Tao Wong

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 27 preview

Author Note: Preview chapters are rough/first drafts. These chapters have not been edited, expect that there may be errors - however, feel free to point out consistency issues!

Liu Tou He dreamed, a dream of serene peace and warmth. He dreamed of being back in the monastery, huddled together with his brothers, flesh pressed to flesh as children for additional warmth as the small fire they were allowed blazed nearby. Winter snow fell outside, muffling the...

Business Post: Magic Kingdom at War Launch Post

I know I said I wasn't doing these anymore, at least not consistently. But since the first month is over, figured some people might find this interesting.

I should note, sales below are ONLY ebooks. There are no print versions of this, and I'm not going to bother estimating audiobooks beyond saying they're likely to breakeven.

Audiobooks are doing okay, breaking even at least so f...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 26 preview

She dropped her pickaxe by her side, staring at the deep hole that she had gouged into the cliff face. Bending low, she scooped up the broken ore into her storage ring. Each one that transferred lessend the pounding in her head by a small, almost infinitesimal degree. Standing by the seam, she knew there was no way to make the pressure upon her mental defenses disappear. Not till she left it alone and away.

Ground clear, she sniffed and wiped at her nose with her robe, grateful that Wu ...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 25 preview

Long Wu Ying walked the halls of the ancient library and felt as though he was once again, a student visiting the sect library for the first time. It was the same sense of awe that had filled him at the time, seeing so many manuals, treatises and scrolls in one place. It was not the sheer volume of literature that astounded him, but the potential that this vast array spoke of. 

As he walked, the wind flowed through the library, crossing in from open windows and doorways, through ar...

Cover Reveal: Climbing the Ranks 2

Who's ready to return to the Tower?

Magic Kingdom at War Volume 3 - Early Release

Magic Kingdom at War Volume 3 is now available for patrons, both e-book and audiobook are available as a BookFunnel download.

Both versions will be available till July 7th (Release date on Amazon/Kindle Unlimited/Audible) - if you've read any of the previous volumes please consider leaving a review for the novella series.

E-book download: 2024-06-26 13:56:22 +0000 UTC View Post

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 24 preview

She waited for him to fall asleep, tucked up and warm underneath the numerous blankets that covered his body. His forehead damp, shivering a little as his body reacted to another breach, another moment of friction between immortal soul and body. Wu Ying’s eyes were crinkled a little, the now-ever present signs of pain showing through even more as he rested.

Slipping out of the room, placing a privacy ward up to ensure that he would not overhear them, Yang Mu found Tou He waiting. She ...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 23 preview

Time passed and moved on and the trio traversed nations, both large and small. The environment changed, forests turned to scrublands to sandy cliffs and deserts. The seasons turned, as the world burst to life as though in a rush to make up for years of insufficient water. Mounts were changed out, from boats to horses and then carriages back to horses again. Finally, they reached their destination. 

The city of Yang Wen Dun sprawled out before them in the far distance as they came a...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 22 preview

Later that afternoon, as they sat on their horses, Yang Mu was laughing softly as she read over the document entrusted to her by Wu Ying.

“Is this your new career then, Ah Ying? Matchmaker?” she rolled it up and stored it along with the spirit crystal that had an embedded image of the young lady in her storage ring.

“Well, it was either that or an old lech.” Wu Ying sighed. “And I fear, I would make a lousy one.”

“Oh? You too good to be an old pervert?” she s...

Cover Reveal: Head of the Class

Feast your eyes on the cover of Head of the Class, the first book in the System Apocalypse: Liberty series!

About the Book

Standardized testing is so much worse in the apocalypse. 

Caleb Hanson assumed the most exciting part of his field trip scouting in Northern Minnesota would be a rare bird sighting. Instead, he was abducted by hive-minded hexapods and forced to be their children’s teacher. Not the worst way to ride...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 21 preview

Author Note: Preview chapters are rough/first drafts. These chapters have not been edited, expect that there may be errors - however, feel free to point out consistency issues!

