A New Saga Begins

Maz'huraIt is a wonderful feeling to announce that Maz’hura: Book One of the Twelve Dimensions is finally available via paperback and kindle. Even more exciting, I am beyond happy to announce that I’m currently accepting auditions from amazing voice actresses for the audiobook! Below is a synopsis of Maz’hura:

Famed sorceress and military captain, Shirakaya, explores vast regions of an alternate universe. On a particularly hazardous mission, an ancient alien race, exiled eons before, attack her intergalactic spacecraft. The body count rises as Shira struggles to defeat the formidable enemy and to convince the galaxies the malevolent species has returned and their mayhem will engulf the entire Ensar universe. The cosmic leaders, the Ruzurai, meet the crew’s harrowing tales with skepticism and deny the escalating threat. Shira’s magical powers mysteriously weaken and she must face the terrifying prospect that she cannot protect those she loves ‒ let alone the entire universe. Her skills waning, Shira is forced to decide how far she will go to vanquish this ancient and monstrous race to see peace prevail.

Maz’hura is the first in The Twelve Dimensions series, with never-before-seen technology, cosmologies, and magic. You can order Maz’hura right here.

The Vagrant Chronicle 2.0

The Vagrant ChronicleIt gives me great pleasure to announce that the second edition of The Vagrant Chronicle has been published! The 800-page saga is now available with new artwork via paperback and kindle. And this time the back cover has outstanding reviews from Writer’s Digest and Kirkus Reviews, the latter of which published the review in their magazine. Here is what Writer’s Digest said about my novel, “This mammoth chronicle reflects a huge amount of work and an imaginary fantasy world that the author clearly has spent much time and energy creating. This is a dystopia that barely exists. There are maps, hymns, poems and pseudo scriptures, thus giving the reader much more variety amid the lengthy saga.” Stay tuned for a new review from Publishers Weekly magazine!

Red Nova – Second Edition Published!

Red-Nova-FrontGreetings, everyone! The second edition of Red Nova has been published. Red Nova is a cyberpunk and young-adult novel that contains a riveting plot with unnerving suspense, exhilarating action, and enchanting romance. What makes this story most unique, however, is that it is different from the traditional tale of good versus evil. Instead it revolves around a theoretical universe of nihility—beyond the notions of good and evil. It is available on Amazon via paperback. The kindle version will be published at the end of the month. If you are looking for a novel with dynamic literary crossovers that takes science fiction to another dimension, then this is the book for you!

Kirkus Reviews

Dark Sanity has received another successful review, this time from Kirkus Reviews. Although there are some major spoilers in the review, it is available to read on their website. Below is my favorite excerpt of the review:

“From the author of The Vagrant Chronicle (2012) comes a post-apocalyptic Western in which a tortured hero struggles to separate illusion from reality. Experienced fantasist Centeno triumphantly celebrates the many pulpy facets of the genre. A savory treat for sci-fi/fantasy readers.”

Writers of the Future Award

Award-4I am officially an award-winning author! Writers of the Future has presented me this award for my short story, Steamwalker, signed by literary giant Dave Wolverton himself. The novel version, Dark Sanity, was published on June 18 and is available via paperback and kindle on Amazon.

Publishers Weekly

After making it to the quarter-finals in the 2014 ABNA contest, Publishers Weekly reviewed my steampunk and post-apocalyptic novel, Dark Sanity. I have placed an excerpt of the review on the back cover of my book, which states, “The novel picks up an epic feel once Flint leaves home, and turns gripping through parts of his war.” Below is the completed back cover of Dark Sanity, which has the review. Publication is expected in late June or early July.

Dark Sanity

Dark Sanity Illustration

I have officially signed a contract with award-winning illustrator, Greg Opalinski. Feel free to visit his website here. The artwork for my third novel, Dark Sanity, will be complete in early June. Check out a sketch below.



