Wowsa, what a busy year this has become. It seems like at this same time last year, I was lounging about with hardly any homework, hours upon hours of writing fun, and bits and pieces of even more spare time between to eat lasagna and explore. Now, I’m lucky if I can snatch enough time to write a simple blog post. What changed? How did this travesty of a schedule become imposed upon myself? It makes me recall the reaction of my professor from this time last year, after a group of students (myself included) confessed that we had gobs of free time on our hands:

It was just as encouraging back then as it sounds now. The most dreadful part of it is that her words came true, as evidenced by my lack of posting this semester.

Anyhows, I have some bits and pieces of news and stuff people might enjoy, whilst we wait for that cover art and release date on my book (I’ll know mid-March, I’m hoping?). First off, I just added another one of my songs to Youtube, with the corresponding link to download the song for free:

[click here if you can't see the video]

Also, I’ve finally decided to open up the gates and just let people download preview chapters for The Farfield Curse from my website! Before, I wanted everyone to email  me and request them, so that I knew who had the chapters and when they got them (I don’t know, I just like knowing I suppose). But with the number of emails I’m getting per day now, it’s just impossible to reply in a timely manner, and people are waiting for months just to get the chapters, which I have been informed is like getting one of these and then being banned from feeding it raisins for months.

So, from now on, if you want the preview chapters, you can head on over to this page and download them for free! I’m not advertising these preview chapters too much (it’s not being linked on the Bran Hambric site yet) since they’re not edited, but for the people who read my site I’m putting them up a bit early.

Back to music again, here’s a clip of an entirely new song that I am working on for the Bran Hambric soundtrack. I get the feeling that this will be the final one I create for The Farfield Curse, since I have 8 or 9 songs already, and I have an urge to start making new ones for Book Two . Here’s the clip (or check out the song’s page):

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Tell me what you think the comments!

15 comments »
Posted in Bran Hambric, College, My Music, Videos
Tags: Bran Hambric, College, medusa, music, My Music, Videos

NOTE: For two weeks, you can download this song for free. Click the link below the preview!

I always liked making songs that sounded somewhat mysterious, but as it happened most of music I’ve made so far has been slow and happy (besides the Prologue song on all the websites). On Saturday I had some free time, so I sat down with a specific part of The Farfield Curse in mind, and tried to set that part of the book to music — and surprisingly enough, the song came out all in a few hours.

In the beginning of The Farfield Curse, Bran is found locked in a vault with no memory of who he is. Years later, when he is 14, he is nearly kidnapped by someone who knows far too much about him, and he realizes there is something dark in his past he hasn’t yet discovered. Searching for the truth leads him to a bookstore, where he discovers something hidden amongst the very townspeople who try so hard to outlaw magic. This song represents the part in the book where Bran first begins to realize how big of a thing he is getting himself into: and how dark and sinister his past could be.

TITLE:	The Box In The Bookstore	December 2008
ALBUM:	Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse [Official Soundtrack]
ARTIST:	Kaleb Nation
STYLE:	Classical/Soundtrack
LENGTH:	2:33
	Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
	CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FOR FREE (Until Dec. 14)

If you like it there are plenty more on my music page (also, I have another one coming soon, so maybe subscribe in the sidebar or check back for that one). Also, check out the Bran Hambric music Myspace and as usual, if you want preview chapters, email me or check out BranHambric.com for more info on the book.

For the comments: What do you think of this song? Does it seem to portray what I was trying to show?

18 comments »
Posted in Bran Hambric, My Music
Tags: Bran Hambric, music

This was one of the hardest songs for me to write, and I very nearly threw it out completely on the first day. But I came back the next morning, rewrote the piano and added a guitar, and ended up making one of my favorite pieces.

The reason I think this song was so hard to make is because Bran’s character is so complex to me — and like many things in The Farfield Curse, his story is both happy and sad at the same time. I feel that this song helps to set him and his history to music, and fits especially well after the Prologue, when I imagine Bran would be growing up without any idea of The Farfield Curse — a time when he is just a boy named Bran, and yet is destined for great things he has yet to discover.

Listen below, and if you like it, there are more songs I’ve composed on the music page:

TITLE:	A Boy Named Bran	November 2008
ALBUM:	Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse [Official Soundtrack]
ARTIST:	Kaleb Nation
STYLE:	Classical/Soundtrack
LENGTH:	2:57
	Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
	DOWNLOAD NOT AVAILABLE

Also, check out the teaser site at BranHambric.com to download two of the songs for free, or the Bran Hambric Music Myspace for more.

For the comments: tell me what you think of this song — and for those who have read the preview chapters, do you think it fits well with Bran ?

(ADDED: if you haven’t read the preview chapters, email me and I can send them)

42 comments »
Posted in Bran Hambric, My Music
Tags: Bran Hambric, music, Soundtrack

I know that most of you have not read The Farfield Curse in its entirety yet (as it’s not out until 2009), and even those who have read parts probably do not know well enough about the characters to actually care who Emry Hambric is. I won’t attempt to explain it because I’d really have to write the whole book out for it to be understood, but hopefully my new song will help you imagine the feeling at the end of the first book:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The ending is a mixture of hope and a little sadness, a happy ending but tinged a little, and in a way I feel this song echoes how the first book concludes.

If you like my music or my other songs, I have two that you can download for free on a hidden page at BranHambric.com. I’ll have more news on the book soundtrack closer to the release in late 2009.

There is some about Emry in the prologue of the book (and a song for the Prologue as well, on the Music page) so I can also email preview chapters of The Farfield Curse if you want to get a better feel of who she is. Email me and I’ll try to get previews out as quick as I can.

This song is a first draft so opinions are welcome!

[note: email subscribers must visit the site to hear audio]

50 comments »
Posted in Bran Hambric, My Music, Writing
Tags: Bran Hambric, Emry Hambric, music, The Farfield Curse

If anyone hears the new song from Ryan Cabrera, the most common question will probably be: Is this really him? After all, his last hit was On The Way Down, the epitome of pop music and more Jesse McCartney, Disney-style than anything else. His new album seems to do away with all that kid stuff and puts out something solid with Enemies:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

It’s very close to The Killers mixed with Good Charlotte, and shoots way past Ryan’s other stuff. Coincidentally, I discovered that he is managed by Joe Simpson, none other than the father and manager of Ashlee and Jessica Simpson. Since I mentioned Jessica, I must also note that she is making an attempt at country radio. That’s a warning.

Enemies blends rock and electronic effects into a smooth track that I’m expecting to appear on radio sometime soon, especially in the wake of the similarly styled song from Miley Cyrus’ brother.

5 comments »
Posted in Reviews
Tags: music