Tou He caught up with them a kingdom and a half over. By changing their robes and downplaying their auras, the pair managed to escape notice from those above. While it was not impossible to hide their cultivation base entirely, it was often not worth the effort. Certain social and governmental con...

Magic Kingdom at War Volume 2

Magic Kingdom at War Volume 2 is now available for patrons, both e-book and audiobook are available as a BookFunnel download.

Both versions will be available till June 26th (Release date on Amazon/Kindle Unlimited/Audible) - if you've read volume 1 please consider leaving a review for the novella series.

E-book download: 2024-06-13 15:56:51 +0000 UTC View Post

Combo Business and Writing Update: Sickness & Hiatus

So, there's not been a business post in a bit. There's a good reason for that - I got sick. A minor complication - pink eye - that threw my writing off for a few days, and that still has lingering effects. I basically have some trouble seeing, and while it mostly (I think) requires a new pair of glasses, I did fall behind for a while because I couldn't see well enough to write much.

On top of that, while I am ahead of my release schedule for the most part, I have also realised that a lo...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 20 preview

Amusingly, though they had spoken as though Wu Ying was to leave immediately, they delayed for a day so that Yang Mu could finish her initial discussions she had begun. Meeting up with other merchant groups, trading what basic mundane materials she had on-hand and learning about other goods that might be purchased took most of the day. Not that it matter in many ways, for Tou He had dragged the trio of submissive elders away.

Joining the caravan, the pair sat on the middle wagon, relaxe...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 19 preview

Rain had raised the rivers, brought much needed relief. Like any other boon, it came with its own misfortune. In this case, debris and thrash that had gathered on lowered river banks or on old runways were swept into the water, causing an impromptu dam further down the river. That, by itself, could have been handled by the cultivators.

What the captain, having pulled into their latest storm, was unwilling to risk was the stirring of new beasts and the floating logs that threatened to ho...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 18 preview

It was strange, speaking to a cultivator whose entire existence contradicted the very basis of cultivation that Wu Ying had grew up upon. Not to say that he had not understood it was possible – those who ate immortal peaches, who quaffed the wine of immortality or whose bloodline had grown in prominence that they gained the strength of beasts – they all had similar backgrounds. 

More than that, heretical cultivators of all kinds had been part of his past. Individuals who had so...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 17 preview

To go west, they travelled to the north and east. It might have seemed strange, but the choice to take a riverboat across the water via a conveniently placed river and canal set-up meant that even the minor diversion over a few days after they skirted the mountain range would save them weeks of travel time. 

Travel by boat was both more convenient, faster and allowed the cultivators to cultivate and contemplate their various daos. It was the preferred way of crossing the vast dista...

Magic Kingdom at War Volume 1 - now available for Patrons

Magic Kingdom at War Volume 1 is now available for patrons, both e-book and audiobook are available as a BookFunnel download.

Both versions will be available till June 5th (Release date on Amazon/Kindle Unlimited/Audible) - please consider leaving a review on Amazon when the novella releases.

E-book download: https://BookHip.com/BRZBZQJ

Audiobook* download: 2024-05-30 20:33:09 +0000 UTC View Post

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 16 preview

“You are disturbingly familiar with this,” Tou He complained to Wu Ying, arms crossed.

Wu Ying shrugged as he finished stripping and patting down the corpse, extracting the jewelry and storage rings from fingers, toes and in almost every case, a pouch tied to the small clothes. He raised a hand and sent a small pulse of energy through the body beneath him, grimacing at the twinge of pain and also the results.

“You might want to look away,” he said.

“Why?” Yang Mu...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 15 preview

Tou He ran. Entirely on purpose, he ran, allowing his attacker to chase him backward and push him away from his friends with his attacks. He extended his aura as he did so, enveloping his attacker - and more importantly - the aura he left behind, the traces of corrupted chi that floated behind his opponent, corrupting the world by its very existence as he expended it. His aura combatted that corrupted chi, burning it up, ensuring that none of the malaise would be left behind.

This was t...

