February!
Writing lots of new books. Lots of new things. Exciting and good times are ahead.
Or at least I think so. Ha...
Additionally, Fostering Faust 2 went live.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NBL8YHN
Please spread the word, hit those groups, post it, share it, leave reviews, and talk about it.
To each and every one of you, thank you. I appreciate all that you've done to propel me to this point.
I hope you like it.
thanks and plz keep up the awesome work.
ReplyDeleteTrying! Thank you :D
DeleteAny estimates on the audiobook release?
ReplyDeleteProbably April
DeleteWilliam D. Arand You are by far my favorite author =D
ReplyDeleteIf it wasnt for me forcing myself to take a break to eat i would still be reading FF2, hehe.
Only complaint i have with your books so far is that SSoSH and WW seem to be destroying Runner`s reputation and character as established in the Selfless Hero series.
Is this intentional and part of the story or just "bad" writing?
I have seen this happen to beloved characters before and it really puts me off the Author as a whole, so i really hope it isnt the case.
SPOILER!
Lying about Vince`s wife being ressurected.
Felix`s overly and irrational agressiveness towards Runner.
Runner being stupid enough to agree to not taking action unless gods go overboard while they are making their followers destroy the realm, even after what happened with the gods during Selfless Hero.
This seems like such a insanely stupid thing to agree to that it really annoyed me.
Not really sure how to respond to that...?
DeleteAt first I was writing up answers to each one of your points.
Then I decided not to. :)
What I will say, is I wrote it the way I intended it.
Not sure about it being "bad" writing.
Maybe i didn't put it the right way then, my English isn't the best.
DeleteBy "Bad" writing i mean actively hurting already established characters to make new ones look better or for the story to go in ways that are irrational.
Examples would be: A extremely talented and trained individual with super powers suddenly becomes completely worthless and irrational just so another Character can get some page time, to then suddenly come back on top or save the day.
It happens a lot in some type of books.
Worst offender i have read to date has to be a situation that where the good guys were winning hands down bad guy was bleeding out, only to within 2 sentences suddenly a Van shows up out of nowhere and saves the bad guy by dragging him into a Van and taking off.
This type of crap to me just destroys the immersion because nobody heard the car?, Nobody saw the car?, nobody stopped them from taking him?, nobody shot the wheel or driver?.
Hope this makes it easier to understand =)
Issue with Vince lying about the Resurrection is it was already stated that it had happened and she was wide awake to even communicate. This to me is immersion breaking when there is no explanation in who killed her again since clearly she was alive.
If you intended it to sound the way it does then thats another thing, but if it was a ploy to make Vince and Felix bond or to make Felix look more important, then that is kinda iffy, wouldn't you agree?
Runner lying about the Resurrection*
DeleteLove your work, and I had to read SSOSH 3 on Kindle because I couldn't wait for the audiobook. I'm listening to it now and loving it all over again. I may have to do the same with FF 2!
DeleteI have to admit I'm frustrated by Audible's review system, or perhaps just by human nature, as it were. Seeing a few people leave a bad review, upvote their own and then downvote the good reviews out of sight is horrendous. I encourage fans to leave their own reviews and support those you like.
Keep up the good work, and know that the silent majority absolutely loves your mind and the stories you deliver.
@Lestibournes
DeleteIt isn't letting me reply for some reason, so I'm going for it this way.
I feel you are sort of failing to consider Runner as a whole character, instead of a few of the aspects you appreciated about him. He was in fact brash, sometimes overbearing, and is approaching this from a very different perspective than we are getting as we follow Felix and Vince.
For Runner these are simulated realities, and he's still giving them an incredible amount of respect and decency. That is just who he is. However, there is sooo much more going on than even both Felix and Vince's entire realities. The small excerpts we are seeing are clearly playing into a whole new level, and I'd argue that we are seeing the same, but far more experienced and traveled, Runner that we had in Otherlife.
Joshua yeah, don't get me wrong, it's not the story or the universe I have a problem with, it's the details that don't seem to fit from one book to another. Take FF1 and FF2, Alex swears he is not a champion of Leah with nothing to say otherwise, but in book 2 it is spoken by both Leah and Alex that it is a given that he has been Leah's champion all along. The details if i haven't misunderstood anything are a bit annoying, but not immersion breaking. Runner saying there is no need to Res Vinces wife because she is already alive and waiting to be dug up but in the next book that suddenly isn't the case is a little more than annoying, wouldn't you say? If it is part of the story then that is fine but if it was done just for Vince and Felix to bond or make Felix look better, then it's a problem, no?
DeleteI love all the books from William and I want nothing more than for him to be the greatest he can be, so it would be a disservice not to point out issues, if they are issues at all, right?
