What’s Your Stopping Point?

This post is based on yet another post Charles Yallowitz wrote, which is this one:

Never Be Intimidated By Other Authors

Charles wrote about intimidation and how that stopped some would-be authors, as you’ll see if you read the post. I really resonated with it, but had decided not to write about the subject, though it hit close to home. But today I received an email which discussed how we sometimes allow insecurity to stop us from moving forward. So I decided to post about it from a different slant. Please note: I did NOT have specific individuals in mind when I wrote this post. So please don’t think this is a less-than-subtle hint to pay attention because I’m talking to you!!!! Nope.

I have often allowed the opinions of others to stop me from writing. Some of these opinions came in the form of rejections from agents and publishers. Often, I assumed that if the person rejected my book, that meant the project was bad or I was a bad writer in general. And some of the rejections were blanket rejection notes sent to other writers. Those are the hardest to bounce back from, because you don’t know what might have been “wrong” with the manuscript.

Has this ever happened to you? If so, I wanted to share some insight as a slush pile manuscript reader for several editors in a publishing division. I’m not giving advice because I think I’m “an expert.” This is not a post on manuscript writing, especially since trends in manuscripts change over time. But I wanted to share some thoughts because some rejections are really not personal.

Sometimes I was told to reject manuscripts on certain topics (like the Civil War) because the acquiring editors had already seen hundreds of manuscripts on that topic and didn’t want to see more anytime soon. So, if you happened to send a manuscript on that subject, it would be rejected. That means the rejection has nothing to do with your writing. But I can see how an author might think otherwise, especially since I was instructed to send a form note.

But sometimes, an acquiring editor saw potential in an author’s manuscript. In that case, I was instructed to tell the person to resubmit once certain things were changed in the manuscript. Sometimes, for budgetary reasons, the manuscript could not be acquired at that point. Yet there was no guarantee that the manuscript would be acquired. Still, the invitation was a slightly open door. But instead of using the feedback to improve the manuscript, some authors chose to attack. This was why in grad school, advisors suggested that we wait a day or so before looking at feedback. In that way, we wouldn’t lash out. Editors remember authors who lash out. Who hasn’t seen people lashing out on social media? Definitely a way to burn a bridge.

I don’t know an author, a scientist, a cook, a parent—literally anyone—who hasn’t experienced failure of some kind. No one is failure proof. I sometimes forget that when a manuscript I submitted is rejected. Yet, we wouldn’t have any of the innovations or great books we currently have had the inventors (or authors) stopped trying.

Speaking of great books, I will now announce the winner of two of Mary Quattlebaum’s books, one of which is Queen Elizabeth II. And that person is: Marian Beaman. Marian, please take a look back at the interview post (click here) to decide which other National Geographic book you’d like.

     

Thank you to all who commented.

Stop sign from clip-art library. Mind image from bubblejam.net. Author photo and book cover courtesy of Mary Quattlebaum.

Daniel Pemberton: Musical Maestro

I learned a little piano ages ago, so I’m definitely not an expert in music. Someone like Laura Bruno Lilly, a great musician and composer, could do justice to a post like this. But you’ve got me, so here goes.

If you’re wondering who Daniel Pemberton is and why he’s mentioned, he is the composer responsible for the scores of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and the upcoming Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. I’ve the seen the first two films, which have three directors each. Click on each movie if you want more information on the film and the directors, especially since the first Spider-Man won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2019 (which netted Oscars for the directors and producers).

You might know him as the composer for the film Steve Jobs (directed by Danny Boyle and written by Aaron Sorkin) or Molly’s Game (written and directed by Aaron Sorkin). He was the Film Composer of the Year at the World Soundtrack Awards in 2021 and also an Oscar nominee that same year.

       

I bought Pemberton’s score for the first Spider-Man when the movie debuted (love it) and just finished listening to the second score, which already has a place in my heart. And because I love watching interviews with creatives, I set out to watch or listen to any interview with Pemberton that I could find online.

I’m just impressed with the guy. I won’t fangirl too hard here. Besides wanting to introduce the winner of Ways to Play by Lyn Miller-Lachmann (and now that I think about it, I have to smile at how apt this post is since Lyn is a DJ), I wanted to share someone who inspired me.

