Sneak Peak: Unfinished Cover of Scapemaker

If you have read what this book is about, you may not know what the image represents. This is the image of a female skinwalker.

Scapemaker: teaser from Chapter 7

Disclaimer: The following is one of two teasers no released on this blog and on goodreads. However, the book is still being edited. This teaser has not yet been edited. Please note any mistakes will be taken care of and enjoy the teaser. Ay comments are truly welcomed. Thank you!

Elijah turned the knob on the dreamgate and opened the door, allowing a light mist to enter the room. “Are you ready?”

Matthew took a deep breath, excited to tackle this new and adventurous challenge. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Elijah was the first to step through. The mist persisted beyond the door, becoming thicker and darker until Matthew could hardly see passed the frame. Stanasia went next, followed closely by Stanford and Stanly. Their eager screams and laughter resonated through the entry way as they disappeared within the obscure mist.

Skye and Alex stood at the entrance waiting to escort Matthew through. However, Matthew wished to go through on his own.

“Your escorts are there for a reason,” explained Mr. Xoner. “Must you do everything on your own? As I have stated before – you must be capable of taking direction without question.”

“But it’s just a door,” contended Matthew. “What kind of direction do I need?”

“That is a dreamgate; much different than an ordinary door. You’ll find that the simplest of tasks are often the most difficult without the proper direction. Do you still prefer to walk through on your own?”

Chuckling incredulously, Matthew insisted, “Come on. It’s just a door.”

Skye looked to Mr. Xoner for his approval. With a disappointed nod he agreed, allowing Alex and her to walk on through. Matthew was now left to act on his own. Placing one foot out the door Matthew leaned slowly forward. He couldn’t see his own foot through the thickness of the mist.

“Why is it so foggy?” asked Matthew as he stepped forward through the door expecting to place his foot onto the floor of the next room.

“That isn’t fog, my dear boy.”

“What is this?”

Everything slowed significantly as Matthew realized there was no floor and began to fall past the point of no return. Mr. Xoner replied, “Those are very high clouds.”

Now worried, Matthew pivoted around and reached for the door frame. “What do you mean by very high?” But it was too late. The dreamgate was too far for him to reach as he fell backward through the door.

As Matthew fell he could hear Mr. Xoner’s voice echoing, “Welcome to Scapemaker! It would have been nice to instruct the son of Nicholas Namely - had he lived.”

As the seconds passed, the clouds began to thin. Matthew was able to distinguish a jagged rock face almost at his nose. The treacherous face seemed to be rising in contrast to his descent. Matthew was falling head first. But since he was falling in slow motion, he could not discern the speed at which he was falling or the force of the impact to come.

Matthew could hear faint voices in the closing distance below, the words of which did not register. “No! Matthew! Look out!” And then the unimaginable happened.

Scapemaker: teaser pages in chapter 16 (no spoilers)

As soon as Daedree felt ready she lied down on the couch and put her mind to meditation, breathing slow and calm. Her connection to Hunter was immediate. Before too long she found him sitting alone in a dark and filthy room. She quickly hid behind a beat up old couch. Mentally, Hunter was in a very dark place. Daedree peeked over the couch to spy out details that might help locate him.

Hunter was sitting in an old wooden chair rocking back and forth. He was playing with a handful of sand letting it fall from the palm of his hand. Only it swirled back up to his other hand before it could touch the floor. It would have seemed normal to Daedree as a scaper, but what she was witnessing was not a dream. She was reading into his thoughts so everything around him was happening in the real world.

 She then noticed a grimy window that was too difficult to see through. She hoped to be able to make her way to the window as Hunter sat quietly in the dark, wallowing in his own disgust. However, the feelings that swelled within Daedree’s mind were too overwhelming to encourage action on her part. Escaping the dark scene, Daedree came-too in the triplet’s dorm room. She opened her eyes and took in a breath of relief, afraid to go on.

