Goal Post: One Step Forward . . . Kick To The Groin

Posted on October 17, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

(The intro sounds so much like another song.  Can’t put my finger on it though.)

This was a rough week due to the life event.  I can’t go into any details on public forums, but things are still happening.  Part of the week was prep for it and then the next stage, which left me exhausted.  Still got through work while I felt beaten up on the inside and realized I have another month or two of needing antacids ahead.  Part of me just wishes it could end so that my son can enjoy his senior year without a dark lining.  He’s excited about college, senior events, and so much.  Sucks that this life event is causing havoc as well.

Prior to having to focus on the above, I did manage to get a chapter section of Darwin & the Deadlands Queen completed.  It was the merging of two sections, so it took a while to put together.  I realized it’s a major transition chapter where the first act nears its end and the second act looms.  Chapter 6 has one more section, which is going to be another merging.  So, I’m hoping to get it started later today and finish it up tomorrow.  Going to be tough with my son having an event and me having an eye exam then cooking dinner, so I’ll be happy with the single step.  If done right, it will make chapter 7 easier in terms of act transition.  Throwing in some unplanned foreshadowing is making it slower going as well.

The other issue is still Darwin being a positive, curious character, so I need the right mindset.  I get emotionally derailed a lot lately.  I tried writing Darwin when I was in a bad mood and it didn’t work.  I have found that starting with a moodier character can help me get to where I was, but that’s not always an option.  Add in that this book has a lot of conversations since the problem will be made a disaster if Darwin does his usual magical chaos.  I’m getting some action scenes in, but I feel he’s reached a point where he can use his words more often.  Not always the right words, but Darwin has to mature on some level and I know he’s capable of it.  Looking at my outline, I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of action in general until near the end.  Just how the story is going to go.

I managed to get all of the November posts set up, so I’m working on December.  Really trying to make new posts, but I think the life event is taking too much out of me.  I’m working on a list of future topics that I can tackle when I have more time.  Barely about to get writing time in, so it would be weird to use what I have to make blog posts.  I know this disappoints people, but I’m pulling stuff from around 10 years ago.  Figure those posts could use a revival.  I really put up a lot of writing posts too, which is why finding new topics a challenge.  Doesn’t help that I’m not aware of current trends in writing, publishing, and marketing.  Do people even read books or is A.I. simply downloading them into our dreams?

This coming week doesn’t look to be too crazy.  A full week of work with no appointments to speak of.  My son has a few things that need to be taken care of, but that’s more on his shoulders.  College essays and applications are his focus now.  I might get lucky and be able to write on a weekday.  If I could start chapter 7 or tinker more with ‘Coven of the Gray’ then I’ll be happy.  Really should try to touch on the latter.  I’ve been lazy there since it’s in my work satchel and I keep leaving that downstairs.  Keep laying down on my bed and losing the energy to get it.  I try to run ideas through my head though . . . They’re not always on topic.

Only other thing going on is me getting back into cooking.  Everything has worked out so far, including the taco pie with Doritos.  I did plan on having leftovers of some of the meals, but I didn’t factor in the teenager’s appetite.  So, I was left doing more take-out than expected.  Can only do Nutella sandwiches for myself for so long before I want a burger or slice of pizza.  The dinners for this weekend should last longer though.  I’m doing pepperoni lasagna rolls tonight and a sweet kielbasa recipe with rice tomorrow.  He couldn’t possibly eat 8 of the lasagna rolls and an entire kielbasa . . . I think.  Kid is skinny even after gorging, which reminds me of when I had that type of metabolism.  Hope he can maintain that.

Goals of the week:

  1. Make it to next Saturday without drama.
  2. Daily walks to relax.
  3. Work on Darwin & the Deadlands Queen.
  4. Buy the final piece for my son’s costume.
  5. Cook dinners.
  6. Help son with college essays.
  7. Work on ‘Coven of the Gray’.
  8. Lego sets to relax when late or raining.
  9. Mow the lawn tomorrow.
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Windemere Monsters: The Jesters

Posted on October 16, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

NiGHTS from Sega

This is one that can get confusing because their name is also used for the career and clothing.  The thing to remember going forward is that the Jesters here are spelled with a capital ‘J’.  Also that I won’t be talking about the other kind.  They get the name because of how they dress . . . Although, the bell-tipped caps and colorful clothing are actually parts of their bodies.  Segue into the description!

