If you’re a fan of role-playing games, then you probably know that today is InternationalGM’s [Game Masters] Appreciation Day. If you’re not, I’ll let this quote from the official GM’s Day site provide you with some background:
GM’s Day was born on the site EN World in December 2002. Originally a simple message board post by EN World member Spunkrat, the idea quickly gained popularity, championed by Mark Clover of Creative Mountain Games and, of course, EN World itself…. GM’s Day is an annual day to show your Game Master (or Dungeon Master, or Storyteller, or Referee) how much you appreciate them. Publishers and retail outlets across the world now join in GM’s Day, offering discounts, sales, and other cool stuff.
And what do you know? It just so happens that StarWarp Concepts has a book that’s perfect for game masters and gamers and fantasy movie fans alike:
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which sci-fi and fantasy author Richard C. White (On Wings of Steel, Harbinger of Darkness, For a Few Gold Pieces More) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. A bonus feature is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.
What you’ll find in its pages is information that’s vital for just about any writer and game master, especially when it comes to world building, and Rich shows you how to do it:
Avoiding the pitfalls of naming characters, regions, and countries
Applying the technique of “outside in” to develop and then refine ideas for your world
Creating a world your readers can relate to, regardless of its technological levels
Identify how to create backstories and conflict by observing how your world comes together
Adding details to make your story richer without overwhelming your readers
Identifying useful resources for research
From its first publication, the book has been a hit with both fantasy writers and role-playing gamers as well. In fact, it’s currently being used as a textbook in the Interactive Media & Game Development program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worchester, Massachusetts!
“I think Terra Incognito is a solid introduction to the subject of world building. The book succeeds in helping the aspiring writer in creating a skeletal framework for which to hang the moving parts required of a believable fictional setting.”—The Gaming Gang
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is available in trade paperback, hardcover, and digital formats, so visit its product page for ordering information. Order a copy for your favorite game master today, to show them how much you appreciate their work—or order it for yourself!
Hey, book lovers! Today’s the day when e-book distributor Smashwords launches its annual Read an Ebook Week Sale, during which you can purchase tens of thousands of digital books at special prices! It runs March 1–7—and yes, you’ll need to set up an account (it’s free) to take advantage of this promotion.
Included among the many participating publishers is StarWarp Concepts (of course), which means you can get the following digital titles at 25% off:
On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1 is a steampunk sci-fi novel by bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy) who has an ever-growing list of SWC titles under his belt. In On Wings of Steel, Erica Halgrim is a proud new member of the Angels of Steel: a courier service whose all-female members navigate through the streets of Underworld and the skies of the Aerie with the aid of winged flying devices that allow them to traverse the toxic Dark Cloud that separates the downtrodden masses on the ground from the wealthy socialites who live aboard enormous airships. But her job becomes secondary, however, when Erica attends a soiree at the Aerie with her fellow Angels and witnesses what appears to be an unfortunate accident—but could it perhaps have been murder?—and she becomes a suspect!
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is our popular how-to book for writers and gamers in which Rich White takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. A bonus feature is an exclusive interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.
Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 is my young adult novel that’s perfect for lovers of dark urban fantasy. It introduces readers to Pandora Zwieback, a 16-year-old Goth girl who’s spent the last decade being treated for mental health problems because she can see monsters. It’s only after she meets professional monster hunter Sebastienne “Annie” Mazarin that Pan discovers she’s never been ill—her so-called “monstervision” is actually a supernatural gift that allows her to see into Gothopolis, the not-so-mythical shadow world that exists right alongside the human world. In Blood Feud, Pan, her parents and friends, and Annie are drawn into a conflict among warring vampire clans searching for the key to an ultimate weapon (or so the legend goes)—a key that just so happens to have been delivered to the horror-themed museum owned by Pan’s father.
In Blood Reign: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 2, Pan and Annie face even greater challenges as the vampire clans draw up plans to go to war with humanity. Leading the charge is a fallen angel named Zaqiel, whose previous attempt at subjugating the world was stopped by Annie—who, back in the day, was Zaqiel’s lover! But Pan isn’t about to let some ancient monster win the day, not when the lives of her parents and friends—along with those of every human on the planet—are at stake, so she leads a charge of her own. But whose side is going to emerge the victor remains to be seen…
For a Few Gold Pieces More is Rich White’s collection of linked fantasy short stories about a Rogue With No Name who travels a world of epic-fantasy adventure, looking for treasure, romance—and revenge against the woman who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit (but she did). Think Lord of the Rings meets the “spaghetti Westerns” of director Sergio Leone (A Fistful of Dollars; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly).