@Lestibournes first sorry for the wall-o-text but this is long explanation :P
DeleteI think you should reread the Selfless Hero Trilogy (particularly the omnibus for the extra bits) Runner has continued to evolve as a person and as a god you have to consider an unknown amount of time has passed between Selfless Hero and SS,WW,FF ect the only indication we have is Al really who is still a child but we're not given an exact Age and given his Powers are probably as limitless if not more so than Runners own we can't exactly gauge anything based on his Physical or seeming mental age. So its hard to gauge how runner's personality has shifted, but that being said I don't think what we see of runner is terribly off the mark with how he was at the end of Awakenings.
Runner doesn't concern himself with things that don't directly impact himself or the ones he cares for so I can easily see him ignoring a worlds destruction. Also until the portal was established to the "dark realm" Via the red portal he technically could roll the world back whenever he wanted so there really wasn't any stakes in it for him. Also he seems fairly distracted by these Chaos jumpers who seem set on corrupting as many core worlds as they can Presumably for the other Overgod Running mentioned. Runner is clearly trying to build a force of people to combat this other overgod including Vince, Felix And Riker whenever he pokes his head above ground, but he is likely limited in how much he can do directly for any of them outside the confines of their own worlds most likely because if it was anything he gave them or powered directly it would be nullified in the Dark Realms. This is partially guess work based on multiple things said over all the books but this is my personally reasoning for Runner's actions and seeming apathy.
I don't think Runner lied to Vince because even Felix said it cost him next to nothing to bring Karya back so she probably was very close to reviving he wasn't speaking in absolutes he probably just glanced at the data without digging into it. Also it seems fairly minor thing to nit pick
Felix dislikes Runner because he doesn't like being under his thumb also he has no concept of the rules for gods that runner operates under so to him it seems like Runner is toying with him particularly given the nature of his power. Felix is also fiercely protective of his Legion and he feels Runner is Flippant and negligent towards what is a near continuous attack on legion. Given all that his hostility makes a great deal of sense even if its a bit unwarranted in the grand scheme.
I think a lot of runners actions will make sense in the context of the novels that bring everything together when we find out more about this other Overgod, but also again think of the end of Awakenings Runner didn't truly go boss mode until his love ones were potentially harmed/killed and even then after they were safe he left the mainland to sort itself out for the most part not planning to move on it until it became a threat to him and his which is in keeping with his character. This is basically the same thing.
as for FF1 - FF2 you have to remember Leah was cut off in her explanation to Alex about exactly what he was so he likely was he Champion all along he just wasn't aware and its not a lie if you don't know. You also have to bare in mind Leah/Amelia is very sporadic and could just as easily just decided randomly he was worthy of being called her champion. She isn't exactly Stable to say the least.
Sounds like making it a mountain out of a molehill. And effectively nitpicking. Sure the small details are annoying. But allow mistakes to happen I haven't seen another author do this sort of thing before.
ReplyDeleteAlso your assumptions are a little too much IMO. I think you are assuming Runner has full control over everything which clearly he doesn't. Why else was script there in the end of Ssosh3? Also wasn't it pretty much Al's mission to save his mother? So what is happening on the "worlds" is related to what is happening on the outside.
Felix's outburst of violence isn't that strange really. Remember how much he lost it in the first book?
I would love to do a full write up about what I think is going on and what not but doing it on mobile doesnt sound fun.
So about the inconsistencies they are minor details only wives he resurrected in S3 was the dreads not Petra which F never met.
I'll say this and respond no further. I don't want to encourage nitpicking in a way, but I don't want to "pull the shade" either so to speak. In this response, I'll pull back some of the veil that I don't speak to, and maybe provide an answer that will help you. Or at least give you closure to move on.
ReplyDeleteRunner- He's human. He's not actually a god. To him, when he looked to the dead Dryads, he was reading their code/flags on their living status. Not that they were buried, or otherwise. To him, when he looked, he saw no reason to do anything. Vince -probably- should have dug them up. But the Drayd's told him they needed to stay buried. It's a communication fail. Because they're human. Even the AIs are made to be human.
As a reader, it sounds like you're not thinking about anything outside of the written word. As an author, I'm looking to screw you up.
Example: Dungeon Deposed. Ryker assumes the Dark Lord of the north's people at the end are a male knight, a female Beastkin, and a Cat beastkin. When in fact it's a female ogre, a Were-Lion, and a lady named Satomi who's a Kitsune. Everyone who read the narrator view (Ryker's thoughts) never even considered they weren't that.
Runner agreeing to do nothing- There's a lot of meta-verse answers in this one that i'll not answer. But again, it was written intentionally. He's not interceding because of reasons that are beyond the scope of the written word.
Fostering Faust- Champion status. We often resist what we don't wish to be true, even if it is. https://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html
In one hand, he doesn't wish to be the Champion, in the other, once he understands all of it, and no longer resents Leah, he can accept it.
I think, and I say this as gently as I can, maybe my writing isn't for you Lestibournes. I do remember seeing your name complaining about me to another Author on their blog as well. I only say this because this is going to continue to happen. This isn't the last time the narrator headspace will be "wrong". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unreliable_narrator
I write my books from a third-person headspace of the character. That includes inaccurate assumptions on their part.
