P D Ball’s Story Newsletter No. 4

Hello! I hope this email finds you well. Perhaps eating ice-cream well!

Good news: Book 4 is finished!

Contents:

Book 4 is DONE: link and blurb

Cover Reveal

A Note on Editing

Contact Info

Behind the Scenes: Crossbows

Other Authors and Book Promotions

Progress Update

Book 4 is done! It’s much longer than the previous books. So, you get more Cayce. Hence, it took longer to finish. That and Christmas. I went home for the first time in years and spent a lot of time with my friends and family and, sorry, didn’t get a lot of work done.   But I did drink a lot of rum, which was nice.  Since returning home, I’ve worked on this day and night to get it out.

It’s done and I’ve started writing Book 5, the conclusion.

Book 4 is here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYF9PJXQ

There’s a lot wrong with the world I find myself in. The earls are angry about the knighthood, worried about my blood-ties to a foreign power, and likely working behind my back to take the kingdom for themselves. The suitors ever vying for my attention, my hand in marriage. The crazy behavior of the foxes and ravens and crows who seek me out just to bow.

And the coming war.

All these I could handle, well almost handle, but for the raging magic inside me. Powerful, angry, wanting out. And I feel it. Want to release it! Yet using magic would not only guarantee that the mages would hunt me down, it would endanger everyone around me. And I just couldn’t let that happen.

But when did this world give me a choice?

Cover Image (and another link to Book 4):

A Note on Editing:

I edit these myself, usually about 6 times each. When you finish editing, or when I do at least, it really feels like you’ve done it, you’ve gotten all the mistakes there aren’t any more. 100% confidence, no more mistakes!

Then I hand it over to three people who aren’t me to read through the books and they invariably find mistakes I miss. That’s the bizarre thing about writing, your own mistakes are rendered invisible to you. This time, though, I tried something new. I had the computer read it back to me.

It worked like a charm! Or, at least, I hope so. It certainly picked out a lot of mistakes that I missed. This time’s worst offenders were “solder” instead of “soldier” and, frustratingly, “they” instead of “the.” The voice, however, might miss messed up quotation marks and some punctuation – hopefully, I caught them all. In fact, I’m now 1000% certain there are no remaining mistakes! I’d bet the AI’s voice on them.

Because of how accurate it was, I’ll be having the computer read me the previous three books and cleaning them up. Hopefully, Book 4 is the most error-free book I’ve released.

If you want to contact me, share your thoughts on the newsletter or writing, I’m at pdballwrites@gmail.com

Behind the Scenes: Crossbows  

When I began writing the Cayce series, I wanted magic to be ridiculously powerful and an impediment to technological improvement. Magic had to make missile weapons obsolete or at least less useful. No one would bother inventing crossbows and ballistae as they’d amount to lugging heavy pieces of wood all over the countryside for no particular reason.

In the real world, bows were designed a long time ago. The earliest arrowhead found dates from 64k years ago, which more or less coincides with advances in musical instruments (flute-like instruments). Probably bows were used before this, but this is the earliest we have definitive proof.

Before this time, missile weapons were thrown, similar to the massive hunting boomerangs of the Australian Aborigines, spears, kukuri and other heavy throwing knives. Before that, animals were likely hunted by chasing them down, a method called “persistence hunting.” Homo erectus likely used this style of hunting, as it was built for endurance running. Humans, however, developed better technology and distance weapons.

Crossbows were first use heavily in war in ancient China, around 2400 years ago (ya). By 2200 ya, armies in China employed some 50 000 crossbow using soldiers and had developed complex trigger mechanisms that they strove to keep secret from others.

The crossbows Chinese armies used were light and easier to load than the ones described in the Cayce books. Amazingly, they even designed a clip for holding up to 10 bolts above the device, allowing a crossbowman to fire, reload and fire again quickly.

The ancient Greeks and Romans used variation of ballista. Crossbows and ballista work by making use of the tension in wooden beams. Bending the wood increases tension (or kinetic energy), releasing it fires the missile as the wood returns to its resting state. It’s so simple that there are many ways to do this – the normal crossbow, with the ropes attached to either end of a wooden beam is the most common. Romans built torsion devices that relied on winding large amounts of rope up, then releasing it. Some of their heavy ballista could send missiles over a kilometer (0.62 miles) away!

I lucked out while writing the Cayce series when I found a reddit AMA (ask me anything) being run by one of the world’s leading experts on crossbow history. I had these visions of Cayce making crossbow regiments who would act like the British Red Coats in how they fired: one line shoots, drops down to reload, the line behind them then shoots, etc., to create a continuous barrage of bullets.

He said it had never been done in history. The fastest way to use crossbows, it turns out, was with one man reloading and another firing. I thought about this for a while and concluded that my image probably wouldn’t work – if it would have, then it would have been used in history. Probably, the slower rate of fire and less stopping power than the musket is what prevented these kinds of formations from being developed.

