I rewrote the description for A Battleaxe and a Metal Arm. 

Why? 

Well, the idea evolved. 

The original kernel for the serial was little more than a sorceress and a barbarian trapped in an ever-changing dungeon. Sure, I had the big ideas figured out—namely the ending and the big reveals about the dungeon and the characters… 

But the rest of it came through writing. Through following Helesys and Taunauk (and Shawn) through the various realms. 

The tagline used to be “Wake up. Kill stuff. Die. Repeat.” I used to think it was going to be all about that, about action and about surviving. I envisioned it to be a gritty homage to its Sword & Sorcery roots. Every time the heroes died, they’d wake up in a different realm. 

Recently, a friend was interested in the series and read the description. Her reaction was “So, I have to read about them dying over and over?”

I was speechless. And that stuck with me because that’s not what the story was about, at all.  

Sure, the first couple times they die and get sent to a new realm, but Helesys quickly figures out another way to travel between worlds—one that involves significantly less discomfort.  

The whole dying part is actually a small part of the story. 

So I went back to the drawing board. 

Book descriptions (and marketing) are their own art form. It’s hard enough to write a story, let alone distill it down to its essence, and then find a well to sell said essence. 

I think this new description is much better than before—much truer to the essence of what makes A Battleaxe and a Metal Arm special.  

See, I’d been selling it the wrong way. I’d been worried about making it a tribute to the genre, instead of focusing on what made it a good story. 

A sorceress with a metal arm and a barbarian with a battleaxe, journeying across impossible, changing realms. 

Helesys is cunning, driven—and trapped.

Her only ally is a towering barbarian who’s as cold as his blade. 

Together, they’ll have to survive impossible realms and find their memories in the process. 

As her powers come back, Helesys feels confident that the two of them will make it out or die trying… But even death might not be an escape.  

If you like gritty fantasy, awe-inspiring realms, larger-than-life characters, vicious monsters and eldritch horrors—then you’re in the right place. 

Come for the adventure. Stay for the mystery. 

Escape the dungeon. Find yourself.  

That’s what A Battleaxe and a Metal Arm is all about. Sure, there’s still monsters and survival, but Helesys and Taunauk are front and center. The story is about them after all—about escaping and finding themselves in the process.  

Anyway, I hope you’re enjoying the series so far. I’ve got big plans for it, and we’re coming up on some big reveals, so stay tuned. 

The one year anniversary of the serial is coming up in April!