StanleyWheeler

  Interview with Kimberly Wilkerson Author of Kingdom of Grace Please tell me a little about your current work in progress. I sporadically post to my blog between juggling a busy lifestyle. The second book/follow up to Kingdom of Grace is coming out by the end of 2022, where you will learn how the 2 nd Kingdom is doing and follow up on Grace’s new prospects. Where did you get the idea for this book or series? It happened while I was rediscovering my spiritual nature Do you write in more than one genre? Yes, however I have only published one book under Children’s/YA Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention. I’m not afraid to present things to children or young adults that they see anyway, so we can have open and age appropriate conversations about them. Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing? I write on what I have experienced, seen, and/or avoided based ...

  Truth in Flames is up for pre-order. It will be available for download in a week. I recommend ordering your copy now . Here's a little excerpt from the book -- used with the author's permission, of course. The formatting got messed up when I pasted it in here. It's a conversation between Rip and Antonio:  Rip said, “We’re after gunpowder. Unless the British are going to welcome us in and hand it over, I don’t expect you’ll have time to make inquiries for a se ñ orita, who may not even be on the island.” “I expect she’s been pining away for me these few years. Probably wasted away to a mere shadow of herself with grieving and waiting for my return.” “So you think she has forgotten the pearl necklace you stole from her?” “Captain, you wound me. She gave it to me. Or she would have if she had been there when I went to her room to find her.” “Her only item of any monetary value.” “I couldn’t have her leaving it. I knew she would want to bring it. I took it so she wouldn’t h...

  I won't give a full after action report from the game I played a couple weeks ago. The photos below convey the gist of the skirmish in which three mounted Nahorn scouts met six Kru dog faces on foot. The Kru's objective was to get someone on the high ground to observe the Nahorn outpost and return off their own board edge with the information. The Nahorn objective was to prevent the Kru from returning with intelligence that the outpost was inadequately defended. In similar scenarios I've played, the Kru always split up and every dog face fends for himself--leaving them to face the riders alone. This time, the Kru leader kept his warriors together. However, the line formation he used was vulnerable at each end, which is where the horse scouts targeted their attacks. The Nahorn men waited for the Kru to clear the rough and brushy ground before striking. The mounted spearman above took out two Kru in one pass--slaying them both. One of the dog faces did get to the high groun...

  Having finished Truth in Flames , book 5 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series, I'm doing research for book 6 in the series. This book: Victory or Death: The Battles of Trenton and Princeton by Mark Maloy came along at exactly the right time. In fact, I had planned to work on a stand alone novel before moving on to book 6. However, the exciting story of the battles of Trenton and Princeton, along with the other key events I have planned for book 6, have got me itching to do the next book in the series before I do the unrelated stand alone. Maloy's book is an excellent telling of the circumstances and events. I highly recommend it. The book also includes a tour of the modern sites, which wasn't very useful for me. The rest of the information was presented in a mean and lean fashion that kept me reading and highlighting. I'm sure that there are more complete accounts with greater detail, but Maloy's book perfectly suited my purposes. As for Truth in Flames -- lo...

  Interview with Jennifer Tempest Author of The Cardinal War Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.   My current book in progress is the second book to take place in the Empire of Frythiel. The first being The Cardinal War that was published September 2021. The book I am currently working on has the working title of The Lake Dispute but I have not decided if that will be the final title or not. It is not a direct sequel as majority of the characters are new, but it does take place in the same Empire as I mentioned and there is at least one reoccurring character and references to events in The Cardinal War as this second book takes place a few years later. The Lake Dispute follows a young woman name Reilynn as she goes from a simple day to day life working with her brother for the good of Strongwater, to finding mystery at every turn involving the two Manors of Strongwater as well as her brother Artair and her best friend Mariel.   Where did you g...

 AAR of Wreck at the Ruins Sing, O Muse, of the race among the ruins, when the princess fled from her crashed flyer to fall insensible as she hid from the green men of Mars. Rehearse for us the exploits of those noble red warriors of Melihum as they spilled their blood over the golden ochre of the dead city where the princess lay. Tell their names and the weapons they bore. Describe the mighty foe and lament the warriors they laid low. The warriors were true and brave. Nantos Nan (NN), veteran of many battles and sound in mind and deed, did lead them. He bore the bright sword given him by the Jeddak of Melihum, with his short sword and pistol he faced the enemy. He had with him Han Tadron (HT1), who slew many green enemies in his day and wore a warriors metal. Dav Ravo (DR) of the straight-shooting pistol and gleaming sword came to make his name known. Mardos Tors (MT) the fearless and valiant completed their number, bearing his gleaming blade and shortsword with a shooting weapon ...

