Travis Starnes

The Threads of Destiny - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: I Fought the Law…

“Stop,” Osric called out, more to his friends, whose hands were going instinctively to their weapons, than the guards. “We surrender. There’s no need for violence.”

“A wise choice,” the woman, who was clearly their leader, said. “Disarm them.”

The latter was said to the men with her, who quickly removed all of the groups’ weapons, finding a surprising number of knives and other small implements on Grace, su...

Center Stage - Chapter 9

I shook off the run-in with the paparazzi and made my way to the venue. In the end, if Warren thought it wasn’t a big deal, I wasn’t going to fret about it too much. I still had a job to do.

My game face lasted all of three steps into the venue as Larry, Dillon, and Marissa were practically waiting for me when I made it through into backstage, making a beeline for me.

“They fired Dakota,” Marissa blurted out.

“What?”

Could something with the paparazzi have ...

The Threads of Destiny - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Return to Farvale

The walk back to Farvale was going to take them at least two full days. They spent the first night at Jasper’s cabin, or at least camped near it, and the next walking through north through the forest. They’d at least made good time, and Rowan thought they’d make it to the city just after dark the following day.

Osric thought that was probably a good thing. Considering how they’d left the city, the fewer people that could notic...

Veilguard Concept Art - Characters & Creature

Jasper (1), Grace (2), Webscuttler (3)

The Threads of Destiny - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Cleric

“Well, that was a bit of fun, wasn’t it? Lucky you all showed up when you did. I mean, I would have handled it, but still, much obliged,” Grace said, and then knelt beside the nearest body and began rummaging through the man’s pockets.

Osric cleared his throat. “Actually, we were looking for you.”

Grace froze in place for a moment before standing back up, sword suddenly in hand, as she backed away from them.

“Is tha...

Cover Poll

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Center Stage - Chapter 8

The rest of Monday was a blur, and I passed out as soon as I got home. School itself the next day wasn’t much better. With the craziness around Dakota and then having to rush to LA for Sunrise Edition, I hadn’t gotten to the work I needed to do.

My biggest problem at the moment was a test I had on Friday in history class, but I was going to have to take it on Wednesday since I would be missing both Thursday and Friday. Ms. Parez had given me the prep work the class would be covering...

Country Road Possible End

So I've been looking at where my outline for this book ends and my long term outline for Country Road in general, and I really think this book will end charlie's story arc. I could, theoretically, keep going, but Charlie's story would be done, so it would just be stuff happening without much in the way of character growth outside of forced drama.

Or, I could start a new coming of age series I've been working out the overall outline for (a college age coming of age/fish out of water/soc...

The Threads of Destiny - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Thief and the Bandits

It was getting late in the day when the four of them reached the beginnings of another village, this one not nearly as beaten down as the last. It was larger than that village, with no boarded-up shops or empty taverns. They’d known they were getting close over an hour before reaching it, thanks to the well-tended fields stretching out to either side of the main road. In the town itself, there were the normal signs of life. People...

The Threads of Destiny - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: An Unusual Blight

Even though it was mid-autumn, it was still hot, and getting hotter with each step south they took. They made it to the border of Eldamar and for the last week had been wandering, almost aimlessly.

Villages in this corner of the forest were pretty spread out, but they were the only real option, as far as a place to start went. They’d tried two so far, and no one had ever heard of Jasper Mowbray or a scholar of any type living in the...

Center Stage - Chapter 7

I’d played LA, I’d played New York on New Year’s Eve, and I’d played all kinds of clubs and venues across the south. None of them prepared me for what playing in Vegas was like.

It was like stepping into another world, where everything was neon-lit, smoky, and loud. While most people back home would consider that a bad thing, there was a kind of energy to it like I’d never experienced before. I don’t know if it was because of the high style all around or just everyone convin...

Country Roads Concept Art - Characters

Warren Rice (1), Arthur Eaves (2), Benny Levine (3)

The Threads of Destiny - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Farvale

The city of Farvale was a completely different world than their small village of Eldham, and not just because of the cobblestone streets and large stone buildings. The place was crawling with people, everywhere they looked, and all of them moving with the same urgency of people being chased by wolves.

And the noise. It was all-consuming.

Merchants hawking their wares, saws and hammers and all other sundry clanging away in workshops, peopl...

Threads of Destiny Concept Art - Characters

Rowan Whycliff (1), Rodan Maddox (Sage of Avendell) (2)

Threads of Destiny - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Back to the Beginning

**The name of the Ranger has changed to Rowan Wycliff and Chapter 11 has been updated to reflect that.**

Osric’s eyes fluttered open, his vision slowly coming into focus. Above him, the concerned faces of Talia and Rowan peered down, both looking worried.

