Mark Boutros

The First Adventure

Peace doesn’t last. It’s just a temporary break while war rests. They might as well rename times of peace ‘war holidays’ Karl and his friends have had their fill of conflict and are thankful to live whatever is considered a normal life.But not too far away, a noble deed produces terrifying results, awakening a fearsome foe obsessed with unleashing a power so devastating it could destroy all life on Hastovia.Karl and his friends must find a magic relic, put their trust in the untrustworthy, and make sacrifices that could include their lives.Hastovia needs some heroes. From Emmy award nominated screenwriter, Mark Boutros, comes the second book in his fantasy series. If you're looking for action, adventure, magic relics, hopelessness, weird villains, struggling heroes, humour and strange creatures, then this is the book for you. PRAISE FOR RISE OF THE DEATHBRINGER “Here we are again, another action packed adventure following our lovable idiot Karl and his rat tag group of friends... just like the first in the series, this book draws you in quickly into the whimsical world of Hastovia, and when you're there, it's hard to leave. If you thought the first book was filled with weird and wonderful creatures - you ain't seen nothing yet! With the perfect balance of comedy and edge of your seat action, I couldn't put this book down. Without giving away any spoilers, the ending hit me in the feels... and of course, I can't wait to see where the story goes next. Patiently(ish) waiting for the next instalment.” By Pixie Briton – author of the Kill or Cure series

A young adult fantasy comedy series

Heroes of Hastovia Book 2: Rise of the Deathbringer

The first part of the epic fantasy quest featuring magic, monsters, morons and more. Below average twenty-year old Karl has never really fit in. That's okay though, because he lives in Flowforn where people are encouraged to live their dreams, and having failed at so many jobs he lives his dream of doing absolutely nothing. However, when the tyrant Man-Hawk, Arazod shows up and claims Flowforn, Karl flees and his quest begins. His life will never be the same. PRAISE FOR KARL'S KINGDOM: "I rarely laugh out load when I read a book but this one is hilarious. I've not read a book that fuses the moronic characters we meet in everyday life with imaginative fantasy personas so successfully. Clever and funny." "The story is stuffed full of interesting and creative ideas, much more than a typical fantasy story. For example a likeable young lady called Questions, who can't make statements, but can only ask questions. She's from the Inquisos tribe, who struggle to have a normal life due to the difficulties of communicating. I particularly liked the idea of "Tortured Souls." If someone strong is tortured, rather than dying they escape by shrinking to become a small creature, a head with tiny legs. They don't remember much, but if anyone says their name to them then they get restored to their normal self. That's a good way of writing - take a common idiom and twist it to have a fantastical meaning."

Discovery

Karl's Kingdom

Karl's Kingdom 2

Below average twenty-year old Karl has poor eyesight, can't throw, and has never really fit in. That's ok though, because he lives in Flowforn where people are encouraged to live their dreams, and having failed at so many jobs he lives his dream of doing absolutely nothing. However, when the tyrant man-hawk, Arazod invades Flowforn, Karl's life will never be the same again.

Karl's Kingdom Paperback

Fate & Company

Brandon Ebinger

M.M. Ward

D.A. Schneider

Phil Hore

Danielle McNeill

Catherine Edward  

Children beware, and please give care of things that go bump in the night. It all seems like fun when you provoke mayhem and run through the graveyard to give one a fright. Please heed our warning from dusk until morning giving caution to the naive. Goblins and Ghouls wait on the foolishly brave to pull beyond the hallow grave.

Editingle Indie House Anthology

Beyond the Hallow Grave

A new evil descends on Hastovia seeking to reawaken a power so fearsome it could destroy the entire world. Karl and his friends must risk their lives to find a magic relic, put their trust in the untrustworthy and make sacrifices that will change them forever. Hastovia needs some heroes...

Rise of the Deathbringer

Heroes of Hastovia 2

A fantasy adventure about a young man who learns he is from another world, who must to find a portal home before a tyrant king captures and kills him.

Book 1: The First Adventure

Heroes of Hastovia

“The most complete and comprehensive guide to character I've ever read." - Adam Croft Character is at the heart of every story. We love stories because we fall in love with characters, we want to see what happens to them, and we want to see them experience hope and despair. Yet a lot of storytelling books focus on structure and plot, when those things are worthless without a character who we want to go through that structure and plot with. International Emmy nominated writer Mark Boutros offers a guide to creating characters who are engaging, emotionally driven and memorable. With experience as a writing mentor, character consultant and comedy, drama and novel writer, Mark shares a mixture of theory, exercises and pitfalls, getting you thinking about the questions you should always have in your mind during character creation. You’ll learn about what is at the core of your character, the importance of motivation, trauma, obstacles and how every little detail can enrich an experience for an audience and ultimately make people care. How do you get to know people? By asking the questions and getting to know them so you move past the shallow. Do the same with your characters before sending them on a journey and your story will be so much better for it. This is an invaluable tool for beginner and experienced writers of screenplays and novels. “Would 100% recommend not only for beginners, but also for experienced writers looking to get to know their characters better. A bit like writer-character therapy.” Amazon review “Both the chapters and the exercises are easy to understand and get through. Mark Boutros’ clearly knows his stuff and seems happy to be able to help the reader, rather than becoming lecturing and elitist. The structure of the book also means that it is easy to dip back into, when you come across a specific problem, and as such it is a great little reference book, which any aspiring storyteller would benefit from.” Amazon review “Normally, I find myself arguing with the author of craft books, but here I would say 90% of what I read were things I either found helpful, or flat out agreed with whole heartedly and just needed a reminder on why these things are important. The exercises were a excellent touch, especially as someone who is teaching writing, it gave me ideas on what to do for my students.” Amazon review

Mark Boutros

Books

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