Happy Mother's Day!

Once upon a time, motherhood inspired me to start writing Mother's Day poetry. (Shocking, I know!) But, my muse has been on vacation much longer than I had planned, so, (please accept my apologies, Mom,) I have nothing new this year. Instead, I'll share two of her favorites, written for Mother's Days past....

In My Mother's Garden

In my Mother’s garden I watched many things grow,

How she made it happen, I never thought I’d know.

But as I watched her work, I learned to tend the plants,

Sometimes even helping, until distracted by some marching ants.

In my Mother’s garden it seemed everything came alive,

The world will never be as green as it was when I was five!

A new creature would be revealed with every stone unturned,

Each with a new (and sometimes painful!) lesson to be learned.

For the Love of Thor

It's been just over a week now since our mighty Thor moved on to Valhalla. This big guy was starting to show signs of hip trouble, and last Thursday he was suddenly paralyzed. Somehow, he injured his spine. I can't even begin to explain how much my heart hurt for him. (Oh, that face!) Yet, he remained our brave, strong Beastie Boy right up to the end.

Book Birthday: The Shadow Watcher

Today, I've been helping put the finishing touches on my son's science project, and now I'm finally taking a moment to celebrate The Shadow Watcher's second Book Birthday!

Technically, according to Amazon, I'm a day (almost two) late. I seem to remember setting the date to publish as the 7th. But, what difference does it make, really? None! All that matters is it's there.


I can't believe it's been two years! It really doesn't seem like it's been that long. Then again, in some ways it seems much longer.... It's been almost seven years now (I think?) since I wrote the scene - intended to be a short story - that started all of this. Is it just me. or does it seem like the more time passes, the more mischievous it is? 






My heartfelt thanks to you, Dear Reader, for your support along the way - whether you've been with me from the beginning of this journey, or you're new to my little world, you are appreciated! From December to February this year, The Shadow Watcher saw sixty consecutive days of (mostly) multiple Kindle downloads for the first time - and I know that didn't happen without help! So, once again, Thank You!


I look forward to sharing the next installment of Sam's story with you - the best secrets (in my humble opinion) are yet to come! But, Of Sovereigns and Shadows won't be out for about a year. (Yes there is a very, very rough, and short, draft!) Perhaps that's how we'll celebrate The Shadow Watcher's third birthday? What do you think? 

Wherever you are, I hope you're having a beautiful day, night, or sometime in the between....
Roari



The Shadow Watcher is available FREE from the following ebook retailers:
Amazon (US) Kindle edition*
Barnes&Noble.com Nook edition
iTunes iBooks edition
Kobo
Smashwords all ebook formats


* Available in all regions for just .99 cents (USD)

Character Spotlight: Gairynzvl - The Fierce One

For today's Character Spotlight, please join me in welcoming Author Cynthia A. Morgan, here to grant us a peek at the enchanting, hauntingly beautiful world she's created within "The Dark Fey Trilogy," which begins with The Reviled and continues with Standing in Shadows. 

Cynthia sends us Jaeryn, a TruthSayer, as her emissary. He's traveled long and far to shine the Spotlight on Gairynzvl, The Fierce One - one who is rumored to have suffered through and escaped from unspeakable horror, only to return, that he might spare others the same fate. (This is a first look at new Dark Fey material, Dear Reader!) Would you care to pour a pint of honeyed-ale, as Jaeryn prepares to take the stage and share his tale? Oh, but we must hurry, the show is about to start....

   Please allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Jaeryn; I am a TruthSayer - one who journeys from village to village, gathering information to prove or dispel the rumors and hearsay, which travel on the wind. I went to the village Hwyndarin in order to learn about one of The Reviled; about whom, supposedly, the Ancient prophecies foretell, and upon my arrival in that picturesque little village, I was immediately sent towards a tavern in search of a beautiful, young shefey named Ayla Yna. When I found her, I told her the same and this is the conversation that followed.

Character Spotlight: Tollack - The Elder

Fore Shadows: Escape 2169 was public on Writing.com first. (Most of what I write starts there.) Over the years, I've had all sorts of feedback on my writing - good, bad, soul-crushing - but, I think my favorite comment on any of my work, to date, was simply "I love Tollack!" I knew I'd accomplished my task.

See, when Sam first learns of the Society in the Shadow of Civilization in The Shadow Watcher, Tollack Pennington isn't so lovable. Having put himself in control of the world her grandfather founded, Tollack is less than thrilled to see Sam show up, because, as Samuel's heir, she could challenge his position. And she does.

What Sam doesn't know is the complex, centuries-old history between Tollack and her family. As her grandfather's best friend, Tollack was more than just one of the founding members of the Society - he was Samuel's most trusted confidant. But the Elder Sam meets is a bitter, jealous, power thirsty dictator. So, how did he go from Earth vacation fishing buddy to nemesis? Yes, it has something to do with a woman ... or two. At least, that's part of it....

Happy Groundhog Day! (Thank you, Phil. We'll take an early Spring, happily....)

It's been quiet in my little corner of the webiverse lately. Okay, more like silent. Except for the choir of crickets singing. Do you hear them? Oh, and the wind from this last storm system howling like a rabid pack of wolves for the last three days - that was exciting.

Snow blew in with the pack for about forty-five minutes Sunday. It wasn't cold enough to stick, but just enough to run around in and have fun with the kids. It also brought a mountain of tumbleweeds to our backyard, which was not as much fun. (Picture this multiplied by ten.)

Society (in the Shadow of Civilization) Talk

I've been on a break from the Society since A Shadow in Doubt. Mostly. The timelines, the hopping, the Fore Shadows, and the events unfolding were making my head spin. I have scenes, little bits and pieces, scattered about all over six hundred and seventy some-odd years now. Sometimes the best way for me to stitch the pieces together is to step away and come back later, with a fresh perspective.

So, I wrote something else for NaNoWriMo again this year, then let my brain turn into jelly for most of December. Now, it's eight days into January. Time to get it back together!