Harbinger of Darkness is Rich’s original fantasy-adventure novel in which a thief named Perrin steals an extremely valuable—and magical—gem from the evil king ruling her home country. With thugs and fellow thieves and the king’s assassins hot on her trail, Perrin finds just staying alive is becoming a full-time occupation, which directly conflict with her secret life—and identity—as a humble bookseller’s daughter. It’s sword-swinging adventure at its finest!
And Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase is Rich’s collection of fantasy-noir, pulp-detective tales starring a private eye working the supernatural beat in the city of Calasia. From a sexy chanteuse who literally turns into a beast when the moon is full to a string of pearls that kills its owners, and from the ghost of a dead woman seeking justice to the Grim Reaper’s little girl seeking her stolen chicken, Theron Chase certainly has his hands full—of danger, death, and dames!
The Read an Ebook Week Sale runs now through March 7, so head over to the StarWarp Concepts publisher page at Smashwords and start reading today!
Hey, lovers of vampire fiction and supernatural romance, did you know that it was 95 years ago—on Valentine’s Day, of all days!—that the 1931 screen adaptation of Dracula made its theatrical debut? It’s true!
Directed by Tod Browning (Freaks, London After Midnight), with a screenplay by Garrett Fort (adapting the Bram Stoker novel and the then-popular stage play written by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston), and starring Bela Lugosi as the count, Dwight Frye as his crazy minion Renfield, Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing, David Manners as John Harker, and Helen Chandler as Mina Seward, the film proved to be a major box-office success and made Lugosi a household name.
Still, it’s not really a romance—Dracula’s interest in Mina is more along the lines of a predator stalking its prey than a love story; he’s a monster in human form. But maybe it works in a tainted love, psycho-stalker, Lifetime Movie sort of way? Whatever it is, and however you look at it, you do you, Cupid…
So, what’s the best way to celebrate this special Valloween occasion if you’re a horror fan? Well, you could read Dracula, of course, or have your own movie marathon of horror flicks starring the count, starting with the Bela Lugosi classic (or the Spanish-language version, released the same year, starring Carlos Villarias and using the same sets!) and leading all the way up to the most current screen adaptation, Dracula, written and directed by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element), and starring Caleb Landry Jones and Zoe Bleu as the count and his love interest, Mina Murray.
Or you could purchase a book that helped to inspire Bram Stoker in creating the count’s unforgettable debut—especially when it came to the presentation of his vampirie “brides.” In fact, it’s been ranked a “Best of #BookTok” title!
Carmilla is J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s 19th-century classic vampiric tale of love gone wrong. Laura is so desperate for a friend that when a young woman named Carmilla practically turns up on the doorstep of the castle owned by Laura’s father, she thinks her prayers for companionship have been answered. But as she comes to realize, Carmilla isn’t as interested in making friends as she is in spilling blood…
Regarded as the one of the earliest female vampire tales—if not the first—Carmilla was an influence on Stoker’s Dracula, and remains a popular character in fiction to this day. Our special Illustrated Classics edition contains six exclusive illustrations by the super-talented Eliseu Gouveia (Lorelei: Sects and the City, A Princess of Mars,The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1).
“With a cover that looks like it belongs on the paranormal romance shelf in a bookstore and half a dozen illustrations provided by Eliseu Gouveia, this edition stands a good chance of tempting some younger readers to pick up this classic vampire tale…. I wish I’d picked this book up in seventh grade instead of slogging through Dracula.”—The Gothic Library
Carmilla is available in print and digital formats. Visit its product page for ordering information.
Yes, the weather outside might be frightful (at least here in the northeast United States), but book lovers young and old know that today marks the return of Take Your Child to the Library Day.
Founded in 2011 by librarians Nadine Lipman and Caitlin Augusta, the annual event is held the first Saturday in February and encourages librarians to reach out to their communities and show folks just how wonderful reading can be.
