Interview with Kevin Buckner

Author of

The Cudomerie Series

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

I have two works in progress. One is the second book in my series, The Cudomerie. Its title is The Descent of Rogen and it picks up where the first book, The Advent of Zon, leaves off. The series is about a group of necromancers trying to gather their legendary relics while their enemies try to stop them. All the while, a rogue demon prince causes chaos every chance he gets.

The second work in progress is called The Tenth Floor. It’s a near-future dystopian sci-fi about people living in underground totalitarian communities after a nuclear holocaust made life above ground impossible.

(Note that I have inserted additional questions or comments in italics, as I sometimes do. Kevin can reply to them in the comments if he is so inclined.)

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

The series is based on a D&D game I ran about fifteen years ago. The second work is based on a dream I had.

As long as the dream one doesn't include sparkling vampires, I support that. Did you include in the book the same character from the game?

Do you write in more than one genre?

Yes

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

The characters in my books tend to be more morally ambiguous than you would find in a lot of popular literature. While it is clear who the protagonists and antagonists are, the characters themselves do some questionable things in order to achieve their goals. One of my beta readers said she likes that about the characters because it makes them more realistic. Just like in real life, most of my characters are neither all bad nor all good, but are complex people with unique motivations.

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

I tend to slip a lot of my personal philosophies and beliefs into dialogue, character actions, and character interactions. I have arrived at these philosophies and beliefs because of my personal history. I also occasionally draw upon my history to influence scenes in my books. For example, there’s a scene in The Advent of Zon where the reader sees the main protagonist’s youth. A bully is asked what his problem with the main character is, to which the bully responds by asking whether they want the list in alphabetic or chronologic order. When asked how you would list things chronologically, the bully begins with the fact that the main character was born and that his mother didn’t drown him as an infant. That exchange was a slightly altered conversation from my past.

 

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

I graduated high school with a diploma of merit in English and Science. I got A’s in my creative writing class and I passed the AP English Language examination. I also got good grades in the English and writing classes I took in college. This is all to say that I have a personal history of educators telling me that I write well. I think this is important for readers to know because there’s always the fear when deciding whether to give an unknown, self-published author a chance that it won’t be any good. Those who have read my book know how well-written it is. I can assure potential readers that it is every bit as well-written as a lot of traditionally-published books, and more well-written than some traditionally-published books I have read.

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

I don’t know if it’s underrated, but I know that Contest by Matthew Reilly is one that most people I know have never heard of. It is a fantastic action/thriller sci-fi book. A coworker had me borrow it on Friday and told me he would get it back from me on Tuesday. I told him that I’d return it when I finished reading it, to which he replied that he was aware and that he would get it back from me on Tuesday, because that would be the next time we worked together. I was dubious, but I did return the book to him on Tuesday. It’s one of the few books that I had a hard time putting down because I absolutely had to know what happened next.

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

The Advent of Zon, mostly because it’s the only book I have published.

I think this may be my favorite answer to this question.

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

The job I had at a large reference laboratory near my home. I was working in a department that had a lot of down-time. After I had finished all my work-related tasks, I spent time writing the first draft. The job was also a 7 on/7 off schedule, so I spent a lot of time during my week off writing, as well.

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

First, I’d like people to ask where they can buy my book more frequently, and second, I’d like those same people to ask when the second book is coming out.

So when is the second book going to be available? I see the first one, but not the second on Amazon.

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

One of the things I always say is “If you never work on a project, you’ll never complete it.” I like this because it is absolutely true, but also because it keeps me going on things. Even if I can’t devote a lot of time to a project, it helps because it means to me that even incremental progress is progress and will ultimately help me achieve my goal of completing the project.

 So are you working that second book? I've heard a peculiar rumor which says that books in a series sell better when several books in the series are available.

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Thanks to Kevin for participating in the interview.

And speaking of books in a series, a reader of book 4 in my Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series, Promise of Carnage and Flame, let me know today that he has read the book twice already--he doesn't post reviews and he only reads hard copies; he has no Amazon or goodreads accounts. He particularly liked Iago's adventure. That did surprise me because although I really like Iago's adventure, I expected this particular reader wold be enthralled with two of the other adventure threads as more exciting from his point of view. I should've realized that everyone likes Iago.

I lent a paperback of book 1, Threading the Rude Eye, to another friend who completed it and demanded the next two books in the series because she is a fast reader. So she's has books 2 and 3 now.

In other news, I submitted another short story this week. I've also put up six episodes of a Vella story. I haven't "published" them yet, as I don't know when the Vella stuff is going to go live. Everything I see simply says "within the next few months." I think the payment scale will not be great, but it might be great for readers who like episodic tales. I figure that I can get more exposure to readers if I have at least story there, and I do like writing episodic tales.

 Author Interview with

Darian Smith

Author of The Agents of Kalanon Series

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

I’m currently working on the Agents of Kalanon series which I describe as being murder mysteries in a fantasy world.  Kind of like CSI but with swords and magic.  The main character, Sir Brannon Kesh, is an ex war hero with a passion for healing as a way to atone for the lives he had to take.  When a member of the royal family is murdered and a new war is threatened, he must join with a socially awkward priest, a vain mage, an alluring ambassador, and a corpse-animating shaman to investigate and protect the world from a dark plot.  Each book has its own mysteries to solve but there’s an overarching story throughout the series as well.

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

I’ve always enjoyed reading fantasy but also watching murder mystery shows – everything from Criminal Minds to Murder She Wrote.  One day it occurred to me to blend the two and create a team of forensic type investigators in an epic fantasy world.

Do you write in more than one genre?

Mostly I write fantasy but when it comes to short stories I have dabbled in literary fiction, sci-fi, and even children’s stories.  I also wrote a paranormal romance which won the Koru award from the Romance Writers of New Zealand. 

