Author’s Purpose

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A few years back, I recognized a dissonance between my writing and our society. During the day, I’m a school support worker. I spend a lot of time telling kids to solve their problems with words, and encouraging them to seek peaceful alternatives. But in my writing? Everyone solved their problems with violence.

Violence is a real problem in our society, and that gets reflected in the stories we tell. Very seldom in stories is diplomacy or nonviolence presented as a realistic solution to conflict. It’s all shooting and chasing and punching and explosions.

This is all very exciting, I realize. Yet, to me, the violence in storytelling contributes to violence in the real world. Most of the time, talking solutions are not presented at all. Or if talking is mentioned, it is as an obstacle to characters who want to “take action.” If readers/viewers never see peaceful resolution as a credible approach in stories, they will never imagine it in their own lives.

Realizing this, I made it a challenge to myself. Since about 2018, my stories have included nonviolence as a key component. That’s why in my Minstrels of Skaythe series the title characters will only defend but not attack. It’s why they try to persuade their opponents to change. I don’t shy away from the difficulty of their task. Being peaceful while everyone else is shooting magic bolts and waving swords — it’s pretty scary!

Still, this is the contribution I hope to make. Even as a very obscure author, but I hope to be part of the conversation. I’m trying to show that stories can be exciting and emotionally powerful, while showing a different way.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky, Facebook or Pinterest.

Woman at Work, September 2023

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What’s Happening? I’m back to work as a Resource paraeducator in my local schools. It was a bit frustrating as my laptop was locked in a desk and I missed some of the orientation webinars. Not my fault, but I’m still a bit stressed out.

What I’m Working On. Just before school started, I finished the second draft of a novelette. 14,200 words, a good length. There’s more yet to be done, including if I want to reshape it for a younger audience. In addition, I’m just coming off a hot streak on my blog, Wyrmflight, about “essential reading lists” and how they (purposely?) try to keep science fiction and fantasy stuck in the 1960s.

What’s Next? This weekend, September 9th, is MosCon Revival. I’m really looking forward to a one-day SF convention. After that, I’ll be trying to decide what my next project should be. The Grimhold Wolf might need a sequel, so I can read through it to see what ideas spark. On the other hand, Lucy D. Ford hasn’t published anything in quite a while. I might try to think up something for that pen name.

Fun and Games. To celebrate finishing The Tale of the Drakanox’s final draft, I got Diablo IV. Although the basic experience is familiar (everything attacks you, so you just rush around slaying things and grabbing treasure) they pushed the narrative in a way that really worked for me. Possibly I’ll even blog about it in the near future.

Happy Labor Day, if you’re in the US!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky, Facebook or Pinterest.

MosCon Revival

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There is going to be another MosCon Revival this year, and I’m a speaking pro! What was MosCon, you ask? And why does it need a revival?

MosCon was an annual science fiction convention, held in Moscow, ID, during the 1980s and 90s. It was founded by a group of University of Idaho professors and students who were also artists, writers, or simply shared a love of science fiction. MosCon was one of the first SF conventions in the Northwest. It became nationally important despite its relatively remote location. For example, MosCon was one of the first conventions to have an official Guest Artist, and later an official Science Guest.

My husband and I were regular attendees, though for a variety of reasons, the convention ceased operation in 2001. However, MosCon is remembered with deep fondness in the region. There was a Revival event in 2019, sponsored by a local comic and costume shop. Unfortunately, COVID started later that year. It wasn’t possible to repeat the event… UNTIL NOW!

This year’s revival is on September 9th, just over two weeks from now. So stay tuned for more about my schedule and the panels I’m going to speak on.

What Are You Reading?

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It’s summer, and as a school worker I have a nice long break. I’ve been reading a lot, naturally. It’s good to take in new influences and see what’s going on with the genre as I look ahead to new projects.