“It felt so empty and alone,” she said. “I don’t know if I can go back.” Holding an emotional tear, she took a drink of water. She then continued, “There’s not one good thought in that place. There’s nothing but waste and want; I can feel his selfish cravings and an abyss of secrets I hope to never know.”

“Maybe you already saw what you needed to see,” stated Matthew. “Do you remember seeing anything that might point out hunter’s location?”

“The floor and furniture were both caked with mud. There was a busted window but I couldn’t see any details from where I was hiding. I’m sorry. I don’t know if I can finish this.”

“You already found him,” encouraged Alex. “You’re so close. All you need to do is find something you can use to lead the agents to him and then we can go back to our normal lives.”

“I’ll be right here; I’m not going to leave you,” reassured Matthew. Embarrassed to have so intimately voiced his words of comfort, he quickly restated, “I mean we; we’ll be right here, I promise. Just talk us through what you see and if anything goes wrong we’ll be right here to wake you up.”

Daedree closed her eyes and was instantly in Hunter’s despicable presence. It was difficult for Daedree to escape the dark feelings creeping into her mind. The smell was horrific. Hunter was still rocking on the same chair. Luckily his mind was too caught up in the strange sand flowing in and out of his fingers to notice that she was there.

Speaking softly in mind, Daedree related everything that she saw to her friends as they sat intently listening in the triplet’s dorm room. “There’s no gas or electricity. I can tell that it’s really cold by Hunter’s breath.”

Still afraid, Daedree crept toward the east wall only yards away. She made her way beyond the tattered couch and across the rotting floor. A creek in the floorboards caused her to cringe and gasp. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. The rate of Daedree’s beating heart surged as she glanced back to find Hunter in the same indolent position as before, giving her a little relief. She continued on until she reached the busted window.

“All the other windows are boarded up,” she continued. “I think the house is abandoned. It’s really claustrophobic in here. I can’t think straight.”

Matthew took hold of Daedree’s hand and spoke a few comforting words which seemed to pacify her. Peering out the hole in the dirt-stained window, Daedree described what she could see outside the house.

“It’s kind of dim so I can’t see everything. There’s a chain-linked fence and a beat up old street sign on the corner but I can’t read it. There’s an old toilet in the middle of the yard; it looks like a planter. Gross. Who does that?”

“What else can you see?” asked Alex.

“I can see a warehouse about a block away.” Suddenly something didn’t feel quite right. She paused for a moment, afraid to speak.

When Daedree turned from the window she was surprised to see Hunter standing directly behind her. However, he was unable to see her transparent image in the shadows beneath the windowsill so long as she sat still. Daedree’s heart sank. But she was too scared to think clearly enough to wake up.

“I can feel you in my head,” stated Hunter. “I know you’re here; I can smell your fear.” He sniffed the air with decadent gratification. “You’ve made a bad mistake,” he whispered amid a hollow laugh.

“I want to be done now?” questioned Daedree desperately through her mind. “Can I please be done? I can’t do this anymore.”

Hunter began to squat down following the scent at his grubby feet. Sniffing closer and closer to Daedree like a wolf to its prey, he could see the outline of her flickering image beginning to take shape. Daedree started to breathe much heavier.

“Help me!” she shouted as she now looked Hunter eye to eye. He simply smiled with ravenous delight and reached out toward her neck.

SCAPEMAKER: a new young adult supernatural fantasy

Scapemaker is a 110,000-word young adult fantasy novel and the first in a series of four.  This work of fiction contains well-defined characters with which its readers will truly relate and come to love. 

 As with the Fablehaven series by Author Brandon Mull and the Leven Thumps series by Author Obert Skye, Scapemaker fashions an adventurous blend of reality and supernatural fantasy into one roller-coaster of a ride.

