Dragoncon Ho!
Aug 27, 2023 4:26 pm
And I'm behind
I've got seven boxes packed and I think I have two more to go. Then I should have all the boxes ready. I'll get them all in my truck on Tuesday, which means I need to clean it out and organize it for the best fit.
I'm waiting for feedback from the beta's and getting a bit nervous. I have to be able to edit it the first few days of September as my editor only has a small window for me to fit into. So, yeah, I'm starting to worry.
The Mage Hunter is already at 34k and I think it is going well. We'll see where it ends up, but I'm pretty happy considering that I've only been working on it since August 8th. Not too bad. I just am trying to get my daily word count up to 5k a day. Not there yet but I'm working on it.
The other big thing is Katie Cross's kickstarter. If you haven't seen it check it out. it is a kids book about her main character Bianca. The artwork is awesome and if you know Katie you know her stories rock. I've already backed it for some friends kids.
Book Recommendations!
November will be here soon enough, I promise, but until then check out these.
This is a free urban fantasy with a widow trying to understand magic discovers a plot against her son. Can she figure it out before she loses him too? Unpredictable Magic is available now!
For those quick reads in the doctors office or during your lunch break here are some short stories all with a magical theme of betrayal. You never know who you can really trust. Check out A Magical Reckoning.
Then as a last sip of story from someone else, there is Before the Fall: Dragon's Magic. This is a prequel to a series. If you love dragons, strong queens, and a desperate struggle, this is the book for you.
Weekly Micro Story
Bad Rewards
"Back, forward, strike," the arms master called in a steady rhythm. "Sidestep, back, overhead, follow through." His words were a steady metronom that had beat into every breath of Jadaya's life.
"Again," he barked
Jadaya, along with her sister warriors went through the motions again and again and again. Her arms burned and lungs ached as the man called out the commands faster. Opposite of the were the men, practicing a similar pattern, though rather than swords, today they were working with spears.
"Stab, twist, yank, two steps back, block, stab, twist," their instructor called out.
As the temple guards for their gods, training never stopped. Be it martial, service, or spying, they were their gods chosen ones, the ones that severed in their household and temple. "Stop. Enough for today. Jadaya and Elik front and center."
A cold stone burrowed into her stomach. Had they fount out? Surely not, the retribution would be swift.
She and Elik raced to the front, standing at attention as the others moved to their next duty, though more an a few pairs of eyes cast back to see the outcome.
"Elik, your left shoulder is dropping. Add twenty set of lifts to your morning routine. You are lacking strength there. "
"Yes, sena," Elik said with a sharp bow.
He dismissed her with a jerk of his head.
"Jadaya," he said shifting his attention to her.
With Elik gone, her tension dropped a bit, but Jadaya just waited his words with a stillness learned from too many lashes.
"You have mastered that weapon. You will be moving to the dagger next. Report tomorrow at first bell." His words were short, but Jadaya had to fight to resist smiling. "If you continue to show superior commitment, you will be moved to the handmaidens of Yurikya."
That was a huge honor, only the best ever served the gods directly. And she'd never see Elik again.
"Yes, arms master," Jadaya said ducking her head to hide the tears.
~*~
So this is a part of the back story of the heroine for my epic fantasy, Jadaya. She doesn't look like that at all though - this is much closer to her appearance.
I'm fleshing out the world and hope to start writing in that one in September, after Mage Hunter is done of course.
Mel
Schedule 2023: (so far)
Dragoncon: August 30 - Sep 4 (Atlanta, GA)
20BooksVegas: Nov 6-10 (Las Vegas, NV)
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