, it was a building owned by her family, and she dreaded what her father would do to her if she found out.  She ran, and took up shelter far away.  Since then, Mireya hasn’t been able to use her powers effectively—due in no small part to the fact that the fire she summons burns her as well.

Bubbles – Caira is a little bit different.  The daughter of an elf and a gnome, this diminutive would-be hero doesn’t contend with too much of a broken home compared to the other heroes.  She lives with her father in a cabin in the woods, but he’s overly protective, and hasn’t allowed her to live much of a life.  But when adventure calls, she’s ready to charge forth.  Caira has the ability to summon magical bubbles!

Ointment – Nellie returns us to a tragic character who has pretty much lost everything.  She’s on her own out in the wilderness, trying to survive as best she can when she’s discovered.  When Frederic finds her, she instantly takes to the group, and explains her power: she can’t heal anyone, but she can take away the sting of their pain.

The Wizard – Of course, Frederic can’t do everything on his own.  He needs someone with an understanding of the Strain; someone who hasn’t been captured (or was able to escape) from the nefarious mercenaries roaming the land.  Luckily for Frederic, he’s happened upon an unconventional wizard.

And who is this wizard, you ask?  Why, none other than one of our favorite characters to play with, Bixby Alladocious.  For those unfamiliar with Bixby, allow me to explain.  Bixby first appeared in a Tellest story in his eponymous debut, Bixby Alladocious and the Lady of Life and Death.  Bixby has a most peculiar ability.  When he dies, his soul reconstitutes, creating a new body for him that waits for him in the Nexus.  It just so happens that Bixby dies a lot.  What better partner to have then someone who can shrug off the greatest of wounds, the nastiest of diseases, poisons and infections, the toes most stubbed?

Together, this group of six plans on making a difference across the country they call home, and wrenching it back from the hands of those who would desecrate it.  This is only the first adventure, with many more to come.  Will you come along and join up with these brave people?

Will you join D’Aprile’s Fools?

The post New Book Incoming appeared first on Tellest.