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F.A.Q.
Do you have any fantasy novels I can buy?
Yes:
Parallax
A man on a spiritual journey must uncover his past, confront his nemesis, right a wrong, and free his friends from an unjust punishment, in order to achieve inner peace.
Parallax was trained by his father for a position in the royal court but he's never wanted it. As his father lies on his deathbed he makes his son promise to visit the emperor. This begins a journey whose end is uncertain.
What Parallax wants is to achieve moksha, to escape from the cycle of rebirth. He feels it is his fate to reject court life, to reject comfort, wealth, and prestige and go into the forest. There, alone, he will purge himself of the chaos and confusion within. Yet the sins of the past are not so easily purged.
Ravik, once Parallax's teacher, has become a powerful, evil spirit, a rakshasa. He has achieved all he has desired. His rewards have been great--the cost greater. Yet all can be taken away by those he serves, those whose power is akin to that of the gods.
Parallax and Ravik, their fates are intertwined. They are destined to confront one another in order to decide not only their fates but those of many others. Guilt and innocence, justice and injustice, love and hate, enlightenment and escape or another turn of the great wheel of life--all this and more must be decided.
In Parallax, the award-winning fantasy author H. Rad Bethlen marries western storytelling with eastern mythology. Here the gods and spirits of Hinduism are shown as they are no where else. No story like this has been written since William Buck retold the ancient, epic poems Mahabharata and Ramayana in a novelized form.
My sixth novel:
Breaking the Reign of the Dead is available for free. Follow the previous link, go to BRD.PUB, or search for Breaking the Reign of the Dead to read it now.
Kemnebi, the chancellor of the Blood Lords, has an epiphany while rewriting the legal code that governs the society of Geb. He realizes that the ultimate price of undeath is the denial of the soul's deepest need: to grow.
Kemnebi is pained by the irony of developing a legal framework to protect a culture whose inevitable fate is stagnation and decay. He tries to convince his fellow Blood Lords that Geb itself is fundamentally flawed and that the entire concept of a society of undead needs to be re-examined.
His initial idea is to reform from within; however, he faces immediate resistance. This resistance becomes so overwhelming he is forced to abandon all efforts at reform from within and must do so from without, making him an enemy of the nation he helped to build.
Will Geb allow his nation to be reformed, either from within or without? Does he care? Or does his obsession with revenge blind him to all other concerns? When he sees the opportunity to strike against his nemesis, Nex, his actions affect nations. No one--not Kemnebi, not the Blood Lords, not even Nex himself--can escape the repercussions of Geb's actions.
This epic tale of intrigue and strife spans three nations--Geb, Nex, and the Mana Waste--and has a cast of characters that includes Geb, Arazni, Kemnebi, the Blood Lords, the Council of Three and Nine, the Arclords, and many others.
H. Rad Bethlen, the award-winning fantasy author, rewards fans of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game with every word of this exciting, fast-paced, action-packed story.
I also have four short story collections available on my Amazon author's page. One is fantasy, two are horror, and one is contemporary fiction/humor.
What happened to the previous five novels?
The first novel isn't good enough to release. I was still learning my craft when I wrote it. The other four were written under another pen name and are in a different genre. I want to keep the two pen names separate.
Any other books I can buy?
Yes, I have two non-fiction books available.
The Working Artist
They'll tell you it's impossible.
They'll tell you to get a real job and create in your spare time.
They'll beg you not to do it--not to become a "starving artist." You'll live miserable and die poor.
They think they know but they're wrong.
In this straightforward, easy to understand, easy to implement financial guide H. Rad Bethlen will show you how to become a working artist.
This isn't a book on theory. Nor is it a collection of coupon-clipping, money-saving tips. It's a lifestyle guide written by one who lives the life.
If you want the act of creation to be a long-term proposition you need a firm financial foundation. This book will show you how to build it.
In this one-of-a-kind guide H. Rad Bethlen shares everything he's learned from a decade as a working artist. Whether you are a starving artist struggling to afford your art or a dreamer at the beginning of your artistic journey you need this book.
