tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6426523088079591832024-02-07T20:37:43.843-06:00Evergreen and IndigoAssorted musings by Courtney M. Privett, the time-lost author of The Malora Octet, Huron, and The Bacra Chronicles.Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.comBlogger204125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-4548871552113241642019-05-03T10:20:00.000-05:002019-05-03T10:20:42.141-05:00Mental Health Month<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
May is Mental Health Month, so I'm going to do something a little different. All* of my book royalties for this month will be donated to the <a href="https://www.nami.org/" target="_blank">National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)</a>.</div>
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Why am I doing this? Many of my books, especially The Bacra Chronicles, were born out of my own struggles with prenatal and postpartum depression, anxiety, and depersonalization-derealization. Writing these stories helped me climb out of the depths of my own personal darkness, and now I want to try to give something back to help other people through their own journeys. May is also the birth month for both my youngest child and me, so it seems fitting to do something that honors both her and the people who held lanterns for us during those months when I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to escape the cave I was lost in.</div>
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*This includes <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Courtney-Privett/e/B007DIPPKC" target="_blank">ebooks, paperbacks, and KU page reads for all fourteen of my books</a>. Not included are the three multi-author anthologies (Trick or Treat!, HOBOF, Infinite Dysmorphia) since they are through other publishers. There is about a two month delay between book sales/page reads and receiving royalties.</div>
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Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-26070959144387854722019-02-14T22:22:00.000-06:002019-02-14T22:22:03.670-06:00New Book, New Site<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have a new book, but I also have a new website! <a href="https://courtneymprivett.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">I've copied this blog over to my new Wordpress site, so join me there!</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happy Valentine's Day!</span><a aria-label=" Spellkeeper (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NPVHYGJ" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"> </a><em style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a aria-label=" Spellkeeper (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NPVHYGJ" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Spellkeeper</a></em><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Book Three of </span><em style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Bacra Chronicles</em><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> has been released into the wild. The </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NPVHYGJ" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ebook</a><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and paperback aren't linked yet, but they should be soon.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Love is at the core of this book, but it's not all romantic. Old love, new love, romantic, platonic, friendship, familial, redemptive, even learning to love oneself. </span><em style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spellkeeper</em><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is often dark and violent and devastating, but can also be sweet and funny. One of my beta readers described it as "a real emotional roller coaster."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I highly recommend reading </span><em style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N1MQVNY" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cavelost</a></em><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><em style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DY3213T" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Faelost</a></em><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> before </span><em style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spellkeeper</em><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, but the same things I said above can be said for them. Love and survival are the driving forces for my characters, but those two things mean something different to each of them. All three books of</span><em style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Courtney-Privett/e/B007DIPPKC" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Bacra Chronicle</a>s </em><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">can be read for free if you have Kindle Unlimited!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><em data-mce-selected="inline-boundary" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-radius: 2px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(232, 234, 235) 0px 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px -2px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 2px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Bacra Chronicles</em><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is an epic fantasy series, but it's a little different from much of the genre. The books are about dragons and magic and adventure, but they're also about living with chronic pain and mental illness, families forged by both blood and choice, struggling through that awkward cusp between adolescence and adulthood, and clawing our way out of the darkness to become better than those who hurt us. The cast is diverse, the language tends toward snarky and colorful (especially once the mercs arrive in the second book), and the journey is a wild ride through a world inspired by locations that include the American Southwest, California, and the Pacific Northwest. I don't particularly recommend </span><em style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Bacra Chronicles</em><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for readers offended by: queer heroes, mental health/chronic pain talk, soft men, assertive women, blood, explosions, casual profanity, blatant insolence toward authority, or weaponized forks. Everyone else, good luck and have fun!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hope you take a look at my odd little fantasy world. It's quite a ride and I love it just as much as I love my first series, </span><em style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Courtney-Privett/e/B007DIPPKC" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Malora Octet</a></em><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I'm writing Book 4 now, and I think the series might finish at Book 6. Who knows, though... </span><em style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit !important; font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Malora Octet</em><span style="font-family: "Noto Serif", serif; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was nothing but a short story that got out of control, after all. </span></span></span>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-17213355873462818422018-06-18T13:28:00.002-05:002019-01-07T16:32:03.635-06:00Rain Falls on MaloraRain Falls on Malora is now out, in both<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rain-Falls-Malora-Short-Stories-ebook/dp/B07DSQB26Y"> ebook and paperback</a>.<br />
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This short story collection spans the entirety of The Malora Octet, from Mirren Kelta's story halfway through the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mayfly-Requiem-Malora-Octet-Book-ebook/dp/B0079N4MU0">Mayfly Requiem</a> timeline to Sora Thula's story sixty years after <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Arrow-Entropy-Malora-Octet-Book-ebook/dp/B013M88VCK">Arrow of Entropy</a>. Rain Falls on Malora expands the narratives of established characters such as Lucienus, Solace, Rabbit, and Vutan, as well as introduces new characters, including two of Bethel's children from the millenniums between <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Absolution-Malora-Octet-Book-ebook/dp/B008IVW40C">Shadows of Absolution</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sand-into-Glass-Malora-Octet-ebook/dp/B00X81FHSI">Sand into Glass</a>. I don't recommend reading any stories that correspond to books you haven't read yet because there is a lot of revealing information within them, both spoilers for the books and connections or events that were always in my notes but didn't make it into the final versions of the books.<br />
