New York Times Best Selling Author Kel Kade is a full-time writer and parent living in Texas with three crazy dogs and three lazy cats. Kel worked as an environmental consultant before entering a doctoral program with research in big data studies of volcanic rock geochemistry and marine research in the Izu-Bonin-Mariana and Central America volcanic arcs. Kel’s hobbies include creating universes spanning space and time, developing criminal empires, plotting the downfall of tyrannous rulers, and diving into fantastical mysteries.
Growing up, Kel lived a military lifestyle of traveling and living in new places. Experiences with distinctive cultures and geography instilled in Kel a sense of wanderlust and opened a young mind to the knowledge that the Earth is expansive and wild. A deep interest in science, ancient history, cultural anthropology, art, music, languages, and spirituality is evidenced by the diversity and richness of the places and cultures depicted in Kel’s writing.
Nathan
Posted at 22:39h, 15 FebruaryI really enjoyed your books. I can’t wait to read more.
Bill
Posted at 03:21h, 07 FebruaryI have really enjoyed your King’s Dark Tidings books (1 and 2)!
Kel Kade
Posted at 20:08h, 09 FebruaryI am glad to hear it. Thanks for your support!
Paul Dorsey
Posted at 14:45h, 14 OctoberKel, Very nice work. Engaging, a good read. My 10yo kid loves them and I agree. I have written 10 books myself (all technical)… if you want another set of eyes on book three to make help look for errors, sign me up.
Kel Kade
Posted at 07:22h, 16 OctoberThank you for your kind words. Technical writing can be tedious but rewarding, so congratulations on that. I hope you and your kid (and the thousands of other readers to whom you are going to recommend my work) enjoy the rest of the series. 😀
Stacey
Posted at 01:50h, 28 FebruaryWhen is book 3 coming out?
Russell
Posted at 06:20h, 03 FebruaryReally enjoyed your first two books. I am sure they will continue to grow in popularity as word spreads. Can’t wait for the next one!!
Veera
Posted at 04:07h, 29 JanuaryThank you for the journey I have lived while reading your books! I have about 400 books on my kindle account that i have read: paranormal, urban fantasy, epic and so on. This is not the first time I have had the urge to comment, but it is the first book that I did comment on. English is not my first language so I have no comments on the spelling and such. What I want to applaud is the intrigue, suspense and unpredictability of the books. As said, I read a lot and for the first time I can not see where this story is going after the first book and it is such a pleasant and satisfying experience. Thank you so much for being a talented writer and sharing your imagination with others! I cant wait to read your future work!
Michael
Posted at 22:10h, 22 JanuarySuper book. Needs more proof reading. I highlighted the issues I found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1O5AGG4MOWZTW/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B019YM2E62
Really wish the kindle app provided a way to submit proof reading suggestions to the author…
Kel Kade
Posted at 16:36h, 23 JanuaryThank you for your input. I have now made the edits you mentioned, some of which were already in the update for revision. I do know the differences between homophones, but sometimes the wrong one gets thrown in when I am typing quickly, and they’re difficult to catch later. In the future, if you would like to share the errors you found, this would probably be a better forum for doing so than in the review section on Amazon.
I do feel the need to respond to the inconsistencies you mentioned.
1) Frisha was never traveling alone. Tam had sworn an Oath of Protection and was serving as her escort, which is how they met Rezkin in the beginning. It is implied that an Oath of Protection is something recognized and of importance in their society. At the beginning of the story, Ashai is a peaceful place, and people were less concerned with traveling in small numbers. This is evidenced when the general made the comment that had he known conditions had gotten so bad, he would have sent an armed escort.
2) Rezkin did draw and examine the sword before Tam. Rezkin was the one who purchased the sword, as explained earlier in the chapter. When he purchased the sword, he fully drew it and examined the blade. The scene was intended to show the difference between the way an inexperienced swordsman like Tam would view the weapon versus more experienced swordsmen like Rezkin and Jimson.
3) I don’t think that using a word like awesome is out of context. This is a fictional world, and the story is intended for modern readers. Using slang and modern vernacular helps readers connect to the story. In truth, we don’t know how the average commoner spoke throughout most of history because these types of conversations were not recorded in historical documents. People would have used other words that we don’t know, so it makes sense to substitute modern terms. I know there are other instances where I use more modern terms, and I will continue to do so because this is fantasy, and it is my world. In my world, sassy young women with attitude are allowed to say awesome.
That being said, it is a subtle difference, but consistently throughout the story, commoners speak differently than nobles. They use more slang and contractions, while the nobles’ speech is more proper. The difference is more notable in Book 2. In addition, older nobles tend to speak differently than those of the younger generation.