The main benefit of using crossbows is that anyone can use them without a lot of training. If you have crossbows, you can arm untrained peasants. Crossbows are much easier to learn than archery, though the mechanisms themselves can require some time to learn.

The second benefit is their stopping power can be greater than bows. But, greater stopping power requires higher tension in the firing mechanism, which in the past required burdensome mechanisms for loading, like the pully system in the Cayce books. Lighter mechanisms involved using a lever or even just a hook to reset the rope, but such crossbows would be comparable to bows in stopping power. And, with practice, some crossbowmen could achieve similar rates of fire as archers with the lower tension crossbows.

The crossbows Cayce had developed are the heavy, pully system kind. In the books, the characters talk about them penetrating armor. The armor they’re talking about is chainmail. Crossbows, even with heavier pully systems, can’t easily penetrate plate male, unless the shot is very lucky or hits a weak spot or joint in the armor.

In real life crossbow regiments were used similarly to archers. Their purpose was to frustrate the enemy ranks and cause confusion. This is where Cayce’s goal departs, partially because she comes from around our time and is therefore somewhat familiar with the combined arms strategy. As her army already has archers, Cayce’s goal was to create a heavier missile force, one that can penetrate armor. This kind of stopping power, in a land where ranged regiments rarely had that effect, would prove devastating against opponents.

If you want to read more about crossbows:

Here is the AMA by Dr. Stuart Ellis-Gorman, and a link to his academic book is on that page: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/th23ut/im_dr_stuart_ellisgorman_author_of_the_medieval/

A pretty good documentary on the crossbow. One major issue: the video discusses crossbows being effective against armor but shows the wrong kind of armor for the historical period, images of men in full plate mail while discussing historical periods before this was invented. Other than this problem, it does a great job discussing the various parts of the crossbow, battles it was used in, lots of shots of it loosing bolts, and comparisons of it against the longbow and matchlock rifles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuOm3I-tTFo

The academic paper discussion quartz arrowheads from 60-65kya (sorry, the link is HUGE): https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/32055519/Micro-TrACKS_Research_Anthology_Volume_001_2011.pdf?1381430943=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DMicro_TrACKS_Research_Anthology_Volume_0.pdf&Expires=1678703292&Signature=J6ga7dgrsgMc2Lh0QFAy4~O~-WV-aag3TOZmzTyatdKFnNUAiVRZw94kuxlOuPpSOSuhxXSnAkVMa~QYx7sJz1wpbRKiNf2mSUuXZX9LiVkui2wBH7ivvpSsXRbp5FyGT-85pcnfIokZjLLpfEbVtQiGuBOoe~qhrL-ReXKK7MkzIRrJ2Xug2k32fFu93o7CHAQ1PU~mV3nev3oL3iTIpFHe05vovnTqNv~mv1VhEMwK~6ydlJcfhmHpkQfWsPN2yBj39HkmqkEMlEom3xLXzQE~t9jjpc89DJ6Xnvpb0Ah6NgpiujKSkd~2SneTOubcA2iSP5w2V8nNc7hQIUxa3A__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA#page=36

Other Author Book Promotions

Ok, so these are promotions I agreed to do in trade for the same. They’re key for authors to reach larger audiences. These are works from authors in similar genres who’ve agreed to list my work in their email newsletters and promotions.

I have vetted these works to the extent that I tried to eliminate erotica. But I haven’t read any of these as I’m trying to get Princess Cayce’s story out as quickly as possible.  Some of these books may appeal to you.  I downloaded a couple and might add more to my reading list.

The first two are authors I’ve chatted with, then next twelve are books that have interesting stories to me, and the last three are group promotions.

Some of the books below are free! Check the books out for details.

Megan Darrah just came out with a new book. We’ve had a few conversations and I have to say, she’s a lovely person. The book is an urban paranormal fantasy, where a young woman finds herself in a school for supernatural monsters:

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXJW8VMN

M. W. McLeod is another author who’s easy to get along with and lots of fun. Here’s a link to the first in a series of four, about a young witch just trying to get into college, but with a bunch of magic-hunters who’d rather she was dead:

https://www.amazon.com/Demonic-Deals-Damned-Book-ebook/dp/B0B2K8RCHH

The veil between worlds has kept us safe for untold eons.

Magic and mundane. Fantasy and reality. Safe, separate, and secure.

Now the veil is falling.

Thalia's a bookworm... and a nobody. Except for her secret superpower.

Hiding from her fears - and from taking any chances - her job as a bookshop assistant is her refuge. Even her best friend and her kind, almost-like-a-father boss don’t know the truth about her loneliness and lack of purpose.