  Once more it is Rescue from the Hangman's Noose as I test another variant of my skirmish game rules. More than skirmish rules, really, they have the mechanics to transition into table top rpg. Four musketeers attempt to save a friend from the hangman's noose. Andre, D'Hubert, Arnaud, and Paul sneak into the square as the grim ceremony is set to begin. A drummer beats the solemn prelude and the musketeers linger out of sight at the edges of the square. Five of the Cardinal's Guard watch the crowd for the would-be rescuers. (I've dispensed with the crowd for my purposes today). The musketeers are spotted immediately by an alert guardsman. The guards are under the command of Lt. Joubert. His four men are Rousseau, Colbert, Jarnac, and Joussac. Hearing the guards shout a warning about the musketeers, Paul runs in from the shadows of the auberge to take Joussac, who is waiting for the hangman and prisoner to emerge from the cells, and runs him through. (The green marke...

  Big Week First, the vest I ordered for my role in the murder/mystery dinner in two weeks arrived. Unfortunately, the manufacturer is under the impression that I should be shaped like a snow cone cup. So that will have to be altered. Second, I finished writing the last chapter of Truth in Flames . It weighs in at over 95K words--more if I add an epilogue. It's quite a fabulous finish, if I do say so my self--but others will say the same once they've read it. Which reminds me. I should upload the chapter to my Skirmish Team for feedback and editing. Third, I spoke in church today (I know today is the start of a new week and therefore not part of the same week we just completed, but my license to exaggerate is still valid in all 50 states) and there were no casualties. Most of the talk came from my daughter's experiences in East Texas where she's currently serving as a missionary. She had some nice stories to go with my theme of Blood, Sweat, Toil, and Tears. While looki...

  Author Interview with  Eva Creel Author of The Immortal Please tell me a little about your current work in progress. Currently, I’ve been writing potato chip-sized episodes on Kindle Vella.   Where did you get the idea for this book or series? The Immortal was inspired by a nightmare. I kept thinking about it and, after a couple of weeks, decided to write down a paragraph to get it out of my head. The paragraph turned into 46,000 words in six weeks.   Do you write in more than one genre? My story could fit in many genres. It’s like a crockpot. Throw everything in, and the result is delicious.   Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention. Satisfying is the word I hear over and over again from my readers. And many say it should be a movie. It’s not life-changing, but The Immortal is hella entertaining.   Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing? Dark ...

  Fun Fact: (Let me lead up to it). I haven't yet created or procured a cover for Truth in Flames . The book is rolling rapidly to the exciting conclusion that features a fantastic clash and a surprising turn to set the course for the next book in the series. In research for this book, I was struck by the peculiar delegate from Pennsylvania to the Continental Congress: John Dickinson. Dickinson was a vigorous opponent of independence--sort of. He had been a strong opponent of the Stamp Act and felt the colonies were correct in their resistance to Great Britain's heavy handedness. He had with Jefferson written A Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms. Nevertheless, he argued eloquently against independence, favoring reconciliation with England rather than independence. He was among the first to rise in opposition to both the resolution and to Jefferson's draft of the declaration. Interestingly enough, he saw which way the wind was blowing and did not actu...

  Interview with Anna Mocikat Author of The Behind Blue Eyes Series Please tell me a little about your current work in progress. I’m currently finishing up War Games, the third installment in my Behind Blue Eyes series. I’ve put a lot of effort into this book and can’t wait to release it in March. Where did you get the idea for this book or series? Behind Blue Eyes is a cyberpunk series heavily inspired by Ghost in the Shell and the 90s video game Syndicate. I wanted to write this story for many years but got somehow distracted on the way until I finally published the first book in the series in 2020. I’m happy that since then it gained many fans, which makes me confident to continue this series for many years. Do you write in more than one genre? Besides the Behind Blue Eyes series, I also have the Shadow City series, which is a blend of sci-fi and horror, and finally, Cyber Squad, which is a cyberpunk LitRPG series. Tell me about something that you believe makes your ...

  Strange things are done in the midday sun By the men who moil for adventures; The canyon trails have their secret tales That would make you spit out your dentures; The Firehouse ruins have seen strange doin's, But the strangest they ever did see Was that day on the brim of the canyon rim With my dad, my son, and me. (With apologies to Robert Service) The picture above was taken from a point part way up the canyon wall. Notice how the near wall on the left has a nice gradual slant to it. We couldn't get to that. Our path--and I use the term "path" only in the generic sense of what we left behind--went nearly straight up the canyon wall.The few spots that had a hint of a gradual slope were more thickly brushed than the Withywindle and twice as mean. Somewhere along the way I barked up my shin, but I don't know whether it was on rock or a limb. Anyway, we survived. I spent most of the week around Blanding, UT, with a trip to Moab in the mix as well. We saw some coo...