4) Reaylin never agreed to stay at General Marcum’s home. Frisha only mentioned that Reaylin would probably be welcomed when Rezkin protested. At that point, Reaylin stated that she already had plans to stay elsewhere.
I thank you again for such a thorough examination of the book, and as always, I appreciate you pointing out my errors so that I may improve upon my work.
James Turgyan
Posted at 15:18h, 19 NovemberIs there anyway to become a beta reader?
Kel Kade
Posted at 21:40h, 20 NovemberI’ll let you all know if I am in need of beta readers. I appreciate your interest.
Nemesis
Posted at 12:18h, 20 NovemberI would second the wish to be a Beta reader
Greg Esres
Posted at 07:26h, 26 NovemberI agree with your justification for using modern vernacular. Given that characters in fictional worlds usually aren’t speaking English and yet the book has rendered their words in English, it would be an odd criticism that using slang words is going too far. As if using stilted, formal English for people who don’t speak English is somehow more authentic….
Kel Kade
Posted at 19:03h, 26 NovemberThank you! It’s always nice to hear that someone agrees with me! I appreciate your input. 😀
Daniel
Posted at 02:00h, 29 NovemberAlso interested in becoming a beta reader if you need them.
This series is in my top 5 favorite fantasy series of all time, and I read a lot of fantasy.
I concurre with your use of modern vernacular, and I really appreciate how you subtly use differentiate groups with language, perspective, assumptions, values, etc. I also really appreciate that your characters are real, and don’t shy away from any topic, but that you communicate their perspectives creatively rather than with crass crude or graphic language.
One thing I would love to see in the upcoming books is a little more depth to the female characters. I noticed a significant improvement in this area in book 2, but with so much of the limited page time that they get being centered around their interactions with Rez it’s difficult to get a real feel for who they are as a person. That said, I love the characters and what we do get to see of them and the little hints of their deeper character, and how very different they are from each other.
Doug
Posted at 21:25h, 16 JanuaryLoved the book! Can’t wait for the next installment! How do I find out when it is coming out? Keep up the great work!!!
Kel Kade
Posted at 21:37h, 16 JanuaryI’m glad you enjoyed the read. You can click Follow via E-mail to the left of the page to receive e-mails when I update the blog. Keep reading and enjoy!
Poll
Posted at 09:23h, 03 OctoberI also love Book 1 and tomorrow Book 2 on audible is released. Great work Kel.
I really hope you or your publisher do not delay the release of book three or decide to make this a 5 book series, like Brent Weels’s current series. (Is it a five book series). . I am so not finishing that series now until its complete.So bloody annoying. You forget names and the story with too long a break between book releases.
I think it spoils the story and puts me off buying series books that are not complete. GRR Martin’s long awaited followup is pathetic and unprofessional. Patrick Rothfuss also has taken years to complete his third book and i will not even talk about Brandon Sanderson.
Please do not keep us hanging… and we’ll but all your books.
Work Hard, stay focused and productive.
Best Wishes
Poll
Kevin Grafstrom
Posted at 20:46h, 25 JanuaryI really have enjoyed listening to your books. I have always enjoyed fantasy books through out my life and the change in story style is refreshing. It is not the usual discover power, told he/she is the greatest, meet a grand enemy and triumph on the last page.
In truth, in my eyes you have taken a reverse approach. He is the greatest and can not be beaten. Instead, it is his dealing and interactions with other people that is his enemy. I would say it is more of understand the inter-working of the human emotion that is his foe. Although he does have a great enemy and it is the final goal, it is not the focus.
In a sense it is fun to watch a perfect plan being executed and watching everything fall into place. It is very unusual, at least to me, to see a book written in this way. In a lot of the fantasy books i have read, there are points in time where i will roll my eyes at the blockades that the authors have put in front of the characters. For example finding the “one thing” that can win the war.
In my final thoughts, i feel i know he will win but, figuring out how he is doing it is what makes these books so enticing. Maybe more of a puzzle, I know what the end result will look like but watching the progress of it coming together is a wonderful experience.
In any manor, i look forward to reading/listening to the rest of this tale.
Kel Kade
Posted at 06:19h, 01 FebruaryThank you so much for your appreciation on insight into the series. I’m glad you like them so much. Truly, you have hit upon some of my intentions that are perhaps more subtly expressed. There is an on going discussion in the Goodreads group “King’s Dark Tidings” that you might be interested in joining. In any case, I appreciate you taking the time to write to me.