You don't just want to survive, you want to thrive.
This book will show you how.
Storytelling
It seems so innocent. We love stories and want to tell our own. Then we get started and nothing goes as planned. It's hard when we thought it would be easy. It's a confusing jumble on the page when it made perfect sense in our head. It lacks something but we don't know what.
The blank page is cruel terrain--at first. In time it reveals its secrets, but only to those who persevere. That takes sacrifice and discipline. There's no easy path, no short cut to success. The truth of an art cannot be tricked into revealing itself. But there are those who know.
In this book, H. Rad Bethlen, the award-winning author of The Working Artist, Parallax, and many other works, shares everything he knows about the art and craft of telling great stories.
This book is organized into three sections: how to develop a story, how to write a story, and how to edit a story. If you have no experience at all this book will show you the way. If you have been writing for years but have reached a plateau this book will elevate you. Even if you're not a writer but tell stories in some other medium this book will improve your craft, will make your stories great.
Storytelling is about identifying and discussing the techniques used by humanity's greatest storytellers. It is a must read for anyone practicing the art and craft of storytelling.
To learn more about my for-sale fiction and non-fiction please visit Rooster & Raven Publishing or my Amazon store.
Do you work for Paizo or Wizards of the Coast?
No, although I'd like to.
I'm a fan. My Pathfinder and D&D fiction is just that, fan fiction.
Do you only write fan fiction?
No. Most of my fiction is original.
I write fan fiction for two reasons. The first reason is because I get inspired reading Pathfinder and D&D books, think of a story, and want to tell it. The second reason is because I know there are a lot of fans of Pathfinder and D&D out there. I hope that they'll read my free fan fiction and seek out my other fiction.
Have you "traditionally" published anything?
Yes. I sold my first story in October of 2019. It's a horror story, available here: The Perverse Watchers.
After selling this I didn't try to sell anything else. I just wanted to know if someone would buy something of mine and publish it. I tried to submit some stories to The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction but their submissions have been closed for over a year. I have made the stories I wanted to submit to that magazine available in a collection. If you'd like to read them please go to my Amazon store.
Do you work with any other roleplaying game creators/companies?
No, but I would love to.
If you are a creator and/or publisher and want to work together reach out to me. You can reach me at:
Do you have a literary agent?
No, I'm skeptical of the traditional publishing industry.
I think the days of traditional publishing are numbered. Yes, they have clout, a distribution network, and plenty of money but in the age of Amazon, print on demand, and the Internet the value proposition to both the author and reader is drastically diminished.
I could go on forever as to why I'm skeptical of the value traditional publishing offers but I can limit my argument to this: there no longer needs to be a corporate intermediary between the storyteller and the reader. For most of human history there hasn't been such intermediaries. Everyone sat around the fire together, teller and listener. That kind of intimate relationship can exist again thanks to technology. The gatekeeper isn't needed and isn't actually adding value.
Do you have a publisher?
Yes. I started my own publishing company: Rooster and Raven Publishing, LLC.
I am my own publisher. Does this count as self-publishing? Some might call it that, but I don't. I created a business. That comes with a lot of responsibilities. It's a more professional approach than just putting something up on Amazon and hoping for the best.
Do you publish other authors?
Not yet, but I hope to.
I have learned a lot about the publishing business, about business in general, and about great storytelling. I would love to use this knowledge to help other authors publish. Right now I'm focused on my own work. I hope that once I am up and running, have readers, and earn a profit I can expand.
I know there are many talented storytellers out there who are hitting the wall of rejection and frustration that is traditional publishing. I would love to help those stories reach readers. One day, hopefully, I will be able to.
Will you look at my story and tell me what you think?
I can't, and I'll tell you why.
Even though one of my goals is to help other writers and artists thrive, and another is to advance the craft of storytelling, I cannot, at this time, help other people with their stories. Why not?
First, I don't have the time. I'm not only starting/running a business, I'm writing stories.