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

I think it’s an interesting blend of genres so that’s something different about the Agents of Kalanon series.  Solving murders happens a bit in urban fantasy but having a police procedural format in an epic fantasy is a bit different to most.

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

My background is in counselling and family therapy so I bring a lot of that understanding into my stories, particularly with character development.  The characters all have layers and histories that have an impact on their behaviours in the current story. 

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

I guess it would be helpful for people to know they can find my books on Amazon and that I’m easily found on Facebook or as @DarianWordSmith on Instagram and Twitter.  Also my website is www.darian-smith.com

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

I’d have to recommend my wife’s book, Home of the Heart.  Adrienne Smith writes small town contemporary romance so if anyone enjoys that genre, I heartily recommend it. 

 

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

While all the books stand alone, I’d recommend starting with Kalanon’s Rising, the first in the Agents of Kalanon series as the best introduction to the characters and the world in which they live.

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

I’ve had a few lucky breaks, particularly with winning awards or being a finalist in competitions but probably the decision with the most impact was choosing between traditional publishing or being an indie author.  At the time, I had an agent and was going the traditional route. I’d had several short stories published in anthologies and magazines and won competitions etc but hadn’t yet had a novel published.  Traditional publishing is a very slow process and waiting around with no control over your career can be disheartening.  Indie publishing was something I was becoming more aware of as a legitimate route that was losing the stigma it once had and could offer quality products and greater control for the author.  I decided I would apply for a grant from a local writer organization and leave the decision up to fate.  If I got the grant, I would use the money to publish my novel myself.  If I didn’t, I would continue waiting for traditional publishing.  I got the grant.

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

I’m always up for a wacky question but I guess from a practical standpoint, because I’m usually being interviewed about my fiction, it would be good to be asked about my non-fiction as well.  I wrote The Psychology Workbook for Writers which describes a number of theories used by counsellor and psychologists and how they can be used to create realistic characters and conflict in fiction.  It’s a short book that has been well received by writers around the world.

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

My wife and I quote movies and even TV commercials to each other all the time.  Especially movies like The Princess Bride.  It’s difficult to pick just one.

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Thanks to Darian for participating on the blog today.

Just a reminder that my own series, Tomahawks and Dragon Fire continues with Book 4, Promise of Carnage and Flame. It's available in ebook and paperback.

HERE'S THE LINK and the ebook is available for 99 cents for a limited time.

and I'll soon be doing a special offer but only subscribers to my newsletter get to know the details. You can become a subscriber here - click on the newsletter link at the top of the new page

 

Yes! Book Four in the series is ready for purchase! Click this link to get it.

I had a great time writing this book. A few chapters in, a can of awesome exploded like a dozen eggs in the microwave, splattering the entire story with stupendous possibilities. Naturally, I scrapped the rough outline in favor of the new found fabulosity. (I know that's not a word, but it makes the sentence sing like a rockstar Dean Martin and Nat King Cole, or maybe it's Martin and Lewis). 

Two of the supporting players from the previous books get a big share of the spotlight in book four. Both of these characters become richer and deeper. Additionally, a few new characters may be more important than they appear. Finally, more dragons rage against the cause of liberty--hence the carnage and flame promise, but that doesn't all come from the dragons. Prepare to be surprised.

I'm looking for reviews, so the price is currently only 99 cents.

____________________________________

Some thoughts about some different books:

I've had this book, which I'm not going to name, in my e-library for a few years but hadn't got around to reading it. I had picked it up for free (a habit I have). I finally read it. I found it pretty good until the last 20% when it went completely off the rails. It was a murder mystery with an ex-cop running a record store as the primary character. The end reveal of the murderer was so bizarre that I thought it might be a dream sequence--but it wasn't. It felt like there should've been another 10 or 20 pages of story to unravel the mystery, but instead the author opted for a weird reveal scene and info dump by way of conversation to conclude it. Don't even get me started on the romantic interest that seemed like it had been wedged into the story as an afterthought, or an editor's suggestion. I'll stop my criticism there because if the book had been bad all the way through, I wouldn't have been so disappointed. If the author had nailed the ending, I might have come away thinking that it was a great book. Instead the award-winning author totally goofed it, in my opinion, and left me feeling like I had found a dead mouse in my dessert.

I also finished The Coming Race by Edward Bulwer Lytton.

As you might suppose, I also got it for free. Unfortunately, the story was thin while the descriptions of the religion, politics, philosophy, technology, and a multitude of other details filled the rest. Reading it reminded me of some other story from a book or television -- but I can't remember what it was now. I cannot recommend the book.

I've started into Michael Moorcock's The Ice Schooner and have to admit that I like it, so far. I'm only thirty pages or so into it. It's quite different from the Elric of Melnibone -- which I couldn't bring myself to finish.

________________________

The weekend was a mixed bag. Friday was great. I went fishing with the musketeer and El Supremo and caught a record number of bass--record for me anyway. Those guys would have been happy to go home an hour earlier, but they stayed to humor me as I was having a good time catching the first, the most, and the last fish. They did finally switch their jigs (or jig trailers, or jig covers (I'm not sure what they're called) to match mine and they started catching as well, or almost as well. 

Saturday was a bust. I had two major things to accomplish at home. I spent all my time on the first one, and couldn't figure it out. I wasted a lot of effort and a lot of time.

Now I'm looking forward to getting Promise of Carnage and Flame formatted for paperback. As soon as that's done, I'll get to work on my dystopian thriller.

 Author Interview 

with Claudia Klein

Author of The Heir and The Crown

Note that I have interjected a comments and questions (in parentheses and in italics) throughout the body of Claudia's interview. She may post responses in the comments, or send me her responses in an email and I will supplement them into the interview later).

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

I’m currently working on the sequel to my debut novel, The Heir.  The sequel will be out in 6 months and it’s called The Crown.

(It has taken me some time to work through the author interviews. Claudia sent me this interview in November 2020. Is The Crown available yet? If so, send me the cover pic with a brief description and I'll add it to the interview.)

