Cover reveal and Pre-Order for The Reckoning Squad by Susanne Burke

John W. Howell's avatarFiction Favorites

I am pleased to be part of the announcement and cover reveal for Suzanne Burke’s latest thriller. The regular Top Ten feature will be back next week.

I was fortunate to be part of the beta reader team for The Reckoning Squad and can say this is another great example of Suzanne’s talent for writing thrillers. Here is Soooze to fill you in.

Hello, and welcome to the Cover Reveal of my New Psychological Thriller.

“The Reckoning Squad.”

The Reckoning Squad Cover Reveal Banner.

The Reckoning Squad

By

S. Burke

Available to Pre-Order NOW.
Release Date: Monday FEBRUARY 24th, 2020.
Mystery>Psychological Thriller & Suspense >

It is such an exciting time for an author when releasing a new book! I would be remiss in not sharing my heartfelt thanks to the marvelous people who gave of their time so readily to beta read my latest book. Their valuable insights helped me enormously when crafting “The Reckoning…

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A Problem with War of Nytefall

Okay, I might be exaggerating here.  The truth is that there’s probably an easy way out of here and I may have stumbled onto it a few times.  My head is so fuzzy from fatigue and the remnants of a head cold that I can’t focus.  Figure I’ll toss things out here and see what happens.  Keep in mind that this will be vague because I don’t want to spoil any of the War of Nytefall stuff.

So, I’m in the third act of Ravenous, which I hope to release later this year.  I also take a look at the outline for the next volume when I get close to the end of the previous installment.  I do this because the changes that occurred are fresh in my mind, so I can begin revamping the path.  Not as difficult as one would think, but I’m having trouble right now because of focus issues.  So, I’ve run into two problems:

  1. It looks like I kill a character in the original outline, but I didn’t mean to.  I have this one showing up again later with some important stuff.  This death is done as a show of power by the new villain who can overpower Clyde.  It’s not an essential scene, so I might put a different one in there that’s either expendable or can survive the otherwise lethal blow.  Yet, that leaves me with this one having nothing to do.  Another option is to fake their death.
  2. The bigger problem is that I gave an important mission to find the new villain’s origins to a character who shouldn’t be on it anymore.  I do something to them in Ravenous that can’t be shrugged off so easily.  They need to either still have this issue or be battling a really big side effect while pulling out of it.  I considered having them do it while maintaining the issue, which is feasible, but it would put it all at risk.  Another option would be to take the accidentally killed one and put them on the case.  There can be a switch at some point too if this one starts it and the one that people think are dead takes over.  A really big factor here is that the original ‘hunter’ had some very specific skills and the other one has different abilities.  I could hand it off to someone else entirely too.

Okay, I should be fair here.  The issue in #2 is that I’m giving a character a drug addiction that they will either still have or be battling withdrawal in this volume.  It makes it difficult to have them on this important mission.  This problem will cause a lot of chaos in Ravenous, so it’s hard to believe they’re back on track by Savagery.  I considered having the two characters in question here work together too, but they don’t really work well as a team.  Replacements for the drug addicted character aren’t easy to find either because 2 are busy elsewhere, one is incapacitated quickly, and another hasn’t been a big player for a while.  Maybe I can put that one in with the ‘dead’ one actually.  Am I figuring stuff out as I write this?

I’m doing this backwards like an idiot because I’m tired and too lazy to switch things around.  The story of Savagery is that a new villain shows up and manages to conquer both vampire kingdoms.  This person overpowers Clyde who then disappears to go through a training path to get stronger.  It leaves the other characters captured and at the whim of this new character who wants a fight to the death with the ‘Monster of Nytefall’ to prove he is the strongest being on Windemere.  The side mission I’m talking about is to find a weakness in the hopes of helping Clyde when he returns.  Well, this has been rambling enough.  Thanks for any help and maybe just writing this out will clear my head enough.

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Goal Post: What Does It Mean When You’re So Tired that Your Eyes Keep Crossing?

That’s a genuine question.  As usual, I’m writing this Friday night, but I’m finding it difficult because the white parts of the screen are overly bright.  Makes me want to shut my eyes and I’m noticing that my blinks are taking longer to pull out of than normal.  Funny how this week has left me exhausted and it wasn’t even a full one.  Four days that were all mid-terms, so the students I worked with went home early because of the track they are currently on.  So, why am I so drained?