The Jesters are incredibly powerful beings that are said to have been born from chaotic magic.  As I said, they have the clothing of the mortal career and they indulge in some of the same activities such as juggling and getting laughs.  All Jesters are high energy and tend to be friendly, but they also have a curiosity that can be unnerving.  For example, one meeting a pregnant woman could open her belly up like a door and take a peek without harming either mortal.  This was actually done in a Dungeons & Dragons game that I ran and it freaked the mother out.  You see, Jesters don’t pay attention to social norms, mortal rules, and laws of physics.  They are composed of raw magic and can twist reality to some extent.  Only gods and named demons can really hold a candle to their power, which they use at their leisure.

There is no social structure to these creatures because they are fairly whimsical.  You might find several in a group for an extended period of time, but then there might be a solitary one.  Some adventurers have stumbled onto hidden colonies, which are very rare due to the amount of magic in one area.  Many Jesters wander around and search for areas that can entertain them.  It could be a temporary weather pattern or a group of mortals that they will stick with until they get bored.  Not being gods, they are allowed to interfere with mortal affairs and they will for laughs.  It is unclear if Jesters can get angry or even kill people since neither have been recorded.  They are more likely to send an enemy away or do something to embarrass them.  Being near immortal, they understand the concept of death, but find it bland and refuse to be a part of it.

Jesters will continue to be a mystery, especially after the Great Cataclysm.  Prior to this event, they were scattered about Windemere and were fairly active.  Once the chaos had ended, only the Jesters that had been trapped in magical locations remained and they lived in secret.  Various artifacts that unleashed reality-warping magic have been discovered and it is rumored that the Jesters were transformed by their own power into these items.  Others believe they were reabsorbed into the chaotic magic that birthed them thousands of years ago.  Nobody really wants to investigate in case they free something strong enough to kill the Jesters.  Because of this, they have fallen into legend and appear in bard tales to entertain children.

In my books, Jesters first appeared in Legends of Windemere: Tribe of the Snow Tiger in the form of Fortunatos.  He is the guardian of Aintaranurh, which is the holy temple of Timoran Wrath’s tribe.  People enjoyed his appearance and antics, which I had a blast writing.  Yet, this wasn’t the first time I used a Jester.  In fact, he was originally going to be a genie, but I changed it once I got to the scene.  They first appeared in that D&D game that I mentioned when I wanted a powerful being that will throw off the players.  I had a problem with them attacking and destroying nearly everything that came across their path, so I made the Jesters nonthreatening and beyond their abilities.  Even if they attacked, they wouldn’t do enough to warrant a counter.  It was the first time I got to play a wacky and curious character, which would go on to influence my creation of Yola Biggs the Chaos Goddess.  I do plan on bringing them into a few more stories too.  Haven’t fully decided on that one yet.

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Poetry Day: Bedroom Shadows (Revisit)

Posted on October 15, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Raven from Teen Titans

(Anybody else grow up seeing things in the shadows when they were trying to fall asleep?  Does it still happen?  I didn’t really grow out of it, but my bad eyesight makes such things rather ridiculous.)

Chittering noises

From the closet depths

And under beds

Disguised as wind

Or settling wood

*

The monsters wait

Kept at bay

By blankets

And a tiny light

Jutting from the wall

*

Spindly legs

Tap the shadow fringe

Searching for a flaw

While hidden eyes

Lock onto sleeping prey

*

Tempting whispers

Made from desperation

A feeble attempt

To coax the child

From her linen shield

*

The child stays safe

While the monsters fail

Going hungry once again

Forced to slumber

By the blazing sun

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Windemere Monsters: Snake Fiends

Posted on October 14, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz
Nagas from D&D

Nagas from D&D

One of the first monsters that appears in Legends of Windemere are the Snake Fiends, which are based off the Naga.  This is a mythological creature, but I wasn’t 100% certain of that when I wrote the story.  The name kind of stuck.  Sadly, this monster gets very little attention since it shows up so early and doesn’t make another appearance until Book 10.  So they remain a mystery and it’s only recently that I did more with them.

Physically, the Snake Fiends have the hooded head of a human and a serpentine body with poisonous spines.  A long spike is on their tail and they have multiple hearts, so they are a force to be reckoned with if you’re a young adventurer.  More experienced warriors and casters see them more as a nuisance.  A constricting snake can’t do much against platemail and the poisonous parts wouldn’t get very far either.  So a Snake Fiend in the wild is more inclined to avoid travelers or hiss from a distance.  They are only aggressive when they feel safe.

