About N. A. V.

I grew up in Trenton, Ontario and attend the University of British Columbia in Kelowna. I started writing novels at age 10, and, ten years later, published the first of a series of five, Shadow Glyph (2012).

Timeline published!

The fifth and final Shadow Glyph novel is now published! Get Timeline from Amazon (click here) or contact me to inquire about a signed copy (shipping will be pricey).

The river leads here, or perhaps, from here – these, the days of old, when men chose where mountains and lakes might lie. At the source, at the end, the Traveller will find what he seeks, or perhaps, only more questions.

One thing is certain: this is the destination of a great journey and the beginning of a grand history. The Age of Myths must come to an end…

And six hundred years down the river, Artemys Gothikar must be stopped.

Writing Update 2020

Hey friends and family! I have finally typed the final pages of the Shadow Glyph series! Book 5: Timeline is currently in the editing process and will release sometime this year! Stay tuned for more information, and be sure you’ve read Books 1-5 in preparation for the epic conclusion of this great journey through the history of Midgard.

As I’ve finally finished Timeline, I’m in the process of rebuilding Lives of Gethra. Its hiatus, instituted to force my creative energies into Timeline, has finally come to an end, and I am so excited to continue this project indefinitely. I love the interaction with my readers, the real-time building of a fantasy world and history, and varying personalities I get to write about!

Once Gethra is back to normal updates, I will also be beginning work on a standalone fantasy novel I hope to pitch to some traditional publishing houses. I’ve enjoyed my control in self-publishing, but I think traditional publishing can open more doors for me with wider availability. More updates on this as they’re available!

Check out the tentative cover art for Shadow Glyph 5: Timeline below!

Ottawa Comic Con 2019

Hey friends! It’s been a while… a long, long while. Friends and family have been urging me to reboot on here since it’s been… er, 2 years. So to that end, here’s my first (and not last) post of 2019!

I’m delighted to be selling my books at Ottawa Comic Con this year! Check out their site for more details about the event: https://ottawacomiccon.com/

I’ll be selling both Lives of Gethra and Shadow Glyph (1 to 4)!

In other news, I’ve been writing hard on Timeline, Shadow Glyph #5. Stay tuned for more updates!

Ottawa Book Signing!

Ottawa Pinecrest Chapters 1 copy

Exciting news!  I’ll be signing books at the Chapters Pinecrest location (near Ikea) in Ottawa!  If you are local, come say hi and maybe pick up a book!  I’ll be there Saturday, August 20th between 11 am and 3 pm, with the completed four books in the Shadow Glyph series!

PS: The work continues on the stunning, concluding chapter of the quintet!

Lives of Gethra Blog #1

Here’s the first of a few blog posts for my new web series Lives of Gethra!

To introduce these posts, the focus will be interpreting and exploring writing insights brought about by the experimental writing process behind that web series. If you haven’t read anything about it, check out that website’s Author’s Note page or read on to glean what impression you may.

Lives of Gethra has taught me a lot about writing. It’s real-time connectivity forces me to write on it nearly daily. I feel that it is training me to be a better writer, to get inspired with unique prompts I don’t often choose, and to publish things in a timely, efficient fashion. I expected this, and I haven’t been disappointed. On the other hand, I’ve been quiet surprised by many aspects of the ongoing project. Today, I’m going to write about characterization.

In the world of Gethra, the main characters range from high status to low status (two concurrent point-of-view characters right now include a Queen of a sprawling city-state and a hunter for a primitive island tribe). This is determined by Lives’ double-edged sword: circumstances and choices, both of which are outside of my control and cut me both ways, forcing me to keep up with stories I can’t always predict. There’s something more to a well written character however: personality. This is reflected in those choices, but it’s important to note that the “author” has an idea of a character’s personality without any of their actions being revealed or even decided yet.

And this is where Lives of Gethra gets super interesting to me, both as a writer and a surprised reader! This is the first time in all of my writing over the years that I am not imagining a character’s personality myself. It’s quite difficult to remain unbiased and not fill in the blanks (but it’s hard to do that with real people too–you know what they say about “assuming”), but, like any writer, I strive to avoid prejudice. In Lives, the real-life people behind each character are those personalities. They determine the character’s choices, and by extension, their circumstances. They may take actions that don’t fit with prior actions, because personalities are so much more angular and unknowable and gigantic than characters are. A good author labours to include such ‘character twists’ in their stories, but something designed is always a shade less believable than something natural. As a writer, I’m astounded by how difficult, but also how rewarding, it is to allow such a wide range of personalities into one of my works. Currently, there are characters more passive or more idealistic than any I’d choose to write about in a plot-driven, narrative arc-ed, story. I hope it brings the tapestry of Gethra to life in a way very few stories are, but I hope that as a childishly-excited artist.

I hope this sparks an internal analysis of characterization and personalities in stories for you, whether you’re an author, an artist, or just someone stumbling upon these thoughts. In any case, I cannot wait to introduce the next personality into Gethra’s quickly developing world.