My biggest obsession has been Martha Wells. My husband had been telling me about her Murderbot Diaries novella series, with its fast pacing and anxiety-ridden protagonist. Since I’m more of a fantasy reader, I have to recommend her latest, The Wizard King. I’ve read it twice since May, and really recommend it for the fabulous world building.

What about all of you? What are you reading these days?

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky, Facebook or Pinterest.

Relief

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I’m working on another short story. Yes, I’m using the new Default that I mentioned on Wyrmflight. This is actually a big relief. (The story, not the Default.)

When I complete a novel, I usually have a new project in mind. If I don’t, then I get this low grade panic that I have no more stories to tell. That my career is over.

It might have been stronger when finishing up The Tale of the Drakanox, because this novel ends a series I’ve been working on since 2018. During that time, the next project was always another Minstrels of Skaythe novella.

Now the whole series is in the bag. What am I to do with myself?

That’s why it’s such a relief to have new stories pop up. The latest one is an idea I’ve had for a while, but I didn’t focus on it because of Minstrels. The previous two were totally new. I’m more of a novelist, so I’m reading through my journal of ideas and seeing if anything is substantial enough. Or if Wolfsinger decides to reprint The Grimhold Wolf, I can ask her if she wants a sequel to that. We shall see.

Anyway, I guess my career isn’t so over as I feared.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky, Facebook or Pinterest.

Woman at Work, August 2023

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What’s Happening? Believe it or not, I finished all the big yard work I had to do, including picking up the cherries that dropped under our tree. All I have to do now is maintenance weeding and enjoy the vegies. Blackberries are coming in right now. Yummy!

What I’m Working On. A couple of days ago, I finished the full first draft of a short story, “Blood Token,” for an anthology. It’s 8,500 words and the limit is 7,000 so obviously I have some work to do in the next draft. I also realized it’s time to update the indicia in my books. I need to put in a statement that none of my work is machine generated, and explicitly say that I do not give permission for my work being used to “train” machines. Unscrupulous actors may ignore that, but the statement needs to be made.

What’s Next? Once “Blood Token” is off on submission, I plan to read through Trial of the Eighth Order. It’s a sequel to The Seven Exalted Orders, which my then-publisher requested but never brought out. I’m hoping Wolfsinger will take it up, along with The Grimhold Wolf, which they are currently considering. However, I haven’t looked at Eighth Order since probably 2017. My skills have grown since then, so I want to give it another look before I submit it.

Fun and Games. Currently I’m replaying Subnautica Below Zero. Who doesn’t want to dream of cool oceans and glacial landscapes (although with huge monsters) in the middle of August? When I just need to chill, I play a puzzle game called Ruya.

Don’t forget to make time for your own writing. What we have to say matters in the world.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky, Facebook or Pinterest.

That’s Too Political

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This is a recap of a post I did on Wyrmflight last November (2022). The SF convention I’d been involved with for a long time, SpoCon, had just ended its run. These comments were about what I thought was the best panel of the weekend. The topic still resonates, so I’m offering it again here.

Today I’m sharing an excerpt from the panel discussion, “That’s Too Political.” I was joined by my old friend Manny Frishberg, with newer friends S. Evan Townsend and Michael Hodges.

“That’s too Political” is an accusation that gets thrown around a lot recently. It’s meant to stop uncomfortable conversations. The panelists agreed that all fiction is political. Science fiction and fantasy have been at the forefront of this more than many other genres. Anyway, this is what I remember about my closing thoughts.

“One book can change the world. Books are that powerful. When people say, “That’s too political,” it is a form of censorship. They want to stop the conversations that challenge their world view. Through a coordinated campaign of school and library censorship around the country, they want to stop kids from having empathy for a gay, or a Black, or someone thinking of suicide, or someone with a mental illness.

“We as writers must not permit this. We writers cannot be silenced.”

I still believe this. Writers are people who live in this world. We see what’s going on around us. With our keenly honed literary skills, we want to write about what we see.