Now the reason the Snake Fiends were used is because that was what appeared in the game and I never thought to change it.  Having them being underground creatures and a common treasure horde protector made sense.  They can burrow through the piles of treasure and sense movement on the ground.  In fact, you’ll learn that their burrowing ability is much more versatile than one would expect.  A Snake Fiend in a field or any terrain with deep soil can hold its own against stronger creatures by moving beneath the surface.  Using their vibration sense, they can use their tail spikes to stab from below.  Their eyesight is better in caves because direct sunlight is too strong, but the hood helps if they face the right direction.  There really wasn’t much depth to their design and habits.  Sometimes a monster is closer to a simple animal than a complicated threat.

Yet, the snake fiend does become very important later on in Legends of Windemere.  I was rather surprised how much mileage I got out of them.  Can’t say much more than that without spoilers.  It really does show that an author never knows which creation is going to make an impact.

To see the Snake Fiends in action, check out:

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

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Teaser Tuesday: Uh-Oh

Posted on October 13, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

Today, we have Timoran Wrath getting a well-deserved spotlight.  I admit that I had to edit a little of the teaser to remove a piece of information.  Want to know what changed?  Then check out Legends of Windemere: Charms of the Feykin for 99 cents!

Continue reading →

Posted in Charms of the Feykin, Legends of Windemere, Teaser Tuesday | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Windemere Monsters: The Trolls

Posted on October 12, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

DnD Dire Troll

What would a fantasy world be without trolls to drive terror into the hearts of adventures at least once?  Obviously, you can do this, but I was picking from the classics early on and trolls were top of the list.  I wanted them to be one of the biggest threats that my heroes can run into.  Nothing on the scale of dragons or demons, but they certainly take the top spot among the less magical beasts.  For this, I went wild with the description and kept writing until I ran out of steam.  Easiest to give an excerpt from Legends of Windemere: Prodigy of Rainbow Tower when they debuted:

“The forest tracker moves ahead of the other warriors to examine the troll and a lump forms in his throat as soon as he sets eyes on the monster. Standing over twelve feet tall with long, heavy arms that drag along the ground, the beast is a two-headed nightmare come to life. Luke notices that the troll’s eyes are nothing more than dark holes with pinpricks of yellow in their center. Rigid, twisted hairs stick out of its heads in every direction, resembling dead branches. The beast sniffs the air with its long, mosquito-like noses before walking on wide feet that give it a pounding stride. Sunlight glints off the curved claws that sparkle like diamonds.”

I later showed that there were “subtle vapors wafting off its lime skin”, which is a sign that they are weak against fire.  I haven’t always kept the color consistent or mentioned, but I try to maintain this hulking, long-limbed beast consistent.  There can be variations depending on the environment.  The one above is found in forests, but you can have slight deviations when the trolls live in jungles, mountains, or deserts.  The excerpt doesn’t mention that they can blend into their surrounding, but they typically materialize when they pounce.  Burrowing, regeneration, and a numbing effect when they cut skin round out the alpha predator’s powers.

Trolls are incredibly hard to kill with magic since even regular fire can be put out before it kills.  There are ways to weaken them though.  Glands behind the eyes allow their chameleon abilities to work when they are moving.  Destroying those will mean that the troll resembles heat haze similar to The Predator when it moves.  A deep cut through the face can also limit their regeneration since the front of the brain is what controls the rapid rate.  It could be beheaded while it repairs the brain damage, which is the only way it can get back to its full strength.  The challenge is delivering the killing blow since trolls will retreat for a bit if they are severely injured.  Due to not having any natural predators, they don’t realize when they are outmatched until they have been hurt.  This is something that many adventurers use to their advantage because a shot through the eye can give them a chance to escape.

You rarely see trolls in groups since they are territorial.  Mating pairs will stay together for a few months until the female gives birth.  Then, the male leaves before she uses him as a regenerating food source.  He isn’t killed, but he is repeatedly ‘harvested’ until the child is strong enough to fend for itself.  There are some trolls that allow this to happen, but that is only in areas where food tends to be scarce.  On islands, you can find troll colonies since there isn’t enough space for them to divide the area.  Travelers avoid these places because any new type of food is attacked immediately by the swarm, which will become so frenzied that a quarter of the population will be eaten in the fray.  You will find that the tropical species are more feral and primal.

I have toyed with some specialties too.  The Sjotroll in Life & Times of Ichabod Brooks is supposed to the first attempt at making a troll.  This is a legendary monster that is said to have been forged from the gods’ nightmares.  There are supposed to be only 4 in existence with one on each of the mortal continents (Canst’s Fields, Ralian, Cerascent, and Shayde), but there could be more.  There is a big ritual involving sacrifices and shamans to wake them, but not many know of it.  All I will say is that this monster is gigantic and considered legendary for a reason.  In the future, I’m hoping to introduce a species that is intelligent and tame, but it hasn’t worked out yet.  Never seems to fit the series.  I’ll keep trying though.