  1. I did go to a party on Saturday night and something I ate didn’t agree with me, but I pulled out of that by Sunday afternoon.
  2. Nailed by a head cold on Monday, which left me out of it.  Had to use Nyquil to get some sleep and that’s never a comfortable snooze.
  3. Moving all of my books and dvds into the basement to prepare for the carpet removal in a few weeks.  This was done with the head cold.
  4. Freezing mornings are draining.
  5. Ex-wife stressed me out a bit.
  6. Nearly got into a really bad car accident.  Somebody stopped in the left hand lane and the person behind them swerved into my lane.  Only had about 10 feet to react and stopping wasn’t going to happen.  I swerved into the right lane (I was in the middle) and went around.  Didn’t have time to check, so I would have been smashed on both sides if someone was there.  Left me with a really bad adrenaline rush that ebbed out and I was out of it afterwards.
  7. Stressed over not being able to do book writing until March.  Maybe I’ll get some in during Winter Break, but I won’t have a desk, room, or any level of privacy.
  8. School cafeteria was closed, so I ate a lot of fast food.  This wasn’t a good idea and I tried to curb it halfway through the week, which resulted in me eating less.  So, I’m kind of hungry too.
  9. Started a career development program, but I have until June to do that.
  10. An insurance issue in the final hour.

Needless to say, I’m exhausted and out of it.  My anxiety is making me worry about it being something else since me fighting sleep is causing me to feel dizzy.  Was talking to a coworker about eating healthier, so I’m going to try to do fruit for lunch now.  I tried to stick to a thin sliced chicken panini with pickles and mustard, but I don’t know how healthy that is.  Water and a simple fruit thing might be best.  The problem is that fruit is expensive and goes bad fast.  Leaning towards grapefruit slices, but I don’t know of any other options.  Salads never fuel me for long too, so I’m hoping this is a better option to get me through the day.  Dreading when people around here find out too because then I get bombarded with suggestions, criticisms of my plans, and enough badgering for me to crawl into the nearest McDonald’s for comfort.  Another big step is to cut down non-seltzer sodas and serving size.  I say after having had 3 Pepsi’s today.

Well, this turned into an odd post about my dieting plans.  My exercise bike is going to be stashed away at some point and won’t return until after the new floors are down.  I’m not sure if I’m going to be told to keep it in the basement too.  Problem with that is it’s freezing down there in the winter and I’m not using it bundled up like I’m about to shovel snow.  I push myself to do 18-20 Miles Per Hour for 15 minutes, so I start hard and maintain that since I can’t go for long.  It’s a tactic I read online for people who don’t have a lot of time to exercise.  This means, I get off with aching legs and covered in sweat.  Walking to the bathroom next to my room for a shower is easier than trudging up two flights of stairs if it’s in the basement.  Found some weights in my closet too, so maybe I’ll start using those in the morning when I wake up.  I can put them in a better location for when I roll out of bed.

Again, I’m sure the comments will be filled with suggestions and criticisms, so please remember that I’m easily frustrated when it comes to this. Only time I successfully lost 20 pounds by biking 30 minutes a day and eating better, I gave up because my proud declaration was met with those two things.  One person told me how I could improve by changing everything I was doing.  Another simply told me how much more weight I needed to lose to no longer be obese.  Then winter struck and the bike was in the basement, so I shut down on the idea completely.  So, think before you leave a comment on this topic please.

Okay, this is a writing blog most of the time, so I really should do something about that.  I won’t be working on War of Nytefall: Ravenous for a while.  The carpet thing and me having my son for the next 3 weekends means I can’t be sure of author time.  I might slip a section in from time to time if I have the energy.  Got 5 chapters left and things are heating up, so I might wait until I get a sure run of time for it.  I’m hoping to release War of Nytefall: Eradication in that time too.  NEVER TOO LATE TO VOLUNTEER TO PROMOTE IT!  I’m dancing around all of these ideas, but I have run into one issue that I might post about tomorrow.  I’ve got a poem scheduled now, but I can push that back to Super Bowl Sunday since I’ll be busy then.  Yeah, that might be a good idea even though I have to be vague.

