Accidental Pirates Cover Reveal

 Accidental Pirates becomes available for pre-order on November 12. This isn't you grandpa's Treasure Island:

Two boys whisked into a strange land face danger at every turn. Stranded in this world of pirates on the wild islands of the Dragon Sea, death pursues them in many forms, but Chris and Kenny have to keep their heads, protect their friend, and learn to eat food they don't like--doing their best to avoid becoming snacks for ravenous young dragons. The dragons and the cannibals might appear to be the greatest threat, but Captain Ross may be the craftiest adversary of all. It's a fight for survival and a race into peril to find the Lost Chest and their only way back home.

Get a copy for every boy on your list! Here's the link (ebook only at the moment, but hard copies soon). 

 I'm sufficiently thrilled with this book's imminent publication that I've started on the sequel and I'm eight chapters into the exciting adventure, tentatively called: Accidental Wizard. I'm having a terrific time joining Kenny and Chris again on a journey through a strange new world jam-packed with danger and intrigue in a land of wizards and knights. It's not your grandpa's Camelot.

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My better half and I spoke in church today. There's a chance we will be allowed to come back. Actually, it went well. She gave a great talk from the heart; there was a very nice song; and I followed with my offering that was also well received. Even though my voice is still warped from a cold, the congregation was kind enough to listen as if they enjoyed the substance and felt the Spirit.

James Quinlan Meservy

 Interview with James Quinlan Meservy

Author of

The Realm of Light Series - and much more

 

Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.

            My current work in progress is an epic fantasy adventure. The original inspiration for this story was the question, “What would a book look like if “Big Brother” from Orwell’s 1984 was a clan of lazy dragons?” And I am just running with the idea.

Where did you get the idea for this book or series?

            Usually I get my book ideas from my dreams, and also from conversations with fellow Indie authors.

Do you write in more than one genre?

            Most of my published works are fantasy. I have YA fantasy, Epic Fantasy, and Children Fantasy titles. But, I also have published a couple sci-fi short stories, a collection of poetry that I published with my daughters, and then there is my “Definition of Evil” short story that is not really any subgenre of speculative fiction. So yeah, I write in more than one genre. I let the stories that come to my mind and into my dreams tell me what genre they are, and if I cannot turn it into a fantasy story, oh well, I write it anyway.

Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention.

            I am going to focus on my Realm of the Light series here. What is unique about that series is the afterlife. The Realm of the Light series is so much more than just a YA Sword and Sorcery/Urban Fantasy adventure. It includes angels and demons, and what makes my work unique is the interactions between the angels, demons, and mortals.

Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing?

            So, here again, focusing on The Realm of the Light series, I suffer from hydrophobia and I am self conscious about my stutter. TJ from The United, is hydrophobic, and has a stutter.

From my personal history, what manifests itself the strongest is my knowledge of the Russian language. Several of the terms that I create in the Realm of the Light series were based on loose translations or in some cases transliterations of Russian words.

 What else would be helpful for readers to know about you?

            Helpful to know about me? I am not sure. I graduated from USU with a degree in anthropology, emphasis in archaeology, and minors in Russian and Geology. I often use my academic knowledge of current and ancient cultures when world-building, and as I have already said, when I need a term for some concept or some special weapon, I often turn to my knowledge of the Russian language.

Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why?

            Tessonja Odette. Specifically her Twisting Minds book. Tessonja is gaining a large following for her fantasy work, especially her ‘Entagled With Fae’ series. But I have known Tessonja for a long time, and after the original Lela Trilogy, but before the Entangled With Fae series there was Twisting Minds. To my knowledge, it is Odette’s only published dystopian story, and it is by far and away my favorite of her work.

Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why?

            I would most highly recommend my latest works. Becoming Captain Torreigh is probably my best written published story.

Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most?

            The United, The Realm of the Light Book 1 was originally self published. After it was on the market for a few months, I was asked by Tate Publishing if I would consider publishing with them. Not knowing any better, I agree. A year after I signed on with them, Tate Publishing went out of business.

            Now we get to the biggest break. After Tate Publishing gave me back the rights to The United, The Realm of the Light Book 1, fellow Indie author, and mentor, Cris Pasqueralle recommended by book to his publisher, Cosby Media Productions. CMP signed me shortly thereafter. I will forever be grateful to Cris for the pitch to join the CMP family.

What question do you wish you would get asked more often?

            I am not sure. I don’t know if I ever have given any thought to what questions I wish I would have been asked.

 Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?

“Mornin’, if it is always mornin’, the day can always get better.”

It is a great mindset to help me remember to be cheerful, and hopeful for a better day.

Not his interview was submitted over 2 years ago, but was near the bottom of a deep pile, so check out James' more recent books at his Amazon page. 

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Thanks to James for participating. 