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African Penguin Day

Posted on October 11, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Today is ‘African Penguin Day’, which brings attention to the plight of a species found in South Africa.  They are critically endangered due to overfishing, climate change, and habit destruction such as oil spills.  In fact, their populations have been declining steadily since the 1800’s when there were millions of them.  Now, there are less than 20,000 mature African Penguins with only 9,900 breeding pairs.  Let’s look at some facts to understand these animals that need our attention and protection:

  • They are also called Cape Penguins, black-footed penguins, and Jackass Penguins.  The last name is due to their braying call, which resembles a donkey.
  • They live on the coastlines of South Africa and Namibia.
  • Aside from their braying call, these penguins are distinguished from other species by the pink patches above their eyes.  When the temperature gets hot, blood is pumped to these patches and heat is released from the body.  This acts as natural air conditioning.
  • Every penguin has a unique black dot pattern on their chest.  This is similar to human fingerprints and tiger stripes.
  • African penguins will hunt in groups to herd small fish to the surface.
  • They can hold their breath for over two minutes and dive around 400 feet.
  • Both parents are involved in keeping eggs warm and raising the chicks for the first 30 days.  Once they are 30 days old, the chicks are left in groups with adults while the parents go hunting.  These are called nursery groups.
  • 80-90% of African penguins mate for life.
  • As stated, a cause of their decline is overfishing of their food sources like sardines.  This makes them an indicator species, which means their decline shows a disruption in the environment.
  • Their main predator are the cape seals, but humans have caused them to interact more with land predators such as caracals and dogs.
  • Penguins have flattened corneas, which prevents light from bending when underwater.  This gives them hazy vision when submerged, but they also have a third eyelid that protects their eyes from saltwater.
  • Penguins can see ultraviolet light.
  • They drink saltwater and sneeze out the salt instead of drinking fresh water.

Let’s look at some pictures and videos:

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Goal Post: Some Progress In A Few Areas

Posted on October 10, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Well, there is a sliver lining to be sick and exhausted for a day.  That would be getting a chapter section of Darwin & the Deadland Queen completed.  It was a small one that I had no real notes on.  So, I went with the flow when I was trying to sleep off what knocked me on my rear by Wednesday.  That would be stress combined with eating some stuff that didn’t agree with me the night before.  Best way to describe myself would be the spitting dinosaur from ‘Jurassic Park’ until I got some antacids.  Anyway, I got a chapter section done in spite of the mess.

I’m hoping to get more writing done this weekend, but a few things are up in the air.  I know I won’t get any done today because we have a bunch planned.  Tomorrow is a stronger possibility even with me having to cook dinner.  Of course, it could be a guarantee if other things change, but that’s not looking possible.  I did all I could to get these things to happen, but it didn’t work out.  At this point, no skin off my nose, which is a phrase I don’t understand.  I’ll be happy if I get 2 more sections of Darwin & the Deadland Queen completed.

In lieu of that, I’m going to try to schedule the November and December posts.  At least for November, I’m grabbing some old posts to revisit.  I’m hoping to avoid that for December, but I don’t have many new writing topics.  Looked around the Internet for anything author or writing-related, but everything was either covered or I didn’t understand.  Feel free to suggest any current writing trends or ideas that might be a fun topic.  Always open to new ideas.  The poetry, holidays, Sundays, and Teaser Tuesdays have been set up though.  Makes the rest easier.

The life event is still going and wasn’t as big a factor this week.  To be honest, that might not be a good thing.  It means next week may be even crazier.  Already have a few appointments and meetings to get through on top of this.  Probably should look into getting more antacids to be safe.  Not going to be any writing time because of all this, which is why the blog prep might be the ‘go to’ activity.  Really hoping the life event settles eventually, but it could be months at this rate.  While it’s going on, other areas are chaotic due to the machinations of outside entities.  Makes me feel like I have little control over my own existence.

Been doing a lot of cooking this week too.  Fanciest thing this week was honey glazed chicken due to time.  The rest was air-fried quesadillas and a store-bought pizza that I had for an emergency.  This weekend is going to be more interesting.  Air-fried ravioli and homemade garlic bread, classic penne with homemade vodka sauce, and I’m going to try a sweet garlic chicken recipe from years ago.  The upcoming week is going to be a mix of major dishes (taco pie, pepperoni lasagna rolls) and bringing in.  Funny how my evenings either give me enough time to cook a nice meal or barely time to breathe.  Can’t wait for life to settle down and allow me to cook much more often.  Not that groceries are cheaper than bringing in.  Both make my wallet cry.