Craft Post: Beginnings

Had a new writer ask about having issues with the start of their book and infodumps. Now, I'm not a huge fan of writing / offering craft advice, because I still feel very much like a beginner. However, this was something I thought I could contribute to, so rather than a business post, we're getting a craft post. we go:

Here's a few ways to overcome a slow beginning or doing too much exposition/infodumps as a new writer:

• Ignore the problem. Just write and keep writing for ...

  2024-05-22 13:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 14 preview

In the end, they declined Fa Yuan's request to use the pool. She had not desired to utilize the formation either, or more specifically, pay for it. As she put it, "Trust in me. I know my path and I am walking it already. This is but a shortcut."

Even so, the entire process of decision and then decline of her did give Tou He the weeks he needed to consolidate his cultivation after his ascent. The process of integrating soul and body, weaving them tight such that his mortal body was overr...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 13 preview

The thing about fire, the thing was, that it could so easily hurt as it could save. Flame in the middle of the coldest winter was survival, life. Flame in the middle of summer, when the world was a tinder box could mean devastation and death for thousands. Perhaps that was the greatest difference - the personal and the multitude. Fire, used for the personal, was mostly beneficial. Barbecued meat,, blacksmithing, warm baths. When spread further, wider - that was when it fell down. Thousands of...

Business Post: Being a Bad Business Person

After writing the TIAC post and noting I lost money on it (and, as my wife would say - again!), I would like to make a somewhat public admission.

I'm a horrible business person.

I constantly take on projects that are, frankly, not a good sensible business decision. Many of these projects are passion projects, things that are done that don't really add to the bottom line - or, in many cases; are a net negative.

Here's a rundown on a few that I've done over the years:

Sy...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 12 preview

Author Note: Preview chapters are rough/first drafts. These chapters have not been edited, expect that there may be errors - however, feel free to point out consistency issues!

 Clouds gathered high above, dark and foreboding. Wu Ying could feel the wind pulling against his robes, playing with his hair, old friends that had grown distant but back for a few moments. He felt the chilly disapproval of one of the winds, the way it pressed against his aura, put...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 11 preview

Tou He turned as he exited, closing the simple slat door behind him. It still let in a little light, but it would aid his friend in resting. He paused, moments before closing it, regarding his friend frankly. Strange, how he looked smaller now, frailer. His normal tan had faded a little, grown paler as he spent less time outside. His aura flickered and roiled even now as he rested, calming a little but still disturbed. Portions of it felt broken, the normally impervious aura ragged at certain...

New Series Announcement & Cover Reveal

Coming in June - there's a new series releasing - Magic Kingdom at War.

Book Blurb:

Dying the first time sucked. Matt's trying to avoid a repeat performance.

For Matt, joining Earth's last line of defense was exactly the purpose he had been seeking. Having to save the world after being reincarnated in a magical realm might be enjoyable, in a soul-crushing responsibility kind of w...

Business Post: The Toronto Indie Author Conference

Well, the inaugural Toronto Indie Author Conference ended last weekend. It was an interesting experience, one that continually caught me by surprise. I had a lot of help setting it up - mostly from the employees in Starlit Publishing - but also from the volunteers and speakers who generously donated their time to the event.

Along the way, I learnt a bunch of things, especially on the business end so I thought I'd write about it.

Surprising Amount of Support...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 10 preview

The monastery was located in a mountain, high above and far away from the world around it. There was no convenient river that fed to the foothills, forcing the trio to ride their horses for a day before they came to it. Even the trip upwards took time for they had to leave their houses in a stable at the bottom of the passage, among the small village that had formed below to feed and care for the monastery itself.

It amused Wu Ying, a little, to see the village. Most monasteries and man...

The Fourth Wall - Chapter 9 preview

The next morning, both Ng's were still sleeping. A small formation had been set-up in the backroom of the rest stop, the proprietor looking all kinds of upset and afraid over the addition to his building. The fact that Tou He ad assured him that neither cultivator was actually hurt and would wake up after having the best sleep of their lives had done little to appease the man's nervousness. On the other hand, there was little he could do and the payment he had been given for the room rent and...