So I now officially have two, that’s right TWO, Splatter Elf stories out on the market, “The Unicorn-Eater” and “River of Blades” (FREE for August 5th!). Earlier this year I wouldn’t have expected such a thing to be possible. Mostly because I’ve always been in the traditional camp when it comes to publishing for many years. However, in the last two years or so, I’ve opened up my mind to self-publishing and trying new things. One thing with Splatter Elf is that I think it might be a hard sell to editors and agents. Plus, since I’m writing short fiction, it would be tough to find markets that would be open to fantasy fiction that is ultra-violent, weird, and definitely not PG-13. After talking to a couple of people, I decided that Splatter Elf as a concept would work best as a self-published venture.

The Splatter Elf concept actually took off after C.D. Gallant-King found the idea interesting and eventually developed  into an RPG. That was pretty rad. I actually got to play it. I was a barbarian that had a goblin skeleton puppet that he beat the shit out of people with.

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to pursue this as a concept. I bumped some ideas around and eventually settled on writing The Bloody Unicorn for NaNoWriMo after the website Tablo promoted a contest. The top 5 books would be offered up to Pan Macmillan’s digital imprint for consideration to be published. I was selected as one of the top 5, so this motivated me to really give this shit a go.

At first my idea was to create a Patreon page and offer up stories there. After indie writer Robert Bevan suggested to publish directly to Amazon, I thought, “Hmm…that’s more pressure.” Yet it was good pressure. It meant that I had to figure out several elements important to becoming an indie author. How to spend my time promoting, writing, and being a good citizen of the internet. I also learned formatting and other goodies required for self-publishing.

My first goal was to release two shorts a month. I quickly figured out, “Shit, that’s hard.” I’ve since decided one a month may be more doable, but even that hasn’t worked out perfectly yet. “The Unicorn-Eater” was published on May 11th and my second story “River of Blades” was just published on August 2nd. Not exactly a monthly endeavor.

One thing that is helping me stay on track is that I’m getting covers from my awesome artist friend Josh (also the lead singer of my band). They definitely show the aesthetic I want for Splatter Elf. Weird, different, and manga-esque. Because Splatter Elf is heavily influenced by manga and anime, it makes sense. Once I get a cover, I think, “Shit, now I have to write this.” Deadlines have been key in keeping me moving forward.

So the Splatter Elf Empire continues to grow. My third story “The Bog Wyvern” should be ready to go in late August, early September. I don’t plan on slowing down yet.

In addition, meeting Rob Matheny in his super-duper group Grimdark Fiction Readers and Writers and forming The Grim Tidings Podcast definitely also fueled my passion for this project. Talking about it with him and getting ideas, support, and cover design has been invaluable. Doing the podcast with him has enabled me to chat with great writers, both upcoming and more established, fueling my love of fantasy fiction and writing. Rob’s another awesome, inspiring dude that got me rolling. Seriously, he’s a fucking rock star. Tweet it.

In closing, I’d like to share comments Robert Bevan made about “The Unicorn-Eater.” It’s awesome to me because he’s the one that suggested I take the self-publishing route and see where it took me. So props to him!

“Maybe there’s something about moving from Gulf Coast Mississippi to Far East Asia, or maybe it’s just coincidence.

I finally got around to reading Philip Overby’s first (of hopefully many) Splatter Elf book, The Unicorn-Eater.

Feisty half-elf girl. Swords. Blood. Gore (so much gore). Banter. Gratuitous swearing. This little story has it all. It was both very funny and an exciting mini-adventure.

I have almost all of Bevan’s library and he does great promotions every so often for all of his stories and novels. His writing is funny, weird, crude, and a must-read for fans of D&D and other tabletop games. I know sometimes fantasy can be deadly serious, so it’s great to find other authors that decide fantasy can be fun if you let it. He’s on Facebook, Twitter, and has a cool website,  Caverns and Creatures, as well. You can check out his Amazon Author Central page here to find all of his current books. He’s got a shitload of great ones, so get cracking! Robert Bevan Author Central

And an additional shout out to C.D. Gallant-King who got the Splatter Elf ball rolling. His book Ten Thousand Days is available now as well. I described it as “Alice and Wonderland cranked up to 11.” He’s also on the interwebs at Facebook, Twitter, and his website Stories I Found in the Closet.

And a final thank you to all the incredible people I’ve met at Mythic Scribes, my critique partners, and anyone who has left review on the Splatter Elf stories so far. Mythic Scribes has been my home on the internet since 2011, so it always holds a special place in my writerly heart.

Thanks for reading and hope to see the world soaked in elf blood before it’s all over.