But her safe yet unfulfilling existence falls apart when her boss vanishes. A strange man breaks into her home, and a cult of bloodsuckers start hunting her down. Pulled into a world of witchcraft and mythological creatures, as her untapped gifts begin to emerge, it's time for Thalia to face her self-worth complex. She must dig deep, learn how to stand proud in her freakish individuality, and figure out how tounlock her supernatural gifts of telepathy and empathy if she's going to save herself - and stop the veil from falling.

Readers who loved the ancient magics and legend of Moonheart, and fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will enjoy joining Thalia and her band of misfits as they come together to save the world.

The first 3 books in the above series are free!

Book 1: Arianna and the Spirit of the Storm A storm is brewing in the kingdom. If she unleashes the power inside her, can she make justice rain?

Book 2: Chrysalis and the Fire of the Forge Their loving union should have marked a new era. Instead, they’re racing headlong into all-out war.

Book 3: Chass and the War of the Storm A king hellbent on domination. A sacrifice that will cost everything. Can one elven hero defend a peaceful race from extinction?

History may have lost the stories…But not everyone has forgotten the past. With her budding air magic, can she escape the future laid out for her and bring back the fabled dragons?

Kat is desperate for a miracle. Living on a dying world, Kat realizes her sister’s challenge to win the Tatsu tournament may be the key to everything they’ve lost. On a planet in ruins, gifted young Kat trains to harness her powers--powers that could help save her world. Refusing to give up on her dreams or her sister’s legacy, she disobeys direct orders to abandon her plan and secretly arranges to overthrow the tournament.

Stumbling across unexpected help, Kat discovers the underground movement to restore Heliok, but she’s already exposed herself as a rebel to the unlawful authorities. Barely keeping ahead of Silas, the ruthless dome leader and his cruel plans for her world, she fears any wrong step will destroy the dragon’s prophecy … forever.

Can Kat’s skill with the sword unlock the prophecy before Silas’s deadly plans can be carried out?

Sword Quest is the thrilling first book in the Dragon’s Magic: Gift of Air epic dragon fantasy series. If you like tales of courage, gripping self-discovery, and eye-opening twists, then you’ll love Amy Proebstel’s intriguing adventure.

From terraformed outposts to magical realms, journey to worlds where deadly plants, rampant biodiversity, or failed colonies have created irresistible opportunities for those brave enough to seize them.

New worlds, found family, mystical secrets, and deadly science weave together in this lesbian-centric anthology focusing on a very different kind of first time—a first encounter with a world, or being, entirely unlike our own.

If you like diverse stories with lesbian heroines practicing science, magic, and seduction, buy Distant Gardens today!

Charlotte Grant lives every horse-obsessed girls‘ dream. Homeschooling and all the hours with her horse she could want. That's the biggest benefit to helping her dad run the family business, Grant’s Family Travelling Circus.

Yet when their main act is injured, Charlotte and her beautiful Andalusian mare, Elspeth, are thrust into the spotlight. Business booms, with crowds gathering to see the teenage horse whisperer work her magic.

But someone is lurking in the shadows, eager to claim Charlotte’s success as their own. When Elspeth suddenly goes missing, Charlotte is fraught with fear for her beloved horse and concern that her boyfriend, Josh, may somehow be involved. Can Charlotte find Elspeth in time to save all she holds dear? Or will this one malicious act tear her family apart?

If you love horses, drama, and lots of twists and turns then this is the book for you.

There is no plague in Enfaire…

Dead things have been found in the fields of Enfaire, a God-fearing town north of Reams. Not just dead things but twisted forms… unholy shapes. And there are rumours, too—of a blasphemous union and of fell creatures that haunt the night. Yet, even as plague and witch pyres blacken the sky, the town remains untouched by the malady that has already claimed thousands and will claim thousands more.

It is here, in Enfaire, that an old Franciscan friar and his ward take shelter from a storm. It is here, in a little town on the edge of civilization, that they will have their faith truly tested.

His Black Tongue is a tale of medieval horror, plunging the reader into the plague-torn land of 14th century France, when pestilence and death walked hand-in-hand, and life was little more than a sputtering candle, waiting to be put out. But there are worse things than death, than sickness and decay… and it comes upon leathery black wings.

Includes The Bone Fields novella and the short stories The Knights of the Non-Euclidean Table and Necropolis.

This one is free!

In this time, the people of the world have seen bloody wars, the rise and fall of divine empires, and pitched struggles between dragons and unicorns—the very children of the gods who created men.  Though the seed of civilization was planted on the continent of Elitor, people crossed the wide oceans to other lands, and to divergent evolutions. Today the world revolves around two great powers: Telsemar in the east, and Drumnaught in the west. It is from the dusty volumes in the duty halls of these cities' grand depositories, that we look back on the tumultuous history of Soria and the tales of Metal and Magic.

