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.

______________________

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.

_____________________________________

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.