A Fragment from the Gospel of Draygon

The following is one of the rediscovered fragments from The Gospel of Draygon. Though lesser known than the famed Picatrix manuscript, the two documents share the same notoriety. Some scholars consider the Gospel of Draygon a composite of occult magic and arcane alchemical knowledge, while other believe it to be a hoax. Unlike the Picatrix however, we have only fragments and no complete volumes survives.

J.S. – 1981



When those left behind decayed and rotten,

By a bloodless beast, the shadow, the forgotten,

A blade you will need to cut through the darkest night

To set ablaze the forgotten and transcend its twilight


The cost to forge thine weapon is ancient indeed,

For tribes of old, would know how to succeed

And strike the blade from black glass forged in fire,

And etch the futhark in the hilt made of bone, blood, and desire


And whence from you find the materials to acquire?

In Yew is the wisdom, a sturdy root you desire.

Affix a bone from a broken thing, it’s essence made of fire,

Blood from thine own veins, will baptize thine hilt,

And the greatest of wills, removes all the guilt 


And to learn the language of the land,

A journey you must undergo to truly understand,

The need for great endurance and power

Even as knowledge and stillness will bring justice to flower.


Last of all, brings light to the blade,

To anoint, in the beasts own body, under the cursed glade,

Where things alive, pulse with malice,

And the creature hides in his smoking palace

There in the heart of the place, you must strike,

And draw the sap and soul from a place, dreamlike


This fragment appears as a chapter epigraphic in Through an Endless Darkness Gleaming (Shades & Shapes in the Dark Book 2)

Read: Shades and Shapes in the Dark for more

Author Copies Have Arrived and Resistance Reads Episode 2 Goes Live May 4th

There really is nothing quite like holding something that you spent many hours on in your hands. Shades & Shapes in the Dark has arrived and I’m so excited. The cover, the formatting, the content all came out even better than I hoped. You can preorder the book from all your favorite stores https://books2read.com/u/4NEqGo

Not only that, this weekend our second episode of Resistance Reads goes live on May 4th at 10am Denver time. Matt Wellstrom and I will be discussing V for Vendetta. If you like this book, or have even seen the movie we’d love to answer your questions and engage in dialogue through our livestream comment section on YouTube.

I’m giving away 100 copies of Shades & Shapes in the Dark!

In celebration of the release of Shades and Shapes in the Dark, I’m running a Goodreads giveaway! What does this mean? It means I’m giving away 100 ebook copies of Shades in Shapes in the Dark. And the best part? If you win one of these copies, you get the book a week before it’s release and get to be among the first people to read my new dark fantasy horror novel.

The giveaway will run from April 26th to May 10th and if you win, you will get your copy immediately at the conclusion of the giveaway. All I ask is that if you get a copy, you give me an honest review (yes even if you hate the book).

Head over to this link to sign up for the giveaway. It’s totally free. All you need is a goodreads profile (you can create one pretty easily if you don’t have one) and that’s it. Since it’s an ebook, all you need is a valid email address to sign up.

A New Podcast and Preorder for Shades & Shapes in the Dark!

Hey everybody,

I have two pieces of news for you. The first is that the preorder for Shades & Shapes in the Dark has launched! You can preorder the ebook version from your favorite online store or you can preorder the paperback from Barnes & Noble at this link.

Want to get the book early and for free? I’m looking for 17 more Advanced Review Copy (ARC) readers. Basically, you let me know you want a copy by commenting below or shooting me an email and I’ll send you a copy in exchange for an honest review (yes even if you hate it).

The second piece of news is that me and my good friend Matt Wellstrom are launching a brand new podcast called, Resistance Reads. The podcast will explore the concepts of power and resistances through literature. Our inaugural episode will cover George Orwell’s classic novel 1984.

You can join us at the livestream here on April 19th at 11am MDT out of Denver. https://youtube.com/live/AqlLzQvCBBU?feature=share You can also watch the replay at the same link. Come join our discussion and ask your questions!

