Goblin Souk

 

 Goblin Souk has finally materialized from shimmering mirage on the sands into solid form in paperback and ebook. Quaff from the many flavors of the Near East, ancient and otherwise, with this anthology of stories set in mysterious marketplaces. My story, "A Soldier's Bargain," sees three of Napoleon's infantrymen under attack and looking for refuge find their way to a bazaar that will effect their fates in this life and the next.

Fun Fact:

Before Christmas in 1099, Bohemond of Antioch and Baldwin of Edessa made a miserable 250 mile trip to Jerusalem, plagued by cold, rainstorms, hunger, and bandits. They arrived at a city ruled by Baldwin's brother Godrey and smothered in stench of the dead. Godrey had taken the title of Defender of the Holy Sepulchre. On receiving his appointment, Godrey had marched out to Ascalon where Al-Afdal was assembling the army that had failed to relieve Jerusalem from the crusaders' earlier assault. He defeated the Fatimid army and put Al-Afdal to flight. He also had acquired a shard of the True Cross from the priests who had guarded it at the Holy Sepulchre. 

Bohemond and Baldwin brought with them Daimbert, the archbishop of Pisa. In Jerusalem, he was appointed Patriarch in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. At Christmas he blessed Bohemond as Prince of Antioch and struck down Byzantine claims to Antioch. Bohemond had made promises to the Byzantine Emperor Alexios that he would turn Antioch over to him. Daimbert retroactively sanctioned Bohemond's violation of the promise. 

Although he had received holy blessings and had his repudiated oaths sanctioned, all would not be well for Bohemond. In August of 1100 he was taken prison while on campaign in northeast Asia Minor and not released until nearly two years later on payment of a tremendous ransom. In late 1100, Godfrey died, and Baldwin of Edessa was crowned King of Jerusalem on December 25. Baldwin campaigned against the Fatimids and began building a genuine crusader kingdom.

The above information was taken from chapter 9 of Dan Jone's Crusaders. 

--Truth in Flames is sale on now for the 4th of July. 

 

 

The Count's Mansion

As part of the road trip to take care of things at Le Chateau au Chat Gris, we had to play the next installment of the adventure that started with the Cursed Ruins and the Cauldron of Mystery. Le Freres Corses were looking to meet with the Count who hired them to get the flask of fluid from the cauldron. I hadn't prepared anything yet, so I put something together on the fly.

Charo and Gretel arrived back at the Count's mansion and immediately discovered that it wasn't going to be as easy as provided in their Anticipation Proclamation. A mouthy guard at the gate demanded to see some ID and the Wizard Gretel obliged him by zapping the head of a statute beside the doorway. The helpful guard then offered to take the flask to the Count himself. 

Charo nearly gave him the flask--which would've resulted in a locked door and no reward for their efforts. They finally convinced the guard that they had to take it in themselves. The guard then took them inside the mansion and introduced them to Brutus, who took them to the next room and introduced them to Elmo. He took them to the next room and introduced them to Aero who sent them across the bridge over the troubled water to meet with the Count and Spearo, his personal guard.

Now that they were in the Count's chamber, they naively handed over the flask without getting payment. With flask in hand, the Count became highly uncooperative. The verbal struggle transitioned away from words to deeds when the Count ordered Spearo to employ his namesake weapon against the adventurers with extreme prejudice. As one might expect, our heroes reacted badly. In the fracas that followed, the Count proved entirely inept in using the flask against Charo and Gretel, while they proved adept at dealing with Spearo. Charo used the same zap spell he had used on the statute, and it produced permanent results on Spearo. At the latter's death, the Count became congenial and had Aero pay the heroes the promised funds with a little something extra to smooth over the misunderstanding.

Of course, once they were out of range, he rang the bell and ordered room service of the lethal variety be delivered to Charo and Gretel, and disappeared down a secret passage. They ran across the bridge, successfully passing their challenge rolls against finding the collapsing portion of the bridge. Once on the other side, Aero discharged some parting gifts--arrows--but the presence of Spearo's corpse apparently spoiled his aim. 

The adventurers fought their way out of the mansion with their skillful weapon-handling aided by Charo's fire-spraying-ring and Gretel's spells. The wizard was forced down to his last hero point to avoid a serious wound. He did find a mechanical dog, but he couldn't activate it. He also discovered a stuffed gryphon's head and a secret passage. Gretel managed to get himself trapped in the secret passage for two or three turns while Charo loosed his wrath on the wounded Aero and Brutus. Finally, they got out and dispatched the last guard at the gate. However, Charo, never one to let potential loot go unliberated--especially when the owner has tried to kill him--carried out the gryphon head. He doesn't realize it, but selling that item will lead the Count and his new, more powerful minions to the pair of adventurers.

