Jay W. Farley
@nerdiestviking.bsky.social
420 followers 430 following 590 posts
Sci fi/fantasy fan and author of The Night Between Stars, a book about vampire wizards fighting space capitalism! Tabletop gaming geek aficionado! He/Him https://linktr.ee/JWFarleyAuthor
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nerdiestviking.bsky.social
Only one week to the release of book 2 on Oct 18th! Its up for pre-order now.
All this week, I'm sharing random, non-spoilery snippets of book one to convince you to read it. Magic and robots, together at last! #writingcommunity #scifi #fantasy #booksky
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
BONUS ARMY BONUS ARMY BONUS ARMY BONUS ARMY

GO READ SMEDLY BUTLER!
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
I can't do audiobooks due to hearing issues, so here is how I, a book only reader, pronounce common #fantasy names! Let me know if you need help pronouncing any you aren't sure of! #booksky #indieauthor
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesSpooktober #WritingCommunity Day 11
Fantasy Indies Spooktober Calendar with Day 11 Saturday Snippet highlighted. Arabad station was in close orbit of an M-grade star that I had already forgotten the name of. Roughly five kilometers across and five hundred meters thick, it hung in a complex orbit that would keep me on the shadowed side throughout my journey. I could see in the dark fine, so there was no trouble as I moved along the route Evadne and I had plotted.
It used the stellar mass to refine rare metals along with mining trace elements from the scant corona of the collapsing dwarf star. We were here trying to procure a contract on several elements we couldn’t source on our own planet officially. We weren’t interested in that part, though I am sure Evadne would do some fine politicking for the corporation.  
What we were here for was the more sinister side of the business, one more on the vampire wizard warrior side of the street. This facility had started to turn out a high-quality, potent form of blood that empowered vampires beyond anything we had seen in history. A single shot of that could keep a vampire going for days. 
If it was artificial, it was a break through Evadne and I had been hunting for centuries. Cloning was a cutting edge science, but every attempt to sustain a vampire on cloned blood had failed. It had to come from someone who was alive, or at least was at some point. It was just tap water to us.
But the quantities they were producing was very limited, and we only found out about it second-hand. Basileus may have raised the family to the first among equals of the aristocracy of the night, but that just made us a target for ones who wanted out position. They kept the secret from us as long as they could.
But not long enough. Now I was hand over hand, moving slowly along the outside of the station to find where they were creating the blood. Evadne had mapped the station thoroughly using both technology and sorcery, but there was one part that was fully shielded by both. A massive hangar, one far from where my ship was docked.
Reposted by Jay W. Farley
michaelwhelan.bsky.social
ELRIC AT THE FORGE OF FOREVER (2019)
Acrylic on Watercolor Board - 14 ½” x 6 ½”

When I tossed out the old container of paints used to do the cover painting for WORDS OF RADIANCE, it landed upside down in my wastebasket on a piece of paperboard I had been using as a palette for something else. 1/2
Elric stands on an outcrop of rock with skulls at his feet. He wears a black hooded cloak trimmed in gold and jeweled bracers. He cradles Stormbringer as the length of the runesword, glowing purple, extends well above his head. Below him water spills frothy onto the shore but as it stretches back, placid and glassy, it gives way to erupting vents of lava.
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
Counting down to the release of The Shadow Between Thoughts on October 18th by trying to convince you to read it! All this week, we're talking tropes that appear. Today, it is TRANSHUMANISM! The body is a chrysalis we all can outgrow. #scifi #fantasy #writingcommunity #booksky
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesSpooktober #WritingCommunity Day 10

I've got no sense of emojis, I almost never use them. Right now, my WIP is a short story about my main vampire celebrating Halloween. He loves it because he can go all fangs and claws, and people just high five him. It's great for his self-esteem.
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
Counting down to the release of The Shadow Between Thoughts on Oct 18th by convincing you to read book 1! All this week we're talking TROPES! Today, it is the traditional Corporate Dystopia! What happens when they own everything but you? #writingcommunity #scifi #fantasy #booksky
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesSpooktober #WritingCommunity Day 9

I talk about vampires a lot because that is what the MC of my book is, but my favorite is werewolves. The idea of your body betraying you as you lose control of yourself speaks to me, as a disable man with multiple concussions. It's my greatest fear.
Fantasy Indies Spooktober calendar with Day 9 Favorite paranormal creatures highlighted.
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
Friendly reminder that I am boycotting the NFL for a good and normal reason (ban forward passes) and not weirdo baby reasons.
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
Counting down to the release of The Shadow Between Thoughts on October 18th! I'm trying to convince people to read it by posting about it every day. All this week we're talking TROPES! Today, it is Any Sufficiently Advanced Technology, one of my favorites #writingcommunity #scifi #fantasy #booksky
Reposted by Jay W. Farley
tolariancommunitycollege.com
We're going back to the plane of New York City.
Reposted by Jay W. Farley
scumbelievable.bsky.social
I don't like him personally, but David Simon on AI is the final word on the subject.
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesSpooktober #WritingCommunity Day 8

The two I recommend are vampire books which inspired my vampire book. Agyar, by Steven Brust is a wonderful modern tale. The Madness Season by Celia S Friedman is a sci-fi vampire romp. Both never say vampire.