In an interview with Richard Kraft [Daniel Pemberton (Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse) Full Interview] that you can find here, Kraft described Pemberton as someone who “paints with music.” I love that description. If you’ve heard the soundtracks for the movies (and you can find them online at Apple Music and on YouTube), you would know how apt that description is. {Please note that the first movie has two highly appreciated soundtracks.)

Pemberton mentioned that he often recorded interesting sounds to insert into his compositions. Like the first Spider-Man score is filled with a professional DJ (DJ Blakey) record scratching over Pemberton’s compositions to mirror the world of Miles Morales, a teen heavily influenced by hip-hop. Pemberton’s style was described as “postmodern” because of his wide breadth of knowledge of musical styles like hip-hop, techno-pop, classical, rock, etc., and his use of such in his scores.

Pemberton inspires me, because his passion for his craft and his vast knowledge of it caused him to produce musical works of excellence.

I took a short break during the writing of this post, and read this post on inspiration by Charles Yallowitz: https://legendsofwindemere.com/2023/08/09/inspiration-conscious-or-unconscious/ Check it out for another take on inspiration.

And now, on to the winner of Ways to Play by Lyn Miller-Lachmann. That winner is Marie! Thank you to all who commented on the interview post! In the chat, if you feel like commenting, please tell me which musical composers inspire you.

 

Daniel Pemberton image from Rotten Tomatoes. Author photo courtesy of Lyn Miller-Lachmann. Across the Spider-Verse image found somewhere online. Other photos by L. Marie.

The Long and Winding Road

Now that I have you thinking about a certain song by The Beatles, alas, you must put that clean out of your head. (Not so easy, huh? Sorry.) One of Charles E. Yallowitz’s posts for his fantasy writer craft book, Do I Need to Use a Dragon? inspired this post. (That and my need to reveal the winner of a copy of said book. 😊)

   

The post concerns a question readers asked about Nyx, one of Charles’s characters in his book series, Legends of Windemere. If you’re not familiar with that character, don’t worry. You can get familiar with her by purchasing that series (some of which you can get by clicking here). If you only have five minutes, you can either read the post at the link above (please do), or keep reading this one.

The readers wondered why Nyx, a powerful practitioner of magic, didn’t solve the problems that came up in many of the books. Wouldn’t that be easier?

Short answer: It sure would!

You can read Charles’s response to that. But the post reminded me of a question many people have asked about Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy: Why not let the eagles take the ring that rules “them all” to Mount Doom? (If you don’t want even that much of a spoiler, please avert your eyes. But know that the first book was published almost seventy years ago. So you’ve had plenty of time to read this trilogy or to watch Peter Jackson’s film adaptations, which debuted twenty years ago.)

Questions like this seem logical. Why shouldn’t an author explore the easy route—a quick shortcut to the goal? When we were kids, many of us had an are-we-there-yet mentality. The quicker we get there, the better. So why not an easy solution to the problem?

It really depends on the author’s goal, doesn’t it? If his or her goal is to provide an adventure for readers to enjoy, would taking the fastest route possible to a solution help him or her with that goal?

What are your thoughts on the matter? Please comment below. And Mark, get ready to read Charles’s thoughts firsthand, because you are the winner of Do I Need to Use a Dragon? Please comment below to confirm. As usual, thank you to all who comment.

P.S. I am feeling much better! (In case you wondered. If you’re mystified as to why I would say that, click here.)

Book and author photos courtesy of Charles E. Yallowitz. Lord of the Rings bookcover from Goodreads. Shortcut image found somewhere online.

Check This Out: Do I Need to Use a Dragon?

With me on the blog today is none other than Charles E. Yallowitz, whom you know from his blog, Legends of Windemere, and the many books he has published, including the series, Legends of Windemere, War of Nytefall, and others. Today, he’s here to discuss his fantasy writer craft book, Do I Need to Use a Dragon? which was published on July 2.

Cover art by Alison Hunt

El Space: What made you decide to write a craft book on fantasy writing?
Charles: Partially insanity and self-doubt not showing up until I was already well into the project. Well, that’s the funny reason. The truth is that I was texting with a friend about writing and various topics that I discussed on my blog. She suggested that I write a how-to-write-fantasy book, and then her husband chimed in. It was pointed out that I was already giving good advice to authors who asked me questions, so I might as well attempt a craft book. It took me about a year to come up with the presentation style, topics, and titles. After that, I used the first Covid summer to finish writing the last two War of Nytefall books and dove into Do I Need to Use a Dragon? before I could think myself out of it.