Book Release Party for Shades & Shapes in the Dark!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Indiegogo Campaign for my new dark fantasy horror novel, Shades &Shapes in the Dark! I am forever grateful and I will have your perks out to you as soon as humanly possible.

With the conclusion of the campaign, I’m happy to announce, that the book will hit the stores on May 17th 2025 in both paperback and ebook! You can join us over at Prodigy Coffee on the 17th at 1pm for the official release party where I will be reading and signing copies of Shades & Shapes in the Dark! I’ve also created an event over on Facebook if you are on that platform.

The audiobook is currently being recorded and though I have no doubt it will be completed by the 17th, the processing time for audiobook distribution seems to take an extra chunk of time.

A few other incredible writers will be sharing their amazing work in addition to a short reading of Shades & Shapes in the Dark. Including:

Cecily Stone

Marissa Forbes

Stant Litore

and

Jason Van Tatenhove

We look forward to seeing you on May 17th!

Only 24 Hours To Help Me Fund My Novel Shades & Shapes in the Dark!

It’s down to the wire! Only a little over 24 hours to go and my Indiegogo campaign for Shades and Shapes in the Dark is only 49% funded. I need help crossing the finish line! I need help crossing the finish line!

Don’t forget, the first two chapters are already up on YouTube in audiobook format, which I’ve linked below.

There are tons of perks for those who contribute, including bookmarks, coffee mugs, signed copies, audiobook editions and, even T-shirts. So head over to the Indiegogo page and check them out!

Shades & Shapes in the Dark Chapter 2 is Now on YouTube!

I just uploaded the second chapter of Shades & Shapes of the Dark on YouTube in an audiobook format. In the second chapter, a thief steals Clarissa’s skateboard and she chases him into the woods, only to stumble on something sinister. If you’re just seeing this, you can also listen to Chapter 1 on YouTube here.

There are only 12 days left for my Indiegogo Campaign to raise enough funds to pay for the final copy edit.

If you enjoyed the first two chapters of the book so far, definitely head over to Indiegogo and see how you can support it’s final creation. There are lots of perks for contributors! Help me make this book a reality!

Here it is, Chapter 2: The Meadow at the Edge of the World

Help Me Publish Shades & Shapes in the Dark

Paperback mock up of Shades and Shapes in the Dark
Paperback mock up of Shades and Shapes in the Dark

Only a few years ago, before the pandemic, I was able to successfully publish my books by getting a second job. But these days, I need a second job just to pay the bills. So I need your help to publish Shades & Shapes in the Dark.

I’ve just launched a crowdfunding campaign through Indiegogo, a website like Kickstarter where you can contribute to the campaign and get all kinds of perks. At the most basic level your name will be immortalized in the acknowledgements section of the book. But you can also get things like like signed copies of the book, coffee mugs, bookmarks, the audiobook edition and more.

Click here to check out the crowdfunding campaign

Do you want to know what you are backing? Well, here’s the link to my reading of Chapter 1 of Shades and Shapes in the Dark.

Shades & Shapes in the Dark Chapter 1 Audiobook (Listen Now)

I’m so very happy to release Chapter 1 of my dark fantasy, horror novel, Shades & Shapes in the Dark. You can listen to the audiobook edition of the first chapter over on YouTube at the video below. Chapter 1 is titled, The Crossroads of Life and Death.

Synopsis:

How do you fight a Shadow? How do you survive 40 years of darkness?

When 9 year old Clarissa Lamont stumbles upon something sinister in the forest, she didn’t know it was the beginning of a 40 year long nightmare strewn with the bodies of many she loved. In her journey to fight back, she will need to discover ancient hidden secrets of occult magic, and find others who understand her struggles. But the story begins where it ends, with her final confrontation with something as old as humanity itself. Shades & Shapes in the Dark is the first of four novels about Clarissa’s struggle to learn to harness her own power and magic, and fight a Shadow. Book 1 covers Clarissa’s very first encounter and battles with the creature she calls Demon.