Dark Sanity


Writer’s Digest

Writer's DigestAt the end of the Writer’s Digest 21st annual independent book awards competition, I was given a 4 out of 5 for structure, organization, and grammar on my dark and heroic fantasy novel, The Vagrant Chronicle. I also received an outstanding commentary from one of the judges. If they post it on their website I’ll provide a link, but for now I pasted the commentary below from my email:

“This mammoth chronicle reflects a huge amount of work and an imaginary fantasy world that the author clearly has spent much time and energy creating. This is a dystopia that barely exists. There is a whole lexicon of alien names, places, and beasties (a glossary would have been nice). There are kings and queens, serfs and knights, and the hero seems to reflect the image of the iconic lone samurai “scruffy and heroic” so often seen in Japanese kung fu movies. There is great adventure, lots of sword fights and limb lopping, and a hero who takes on a great evil force. All of these elements fit right into the fantasy genre. The author also gives multiple layers of characters and intrigue. This isn’t a one-tone kill-the-bad-guy tome as one might expect. While there’s a fight of some kind every few pages, there is also a great deal of attention to building this alien world in its fight for survival. The writing is clean and tight; there are similes and strong verbs that help bring the world of Pure Land where multiples seem to reign: two moons, Eight Hells, Seven Essences, etc. There are maps, hymns, poems and pseudo scriptures, thus giving the reader much more variety amid the lengthy saga.” – Judge, Writer’s Digest 21st Annual Self-Published Book Awards.

Hello world!

First, I want to thank you for visiting my website. This is the first time I write something here and feel quite excited about it. To begin, I’d like to delve into the art of literature. Though I am a fiction writer, I am open to all forms of writing. In fact, I like to label my work literary fiction.

Now, because I said that, someone may say that I am barking up the wrong tree since I’m a fantasy writer, but I’d say, in response, how could I possibly be barking up the wrong tree if there is only one tree? We may come from different branches, but no matter which branch we live on, we are all a part of the same tree—the tree of fiction. No matter what we choose to write about, we are on the same journey. What brings us together is the simple fact that we love to write fiction. Regardless of what subject we write about – if it is a story taking place in New York City, a different planet, or a fantasy world – it is still pertaining to fiction. This is only one of myriad paths in the world of literature. Most of all, it is my path as a fiction writer.

My life-affirming goals are to always write novels that are a blend of genre and literary fiction and to encourage other people to be as creative as they can be in their writing styles while finding their own voice, whether it concerns the human condition or another aspect of existence. I feel all forms of writing are interconnected, so I want to support writers’ dreams rather than segregate them simply because they write something eccentric.

It is quite possible, if exercised properly, to weave diverse styles together, which include fantasy. Yes, it is absolutely possible to create a fantasy or science-fiction novel that has literary merit. I believe it is possible to have an exciting plot that is intertwined with nuanced characters. This concept does not have to only apply to the primary protagonist because secondary characters can be just as well developed and three-dimensional. Though it may be a challenge, we can essentially create a group of characters so intricate that they can each stand alone as a protagonist in a separate novel. They can all have their own story arc and develop as the novel’s plot moves forward.

Without a doubt, writing is my calling in life. I occasionally describe my inspiration as a wellspring of magical energy that flows from another dimension, somehow reaching out to me. Such energy allows me to sit down and create a story, as well as give it a soul. Each day I try to always grow by listening and tapping into the wellspring of magical energy—the wellspring of imagination.

I believe each and every one of us has our own artistic energy. We are all talented in something. And we have a chance to discover that magic on this journey of life. I bow to the magic in you. If you have a dream, go for it. Believe in yourself. Though it may be hard at times, we can succeed. The storm may hit us. It definitely hit me hard. But I stood up and kept going. And I will keep going on. Now, I have two completed novels which will finally be published. Never give up.

Lastly, if you found my first post to be somewhat sane, then I hope you will enjoy my novels. As my character Teri would say: Woot!

~ Paul L. Centeno

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