Goals for the week:

  1. Clear more stuff out of mine and my son’s rooms for the work.
  2. April blog post scheduling.
  3. Get some sleep.
  4. Prepare for Super Bowl party next weekend.
  5. Try to look at the outline for War of Nytefall: Savagery because that’s where the problem is.
  6. Eat fruit for lunch.  Maybe with yogurt too?
  7. Work on a puzzle that I need to finish before the floor thing.
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Top 5 of 2019: 7 Tips to Writing Characters with Healing Factors/Regeneration (#2)

Coming to us from June 6, 2019!  Not much else I can say about this one.  Doesn’t have the same controversy factor as the previous 2 and compared to #1 it’s . . . Well, you’ll see next week.

Wolverine

One power that I use a lot in War of Nytefall is the regenerative powers of the Dawn Fangs.  They can heal quickly and keep fighting as long as their head and enough limbs are attached.  That second part is debatable for some characters too.  Parts can be reattached if pressed to the wounds as well.  It means that their fights can be very bloody, but only because of how I use this power.  I consider every usage to make sure it still fits, which makes me realize how healing factors might not be as easy to write about as I thought.  It can fall into abuse before you know it.  So, what are some things to consider?

  1. Consistency of the healing factor is key in terms of rate and severity of wound recovery.  You can’t have them struggle to heal a small knife wound to the arm while rapidly healing half of their body getting blown off.  Not without explaining why small wounds take longer than large wounds.  You would also need to make sure it stays that way.  Otherwise, it comes off as a power that works only as well as the story needs it and readers will lose interest in the character.
  2. Not every character with a healing factor is the time to rush into battle and take on damage.  Being able to regenerate doesn’t mean they don’t feel pain.  They still need the right kind of personality to be like Wolverine or Deadpool.  For example, a hero who doesn’t like getting hurt will be more inclined to avoid damage even if they can heal it.  Have them act accordingly.
  3. Leaping off #2, you have to be careful in making a clone of popular healing factor characters.  The rest of the powers and the name might be different, but you need to avoid giving them the same personalities.  Not easy when you have them revel in being hard to kill.  You can still go this way, but you have to prepare yourself for the comparisons and find some other way to make them stand out.
  4. Consider downsides to having a healing factor because they come up more often than you think.  Your audience has thought of them though.  Can someone with regeneration lose a tooth?  If not then do they still have their baby teeth?  Giving blood or anything with an extended piercing of the skin could pose a problem.  Has the healing factor made it that they are subconsciously less careful?  This could lead to them taking unnecessary risks.  Can they shave since hair can be regenerated as well?
  5. If you do have a combat-oriented character with a healing factor then really have some fun with it.  Downplaying it can work at times, but there should be at least one time where the power gets a ‘spotlight’ moment. Fighting heroes will have these much more than others. They love the thrill of battle, so have them abuse their power.  As long as it’s consistent, of course.
  6. While not something to do a lot, regeneration and healing factors can open the door for some extreme physical comedy.  There’s no worry about permanently hurting or killing these heroes.  So, accidents can happen or another hero can lash out in comedic rage with no concerns.  Much of this requires certain characters, story tones, and author preferences.  So, do this only if you’re sure it makes sense.
  7. At some point, you need to establish a threat to this character.  They can’t spend the entire adventure feeling invulnerable and the audience shouldn’t think they are either.  It can be anything that bypasses their hardiness.  You can have special weapons, magic, psychic attacks, devices that block the power, and any number of things that forces the character to think with more caution.  This is how you can evolve the hero or villain beyond their regenerating starting points.
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Immortal Wars: The Summoning Part 3 #fiction #throwback

(Previously on Immortal Wars.)

Disclaimer: Immortal Wars was the book I came up with and wrote in high school.  I hadn’t even hit college by the time I wrote the first two books.  That means I hadn’t developed my style yet, wasn’t good at self-editing, and the story was fairly basic. So, you’ve been warned that this is the ultimate author throwback segment for my blog and will show my author origins.  FYI-  I put the first book (The Summoning) through a Print-on-Demand publisher and the second one (Light, Blood, & Tears) never saw the light of day.  Enjoy!