“Osric! Thank the gods, you’re awake,” Talia said, her voice filled with relief, her hand resting on his shoulder as she knelt beside him.

�...

Country Road Concept Art (All)

Songs

Country Roads: https://www.patreon.com/posts/concept-music-102512598

Backstage: https://www.patreon.com/posts/concept-music-102512748

The End of the Blues: https://www.patre...

Veilguard Concept Art (All)

Osric and Companions:

Osric Yarrow

Talia Penrose

Cinder

Rowan Wycliff

2024-05-09 05:10:16 +0000 UTC View Post

Imperium Concept Art (All)

People:

Ky

Lucilla

Bomilcar

Medb

2024-05-08 17:29:37 +0000 UTC View Post

Shattered Lands Concept Art (All)

People:

William Whitton

Aldric Whitton

Edmund Whitton

Alyssa Whitton

2024-05-08 16:58:16 +0000 UTC View Post

Center Stage - Chapter 6

As I got home from school, I mostly wanted to call Kat, both to talk to her about tutoring, since she’d gotten me through all of my previous rough spots in school, and to just check in with her about how I was feeling. I really did want to finish my senior year in person, so I could graduate with my friends, but the more I was gone, the further I felt from everyone, to the point where I felt more like an observer than a peer.

Unfortunately, her schedule in the afternoons was tight. Sh...

The Threads of Destiny - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: A Rip in the World

Bidding farewell to the Sage, who promised to continue trying to learn more about the half of a document they’d left with him, and into the people chasing them, the Trio followed the reappeared Valen through the forest, back toward the boundary wall.

He told them about living in the forest and his people as they walked. Osric found all of it fascinating and could have listened to the near-musical way his people spoke for hours, fin...

Veilguard Concept Art - Creature Images

Stagfolk (1), Grovewalker (2), Briarwolf (3), Shimmerlings (4)

The Threads of Destiny - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: A Quest Given

The trio followed the pair of stag-folk through the forest, still amazed by the mystical feeling of the place and how the air almost hummed. Even coming from a life spent in the Great Forest, Osric couldn’t get over how full of life this place was.

Osric was so enamored, trying to see everything around him, that he almost walked into the gargantuan tree the stag-folk stopped in front of, jumping back a step out of fright. Its trunk was ...

Center Stage - Chapter 5

After a final bow from everyone in the final number, we all ran backstage. Despite the power outage, our first tour date was a success, and everyone was in a great mood. While I joined them in that, I was also curious what had happened, and I went to find a PA.

Finding one of the line producers for the show, I grabbed him as he hustled by and asked, “What was that power outage about?”

“A car crashed into a nearby power station. Knocked out power for the whole block. They wer...

In the Shadow of Lions - Chapter 30

Starhaven, Sidor

The grounds outside the palace were covered in people, more than even the largest celebrations the capital had ever seen. People had held their place for ten long hours, no one wanting to leave lest they miss what was happening. The leaders of the rebellion had gone inside to negotiate with the king to finally end the conflict. 

The very city itself was holding its breath. Although the rebels had allowed a trickle of food shipments to resume,...

The Threads of Destiny - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Sage of Avendell

Osric and Talia followed Valen deeper into the heart of Avendell. The forest grew denser, the ancient trees towering overhead, their branches intertwining to create a canopy that filtered the sunlight into a soft, emerald glow. The air hummed with a subtle energy, a palpable sense of life and magic that seemed to permeate every leaf and blade of grass.

As they walked, Osric noticed the growing presence of otherworldly creatures. Eth...

Concept Music (Country Roads) - Ashes and Sand

A melodic rock song Charlie wrote about his parents as a kind of therapy.

Concept Music (Country Roads) - End of the Blues

Charlie's version of End of the Blues (Willie's last song that he was given to finish).

In the Shadow of Lions - Chapter 29

Cestralion, Aurorin Province, Lynese

William stood on the balcony of the Viceroy’s keep, looking out over the city of Cestralion. Although snow hadn’t started to fall yet, there was a notable chill in the air, helpfully marking the first day of winter. In spite of that, the city bustled with activity, people going about their daily lives despite the occupation by Sidorian forces.

That part, at least, had gone well. William’s biggest concern over the negotiat...

In the Shadow of Lions - Chapter 28

Kingshold River, Duchy of Shadowhold, Sidor

Aldric pushed open the weathered wooden door, stepping into the dimly lit interior of the farmhouse, not for the first time wondering where Fletcher managed to find these out-of-the-way places. They always looked unkempt and lived in, meaning this was someone’s home, and yet the occupant always managed to find somewhere else to be when these meetings happened.

It spoke to how far-reaching Fletcher’s network had becom...