Second, since I'm writing my own stories and publishing them I have to be careful about working with other authors. I may be influenced by an unpublished story I read, not realize it, and unknowingly allow some elements of someone else's work to seep into my own. Then I could be accused of plagiarism.
Luckily for us both, I put everything I know about the craft of storytelling in the written for in my book Storytelling.
Do you have a blog?
No. I want to focus on fiction.
I spent years researching, writing, and editing my two non-fiction books. I think offering readers high-quality writing requires an iterative process. The process of researching, writing, and editing takes time. It requires discipline. You have to set it aside and return to it with fresh eyes--more than once. I think "push button" publishing encourages less thoughtful writing. Instead of high quality content, bloggers too often want quantity. This enhances their search-ability. It also allows them to post to social media more often, draw attention, and attract readers. But is the attention warranted? I would rather focus on quality.
I thought about doing a blog but there are probably hundreds of blogs offering the kind of non-fiction content I could provide. There's only one person capable of writing my fiction--me. I want to focus on that unique content, even if it means I only publish once a month or less. I know this will hurt my search-ability but I'm willing to make that sacrifice for quality.
Do you use social media?
Yes, I have the following social media: a YouTube account, a Facebook account, and a TikTok account. I use these accounts to aid in my "discoverability." That is, so people can discover my writing. I treat these sites just like this website. They are informational. I hope potential readers will use any/all of these sites to evaluate my writing to see if they would like to make a purchase. I am not going to use these sites for "engagement." Why not?
I do not use a so-called smart phone. I don't have the Internet at home. I can't and don't want to access the Internet or social media everyday. In order to tell great stories I have to devote most of my mental capacity to the generation of "idea collisions." This means I have to read, think, and write.
Why can't I read, think, and write and use social media?
Maybe some fiction authors can do this. Maybe I could if I tried. But I know that social media is engineered to capture its user's time and attention. It's addictive by design. That poses a huge threat to someone who is trying to live the life of the mind. To protect myself, and to focus on telling great stories, I choose to live a monastic-type life. That means I don't use technologies that capture my time and attention. (Other than one rather old fashioned technology--the book.)
Also, I don't trust large media companies. I would rather not use them at all but I know potential readers use them and I want to reach a larger audience than I could on my own without social media. Really, it's a Devil's bargain.
Speaking of social media, I noticed you have audio files of your Pathfinder Roleplaying Game fiction available on YouTube. Are they any good? Should I listen?
I recorded my Pathfinder RPG short fiction and excerpts from the longer fiction as audio files/audio books. These are available on YouTube.
A few things before you listen. I am not a trained voice artist. I think my voice is horrible. You've been warned.
I recorded the stories at the library. I'm fortunate in that they have two mini-recording studios available. I edited them on the computer I built in 2007 that has Adobe Creative Suite 3. I used Sound Booth to edit the audio and Premiere to make the movies.
I feel they're good. Of course, being a writer, I enjoy the written versions better. I hope you enjoy these stories, no matter what format.
Do you run writing workshops or give talks?
I would like to. If someone asks me, I would probably say yes.
You say you do everything yourself, do you have an editor?
No.
I have read that writers can't catch every mistake, that they can't really edit their own writing, not fully. While I think that's true to an extent, there is a way to edit your own material with a clear and dispassionate eye. I talk about how to do this in Storytelling. Even though I try to edit my material myself I still miss things. I doubt that an editor would catch every mistake either. Something always slips through.
I tried to hire an editor for Parallax. There were two problems. First, the cost. Editing a full length novel runs from $1,000-$2,000 (2024). I would have to sell hundred of copies of the novel just to get out of the red. So there's that.
The second problem was what potential editors were willing to do and not do. They wanted to look for things like word choice, sentence flow, tense agreement, and so on. But that's my job. That's part of my craft. It's my responsibility to pick the best words, to make sure the novel is well-written, to make sure each sentence accomplishes what it needs to. I worked hard to master that craft. The last thing I want someone to do is try to make changes. All I wanted was someone to make sure I was using grammar correctly, or that if I broke a rule I did so on purpose. This is called "line editing." The service most editors offer is called "copy editing." Not many editors do line editing. Why not? It takes a long time. You have to read slowly and carefully. Not many people want to do that. Not even traditional publishers are willing to line edit these days.