Before the Internet, libraries were the source for information and reading, and these days they can use our support. So head out now, introduce your children to that big brick building with all the free books to borrow, update the library card that’s been stuck in the back of your wallet for all these years, and renew your acquaintance with a vital partner in the ongoing literacy campaign.
For more information, including the list of participating libraries, visit the TYCLD website.
This coming Friday, author Richard C. White will be braving the Arctic conditions currently smothering the US, to appear at Farpoint, the sci-fi//fantasy/horror/anime convention being held at the Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel, in Towson, Maryland. (The same inclement weather that unfortunately resulted in him canceling his intended appearance this past weekend at MystiCon.)
Rich will be promoting his sci-fi steampunk novel On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1, and the first of his upcoming SWC releases for 2026, the pulp-superheroine novel Cry Havoc: The Furies, Book 1.
As you know by now, Rich is the bestselling author of the licensed novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, as well as a bunch of titles published by us: the swashbuckling adventure novel Harbinger of Darkness; the fantasy-adventure story collection For a Few Gold Pieces More; the writers’ and RPG gamemasters’ aid Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination; the supernatural-superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; the noir-fantasy story collection Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase; and the pirate-adventure digital comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special.
You’ll find Rich hawking his wares in the Dealers’ Room, so be sure to stop by his table and pick up any titles you might have missed, and to learn about his projects for 2026—he’s got quite a few lined up!
Farpoint runs January 30 to February 1. For more information on the show, visit the Farpoint website.
MarsCon 2026 may have concluded this past Sunday, but sci-fi and fantasy author Richard C. White is already back on the road for his second convention appearance in January. This time, he’s joining fans of horror, science fiction, and fantasy at MystiCon, being held at the Holiday Inn Tanglewood, in Roanoke, Virginia.
Rich will be promoting his sci-fi steampunk novel On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1, and the first of his upcoming SWC releases for 2026, the pulp-superheroine novel Cry Havoc: The Furies, Book 1.
Rich, of course, is the bestselling author of the licensed novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, as well as a bunch of titles published by us: the swashbuckling adventure novel Harbinger of Darkness; the fantasy-adventure story collection For a Few Gold Pieces More; the writers’ and RPG gamemasters’ aid Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination; the supernatural-superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; the noir-fantasy story collection Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase; and the pirate-adventure digital comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special.
You’ll find Rich hawking his wares in the Dealers’ Room, so be sure to stop by his table and pick up any titles you might have missed, and to learn about his projects for 2026.
MystiCon runs January 23–25. For more information on the show, visit the MystiCon website.
This weekend, fans of horror, science fiction, and fantasy will be gathering at MarsCon, being held at the Holiday Inn Virginia Beach—Norfolk, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Among the attendees will be author Richard C. White, who will be promoting his sci-fi steampunk novel On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1, and his upcoming SWC release, the pulp-superheroine novel Cry Havoc: The Furies, Book 1.
Rich is the bestselling author of the licensed novel Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, as well as a bunch of titles published by us: the swashbuckling adventure novel Harbinger of Darkness; the fantasy-adventure story collection For a Few Gold Pieces More; the writers’ and RPG gamemasters’ aid Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination; the supernatural-superhero graphic novel Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings; the noir-fantasy story collection Chasing Danger: The Case Files of Theron Chase; and the pirate-adventure digital comic The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special.
You’ll find Rich hawking his wares in the Dealers’ Room, so be sure to stop by his table and pick up any titles you might have missed, and to learn about his projects for 2026.
MarsCon runs January 16–18. For more information on the show, visit the MarsCon website.
A Happy New Year to one and all! Two thousand twenty-five wasn’t a hugely productive year for those of us at ’Warp Central, but it did see three things that brought good news: the release of On Wings of Steel, author Richard C. White’s latest full-length novel; Rich’s return to convention touring; and an increased interest in SWC’s backlist (especially our Illustrated Classics, siurprisingly enough).