 

 

 

Michael D. Young

 Interview with Michael D. Young

Author of

The Penultimate Dawn Trilogy

 

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

My current work in progress is called “Everyman” and was started during National Novel Writer’s Month this November. I managed to write the 50,000 words on it that month! It is about a deep-sea explorer who goes missing and comes back with an alien host that can absorb the DNA of other people and assume their traits and appearance. When he appears, a mysterious cult appears with him that has been expecting his coming. The protagonist is a man whose pregnant wife was taken by this monster, who has vowed to find a way to stop him while trying to work through his own grief and anger.

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

Like many of my books, this one popped into my head as a “shower thought.” Warm water gets my brain going.

Do you write in more than one genre?

Yes, while I love fantasy and science fiction, I also write inspirational non-fiction. My latest release was a Christmas book about the history of 24 different carols. I find that it helps to mix things up to keep my creativity flowing. I’ve done other non-fiction titles on musical topics, and I enjoy mixing those two parts of my life.

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

I pay a lot of attention to worldbuilding and especially to the literature, history, religious and creative aspects of a culture. I also try to write books with a strong moral center without beating the reader over the head with a moral to the story. I try to take the time to twist old tropes and to deliver something that feels as fresh as possible.

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

I freely admit that I have a thing for Germany, having lived there and taught German in public schools, so I often incorporate German stuff into my novels. There are just so many interesting things about German culture to talk about! There are so many places I’ve been in Germany that feel like stepping right into the pages of a fantasy novel.

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

I’m also a musician and I do a variety of musical projects on my YouTube channel. (Music by Michael D. Young.) I also do a few podcasts, including one of about the history of Christmas carols. (The Carols of Christmas) I’d really appreciate new listeners!

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

Read the Keys to the Kingdom or the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix. He’s an Australian author and I don’t think he got quite the reach in the United States that he should have. He has really interesting fantasy worlds that helped shape who I am as a writer.

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

I am really happy with my Penultimate Dawn trilogy, and so I recommend starting with the first book in that series, “The Hunger.” It has a lot of fun worldbuilding and characters that I think many people will relate to. It’s a great way to get familiar with my writing style and many readers have already told me how much they enjoyed the trilogy. So, start there.

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

A couple of years ago, I just happened to see this call for submissions on social media that led me to turn one of my podcasts into a book that subsequently got published and did very well. Not all time spent on social media is wasted for us writers!

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

How can I help support your writing in other ways in addition to buying your books? I would love people to leave reviews and to share things they enjoyed with their friends.

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

One of my catchphrases is “No worries!” This links to the quote, “Worry is an attempt to control future outcomes before they occur.” If I find myself worrying excessively about something, I try to redirect my energy toward what I can control.

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Thanks to Michael for participating.

 

 

Windows into infinity

  

Every book is a window into another time, place, reality, or mind. 

Apparently, just over half of adult Americans read at least one book a year. That's terrible. Every adult should be reading at least a dozen books a year - minimum. Older adults read more than younger adults. Is that because older adults grew up with reading as the primary means of obtaining information and younger adults are accustomed to plugging their brain into a screen through which someone who has already evaluated and condensed the material can tell them what they think they should know? Or is it because reading books has become a completely foreign activity which they've never tried or from which they've divorced themselves?

I haven't been in a bookstore in quite a while. I can't remember the last time I was in a bookstore. The new books I get are almost all ebooks because they're cheaper than paper books, I can carry an entire library on my phone, I can change the print size, and they're easy to mark and search. Also, I just don't have room for more physical books. On the other hand, I don't trust the ebook supplier not to whisk my books away from for entirely arbitrary reasons.

 I know. As long as there are young women, romance novels will always sell. Of course, that doesn't help me. 

Here's what the Skynet predecessor says about which of my books you would enjoy:

The Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series: This series is perfect if you love high-stakes fantasy set against real history. Expect dragon hunts, historical figures, magic artifacts, wartime intrigue, and a satisfying blend of action and character growth. The first book is a strong entry point, and later volumes maintain momentum while deepening lore. 

Smoke: If you’re a fan of hard boiled detective fiction—with witty narration, period style, and clever plotting—this one delivers a satisfying standalone mystery, mixing charm and noir intrigue.

 Justice in Season and Justice Resurgent: Great if you appreciate historical westerns infused with moral dilemmas, local history, and action grounded in real-world frontier life. 