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

I wanted to write a book where the bad guy wins. That’s why one of the main characters, Prince Thomas isn’t the best of characters. But I discovered during the writing of The Heir that I can’t write a story where the bad guy wins. So Prince Thomas actually turns out to be the good guy in the end.

(That's great, Claudia. I don't think the bad guys should ever win -- except temporarily - why do you think you can't let the bad guy win?).

Do you write in more than one genre?

I started out writing real world stories when I was 10 and wrote those for a few years. Then I switched to writing fantasy sometime in high school and have stuck with that ever since. I have had a dystopian in the works for about 2 years now though, so we’ll see where that goes.

(I'm just about to start writing a dystopian novel. I would love to hear from you about anything you've learned in the process of writing in the genre.)

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

I’ve been told that the dialogue is really well written. But I think the main thing that sets my writing apart is that it’s completely clean high fantasy, even though there’s romance in everything I write. No bad language and no adult scenes. There is killing, but I’ve always been a blood and gore type person.

(I commend your choice of keeping things clean. I prefer books without the profanity and vulgarity which is becoming more and more prevalent. I keep my books clean as well.)

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

Probably that none of my characters are super talkative, like myself.

(And yet, your answer is so brief, laconic, even)

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

I’m a military wife and I’m a stay at home mom to my 2 year old daughter. When I’m not working on my author business, I’m working on my network marketing business or my crochet and yarn spinning business. I’m a really good cook and recently started a Youtube channel. Right now the channel is under my name, but it’ll eventually be under Cooking with Clauds.

 (Cool! what recipe should I try - or ask my wife to try?)

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

I really liked Ember and Stone by Megan O’Russel. I’m not sure how widely known she is, but her book was really good high fantasy with a strong female lead, and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

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

The Heir, because right now it’s my only published book. But keep a lookout for my Endorlothorien trilogy coming out in a few years.

 

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

Definitely learning about self publishing on KDP. If someone hadn’t told me about that option I’d probably still be looking for a way to publish.

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

About my writing or anything in general? Because I wish people would ask me how many states I’ve lived in. I’ve lived in 13 and some of them twice and I’m not even 30 yet. About writing I wish people would ask if I need any help marketing, haha. Because I do.

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

I have 2:

Never, never, never give up. -Winston Churchill

The best if yet to come- Robert Browning

I like the first one because I’m stubborn and don’t give up easily. And the second one because the best is yet to come. Unless you make a really bad life decision your life will only get better.

___________________________

Thanks to Claudia for participating in the interview.

In case I haven't mentioned it, after reading his Wendigo, which I loved, I did read Algernon Blackwood's The Willows. In short, I didn't care for it. I have acquired his Three John Silence Stories which features a paranormal detective. I haven't had a chance to read it as I dived into another book which has a popular following...and it fell flat for me. I cast it into the DNF pile. I won't mention anymore about that unless I decide to go back and extract the N from that description. I'm currently reading Zane Gray's The Rainbow Trail. At first, I enjoyed the picturesque descriptions, but I have grown weary of them. I'm a firm believer that the plot and characters should carry the story with scenic descriptions as an infrequent treat. I'm pretty sure I'll finish this book, but if something doesn't happen soon (I'm over 60% through the book), I may set it aside at least temporarily.

As for books with interesting characters and lots of action, Promise of Carnage and Flame is getting closer to release. I need a final proof read and then it will go up. I want to publish it in the 5x8 format rather than the 6x9 format. It was an unfortunate accident that the first book in the series, Threading the Rude Eye was published in 6x9. I went back last week and re-formatted Threading the Rude Eye for 5x8 and corrected some small errors that had sneaked by the original proofing. Unfortunately, when I tried to upload the new format, KDP wouldn't let me. Once the book as been published, the format can't be changed. That's when I remembered why I had also published the next two books in the 6x9 format. Oh well. I don't care, the print version of Promise of Carnage and Flame is going up in the 5x8 format.

 

Promise of Carnage and Flame is written. 27 chapters and 90K plus words. I have celebrated the completion of this this stage of the process by rewarding myself with some miniatures and recreating the battle of Vauchamps as I re-learn the Drums and Shakos Large Battles Rules. I'll post a battle report later.

I don't have a cool cover completed for the new book yet, but here's this, which is completely unrelated:

I've also got a couple short stories battling in my head. They will be the next items I write, and fairly soon, before I get to my stand-alone dystopian thriller novel--and then on to book 5 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series--I already have about 15K words done for book 5. I'm contemplating some new beasts which will appear in the series, and I think they will also go in one of my short stories, as I will set the short story within the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire world.

My newsletter should be coming out this week. If you haven't signed up yet, here's the link to do so.

One thing this edition of the newsletter will address is the question of spoilers as requested by someone on a fb group to which I used to belong. I have pretty firm opinions on the matter as it was presented, but I won't get into that here.

I'm currently reading Larry Correia's Monster Hunter International, and I should post a review when I've completed it--the book is currently free here. I'm also about to finish a story by Algernon Blackwood. It's the first of his works that I've read, as far as I know. I can see that I'll have to explore more of his stories.

In the meantime, I may contemplate the story behind this:

 Author Interview with

C.L. Gaber

Author of The Ascenders Saga

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

 Thank you so much Stanley! I’m the author of the Ascenders Saga. I’m currently doing final edits for Book Five, which will come out in March, 2021. The sage is about 17-year-old Walker Callaghan who is in a car crash in Chicago. She wakes up in a much nicer house and finds out she has to attend a swanky private Academy for high school now. At school the next day, the music teacher is Kurt “who used to have this band,” the drama teacher is Robin and Dr. King insists he’s just a humble former principal from Detroit who was gunned down in a school shooting.