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I've also included character illustrations (color in the ebook, b&w in the print), and a selection of appendices that includes a Volle-Common translation dictionary and family trees (incomplete because one particular character shows up in multiple locations and makes it difficult to draw the trees by hand).<br />
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I started working on The Malora Octet in 2003, when I had an unexpected burst of inspiration between my junior and senior years of college and wrote the first half of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Lattice-Malora-Octet-Book-ebook/dp/B00VOMVYH6">The Crystal Lattice</a>. I didn't finish that first draft for several years, but when I did, I knew I had to write more. Although I don't think I'll ever truly leave the first world I created, I think I'm finally done writing in it.<br />
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Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-2457423742118276262018-05-31T19:44:00.000-05:002018-05-31T19:45:36.323-05:00A Little Bit of Magic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What feels like a long, long time ago, I wrote two little stories called "Lastborn" and "Facsimile". They were released on May 31, 2018 within the sci-fi anthologies <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Holding-Our-Fingertips-Kate-Coe/dp/1911497693" target="_blank">Holding On By Our Fingertips</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Dysmorphia-Kate-Coe-ebook/dp/B07CK9W5QB" target="_blank">Infinite Dysmorphia</a> by<a href="http://kristell-ink.com/" target="_blank"> Kristell Ink</a>/<a href="http://www.grimboldbooks.com/" target="_blank">Grimbold Books</a>. I won't give any specifics on the plots of the stories here since I don't want to be a spoiler, but I will say I'm proud of them and I hope you enjoy reading them.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photograph by <a class="_3XzpS _1ByhS _4kjHg _1O9Y0 xLon9 _3l__V _1CBrG" href="https://unsplash.com/@alinedenadai" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; display: inline !important; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.35; outline: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none; text-overflow: ellipsis; transition: color 0.2s ease-in-out, opacity 0.2s ease-in-out; white-space: nowrap;">Aline de Nadai</a> on Unsplash</td></tr>
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I finally finished a project I began three years ago, and I'm in the last couple steps before publishing it. <i>Rain Falls on Malora</i> is a collection of eighteen short stories set within the world of The Malora Octet. Each story is told by a minor, non-narrator, or entirely new character from the series who hasn't been able to share their own version of events until now. The stories begin with the reveal of what happened to a certain missing character in <i>Mayfly Requiem</i>, cover the <i>Echoes of Oblivion</i> years and their aftermath, introduce you to a couple of Bethel's children who lived between the trilogies, and close with a narration by Sora Thula sixty years after Arrow of Entropy. I'm also including some original character illustrations, maps, family trees (this got way more complicated to draw out than I expected. Thanks, Bethel), a Volle-Common translation dictionary, and some recipes and poetry I created while working on the series.</div>
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I'm waiting on my print proof copy now so I can do final edits and fix any formatting errors. Hopefully I won't have too much trouble converting this file to an ebook. I'm excited to give this little treat to my long-time readers, some of whom inspired specific stories within this book. So, here's to the characters who finally get to tell the world their own versions of the truth: Mirren, Delora, Ariana, Summer, Sharo, Rastaban, Mirazen, Rain, Aurelien, Solace, Maple, Zoli, Ulali, Laira, Terali, Eliani, and Sora.</div>
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I hope to release <i>Rain Falls on Malora</i> in July. I'm in the process of moving to a different state, so between that and the setback I had with my repaired ulnar nerve earlier this year, I'm a little behind where I wanted to be. I had an ulnar nerve transposition in my right arm in September and I have some permanent damage from the hourglass constriction that lead to it, so I've had to modify how I type, hold a pen, cook, etc. It has been a long and painful process, but I'm getting there.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photographs via <a href="https://unsplash.com/" target="_blank">Unsplash</a>: </span>Nathan Dumlao, Christian Holzinger, Christopher Campbell, Steve Halama,<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Tess Nebula, Jing Ang, Ricardo Gomez Angel, Nate Reyfield, Aline de Nadai</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></td></tr>
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Oh, look at that! The weird things I do when on migraine meds... I wanted to make the chronological order of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Courtney-Privett/e/B007DIPPKC" target="_blank">The Malora Octet</a></i> a little more obvious and tie the entire series to <i>Rain Falls on Malora</i> visually, so I redid all of the ebook covers. I love seeing them all together. I've left the paperback covers alone since it takes more time to change them than I have right now. You can still find all eight books on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Courtney-Privett/e/B007DIPPKC" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.</div>
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Last, but very much not least...</div>
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I finished <i>Faelost</i>!</div>
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I'm also awaiting the arrival of the <i>Faelost </i>print proof. I like to use a print copy to do my final edits, and this one will take a little while. Why? It's long, 145,000 words, so it's by far my biggest book (<i>Mayfly Requiem</i> was *only* 130k). And, I have no idea what to write for the blurb without spoiling something major that happens just a few short chapters in. I'll have to think on that.</div>
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<i>Faelost</i> is the sequel to <i>Cavelost</i>, and it continues immediately where <i>Cavelost</i> left off, but it should work as a stand-alone story. It's told by Rin's second son, Tessen, who finds himself on an unwanted adventure following the hatching of his brother Shan's two stolen dragon eggs.</div>
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Oh wait, there's just a little bit more. I'm working on <i>The Bacra Chronicles Book 3</i> now, <i>Spellkeeper.</i> I'm way into it and hoping I can keep up my momentum on it over the summer. <i>Spellkeeper</i> is the first time in over ten years that I've written a novel in third person (the last being the <i>Echoes of Oblivion</i> trilogy). There are four point-of-view characters for this book -- two from the previous books and two who are new. I'm not sure yet how many books <i>The Bacra Chronicles</i> will end up being, but as of now I know where books 4 and 5 need to go.</div>
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Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-80304058557204870812017-04-07T00:02:00.002-05:002017-04-07T00:02:48.412-05:00Little Embers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-36992264754672565252017-02-16T01:38:00.002-06:002017-02-16T01:38:23.070-06:00Keep Persisting<a href="https://www.zazzle.com/keep_persisting" target="_blank">I have a Zazzle store! </a>There are some kinks to work out (items only showing up in collections and not in the store list), but that should be taken care of by the print company within a couple days. Make sure you switch the content filter from "Safe" to "Moderate" to see everything. I had to go PG-13 on a the "Nevertheless, She Persisted" and "He Persisted" items so they didn't get flagged for language. Most of the individual products have multiple options for style, size, and color once you're on the product page. Let me know if there is something you'd like that isn't currently offered and I'll get it in the store for you.<br />
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For reference, the URL is: <a href="https://www.zazzle.com/keep_persisting">https://www.zazzle.com/keep_persisting</a><br />
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This print store is a charity art project. All proceeds from the products will be split between two charities - The Trevor Project, which provides support to LGBTQ youth in crisis, and The Midnight Mission, a Los Angeles-based organization that helps people overcome homelessness. Both organizations help people through hard times and dark places and give them the tools to keep persisting.<br />
