My Novella's Release Date!

Here it is:  Black Festival.  20,000+ words of Swords & Sorcery to dig into.  :)

Available February 17 from Noble Knight Games (link above).  If you wish to receive an email update when this is released, just go to NKG and subscribe to their mailing list, simple as that.

Additional Update (This is being emailed to PPP Customers & Fans)

"Pied Piper Publishing and Noble Knight Games are pleased to announce the availability of Mr. Kuntz's first published novella - Black Festival!  Black Festival is a 36 page"chapbook" available for the low price of only $9.95. It tells the tale of the Barbarian Frank, Wolfar, who dominates this novella of 20,000+ words along with his off-and-on companion the rogue, Thekela.  It is written in the style of Gardner Fox's and REH's Kyrik and Conan tales. It also includes several full page interior acrylic illustrations by Eric Bergeron.

To make the release of this product even more special and to reward our most devoted supporters, preorders will receive one of the following:

LIMITED EDITION

This product is a 1st printing, limited edition of only 150, signed and numbered by Mr. Robert Kuntz.  Aaron Leeder, owner of Noble Knight Games, has witnessed the signing in house here at our location in Janesville, WI. The first 20 copies are signed in red ink with the remaining 130 signed in black. 

AUTHOR COPIES

Mr. Kuntz has also generously offered to include in the mix five AUTHOR copies!  These author copies are part of a limited edition of only 15 (fifteen), all hand signed and numbered in gold ink and featuring the official Lord of the Green Dragons seal!!  Past author copies of PPP products have commanded over $100, each, and have never before been generally available!

PREORDERS PLACED ON WED FEBRUARY 17TH FROM 12PM TO 12AM CST ELIGIBLE FOR RANDOM DRAWING FOR LOWEST NUMBERS

In the past PPP products have been available first come, first served. With this product we are trying a new way of disbursing the orders, a drawing (held in house) will decide the lucky winners of the earliest numbered copies and the 5 very special author copies!  In order to be eligible, you must order on the first day of preorder availability, Wednesday, February 17th, from 12pm to 12am CST.  The product will then ship out Thursday, February 18th. If you're wondering why we are doing it this way, this gives everyone preordering an equal shot at getting the earliest most collectible numbers, and a shot at one of the 5 author copies, and prevents one person from gobbling up the first 5 issues at once.  Also, some like to combine other items with the purchase to minimize their shipping costs. This isn't possible when "racing" to checkout.  We will assume that everyone ordering would like an authors copy or the earliest remaining number possible, depending on the number they draw.  All the authors copies and the lowest #'s will be mailed out to preorders! We will notify anyone preordering of the number(s) they will receive.

At any rate, you're guaranteed a copy of the limited edition 1st printing and a great afternoon read!!!! :)

ORDERING MORE THEN ONE COPY

You can preorder more then 1 copy if you wish to receive additional entries, limit 5 copies per order.

PIED PIPER PUBLISHING PRODUCTS STILL AVAILABLE

Dungeon Set #1 - Levels 1-6 $9.95

Dungeon Set #2 - Levels 7-12 $9.95

El Raja Key's Arcane Treasury $21.95

Fan Appreciation Pack #2 $41.95

Daemonic & Arcane $9.95

Tower of Blood (2nd Printing) $14.95

Stalk, The (Ziplock) $10.95

Stalk, The (Limited Collector's Edition) $11.95

Bottle City (Limited Collector's Edition) $17.95

Cairn of the Skeleton King (2nd Printing) $29.95 *extremely limited supply on hand"

If there are any questions please email me:

rjk@pied-piper-publishing.com

Black Festival Going to Press

I am proud and excited to offer our first Swords & Sorcery fiction in the form of my novella, "Black Festival."

My Barbarian Frank, Wolfar, dominates this tale of 20,000+ words along with his off-and-on companion the rogue, Thekela.  Written in the style of Gardner Fox's and REH's Kyrik and Conan tales, I know that this will satisfy.  This will soon be available from Noble Knight games (link above).  We are only issuing 150 impressions and they will be signed and numbered by myself.  Be looking for a *specific* release date in the next 2 weeks from myself and NKG.

If anyone has questions, feel free to ask away.  Here's the prolog and back page matter...

Wolfar: Black Festival Art (Sample)

Wolfar is a barbarian, an educated Frank, who I created back in 1989. I wrote a lone novella of 20,000 words on his most daring exploit entitled, "Black Festival." This will be available soon. I have other stories outlined that I will write and publish which pertain to his various adventures here or there throughout Francia and the Mediterranean world. The action for Black Festival takes place in historical Aquintaine, Lombard and other remote parts of the area as the action shifts. The story has many fantasy elements and thus can be considered a "historical fantasy," but I chose the locale mainly due to the colorful nature of Francia at that time and the admixture of pagan and Carolingian Empire spices. It does not compare to Clark Ashton Smith's Averoigne in as much as it follows the bent of a Fafhrd minus the Gray Mouser, with some attention given to the far-ranging story line which even touches upon Wolfar's past wherein he was a Moorish galley slave. I hope that our fans appreciate this when published and support our line of fantasy fiction that I intend to publish, with this being the first of the batch! :)

Various Jottings & Updates

I have been busier than a one-armed paper hanger with an itch...
And it's so blazing hot here in Racine, yarrgh. I need a cone of cold cast on me, or a cold shower.

Yesmar, the Royal Cartographer, just finished the map for DHALT from a rough I provided; we are moving onto the GH Levels give-and-take exchange on Monday; I updated the number of copies of CAS1 available (10); I wish to thank the folks who have been purchasing my special items, as that helps fund the many projects in the pipe-line, and I've added more to the list as well (doing this weekly, or thereabouts); I started drawing the ORCS LAIR map (in color, very large) in between writing breaks (I do about an hour a day on it). As mentioned it's very large and there are two such maps. Eric Bergeron, now fully recovered from his sickness, will have the art for Black Festival in a week. Starting Monday, I will be sending outlines and contracts to prospective writers and one other carographer. I have been trying to read a bit in between, but failing miserably.

I have been wanting to finish and post some more essays and columns on several interesting subjects, both historical and creative, but am finding less and less time to do so. Do I sound frenetic, yet? I hope so... So, if anyone has a subject to post, have at it. Please. :)

Stay cool!

Rob