Sorcerer of Deathbird Mountain

Jeff’s new fantasy novel is now readable on Vella: Hirand, a young palace messenger, hopelessly in love with the Princess, is summoned and told that his beloved is dying and that the city’s wizard has been unable to cure her. The boy is given a map and ordered to travel alone, in secrecy, to a

Chapter 1

Magdalena D’Alessandro arrived early to remove the card from the extravagant wreath that lay on Angelina’s casket. She read the sentiment then placed it in her purse knowing it would anger her father that ‘The Organization’ sent flowers to her younger sister’s funeral. His fragile health needed no additional shock. After taking a front row

Sample Chapter: Southern Discomfort

Part of my soon-to-be-published novel, Southern Discomfort, has been posted here on 8 Great Storytellers. It’s posted under its own tab, on the right side of the top menu. Updates will be added there as they become available. Comments and questions, please!

Guest Post: Harry Nicholson, Part II

The story of an unknown man This is a continuation of excepts from Harry Nicholson’s excellent book, Tom Fleck.  –Jeff Guenther Read Part I Introduction: “Tom Fleck is partly a response to the flush of novels about Tudor royalty. I feel small connection with those great lords and their ladies; I sense more kinship with

Guest Post: Harry Nicholson, Part I

Today’s guest poster is Harry Nicholson. I met Harry on Goodreads and was very impressed by the quality of his writing. And his poetry. And his artwork. The following post showcases his evocative prose, selections from ‘Tom Fleck,’ a novel. –Jeff Guenther  The story of an unknown man. Introduction: “When I was tapping out Morse

Book Review: The Glassblower

The Glassblower, by Petra Durst-Benning, is a little slow to get into, but the story of the Steinmann sisters and their struggles in glassblowing soon drew me in. With the death of their father, Johanna, Ruth, and Marie have lost their last parent and their income. Life becomes frighteningly uncertain, and the young women face

Holiday Ravens

by Dolores Davis Once there was a raven couple that followed Woman on her morning walks, because she fed them from a bag of treats. He was stout, with a hooked beak and a bold presence. She was smaller, cautious and demure. Woman named them

Short Halloween Story Contest 2015

Announcing the 8 Great Storytellers Second Annual Halloween Issue & Short Story Contest: Send us your original, unpublished Halloween stories. There is no fee, but entrants must be followers of 8 Great Storytellers’ Blog in order to win a prize. All entries must be received by October 19th. Winner will receive a $20 gift certificate

Quote of the Week: Character Descriptions

Spotted by James Flaherty: “His brow was dark and thick; his jaw was sturdy and resolute.  It was a face, thought Ogilvy, that had been built to take a punch.”  –from The English Spy, by Daniel Silva  

Ask a Storyteller: Writer’s Block Part 2

Today, the 8 Great Storytellers address the last question about Writer’s Block: D: How do you get in the mood to write?  What’s all this nonsense about “mood?”  If you sit around and wait for the inspiration muse to flutter by, you may write, but you’re not a writer.  Writers, like ditch diggers. get down and slog