A Writer's Week #142: Mission Accomplished...Almost

 The recent Labor Day weekend was very productive for me--perhaps the most productive two days I've had in my writing career. You see, I finished the first draft of my novella, Fire & Ice. What is noteworthy is not so much that I finished the draft, but that I wrote almost 8,000 words in two days to do it.

In the past, when I set a writing goal, it's been for 2,000 words in a week. I think the reason for this sudden flood of output has been that all the remaining plot snags figured themselves out all at once and I had some time free of interruptions. Really a perfect storm.

So what does this mean? It means that I've completed a novella of about 19,500 words and that I will soon look to get final edits and rewrites completed as well as commission cover and chapter art as well as a couple of maps. I still really love Daniel Vogel's map of the Dragon Islands, but I think this novella (hopefully series of novellas) needs a new version. I am also planning to have a map of Dragon Home done so we can finally see the layout of Ang's capital city.

The Dragon Islands have so much history. It's a place with so much storytelling potential, that I could easily lose myself in its history. I think young readers will feel the same. I stumbled upon the idea of writing a series of novellas when I read fellow author Kelly Jarvis' wonderful novella, Selkie Moon. 

It awakened me to a new method of storytelling--more than a short story and shorter than a novel. It got me thinking that perhaps this might be a good way to entice preteens to read more. The attention span of all Americans is decreasing rapidly. A novella might just be interesting enough to get them to start reading without the time commitment necessary for a Harry Potter-length book. Who knows, once they get into it, they might just move on to longer books and more involved adventures. Hey, it's worth a shot.

As always, I will keep you updated on the publishing process of my latest work. I will also fill you in on my plotting for the second novella in the series, which I'm thinking will involve smuggling in the Dragon's Neck. Stay tuned.

Peace.

A Writer's Week #141: Writing & Filling Up My Dance Card

Over the past few weeks my latest work in progress has been evolving gradually as I write it, and I have been finalizing sales venues for the rest of the year. The WIP, now titled, Fire & Ice, A Dragon Islands Legend has been constantly evolving since I began work on it late last year. At first, I thought it might be a series of novels covering the history of the Dragon Islands, the world I created for the third book in the Deliverers Series, The Golden Dragon of Ang. 

Then, I decided that it would be a series of five short stories (one for each of the Dragon Islands) combined into one volume. However, it seemed that they could be longer than your average short stories, so I thought that perhaps I'd release them as a series of five novellas. Right now, I'm going with that, but I could still see it being released as one volume of longer short stories. Anyway, we'll see how it all shakes out.

Right now, the current work stands at 11,500 words over 55 pages. I was thinking that it would wind up being 20,000 words, but it seems to be wrapping up rather quickly, so it could be less. We shall see.

I have also had a couple of nice shows this month. One was the Danbury Street Festival, put on by my friends at CityCenter Danbury. Here are a couple pictures from that event

                       

The following week, I was privileged to take part in an author event that was part of the Milford Fair on the Half Shell. I was one of almost 40 Connecticut authors with Connecticut Book Festivals selling their books. It was a great event. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Isabella Vazquez, a college student attending her first show to promote her wonderful collection of short stories and poems. I love these events because it's a great way to connect with fellow authors and swap marketing, publishing, and other insights (as well as more than a few war stories!).

    

Just a few talented Connecticut Authors

As of this week, I have finalized just about all of my events for the rest of 2025--nine in all as it currently stands! I have updated my Appearances page to reflect the September dates and will add the rest over the next week. Keep checking back to catch them all!

Fire & Ice, a Dragon Islands Legend Chapter 3

It's been a bit since I posted chapter 2 of my WIP on the Dragon Islands. A lot has happened since then. I've been going back and forth on the form this work is going to ultimately take. First, I thought it would be a single volume of short stories dealing with the history of the Dragon Islands, the world Eric and the Deliverers visit in book 3 of the Deliverers Series. Then, I thought that perhaps they would be more than short stories--perhaps novel published individually. There could be five, one for each of the five islands. That sounded like a pretty good idea. 

So, I shifted focus to the name of the series. I started out with Tales of the Dragon Islands. As I began work on the first book, I decided that Dragon Island Legends sounded better. Okay, I had the series name all squared away. All I had to do was continue the first book and then start on the second. I was thinking of publishing one or two a year for a couple of years starting in 2026. Sounds pretty ambitious, right?

Yeah, maybe a bit too ambitious. At least the timeline. It might take longer to write, design, and produce five 200+ page novels in two and a half years. Besides, as I've been writing book one, I have come to the realization that it might only be 100 to 140 pages or so. That's not a novel, that's...a novella. Hmmm. I'd never considered writing one of those. Now I'm thinking the best way to go would be writing five novellas, each about one of the five islands. Some might be 140 to 150 pages, a couple might be 80 to 100.

Anyhow, I've come up with a title for the first story. I like Fire & Ice with a subtitle of A Dragon Islands Legend. I might need to rethink that last part--I could keep the series name of Dragon Islands Legends. We shall see. In the meantime, this introduction has rambled on a bit. If you're still reading, here's Chapter 3 of Fire & Ice.

Chapter 3

    Madame Fru stared at the closed door for a long moment after the children had left, then walked around to the front of the desk. She adjusted the light of her lantern, lowering it until the room was in near darkness. Closing her eyes, she took several slow, deep breaths. Clearing her mind, she sent out her thoughts in a silent call.

    In the semi-darkness, a cloud shimmered before her. She opened her eyes slowly as the form took shape. With a golden flash, the cloud assumed the form of a beautiful woman. She wore a crimson robe with a black sash. Light shone from her golden skin.

