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Bear Wiseman

@bearthewiseman

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🐻Author: The Vitmar Chronicles
Slice of life, long form fantasy novella series set in a world where kindness is default!
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How am I so bad at remembering to post these to my feed?
Well anyhoo, I had a blast interviewing #TuomasHolopainen of @nightwish yet again! Even though I was exhausted and had no idea if I had any interesting questions this time around.
But we talked about band anniversaries, what he's been playing lately (because we are geeks), and who would win in a solo battle between him and Emppu. Oh, and more. Check it out at www.bearwiseman.com!
#bearwiseman #nightwish #nightwishinterview #fantasyauthor
Photo by @joannaorchide by @bearthewiseman

So, I've turned the big 4-0 today, so maybe it's time to drop a little info on my series here.

The Vitmar Chronicles was born in 2008. At first, it was just a fantasy story, poorly written but fun. However, in the 15 years it took me to publish Volume I, I changed significantly.

Most importantly, someone taught me narrative cohesion. He pointed out flaws in my craft and pushed me far beyond the pantser/gardener I was in 2010.

I moved to Finland in 2009. Through living in Europe, I became aware of my white, sexist, Anglocentric way of writing. I learned to love people regardless of what we have in common, and respect them no matter where they come from. I learned curiosity > cruelty.

Thus, a 20-year-old's okay fantasy trilogy evolved into a long-form tale that focuses on normal people, not some chosen one who's off to save the world. What if saving the world just means taking care of the ones you love? What if you don't have to save the world to be the hero of your own story?

I also dared to try something even trickier... I turned the setting into a kind place. I left the one patriarchy (Andranei) intact so I can use it if/when I need to inject some true evil into the story, because I wanted to highlight how awful humanity treats one another while showing off how things could be and how we could treat one another (with kindness, mutual respect, community, honesty, and lack of judgment) to make the world a better place. People actually follow the golden rule in Ilynika.

I've poured well over 15 years of my heart and soul into this series and now that I'm 40, I realize what a deep disservice I did to Volumes I & II on their release. Ergo, I hope to crowdfund the series in spring to do a reboot, maybe with some new covers (let's see how it goes), maybe with some new scenes, but DEFINITELY with physical copies at last!

If you've already given my books a chance, thank you! And if this all sounds interesting, please feel to drop me a DM because I'll be slowly putting an ARC team together! I'll be prowling for reviews of the first two books until spring.

Thanks for reading 💞🐻

#bearwiseman #thevitmarchronicles #seriesreboot #fantasywriter #fantasyseries by @bearthewiseman

A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of (finally) getting to sit down at chat with @kaihahto , who surely needs no introduction. Unfortunately, I was a little rushed and traffic getting into town didn't help, so this is quite short (sorry, Kai - wish I had had time to set up before you got there and wasn't so rushed), but I nevertheless enjoyed the conversation. Personal highlight? Hearing the lows and lowers of staying in a Lego room in NYC 😅

Check it out and to everyone going to the show tonight, have a blast and let me know what you thought! And congrats, Kai, on such a killer career 🤘🏻

#bearwiseman #offtherecord #kaihahto #drummerinterview #offtherecordinterviews by @bearthewiseman

Happy Sunday, folks! I'll be finishing the first draft of The Vitmar Chronicles, Volume III, this week! Assistant Luffy is already in place to keep me on task.

What are my fellow writers and readers up to this week?

#bearwiseman #thevitmarchronicles #fantasyseries #fantasylover #ragdollcat

Ps - my pants are from @thaiharempants and you can use discount code "geekbear" for a bit extra off your purchase! by @bearthewiseman

Hoo boy, old age already caught up to me and I'm late with my first newsletter at age 40. It's only downhill from here. I'm sure I missed a few things too. Anyhoo:

1. Monthly Mayhem - sign up for my mailing list at bearwiseman.substack.com to hear me blab about my month
2. "Yard fry" of zucchini, squash flower, beans, and garlic
3. Our first-ever potato harvest
4. Things from the garden
5. Shh, Simon is sleeping
6. The greenhouse got overcrowded and moist
7. Frog
8. Toad
9. A small selection of my new obsession with salt lamps
10. I finished stoning the blackberries
11. Homegrown corn, first time ever
12. Beans & Simon
13. Flowers in town
14. Tomatoes
15. Beans & Teddy
16. The Herbs
17. Teddy being regal AF
18. Belzebubs cast and crew
19. Anne Shirley Is a Great Example of Balance (Substack)
20. Why I DNF'd Your Romantasy Novel (homepage)

Hopefully the cats distract you from the delay. Cheerio, stay balanced, be nice to one another, all that good stuff.

