I often say that my author friend, Charles E. Yallowitz, is one of the most prolific writers I know. The proof, I guess, lies in how often I host his new releases! Charles has now published his latest release, War Of Nytefall: Loyalty; a spinoff series taking place in his celebrated Legends of Windemere universe.
War Of Nytefall: Loyalty
A big thanks to Nicholas for helping me promote my newest book series, War of Nytefall: Loyalty. Feels strange jumping into a volume one after spending so much time on a long series like Legends of Windemere, but one needs to move on. What better story to tackle after a heroic quest tale than one about vampires? Wait! Don’t go yet, especially since I’ve locked the doors, boarded the windows, and put crazy glue on all your chairs. I mean, the chairs have wheels, so that last part isn’t much of a factor, but it’s the thought that counts.
Seriously, one of the first things I was told when I mentioned I was going to do vampires next was that I shouldn’t do it. Not because I couldn’t, but we’ve seen a ton of bloodsucker tales come out over recent years. Zombies have taken a little wind out of their sales, but not enough for the subgenre to be entirely back to full strength. This brought a new wrinkle to a series I’d been outlining and planning since 1999. My vampires were actually my first ‘side project’ when I began with Legends of Windemere. So, another part of my reason for not tossing them on the backburner again is that I really felt like I owed them their time in the sun.
War of Nytefall still required a lot of thought because I needed to see if there was a rarely touched niche within the vampire genre. I could only do so much without changing the entire core of the story too. Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about hitting the current trends after I took a little look. Vampires have really been big in romance and YA lately as well as taking on the role of villains. You also had a lot of the classic Hollywood Dracula style, which many people have as their preferred default. Needless to say, I ran into plenty of opinions on what a vampire story should be and very few of them matched. So, what was I to do when facing such a complicated genre?
This is where Clyde comes in really handy. He is the protagonist, a vampiric thief, a battle-loving bastard, a loyal friend, and the progenitor of the Dawn Fangs. That last title isn’t only in regards to the plot, but the origin of the sun immune vampires in general. Clyde is a tabletop roleplaying game character I had in college and I wanted to keep playing him when the rest of the group switched to a non-vampire group. To allow him to stay, he was made a day-walker and needed to become a better fighter since everyone was out to kill him. This turned him into a very action-oriented character, which directed the story to be one about a civil war and all the messes that come with it.
Another change came years ago when I decided to move Clyde and the Dawn Fangs from Earth to Windemere. This added magic and various fantasy species to the mix, which helped evolve some of the supporting cast. Vampiric dwarves, orcs, calicos (cat-people), and even an ogre came about. This helped separate the Dawn Fangs from other types and the series took another leap away from what’s more popular and established. The use of medieval weapons and spells were fun too because these characters use them in a much different way than mortals. With the ability to heal and even regenerate, vampires are less concerned about minor wounds and will even sacrifice a limb if it means winning a fight.
Taking all of this into account, War of Nytefall is a vampire story, but also a fantasy action adventure. I think that helps separate it from the herd, which is what authors try to do in nearly every genre. Maybe it’s the characters that help you stand out or you find a new twist on an old story. For me, that’s taking the bloodsuckers and having the new breed take on the originals in a world where magic is real. Okay, that might be less of a twist and more of a massive overhaul to a genre. With a character like Clyde, I kind of have to go big or move on. Enjoy!
Book Blurb
In the wake of the Great Cataclysm, a new predator will emerge within Windemere’s shadow.
For fifty years, Clyde has remained buried while the rest of the vampires have been battling against their enemies. Only Mab believes that her former partner survived his execution and is determined to bring him back to the city of Nyte. Retrieving the vampiric thief is only the beginning as he comes out of the ground stronger, faster, and demonstrating powers that their kind has never witnessed throughout their ancient history. Thrown into the war, Clyde must be careful to hide his true nature while fighting alongside his old friends. Too bad he is having so much fun that keeping his secret might be furthest from his mind.
Will anyone be ready for the rise of the Dawn Fangs?
Grab your copy of War of Nytefall: Loyalty on Amazon!
About the Author:
Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under orders to shut up and get to work, Charles brings you Legends of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you, and his wife is happy he finally has someone else to play with.
Blog: www.legendsofwindemere.com
Twitter: @cyallowitz
Facebook: Charles Yallowitz
Website: www.charleseyallowitz.com
Another great book from Charles and he’s popping up as a guest on my blog in a few weeks. 🙂
Yay! He’s one of my favorite authors 🙂
Ohhh! I enjoy a good vampire story!
A well thought one, too!
Good luck to Charles with this great new book. I am sure his many loyal fans are going to lap up the spin off from ‘Legends of Windemere’.
Best wishes, Pete.
Count myself among them 🙂
Congratulations, Charles! You make your fellow authors look good.
Congratulations, Charles! Best wishes for continued success.
Thanks for sharing, Nicholas! 🙂
Thank you so much, Natalie 🙂