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If you want to know more about my art project and philosophy, I've given several interviews in the last week. There is at least one that hasn't been published yet, and I'll link that once the journalist finishes it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.opednews.com/articles/ShePersisted-Takes-Off-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Activism_Art-And-Healing_Arts_Healing-Power-Of-Art-170215-501.html" target="_blank">OpEdNews</a><br />
<a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/nevertheless-she-persisted-illustration-by-courtney-privett-empowers-women-men-to-stand-up-to-sexism-37256" target="_blank">Bustle</a><br />
<a href="http://divergenow.com/dialogue/2017/02/nevertheless-shepersisted-artist-story/" target="_blank">Diverge</a><br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/courtney-privett-she-persisted_us_589cbd19e4b04061313c3653" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a><br />
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I have a lot more to say but I should have gone to bed two hours ago, so for now I'll leave you with this. It's my latest piece, "We All Belong", and the idea came from my five year old daughter, Lyra. She told me to "draw lots of different girls holding hands", so I did.<br />
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<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-46774611754449187232017-02-08T22:19:00.000-06:002017-02-09T14:00:29.492-06:00Nevertheless, she persisted<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUFgoKvPAgrrv-QIUvB0SBg619q0G82iqR3IHHiC2QiJLdyf8W_hPwzlz9egCZ-_NOgqfUflk3Sbwzj1DnGYOC2JS-SOVMLspZxISQSTbaQ5L5neiWB3afxkjradLth2YlqdOWAnEO1A/s1600/16586927_10210875558338733_7779511170167310060_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUFgoKvPAgrrv-QIUvB0SBg619q0G82iqR3IHHiC2QiJLdyf8W_hPwzlz9egCZ-_NOgqfUflk3Sbwzj1DnGYOC2JS-SOVMLspZxISQSTbaQ5L5neiWB3afxkjradLth2YlqdOWAnEO1A/s640/16586927_10210875558338733_7779511170167310060_o.jpg" width="490" /></a></div>
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I'm rather overwhelmed right now. A piece I drew this morning has gone viral on Facebook. If you happen to see this without attribution somewhere, it's mine. I drew it in response to Mitch <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/us/politics/elizabeth-warren-coretta-scott-king.html?_r=0" target="_blank">McConnell's words in silencing Sen. Elizabeth Warren's reading of Coretta Scott King's letter</a>, and for all the women I've run into who don't think they need feminism. It's amazing that something so simple can resonate with so many.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KecKbuYeHKbBbjDcJYkwj7-pEakOmQgBnqmz7iOBTj8BIQdD0fjOXDIZhfRpKdUHKc4kY90LsvblbIziyFO4j1FaEh8vvkdcUS2FrhSXKWErwZddDy8ALwvUYoZ0oagfLYNj88fV8us/s1600/persist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KecKbuYeHKbBbjDcJYkwj7-pEakOmQgBnqmz7iOBTj8BIQdD0fjOXDIZhfRpKdUHKc4kY90LsvblbIziyFO4j1FaEh8vvkdcUS2FrhSXKWErwZddDy8ALwvUYoZ0oagfLYNj88fV8us/s640/persist.jpg" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original was missing the signature because I totally forgot to sign it, plus I didn't expect it to be shared further than by a couple friends. Facepalm for that now. I signed it and rescanned it this morning.</td></tr>
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ETA: I'm being asked a lot about prints. I'm extremely busy today with kid scheduling and general life (curse you, narcolepsy), but a few friends and I are working on figuring out print options with the intent of any proceeds going to charity.Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-1927188520525301122017-02-06T15:56:00.002-06:002017-02-07T22:16:53.427-06:00Political Artwork<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-57699489704596190572016-11-30T11:54:00.000-06:002016-11-30T11:54:07.937-06:00We're not in Malora anymoreIt 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 <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Huron-Courtney-Privett-ebook/dp/B01GU7QPIC/" target="_blank">Huron</a></i>. Then I built a rocket ship and took my toddler to the Solar System's moons in my first children's book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Elora-Goes-Moons-Courtney-Privett/dp/1539461416" target="_blank">Elora Goes to the Moons</a></i>.<br />
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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.<br />
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Thus, <i>Cavelost</i> was born.<br />
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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 <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1MQVNY" target="_blank">Cavelost</a></i> was formatted and edited into Book 1 of <i>The Bacra Chronicles.</i><br />
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I released <i>Cavelost </i>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 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32733214-cavelost" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, so it would be wonderful if you added and reviewed it.<br />
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Now, back to work. I started Book 2, <i>Faelost</i>, for <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/participants/cmprivett/novels/faelost/stats" target="_blank">National Novel Writing Month</a>. 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. <i>Cavelost</i> was told by a former mercenary named Rin Sylleth, and <i>Faelost</i> is told by her seventeen year old second son, Tessen. <i>Faelost</i> begins exactly where <i>Cavelost </i>leaves off. I'm not sure yet how many books will complete <i>The Bacra Chronicles</i>, but as of now I plan on a different narrator for each story. I already have plans for one narrated by Yana.<br />
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<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-52170367794244909272016-10-23T21:53:00.000-05:002016-10-23T21:53:40.335-05:00Busy, busy, always busyFirst of all, I have a new book release, and it is nothing like my others. <i>Elora Goes to the Moons</i> 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 <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Elora-Goes-Moons-Courtney-Privett/dp/1539461416/ref=la_B007DIPPKC_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1477276739&sr=1-7" target="_blank">available in paperback on Amazon</a>. It's handmade and handwritten, and it has a lot of fun little science facts throughout.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Elora-Goes-Moons-Courtney-Privett/dp/1539461416/ref=la_B007DIPPKC_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1477276739&sr=1-7" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIDEM6UvBzFbyNe4mzY_hcvPK_7XvkubuD66cvwW546b6JX3YfrEhLniibLyMijzezXKMlubDcJavI_cZhYXdCRTFJ4C2LUFc-a_YDMYm94QBS4bXoYrgclOMo2uchJ83mY2_kuox_lg/s320/Moon+title.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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I've hidden my epistolary blog, <i>Cavelost</i>. 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 <i>Cavelost</i> the first of a series called <i>The Bacra Chronicles</i>. I'll be starting the next book, <i>Faelost</i>, during <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/" target="_blank">NaNoWriMo</a>. <i>Cavelost</i> is told by a former mercenary named Rin Sylleth, who wakes up trapped in a massive cave system. <i>Faelost</i> will be told by Rin's second son, Tessen.<br />
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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.<br />
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<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-5029041434631928622016-07-21T12:57:00.000-05:002016-07-21T12:57:07.119-05:00CavelostI've started writing a fantasy epistolary story in blog format, <i><a href="http://cavelost.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Cavelost</a></i>. 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 <i><a href="http://cavelost.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Cavelost</a></i> and start with the oldest entry first.<br />