Aslo also Fledgling by Octavia E Butler
Fantasy Indies Spooktober calendar with Day 8, spooky month book recs highlighted.
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
Counting down to the release of The Shadow Between Thoughts on Oct 18th by posting about why you should read both books. All this week we're talking book tropes. Today, it is the Wise Old Mentor that is my MC. #writingcommunity #scifi #fantasy #booksky
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
Coming to Cupboard Maker Books just outside of Harrisburg, PA! Come by and say hi! #writingcommunity #booksky #scifi #fantasy
A large bald man with a beard (me) alongside the cover of my book The Night Between Stars, announcing my appearance at CUpboard Maker Books Fantasy, Scifi, Horror, MYstery weekend on October 18th at 1230 am.
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesSpooktober #WritingCommunity Day 7

My villain wants vampires to sit atop the throne of society. He wants to hunt his prey, fangs and claws in the dark as blood pours down his throat. The end of the masquerade that humans are the top of the food chain. He wants blood, power, and fear.
Fantasy Indies Spooktober Day 7 Villain's Goals
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
Counting down to the release of The Shadow Between Thoughts on Oct 18th by posting every day to convince you to read the series! All this week, we're talking tropes that appear in the book. Today, it's The Hidden World, The Masquerade, whatever you want to call it! #writingcommunity #booksky
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesSpooktober #WritingCommunity Day 6
We've got both kinds, vampires and werewolves. Demons, ghosts, rusalki, shape shifters, capitalists, salamanders, rakshasa, zombies, Pegasus, muu shuvuu, mokoi, various flavors of dragons, culebre, Asanbosam, etc. etc. etc.

We've got a grab bag!
Fantasy Indies Spooktober calendar with day 6, MOnsters In WIP Highlighted.
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
Counting down to the release of The Shadow Between Thoughts on October 18th by posting every day about why you should read the books! All this week we're talking tropes that appear. Tonight it is our main character Stephen, the Monster With A Heart Of Gold! #writingcommunity #scifi #fantasy #booksky
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesSpooktober #WritingCommunity Day 5
Stephen is a vampire. An avatar of blood and violence that survives on the life of his enemies. Designed to stalk through the dark and tear into his foes. He has trained for centuries in arts both martial and mystical.

He is terrified of spiders.
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
You know how everyone talks about how we need more queer events that aren't centered around alcohol? I'm like that, but for the Ren Fair. I don't want to sit at a bar all day, occasionally wandering over to watch a show or joust. I can't handle that, I need more stuff to do besides shop and drink.
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
Counting down to the release of The Shadow Between Thoughts by posting every day about why you should read book 1! We've covered characters and organizations already, so this week is TROPES! I hope you like Found Family, because we've got one! #fantasy #scifi #writingcommunity #booksky
nerdiestviking.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesSpooktober #WritingCommunity Day 4
Repelling boarders in space by going out without a suit to surprise them? Just one of the things you can do when you're a vampire!
Fantasy Indies Spooktober Calendar with day 4 Saturday Snippet highlighted. I was out in a flash, senses hindered by the vacuum but tuned as high as I could get them. A faint feeling above me and I turned, smiling.
A figure in a dark vacuum suit was above the doorway, one hand and both feet magnetized to Mina’s hull. If they weren’t contrasted against the color of Mina, I would have been hard pressed to see them. I could activate the wards to temporarily demagnetize them but decided against it. Their other hand held a large, barbed club, almost a mace. The hooks in it would tear and rend the fabric of non-armored vacsuits like ours.
They were hesitating though. Seeing a smiling face open to the vacuum like mine was, it threw them off. It was enough time for me to release my sleep spell. I was looking into the black face plate, searching for eye contacting and finding none. I held my smile as I released my spell.
It darted across the dark realm between us, and it was only as it hit that I realized there were sigils glowing around the marine’s head. They were purely metaphysical, carved into the dark matter of the universe. I had only an instant to study them as they fizzled out at the force of my spell.
Confused and befuddled as they were, my spell hit them hard and their hand on the club went slack. The weapon floated outside the envelope of gravity Mina generated at the end of their extended arm.
I clambered quickly out of the way and Lomax flowed out after me. He went hand over hand, ignoring the grips on Mina’s hull and relying solely on the magnets in his gloves. The years he spent as a corporate marine meant he had done actions like this dozens of times, hundreds if you count practice.