Interior art by Alison Hunt

El Space: During an interview, an author of fairy tale retellings gave this advice that I am paraphrasing: “Take a fairy tale you hate and retell it the way you want it told.” Did you have a similar desire—to write a craft book with the kind of advice you would want to be given, rather than advice people often give that you don’t find helpful? Why or why not?
Charles: I’ve had a rough history with craft books, but I had to read a few in college. They definitely felt like they were talking to someone else most of the time. So, I can see how a person can look at them and feel like it isn’t helpful. Another person might read the book as gospel because it’s exactly what they want to hear. For example, I had to read Stephen King’s book on writing in college and most of my classmates thought it sang to them. I sat there feeling like the advice wouldn’t work for my genre, style, and aspirations.

For myself, the problem with most craft books is that they speak with the jargon that one would only know from experience as an author. If that isn’t a big hurdle, then it might be the depth and deviations, which can make a new author feel overwhelmed and quit. This is why I focused on the delivery more than the specific advice. I wrote every section as if it was a long blog post, so there’s a minimal use of jargon and a casual voice. This is how I would have liked to learn about writing instead of it being so clinical. Make me think we’re having a conversation or that you’re talking to me like a person instead of a face in the crowd. This won’t work for everyone, but I hope it helps those who are nervous about their path.

Also, probably helps that I flat out say that my advice won’t work for everyone. That’s a big thing that many people forget.

El Space: What advice on fantasy writing or writing in general has been really helpful to you?
Charles: Thinking back, I can’t remember any solid writing advice that I received. The closest one is probably when a high school teacher told me to pick a tense and stick to it. I had been switching from past to present all the time, including in the same sentences. She explained how it worked and I went with present tense, which is where I am now. Everything else that I could call advice really came from discussions with other authors. You learn a lot from talking to those in the same situation and the casual conversation can reveal nuggets of advice even though the speaker doesn’t intend for it to happen. Situations like this is when I realized characters and plot feed off each other, pantser/plotter hybrids might be the best method, and other aspects of my author identity that have sunk into my core.

El Space: What fantasy series (book, TV, anime) really inspires you? Why?
Charles: I have this voice in my head telling me to say Tolkien or Saberhagen. That’s the safe answer that most authors go for. The truth is that I’ve been inspired by so much over the last 28 years of writing that I can’t pick one thing. Dungeons & Dragons can take the top spot only because many of my stories are based around the campaigns I played. I used those to test out characters and get a sense of story. Even so, I’ve added pieces of various comic books, video games, shows, and novels that triggered an idea. My inspiration really has become this amalgam of sources that I can no longer put a finger on unless we’re talking about a specific series. Probably not the answer people like to hear from authors, but it’s what I realized while pondering this question for an hour.

 

El Space: What, if anything, about the current state of fantasy writing would you want to see changed or explored more?
Charles: Admittedly, I haven’t really checked out a lot of recent fantasy books. It felt like everything was either Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones again. So, the genre appeared to be stale and spinning its wheels. That’s mostly due to streaming shows, which must be overshadowing the books of newer authors. At least, I hope so. If not, then I would love to see more fresh faces and worlds be lifted to the spotlight. I feel like audiences, publishers, and authors themselves are just stuck on the established franchises. It doesn’t leave any air for a new story to be discovered, especially since the indie author trend seems to have become a shadow of its glory days. Too cynical? Probably, but I decided to be honest in Do I Need to Use a Dragon? and I’ll be honest here too.

El Space: What will you work on next?
Charles: My current project is a new fantasy series that I’m hoping to start publishing next year. I’ve actually been writing volumes since 2021 just to maintain my skills. It’s going to be called The Slumberlord Chronicles and will take place in Windemere after the events of Legends of Windemere. The main character is a halfling named Darwin Slepsnor who is seen as a town nuisance because his attempts to help tend to create incidents. He means well, but he isn’t good at social queues and panics very easily. The series follows him after he gains magic and decides that he can be a hero like those in his childhood stories. Of course, Darwin creates messes as well and is simply a friendly, happy force of chaos that is unknowingly disrupting the very fabric of destiny. I’m having a lot of fun writing this character and I hope people enjoy his adventures when I get them ready for publishing.