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<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-87446272648501443862016-06-13T15:19:00.002-05:002016-06-28T11:24:20.012-05:00Huron Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.76px;">The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Huron-Courtney-Privett-ebook/dp/B01GU7QPIC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1465848517&sr=1-1" target="_blank">print and Kindle editions</a> of <i>Huron</i> are now linked together and visible on my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Courtney-Privett/e/B007DIPPKC" target="_blank">author pag</a>e, so it should be easier to find my newest book on Amazon. You can e</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.76px;">ven read <i>Huron</i> 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.</span></span></span>Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-33804108969051968662016-06-09T12:27:00.001-05:002016-06-09T13:29:15.369-05:00HuronI've done it, I've finally hit the "publish" button on my 2015 NaNoWriMo project, <i>Huron.</i> The paperback is up on <a href="https://www.createspace.com/5898425" target="_blank">Createspace</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Huron-Courtney-M-Privett/dp/1519545525/ref=la_B007DIPPKC_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465494532&sr=1-10" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, ebook version is live on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GU7QPIC" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. 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. <i>Huron</i> is a significant departure from my previous novels, and I hope you enjoy it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">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.</span></td></tr>
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<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-49152329896257653852015-11-25T18:16:00.001-06:002015-11-25T18:16:37.809-06:00First Draft Complete!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My goal was to finish the rough draft of <i>Huron</i> by the end of November, and I typed the last words in the wee hours of November 25th. Another draft completed! Of course, <i>Huron</i> won't be finished (or more accurately, kicked out of the house) until it has undergone a couple rounds of edits and rewrites, beta reading, proofreading, formatting, copyediting, and a lot of frustrated tears.<br />
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This is by far my shortest novel, but that's okay since it's YA. The skeleton draft is about 62.5k words, and I'll be fleshing it out and giving it another row of teeth during rewrites. After spending twelve years writing the <i>Malora Octet</i>, finishing a stand-alone novel in a different genre is refreshing.<br />
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<i>Huron</i> begins on August 1, 1998 in East Tawas, Michigan. A trio of seventeen-year-olds venture into Huron-Manistee National Forest for a live action role-playing adventure. Before long, all three teenagers realize that 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.Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-17255359137276012402015-11-20T11:10:00.000-06:002015-11-20T11:10:26.885-06:00National Novel Writing Month 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is why I've been aloof lately. I've been working on a new book in a new genre, and I was so into it that I hit the 50k word count NaNoWriMo goal on November 18th instead of the 31st. <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/participants/cmprivett" target="_blank">Here is my participant page if you want to check out my stats.</a></div>
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I'm not finished yet. 50k is awfully short for a novel, so I've got a little ways to go before I'm done with the first draft. I tend to write skeletal first drafts and then add a couple thousand words with each round of rewrites. This will be a shorter book than my previous ones, but that's perfectly fine for the genre and plot.</div>
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So, what am I writing? I'm not entirely sure how to categorize <i>Huron</i> yet, so for now I'm calling it YA Horror. It's a funny, scary, old-fashioned horror chase set in 1998 in Iosco County, Michigan. My narrator is Casey Tallis, a snarky and nerdy seventeen year old who heads out into Huron-Manistee National Forest with two friends for a little live action role-playing. Before long, all three teenagers realize that they are being watched by something inhuman.</div>
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The picture below isn't my final cover, just a placeholder I made on <a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank">Canva</a> to put on my <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/participants/cmprivett" target="_blank">NaNo profile</a>. I may still use this concept for the final version, switching up some of the colors and graphics. It suits the tone of the book fairly well. I wasn't expecting <i>Huron</i> to be so funny, but after writing 8 3/4 books, I've learned that sometimes you just have to run with whatever your characters decide to reveal to you. Narrators especially take on lives of their own, and this narrator happens to be hilarious. Hopefully the story still makes sense when I return to it for edits and rewrites in January, because I want to set it loose upon the world sometime in 2016.</div>
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<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-63856260780459874162015-10-16T12:15:00.000-05:002015-10-16T12:15:12.290-05:00Book Sale!<i>The Crystal Lattice </i>(Emergence #1) is on sale for $0.99 on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Lattice-Emergence-Book-ebook/dp/B00VOMVYH6/ref=la_B007DIPPKC_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1445011307&sr=1-3" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. The sale ends the morning of Wed., October 21, so grab your copy before the price goes back up. I may do Kindle Countdown Deals for the other two Emergence books if I have any success with this one.<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: left;">"The ocean sings to me. The deserts, the wind, the rivers whisper to my soul. The mountains and forests beckon to me, but they are not my masters. I embrace the fire above all else. Starfire and kindling, candlelight and infernos. I am not a disciple of fire – I am the fire. I am wings of flame and sparks on the wind, dampened only by the bitter winter rain and the coldness of an empty universe. I close my eyes and see blazing cascades and meadows of molten rock. I breathe deeply of the ash and char to refresh my spirit and subdue my elemental nature. I open my eyes and return to a far more serene place, the halcyon world of my physical home." - from <i>The Crystal Lattice</i></span></td></tr>
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Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-68035373161845594372015-10-07T22:44:00.002-05:002015-10-07T22:45:13.690-05:00Wordless Wednesday: Fairies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtj8posDqwvAH-9y9rNpUFmKwK3aOTXvP73VTZMJmp6cb7w5-AFlXWXy3VSknaGH206OlZdWoMDMkIWDWnKq4W3tDDkra49ZQLp-kv9lNCA7HTO_phsJYEopkOD_T0cmb-iIIQfsp_-E/s1600/fairiescolor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtj8posDqwvAH-9y9rNpUFmKwK3aOTXvP73VTZMJmp6cb7w5-AFlXWXy3VSknaGH206OlZdWoMDMkIWDWnKq4W3tDDkra49ZQLp-kv9lNCA7HTO_phsJYEopkOD_T0cmb-iIIQfsp_-E/s640/fairiescolor.jpg" width="464" /></a></div>
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<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-74254236016787510782015-10-02T11:49:00.002-05:002015-10-02T11:49:53.226-05:00Time-Lost AgainI haven't been able to write much recently. It's not due to writer's block or lack of ideas. I'm just exhausted. I have ideas eating away at my mind, but no energy with which to resolve them. I had kidney stone surgery at the end of July and that flared up my narcolepsy to the point that I have trouble staying awake for more than a couple hours at a time. I had bilateral stones, so I had a second procedure, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extracorporeal_shock_wave_lithotripsy" target="_blank">ESWL</a>, on my other kidney last week. I don't think it worked (will find out next week), so I may be in for a second surgery. I needed a stent for the first one and that was a little traumatic, so the prospect of going through that again is keeping my focus wobbly. I'm time-lost for the moment and hoping this narcolepsy flare doesn't last too much longer.<br />