What authors influence you?
These are the authors I hold as my standard:
- Ambrose Bierce
- Anton Chekhov
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- Fritz Leiber
- H. P. Lovecraft
- Karen Blixen (Pen Name: Isak Dinesen)
- Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Ambrose Bierce was an American author, civil war soldier (Union), and reporter/news paper editor in San Francisco, California, U.S.A. He was known as "Bitter Bierce" because he wrote scathing reviews of anything he didn't like, from other authors to railroad tycoons. He wrote civil war stories, horror stories, and humor stories as well as essays and poetry. I've read all of his fiction. Most of it is excellent. I like him for his brevity, wit, and concise writing. He also wrote (affiliate link) The Devil's Dictionary, a work of humor still relevant today. His (affiliate link) Collected Stories are recommended. Bierce's ability to make few words do great labor is a skill every writer must cultivate.
Anton Chekhov was a Russian playwright and short story writer. He was also a trained medical doctor and kept a sporadic medical career going most of his life. He is considered a master of the short story. Like Ambrose Bierce he had no patience for the type of literary tricks and melodrama that was then popular. He is a subtle writer whose stories reward multiple readings. His language is clear, straightforward, and free of clutter. His (affiliate link) Ward Six and Other Stories is an excellent place to start.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a towering figure in literature, deservedly so. I don't think anyone else wrote like Dostoyevsky or even can. His humanity is present on every page. (affiliate link) Crime and Punishment is one of my favorite works. Sometimes Dostoyevsky is long-winded and goes off on tangents. I think this is because most of his works were published in installments. It must have been hard for him to see the shape of the entire piece when it was written and published in chunks. Despite this, most of his writing is so captivating the length isn't as debilitating as it otherwise might be. However, avoid The Gambler. Dostoyevsky put himself in a terrible financial situation which resulted in him dictating that book to his wife in order to fend off a publisher/creditor. It's not up to his usual standard.
Fritz Leiber was an American author of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. I love his adventure stories centered around the two characters Grey Mouser and Fahfrd. They are fun, light-hearted, full of humor and camaraderie, and a joy to read. It's no easy task to write fiction that keeps a healthy pace and a sense of fun while at the same time accomplishing so much as far as characterization, plot, humor, and action. I think Leiber had an excellent style for the type of writing he did. Leiber's (affiliate link) Ill Met in Lankhmar is a classic.
H.P. Lovecraft was an American author who, although ignored in his lifetime, has had an enormous impact in the genres of fantasy and horror, as well as in literature as a whole (not to mention pop culture). He has influenced many authors, including me. I've read all of his fiction. Reading his writing is like listening to a dear friend--who happens to also be an excellent storyteller--share the fruits of his unique imagination. Even though many of his stories are full of suspense and supernatural horrors the voice of H.P. Lovecraft is always present and always dear. His (affiliate link) Collected Works are well worth reading.
Karen Blixen (Pen Name: Isak Dinesen) was a Danish writer who wrote superbly crafted stories. It's amazing to me how well-written her stories are. I have been influenced by her collections, especially (affiliate link) Seven Gothic Tales. In this collection is a story titled The Roads Round Pisa, a perfectly crafted and written story--a masterpiece.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was an English writer best known for (affiliate link) Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. It's hard to imagine the genres of horror or science fiction without that book--it's that important. Shelley writes with emotion and intelligence. The figures of Dr. Frankenstein and his Monster are so well portrayed that they've become cultural icons--no small accomplishment.
You use affiliate marketing, why?
To me it's a win-win.
I would recommend these authors and books anyway. I would share links so you can easily find the titles I reference. I only mention authors and books I know and love. I'm interested in sharing great storytelling. I'm not at all interested in spamming you with garbage links or authors I know nothing about. Okay, so why am I trying to make money from sharing knowledge?