At the bustling entrance to Lance Park, a redheaded girl’s patience comes to an abrupt end.  That is if she ever had any patience to begin with.

“I can’t believe this is happening again.  Where are those two?  I swear that I am going to go back home if they don’t show up soon!  I bet that they’re making out in an alley like the dogs that they are instead of getting here,” the girl shouts.  Her hazel eyes flare like bonfires and her shimmering, red hair seems to shine in the warm sunlight.  It is a very interesting contrast to her pale, white skin.  Her fancy clothes look like she paid over two hundred dollars for them.  Delila Mandervale III probably paid a lot more than that for her current outfit.  She is easily the richest, and most stuck-up, teenager in Oceanhead.  She also really hates to be kept waiting for any amount of time.

“Calm down, Delila.  Eddie said that he would be here with Kelly and he has always managed to keep his word.  Unless an emergency comes up.  But something like that would be understandable.  Hey, do you think that light I saw last night was an alien spaceship?  There are really no facts that say it couldn’t be.  That would be so cool if I found an actual spacecraft flying through space,” explains a young man with brown, curly hair and sunglasses, which cover his light, blue eyes.  He is Steve Vascotti, who is rapidly getting tired of his girlfriend’s loud complaining.  He is one of the most popular young men in school thanks to his position on the tae kwon do team and that was one of the reasons Delila wanted him to be her boyfriend.  Ever since their first date, nine months ago, Steve has had to tolerate her annoying, nonstop whining.  It simply boils down to the fact that he likes her, but he hates her voice.

“Of all the boyfriends in the world, I have to get a conspiracy freak.  It was just a shooting star, Steve.  Why can’t you admit that there is no life in space?  Never mind.  I don’t want to have this argument again.  Right now, I don’t care if that criminal, Edward, keeps his word or not.  Those two . . . . losers can never manage to show up on time.  I think we should just go into the park without them.”

“He’s not a criminal.  Eddie just doesn’t like taking no for an answer and does what he wants.  Like somebody else that I know of.  Hold on.  They’re right over there.  Ed!  Kelly!  We’re over here!” hollers Steve as he sees his friends turn a nearby corner.  The idea that he won’t have to listen to Delila by himself brightens his day.

When Ed and Kelly walk over to the others, Steve quickly takes Ed aside by his arm so that he can talk to him in private.  Kelly and Delila quietly walk into the park with the basketball that Steve had brought.  Of course, Delila keeps looking back and glaring at Ed while she walks away.  Kelly notices and gives Delila a quick shove to get the redhead moving.

“You okay, Steve?  You look worse than I did this morning.  And that was something I didn’t think was humanly possible.  Even dead people look livelier than I did,” Ed says with a smirk.

“Very funny.  Delila would not stop complaining ever since I picked her up at her house.  I don’t want to break up with her, but she is beginning to drive me totally insane.  Now, I want you to be completely honest with me.  Do you think we have a chance to be like you and Kelly?  You know what I mean.  The whole perfect couple that doesn’t fight type of deal,” explains Steve while Ed perches himself on a low wall.  Since the time Ed had helped him out of a large fight, Steve has been his best friend.  They did almost everything together whether it involved doing homework or getting into trouble with local authorities.

“Honestly?  The two of you still have a slight chance in hell.  She just has to start acting like a normal human being instead of a spoiled, rich brat that nobody in their right or left mind would put up with.  No offense.”

“None taken.  So, how could I possibly tell her that without causing her to scream at me for a few days?  Maybe if I find an alien mind altering device.”

“I’d stick to more simplistic ideas, man.  But I really can’t help you out here.  She hates me simply because I exist.  That and the time I talked you into sneaking onto the Air Force base.  At least the soldiers let us go and didn’t shoot us.  But anyway, I wouldn’t worry, Steve.  You’ll figure out the right thing to do.  Hopefully.  Just make sure you’re wearing a steel cup when you decide to talk to her.  That is unless you decide on breeding with Delila and then I’ll have to kill you.  She should not be allowed to wreak the gene pool anymore than she already has.”  Ed just grins at his best friend as he somersaults off the wall and stands up next to Steve.