You see them as inconsistencies, and I see them as a character being real.
I hope this helps.
hah I honestly didn't catch that at the end of DD I caught that the Dark lord is actually Runner from the Reference in FF but I didn't even think to look back at the three people he sent to get Riker
DeleteI figured out that bit in DD and loved it. I love the perspective in these books and trying to figure out what might be happening. I think it is very clever and fun. It work feel as real otherwise.
DeleteWow, that was a bit of a aggressive stance to take for simple questions.
ReplyDeleteI thought that responds from your fans were wanted regardless of whether they were praise or criticisms on a board such as this. Nitpicking is a perfectly reasonable word to use however since that is all it was, in hopes that things would be better in the future or I would have it explained as you just did. When I read about the DD1 encounter I was really excited and I figured that one out right away, but then again that one wouldn't have been an issue in the first place. To throw away a fan just because he questions some aspects is a bit harsh though I would say, but still it would only lead me to stop attempting to have a conversation with you and other fans, not enjoy your work.
But I see I got enough answers to at least wish to end this conversation as much as you seem to. Really wish you all the best with future books and I will be buying the paper and audio of them all as I have been till now.
Dude I typed out a lengthy reply thinking you were just missing a few bits but now I see you're just an ass. William is an AMAZING author and his books blend together extremely well and have a great deal of continuity. I feel like you're just a very shallow reader who doesn't grasp detail.
Deleteand there is a VAST difference between constructive Criticism and or asking for clarification and the aggressive nit picking toxicity you're throwing around.
This man is a Wordsmith and an artist with his story telling. He doesn't just tell a story he builds worlds upon worlds into his own universe. You can tell he is invested in his books and Characters and how much he enjoys writing them based on the energy in his books. These characters and books are his artistic children and if you talk shit about someone's children papa gonna smack you down and you deserve it.
Wanted to say I love the SSoSH books and can’t wait for more keep up the good work
ReplyDeleteThis is kinda spoilerish but I just finished reading ff2 and read ff1 a week ago just to get into the head space for it but after sleep over it i found a massive plot hole that i just wish you could clarify.
ReplyDeleteWhen Leah found out what he was doing and that he had std she "blessed" him by healing him and saying something along the lines of now you can fuck everyone well
But then it was never mentioned again
Like if you know that sleeping with them will heal them it will be a big bargaining chip
Also Anna pregnancy issue should have been fixed just by fucking
Also 2 shouldnt be unwell on the road if she could just fuck alex and get well
Sorry if i missed something and this message was unessary ill go back and reread ff1 to check but just need to dump my thoughts
From a big fan
STDs aren't the reason for Anna's problem, or Carla's sickness. :)
DeleteNevermind, only applies to std
ReplyDeleteGoing to leave the comment up just to show how big an idiot i am and should of just done a simple word search instead of a 200 word rent about a "plot hole"
sorry about the clutter
And point no 1 still stands considering aids is still a std
Still a Big fan :)
Anna doesn't have AIDS...? Where'd you get that?
DeleteNo im talking about the bargaining chip part sorry for misunderstanding
DeleteAlso kudos for fast replies
DeleteThanks for talking to readers can't wait to buy the audiobooks :)
Excuse my Language but FVVVVVVVVVVVVCCCCCCCCCKIIIINNNNNGNGNNGNGGGYESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, HOW I MISS THIS for 7 days?
ReplyDeletehaha, no idea. Join the mailing list? Patreon? Facebook? Get notifications? :D
DeleteHooray!! It's out. Now I can binge read FF1 and FF2 on my upcoming vacation. I'm loving how all of the books interconnect with the other series. This means I have another reason to read the Other Life series again to get some characters refreshed in my memories.
ReplyDeleteI somehow keep expecting Feliogustus from the Portals series by John Van Start to make a cameo somewhere. ;)
Any ideas on when your next book will be done? I'm not trying to rush you or anything, if the answer is 6 months thats cool, I just hate not knowing.
ReplyDeletehttps://williamdarand.wikia.com/wiki/Writing_Calendar
Deletethank you very much, i greatly appreciate how you are weaving all these stories together like a tapestry of adventure. I originally thought each book was its own separate entity/story until i saw SSoSH and WW connect. Kudos Wordsmith, kudos.
DeleteFinished it within 24 hours, can't wait for the next
ReplyDeleteCould you recommend me more of your books with limited sex scenes. I loved SSoSH and i'm currently enjoying the second book in the selfless hero series.I tried to get into FF 1 and WW but I don't really like the descriptive sex scenes, which is just a personal preference.
ReplyDeleteAnything Arand is fade to black for those who can't handle descriptive sex.
DeleteAnything Darren is full on adults only.
Hope that helps :)
Really really really hoping you keep this as the fantasy/isekai story that it is and don't tie it to Otherlife.
ReplyDeleteYou should probably stop reading.
DeleteIt's -all- tied to Otherlife.
Muahahaha
Delete