I'm into chapter five on my boys' adventure book sequel. It promises to be TNT in print. The first book, Accidental Pirates, will be available later this month.

 

One Crowded Hour: The Little Bighorn

 David Larson's One Crowded Hour: The Little Bighorn weighs in at over 400 and 60 some pages, so it's not a light read. For those of you new to U.S. History who have never heard of Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Gall, Reno, Benteen, or Custer, I can't imagine how you've remained ignorant of one of the most exciting and controversial episodes of the Old West and The Indian Wars. Here are the facts, not all of which are without dispute: In June of 1876, the U.S. Army sent three columns into Montana Territory after Sioux and Cheyenne who had left the reservation. 

(Note, the autographed book giveaway is down to the last two days. Enter now to win). 

Custer led the Seventh Cavalry in one of these columns and his scouts found a large Indian village camped along the Little Bighorn River. The natives were not only restless, finding that no casino plans had been formalized, they were expecting blue-coated guests. Thousands of Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho had gathered for the dance. Custer's scouts, including Crow and Arikara, warned him that the number of hostiles in the valley exceeded the recommended daily allowance by several thousand calories. While Custer may not have said, "Nothing in this world is more surprising that the attack without mercy," he nevertheless persisted in ordering an attack. While Benteen was tasked with accompanying the slow train of mules with packs, Custer ordered Reno to charge from the south, while he took a larger force to attack from the north, apparently planning to capture the women and children as hostages to persuade the warriors to surrender. 

Reno's diversionary attack was successful in that more Indians than he had ever seen before counterattacked him. His force dismounted and were driven into the trees. Realizing they had situated themselves perfectly for an opportunity to die in place, Reno led a retreat back across the river and up a coulee. The native attack eventually relented and Benteen joined Reno, but the pack mules with the ammunition and supplies were slow moving.

Custer had been making his way north and had previously sent Benteen a message that a big village had been located. He called for Benteen to come quickly and to bring the packs--two seemingly contradictory directives.

While Reno and Benteen dawdled, with Reno's exhausted men and horses trying to recover from the devastating counterattack, Custer and his force rolled on the search tables. Instead of defenseless hostages, the dice revealed all the warriors that had been attacking Reno, and probably even more, all dressed up and looking to fill their dance cards. The music started and the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho utterly exhausted their dance partners, surrounding and overwhelming Custer's 210 men with their own variant of the attack without mercy--Custer was surprised to death, but the arrows and bullets contributed.

Reno and Benteen didn't bug out during the night, with many wounded who would have been left behind, and spent another day under Indian attack with little cover. The arrival of the relief force finally persuaded any remaining hostiles to seek a new venue. The Seventh Cavalry had lost 270 men with many more wounded. The survivors posted reviews indicating, "No stars given. Not what we expected. Would not recommend."

David Larson, of course, relates the story much better and with a heavier word count. His book is a work of fiction heavily blended with, and I believe, consistent with at least some versions of the facts. I initially enjoyed the tale as it revolved around Custer and the major army players, their plans and interactions. Once the story turned to the two young men who wanted to join the cavalry, Will and Jake, I thought it became overwrought and forced. The descriptions and dialog were off putting. However, I merely skimmed most of that. I wanted a fast-paced tale steeped in historical fact rather than speculation or pure fiction.

My mixed feelings took a turn for the better once we got into the approach of the battle and the actual clash of arms. Larson successfully conveys the savagery and horror of the battle from the perspective of the outnumbered troopers. He charges in with Reno and the action never falters, following companies and individuals through the bloody conflict. The story becomes a gripping and compelling read.

Following the last stand and its aftermath, Larson recounts the subsequent lives of several of the survivors from the Little Bighorn until their deaths. If I remember correctly, the last survivor died in 1950.

The thrilling tale of the exciting fight on the banks of the Greasy Grass substantially outweighs the overwrought aspects of the account. I give it five sabers out of five. 

This may be your final chance to get in on the autographed giveaway. 

 

 

 

Battle of Raab and a giveaway

 

 In June of 1809, about 40 miles from Vienna, while Napoleon's main force and those of Austria's Archduke Charles maneuvered for battle on the Danube, Eugene de Beauharnais commanding French and Italian troops engaged Archduke John near Raab. John had deployed his troops--mostly militia and landwehr with cavalry and artillery--in a defensive position behind the Pancza stream. Beauharnais attacked and after a back and forth battle for the farm at the bridge near the center, concentrated fire from the French guns drove back the Austrian artillery and allowed the French cavalry to ford the river and threaten John's left flank. The French then retook the farm again and John was forced to withdraw.

We replayed this battle, and finally finished it yesterday. In the photo above, taken on the next to last turn, the French are on the left and the Austrians on the right. Our battle differed in the details from the historic conflict. First, I enhanced the quality of a couple of the Austrian brigades to make things more interesting. Second, I deployed the French without much thought, just as I took them from the travel box--this was an away game in a friend's basement pantry. That placed the Severoli's Italian division on the far left and the divisions of Durutte and Seras on the right with Pacthod's division in the center with Grouchy's cavalry in reserve.