 Matthew is the son of Mr. Nicholas Namely, a local high school teacher.  But unbeknownst to Matthew, his father is a Dreamscaper, whose classroom is connected to many other classrooms across the nation through impossible means.  Once in class, Mr. Namely’s students fall asleep and soon thereafter enter the halls of Scapemaker, a dream world high school for young adult Dreamscapers.

 When a couple of close-to-the-heart tragedies occur, Matthew is compelled to investigate the unbelievable mysteries surrounding them.  Matthew and his mother, Mae, are soon coerced into moving 750 miles from the home they love. While attending his new school, Matthew meets Amber, a beautiful enigmatic girl. He will also grow closer to Daedree, an annoying girl from his former school. However, strong emotions in the dream world are extremely dangerous and therefore forbidden.  Matthew is soon led to Mr. Xoner's classroom, where he must learn the art and history of Dreamscaping, which has apparently been in the Namely bloodline for thousands of years. Matthew will also learn of his own important roll yet to be played out.

 Filled with secrecy, mystery and a forbidden tangle of young love, this new life will lead Matthew to unbelievable characters with the most extraordinary abilities he could never have imagined.  

 Matthew will also come to know of Nox Celare, otherwise known as The Sandman, who is after a special element called Magineum; an element Nox will terrorize and kill for. Neck deep in night terrors (dream world criminals), skinwalkers, zombies, sandsleepers, soul feeders, spirits, and much more, Matthew must also learn to deal with his own real-world problems where he soon realizes he is in way over his head.  Matthew must not only solve the tragic events that led to his newly discovered life, but he will also have to protect the Magineum with his life and find a way to be with the girl of his dreams.

With the help of a close nit group of friends, both dreamscaper and non-dreamscaper alike, Matthew will find out what it means to develop true courage, unconditional love and faith in good. But can he triumph over evil? Or will he be drawn in by the temptation of power gained through the very evil he aspires to defeat.

Scapemaker will keep you grounded in the real world while at the same time making the fantastical world around it that much more possible and enduring. This tale of young adult supernatural fantasy will keep you guessing and wanting more.

 Scapemaker is currently being edited and will soon be for sale online at all major e-book retailers and in paperback on Amazon.com and Lulu.com. The date of initial release for review is projected to be sometime within the first or second week of June 2012. For advanced notice on its release please email Steve Cypert at thefictioneer@gmail.com or as a comment to this blog page. Please watch for and feel free to comment on several teaser pages that will be shared on www.thefictioneer.blogspot.com. Also feel free to share any of this information at any time. Thank you!!

Duke: Crazy Devil Dog

Check out Duke!

Looks kind of like a muppet. A killer muppet. Click onto the "Duke" link just above to see what he really looks like. The app on my phone I used to create this photo is called "symmetry mirror" on android.

Ramblings & Not So Deep Thoughts: Illusion

Ramblings & Not So Deep Thoughts: Illusion: If he were there maybe he would see. If he existed maybe he could help me. I have spoken to him but he's not really there. I have plea...

The latest ereview of "Port of Errors" (5 stars)

The following is the latest review of my novel "Port of Errors" listed on Goodreads.com. She won the book in a giveaway and posted this review, giving the book a 5 star rating. I copied the entire page and pasted it to this blog. I already know that my grammar and spelling are not the greatest, but the rest of the review is outstanding. Thanks!

 

I Read's Reviews > Port of Errors

My rating:

Read the review on Goodreads

Port of Errors (Born of Tyranny #1)
bySteve V Cypert (Goodreads Author)

I Read's review

Oct 22, 11

bookshelves: first-reads, history

Read from October 18 to 21, 2011

As I reserve my five star rating for only the books I find really good and am in no way a pirate fan (in fact I've avoided all Pirates of the Caribbean films because they are not my thing), you will see that this book must have been brilliant to ear it's stars.

The author has a knack that allows you to sink into the world he has created, probably helped by his knowledge of piracy and their ships. I found the glossary very helpful also for quick, easy to understand explanations of the terminologies.