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I do feel a little productive though, due to something I wrote in May. My short story, "They", was published in a little anthology <a href="http://www.possibilitiespublishingcompany.com/" target="_blank">Possibilities Publishing Company</a> put out yesterday. The book is available in both <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Trick-Treat-Collection-Spooky-Stories-ebook/dp/B0161IKAO0/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443802466&sr=1-2" target="_blank">e-book</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Trick-Treat-Collection-Scary-Stories/dp/0986182222/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443802466&sr=1-1" target="_blank">paperback</a>, so get your copy in whichever format you prefer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxxDdcrPdVOlPyJiji-eAFEiNCZLNr14XSqh_AGAR6eo7zJ7mSwIAHhCmN9iLBM53UGD3mCEhpY5rUPKgId5buSJhab5qZl4yrSz3MyGNw0HMsKwaT4AQ1zAlCDHEESxKpD9nORZcz1k/s1600/PPCo+Trick+or+Treat+A+Collection+of+Spooky+Stories+Front+Cover+only.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxxDdcrPdVOlPyJiji-eAFEiNCZLNr14XSqh_AGAR6eo7zJ7mSwIAHhCmN9iLBM53UGD3mCEhpY5rUPKgId5buSJhab5qZl4yrSz3MyGNw0HMsKwaT4AQ1zAlCDHEESxKpD9nORZcz1k/s400/PPCo+Trick+or+Treat+A+Collection+of+Spooky+Stories+Front+Cover+only.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
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I feel the need to stay productive despite the surgeries and narcolepsy, so I've returned to an old hobby... drawing. I'm planning on including some of my artwork in <i>Rain Falls on Malora</i>. I'm also drawing a geeky coloring book unrelated to my books, but since it's fan art, I don't think I'll be able to publish that unless I figure out copyright for each of the books, TV shows, and movies I've drawn artwork for. You can see some of them on my <a href="https://instagram.com/courtneymprivett/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>, though.<br />
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I want to share with you coloring book-style pictures I've drawn of characters from the <i>Malora Octet.</i> I bought a set of art pens recently so this has been a fun new experiment.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDle1xqHHPsqYK8WqgT6hkgx7JW1yAsrKMTWu4QpJ9_xyg7hJVQ-nESH1Aq8t4Wybs67M5mtDhTSNcZf8uYyKTw8sMmYYpTGpVPs7M1r_EIAc73tuWdzwkjTeKd__FD9Uk6kUnF3igDw/s1600/bethelandsaruzacolor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDle1xqHHPsqYK8WqgT6hkgx7JW1yAsrKMTWu4QpJ9_xyg7hJVQ-nESH1Aq8t4Wybs67M5mtDhTSNcZf8uYyKTw8sMmYYpTGpVPs7M1r_EIAc73tuWdzwkjTeKd__FD9Uk6kUnF3igDw/s400/bethelandsaruzacolor.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bethel Masiona and Saruza Starsinger. Bethel is always a pain to color<br />against complex backgrounds for reasons that are obvious if you've<br /> read the series.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoV2djiAkKyND7o8M05gHkFkSagLbBSgMBCv1ljr_EaK8c4N13X5pa-memYC4aCH0XQMdiCq5AWUD-L-oRdgIKw6tEXiarVx81kSAOVGylCgSt2LPvQCgnxrGFGdGcdZ5RY6GFKbxO9A4/s1600/rainanddawncolor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoV2djiAkKyND7o8M05gHkFkSagLbBSgMBCv1ljr_EaK8c4N13X5pa-memYC4aCH0XQMdiCq5AWUD-L-oRdgIKw6tEXiarVx81kSAOVGylCgSt2LPvQCgnxrGFGdGcdZ5RY6GFKbxO9A4/s400/rainanddawncolor.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain and Dawn. I may alter this into a cover for <i>Rain Falls on Malora</i><br />if I end up including Rain's short story in the book.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_bvFuN5JBAfd_fvLqQW7AHz3642DdlQx_hGQTO76Y8bcKaF8I8M2dRdb2dCpCl4uhJuk1EoQkB418Cd5X0mi3WFHOCgKLyuvLxXMak446yAMk4br86PRpIu5UKw1GeePKFhV8XdSGWA/s1600/silvanandmairencolor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_bvFuN5JBAfd_fvLqQW7AHz3642DdlQx_hGQTO76Y8bcKaF8I8M2dRdb2dCpCl4uhJuk1EoQkB418Cd5X0mi3WFHOCgKLyuvLxXMak446yAMk4br86PRpIu5UKw1GeePKFhV8XdSGWA/s400/silvanandmairencolor.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Silvan and Mairen from <i>Arrow of Entropy</i>. I don't want to be a<br />spoiler so all I'll say is they're learning how to spar.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTqv5s4Y2WuYOCEvNhraZWMVY4IskenVpEIXEWhI8iqyvZ9eOpWkGUthYBWA5lrGOfQJbXE1Vbc6O63VijP3bnQo9JY9q0vZPN-MFI_Cr5-Iqnu0DdrkHRf0uNAjKFBoJhx6Y1GzGy7s/s1600/tesjiandsaforacolor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTqv5s4Y2WuYOCEvNhraZWMVY4IskenVpEIXEWhI8iqyvZ9eOpWkGUthYBWA5lrGOfQJbXE1Vbc6O63VijP3bnQo9JY9q0vZPN-MFI_Cr5-Iqnu0DdrkHRf0uNAjKFBoJhx6Y1GzGy7s/s400/tesjiandsaforacolor.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ravaki and Safora from <i>The Crystal Lattice</i>. I'm not happy with their arm<br />positioning, but I love how the rest of the picture turned out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5-ChhViVJgEaFHyrdPNM3R7PJUyKd9JZTRBUGmrc4-EwJp1QdzD8tXKlQJD1SDyst1939K7PU0qXW6GlfzF9u6YceE-mdK-bpmI3g3ws2cawO_HLhRUrOJLzK4SFXgPunsOmtw8PAC4/s1600/thulascolor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5-ChhViVJgEaFHyrdPNM3R7PJUyKd9JZTRBUGmrc4-EwJp1QdzD8tXKlQJD1SDyst1939K7PU0qXW6GlfzF9u6YceE-mdK-bpmI3g3ws2cawO_HLhRUrOJLzK4SFXgPunsOmtw8PAC4/s400/thulascolor.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was inspired by Nira's letter to Azfadel in <i>The Crystal Lattice.</i><br />It's amazing how just a couple lines reveal her postpartum depression.</td></tr>
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<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-29721318997671011142015-09-04T23:51:00.003-05:002015-09-04T23:51:47.232-05:00Sketching the Imaginary Friends, Part 3I'm having way too much fun with this project. My creative brain is extremely visual right now. Eventually I'll get the sketches scanned into my computer, and I hope to include them as illustrations (probably grayscale) in my short story collection, <i>Rain Falls on Malora.</i><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKSgwocz7W-IMfLASA3iMmHryw82Zy7wvkFnA9hxTOAwkVysTA9GSf2qhvjvG5QcOkiQu3UfwVAXQt0IAPdgX-U0IdPfy1X4u-7qO1m4ejxr9pHY6BNhCkWNkJ9pkKNyrs2Q16CpwmbQ/s1600/11986938_10206658069184140_800816485990493086_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKSgwocz7W-IMfLASA3iMmHryw82Zy7wvkFnA9hxTOAwkVysTA9GSf2qhvjvG5QcOkiQu3UfwVAXQt0IAPdgX-U0IdPfy1X4u-7qO1m4ejxr9pHY6BNhCkWNkJ9pkKNyrs2Q16CpwmbQ/s400/11986938_10206658069184140_800816485990493086_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ikuren Nightsong, Masai snow Emergent from <i>Sand into Glass</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHkwIbyxTTPMR2NttgwMhgi10pct8xUcBQBy7BoS5ZJidmBTzQnxdUMR-VwADU_Je8mc9Uajf_tRMa3Jd9HMyxCAVDc5LyONcWZ4z6oR21nbUlb3Hj-SwXaMRV9afW1kqQtl9EzQWVHQ/s1600/1538683_10206636528045625_6777308819352210514_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHkwIbyxTTPMR2NttgwMhgi10pct8xUcBQBy7BoS5ZJidmBTzQnxdUMR-VwADU_Je8mc9Uajf_tRMa3Jd9HMyxCAVDc5LyONcWZ4z6oR21nbUlb3Hj-SwXaMRV9afW1kqQtl9EzQWVHQ/s400/1538683_10206636528045625_6777308819352210514_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wildfire (<i>The Shattered Veil)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIo1EFnS_S4tkjN6J1zG9sj-9WKy8ZbOMUYgpirppCQi7c3wcZR4x3iy6CCpQU0dpKkeRfkFCxBRzMyRnlk-1SG1gwQxKHpdKnrZHklL-zsdHlzAkpw92dQw5-Gr3pjxUeepMbW0ozwc/s1600/11928751_10206641280684438_599136340144293148_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIo1EFnS_S4tkjN6J1zG9sj-9WKy8ZbOMUYgpirppCQi7c3wcZR4x3iy6CCpQU0dpKkeRfkFCxBRzMyRnlk-1SG1gwQxKHpdKnrZHklL-zsdHlzAkpw92dQw5-Gr3pjxUeepMbW0ozwc/s400/11928751_10206641280684438_599136340144293148_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roar Banan (<i>Mayfly Requiem)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4StSg5n2YtVnY027Dj3qsbgFLqVYglv-b50YaIEibKxowkx3gyx4rQ8zNEc_D8luJjx1kKzjw6ZP1n5jcNMNkHO2t0-tzWfW6PPyA07xYtsOddf5YddWUGTcXvOwuiwPV0L_BsaVkuM/s1600/10985438_10206642660598935_1822908379851074341_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ4StSg5n2YtVnY027Dj3qsbgFLqVYglv-b50YaIEibKxowkx3gyx4rQ8zNEc_D8luJjx1kKzjw6ZP1n5jcNMNkHO2t0-tzWfW6PPyA07xYtsOddf5YddWUGTcXvOwuiwPV0L_BsaVkuM/s400/10985438_10206642660598935_1822908379851074341_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kith (<i>Sand into Glass)<br /></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwSgbG9E_1Y-ICQGtWBOshuQOpoB-xIaHuY3Bm-YLvXXIxB4ibgfd3r0YVeCb4TVCfK_iGLaUdMLGF4Aqf_Goxi2R8pruRpkfKhbz0JyO9gBKnpHaQvVsrN0dcoCXI-3vGXz3GrkFbSo/s1600/11990475_10206646646018568_649786580271368745_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwSgbG9E_1Y-ICQGtWBOshuQOpoB-xIaHuY3Bm-YLvXXIxB4ibgfd3r0YVeCb4TVCfK_iGLaUdMLGF4Aqf_Goxi2R8pruRpkfKhbz0JyO9gBKnpHaQvVsrN0dcoCXI-3vGXz3GrkFbSo/s400/11990475_10206646646018568_649786580271368745_n.jpg" width="342" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cinderstorm, the apex phoenix (<i>Arrow of Entropy)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTs35rOVdJxY1ogq42A0ISv1ANQM1kBR0z58QqwunSOqJGYTHhgqyVa9M4uhSgHC2OJDthyJy_lEyNTUWGrmkFH8LHWlzdnAfcfS04oMJCwhBsnJH_FXUPxJwJYUtQMRJyRuRtD8MUxo0/s1600/1611017_10206628337440865_8079052907589810309_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTs35rOVdJxY1ogq42A0ISv1ANQM1kBR0z58QqwunSOqJGYTHhgqyVa9M4uhSgHC2OJDthyJy_lEyNTUWGrmkFH8LHWlzdnAfcfS04oMJCwhBsnJH_FXUPxJwJYUtQMRJyRuRtD8MUxo0/s400/1611017_10206628337440865_8079052907589810309_n.