An Italian brigade began the fight with and attack across the bridge at the top of the picture; they were repulsed by the defenders, and finally destroyed by artillery fire. The other Italian brigade maneuved farther to the Austian right where they threatened to cross the swamp and stream to attack from the flank. Shortly after that, the Austrian players pulled their troops back from the stream on the French right to strengthen the center and Austrian right. That left the Austrian left wide open. Seras' division and part of Durutte's division waded the Pancza. The Austrians responded with cavalry and artillery. The French withstood both, repulsing the cavalry, and finally taking the farm at the center from the flank. The Austrians reached their break point but successfully inflicted some losses on the French, eliminating both brigades of Seras' division with their grenadiers and an enhanced brigade before ending the game.

We had a good time, but my poor positioning at the start kept me from concentrating my artillery fire, and the French cavalry never did anything more than threaten the Austrian center. It was a delight to open the purple testament of war, push painted men about the field, and roll the bones to determine their fate.

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In honor of the French victory, or for Halloween, perhaps, I've got a giveaway going. Enter to win an autographed book - a choice of either any the Rac Press anthologies featuring one of my stories, or one of the books from the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series.  

I finished going over the edits on my adventure book for boys. I'll get it back to the editor this week after I insert a dedication. Look for it in November in ebook and paperback.

 

Passing of the Chateau

 

Le Chateau au Chat Gris has passed over the horizon. Not to worry; the cat is fine. This weekend we left Byzantium to visit family and look into a replacement for the 1999 Rattling Battle Wagon. The latter is now up for sale, and I'll be cruising in La Longue Carabine Rouge. 

The sunset of the chateau is a sad event. Most of our children grew up there. The youngest may not even remember our other homes - and she just got married. Another daughter and Les Freres Corses lived there with us for a year or two and then for another year after we left for Byzantium. We didn't get to enjoy our last trips to the place because we were busy moving our belongings and hauling off the accumulation of debris--discarding memories.

Stuff accumulates in life, and it's a constant struggle to decide which items can still be of service, which are so attached to memory that they can't be discarded, and which ones should've been sent to the trash at least two moves ago. We had a lot of the latter and hauled several pickup loads to the graveyard of discarded stuff - unfortunately, those loads also included items laden with memory. I know I took too much time sorting through the junk and reminiscing, but some artifacts of anamneses require a lingering stroll through the valley of recollection before jettison into the void. Trash mingled with articles past their prime meshed with cherished souvenirs departed from our lives by the pickup load.

Needless to say, we were exhausted from both the physical labor and the constant questioning about the relative worth and resolution to retain or reject individual accretions of time. I can see the benefit of retaining nothing--the decision is made one time and never has to be revisited again. However, what happens to the memories when the triggers vanish? What then summons the genie of reminiscence? Does the recollection fade like Marty McFly's family photograph? 

I suppose, if there's nothing else to resurrect the remembrance, it dies that second death, buried forever beneath the deep soil of new experiences and recent recollections, never to rise again. However, I think other experiences, words, smells, and those with whom we made the memories can ignite the spark to blow the souvenirs from the tomb to enjoy a walk in the sun of life again--for at least another brief moment--and having risen once, the recollection becomes easier to recall, and may spring forth at new opportunities as the experience that prompted the resurrection becomes another association. Of course, there may be a way to seize pick and spade to extract the remains of memory from the sod at will, but the soil grows unyielding over the years and who can remember where to dig?

On a happier note, I did get to have ice cream with Les Freres Corses, and we discussed the adventure book to be published in November, as well as some possibilities for the sequel. As I expected, the one whose name starts with  C, as he put it, performed true to form and wants that character to get the magical powers in the sequel. The ideas are coming together. In the meantime, I have a detective story to finish.

Knights of Spain

 

I finally did it. I submitted a manuscript for a contest. If all goes well, I'll still be ecstatic about the publication in November of my adventure book for boys, Accidental Pirates, and may forget to be too disappointed if my manuscript isn't well received. On the other hand, because there's always another hand, I remain cautiously optimistic about the manuscript. It's a great story with gobs of action/adventure (which is really the thing I do best, well, except for witty banter--of which there's also a plethora), with a timely subject. I consider it a love note to America and to literature.

Speaking of the boy's adventure book, it's still in editing. My structural edits were well received, so it has moved on to the next phase.

Let's get to the book reviews. I've got two here.