Walker finds out that she died last night and has been sent to an in-between realm for those who died young. The rules? There aren’t any. No SATs. No homework either. You must attend The Academy: High School for the Recently Departed, but you’re there to learn what you need before you ascend.

The only real rule is you can’t go back and check on your former life. Walker falls hard for tat-covered bad-boy Daniel Reid who is in charge of his sisters (ages 12 and 14) and brother (16). They died together in a plane crash, but are missing their youngest brother Bobby (6). Daniel insists he will return to the living realm to find the little boy at the site of their plane crash. Bobby is an earth-bound spirit – waiting forever at the site of his death.

Walker and Daniel must find the portal back to life and then deal with soul destroying demons who are waiting upon their return.

Ascenders is an adventure of an after-lifetime.

Book Five comes out in Feb. 2021!

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

 I know it sounds impossibly, but I’m a journalist who covers film. I was on assignment in LA and had a dream that played out like a movie in my mind. I did know enough to get up at three in the morning and write the first chapter, plus sketch out the story.

Do you write in more than one genre?

I did do a teen detective novel several years ago, but found I love epic fantasy. I love creating rules for new worlds with hopefully relatable characters in them.

 

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

I’m a film journalist for the New York Times wire, a job I’ve done for 30 years. It mostly consists of interviewing A list stars and writing interviews/profiles of them when new films are coming out.

There are many dead celeb teachers….Heath, Kurt, Alan, Robin, Steve, Carrie, Walter, Liz, Janis, Amy ….. in the Ascenders world. The words they say about life are from my interviews over the years.

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

Well, Walker, my protagonist, is from Chicago like me. She dies one night in this one spot where in reality deer cross the highway all night long. All you see if the glow of their eyes in the headlights of your car. Really creepy. God forbid they jump out at the cars…people are killed all the time and cars are destroyed as well as gorgeous animals.

Walker is a student journalist who dreams of working for the New York Times one day – totally me.

Her superpower is asking a lot of questions like all journalists do.

She’s also super not-athletic – me, me, me. But she has to find scary demons despite it all. (I’ll leave that to her.)

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

I grew up in Chicago, went to school in Arizona and now live in Nevada. I love my hometown, but feel really grounded and free in the west. I like wide open spaces, which is a topic in Ascenders 5. Otherwise, I’d have 20 dogs, but in reality have two of the best: Georgie and Auggie.

 

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

What a great question – I always say Stephen King and I’m going to say it here. I think the poetic beauty of his writing is underrated because he writes horror. I love his non-scary work best of all including his book about JFK’s assassination. Some of my friends don’t read King thinking it’s just horror writing. Not true. By a long-shot.

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

I’d love for people to read the first Ascenders book. I’m just really proud of how it came out and love the characters. It was as exciting for me to complete book five recently as it was to finish book one. I love playing in this afterlife world.

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

As a journalist, my biggest break on the same day was being hired by both the New York Times wire and the Chicago Sun Times to be their film writer. Both have been amazing over many years and have resulted in so many inspirational interviews with film and TV A-listers.

As an author, I believe independently publishing Ascenders and learning that world before I did it was a huge break. I love working on the covers with amazing artists and the inside design, too.

Of course, my biggest break of all was having a wonderful Dad who always told me I was  a writer and read my work in a serious way. He was the only father around who said not to get “a real job” and work on my writing. Thanks, Dad.

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

I wish I’d get asked….What moment since 2015 when the first Ascenders book was published touched you the deepest.

I’ll never forget being asked to Outlander.com to sell books. Two women approached my booth and both were crying. One said, “Go talk to her. You really need to talk to her.” The second woman had some trouble finding the words and finally said, “I just wanted to meet you because my son was a victim in one of the recent school shootings. I’d like to think he’s in a lovely place like The Midst in Ascenders.”

It only took seconds before she was crying and I was crying.

Just knowing your book meant something to someone else is beyond.

 

Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it? Yes, my tat-covered, bad boy Daniel Reid often tells his love Walker Callaghan to “Embrace the Vole.” It means to embrace great risk in order to find great rewards. One of my amazing Ascenders fans actually sent me a handmade quilt with the words Embrace the Vole on it. It’s the coolest thing EVER.

I love to speak with readers. Please reach out at CLGaber@yahoo.com

Thank you for this interview!!

____________________________________

Thanks to C.L. for participating. The Ascenders Saga sounds intriguing--not your run-of-the-mill fantasy. This is the first time I know of that anyone has named Stephen King as an underrated author. I guess we travel in different circles.

I'm about 18 chapters into my editing of Promise of Carnage and Flame, book 4 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series. It's an exciting story and I love it. However it's not the story I set out to tell. I had two major breaks with the original loose outline. They both work back into the plan in a super-fantastic way, but...it's complicated. I still want to tell the story I wanted to tell. The diversions were 40-60K work detours as I got into them and developed them. I'm already in the 100K word neighborhood, and I don't want to give short shrift to some important elements in my original story. There were a couple of nice breaking points after some climactic events in the mid-20's chapters, and the original ending now makes a separate story. I think I want to develop that separate story in more detail and expand Lucette's role in some key events.

The Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series is sort of Last of the Mohicans meets The Patriot, and Star Wars. It's an action-packed alternate-history fantasy set during the American Revolutionary War. The fantasy elements include dragons, magic, and other dangerous creatures. 

(This post was originally published Feb 28, 2021, but cancel culture squeaked about it -- I have no idea why -- so it was censored then uncensored but now only shows as a draft, so I'm putting it back up).

 

I've been doing a lot of reading recently. I ripped through John D. Brown's book on creating story ideas that beg to be written. I finished Cedar Sanderson's The East Witch, and I completed Cornwell's The Winter King.  I read a Rafael Sabatina book about a pirate (and I can't remember the name of it). I also started two other books, but I could not finish them. Of these latter two, one told an interesting story, but was so poorly written, continuously jumping from character to character and using the word "felt" in every other sentence, that it finally drove me away. The other was very well written but the lesbian overtones directed me to the exit sometime in the second chapter; it wasn't for me.