For the last nine years I have been a starving artist. I did this so I could hone my craft. Now I'm starting my own business, Rooster & Raven Publishing, LLC. Businesses have to make money or they'll fail. If R&R fails I won't be able to publish my writing. Financial success is paramount for creative success. To help me get there I am using affiliate marketing. It doesn't cost my fans or readers anything. They get the knowledge of great authors and books for free. I get an infinitesimal kickback from Amazon. Still, every penny helps. If I am financially successful enough my goal is to publish other authors. Then you'll have even more great stories to read. That's why I think it's a win-win.
If you want to make money, why don't you host advertisements on your website?
Advertising on websites is getting truly obnoxious. I use an ad blocker program. Most websites either try to get around the ad blocker or have a pop up that asks me to turn off the ad blocker. I understand why--they need the revenue--but I'm not going to turn it off because I hate ads!
Yes, I want to make money but I don't want to host ads for a few reasons. First, I don't want to clutter up my pristine website with ads. Second, it would be hypocritical of me to block ads and ignore pleas to turn off my ad blocker and then host ads and ask/expect people to click on them. Third, I don't want to advertise things I know nothing about. I know that's not how ads work but having an ad on my website is akin to me endorsing it. At least it feels that way. I can see advertising products I know and love, like roleplaying game books. Maybe that type of advertising will come. Right now I am focused on three things: giving potential and current readers the information they're looking for, keeping my website clean and accessible, and promoting my writing.
You give a lot of stuff away, are you sure that's smart?
If a reader is in a store and is holding any of my books in their hands they can read as much of it as they like. In this way they can evaluate it. But on this website how can they read a few pages and evaluate my writing unless I give them a few pages for free?
I'm confident in my writing. I want to share it. I believe my stories will find readers and fans. I feel that readers will enjoy what they get for free and then make a purchase, knowing they're getting a great story or valuable information.
Do you use AI generated images in your book covers?
I don't want to use AI generated images. I want my fellow artists to have the opportunity to earn an income from their art. That way they can sustain themselves and their art. The world will have more working artists and that's a good thing.
Human beings are more important than the tools we create. Artificial Intelligence is a tool. I want human beings--especially artists--to prosper, not the elites who control the tools.
As a general rule I try to source art from human creators and make the covers myself. I have reached out to visual artists in the hopes that they could create original art specifically for my books. The price for original cover art begins at around $2,000, at least for those artists I spoke to. Sadly, I don't have this kind of money to devote to a single book cover. I wish I did.
Potential readers will judge my book covers with a split-second glance. If the art is amateurish they will think the writing is amateurish and not buy the book. So I have a problem. I need professional-grade covers to entice people to take a chance on my books. But I cannot afford to pay a professional artist because I'm a starving artist.
So far I have been able to create what I think are professional-grade book covers using art I've sourced and/or created myself and my own graphic design skills. There are two covers that I've used AI art for: Breaking the Reign of the Dead and Of Art and Avarice. Why did I use AI art for these?
I designed multiple covers for Breaking the Reign of the Dead myself before turning to an AI generated image. My covers suffered from one flaw: I could not find good enough artwork to use that I could afford. Even though I designed the cover many times I was never satisfied.
For a project as big as Breaking the Reign of the Dead, which took me a year alone to write, I just couldn't allow an amateurish cover to turn off readers. Even though I'm giving the book away I had too much time and effort invested in it to sink the whole project with a bad cover.
And before you think that you could "Google" images on the Internet that would be relevant and not created by AI check to see if those images are 1) free to use or whether they're protected by copyright and 2) if they're high enough resolution to use in print. Most images on the Internet are low resolution and unusable for print applications.
I decided to use those two images because I needed professional-grade covers, those images were relevant to the stories, those images were genre-specific, and I need covers that attract readers. One day I hope to make enough money from my writing that I can hire artists to do original illustrations. Until then, I have to do what I must in order to succeed. However, I'm still going to avoid using AI generated images if I can.