My life is really boring, huh?  Well, I can’t talk about the ‘exciting’ stuff out loud.  All I can mention is my attempts at writing, Lego, cooking, and bare existence.  My son is busy, but it’s basic teenager stuff.  He might be starting some form of social media to show his art, which I’ll showcase here if he wants.  That’s not for a while since he is seeing if it will help him with college or getting commissions for something.  Not sure he understands what a commission is since he doesn’t have the time to do those.  His idea was to make personalized phone backgrounds for people, but we aren’t sure if there’s a market or how he could do it without his creations being shared across the Internet without his permission.  Feel like this is going to be a project for after college applications and everything else is settled.

So, goals of the week?

  1. Cook dinners.
  2. Work on Darwin & the Deadland Queen.
  3. Set up November and December blog posts.
  4. Lego.
  5. Buy more antacids.
  6. Meetings!
  7. Appointments!
  8. Remain standing unless sleep is needed.
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Windemere Monsters: The Doppelganger

Posted on October 9, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz
Doppelganger for D&D

Doppelganger for D&D

Who really knows how many Doppelgangers have appeared in the Legends of Windemere series?  Not many because revealing several main characters have been copies of the originals for most of the adventure is stupid.  I mean, could you imagine being invested in something for so long and then find that the characters you love are not really them?  (Any comic fans know what ‘big event’ I’m poking fun at here?)

These creatures might be in the wild, but nobody really knows.  There have been times when a hunter kills an animal only to see it transform.  Doppelgangers have bluish green skin that is slick to the touch and no facial expressions.  Yet it does have a mouth, which appears to bite a ‘victim’ and absorb their form and memories.  It is never a perfect change due to the mental aspect.  Many times a Doppelganger will take on the ‘idealized’ version of a person until they have a day to adjust.  Not to mention they need to learn the person’s behavior to make it a believable copy.  The change is done with the help of a colony of parasites that help them maintain and erase the forms.  Fritz goes into a long description in Prodigy of Rainbow Tower.

The role of doppelgangers tend to be decoys for the wealthy and powerful.  It is not a safe job and they are practically slaves.  Some are used as bodyguards though because they are very strong in their natural form.  Limbs can be stretch very far and reattach rather easily if severed.  They some regenerative powers too.  Many times a kidnapped decoy will revert to its normal form and kill the criminals, which makes these creatures assassins as well as spies.

One big part of the shape-changing ability is that they need to ‘taste’ the target and lose everything once they revert.  Another ‘taste’ is needed to regain the form, which is why some doppelgangers are given a lock of hair, fingernail clipping, or something to regain the form if need be.  This hasn’t always been the case.  Every once in a while, a doppelganger will be born that doesn’t need the ‘taste’ or even physical contact.  This is a prehistoric throwback since it can’t copy memories, but it has a superior transformation power.  When people come across one of these types, they either hire it as an assassin or try to give it a psychic item to give it the memory stealing ability.  This rarely works because doppelgangers have an aversion to magical items, which cause issues with their natural abilities.

As for out of story origin, the doppelgangers are a pre-existing creature.  Not only in D&D, but old legends where see your copy is a death omen.  I toyed around with including that aspect, but couldn’t get it to work.  The closest thing is that people would call seeing one in its natural form as a death omen.  Probably a criminal-only legend since they’d be most likely to fear such a thing.

Want to see a doppelganger in action?  Click below:

I do plan on having a doppelganger be a major character in at least one other story.  Have plans to play around with their role in the world.

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Poetry Day: Amalgam (Revisit)

Posted on October 8, 2026 by Charles Yallowitz

Monster Hunter the Game

(Here’s another monster-based poem.  Sure you’ve figured out the theme.  Nice to revisit some of the old ones again.)

It shrieks from the depths
Darkest corners of my mind
Which I have never cleaned

*

A beast composed of parts
Harvested from fallen dreams
And crammed into a form

*

Limbs strewn about the mass
Some moving and some still
No two ever alike

*

Thirty mouths or more
Crying for release
From the pain of endless misery

*

Scales and fur and feathers
Patchwork coverings of the flesh
Always shedding to the floor

*

The greatest feature is an eye
Prismatic orb without a lid
It has never seen the light

*

I do not know whose mind it has
So many dreams have died
And rotted to this form

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