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zephyr and Rhodren Briarwind (<i>Echoes of Oblivion trilogy)</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2sVzqZ8YB7W5Ur9YLiklwaRlA1b6laiaJor_5bFUriyMsEsTrDxlGqTuoPpgUBr9FVKgtj1F2qHHTIo2TyGQiD6z0n8OBe4gkWXxLyrbhUQDu6GPIuCbrXmTIdivulAOYX3S7lEbY0g/s1600/11229367_10206625932300738_4102109810677337186_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2sVzqZ8YB7W5Ur9YLiklwaRlA1b6laiaJor_5bFUriyMsEsTrDxlGqTuoPpgUBr9FVKgtj1F2qHHTIo2TyGQiD6z0n8OBe4gkWXxLyrbhUQDu6GPIuCbrXmTIdivulAOYX3S7lEbY0g/s400/11229367_10206625932300738_4102109810677337186_n.jpg" width="325" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sevilen and Aridani (<i>Echoes of Oblivion trilogy)</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhL6ldyxtvuA8mIbqi8T9XjhrHvVd_qKW5sZZkmGA3VWYfwdwIF6QkZdSxga96X6qvmWcNeBN6wxzsckQdx3qEGVB9KnTgxddXT1jqDWQvYFgHntglwVMgKja0IFltmIMvj6_kXbJ5Zhw/s1600/11988231_10206626853923778_1295933094952867303_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhL6ldyxtvuA8mIbqi8T9XjhrHvVd_qKW5sZZkmGA3VWYfwdwIF6QkZdSxga96X6qvmWcNeBN6wxzsckQdx3qEGVB9KnTgxddXT1jqDWQvYFgHntglwVMgKja0IFltmIMvj6_kXbJ5Zhw/s400/11988231_10206626853923778_1295933094952867303_n.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sevilen and Aridani after shading and detailing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnCQlqZBpV94eQVtJjzPyU6yVqYwD9nWvh57F4eDo96XlFH2Se7gRAPDCKJ8rIZEnFzb2KbpjJb9g6rwE9C0aFTuUuSzRq3mBk7E29wdGcdgumL143gd58FUlWt9YLKKQUBMhgUjR_yU/s1600/11949289_10206616716630352_8214804859984159554_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnCQlqZBpV94eQVtJjzPyU6yVqYwD9nWvh57F4eDo96XlFH2Se7gRAPDCKJ8rIZEnFzb2KbpjJb9g6rwE9C0aFTuUuSzRq3mBk7E29wdGcdgumL143gd58FUlWt9YLKKQUBMhgUjR_yU/s400/11949289_10206616716630352_8214804859984159554_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="321" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vutan Gira (<i>Arrow of Entropy)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvk4ADu_M0O-zWtXCtVJun7u81bM40zU-j12eTe1t-StyDqjkBsLCmVgAA64I4Jg58wXH0pb-LlA__ZNFpuHZGikGFuj81pAQFwiaXFq1yxgof6OLCjOJDtZ4DyYWrvLxdKeHpIFq17I/s1600/11987047_10206623168871654_8110367693741099445_n+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvk4ADu_M0O-zWtXCtVJun7u81bM40zU-j12eTe1t-StyDqjkBsLCmVgAA64I4Jg58wXH0pb-LlA__ZNFpuHZGikGFuj81pAQFwiaXFq1yxgof6OLCjOJDtZ4DyYWrvLxdKeHpIFq17I/s400/11987047_10206623168871654_8110367693741099445_n+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rastaban and Sevilen (Before <i>The Abyssal Night)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqpAlJjhmpQruwpwfymo_9nWU4vBqF-tXu_Pd3qdtROO_orIfz4buWCMGV9gIQ6ia4aYmFu1tuTv6ne4YK9tZKrcdRwDrgHymr-3q4YLgz5gGhG_hVdmaphM95C9QfF4ko2mpb2dM_lM/s1600/11990691_10206656809192641_8126421403164539298_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqpAlJjhmpQruwpwfymo_9nWU4vBqF-tXu_Pd3qdtROO_orIfz4buWCMGV9gIQ6ia4aYmFu1tuTv6ne4YK9tZKrcdRwDrgHymr-3q4YLgz5gGhG_hVdmaphM95C9QfF4ko2mpb2dM_lM/s400/11990691_10206656809192641_8126421403164539298_n.jpg" width="345" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zorie Berylatia (<i>Sand into Glass)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uVLMK81PpFXiEJ6w07T8IBEz22mxVFlpqhAlp1xPuZGzaQh-TRobPQ0_9WcY1tziUNsp0Oeyc8N2N61rkt_Skn1r-f9QirJVA4_O4TUd_xnLMjoLfnWKJcq1DnNwYoyUxoMU9kGyrtc/s1600/11928710_10206615141150966_1711321898231747726_o+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uVLMK81PpFXiEJ6w07T8IBEz22mxVFlpqhAlp1xPuZGzaQh-TRobPQ0_9WcY1tziUNsp0Oeyc8N2N61rkt_Skn1r-f9QirJVA4_O4TUd_xnLMjoLfnWKJcq1DnNwYoyUxoMU9kGyrtc/s400/11928710_10206615141150966_1711321898231747726_o+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sefa Metavanya, Reed Velarani, Muza Masiona, Faron Masiona (<i>Emergence trilogy)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-85468377368051051352015-09-02T02:23:00.003-05:002015-09-02T02:23:45.029-05:00Wordless Wednesday: Wildfire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPjUviz1Bm1EpQC8lPWMi3gaIm_acooaij5YHBAhyaP8hfD9RZfGGvUPxpPu-u65PNkTNU7NJqP37XYVjQRlX-fzmBJf9FGSqh1emkDPiU198ZVftKS0BIXcwLvfzYIn_Ka8spJ9bSjQ/s1600/1538683_10206636528045625_6777308819352210514_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPjUviz1Bm1EpQC8lPWMi3gaIm_acooaij5YHBAhyaP8hfD9RZfGGvUPxpPu-u65PNkTNU7NJqP37XYVjQRlX-fzmBJf9FGSqh1emkDPiU198ZVftKS0BIXcwLvfzYIn_Ka8spJ9bSjQ/s400/1538683_10206636528045625_6777308819352210514_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-23065742417967536022015-08-28T10:54:00.000-05:002015-08-28T10:54:15.812-05:00Sketching the Imaginary Friends, part 2<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I've been having too much fun with this sketching project even though some of my pictures end up a little heartbreaking if you have read the books they came from. I'm not sure what I'll do with these yet other than find the proper cable so I can hook up my scanner and make digital copies of them. That will also give clearer and more colorful images than the camera on my phone can offer.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLVEXLyeYtGYzJahcHLFHOvSXtGrOqZU4cq5jxiCfk6SqDnZrUvP2VBtuhpy69nWMf9VYTL7c0kad4GWh8o_VssG4Qi-U0zHQ0qi_jX25-yl1Pz99_UfbboncEucDhTkO6lqH52hFrbk/s1600/11900069_10206589864239059_7259518414677457804_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLVEXLyeYtGYzJahcHLFHOvSXtGrOqZU4cq5jxiCfk6SqDnZrUvP2VBtuhpy69nWMf9VYTL7c0kad4GWh8o_VssG4Qi-U0zHQ0qi_jX25-yl1Pz99_UfbboncEucDhTkO6lqH52hFrbk/s400/11900069_10206589864239059_7259518414677457804_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ariana Achara and Rastaban Eryaucra (before The Abyssal Night)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGdJcrvF23VYsm5XMv7ulZB5O-MePFliBj7DVBLsa7j6epYL7ahkpaQfcEqkmHZDZYcMbuYBr76Q_bKxC8W77jvynfT_A3pyAjW2edK09FyLvKTVzwsmABxUmlYISawLb9c8p2X1ynGM/s1600/11933489_10206582791822253_5633191224904273092_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGGdJcrvF23VYsm5XMv7ulZB5O-MePFliBj7DVBLsa7j6epYL7ahkpaQfcEqkmHZDZYcMbuYBr76Q_bKxC8W77jvynfT_A3pyAjW2edK09FyLvKTVzwsmABxUmlYISawLb9c8p2X1ynGM/s400/11933489_10206582791822253_5633191224904273092_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thora and Solace Achara (Shards of Chaos)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn5Bp_VqeSyRdaJu25aVxicOA1E5vGlRTD3FWSrM9SzvJHHNlp_hALglZi5uhoL-m5YmeGjPqkfLYjRs0gC-CsIKCYVimuR6zyJh9NGw0-lI3ACJPjY7ejeXis9_knxH4S9avvSD6Hwy4/s1600/11959964_10206594632918273_4361982473546123898_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn5Bp_VqeSyRdaJu25aVxicOA1E5vGlRTD3FWSrM9SzvJHHNlp_hALglZi5uhoL-m5YmeGjPqkfLYjRs0gC-CsIKCYVimuR6zyJh9NGw0-lI3ACJPjY7ejeXis9_knxH4S9avvSD6Hwy4/s400/11959964_10206594632918273_4361982473546123898_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">River and Onyx (Shards of Chaos/Echoes of Oblivion trilogy)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBV4YahuMtkF-hzOs7mZGiD9xWMzXD-_qWCj2Zj_D4qiwOMAHQgE3vKYZWW_rou7fQu3zhiLswRI2wnQLgF3Coi2nSydPBHHZ-_tOkv2S6w7ACQGyav5_1XaW6RSyiOKVU-KnaD-kfBFE/s1600/11898636_10206589139300936_7068486665201713447_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBV4YahuMtkF-hzOs7mZGiD9xWMzXD-_qWCj2Zj_D4qiwOMAHQgE3vKYZWW_rou7fQu3zhiLswRI2wnQLgF3Coi2nSydPBHHZ-_tOkv2S6w7ACQGyav5_1XaW6RSyiOKVU-KnaD-kfBFE/s400/11898636_10206589139300936_7068486665201713447_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saruza Starsinger (Echoes of Oblivion trilogy)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZg-AO5vzoW9OwmOu9-nWfQi0d02r_m6TonBq5W8xjCTaa9jCgW4HEm8XNTjawrnPTxdR_tGcH6JsKuCSarLPzGfjKDPbsVRtM80sbzh5FaYqP5FIZ6vhWpHKaHp6mO9b4nwBwA97s5_o/s1600/11947417_10206596560686466_6760040015187241857_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZg-AO5vzoW9OwmOu9-nWfQi0d02r_m6TonBq5W8xjCTaa9jCgW4HEm8XNTjawrnPTxdR_tGcH6JsKuCSarLPzGfjKDPbsVRtM80sbzh5FaYqP5FIZ6vhWpHKaHp6mO9b4nwBwA97s5_o/s400/11947417_10206596560686466_6760040015187241857_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arden Masiona and Aerlya Metavanya (Sand into Glass)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxNnHZhrTQE_Q5xzCaRuUUUcKMRC2GzMk1rbt2GzXuON2oO0m1DrFPzCqZ40fuTob23h6UNNpRvsvw0VtybYo2SCMx5-Vv6rBna9pfyMsvQJlCvbTE7uNfU49hx5w3-bYOgnU_ANHxzY/s1600/11949539_10206595225373084_2748879806304313553_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxNnHZhrTQE_Q5xzCaRuUUUcKMRC2GzMk1rbt2GzXuON2oO0m1DrFPzCqZ40fuTob23h6UNNpRvsvw0VtybYo2SCMx5-Vv6rBna9pfyMsvQJlCvbTE7uNfU49hx5w3-bYOgnU_ANHxzY/s400/11949539_10206595225373084_2748879806304313553_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lirit Narsimor (Shards of Chaos/Echoes of Oblivion trilogy)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7fFXi8qdm45n6g6-xSN7rGxE-DJs2m7QoPZmls7aSFWTO_Qy2VDCKCSlHAy5AVj2POPgkpUQkklHs9U4XK6MFipLZe2StxZWq82lHiEyLFLYQQ9Z3_kH0LxEmnwJQlRL6WSraKMZH2E/s1600/11954684_10206582455893855_2050000923055278175_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7fFXi8qdm45n6g6-xSN7rGxE-DJs2m7QoPZmls7aSFWTO_Qy2VDCKCSlHAy5AVj2POPgkpUQkklHs9U4XK6MFipLZe2StxZWq82lHiEyLFLYQQ9Z3_kH0LxEmnwJQlRL6WSraKMZH2E/s400/11954684_10206582455893855_2050000923055278175_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ember and Moth (The Abyssal Night/Echoes of Oblivion trilogy)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzAjgOPrmiE-InqtMXcPlRrpIF-y9ECdyB6ZIbKdhxfeb59RHIS94DTOdm837PgFdnANDr0QqAzcfFPEc8YNX5a-fb5tx-tySM1KVJIzQL-yHVUfB-fJXXy91rE1CyVv2poPhkjIbJbw/s1600/11960079_10206604656008844_4999170499837040314_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzAjgOPrmiE-InqtMXcPlRrpIF-y9ECdyB6ZIbKdhxfeb59RHIS94DTOdm837PgFdnANDr0QqAzcfFPEc8YNX5a-fb5tx-tySM1KVJIzQL-yHVUfB-fJXXy91rE1CyVv2poPhkjIbJbw/s400/11960079_10206604656008844_4999170499837040314_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zella Thula and Rassa Buananor (Arrow of Entropy). This<br />is based on a specific scene a couple chapters into the book.