Welcome to the Wandering Wonderer
The Home of Writer Erik Waag
Greeting travelers on the seas of Wonder and Adventure. Seekers of forgotten worlds will find here a chronicle of the tales I’ve written, and guideposts to projects of my own and of friends.
Listed below are my novels, short stories, loot store, YouTube, contact info, a list of periodicals I am involved with, and friends that might interest you.
I’ll update this post whenever needed.
Novels
Citadel of Seven Swords
Sword Swinging Thrills!
Set against swords, monsters, wizardry, and intrigue, Skarde fights for freedom alone... but instead finds himself leading a rebellion and saddled with a curse!
This old school sword and sorcery tale sets off at a fast pace to adventure!
Weird of the Skull Totem
Skarde – wandering sword, pirate, and killer of giants – falls prey to his own triumphs.
Shipwrecked on a haunted shore, he and his crew face a nightmarish foe that wields enigmatic powers, distorting reality with malevolent sorcery. Under darkling boughs death and horror stalk, hungry for living flesh.
Short Stories
That Axe Anciently Was Mine
What if the hero of a savage and ancient land returned from the deep mists of time?
Samuel Rider is a man out of time and place. A man with a destiny undreamed of.
Necromancers and demons, werewolves and the undead. The villains and monsters of legend lurk still in the night, unseen by most.
Samuel battles the strange, the deadly, and the unholy with a band of on-again-off-again allies in the Ancient Order of Chandlers.
Sword & Seventies – High adventure in the age of the birth of Heavy Metal!
Fangs of the Moon Opal
When Samuel Rider first gripped the haft of That Ancient Axe, premonitions of primeval power and glory struck him like a bolt from the Gods. He is a man with a destiny undreamed of.
Now, Samuel takes his first step – or leap – into a strange world hidden just under the surface of everyday life. A world where mystery, majesty, and danger lurk behind every corner. Always has.
Villains, too, have seen through the veil and employ sinister magics to plot evil. Cursed and alone, save for the witch Cassandra, Samuel fights a desperate battle for his very soul.
Blades Against Fear: A Wandering Sword Short Story
Coin is easy and duties are light protecting fat merchants on the King's Highway outside of Tonsaare.
At least that was the hope the wandering mercenaries, Skarde and Belgeti.
Now their paymasters are dead and a thing of dread stalks the pastoral hills under a cloak of fear. However, the two adventurers do not make such easy marks.
How can steel and muscle defend against a creature of dread legendry? Only the brave shall overcome.
This short story first appeared in Anvil™: Iron Age Magazine #2
Shadow in the Eye
Skarde stops to wet his parched lips in a mangy tavern in The Eye, the worst quarter of the rich and wicked city of Damyra. An alluring feminine form catches his eye and he is drawn into facing an eerie menace.
Read it for free on Lyn Perry’s Swords and Heroes.
Loot
Tee shirts and an assortment of merch is available on my TeePublic Store
YouTube
Check out my YouTube channel for updates, reviews and my ongoing look and Robert E. Howard’s Conan
Publications
Anvil: Iron Age Magazine
Anvil Magazine is the vanguard of Indie fiction. Storytelling, creativity, a pulp aesthetic, and FUN are its central values. Anvil is a variety anthology magazine mixing fantasy, sci-fi, western, and other genre fiction, with a spattering of comics and reviews.
Most stories are penned by Indie fictions up-and-comers, as well as some better known authors like Blaine Lee Pardoe, Sean CW Korsgaard, Razorfist… and of course yours truly. Well, I’ll be better known someday.
BATTLEBORN
BATTLEBORN is an upcoming action packed sword and sorcery magazine curated by Sean CW Korsgaard and published by IronAge Media.
Sign up to be notified when the pre-order/subscription campaign goes live in fall 2024!
Note: Battleborn is partnering with IronAge Media, and they have had issues with a printer. It looks like those issues have been resolved and things are moving again. I can’t wait to see what surprises await us in issue 1.