Let me begin with the best.

I was reluctant to try this book. I came across it while I looking for a different Cornwell book. I knew it was about the Arthur legend, and, frankly, I've read enough of that sort of thing. A couple years ago I re-read Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, so why did I need to read another version? The book was on sale for next to nothing, so I gave in to the very low level of temptation and purchased it. That was a lucky day for me. I loved this book.

While most accounts of the Arthurian epic that I have read tell a tale of pageantry and knights errant in plate armor, The Winter King clothes the tale in the ashes, mud, and blood of the Britons. The story is told by Derfel who is now a Christian priest, but he was a pagan in this first book of the trilogy. Arthur is a warlord entrusted with protecting Uther's son Mordred. Uther has died. Petty kings, Saxons, druids, Christians, Irish, and more complicate Arthur's task. Nevertheless, all is well--until Arthur meets Guinevere. As always, Cornwell handles the battles magnificently, but I'm more impressed with Cornwell's vision of Arthur and his struggle to adhere to his conflicting oaths and noble code--that is a fundamental feature of the Arthur story. I haven't been able to find the next book either in the library or the used book store, and as much as I want to read the next books in the trilogy, I'm not inclined to fork out $13 or more each for the privilege of reading electronic copies of them.

***

Now I remembered the other book, it was Sabatini's The Sea-Hawk. I actually finished this earlier in the month, but I don't think I've posted any review. 

This book was available at my favorite price - free- although the copy I read did not have any picture on the cover. Most people prefer Captain Blood over The Sea-Hawk, or so I understand. I'm of the opposite opinion. Contrary to the opinion of the ill-informed, Sabatini's novel is not about a wayward Seattle football player. The first part of the book is a little slow. Sir Oliver is in love, but there are complications. Finally, the brother he was protecting betrays him. Oliver survives as a galley slave, and rises in the ranks to become the Basha's right hand pirate man. Nevertheless, all is not well in the Basha's house, and someone is jealous of Oliver's influence there. Meanwhile, back in Cornwall, Sir Oliver has become the prime suspect in the death of his love's brother, and his apparent flight from justice has strengthened the case against him. It's a fun read of romance and revenge. I particularly enjoy Sabatini's telling of the mind games between Sir Oliver and his antagonists.

***

Last but not least, in fact it's east rather than least:

Cedar sent me a copy of this book when I interviewed her a few weeks ago. The East Witch is a tale of an Alaskan woman who is transported to the land of the fae. It's not so much a fairy tale, as a tale of a woman in the land of fairy tales -- Russian and East European fairy tales. It all begins when she releases an elf (or was it a sprite, I can't remember, but he was from the Spruce clan) from a steel trap. The elf transport system goes on the fritz and our heroine encounters Baba Yaga, and soon becomes a murder suspect. I think this will be very popular with the intended audience. It's fast paced and well written. It just doesn't happen to be my particular cup of tea. I gave it 5 stars on goodreads because it is good. Young women, and those interested in the fae or East European fairy tales should love it. I found it exhausting--like I was trapped in the head of a 13 year-old girl--and yet, I'm wondering about reading some of Cedar's other stories.

***

Now for something completely different. Promise of Carnage and Flame had a rough week. I didn't get to write as much as I had intended, but I did finish chapter 29. I did have to move and re-write a couple paragraphs. That almost never happens. Usually the story unfolds without requiring me to juggle the order or to re-write things, but this part was a little fuzzy and writing some following paragraphs helped the earlier stuff better come into focus, and I had to go back and make modifications. I may give a sneak-peek of some excerpts from the book in my next newsletter--which you can sign-up for here:

My Newsletter.

 Author Interview with

A R Meyering

Author of The Resurrectionist, and the short stories, FATHOM and Appeal

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

I’m planning on writing a few sci-fi/horror shorts for an anthology that will be published by BHC Press in 2021 to go with my dark sci-fi stories FATHOM and Appeal. They’re all philosophical and disturbing looks at how we relate to machines, and to each other. All the stories are meant to take place in the same timeline, going in a sequence that reveals what has happened to the Earth from near future to the distant.

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

I got the idea for the anthology’s main novella FATHOM while I was living in Japan. It takes place in the prefecture where I used to live. It’s about a man whose job is preserving the physical experience of the real world in digital format, as everyone is living in a full-immersion digital simulation in response to the climate crisis.

Do you write in more than one genre?

Yes! All my stories tend to have an aspect of horror to them, but I like to blend that with fantasy and sci-fi, too.

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

I try to strike an interesting balance between whimsical and frightening. I also put work into making strong emotional develop arcs for my characters, which I hope proves satisfying for the reader.

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

I’m a very anxious person, so I end up worrying about everything all the time. I think the fear I feel through my personal experience shapes the way I approach horror. It’s interesting and cathartic to write about frightening situations when you’re so familiar with the emotion.

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

I love history and philosophy, and I try to have those elements as strong and engaging parts of my stories.

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

Slade House by David Mitchell was such a cool little gem. So creepy and atmospheric, and a great example of how to weave a lot of different stories together into a powerful, unified ending.

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

The Resurrectionist, which will be available on Halloween of 2020! I think it will appeal to those who like dark fantasy, horror, historical fiction, and a dash of romance. It centers around the real-life Burke and Hare murders in the 19^th century, and the mysteries that they left behind.

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

I was really lucky to have a strong mentorship from an editor I worked with, Angela Brown. She really took me under her wing and wouldn’t let me give up, even when I was at my mopeyest. I think that I probably wouldn’t have gotten published if it hadn’t been for her support and brilliant editing work!

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

I am one of those unfortunate people who is always hoping I can trick someone into talking about philosophy with me. I think any question about the way philosophy plays into my work is satisfying to engage with.

