First, let me get his out of the way:

Please apply for a free review copy of Threading the Rude Eye at this link.

Second, I went to southern Utah last week. The weather there was nice and warm. The weather back home was wet and cold. Among the things I saw, was this big guitar. Zoom in to see the detail that makes it interesting.

I also encountered a bevy of federal court officials. Fortunately, they released me on my own recognizance. Apparently they haven't read any of my books.

In Death Bedrenched is undergoing the first round of edits. I could use a couple more Skirmishers to participate and provide feedback as I explained in the last letter. Respond to this email and indicate your interest to join the team.

One of the things I'm wondering about is the last chapter. I had originally conceived it as an interlude between the commander's story and Lucette's story. After further thought, I decided to put it at the end as a promise of things to come in the series--after all, people are going to expect dragons.

I finished reading Dan Snow's Victory or Death about the siege of Quebec. I highly recommend it. I has more detail about the campaign than I expected. Some of that will be of use in the second prequel in my Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series.

I also finished Baen's latest edition of Heinlein's The Man Who Sold the Moon and Orphans of the Sky. I have to confess that I read very little Heinlein as a youth. My cousin Bob was an avid RAH fan. He did persuade me to read Starship Troopers, and probably another book, but that was about it. Bob passed away in 2019. Reading RAH is a lot like having a vicarious visit with Bob. I can hear his voice repeating much of what I'm reading. It's a pleasant and surreal experience. It's good to talk about books. Talking about books not only helps us remember the story, it etches memories of those with whom we had the discussion as well as the feelings the book and the discussion instilled.

I was going to place a quote by Dumas here about departed loved ones, but I couldn't find it, and instead found the quote below on a different subject, and then found a better quote of my own.

Dumas's unrelated quote (but Bob would approve):

"I prefer rogues to imbeciles, because they sometimes take a rest."

This hits the mark.

During the editing of In Death Bedrenched, I found that I can quote myself on the topic I had in mind: “The dead reside not in the earth or walled tombs, but in the hearts of those who knew them.” 

A "neither, nor" phrasing might've been more poetic for that quote, but that wasn't the way the character said it when it came out.

I've also made it to the final chapters of L'Amour's Last of the Breed. It is slower paced than I had expected, but it continues to hold my attention with the promise of a final showdown between the good guy and the bad guy(s).

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I recently featured an interview with Katharine Wibell on my old blog. You may want to checkout her Incarn Saga:

Destiny beckons.

A young shifter answers…

Welcome to the Kingdom of Elysia where certain beings are born with the gift to change into animal forms, royalty reigns supreme, and belief in an ancient religion persists.

A war is brewing in the lands beyond the ocean. After several seaside villages are ravaged, a draft is implemented, and seventeen-year-old Lluava answers the call to defend the threatened kingdom. She will leave her family and the small village that is home to face an uncertain future. But first, she must survive the unabashed sexism and racism that has tormented her throughout her life. For Lluava is a Theriomorph, the native race of shifters that has long since bent a knee to mankind. And the beast within her thirsts for blood.

Get The Incarn Saga Boxed Set Here

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Honor Roll with special thanks to these subscribers:

Lois for her stunning review and heroic defense of The Shrinking Zone

Budd for reviews for a couple of my books, as well as his expression of how much he is enjoying reading the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series.

Colleen for leaving ratings for several of my books on Amazon.

Rob for leaving a review of Threading the Rude Eye

Michael for leaving a review of Threading the Rude Eye, and The Shrinking Zone

There are other reviews of my books, but I don't know whether those reviews are also subscribers to this newsletter.

If you have posted a review anywhere of any of my books, let me know so that I can include you in the Honor Roll.

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