<br />Hands still vex me, but I think I'm improving at drawing them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've been photographing my line drawings before I color them in and occasionally I like those better than the final versions. Here are some of them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7prmJd4yUkkSrrGOEs_30DGyiIH2riaaQ8nsQ52EyqCMS0LY2-OxTWOAcJhZICqt3O7ewDybl-OpLIdmUOPgn8AXKnC8PelvWe7zFEYj8JnT3KnSo1n8uP-KwyG3v4PvVJz5nvBECI0/s1600/11892162_10206589714475315_7736508052881250426_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7prmJd4yUkkSrrGOEs_30DGyiIH2riaaQ8nsQ52EyqCMS0LY2-OxTWOAcJhZICqt3O7ewDybl-OpLIdmUOPgn8AXKnC8PelvWe7zFEYj8JnT3KnSo1n8uP-KwyG3v4PvVJz5nvBECI0/s400/11892162_10206589714475315_7736508052881250426_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGz6_3vbZpPHTeDMoLhv92jdhdGlbrHcXG1CqYSUpukXoVohn7DqsK2tDuRKNZE9Iq1PZFxkjk3pkxo40lKiVPlKZ-IQHHHkulcQDMMj55VvwuNis27zDIdukAojfYmUoDoJ50PQt7uk/s1600/11898674_10206604656288851_2701091134933270305_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMGz6_3vbZpPHTeDMoLhv92jdhdGlbrHcXG1CqYSUpukXoVohn7DqsK2tDuRKNZE9Iq1PZFxkjk3pkxo40lKiVPlKZ-IQHHHkulcQDMMj55VvwuNis27zDIdukAojfYmUoDoJ50PQt7uk/s320/11898674_10206604656288851_2701091134933270305_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I started with Rassa, then added Zella behind him.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZ7zmqjEVQXegI2cNo5fztp03PYu1BmeGYqzBmkpThhlVu7BzlpXoYv1vv8XWagV4erBvH42wNMcQe0J0C62gf3E37Bll7qIrVpKQp4sKUdTmCBJ9r6lKqYvGiyWgHXR7Wfo7WkQhKmw/s1600/11954726_10206604656128847_6924987752913499085_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfZ7zmqjEVQXegI2cNo5fztp03PYu1BmeGYqzBmkpThhlVu7BzlpXoYv1vv8XWagV4erBvH42wNMcQe0J0C62gf3E37Bll7qIrVpKQp4sKUdTmCBJ9r6lKqYvGiyWgHXR7Wfo7WkQhKmw/s320/11954726_10206604656128847_6924987752913499085_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wscrgsQMPaJol59keeOKESl9Q5-jA9RP6D5LyBlA4I09IL-SSB1NrnxNl7k9imzLBWtVnUqQLQDBzuAbt0Mp1r9mwjXeRBXEhs64KHxT_oKIA_Tbimvmu0krp0TkVMdMdEYElMEukzU/s1600/IMG_20150826_175748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wscrgsQMPaJol59keeOKESl9Q5-jA9RP6D5LyBlA4I09IL-SSB1NrnxNl7k9imzLBWtVnUqQLQDBzuAbt0Mp1r9mwjXeRBXEhs64KHxT_oKIA_Tbimvmu0krp0TkVMdMdEYElMEukzU/s400/IMG_20150826_175748.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arden and Rassa ended up looking similar, which was intentional since they're related.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGB86sQoX0jKOspabAuYg0dTAtrWVdQEoUgqnA4GaBR4n_z0V4lVpuT4AhRm_Bjfdj3p7Ncd00ZlqlgpxOaOIkKyWCgGS5ZdxmcZIIgw7s_L8IW5k7m0UZPJ0SgAiObD0ZArdAc_PaO4U/s1600/IMG_20150826_155150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGB86sQoX0jKOspabAuYg0dTAtrWVdQEoUgqnA4GaBR4n_z0V4lVpuT4AhRm_Bjfdj3p7Ncd00ZlqlgpxOaOIkKyWCgGS5ZdxmcZIIgw7s_L8IW5k7m0UZPJ0SgAiObD0ZArdAc_PaO4U/s400/IMG_20150826_155150.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lirit started out wearing pants but my 3 year old insisted she needed a skirt.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Achara twins were adorable and I was hesitant to color them.</td></tr>
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<br /><br />Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-42969690208448839542015-08-24T15:26:00.003-05:002015-08-24T21:14:57.138-05:00Whose Story is This, Anyway?<div style="text-align: justify;">
My Maloran imaginary friends are still bouncing around my mind, especially when I sleep. My narrators aren't typically my favorite characters in the books, but they certainly are the loudest. Four of the books are told in first person, one is mixed first and third because Isen is relating Bethel's side of the story in addition to her own, and the six perspectives in the Echoes of Oblivion trilogy are third person.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LyVIkq8J-VYye-kHfQv0sxk3hp-J2WGVUni3Au9JzOmSIegdByuPdWPE-zE24p2Dc2Bud4cRz2Do671OFUF3oQ4zAjKTJggUt_CTp9hMXvugxRKvESVp000lCPXCbfzcDAmdL5GmUoU/s1600/11828760_10206455186472199_309226986983825647_n.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1LyVIkq8J-VYye-kHfQv0sxk3hp-J2WGVUni3Au9JzOmSIegdByuPdWPE-zE24p2Dc2Bud4cRz2Do671OFUF3oQ4zAjKTJggUt_CTp9hMXvugxRKvESVp000lCPXCbfzcDAmdL5GmUoU/s400/11828760_10206455186472199_309226986983825647_n.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Mayfly Requiem </span></i></b></div>
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<b>Lani </b>- <i>Mayfly</i> is Lani's journal, a confession of over 2,500 years of his history. He is a fallen Aulor, a biologically immortal Time Child who both observed and participated in the rises and falls of the continent of Malora over his lifetime. He is the twin brother of the Aulor Dia and the son of <a href="http://evergreenandindigo.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-web.html">Aucra and Eryagloris</a>, Time and Stars. Lani is a romantic poet at heart and his narrative style reflects that.</div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Echoes of Oblivion trilogy</span></i></b></div>
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<b><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">The Abyssal Night, Shards of Chaos, The Shattered Veil</span></i></b></b></div>
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<b>Sevilen Achara</b> - Sevilen is the younger brother of <a href="http://evergreenandindigo.blogspot.com/2012/04/r-is-for-rastaban.html">Rastaban Eryaucra</a>, the tyrannical King of Ganebra. He begins the trilogy as a bookish eighteen year old and soon finds himself in a position of apparent power he can't escape from. He is gifted in both linguistics and swordsmanship, is fiercely protective of the people he loves, and is still trying to figure out how to deal with his narcolepsy.</div>
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<b>Rhodren Briarwind</b> - Rhodren is also eighteen at the beginning of the trilogy. He grew up in the green city of Heren, Maritor, and is the only child of a baker named Sharo Briarwind. He is finicky and often self-centered, but he occasionally also manages to be charismatic and compassionate. He has auditory-tactile synesthesia, a sensory quirk that is strange to everyone else even though it is his normal.</div>
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<b>Ember</b> - Ember is a Geophorian fire priest from the temple city of Reedwater, Anor. She begins the trilogy at age twenty-three. Like most fire priests, she is impulsive and destructive, but her inferno soul is cooled and balanced by her wind priest husband, <a href="http://evergreenandindigo.blogspot.com/p/m-irazenretta-keltau-reedwater.html">Moth</a>. She was found abandoned in the swamp as a newborn so has no knowledge of her parentage.</div>
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<b>Lirit Narsimor</b> - Lirit is the ten year old daughter of Lucienus Narsimor, a member of the King's Council. Her family belongs to Ganebra's privileged ruling class. She is an aspiring stage actress who, like all members of her social class, was taught to blindly revere and obey the King.</div>
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<b>Tikaari Starsinger</b> - Tikaari is a Tenjeri, the race of fox-like people who mostly live in the northern regions of the world. She is the mate of Seya and the mother of Miya, Theta, and Saruza. The Tenjeri were inspired by the Japanese kitsune.</div>
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<b>Aridani Eryaucra</b> - I won't give much away about Aridani since his perspective doesn't begin until Shards of Chaos. He's a scatterbrained dreamer with an interesting magical ability, and his point of view offers a new perspective on Rastaban.</div>
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<b><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Shadows of Absolution</span></i></b></b></div>