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

I like Anne Lamott’s motivational phrase, “bird by bird.” She talks about it in her book on writing, which is of the same name. The idea is that her little brother had put off this huge project on birds until the night before it was due, and he had no idea how to approach this enormous task. Her father told him to just take it one step at a time and go ‘bird by bird.’ She relates this to how you should approach this nearly impossible project of writing, and I use that as motivation a lot. Just one little bit at a time, that’s all you have to do.

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Thanks to A R for participating in the interview. She did get the interview returned to me in October, but I didn't get to until now. Hopefully the release of The Resurrectionist went well.

Promise of Carnage and Flame (Yes. I have decided that is the title, rather than In The Course, which I had originally planned to call it.) has hit the home stretch. I outlined the final five chapters to make sure I was pulling in the elements I wanted included from earlier in the story. "Outlined" is rather an overstatement. My rough notes resemble an outline in the same way a package of cheese and crackers with the little red plastic spreader resembles a gourmet meal. I finished chapter 29 yesterday, so there are only four more to go. I'm looking at 120K words for completion. Additionally, I've made another change in that this book will be book 4 in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series, rather than the first book of a sequel trilogy. I've taken the advice another author gave in one of his videos and decided to chose to do the saga as one series rather than 2 or 3 trilogies. Either way, the awesome factor of the story continues to push the needle to the peg.

Rather than do the movie reviews I had wanted, I'll do something less.

Over the past several weeks, I've been able to see a few Danny Boon movies. It began with Supercondriaque. In this movie, Boon plays a hypochondriac who becomes unwittingly involved in love and international intrigue. It is super fun and very entertaining. I recommend it.

Boon's character's obsession with germs, disease, and his own health makes for a great representation of what our society has become during the "pandemic."

Family is Family--and I use the English title because I can't make sense of the French one--introduces us to an interior designer and his wife who are at the top of their game and living the high life in Paris. Boon's character claims to be an orphan, but that is a big lie to hide his trailer trash roots. His family from northern France (who speak a peculiar patois) makes a surprise trip to Paris at his big exhibition on the pretense of celebrating the mother's eightieth birthday. A head injury erases the last 25 years of his memory, and Boon and his wife make a number of discoveries about themselves and who they have become. It's another fun film.

 Author Interview

with Poppy Kuroki

Author of ABard's Lament, Oath, and Rhoda

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

I’m currently working on a steampunk adventure about two female characters, one rich and one a poor runaway. It’s my first time writing steampunk and it’s a whole lot of fun!

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

 The gap between the rich and the poor is widening, and the classes tend to judge each other. Of course, humans tend to do that anyway based on the tiniest of differences. The story has a lot of themes, but one of them is learning to get to know people and accept them for who they are, not making assumptions about them because of their upbringing.

I was thinking making it a medieval setting, but then I realized I really wanted Zoya to have a motorbike. Jumping into the steampunk genre has been an awesome journey.

Do you write in more than one genre?

My existing books are all dark fantasy, but I’m hoping to write more steampunk in the future as well.

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

Colette goes through a lot of rough times in Oath, and I was going through similar rough times (not being forced into assassinhood though!) when I wrote it. How I felt at the time was definitely a huge influence on the book. I didn’t pull any punches for Colette.

 

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

Aside from books and writing I’m passionate about video games, so if you love gaming be sure to get in touch! I also live in Japan and have a travel blog; be sure to check it out: https://poppyinjapan.com

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

I love TL Morganfield, but she doesn’t seem to really be active anymore. I also recommend Elizabeth Davies’ her historical fiction.

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

I recommend starting with A Bard’s Lament. It’s raw, it’s emotional, it’s got original music, and it’s a quick read you can enjoy in one afternoon.

 

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

Since ghostwriting full time, I got a lot more inspiration and decided to try writing for myself again. Taking courses and making connections has definitely been a huge help. It’s still early days for me but I’m hoping I can continue meeting amazing people and maybe make my mark in the writing world.

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

“Would you like a slice of cake?” Just kidding… I suppose I’d like to be asked about my books more in general. I won’t talk about them if someone doesn’t ask as I don’t want to come across as annoying. It’s the best feeling ever when someone takes a genuine interest or when they’ve read your stories and have questions or comments.

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

“It doesn’t matter how slow you go as long as you don’t stop” – Confucious. It makes me feel less bad about not hitting my writing goals. As long as we can write a little bit every day and do what we can, the next project will be completed.

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Thanks to Poppy for participating.

In my own writing this week, the story progressed though another milestone. I'm over 80K words into Promise of Carnage and Flame, which takes place in an alternate history 1776 America in this fantastic flintlock fantasy. I've avoided most of the more famous action of the war to focus on the characters and their adventures which are extremely personal to them. However, the New Providence Raid has made its way into the story line featuring Captain Rip and Antonio on a mission to the Bahamas. One of the dragon hunters and a gryphon have joined the smugglers in Washington's service. Alex struggles to recover from a major calamity, and another of the dragon hunters has swallowed a draught* of both triumph and tragedy. The latter, and Iago's adventure are my favorite threads, but Alex and Lucette will face some terrible trials, the outcome of which may well determine the fate of the revolution. 

Also, if you missed The Great Christmas Chicken Chase, click on the "older posts" button below to catch up.

*I know; it should be "draft" but I prefer the old spelling, and I like to mispronounce it to rhyme with "thought," and I don't know why.

 Author Interview with

A.A. Warne

Author of: Hidden Truths trilogy, The Reluctant Wizard, and more

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

I’m currently finishing Hidden Truths Trilogy book three. This is the next book after Concealed Power. It has turned out to be one of those stories that get deeper and darker the further I go into it and the characters keep surprising me.

While I’m finishing that, I’m brainstorming and planning book two for The Reluctant Wizard. I’ve re-read the first book six times now and each time I find something new, something important, and Eli reminds me that the world is just too big to get into a couple of books. I think he wants me to write a never-ending number of books for him. Wouldn’t that be nice.