Knights of Spain, Warriors of the Sun by Charles Hudson provides a fascinating look into Hernando de Soto's exploration of the American south in the mid 1500s. Tremendously well researched, the story follows De Soto and his hundreds in La Florida in the quest for treasure. The journey took the Spaniards from one tribulation to another, from one encounter to another--that's the gist of it--rinse, repeat, rearrange, and repeat again. The pattern with the encounters usually included capturing the chief and getting food and slaves for good treatment of the hostage chief. On more than one occasion the natives recruited the Spaniards into hostile actions against their neighbors. De Soto never did find significant treasure and didn't survive the adventure, surrendering his hit point total gradually before he was twice buried and then dumped into the Mississippi River. All things considered, a good time was not had by all and the survivors gave the new world native B&Bs very low ratings and could not recommend them to friends.

The book, however, is well worth the read. The Spaniards were no soft slouches and the natives they fought often proved to be valiant and skilled warriors. Had the adventures not had the horses, they might've all been slain or forced to depart much earlier. None of the horses made it out. I was impressed with the sheer size of the expeditionary force and especially with the number of hogs they took.

I give it five conquistador helmets out of five. It's full of good information and detail, including archeological evidence about the expedition and the native settlements.

 

In stark contrast to the above review, my thoughts about Joan of Arc's Champion to Sorcerer: The Dark Fall of Gilles de Rais by Thaddeus Shade never rose above disappointment. It's a short work of 65 pages. While Knights was extensively noted, I don't recall a single footnote or end note in Champion. Each chapter begins with an overview of what the chapter will cover, then provides the information promised, recounts what was reported, and finally tells what the next chapter will reveal. As you might guess, it's incredibly repetitive.  I could forgive the wearisome repetition if there had been any substance to the material. It really felt like a summary of wikipedia articles or a term paper without reference notes. You may note Joan of Arc in the title. She was finally discussed near the end. The gist of the information is that Giles de Rais met Joan of Arc and was completely taken by her. He accompanied her in combat and was devoted to her. After she was captured and burned, he sought so deeply for divine power that he pursued alchemy, astrology, and necromancy and eventually died under mysterious circumstances. There's no story and very little fact. Rumor and myth are summarized and repeated. If this book were a meal, it would be a styrofoam plate that had been passed near the aroma of food.

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Three Hearts and Three Lions

 

I finished reading this book, Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson. I can't think of another book by the late Anderson that I've read, and my expectations weren't high. They sagged even lower when the story began with the hero finding a splendid charger with armor, lance, and sword awaiting him as he regained consciousness in a strange new world after blacking out at a WWII skirmish against the Nazis. Fortunately, I didn't abandon the book.

Our hero, Holger Carlsen, comes across as a little John Carter-esque. Actually, he's got advantages Carter didn't because he seems to intuitively know how to ride and sword fight and doesn't have to deal with gravitational issues. He does have to get to know the strange place, but he has advantages there too. All these unearned advantages at the start of the story put me off. Nevertheless, I continued and eventually found myself caught up in the adventure with Holger, Alianora, and Hugi in this Middle World where the chaotic forces of the Faerie East strive to defeat order as represented by humans and the Empire in the West in this medieval fantasy tale.

Holger doesn't realize it, but he is an impressive dude in this realm. His troika of trouble is drawn by discovering who he is supposed to be in Middle World, dealing with romantic and relationships, and battling the forces of chaos. He first encounters an old witch-woman who recommends Duke Alfric of Faerie as to connect him with someone who could send him back to his own world. Along the way, Holger finds an ally in the dwarf Hugi, who leads him to Alianora, the swan-maiden. These two escort him to Alfric, where he meets Morgan Le Fay. 

Alianora warns Holger before Alfric traps him in Elf Hill.The forces of chaos and Morgan Le Fay pursue him through the rest of the story with help from Morgan's allies. Holger and his friends manage to defeat, outwit, or contain a dragon, a giant, and a werewolf. After Holger solves the werewolf problem, a Saracen knight joins the team. He's looking for Holger, but the hero's magical disguise keeps him from being recognized. Then they're off to find the sword Cortana.

The quest for the sword takes them through the territory of the hillmen, where a good time was not had by all, and finally into a troll hole where they fight a vicious creature to escape at great cost. They find the sword's hiding place as the Wild Hunt catches up to them. We don't get to see how Holger deals with chaos once he has Cortana. He eventually gets back to WWII, and after the war seeks to return to the Middle World and Alianora. Naturally, I've left out a lot details because you might want to read this book. I don't want to ruin it entirely for you.

Do I recommend it? Sure. It's a fun tale. Although some aspects are completely predictable, the journey is an exciting romp. It did feel like the forces of chaos and Morgan Le Fay never devoted their complete power and efforts to defeating Holger--of course, that whole super allergy to iron does hinder the Faeries and Morgan has personal reasons for not trying to crush him like a bug.

I say take the tale for a spin. It was a flavor I hadn't had in sometime, and I enjoyed it.

I do have The Broken Sword by the same author. I'll have to try it now.