Nils's Taste in Books and Video Games
I used to consider myself a hardcore gamer. I spent most of my waking, free time playing games of one form on another, and I’ve got well over a year’s worth of played time in World of Warcraft. These days, I still think of myself as a gamer, but it’s more a case of being a person who enjoys games, instead of someone who plays a lot of games.
I like my gaming in small, bite-size chunks, rather than in massive immersive experiences. That doesn’t mean I don’t while away hours playing games. That still happens, but I’m a lot more reluctant to take on the commitment of a big title than I used to be.
For books, I shift between Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Urban Fantasy, and it’s a long time since I read something else (even though it’s good writing advice to read outside your genre). Like with games, I prefer shorter books to long ones, but I don’t mind long series of shorter books. I feel like that’s the best of two worlds.
Lately, I’ve begun taking an interest in more character focused books – especially ones about “ordinary people in fantastic worlds.” I enjoy the escapism of SFF, but sometimes, the big epic adventures just get a bit much. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself. If the story’s good, I’ll disappear into the book and won’t come out until it’s over.
Favourite Books
Last year:
- Dragon’s Reach, by JA Andrews
- Storm & Shield, by JD Evans
- Magical Midlife Madness, by KF Breene
- Rumble in Woodhollow, by Jonathan Pembroke
- Land of Perpetual Night, by Miri C. Golden
- The Fated Sky, by EM Swift-Hook
- South Coast, Nathan Lowell
Other:
- Kitty and the Midnight Hour, by Carrie Vaughn
- Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor
- Quarter Share, by Nathan Lowell
- Storm Glass, by Jeff Wheeler
- They Mostly Come Out At Night, by Benedict Patrick
All-Time Favourite Book:
- Moominland Midwinter, by Tove Jansson
Favourite Games
A sample of most played games on Steam:
- Wildermyth
- Defense Grid: The Awakening
- Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
- Valkyria Chronicles
- They Bleed Pixels
- The Binding of Isaac
- Ori & The Blind Forest
- Hob
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Trine
- ABZÛ
- Ord.
Other:
- Hearthstone
- Go (no, that’s not a video game)
Nils's Published Works
Roy van Waldenberger is two people
To those who know him, he’s just Roy – a middle-aged man, tired of the limelight, and looking forward to retirement.
To everyone else, he’s The Wolf of the North, celebrity wrestler and werewolf. One of the most fearsome fighters in the history of blood sports.
It’s a mask he wears, and he hates it.
Do you have to follow your heart?
Roy van Waldenberger ruined everything.
His life is falling apart, and his career is over.
He tried to defeat the wolf within himself, and failed.
That’s when a short message on the phone turns his entire world upside down.
If I was careful, I wouldn't be here in the first place
Alene Moneya, aspiring young travel journalist, did not find the secret jungle temple her source told her about. Instead, she found herself stuck in a dead-end dump of a town, and with the full moon just two nights away.
her inner beast hates her, and it wants out
Alene Moneya wanted to be a journalist. Travel the world and write about exotic places. Eager and naïve, she made one mistake, ended up in bad company, and got betrayed.
Why do the weirdos always sit next to me?
Roy van Waldenberger just wants to go home. The love of his life has come back from the dead, and she needs him. He’s in a hurry, he’s on the wrong train, and he’s got no interest in company.
Paivi woke up with a raging hangover...
…and remembered that her sister had come back from the dead.
It's a perfectly ordinary little town...
…and it’s out of the way, and no one has any reason to go there.
Together again, for better and for worse
Roy made it across the border and met up with Alene, just like they’d agreed on. He’s back in human form, and they’re on a train going north.
It should be easy.
What's your story, Alene?
Alene Moneya had hopes, dreams, and ambitions – and now she has nothing.
She thought she had a friend, and she was wrong.
She dared to trust, and was betrayed.
Who are you, without your demons?
Alene Money lost everything. Her friend, her suitcase, her freedom. They took her home away, and when there was just she and the beast, they took that too.
Forthcoming, 2021
Snowflakes dance like butterflies.
Young Emma of the anfylk dreams of a quiet life in her little village in the big forest.
She wants to raise a family and grow old in peace and quiet, with the love of her life by her side.
It’s a plain and simple dream, but it’s hers, and she’ll do what it takes to achieve it.