So let’s take a look at the titles that grabbed readers’ attention in 2025:
Carmilla is J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s 19th-century classic vampiric tale of love gone wrong. Laura is so desperate for a friend that when a young woman named Carmilla practically turns up on the doorstep of the castle owned by Laura’s father, she thinks her prayers for companionship have been answered. But as she comes to realize, Carmilla isn’t as interested in making friends as she is in spilling blood! Regarded as the one of the earliest female vampire tales—if not the first—Carmilla was an influence on Stoker’s Dracula, and remains a popular character in fiction to this day. Our SWC Illustrated Classics edition contains six exclusive illustrations by the super-talented Eliseu Gouveia (A Princess of Mars,The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1)—and has been ranked a “Best of #BookTok” title!
A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (the creator of Tarzan) is the first in ERB’s acclaimed “John Carter of Mars” science-fantasy series, and an SWC Illustrated Classic that features six original illustrations by Eliseu Gouveia (Carmilla, Lorelei: Sects and the City) and an introduction by Mars-fiction expert John Gosling (Waging the War of the Worlds). John Carter is a post–Civil War veteran who suddenly finds himself transported to the Red Planet, where he meets, and falls in love with, Dejah Thoris, the titular princess. To complicate matters, Dejah’s people are involved in an ongoing war with the warrior-like Tharks, so if Carter wants to live happily ever after with his Martian soulmate, he must first find a way to broker peace between the two races—not an easy task, when factions on both sides want him dead!
On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1 is a steampunk sci-fi novel by Richard C. White (Doctor Who: Short Trips, The Ultimate Hulk) in which Erica Halgrim is a proud new member of the Angels of Steel: a courier service whose all-female members navigate through the streets of Underworld and the skies of the Aerie with the aid of winged flying devices that allow them to traverse the toxic Dark Cloud that separates the downtrodden masses on the ground from the wealthy socialites who live aboard enormous airships. Her job becomes secondary, however, when Erica attends a soiree at the Aerie with her fellow Angels and witnesses what appears to be an unfortunate accident (but could it perhaps have been murder?) and she becomes a suspect!
From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!), is a nonfiction history of the queen of comics’ bad girls that takes an extensive look at her early days, from the debut of her Warren Publishing series in 1969 to the death of the company in 1983. In addition, you’ll find the tale of Hammer Films’ unproduced film adaptation of the 1970s that was to star Barbara Leigh (Junior Bonner, Terminal Island) and Peter Cushing (Van Helsing of Hammer’s Dracula films, and Grand Moff Tarkin of Star Wars); an in-depth guide to all of Vampi’s Warren stories; a checklist of all her Warren appearances (plus the publications from Harris Comics and Dynamite Entertainment that reprinted her Warren adventures); an overview of the six novelizations by pulp sci-fi author Ron Goulart that were published in the 1970s by Warner Books; and a look at the awful 1996 direct-to-cable-TV movie that was made, starring Talisa Soto (Mortal Kombat) as Vampi and featuring a scenery-chewing performance by rock-god Roger Daltrey, legendary frontman of The Who—as Dracula!
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination is a how-to book for writers and role-playing gamemasters, in which bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons. Originally intended as a writer’s guide, Terra Incognito very quickly became popular with RPGers who use it as a world-building instruction manual for setting up their campaigns. In fact, the book is so useful to them that it’s currently an assigned textbook in the Interactive Media & Game Development program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worchester, Massachusetts!
And Lorelei: Sects and the City is our acclaimed Mature Readers graphic novel adventure, in which a soul-stealing succubus battles a cult of Elder God worshipers trying to unleash their monstrous masters on the world. It’s a tribute of sorts to classic 1970s horror comics and movies, from writer Steven A. Roman (me again!) and artists Eliseu Gouveia (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback Annual #1, Stargate: Universe), Steve Geiger (Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Kraven’s Last Hunt, Incredible Hulk Epic Collection: Going Gray), and Neil Vokes (Tom Holland’s Fright Night, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark). Cover art is provided by Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna: Come Together), plus there’s additional art from two of Maroto’s fellow legendary artists from the Warren Publishing era: a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Werewolf by Night, Star Trek) and a history of succubi illustrated by Ernie Colon (Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld).
Each of these titles is available in print and digital formats, so visit their respective product pages for ordering information.