Thank you, Charles for being my guest.

Looking for Charles E. Yallowitz? You can find him at his blog, website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Looking for Do I Need to Use a Dragon? You can find it on Amazon or in your very own Kindle just by commenting below on good advice you were given about writing or life or both. Winner to be announced sometime next week. But the winner of Andy’s book will be announced later this week.

Check out these books by Charles:

Cover, interior art, series book covers, and author photo courtesy of Charles Yallowitz. Cover and interior art by Alison Hunt. Other book covers from Goodreads.

Does Fantasy Seem Less Fantastic These Days?

I recently overheard a conversation between these doughnuts that got me to thinking about the question posed in the title of this post.

“What’s that?” you say. “Doughnuts can’t talk. That’s unrealistic.” Herein lies the issue that some people seem to have with fantasy.

Let me back up. I had a conversation with an actual person about a fantasy novel we both read, the title of which I am withholding. We came to the conclusion that the fantasy elements seemed downplayed in favor of a social injustice message. This is not to say that social injustice is a bad theme. But when a book blurb touts that a book is “full of magic,” I expect something along the lines of the Harry Potter series, the Nevermoor series by Jessica Townsend, Charles Yallowitz’s books, or the Oz books. You know—dragons, flying cars, lunch pails growing on trees, huge cats, inventing gnomes, and fantastic hotels. But that’s not what I found. Instead, I found rich people indifferent to the plight of the poor and magical healings that weren’t called magical healings—just healings.

    

This is not the first book I’ve read where the fantasy elements seemed a little scarce. As I pondered that, I couldn’t help recalling what the son of a friend once told me: “If a story isn’t realistic (The Hurt Locker as opposed to The Lord of the Rings), it isn’t real to me.” I’ve heard similar sentiments from others, most of whom would never crack open a fantasy book. As if stories of imagined worlds are inferior somehow. But imagination has been the key to so many breakthroughs in our world. Ask any trailblazing inventor who dreamed of a new way of doing something.

“That’s for kids,” someone else said to me about fantasy stories. Yet the Harry Potter series, a fantasy series “for kids” in that person’s estimation, has sold the most copies of a fiction series worldwide than any other series. When each book in the series was released, I remember seeing more eager adults standing in line waiting to pick up their books than kids. But I digress.

This is not a knock against anyone who dislikes fantasy stories. It’s all a matter of preference, isn’t it? And for the record, I love many realistic stories too. This is just an observation from someone who never really grew up; who never really stopped loving fairy tales with dragons and knights and princesses.

You see, I read or watch movies to escape. I love diving into fantasy worlds and learning about the people and creatures who inhabit these worlds. I want to escape from the horrors of the current news stories. So I wouldn’t purposely search for a book because I need to know more about social injustice. You can call that burying my head in the sand all you want. I call it saving my sanity.

Just my two cents. Feel free to add yours in the comments below.

The Merchant of Nevra Coil photo courtesy of Charles Yallowitz. Deathly Hallows from Goodreads. Dragon from en.gtwallpaper.com. Other photos by L. Marie.

When I Relax, I . . . Work?

Sadly, I did not get a post out last week to announce the winner of Charles Yallowitz’s War of Nytefall: Anarchy. The week got away from me with its awful stress. I’m sure you can relate to stress. One of these days, I’ll have the emotional wherewithal to tell you alllllllllllll about it. For now, let’s discuss a stress management tactic—rest/relaxation. I don’t mean taking a nap, though my mom says that’s her favorite form of stress relief. I’m not much of a napper, because napping subtracts from my nighttime sleep hours. The only time it doesn’t is when I’m really ill.

  

One of my favorite forms of rest/relaxation, besides watching this show (based on the book by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus)

or playing this

is to crochet. I’m currently making an underwater habitat for this little whale as part of a gift.

   

Whale crochet pattern by LittleMagicHouse

Coral, seaweed, and shell patterns by TheYarnConspiracy.

It might seem like a lot of work. And it is. But with every stitch crocheted or felt sewn, that’s minutes of stress off my back. I’m not sure why it works that way for me. Some people do crossword or jigsaw puzzles (looking at you, Jill Weatherholt and Charles Yallowitz); I crochet. I like to keep my hands busy while watching a movie or show on Netflix.