 

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

Concealed Power and The Reluctant Wizard, even though they are two very different books, tend to go hand-in-hand during the writing process. Concealed Power was my first co-written piece with Michelle and we were figuring out how to work with one another. So the process was much longer than normal, but the story was so fascinating and interesting that no matter how hard it got, the story drove us to continue. Meanwhile, I had a little character that kept jumping into my head. That was Eli. He was patient but kept giving me glimpses into his world. I was so tempted to push him away because I needed my concentration on Concealed Power, but he showed me a particular piece of his world and I nearly fell off my chair. Now I can’t tell you what that is because that’s a future book that I’m trying to get to. However, I will say that since that moment, I’ve been successfully writing more than one book at a time.

 

Do you write in more than one genre?

I write speculative fiction and this allows me to bend, shape, snap, and mold the genres that are perfect for my story. By remaining as an umbrella over the speculative genres, I don’t have a tendency to nose dive into one genre particularly, and that’s nothing to do with me as a writer, but more allowing the story to dictate where it needs to be. I find that if the story calls for romance, then it should have it. The same for sci-fi and technology, or pushing the plot into thriller. If I had to pick one genre, it would be fantasy. Fantasy for me is amazing, no two writers are alike, the genre feels like it has no boundaries, and writers are rewarded for their unique risks, vast imaginations, and we don’t often face regurgitated content like some other genres receive.

 

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

I have a tendency to twist everything. It could be something small and irrelevant which then becomes life consuming. I didn’t realize this was unusual until a couple of years ago I went to the cinema with my neighbor and her friends. We were watching a movie and when it finished, my neighbor turned to me and said she wasn’t satisfied with the ending. She then asked, if I had written that movie, how would I have ended it. I answered her honestly and little did I know everyone around us – row in front, and the one behind, plus all of her friends, were listening.

They all reacted like my idea would have been a better movie. Their reaction shook me as a writer because before then, I doubted my ideas and I told myself that they were good enough. But that moment change me. I knew then that I think differently to others and their reactions to my ideas told me to keep going.

 

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

As early as I could remember, I wanted to be an artist. I love being creative, in fact, if I’m not creating then it effects my happiness. I grew up painting and making sculptures while the television was running a movie that I’d watched a million times over. Little did I know that while listening to the movie, I was learning story structure, and this has had a huge impact on me as an adult. Now when I help other writers, I sense an issue with the structure just naturally and can point out certain scenes or elements in the character that need to be moved around, twisted perhaps, or even fleshed out. And then in my own writing, I can’t start writing at all until I know the overall structure of where the major points sit.

 

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

I’m a huge researcher. If I’m not writing or doing mom-things, then I’m reading translations of ancient texts, diving into the world of history, searching for the anomalies on our planet. If you find something in one of my books and this wow that is strange, changes are, it happened in real life and it was the perfect gem to drop into my book at that point in time. Our planet is like a smorgasbord of interesting stuff.

 

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

The entire indie world is underrated, underappreciated, and too often laughed at by so-called professionals. The honest truth is that indies are powerhouses. They write, source everything themselves and invest their own money into their writing, production and publishing, and yet they are laughed at and considered no-worthy of a lot of people’s time. This really is a sad reality for a lot of amazing authors. Time is changing and I’m seeing a lot of indie authors really make new ground in the publishing world, but there are so many amazing ones struggling out there too.

So I’m going to say three names to start with and I promise you that you’ll be blown away: Ross Kingston - Awakening; Beth Hodgson – Fragments of Light; and Philip Smith – The Brotherhood.

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

The Reluctant Wizard is by far my best book to date. The world is so vast and the characters mean so much to Eli, that I believe book one, even though it’s massive, only skims the surface. One of the reasons I wrote it was because my own children haven’t read any of my other works, because of the adult content, and this book is accessible for them as well as adults. So I wanted a book where we would all read at different times but can discuss it at the dinner table. Given how many elements and sub-plots and twists and turns went into it, I believe we will be talking right up until the next book is out.

 

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

Meeting other authors. Writing might look like a fascinating job, but in fact it can be isolating and you don’t have to meet a single person to make a career of it. It’s perfect for introverts or those who don’t leave the house. However, I call my office the den – like I’m locked in the den, unable to escape. Although to be fair, I do escape into my imagination. So I reached out to other writers and found that a lot of them were like me, writing each day, finding awesome things for our readers and yet forget to socialize ourselves. Meeting other people has ventured from the local to the global and now I consider people on the opposite side of the planet so close, that they’re now family. And my writing has made leaps and bounds ever since.

 

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

I tend to say, nothing ever happens until it all happens at once. It’s like there will be a week where I’m trying to plan the next year’s events but then a kid will get sick, the husband has an accident at work, the dog got sick and passed, I forgot to buy groceries, and all of a sudden the house is a bomb, I’m behind in writing and on and on and on. It takes me a moment to go, wow, how did all this happen at once? Then I remember my saying. I think I need a new saying so that I’m not manifesting this madness. Perhaps, life is abundantly creative… obviously it’s a work in progress.

 

 

Here are all of my links:

 

Website: www.aawarne.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AAWarne

Twitter: www.twitter.com/AAWarne

Instagram: www.instagram.com/AAWarne

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/a-a-warne

Allauthor: https://allauthor.com/author/aawarne/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19055682.A_A_Warne

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My thanks to A.A. Warne - she definitely submitted the most interesting author photo so far.

As for my own writing: I hit some milestones in the current book (Promise of Carnage and Flame) with 22 chapters done with a word count of about 75K, and some major character and story development issues exploding gobs of awesome all over the place. I'm jiggering with methods for transitioning into the last third of the story so that I can cover the things I had originally intended. A few of the stupendous and intriguing developments in the story struck during the writing process, making the tale better, but longer--the straight line from beginning to end hit some tangled territory that made for some extremely satisfying chapters. However, all good things must come to an end. While this book will not end the series, I have a definite ending for it which fits the time, place, and explosive yee-haw fantasy factor that I've incorporated into this alternative history/flintlock fantasy.