“Thanks for absolutely nothing.  I should have left you in that plane hanger instead of sticking around to get you out.  Hey, did you see the news this morning?  They found strange energy signatures out in space.  Some of them go through Earth’s atmosphere.”

Ed rolls his eyes and simply says, “You think it’s an alien invasion and they’re currently trying to make plans for galactic conquest.  Honestly, it doesn’t sound that strange to me.  Weird, but not out-of-place.”

“And Delila says my head is in the clouds too often.  You sound like you’re about to say that you’re an alien, which I’ve known for a long time.  Nobody that acts like you could possibly be human.  Let’s get to the basketball court before the inevitable happens between Kelly and Delila.  As we have seen countless times, tomboys and snobs don’t get along at all,” mentions Steve with a happier smile than before.

The two young men sprint into the park and head to the fixed up basketball courts.  When they get to the farthest court, Kelly and Delila are already standing there doing what they do best.  They’re arguing at the top of their lungs.

“Why don’t you just shut your oversized mouth before I rip it off your face and use it to kiss my ass?  I don’t know how Steve can put up with you constantly insulting his friends!  Then again, I’ve kicked his ass in fights several times in ninth grade, so he could just be a wuss!  Still, I don’t see why he puts up with you, bitch!” shouts Kelly, whose face is starting to turn a furious red.  Her hands are already balled up into fists and she is hopping on her feet like a very angry kangaroo.

“I’m not being insulting.  I only told you that your clothes make you look like a desperate streetwalker.  It’s not my fault if it’s the truth,” states Delila in a snotty voice.

“Why you arrogant, little bitch!”

Before Ed and Steve can get to them, the two young women are trying to tear each other apart.  Kelly gets an open-hand slap across her face while Delila gets punched in the gut before the fight is broken up.  Ed grabs Kelly by her waist and holds her back while Steve does the same to Delila.  Both of them wish for earplugs because the girls they are holding continue to scream and curse at each other.

The yelling finally ends when Ed whispers to Kelly, “Don’t let her get to you.  Just ignore her and forget what she said.”

Kelly stops shouting and quietly apologizes to Delila.  In return, Delila stops yelling and after Steve persuades her, she mumbles an apology.  They are talked into shaking hands, but both of them dig their sharp nails into the other’s hand.  The glare that they show each other makes both of their boyfriends a little nervous.

“Now that the two of you have somewhat calmed down, we can play some basketball.  The teams will be Steve and Delila against Kelly and me.  As usual, the losers have to pay for lunch.  And I would like to say that I want pepperoni on my pizza and a large cup of soda with no ice.  Got that, Steve,” explains Ed as he picks up the ball.

“You can get it yourself after you buy me a slice with extra cheese.  Let’s play,” says Steve as he steals the ball from Ed.

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The Female Librarians Who Delivered Books On Horseback

Nicholas C. Rossis's avatarNicholas C. Rossis

Dusty Old Thing recently published an article by Rose Heichelbech about The Fierce Female Librarians Who Delivered Books On Horseback During The Great Depression. While everyone’s heard of the Pony Express, this is a rarely-told story. If like me, you’d never heard it, here you are!

The New Deal’s Book Women

In the middle of the Great Depression, not only was America grappling with the tightening of just about every single household budget, but the nation was also poorly connected. At the time most rural areas were without basic services like electricity and running water. As such, these remote areas were often devoid of public institutions like libraries.

Some of the most isolated areas were nestled in the Appalachian area of Kentucky, among other locations. One of the many public programs initiated by FDR’s New Deal was the Works Progress Administration, which funded the Pack Horse Library Initiative. The…

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Questions 3: Using Historical Horrors in Fiction

Map from “Man in the High Castle”

I tried getting into ‘Man in the High Castle’, but it didn’t stick.  That’s not what this post is about, but the two episodes I watched had me thinking of something.  We have a lot of fiction that incorporates real events that are considered horrors.  Usually this involves wars, which people seem to enjoy fictional versions of.  Yet, these do have a place in history, so some people get upset.  This isn’t really a genre that I pay a lot of attention to, so I’m going to open the floor right away.