What do you do for relaxation? While you consider that, Marian Beaman, consider yourself a winner of Charles’s latest book!

Thank you to all who commented and faithfully read this weird blog.

Book cover and author photos courtesy of Charles Yallowitz. Other photos by L. Marie.

Details, Details

Quiz time for fiction writers. No need to fear. This is easy.

• As you think of the main character(s) in your work-in-progress, what color is that character’s hair? Eyes? (See? Easy-peasy.)

• Does he or she have a nickname? If so, what is it?
• Where does that character live? Town, city, or rural community? What is the character’s street address (or what are the landmarks that lead to this dwelling if an address can’t be given)? This can be a made-up address like 1313 Mockingbird Lane. Kudos to whoever knows this address from an old TV show. Skip to the very end of the post to see if you are right.
• What animals are in this character’s life (like a pet or a warhorse)? What are their names? Species? Colors?

Now think of a secondary character and answer the above questions. If you have fifty secondary characters, could you easily answer the same questions about all of them?

By now you are probably wondering why I’m being so nosy. Well, for one thing, sometimes I forget some of the information about my characters, especially in a book with fifty plus characters. That’s why I have to keep a list of people, places, and things, especially when I am writing a series. But I keep a list even for a standalone book with fewer characters. Nowadays I add to the list as I write the book. I remember how tedious it was to write the list after the book was done.

I’m wondering how many authors keep a list of pertinent character information. Some authors have told me they keep track of everything in their head. Do you? If you don’t keep a list, would you consider doing so? I ask this also as someone who wears the freelance book editor hat from time to time. I have had to email or text authors to inquire about hair and eye color, names, addresses, etc. because of inconsistencies found while editing.

Speaking of other useful things to have, I also think of a timeline sheet for a book. Do you keep a list of the day-to-day events (for example, June 4—the Fruit Fly Festival in Harbor Creek)? If you say a book starts on a Tuesday in April and ends on a Wednesday in May, do you check a calendar to make sure the timing of the story events works? If you’re writing historical fiction, do you search the internet to see if May 4, 1925 really was on a Monday as you mentioned in your manuscript? (It really was on a Monday, by the way.)

Maybe you’re thinking, Why should I do any of this? The editor is going to check all of that. True. But why not do it for your own sake, instead of waiting for a busy editor to take time out of his or her day to ask you questions about inconsistencies. After all, none of us is perfect. Okay, I take it back. You are. But for everyone else, if you keep a list, maybe the questions won’t have to be asked by an editor (or a reader, who might not be kind).

This public service broadcast was brought to you by I-will-now-mind-my-own-business.

And now onto the winners (finally) of the following books written by Charles Yallowitz and Sandra Nickel respectively. (Click here and here for the interview posts with these authors.)

The winner of The Stuff Between the Stars is Marian Beaman. The winner of War of Nytefall: Savagery is S.K. Van Zandt.

Marian and S. K. Van Zandt, please comment below to confirm. Thank you for commenting!

Address Answer: 1313 Mockingbird Lane is the home of the Munster family in The Munsters.

Author photos and book covers courtesy of the authors. Eye image from lolwot.com. May calendar image from dreamstime.

What’s Your Genre of Choice?

I’ve mentioned in other blog posts that I grew up reading science fiction and fantasy. My parents read fairy tales to me at bedtime and various fantastical books by Dr Seuss. As I grew older and more desirous of reading material, people kept handing me fantasy/sci-fi books or recommending them. The elementary school librarian recommended Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. I then had to read the whole Time Quintet.

 

   

 
But around the house, a cache of science fiction books by C.S. Lewis and Isaac Asimov could be found. Also, my dad had a set of Star Trek novels by James Bliss that I read. And yes, when I was a kid, I read many books written for the adult market. Some I probably shouldn’t have. . . .

But I digress. Every year for Christmas, I would receive a Stephen King novel (okay, I guess that’s not much of a digression), so I guess you could say I dabbled in horror at times. But once I discovered Tolkien’s The Hobbit, it was like discovering a family member I hadn’t known before. Of course, I had to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, because y’know, I had to. And that led to many, many other fantasy books by authors like Lois McMaster Bujold, Juliet Marillier, Charles Yallowitz, N. K. Jemisin, Ursula Le Guin (may she rest in peace 😭), and—one of my absolute favorites—Sir Terry Pratchett (photo below; may he rest in peace 😭).