As for short stories, I haven't written any since I started writing full-length novels. I'm contemplating one featuring Quiet Earp and Doc Hollandaise, but can't decide whether it's a sing-off at the OK Chorale, or A bun fight at the OK Bakery. Time will tell--probably a third option I haven't hit upon yet.

If you're in the mood for a good western that is not based upon bad puns, let me recommend: Justice in Season and Justice Resurgent which are set in 1864 & 65 in the Idaho Territory.

 Author Interview

with Michael Ross

Author of the Wand Chronicles

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

In all honesty I am just finishing off one series and have just started the next. The Wand Chronicles is an epic fantasy trilogy where humans meet elves for the first time and the adventures center around a very powerful wand called Elvina (www.thewand.me)

 But have started another series called The Big Fairy Adventures. Book 1: ‘How it all began’ is now published. This is another fantasy series involving humans, elves, Orcs but mainly fairies. It centers around a rather overweight fairy called Tinker Tanker (she likes her nectar too much) she is covered in little bruises she gets from bumping into walls as she is buzzing along. Her wings can’t quite cope with her body shape. But she has a heart of gold and very brave. The first adventure concerns a powerful magic amulet called The Golden Quandrill that an unfortunate Orc called Chard Bhum tries to steal. Why is he called Chard Bhum? When he was born, his mother dropped him bum first into a red-hot lava stream that caused scar tissue to form around his bum so he walks with an unusual gait. I also have other characters that appear from my previous trilogy, The wand Chronicles

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

The ideas generate from my last trilogy, plus I have always had a very imaginative mind. I still believe I have the mind of a 6-year-old! I have always lived in my own little fantasy world

 

Do you write in more than one genre?

Yes, I’m multi-genre. True Life story, comedy, an extensive range of children’s picture books, Short scary stories, books for teens and young adults, and soon to write my first Sci Fi book

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

 If I liken my writing style loosely to anyone, it could be a mixture of Tolkien and Terry Pratchet. So I wanted to write a book where the characters feel as real as possible. I am an actor, a method actor, so bring that into the mix. Also wanted a dialogue that was at times comedic. It can be done even in situations where the mood is dark and depressive. My books have original quotes, illustrations, and even a phonetic table to help pronounce some of the characters names. I’m a pantser, so believe that makes my writing fluid and flow so much better. As I write a chapter, I can surprise myself in the twists and turns in the adventure as it happens.

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

Well, certainly my acting comes to the fore. I could tell you for each character, what they like to eat, how long they like to sleep, where they like to go on holiday, what annoys them and so on. And this isn’t just for the human characters, but others like the orcs, the elves, the fairies and so on

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

I also developed a fitness system called Kettfusion which is in the top 3 most popular systems used in the UK and is also in 4 other European countries. I still act now, not so much Theatre or TV anymore but in big films like the Sherlock Holmes movies with Robert Downey Junior.

I developed a board game to go with my Wand Chronicles trilogy, which went on to be voted into the top 10 most popular games in the UK in 2019

Also, I got into writing after a visit to a clairvoyant, who kept insisting I write. This was 6 years ago, so I did and haven’t looked back.

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

Oh, here goes. I am a researcher into Out Of Body Experiences. An excellent book on the subject is by an Author called William Buhlman entitled ‘Adventures Beyond The Body’ It is a very easy to read book that will set you on the path to exploring this subject. BTW, I tend not to read other authors in the genre I write in when writing. I don’t want anyone else’s ideas to filter into my work. I want everything to generate from my own imagination.

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

That will be my Wand Chronicles trilogy, I spent a lot of time working on making it a complete set of books We are talking 110,000 words per book. Complete with original illustrations, original quotes for each chapter, a detailed glossary, and a phonetic help table for some of the characters names and places.

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

14 years ago my wife was violently murdered. I was left with 2 boys who were 4 and 6 at the time. A number of year later I chronicled it all into a true life story book called ‘Just Five More Minutes’ which went on to become a best seller. I also narrated the audiobook and it won the Independent Audiobook Awards held in Kansas city in 2019. It is a very positive book and because of my guidance and honesty, it has helped thousands pf people who have been coping with tragedies in their life.

I always said when I wrote it, if I can help just one person I will be happy. It went onto helping thousands all around the world

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

‘Are you famous?’ but of course I then have to be honest and say no, not yet. I am quite well known in the UK as an actor, but would like to be a very successful author.

 

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

‘Oh God, what now?’ This helps me a lot when writing. I say it to myself a lot, and something exciting pops into my head that’s takes the adventure I am writing in another unpredictable direction. Unpredictability I believe is the key. And I believe the author can be just as surprised to find out why and where the storyline follow a different direction.

Thank you.

 

Michael

Useful links: website: www.thewand.me

Amazon author page: https://amzn.to/2ZPPWzd

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Threading the Rude Eye is the first book in my Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Trilogy. 

Alex wants to finish his indenture and complete his studies with his mentor so that he can get married to his sweetheart and become a barrister in England. His Majesty's Supreme Commander destroys those plans with ruthless efficiency when a map to a cache of magic power is brought to his island. Alex is swept into a revolution which pits him against the might and magic of an empire. If he fails to protect the map and its treasure, the commander will crush two nations--along with Alex and his friends--beneath tyranny's boot, and the cause of liberty will fail

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Writing in the first book in the sequel trilogy--Promise of Carnage and Flame--went superbly this week. Iago's thread is filling out nicely with the little man discovering that the fate of a family and band of strange new people rests upon his small shoulders. Alex and an enemy enter the dragon's lair together, while Akram and the others continue their clandestine mission. I love the way it's coming together.