#bearwiseman #fantasyauthor #belzebubspremiere #homegarden #ragdollcat by @bearthewiseman

On Tuesday the 22nd, the @helsinkifilmfestival hosted the premiere of @jpahonen & @pyjamafilms new @belzebubsofficial series! The first episodes are released tonight in Finland via @yleareena, so don't miss out, but in the meantime, check out my brief report and the transcript from that interview of questionable quality with JP and @martti.manninen (the voice of Sløth) that I did before the event over at www.bearwiseman.com (music & event reviews).
Hail Satan, and I hope you enjoy the series as much as we did!
#bearwiseman #jpahonen #belzebubs #helsinkifilmfestival #marttimanninen by @bearthewiseman

Have you been thinking of trying out The Vitmar Chronicles, but haven't had the funds? Now's your chance! On September 26-27th, it will be part of @indiebookstack 's upcoming event.

The Vitmar Chronicles is a long-form, slice of life, coming of age fantasy series. It stars two brothers (and eventually their partners), as they traverse the curveballs of life, but in a world where people, by default, treat one another far better than they do IRL.

Ever wondered what healthy masculinity or good care for someone with PTSD looks like in practice? In Volume I: An Ending & A Beginning, bard Gabriel Vitmar goes through something terrifying and life-altering, leaving his warrior/adventurer brother Kaldor as the only person in Ilynika that he can handle being around. But with time and love, can Kaldor get back to his regular duties and leave Gabriel on his own?

Huge thanks to anyone who checks it out!

#bearwiseman #thevitmarchronicles #freebook #fantasywriter #fantasyseries by @bearthewiseman

Sunday catpost of Beans and Simon to prove that I am not working very hard on my draft lately because we are reaching the end of the season and there are limited nice days to spend in my garden now, ergo I gave myself an extension (if I need it, I'm sure I could still finish draft 1 this month if felt like it) to the end of October, just so that I can make sure I have a nice end to the sunny days in Finland.
#bearwiseman #ragdollcat #fantasyauthor #fantasywriter #fantasylover
Pants from @thaiharempants - if you want a pair for a bit cheaper, try the discount code "geekbear"! by @bearthewiseman

In case you thought #hattivatti aren't real, I'm here to prove you wrong.

#bearwiseman #fantasyworlds #fantasylover #bookstagram by @bearthewiseman

Indie Author Weekly Spotlight -
Bear Wiseman

Thank you for participating @bearthewiseman and for being so great to work with.

From music journalism to tapping into creative writing and becoming an indie author, this creative soul is just getting started. Both volume I and volume II in The Vitmar Chronicles are available now. Check out links in author bio for further info.

#indieauthorspotlight #fantasy #indieauthorsupporter #worldbuilding by @bearthewiseman

Happy September! Where did the summer go (as we say every year, right?). Of you'd like to get my Monthly Mayhem recap, pop over to bearwiseman.substack.com 💞

As for the rest:
2. 2026 lily selection
3. The Saltar
4. I reviewed Split Fiction this month after we finally finished it
5. Hakaniemi at night
6. Teddy being huge and adorable
7. 2026 carrot harvest
8. I made a forest altar by the shrine to give back a bit of the harvest
9. The blackberries did not disappoint this year
10. Simon being a glamazon
11. Mökki dock
12. Mökki dock view 💞🏞
13. Me pretending that mushrooms are heavy after visiting the family mushroom patch
14. Me and lil nephew 💞
15. Garlic flower twins, aka two heads, one stalk
16. Beet greens, blackberries, gooseberries & blueberries, squash flowers, flowers, beans, plum tomatoes, rocoto chilis, and cucumbers
17. Rhubarb apple piirakka
18. I'm participating in @indiebookstack 's September promotion! Get TVCVI for free on September 26-27th on Amazon
19. Hairy slugs (Luffy, Beans, Teddy)
20. Purple beans, calendula, marigold, rocoto chilis, squash flowers, yellow/green beans, plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers

I also did an interview this month but it got its own post. Thanks for popping by!

#bearwiseman #fantasyauthor #monthlymayhem #monthlycatchup #gardening by @bearthewiseman

July was bonkers! If you'd like to get my monthly catch-up blogs, you can sign up at bearwiseman.substack.com for more! For now:
1. Monthly Mayhem, July 2026
2. The greenhouse at the beginning of July
3. Cubawan tale pt. VIII
4. @helenahaaparanta being awesome in Kitee
5. Cubawan tale pt. IX
6. Me @ @coolheadtaproom
7. @auri.band @ Coolhead Taproom (photo by @joannaorchidephoto and review at www.bearwiseman.com)
8. @kosmos_festival 2026 (review at my site)
9. @kivavisu killing it at Kosmos Friday
10. @crimsonsunband @ Coolhead Taproom
11. @marko_hietala_official @ Coolhead Taproom
12. White currant harvest
13. Frog queen from the wood pile
14. Cubawan tale pt. X
15. Cubawan tale pt. XI
16. Review of @travis_baldree 's books (also at my site)
17. Merch table for @beforethedawnofficial
18. Cubawan tale pt. XII
19. Herbalist's guest room
20. The greenhouse at the beginning of August

#bearwiseman #monthlymayhem #fantasyauthor #herbalism #gardening by @bearthewiseman