  1. What do you think about using fictional versions of dark historic events?
  2. Are there any events that you think should never be given a fictional treatment?
  3. What do you think is the positive and/or negative of creating such a story?
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Teaser Tuesday: Hunters and Prey #fantasy #adventure

Welcome back to Teaser Tuesday.  Enjoy this piece from Legends of Windemere: Allure of the Gypsies!

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

“She tricked me again,” Trinity growls as she drags herself out of the river. She looks up at the top of the thirty-foot waterfall with a cold, angry stare. Trinity is still amazed at the detail of the landscape illusion that caused her to walk off the edge. The chaos elf thanks the gods that she landed in a deep part of the river instead of smashing into the rocks.

“I always thought chaos elves were the masters of tricks,” laughs a female voice from the trees.

“We are, but my experience with gypsy magic is rather limited,” Trinity begrudgingly admits. She begins walking toward the slippery cliff until a dagger strikes the ground in front of her. The chaos elf stops and looks around the trees for any sign of her prey.

“Then, let me warn you about my kind,” the gypsy announces, her voice echoing among the rocks and trees. “We don’t like being hunted. Following me is unhealthy. You already fell for my illusions and survived. You shouldn’t push your luck.”

Trinity gently claps her hands and keeps her eyes on the top of the waterfall. “As a fellow trickster and caster, I feel I should applaud your skills. I honestly thought that I was stepping onto a rope bridge instead of walking off a waterfall. Skill like yours is rare. Now, little girl, why don’t you come out of hiding and make this easy?”

Sari cautiously steps out from behind the trees at the top of the waterfall. Three throwing daggers are loosely held in her fist while she takes a seat on a large stone. Her brightly colored clothes make Trinity wonder why she was having such a hard time finding her among the browns and greens of the forest.

“That’s a good girl. Are you willing to come down here?” Trinity asks with a fake smile.

“You look smart, but you act stupid,” Sari bluntly replies.

“This coming from the child who revealed herself to her enemy,” the chaos elf points out. “How do you know I can’t kill you from down here?”

Sari grins impishly from her high perch. “How do you know this is the real me?”

“Damn gypsies. I can never see through their blasted magic,” Trinity mutters, the sound of rushing water masking her words.

“If you want to talk without yelling, I promise to let you climb up the other side of the waterfall,” Sari offers. The throwing daggers vanish into her skirts and she puts her hands behind her back.

Trinity watches the gypsy carefully as she walks toward the slick wall. Looking up, she can see enough handholds to easily get back to the top. With a delicate grunt, the chaos elf queen leaps onto the wall and begins to climb. From where she is climbing, Trinity can barely see Sari’s blue hair blowing in the wind. With a cunning smirk, Trinity grips a long vine when she gets halfway up the waterfall. Before she can attempt to swing to Sari’s side of the waterfall, a glint of metal flies through the air and severs the vine. Trinity flails wildly in the air until she can catch another crevice and return to climbing.

“Even if you did make it over to this side, I can disappear into the forest before you can reach the top. So, please stay on your side,” Sari requests with a yawn. She gets to her feet and fixes her skirts while she watches Trinity climb the last half of the waterfall. Trinity gracefully flips over the edge and lands in a crouch with a stiletto in her hand. She takes a small bow when the gypsy starts applauding, but quickly remembers why she ended up going over the waterfall in the first place.

“Hey! Don’t mock me,” Trinity snaps.

“I wasn’t mocking you. That was a good show,” Sari swears, juggling two of her daggers. “Now, leave me alone.”

Trinity doubles over with laughter. “You can’t honestly believe that I will do as you say.”

“There is no reason for you to be following me. Your friends destroyed my family and left me with nowhere to go. You have done enough damage to my life!” Sari shouts, a sudden surge of sadness running through her body. A tear begins to trickle down her face and she swiftly turns away from the chaos elf.

“I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t feel sorry for you, but you are an unfortunate loose end. I can’t let you run around Windemere and return to cause my master some unexpected trouble,” Trinity says, flexing her sore shoulders. “If it makes you feel better, I promise I won’t kill you.”

Sari turns to look at her doubtfully. “Would your friends stick to that promise?”

“Maybe.”

“You might as well have said no.”

“I’m surprised that you haven’t asked me why we attacked your clan.”

Trinity can see Sari bite her lower lip to halt her tears. A trickle of blood runs down Sari’s white skin before dripping off her chin into the churning river. Three river sharks risk going over the waterfall as they rush to the drops of blood. A fight breaks out between them until two are washed away by a sudden wave in the river. Trinity watches the pair of sharks twist in the air as they plummet to the rocks below. She can see more waves coming down the river and cautiously steps away from the rising water. The chaos elf can only assume that a nearby dam has burst, which means she has very little time to capture the gypsy.

“I don’t care why you did it,” Sari angrily blurts out.

“Then, I guess you weren’t really attached to your family,” Trinity coldly counters.

Posted in Allure of the Gypsies, Legends of Windemere, Teaser Tuesday | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Do Rulers in Fantasy Need to be Evil or Inept?

The White Witch . . . Queen? Turkish Delight Dealer?

I’m not sure where this idea came from, but I’ve seen a lot of people run with it and claim that it’s how the genre works.  You have a ruler, but he/she/it is either a villain or so inept that it makes the heroes look even better.  There may be a kind and smart leader, but that person is minor, gets killed, or manages to still be inept.  It makes one wonder how all of these magical kingdoms exist when nearly every leader is terrible.

Now, this is a generalization and we can all come up with rulers in fantasy who didn’t fall into this category.  They even survived and made a difference in the story.  Maybe it’s that we pay more attention to the negative here and it skews our observations.  For every Theoden of Rohan, you end up thinking of ten Bavmorda of Nockmaar examples.  I can think of a few reasons for this:

  1. It feeds the concept of ‘power corrupts’ and that is a favorite within fantasy.  It can be a magical artifact, ruling a kingdom, or controlling a powerful demon that brings a character into villainy.  We also have a habit of believing that this is true and seeing corrupted leaders in fiction helps to cement this belief.  Seriously, how often do we say that politicians cannot be trusted?  That’s very similar to the idea that all rulers in fantasy need to be evil.
  2. A flawed ruler explains why the heroes are needed.  You would think that both could live alongside each other, but it might not be true.  No reason to have a wandering warrior save the day when the wise and capable king can send out the army.  By making the leadership evil or inept, you create a hole for your heroes to fill.  They are truly needed because there is nobody else to do the job.
  3. It’s fun to have a villain who controls so much political power.  You immediately believe that they have near endless resources, which means they can do anything that is needed to push the plot.  Need an army?  They have that.  Assassins and special agents?  Finest that money can buy.  Demons?  The bad guy just hired a summoner and two dragons.  These villains can also be over the top because they don’t have a big connection to the common folk.  This would explain why they are cruel to their people and take actions that we would see as evil.  For example, you can imagine an evil ruler ordering a guard to be executed for a minor offense than a villain who doesn’t have much to work with.

Now, I understand the use of warlords and evil sorceresses.  Those have been around for a really long time.  The former is an actual thing in some sense with historic leaders setting out on bloody campaigns of conquest.  It might not be the same in fantasy, but it’s still an aggressive ruler that would be seen as evil by anyone in their path.  If you think about it, we remember these kinds of people more easily than the good ones too.  Perhaps it’s the way the human mind works or how society allows us to grow.  We fixate more on the negative than the positive, so it feels that certain roles are more naturally attuned to leaning the one direction.  It could explain why I see people complain that a kind and capable leader is unbelievable and took them out of the story.  Doesn’t say much about our society if we have an easier time accepting dragons than good kings and queens.

So, what do you think about the use of evil rulers in fantasy?

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How to Publish with KDP: Part Two

Harmony Kent's avatarStory Empire

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Hello SErs. Harmony here. As promised earlier, here is the second installment in the post series dedicated to taking a step-by-step look at how to get your finished manuscript from your computer and on sale on Amazon in both ebook and paperback.

If you’d like to take a look back at the planned outline in that post, then here’s the shortlink: https://wp.me/p7OGru-29c. And here’s the link to Part 1: https://wp.me/p7OGru-29t. To make it easy to browse back and forth, I’ve set all links to open in new tabs. As this series progresses, I will update the links for you so that each post includes links to all past posts in the series.

So, here’s Part Two: General Formatting Necessities

Whatever software you’re writing in, there are a number of tips and tricks you can use as you type to help ease the burden of formatting…

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