This collection features the opening chapters (or episodes, as we call them) of the upcoming CORE novels. This gives you a sense of the wide narrative range our CORE stories offer.

For Elle, haunting a share house comes with a unique set of challenges. Living tenants come and go, leaving her with nothing to fill her days except a crush on longstanding housemate, Dean, who literally doesn’t know she exists. Talk about unrequited love.

Just as she despairs at being stuck halfway to the other side for the rest of her afterlife, the newest resident sparks hope for something more than the humdrum of everyday death.

As far as mediums go, Ethan barely knows he is one. He just wants a place to knuckle down and finish his medical degree. But as soon as he moves in, he senses a presence. He tries to ignore it – but Elle is insistent…

The more Ethan uncovers about Elle, the more he suspects her death was no accident. Can he help her move on, or will greater forces intervene?

Don’t Fade Away is a spooky contemporary ghost story that will tug at the heartstrings!

This one is free!

Tangents & Tachyons is Scott's second anthology - six sci fi and sci-fantasy shorts that run the gamut from time travel to hopepunk and retro spec fic:

Eventide: Tanner Black awakes to find himself in his own study, staring out the window at the end of the Universe. But who brought him there, and why?

Chinatown: Deryn lives in an old San Francisco department store with his girlfriend Gracie, and scrapes by with his talent as a dreamcaster for the Chinese overlords. But what if a dream could change the world?

Across the Transom: What if someone or something took over your body on an urgent mission to save your world?

Pareidolia: Simon's not like other college kids. His mind can rearrange random patterns to reveal the images lurking inside. But where did his strange gift come from? And what if there are others like him out there too?

Lamplighter: Fen has a crush on his friend Lewin, who's in a competing guild. But when the world goes dark, only a little illumination can save it. And only Fen, Lewin and their friend Alissa can light the spark. A Liminal Sky short.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Meets The Gateway Trilogy

Three notorious prisoners escape a maximum-security prison and make their way to the quiet Upper Ohio Valley…

...The Elemental media remains silent, acting as though the breakout never occurred and silencing those who know otherwise

My two newest friends also know the truth, given their connections to the legendary Sentinels. A fighting force infiltrated by a group of racketeers responsible for covering up the breakout.

Skeeter and Daya may be sixteen and limited in their element-wielding ability, but it doesn't stop them from dragging me along as we seek to reveal the truth. Not only are these prisoners more than capable of murder; so is the power-wielding political faction responsible for their breakout. So yeah, odds are I won't live to see my next birthday.

Liza Fury takes place during the events of Book I in the Terrian Chronicles Saga, Tarja Titan. If you're a fan of shared universes, complex plots, and urban fantasy entwined with epic fantasy tropes, odds are you'll fall in love with Liza Fury and the entire Terrian Chronicles Series.

This one is free!

War. Magic. A lover’s betrayal. A dark secret lies beneath them all.

Book 1 of Age of Axion

Democryos leaves the comfort of his home at the citadel to search for his missing wife in the war-torn countryside… and what he finds may be the key to understanding a much larger mystery. A “beautiful” medieval fantasy with a “propulsive finale” (Kirkus Reviews).

There is a barrier between this world and the worlds of fantasy and terror. Fourteen-year-old Martin Kelly has until Halloween to keep that barrier from collapsing.

A centuries-old spirit has slipped through the veil and brought with him a warning. Forces are gathering on the other side—their sights set on annexing the realm of man. Led by an ambitious dark soul who has already brought many realms to heel, their power is growing. That power is fear.

Martin must gather the tools, and the team, necessary to shift the balance of power and keep the mortal world from being overrun.

Sparks fly when a troubled young firestarter meets her troublemaker grandmother.

Avella’s cold, distant mother does not appreciate her gift of fire, and Avella's spiteful sister is desperate to drive the wedge between Avella and her family even deeper. Avella fears she’ll never measure up to her mother's expectations, but everything changes when Avella’s grandmother appears.

At first, Avella is delighted her firestarting is considered a gift rather than a curse, until she discovers her grandmother’s evil plans to bend Avella’s gift to use in insatiable quest for revenge.

Locked in a tower with no prospect of escape, Avella is forced to depend on the kindness of a handsome stranger for help; but when things take a turn for the worse, she knows her only hope of survival is to dig deep and find the strength to control the fire within and the courage to face her evil grandmother.

This sweet novella is the first in the Crown and the Sceptre - a series that can be read as stand alone or in the series.

Group Promotions!

My books are in these along with a bunch of other good ones:

April Fantasy Reads:

Sensational Spring Scifi and Fantasy Reads (sadly, no image):

https://storyoriginapp.com/to/GPFsRyx

Fantastic Futures: