Meet Jason Sands!

Overlord Enterprises is very lucky to have Paul Abrams, a former artist for DC and Marvel Comics, bringing the Overlords characters to life.  Last year, Paul brought us Harrison Cross and now he has recently provided us with a monochrome sketch of Jason Sands, the 6' 6", bearded warrior that accompanies Harrison and his adventurer friends as they traverse the land and uncover the mysteries of their world.  Paul decided to draw Jason in monochrome in order to create a sharper image of the burly warrior.  We couldn't agree more!  Without further adieu, we present to the world, Jason Sands:

Here's to a Wonderful Holiday Season!

Hello, Overlord fans.  Another holiday season is upon us and like everyone else, we’re all gearing up for the sales season.  However, I’m not going to give you the big sales pitch this year.  Many of you have already purchased my books and I thank you so much for being a loyal fan and follower of mine.   Instead, I’m hoping that you can help spread the word about my works to your friends, families, co-workers, and acquaintances, especially those that you think would like my books the most.  There’s always someone else out there that hasn't heard of The Overlords but might be interested if they knew.

Speaking of spreading the word, please inform those same people with children that I visit local schools and libraries, holding children’s writing sessions, science fiction and fantasy workshops, and mentor seniors with their senior projects.  I can’t be everywhere all the time and trying to contact these institutions can be a daunting task.  Your help will enable me to someday meet that young, aspiring author and help them get their writing career off the ground.  All of these things help me to pay it forward and little by little these simple acts can bring on greater things.

I wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season, full of happiness and cheer.  And if the winter becomes long and cold, snuggling up near the fireplace wrapped in a blanket to keep warm while enjoying Harrison’s adventure isn’t such a bad thing, now is it?  J

An Interview With Harrison Cross

Overlords fans, do we have a treat for you!  As you might know, I have been doing reciprocal blog postings with other fellow authors.  Draegon Grey and I have been swapping postings for the past couple of months and he has graciously asked to conduct a character interview with the lead character in The Overlords series, Harrison Cross.  The intent of these interviews is to hear Harrison in his own voice and away from his adventure.  I think this unique interview setting is actually pretty cool and I hope you feel the same!  You can read the interview here. Enjoy!

Harrison Cross

The Evolution of Character Art -- From Sketch to Final Product

Ever wonder how an artist creates a character drawing?  Overlord Enterprises' Lead Artist, Paul Abrams, has done just that.  The following panels are the initial sketches for Harrison Cross, the righteous young warrior who is the protagonist in The Overlords series.

Paul provided us with the following preliminary sketch, but we felt that Harrison was a little too "buff" for what we were looking for.  Also, he appeared a bit older than the 20 year-old hero in our story.

Next came a toned down version of our lead man.  As you can see, he is leaner and younger looking, just what we wanted. 

The next step Paul took was to make a formal drawing, which is what you see below.  We're almost there!

Lastly, Paul added color to the drawing, and there you have it, Harrison Cross!

Let us know what you think about the process, Harrison, and Paul's work.  Feel free to leave a comment below or send a message directly to Mike.

Author and Character Interviews

A few weeks ago I was under my Overlords LinkedIn account when I saw an interesting group discussion.  Draegon Grey, an online interviewer and blogger, was asking authors if they would be interested in having unique interviews.  Specifically, he would interview the characters in their books.  This intrigued me and I decided to contact Draegon.  Draegon asked for a copy of The Overlords: Legend of the Treasure in order to familiarize himself with The Overlords story line  as well as the character base.  We then went back and forth with an online interview, with the final product appearing on his website, Draegongrey.  Visit his site and check out the interview for yourself, as well as a review of the first book in the Overlords saga.

In the next coming weeks we'll start with the character interviews.  It will be nice to answer questions as Harrison, Murdock, Marcus or Swinkle.  It will also give Overlord fans a deeper insight into their favorite characters.  I hope you join us as we delve into the characters that I've known for over twenty years.  Check back here as well as The Overlords Book Series Facebook page for more information.  To purchase Overlords books and/or eBooks, visit The Overlords website.  Lastly, I would love to hear your thoughts on the whole exercise.  You can contact me directly at mike@the-overlords.com.

Conquer the Holidays with The Overlords!

You can now save up to 30% when purchasing any Overlords books in a bundle.  We've crafted these bundles to maximize your buying power.  You can combine eBooks with print or use the discount to get more then one of the books in the series.  We even have high volume discounts for those special inquiries! The books are great for all ages and you and/or your child will become enthralled as The Overlords adventure saga unfolds like a holiday treat!  For bundle options click here to make a selection and place your order; for individual books/eBooks click here.  If your bundle option is not displayed in the list, email Mike with your specific order and he will give you instructions on how to complete your transaction.  Also, if you wish to have your paperback signed or personalized to that special someone, again email Mike for more instructions.

  

  
Don't let this great opportunity pass you by!  Place your order today to ensure delivery before Christmas!

The Overlords Turn 20!

It's hard to believe that this July marks the 20th anniversary of The Overlords.  At that time twenty years ago, I had given myself a week off between jobs and took advantage of that time to begin the novel that would define my writing life.  I remember staring at the computer screen, scrutinizing every word I wrote, trying to make everything perfect.  I learned a lot that day, mostly that I'm not perfect!

Over the years Harrison Cross and his adventurer friends leaped from my mind and into print, finally becoming "real."  My first novel, Legend of the Treasure, took fourteen years before making it to print.  However, that time was not wasted, in fact I learned so much in regards to writing, character development, the passive voice (ugh!), and editing, editing, editing!  I also met some great people who helped me along this journey, and without them, I would not have anything to my name.

The next six years resulted in two more books in The Overlords series, but also a website, a cool newsletter, blog, awesome artwork, and social networking as well as workshops and presentations on writing and self-promotion, mentoring, a self-publishing company and much, much more!  I always believe in giving back what I have learned, and I intend to continue to do just that.  I'm sure the future will bring new technologies to work with and more ways to get my work "out there!"

Finally, I want to thank all my fans for without you The Overlords would be nothing more than a few books between my son and I.  Instead, I have a modest following and I promise to deliver the highest quality work for them.  I'm busy working on the final chapter of my series and after that we'll see what the future will hold.  Thanks for reading ... and stay tuned!