 

 

What genre of books do you turn to again and again? While you consider that, I will reveal the winners of the $25 Amazon gift cards, who, thanks to the random number generator, happen to be Jill and Jennie!

Thank you to all who commented! The holiday giveaways will continue next week. (P.S. If the photos look wonky, it’s because I’m having trouble with the WordPress editor.)

Some book covers from Goodreads. Others by L. Marie. Terry Pratchett photo from Wikipedia.

The Care and Feeding of a Freelancer

I have been a freelance writer/book editor/developmental editor/manuscript reviewer/indexer/copy editor/proofreader/several other hats for many years. I won’t say how many. Suffice it to say that when I started, cuneiform was the hot new mode of communication.

Being the kind and considerate person that you are, you probably have questions about freelancers. Perhaps a stray freelancer followed you home and you’re wondering how to take care of him or her. So glad you asked me to provide tips.

Handy Tips
• Always brush with the fur and not against.

• Be quick to offer chocolate, doughnuts, cake, cookies, other kinds of candy, and salted snacks of all varieties. The freelancer undoubtedly is house trained and won’t make a mess.

 

• Keep your freelancer hydrated with coffee, tea, and especially water during work hours.

 

• Homecooked meals are appreciated, especially during weeks when deadlines keep your freelancer chained to a computer. But don’t be surprised if your freelancer tells you, “I only have eight minutes to eat, so I’ll have to eat and run.”

• Encouragement/affirmations of any kind are welcome. Here are a few if you can’t think of any right off the bat: “You are the most interesting person on Planet Earth.” “Pajamas are a good look for you.” “That book should win a Pulitzer simply because you edited it.” “Don’t worry. I’m sure your client didn’t notice your bedhead in the last Zoom meeting.”

Things to Avoid
• Calling in the middle of the day to ask, “What are you doing?” with the assumption that “Nothing, because I’ve been waiting for your phone call” is the answer. The middle of the day (and sometimes the middle of the night) is prime working time. If your freelancer is anything like me, he or she probably works around the clock and doesn’t get weekends or paid holidays off. (If you don’t work, you don’t get paid.) Also, freelancers often are hired to take on fast-track jobs that regular staff members don’t have time for, hence the tight deadlines necessitating long work hours.)

• Saying things like, “You must get paid a fortune since you are freelance.” Freelancers have things like self-employment tax, equipment replacement, and other worries. Though many freelancers may have a number of projects to work on, the income is not often steady. I waited three months one time to get paid.

• Telling a freelancer, “Get a job with a steady income.” You might think that sounds logical. But have you checked the unemployment statistics lately? Need I say more? This piece of advice is about as welcome as “Snap out of it” is to someone depressed.

And there you have it! Just keep chucking chocolate and affirmations at your freelancer and before long, his or her coat will be glossy, and he or she will continue to thrive.

Now onto the winner of War of Nytefall: Ravenous by Charles Yallowitz. (See this post for more information.) That winner is Jill Weatherholt!

  

Jill, please comment below to confirm. Thank you to all who commented.

P.S. Thoughts and prayers are with the people on the West Coast in the wake of the terrible fires.

Freelancer image from PHXNews.com. Peace dove from clipart-library.com. No cell phone from firstoaktm.wordpress.com. No money sign from crazzzytravel.com. Other photos by L. Marie.

Crayons—Promises of Proficiency

I’ve written about crayons before. Like here.

Crayons fascinate me, particularly the box of sixty-four. What an array of colors! When I was a kid, a big box of crayons made me fit for any task—whether I needed to color a page in a coloring book or make my own illustrations on a blank piece of paper. Each crayon in my hand was a promise that I could make things happen. Back then, I never doubted that I could.

 

These days, I don’t use crayons as much as I once did. And some days, doubts creep in that I’m fit for the task. The bane of adulthood. Ever been there? On days when I doubt my proficiency, I think I know what to do instead: open my box of crayons and remember the promise.

Andy of City Jackdaw, here’s a promise: you will see a copy of Charles Yallowitz’s book, War of Nytefall: Eradication on your Kindle device! Please comment below to confirm.

Book cover courtesy of Charles Yallowitz. Photos by L. Marie.