According to the National Day Calendar, National Science Fiction Day was launched in 2011 and was meant to correspond with this being the birth date of legendary sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov—author of the Foundation Trilogy and I, Robot (the short-story collection, not the Will Smith movie), among many other titles—who was born in 1920. It’s a celebration, the NDC says, that “encourages reading or watching science fiction.”
Well, if you’re looking for some quality sci-fi to read on this special day, might we suggest a couple of SWC releases?
On Wings of Steel: The Darkside Chronicles, Book 1 is a steampunk sci-fi novel by Richard C. White, the author of quite a few SWC titles, including the popular writer/gamesmaster reference book Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination. Erica Halgrim is a proud new member of the Angels of Steel: a courier service whose all-female members navigate through the streets of Underworld and the skies of the Aerie with the aid of winged flying devices that allow them to traverse the toxic Dark Cloud that separates the downtrodden masses on the ground from the wealthy socialites who live aboard enormous airships. But her job becomes secondary, however, when Erica attends a soiree at the Aerie with her fellow Angels and witnesses what appears to be an unfortunate accident (but could it perhaps have been murder?) and she becomes a suspect!
A Princess of Mars, originally published in 1912, is the first in the “John Carter of Mars” ten-novel series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, best known as the creator of the pulp-fiction jungle lord, Tarzan. Unlike Tarzan’s African adventures, Princess is the story of a post–Civil War era American who suddenly finds himself transported to the Red Planet, where he must constantly fight to stay alive against all sorts of alien threats—and where he falls in love with Dejah Thoris, the titular Martian princess. It served as the basis for Disney’s 2012 film adaptation, John Carter—a movie that didn’t deserve the poor treatment it got from the studio and is definitely worth checking out, if you’ve never seen it—and inspired works like Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon, George Lucas’s Star Wars, and James Cameron’s Avatar.
The StarWarp Concepts Illustrated Classic edition of A Princess of Mars features six incredible illustrations by artist supreme Eliseu Gouveia (Carmilla, Lorelei: Sects and the City, Stargate: Atlantis), and a special introduction by Mars-fiction expert John Gosling, author of Waging the War of the Worlds.
A Princess of Mars and On Wings of Steel are available in print and digital formats. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information.
[*Update note: My appearance date has been changed. See the revised post.]
Hey, comic book fans! On Sunday night, December 28th, I’ll be making a return appearance to J.D. Calderon’s YouTube interview series Indy Comics Explained, on the latest installment of his ongoing panel-chat series “Talking Comics on a Sunday Night.”
(J.D., by the way, is the writer/creator of the fantasy series The Oswald Chronicles and the anthropomorphic fantasy comic series Tall Tails; the latter is currently being serialized in the pages of Antarctic Press’ anthology comic Furrlough. He’s also been a friend of mine since we met back in the 1990s’ days of the indie comics explosion.)
My last appearance on Indy Comics Explained was back in December 2022, when the topic was editing in comics and otherwise (I’ve been a comic and book editor for over three decades), and I joined J.D. and former Marvel Comics editor and writer Gary Barnum—who writes under the pen name Alin Silverwood—for a lively discussion.
This time around, the topic will be…well, could be anything. Christmas is coming up next week, and holiday-themed comics have been making a comeback (DC’s Christmas with the Super-Heroes treasury-size reprint, Marvel’s Spider-Man Holiday Special, Dynamite’s Vampirella Helliday 2025 Special, Image’s gruesome Spawnverse tie-in I Saw Santa, for example). The slow-motion death of Diamond Comics Distribution is still going on, with its new owners dragging its bloated carcass across the landscape, knee-deep in lawsuits and somehow still managing to have a harmful effect on indie publishing. Marvel and DC are friends again and have gone full-tilt cash-grab into the crossover business (Deadpool/Batman, Batman/Deadpool, Thor/Shazam, Flash/Fantastic Four) as they close in on the 50th anniversary of the greatest comics team-up of all time (in my opinion), 1976’s Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man, this coming January. And Kickstarter continues to be the safe haven for indie publishers who can’t get comic-shop distribution (one of those harmful Diamond effects).
So, be sure to tune in at 7:30 p.m. (East Coast time) on Sunday, December 28th,for “Talking Comics on a Sunday Night,” where we’ll all find out just exactly who will be on hand and what we’ll be talking about, as we wrap up 2025!
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