The plot was really intricate and there were always things happening which I didn't see coming. Even items and events that may appear insignificant suddenly surprise you and show themselves to be an integral part. It ended well, wrapping up this story nicely, yet also leading on to the next in the serious.

The characters were all very individual which helps to keep the book fresh and interesting, also the hint of humour here are there lightens the read making it even more enjoyable. One of the things that could have so easily become boring are the battles, but due to Cypert's inventiveness with the ways people die in the book and the various forms of battle, this is never an issue.

My only criticism is that is needs proof-reading. There are too many typos and spelling mistakes to be acceptable, but this really doesn't interfere with the story. The other thing I found pulled me out of the tale was that as it was set in England, it seemed weird when there were Americanisms, because surely the characters wouldn't be thinking or talking in such a way (although obviously in the time it was set they are unlikely to be talking like a modern reader wherever they are from anyway!)


** I received this free of charge through Goodreads First-Reads **

Pigeon Point Bluffs on our road trip up the California Coast this past summer

No, these are not paintings. I do use photoshop to saturate the color and define the image a little better. However, this is the same view I had while shooting these gorgeous views. Not too far from San Simion and the Elephant Seal Rookery is this breathtaking lighthouse view. I ony wish we could have stayed for the sunset. Write a comment if you wish and ask any questions you might have. There are numbers just above each image to better indicate which image you would like to comment on. Thanks for visiting. Remember to look for "Port of Errors" in your search for a good novel to read!

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same image as above only lucky to have the crane in the shot

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This next location is a few miles north of Pigeon Point Bluffs

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If you enjoyed these images there are more to come. The next theme I plan on posting for our trip up California's cost is the ocean views. Some of these same images may be a part of that gallery.

Our trip up the California coast

My wife and I took a trip up the California coast this summer. Remember, I wrote a pirate novel so images of the sea and anything surrounding it fits perfectly. We drove to Los Angeles and from there we drove up the coast to San Francisco. That is where we ended our coastal road trip as we veered off and found our way back home to Utah by way of Yosemite National Park. I thought I'd share a few pictures with you. However, since most of the people who come to this site are people I don't really know, I am going to share the sites. I am a photographer as well as a writer. I love to shoot landscape and wildlife fine art so I took my time on most of these shots. I hope you like them. Please share any comments you might have or ask any questions. I’ll be more than happy to answer them. I have placed a number just over each image to make it easier to comment about a specific image.

I will be posting different images every day or every few days. Some of the same images may make it onto the same theme from the trip that I put together on this site. These images are not in any order. I would also be willing to sell prints since that's what I do. Thanks.

This first theme or selection of images was taken in San Simeon at the Elephant Seal Rookery. There is a boardwalk running along the beach just over these beautiful seals. However beautiful, they burp like mad. I have so many images it was difficult to choose the ones I thought would be best to share. Hope you like them!

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The next theme will be my personal favorite of the trip. I just can't wait too much longer to share them. The images will be of Pigeon Point Bluffs. Most of the images will be of the lighthouse and surrounding rock, vegetation, land, seagull life and cliffs. In the future postings there will be more San Simeon sites including the Hearst Castle.

Finishing up "The Son of Nicholas Namely"

Wow! The last few pages have taken me forever! I have decided to slightly change the name of the book to "Scapemaker: The Son of Nicholas Namely" the series will, of course, be called the "Scapemaker" series. It is a YA paranormal fantacy that takes place in Utah and California - mostly. In the coming blogs I will write more about this first book. I have also outlined the second book of the series. There will be four altogether. There are changes I need to make in the meat of this first book to make sure the end of this book and the next book workout. This first novel in the series leaves the reader hanging pretty good. But there will be a lot of answers in the next book. I promise. I am on the very last paragraph right now. I just needed to take a break. Anyways, I hope you come back to read about this new series. For now - back to finishing up my book.