    Madame Fru bowed her head. “Oh most blessed mother, thank you for hearing my call.”

    The golden lady smiled a benevolent smile and said, “Daughter, what troubles thee?’

    “Two of the orphans from the northern Jongchin coast. They are unusually difficult to keep under control. They seem to fancy themselves Denchi, and continually slip out at night to climb about on rooftops, looking for mischief. It has been quite vexing.”

    The golden lady chuckled gently. “Ah, my dear Frushella. They are children. Getting into mischief is what children do best.”

    Madame Fru nodded. “Truly, but these two, I fear, are headed for turbulent waters. There is great sadness in the girl, and the boy…” The mistress of the orphanage sighed. “The boy has much anger within him. He is like a cask of vinegar left too long in the hot sun. I fear he will explode and set off something terrible.”

    Ben approached the door to Madame Fru’s office. He was intending to ask about joining the Denchi one more time but heard voices as he approached. Carefully opening the door a crack, he peeked inside. There he saw Madame Fru and a strange golden woman deep in conversation. Neither seemed to have noticed him.

    The golden lady frowned. “You could be right. I see two paths for him. One misstep could send him careening to disaster. You did well to call me. We must keep an even closer eye on him. In the morning, send him to the palace. It is time he learned the way of the Dragon.”

    “It shall be as you say, my lady. However, I doubt he will go anywhere willingly without the girl. Their shared experience has made them almost like siblings. The bond between them is strong.”

    Again, the golden lady frowned. “This could be problematical. It will be harder for him thus. One who follows the ways of the Dragon should have no such ties. Still, he is young and things change over time. Yes, Frushella, send the girl along as well. We shall cross the bridge when we reach it. No sense in looking too far ahead, eh?”

    Madame Fru bowed low. “It shall be as my lady requests.”

    Nodding, the lady smiled. Then she frowned. “A time of great unrest is upon us. There has been a disturbance at the harbor. Two northern merchants were killed in the waterfront. To have northern merchants visiting to trade is rare, but much more common since the peace agreement. They were found dead in an alley with chirrel darts in their necks. Of course they had died instantly, so there was no chance to learn anything from them. It is most troublesome. Only one group uses chirrel darts. Unless they are brought to account, the new peace we have worked so hard to build will be in jeopardy.”

    Madame Fru frowned. “So, the Denchi Assassins were behind the killings. What were they doing, and how did they come to be here in Dragon Home?”

    “At the moment, that is unclear. The Denchi do not kill unless they have been hired to do so. Who hired them and why they would target northern merchants are questions to which we must find answers.”

    “I pray that you do, my lady,” Madame Fru said. “And I pray that these tidings will not result in harm to the Islands.”

    “I sincerely hope not,” the lady replied, “But now I must go. Take the children tomorrow morning.”

    The golden cloud reappeared and enveloped her. Then with a flash, she was gone, leaving the old woman alone in the semi-darkness of her office once more.

    Ben closed the door quietly and scurried upstairs.

Character Interviews: The Gatekeeper

 I had the pleasure of interviewing the Gatekeeper just before the release of The Deliverers Book 3, The Golden Dragon of Ang. It really was a most enlightening experience, and I hope you will agree.

Greg:  Thanks for taking some time to sit and chat with us.

Gatekeeper:  Well, thank you my boy, it's wonderful to be here, but I really can't sit long–too much to do.

Greg:  Yep, I get that. First off, we'd really love a little bit of information about the third book in the Deliverers Series. I’ve only had bits and pieces of information about the Assignment, and it sounds pretty mysterious. Can you clear things up a little bit, give us the inside scoop?

Gatekeeper:  Hmmm, it is all rather mysterious, I have to admit. You see, this whole situation hit me out of the blue.

Greg:  Out of the blue? I can't buy that, you always know what's going on. But I think we're getting a little bit ahead of ourselves. What is going on?

Gatekeeper:  It's a little complicated. I explained the little I knew at the time to Eric before the Assignment began. I told him about the nature of the sparkling mist and that he should be on the lookout for it.
Greg:  Yes, so I gathered, but what I want to know is, what's it all about?

Gatekeeper:  To be honest, I'm really not sure. Something bad is happening that could affect the entire universe. Someone or something is using the sparkling mist to disrupt things on other worlds.

Greg:  What do you mean by disrupt?

Gatekeeper:  Undermine the stability of worlds. If one world goes, it could set forces in motion that will topple every other world like dominos. I haven't shared this fear with anyone yet, so please keep it under your hat. This is quite a serious problem.

Greg:  So how are you going to tackle it?

Gatekeeper:  The Deliverers are one of the teams I'm using to combat the situation. In the short time they've been together, they've had quite a bit of success. They each bring their individual talents to the team and they all work very well together. I'm glad I decided to team them up.

Greg:  I have to say it was an excellent choice. What does the future hold for them?

GateKeeper:  Well, I really don't know, but it appears things are coming to a head. If they are able to contain the situation in the Dragon Islands, then perhaps we can begin to attack the root of the problem if we can just pin it down.   

 

Greg:  I hope that you all meet with success. After all, if the universe is in trouble it's bad news for us as well.

Gatekeeper:  Well now, I suppose you're right. Ah well, don't worry. I'm sure Eric and the others will win out in the end. All they'll need is courage, perseverance, teamwork and a bit of luck. Now, I really must dash, there is so much that has to be done. It was really great talking with you. We really must do this again soon.

Greg:  That would be great. Good luck with everything!