 

Deborah Jarvis

 Interview with Deborah Jarvis

Author of

The Keyralithian Chronicles and Wolves Running 

 

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

Right now, I am working on a book called Wolves Running. It is not part of my first series, The Keyralithian Chronicles, but randomly came to be in January of 2021 when I was working from home and had some extra time. I had a dream, wrote it down, and the next thing I knew, I was two hundred pages in, and it’s two months later! It’s an urban fantasy (unlike The Crystal Pawn and The Ivory Queen, which are high fantasy) and is set in Colorado. The main character is a wolf shapeshifter and even though the understanding that there are shapeshifters living among the populace of the world has recently become common knowledge, she still is hiding the fact due to being a biology teacher at a high school. The problem comes where her ex is determined to get back at her for breaking up with him, and teams up with a group bent on the revealing of the “monsters” in their midst before the government can step in and protect the shapeshifter clans.

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

At this point, because it has been over 35 years since it first came into being, I really can’t say. I can point to parts and go “Oh, that was inspired by X and that was inspired by Y, but I can’t rightly say where it came from.

Do you write in more than one genre?

Mostly fantasy – high/portal and urban – but I dabble in horror now and again.

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

I am awesome at creating believable characters that people can identify with. I also think that my magic system in The Keyralithian Chronicles is one that makes sense and isn’t just off-the-wall and overpowered. My characters struggle to succeed. Things don’t just come easy for them. It’s also edited to a fare-thee-well, and it is clearly written. My editor and I worked very hard to make the books as good as they could be.

 

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

I think my childhood in the 1980s always creeps out through references in my books. I talk about movies and musicals a lot in real life, and my characters tend to as well. For Wolves Running, I am also a high school teacher, and a lot of things about schools really crept into my writing.

 

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

I’m an English teacher which means I tend to be pretty precise about language. I know mythology and biology/zoology really well, and that does tend to form a background for many points of my writing. I’m also crazy shy which makes me come off as perennially awkward!

 

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

I honestly really love The Book of the Dun Cow. It is a fantastic novel by the late Walter Wangerin, Jr. it does have some Christian overtones, which are not everyone’s jam, but the characters make up for any issues most people have with it. It was a pretty big part of my formative writing growth when I read it as a teenager, and I have used it in teaching mythology as used in literature in several courses.

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

Given that I only have two out at the moment, I have to go with The Crystal Pawn. It is the beginning of the journey, and the book is really tied into the personal relationships that the characters develop.

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

I think being forced to be at home for a year working remotely due to health reasons was a big step in me getting my writing out there. It was a way not to go stir crazy while being stuck inside. I can empathize a lot with Bo Burnham in some of his songs from his film Inside. Being home did bring up a lot of emotions and writing helped me deal with them.

 

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

“Where can we get your book?” would be a great one, but I think “Can you sign this?” is another one I like to hear, lol. Questions about my greyhounds are also always welcome!

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

“No matter where you go, there you are” I’m a fan of the Buckaroo Banzai movie from the 1980s and it always struck me that you can never escape yourself. No matter where you travel, you are there, and it is something that you always need to keep in mind.

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Thanks to Deborah for participating.

My short story "A Soldier's Bargain" was accepted for publication in Raconteur Press' Goblin Souk Anthology. The book is bound to be full of great tales of exotic and fantastic locales. Of course, that means I'll have to add another anthology on my website - at the bottom of the page.

 

Le Samourai

 For a short period of time, Le Samourai was available for free on Prime. It was a movie I had put on my watch list a long time ago. I came across it last week on some list. As soon as I finished watching, it was no longer available for free. I watched it over a three or four day period during my workout sessions on the M5.

If you really want to understand this film, take a look at the words above Alain Delon's hat. "There is no solitude greater than that of the samurai." Think about that. Now imagine a movie that conveys that sense of solitude of which there is none greater. Is that really the hook that's going to get the public all giddy with anticipation? "Come see this plenitude of solitude. You'll love it."

The shots from the film itself are even more exciting, if that's possible. Our samurai's apartment is a cheery battleship gray with added shadow for character.
 

This is not a shot of the grotto of solitude, but it is a nice angle that conveys the idea of a hideout or meditation resort for our hero or anti-hero. It's actually a garage where he takes the stolen car to get new plates put on it.

So what does our samurai do? Well, it appears he's a hit man. The exciting part of the film takes place over a period of about two seconds near the beginning when Delon confronts his target who asks him who he is and what he wants. Delon responds that his name isn't important, and "to kill you" to the second question. The target pulls a gun, but Delon-san is quicker and makes good on his reason for being there.

