We're not in Malora anymore

It was inevitable. I returned through the portal from Malora over a year ago, but I knew my wanderlust couldn't be satisfied until I discovered a new one to a new world. I dabbled with time travel for a while and returned to 1999 Michigan with Huron. Then I built a rocket ship and took my toddler to the Solar System's moons in my first children's book, Elora Goes to the Moons.

Then, one summer day, I found a portal I didn't know I was looking for. It was a shower epiphany, as many of my ideas are. I suddenly found myself transported underground, with no idea how I got there and no idea how to escape.

Thus, Cavelost was born.

I chose a strange route when I drafted this book. I wasn't sure if it was meant to be a short story or a novel, so I chose neither. I started writing it as a journal in blog format so my alpha readers could read each entry as I wrote it. Two and a half months later, I climbed out of that cave and into the starlight, and discovered that I now had an entire surface world to explore. One little project became an unknown many, and Cavelost was formatted and edited into Book 1 of The Bacra Chronicles.

I released Cavelost into the wild today in e-book format. The paperback will come shortly, since I needed to tweak a few things. The book is listed on Goodreads, so it would be wonderful if you added and reviewed it.

Now, back to work. I started Book 2, Faelost, for National Novel Writing Month. I finished the 50,000 word goal before the end of November, but that puts me maybe halfway through the story, so I'll just keep writing. Cavelost was told by a former mercenary named Rin Sylleth, and Faelost is told by her seventeen year old second son, Tessen. Faelost begins exactly where Cavelost leaves off. I'm not sure yet how many books will complete The Bacra Chronicles, but as of now I plan on a different narrator for each story. I already have plans for one narrated by Yana.

Busy, busy, always busy

First of all, I have a new book release, and it is nothing like my others. Elora Goes to the Moons is a children's book I wrote for my youngest daughter, who loves the Moon. I made a weekend project of flying the cartoon version of her through the Solar System. Several of my friends wanted their own copies of the book after seeing my fragile scrapbook version, so I scanned it, uploaded it to Createspace, received a beautiful-looking proof, and made it available in paperback on Amazon. It's handmade and handwritten, and it has a lot of fun little science facts throughout.

I've hidden my epistolary blog, Cavelost. Why? Because it's finished. I've done a couple of editing rounds on it, and today I uploaded the formatted version so I can get a print copy to do final edits and copyedits on. The characters have decided to expand upon their world and make Cavelost the first of a series called The Bacra Chronicles. I'll be starting the next book, Faelost, during NaNoWriMo. Cavelost is told by a former mercenary named Rin Sylleth, who wakes up trapped in a massive cave system. Faelost will be told by Rin's second son, Tessen.

On a sadder note, I lost my cat muse on Friday. Reno passed away suddenly during the night, and we have no explanation for it. Since he was young, only between 4-6 years old, the vet said it was most likely caused by a heart issue. We adopted Reno on Valentine's Day almost two years ago. He helped me out of the doldrums so I could finish writing Sand into Glass and editing The Crystal Lattice, and he sat with me through nearly every word of the three books I've written since. I'm in shock and I'm going to miss him tremendously. I keep expecting to see him lounging on his favorite chair and when I get up in the middle of the night, I run my hand across the end of the bed, expecting him to be there. It's difficult to write without him by my side.

Cavelost

I've started writing a fantasy epistolary story in blog format, Cavelost. The strange presentation is a way of holding myself accountable to short, frequent writing sessions. I've been fighting through my own dark caverns for a while now, so this story is a way to help me find daylight. If you're interested in reading along as I write this adventure, visit Cavelost and start with the oldest entry first.

Huron Update

The print and Kindle editions of Huron are now linked together and visible on my author page, so it should be easier to find my newest book on Amazon. You can even read Huron and my previous books for free if you have Kindle Unlimited, and you don't need a Kindle since Amazon has free e-reader apps for many different devices.

Huron

I've done it, I've finally hit the "publish" button on my 2015 NaNoWriMo project, Huron. The paperback is up on Createspace and Amazon, ebook version is live on Amazon. The versions should be linked together within a couple days. I fought with enough of my own monsters to fill a forest in order to bring this little horror story to life. Huron is a significant departure from my previous novels, and I hope you enjoy it.

On August 1, 1998, a trio of seventeen-year-olds venture into Huron National Forest near East Tawas, Michigan for a live-action role playing adventure. Before long, all three realize something is watching them from the forest, something that no mythology or cryptozoology they know of can explain. Thus begins a twisting, turning, terrifying chase into an old-growth forest inhabited by nightmares.