Swords & Heroes
Swords & Heroes is an e-zine published by Tule Fog focusing on sword & sorcery and tales of heroism. These stories are sent straight to your inbox, and can be read there or on his Substack. Lyn Perry, the madman behind it all, also puts out Lyn Perry's S&S Roundup. It’s a bi-weekly look at the world of S&S. Sign up and get the updates and stories for free.
Savage Realms Monthly
Savage Realms boasts some fantastic talents in a small format antholgy published (almost) everymonth, and their back catalogue goes back to 2021. The authors are too many to name, and their is an audiobook version of each read by the fabulously gritty Moose Matson.
Mistcreek Publishing
Home of the works and anthologies of N.R. LaPoint. Mistcreek Publishing is dedicated to providing entertaining and uplifting stories instead of agenda and nihilism. Look for some ambitious projects coming soon from Mistcreek.
Other Publications
I’m not published in any of these, nor have I subbed, but who knows what the future holds. Each of these are well loved Indie publications.
Aegeon - The editor describes Aegeon thusly: “Aegeon has an essentialist ethos which does not pander to fleeting values, but explores, unhindered and uncompromisingly, the hidden realms of the imagination.” This is truly weird stuff, and you will love it. Bonus points for the editor despising PoMo art.
Bizarchives - “You have entered the storehouse of the strange, the terminus of terror, and the wellspring of the weird. THE BIZARCHIVES are the lair of all things pulp. Within, you will find short stories, music, merch, and art from somewhere beyond time and space.” And hail Odin!
Cirsova - A mixed genre variety magazine with a strong track record. They publish stories from well loved authors like Jim Breyfogle, Misha Burnett, Michael Tierney, Adrian Cole, JD Cowan, and Ken Lizzi.
Crimson Quill Quarterly - Pulpy tales of fantasy and horror lurk herein. Well worth checking out.
Sword & Sorceries: Tales of Heroic Fantasy - Parallel Universe Publications S&S anthology. Contributors like Eli Freysson, Ken Lizzi, Lyndon Perry, Steve Dilks, and Adrian Cole can be found within.
Tales From The Magician’s Skull - Goodman Games own pulpy publications and previously edited by the fantastic Howard Andrew Jones. A lot of thrills within.
Whetstone - The amateur magazine of pulp sword and sorcery that “seeks to discover, inspire, and publish emerging authors who are enthusiastic about the tradition of “pulp sword and sorcery.” These are free PDFs and full of fun reads.
Friends
Listed below are some of the Indie world’s most stalwart fellows. I can’t list everyone I like, but here are a few I have worked or engaged with over the past few years that will no doubt be of interest to you. Links are included in the name.
Daniel P Riley - He’s the editor to the Iron Age. The man on every project, it seems. Daniel is my editor and a writing coach as well as an author. If you need a hard working guy who understands and love fantasy and sci-fi, look no further.
‘Doc’ John Parce - Doc is the extremely insightful beta-reader to my Skarde series. He’s the author of Sheepskin, which is an action oriented mix of Animal Farm, 1984, and a touch of Lovecraft.
A Drink With Crazy - Royce has created a community of Iron Age and Indie creatives. Check out his LIVE channel for weekly streams featuring huge numbers of ongoing projects. The Iron Age goes beyond books - it’s comics, artists, music, film, video games, cats and dogs! But for heaven’s sake Royce, put down the Whiteclaw!
Nicky Picone - AKA Nicky Pinecone of Iron Age Marketing. He is a man with insights into the Indie world that few others have - that of an expert marketer. If you are new to publishing, take a look at a side of the biz few creatives appreciate. It’s a free level up
Moose Matson - The Hobo with the High Kick, Moose is the Lemmy Kilmister of the Indie scene. With pipes as smooth as an old sea dog, or perhaps a grey wandering skáld, Moose also has an understanding of genre - so his voice acting is superb. As noted, he reads for Savage Realms Monthly audiobooks.
Secret Fire Books - Tim runs a funcentric YouTube channel focused on SFF, and often covers indie books. He is also the author of Sand & Steel and other books.
There are many more, but I can’t list a comprehensive guide to the Indie market. That job belongs to:
A Literary Eye - A.C. Cargill is a writer who also maintains a huge list of active indie authors. Hats off to you, sir.
Social Media
I can also be found on these social media sites.