 It's possible I'm mistaken, but it seemed to me that he wore the hat and trench coat to commit the murder, was seen up close by one witness, and viewed leaving by several others at a distance. He had gone to the trouble to set up an alibi and ditched the murder weapon, but kept the hat and coat, knowing the cops were going to pick him up, and even wore the ensemble to the lineup. That seems like a bit of a flaw in his clever plan. Perhaps it was required by the code of solitude.

Anyhow, there's some interrogation at the police station. Delon-san doesn't get the payment he expected for doing the job, and the cops bug his place and threaten his girlfriend. There are some more things that use of the time (I won't spoil it for you by revealing them) and his solitude is broken by an intruder. It all leads to another car theft and new plates for an apparent murder at the site of the previous murder.

Let's just say that he reaches the point of maximum solitude, and the movie ends. Naturally, I've left out a lot of things that are important to the story because I didn't want to spoil it for you.

There's not much dialog in this film and it's easy to follow. I probably would've been fine to watch it without the subtitles. If you've got a hankerin' for a taste of samurai solitude, this is the film for you.

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I finished reading this gem:

 As you might expect, I highly recommend it.

Yesterday, I finished writing a story for submission to an 80s vice anthology. It's neon, and it's noir, and it's absent of gloire, wearing some tubular clothes.

 

 

M D Boncher

 Interview with M D Boncher

Author of

 Tales From the Dream Nebula, Akiniwazisaga, and more

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

Currently I’m working on several projects. Two short stories for an anthology, two novels I hope to have ready for publication for 1q next year if not 4q this year and a card game I hope to have a prototype ready in time in June to pitch to a game designer.

The novels are both sci fi. One is the 4^th book in my Tales From the Dream Nebula serial, and the other is a stand alone (probably) novel titled “Mech Family Robinson” which is a mashup of “Swiss Family Robinson” meets “Battletech” and “Appleseed”.

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

Tales from the Dream Nebula was inspired by Flash Gordon. I was watching it one day and was really sad that there’d be another movie quite like that. I wanted another Ming the Merciless and so I decided to write my own version. But a funny thing happened on my way to writing it. Several ideas collided together over building my own evil space emperor who I named Xiao the Eternal. And the ideas created a really unique villain and backstory that I can’t wait to share more as time goes on in the series.

Mech Family Robinson was a joke title I said to my wife while we were driving someplace and we both went “Hey! That sounds really cool!” Then it was off to the races to figure out how to do it. It’s evolved a bit but remains true to the original concepts. I wanted to see a wholesome family story like those that used to exist. Not some broken, divorcing, constantly fighting “Simpson-esque” sort of thing. A family to aspire to be. Part of that came from watching how some friends of ours are about their children and how they’re raising them so I had some interesting examples and ideas to consider when writing my characters. It’s very loose, but you know how writers draw from everywhere.

Do you write in more than one genre?

Absolutely. Primarily Sci-Fi and Fantasy, but I’m a Blendtec blender for when it comes to genre. I have a few military style stories, post apocalyptic, classic boy’s adventure, some pulp ideas I’ve yet to write and horror. Often these things all seep into one another. Inspiration for me is like loading up your plate at thanksgiving with many different ideas. They tend to touch and mix as you pile it to overflowing. This ain’t no partitioned tray.

I try to remember that genre is a handle on a basket of concepts and promises I’m making to the reader. If it’s a sci fi story, then generally you have X amount of expectations about what that is. But since I mashup genres, it gets difficult. Makes it a little harder come marketing time, but leads to a richer, more unique story.

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

The biggest, probably most arrogant thing I can say is that nobody can tell a story the way I can. Then again, I can’t tell a story like anyone else. It was something I had to realize when confronting the idea of “writing to market”. I’m going to bring my own idea on how to satisfy any open call or writing prompt.

When writing a story, I try to remember that in the opening lines/paragraph/chapter I’m making promises to the reader about a story that by the end of our time, I best answer those to the satisfaction of the reader and myself. That, I think, grants me some authenticity and my reader’s appreciation. No matter what message may be tucked under the covers, the key question is going to be “Are you not entertained?” to steal a line from Maximus Meridius Decimus.

When you pick up a story I wrote, keep that in mind. I want you entertained. If you learned something more or found a theme. That’s a bonus.