And we should keep on writing it, even in the face of self-proclaimed “community groups” who actually are not related to the communities they claim to represent. These are political hit squads, carefully curated by one political party to carry out their agenda of censorship against racial and gender equality.

Over the past year, we’ve seen their attacks on libraries, whether in individual classrooms, whole schools, and now public libraries. They weep over alleged “pornography” and rant about “liberty” and “freedom” while relentlessly suppressing both.

Writers, keep writing your stories. Don’t let the censors win.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky, Facebook or Pinterest.

Renegades of Skaythe

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On a dark path, a lone figure gazes at a magical tree. Cover for the book "Renegades of Skaythe."
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Big news! I have a new book out.

Renegades of Skaythe is a paperback compilation of two novellas in my Minstrels of Skaythe series. For those who don’t like e-books, this is a handy alternate format to keep up with the series. Of course, the original e-books are also still available.

Publishing is always something of an adventure. In this case, Amazon’s AI was telling me the cover was too large and the edges would be cut off. Then I discovered that the program I used to lay out the book covers is now charging a “pro” rate of over $100 to resize documents. Since I only do about six projects a year, that’s hardly cost effective. I just scooted everything away from the edges and the finished cover looks fine. Whew, problem solved.

This completes one of my goals for 2023, and I feel pretty good about it. I hope you’ll take a look.

Renegades of Skaythe

In a world of dark magic, they seek to restore a hidden power: hope! It collects The Renegade of Opshar (Minstrels #4) and Prisoners of the Wailing Tower (Minstrels #5). Buy it now from Amazon!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky, Facebook or Pinterest.

Exalted Sale Reminder

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A hooded figure with a burning staff gazes over a mysterious landscape.

This is your reminder that The Seven Exalted Orders is on sale for one more week. This is my epic fantasy with political alliances, family drama, and tormented romance. First released in 2012 by Sky Warrior, it was re-issued last month by Wolfsinger.

Wolfsinger or Smashwords. Wolfsinger offers both print and e-book, while Smashwords has a greater variety of e-book formats. It’s on sale until July 15th through Smashwords. Use the coupon code JL85P for 15% off, until July 15, 2023.

The Seven Exalted Orders

Arkanost has Seven Exalted Orders. No more, no less. When a magus goes renegade in a far-off province, the Mage Lords demand that something be done. 

Ryamon is bitter and frustrated. He longs to be a Fire magus; as a Stone magus, he’s miserable. If he can bring the rogue back, he has a chance — his last chance — to fulfill his dream.

It’s a great plan until he actually meets Valdira.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky, Facebook or Pinterest.

Woman at Work, July 2023

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What’s Happening? All my e-books are on sale for 25% off during the month of July, at Smashwords. If you’ve been interested in the Minstrels of Skaythe series or one of my other e-books, now is your chance to check them out. Here’s a link to my full catalog.

And, of course, June was a magical month here at Wyrmflight, with Queen Titania’s Court, my summer fantasy book event. Thanks so much to David Lee Summers, K. M. Warfield, J. C. Simonds, Sanan Kolva, Sheryl Hayes, Janna Ruth, Joyce Reynolds-Ward, Lyndi Alexander — and all of you who read and commented.

What I’m Working On. I’m over the halfway mark in The Tale of the Drakanox third draft revision. I expect to complete the draft in mid-July and hope to publish it in November.

What’s Next? My next publication will be Renegades of Skaythe, a paperback collecting the fourth and fifth Minstrels of Skaythe novellas. Previously they were only available as e-books. I hope to get that out in August.

Fun and Games. As a gift to myself for finishing the 2022-23 school year, I got a new video game. Grow, Song of the Evertree, is about rebuilding a civilization after ecological collapse. You repair the environment and construct towns, catch bugs, fish, and fly around on a fluffy griffinish creature. It’s fairly cartoony, but low tension is what I need right now.

Hope your summer is hot in all the right ways!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my blog, Wyrmflight, or follow me on Bluesky, Facebook or Pinterest.