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

I can’t say for sure. Every author infuses their stories with their own beliefs, values and experiences. I don’t deliberately write self inserts. It’s often a great way to betray the reader. With my dark epic fantasy, it’s the closest I come to “preaching” anything of my values, because it is rooted so hard into Christianity by it’s very nature. My faith means a lot to me and I want to be truthful about those subjects. On the other side, we’ve had so much message fiction out there where we get smacked over the head with a writer’s agenda we reject it. Spit the hook as I like to say. That’s why whenever I’ve talked with new Christian authors for example, I preach loudly “Story before sermon”! The concept is good for any fervently held belief that is underpinning a work of fiction. Recently I got into watching Yellowstone. Every episode that we slow down to deal with a list of grievances from the natives I darn near fast forward. Even when I agree with them on points. I felt the same way reading “Atlas Shrugged”, which I think is Ayn Rand’s second best book and most hated. The whole “John Galt Speaks” section I’m skimming because it becomes an infomercial for objectivism. Again, I agree with many things said but it’s BORING and it kills the story narrative. I stop skimming when we get back to the story action almost 75 pages later.

So entertainment first and foremost and keep any agenda or sermon you have under the covers. Show don’t tell.

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

I’ve got a lot of irons in the fire. Writing, artwork, music and even game design. It often feels like I’m getting nowhere fast, but then I turn around and see that all these things creep forward at their own pace. Me and the darling bride, are also improving our social media setup so it’s centralizing for all our benefit.

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

S. Kirk Pierzchala. Her writing style is like William Gibson and Tom Clancy had a baby. Her Cascadia series is phenomenal. You get sucked in easily and she’s easy to read. It’s not often that you run into an indie author that has both a distinctive voice but a good grasp of storytelling. She understands the pace and speed of entertainment. Either she works really hard at it, or it’s instinctual, I can’t tell which.

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

Depends on what you’re looking for. If you want some lighter fare, my Tales From the Dream Nebula series is that. It gives off a Guardians of the Galaxy meets Firefly/Serenity vibe. No superheroes, but you are in an ultratech environment, so lots of fantastical things happen.

On the other hand if you want something darker, and more introspective, you’d want to look at my Akiniwazisaga. It deals with much heavier things of personal worth, rejection, resilience, faith, trust, betrayal and righteousness. The original ideas that spawned it’s creation was to address a few thought experiments brought about by a D&D character I created over a decade before I started writing. I wanted to know if:
A- Could you have literal Christianity in a fantasy setting with all the magical fun of D&D?
B- What would a culture look like if they discovered steampower but not gunpowder? (Blame Civilization 1 for this.)
C- What if the vikings had discovered the great lakes and colonized the area?
D- Was there a way to use spiritual warfare, deliverance ministry and exorcism as a foundation for a magic “system”. I should note I hate the phrase “magic system” because I believe any magic that can be quantified, studied, made repeatable and safe is not magic. It’s technology by any other name in lines with the precepts of Clarketech.

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

Learning that the word “Networking” is adult-speak for “Making friends” and going to writer’s conferences. The first conference I ever went to was Realm Makers in 2018. It had the ironic twist of meeting my (now) wife there. But I looked at how much going was going to cost me and realized that I could not waste that money. I had to ignore my introversion and throw myself out there every chance I get. I learned quickly that the classes are for learning craft, but networking is done after hours in hotel lobbies, hotel room parties, banquet tables and quiet corners. It’s also not all about pitching your stories. It’s about you listening. Waiting to be invited to share by others and most importantly being ready to capitalize on the opportunity. It wasn’t till I went to Fantasci that my writing career started to really grow. The friends and associations you make at these events are invaluable.

The catch is figuring out if the event is going to help advance your career or is just there to take money from you. There are several, and I won’t name names that are more predatory than they are helpful. I will say any event “selling” you a system is a red flag.

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

I’ve read all your books and love what you’re doing. How can I help?”

I say this semi-tongue-in-cheek because being an indie, I have to do everything myself (okay I do have my darling bride to make a bunch of the business stuff happen because no… no I’m not built for business. I’m a creative.) I’ve always needed more help with promotion and social media and even having a person I can trust to give feed back. Indies don’t have editors to provide them with a circle of checks and balances to help hold them accountable, stay on target and then help scream to the world “The next book is out!” and celebrate that fact with them.

The good news for fans of indie authors is that you are living in a time where access to the people who create your entertainment. Your access has never been better. So if any author touches your heart, and they’re a new author, you best reach out and let them know you want to get involved.

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

I like to sign off by saying “vaya con Dios”. Go with God. It’s a nice way to send someone on their way.

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Thanks to M.D. for sharing.

I"m pleased to share this anthology cover and link - which includes my Whip and Truth story "Moonlight Fandango." (I believe M.D.'s wife also has a story in this one).

The introduction noted the inclusion of my story like this:

"One of our fan favorites, the wisecracking buddy team with the enchanted bandanas who constantly get into trouble, are back and in a tighter spot than ever."