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<b>Isen Layel</b> - Isen is a ranger of the Baku, a post-cataclysmic community of mountain dwellers founded by the earth priests Thora Achara and Onyx. She is the daughter of ranger Lusa Layel and earthworker <a href="http://evergreenandindigo.blogspot.com/2012/04/z-is-for-zoli.html">Zoli Achara</a>. At the onset of her story, Isen is drowning in a fathomless ocean of depression after losing the man she loved. She is a strong, intelligent young woman whose talent for wilderness survival piques the interest of the Aulor, Bethel.</div>
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<b>Bethel Masiona</b> - As far as Aulors go, Bethel is a young one, just over 100 years old. He survived the cataclysm sixty years prior and is now watching his children and his friends grow old and die while he remains physically around thirty. He has spent the years since the fall on a quest to find any remaining Tenjeri survivors and is now collecting a small group of people to take across the ocean and into the wilderness of a new continent in pursuit of the legendary Tenjeri city of Trieskel. Bethel's lingering regrets are busy trying to drag his sanity into the Abyss.</div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Sand into Glass</span></i></b></div>
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<b>Arden Masiona</b> - We meet Arden about 7,800 years after the Fall of Ganebra, when the humans of Malora (now called Melor) have split into <a href="http://evergreenandindigo.blogspot.com/2012/08/melor-according-to-arden.html">multiple races</a> due to Aulor/<a href="http://evergreenandindigo.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-web.html">Elemental</a> interference and isolation. The youngest child of the Aulor Bethel Masiona is a gifted materials scientist with an explosive rage that has now landed him in a Drey prison awaiting trial for a murder he isn't certain he committed. Arden's mother is an Efi, a member of the race of long-lived forest guardians who live mostly in the western wilderness of the continent, and Arden's Aulor blood gives him additional longevity, so he is 407 years old when his story begins.</div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">The Crystal Lattice </span></i></b></div>
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<b>Tesji Brier (Thula)</b> - <a href="http://evergreenandindigo.blogspot.com/2012/04/t-is-for-tesji.html">Tesji</a> is a young half-Efi elementalist mage who was raised by his eccentric, reclusive grandfather Janakei Brier in the Efilon Wilderness village of Tiponia. He is both charismatic and socially awkward, a combination that renders him an outcast as a child and eventually leads to a career as a bard as he travels across Melor in pursuit of the locations that haunt his dreams and nightmares. Tesji is the eldest of my novel-dwelling imaginary friends since I wrote his story first, so he's quite special to me despite his excessive alliteration and tendency to exaggerate.</div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Arrow of Entropy</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><b>Zella Thula </b>- Shy, serious, analytical light mage Zella is a contrast to her often-flamboyant father, Tesji, and her outgoing siblings, Sora and Ellis. After Bethel refuses to take her on as an Emergent student, she ends up under the guidance of Rassa, an Aulor whose ancient curse was broken forty-two years earlier. Zella loves physics, reading, and music, and she's much stronger than she believes she is.</span></div>
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My short story narrators can be found <a href="http://evergreenandindigo.blogspot.com/2015/06/short-stories-from-malora.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9L7E21r2aP4fdQJvJVscWmp92izTkgkGIZbmIb7aZuQdULY45tLvoauz-_i_DMlEar8BFssZGTKDV7k9asanr9PxWD_pzGQ6DjAq-BgwbdFbxR-SYxWFEFWncFOVHJ7Ifj4o3PFLEOco/s1600/IMG_20150411_140005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9L7E21r2aP4fdQJvJVscWmp92izTkgkGIZbmIb7aZuQdULY45tLvoauz-_i_DMlEar8BFssZGTKDV7k9asanr9PxWD_pzGQ6DjAq-BgwbdFbxR-SYxWFEFWncFOVHJ7Ifj4o3PFLEOco/s320/IMG_20150411_140005.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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...and, now here's a little teaser narrator from what will be my next book, which is set in Northeastern Michigan in the late 1990s. I don't have a title for this book yet, but it will come to me eventually. I'll let this narrator do their own introduction.</div>
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<b style="font-weight: bold;">Casey Tallis</b> - "I'm not one of the cool kids. I'm not a goth or a jock or one of the pretty ones. I'll never be popular. I'm the dork who plays trombone in the marching band and is two years ahead of everyone else in math. I have Science Olympiad medals on my bedroom wall, hanging off a hook I made in the blacksmithing shop at a Renaissance Festival. I watch <i>The X-Files</i> and <i>Star Trek: Voyager</i> instead of <i>Friends</i> and I still miss <i>SeaQuest</i>. I don't like pop music and I spend my weekends either reading or playing <i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> with the other dorks. I once fell out of a pine tree and sprained my ankle while pretending to be a halfling rogue. I don't want to be one of the cool kids. I want to be me. I won't apologize for being me."</div>
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Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-51688352692645995552015-08-14T13:59:00.000-05:002015-08-14T14:08:46.239-05:00Sketching the Imaginary Friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQrm4lfDGMCuuUbq2ypYxyAyUS0BlKH7Z2JyBZ03zeP0FdRqkLjzkoHtvZ_x7pOS9tIatXo-jbllR5KrSyRm6PZgieKyyrXo4DdLJq_2vucUgWpv1edX9FkmoF6w-h14bqn48ksd0GHA/s1600/11207358_10206498580597025_3194991551964556450_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhQrm4lfDGMCuuUbq2ypYxyAyUS0BlKH7Z2JyBZ03zeP0FdRqkLjzkoHtvZ_x7pOS9tIatXo-jbllR5KrSyRm6PZgieKyyrXo4DdLJq_2vucUgWpv1edX9FkmoF6w-h14bqn48ksd0GHA/s400/11207358_10206498580597025_3194991551964556450_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I drew and doodled all the time as a teenager and young adult, but that hobby faded away as my movement disorder developed in my early 20s. I found my old pencil set in the garage a couple days ago and that rekindled my interest. I've started sketching out some of my characters. I used to go for a more realistic look, but since my hands shake now I've decided to switch to an anime/manga style. My artwork isn't very good and I'm experimenting with style, but I still think the characters turned out adorable. Hands have always been my bane, but I'm working on that. I need to get my scanner hooked up so I can get better images of the pictures.</div>
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Who would you like to see me attempt to sketch next?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KcdI_CikeMWbAz4vCAt5yFvcZtnftacJJqut5Rrafw2D88RWiHtMNS71abkOBslNtDU8swv4j6grmgH-nCQGVNHzmdcaW_4lMAT-USfnyCuSQnXXVbLPLYSI4sGSWaYyS4WHGMd-hvA/s1600/11880635_845508888889663_8198958746994502069_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KcdI_CikeMWbAz4vCAt5yFvcZtnftacJJqut5Rrafw2D88RWiHtMNS71abkOBslNtDU8swv4j6grmgH-nCQGVNHzmdcaW_4lMAT-USfnyCuSQnXXVbLPLYSI4sGSWaYyS4WHGMd-hvA/s400/11880635_845508888889663_8198958746994502069_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time I've sketched people in years. Hands are daunting so I hid them.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1ufX63g_LxPE2ZvlZlA4uc3IxluT1KjAJKPAp3HCUjk8HcX225zIFtFULlSOjReB7b4_O87QgRntSH-5ddrDWyef4mIifOuGEam3SPmxvTIQEy_iOXAQ-Ii_RYKAUqvKcFJ719u_Zqc/s1600/IMG_20150811_231327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1ufX63g_LxPE2ZvlZlA4uc3IxluT1KjAJKPAp3HCUjk8HcX225zIFtFULlSOjReB7b4_O87QgRntSH-5ddrDWyef4mIifOuGEam3SPmxvTIQEy_iOXAQ-Ii_RYKAUqvKcFJ719u_Zqc/s400/IMG_20150811_231327.jpg" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zella, Rassa, Mairen, Silvan (Arrow of Entropy)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRsF_wdJRwL7f-KMw5h672kzMaEH2Rx7rg0_tGtpecJKLGDyM-tJP0_pLinaub43Q-6ziFgFAmvQQ9RNF8eDGCR4lyGSXLer7pa27Nt1RYPHDJZ_LPe4YeAJ55WeUUVzMVLg5UHjNJlQ/s1600/10612703_10206488670749285_2996684603808914398_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidRsF_wdJRwL7f-KMw5h672kzMaEH2Rx7rg0_tGtpecJKLGDyM-tJP0_pLinaub43Q-6ziFgFAmvQQ9RNF8eDGCR4lyGSXLer7pa27Nt1RYPHDJZ_LPe4YeAJ55WeUUVzMVLg5UHjNJlQ/s320/10612703_10206488670749285_2996684603808914398_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of Zella and Rassa</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj581nFRbNNPSqcb-ZXPyz72RKU00w4OP13uSuMaL3SpTH5At-9PVSi77glElzmGa_oDYvtWIQaA6r2rIVS_1flanYqtVnYqYLdxrf6tHwab8xyTAL1n9T15V-ntxTLzGz4Nc-OFdGd-C8/s1600/11863220_10206488668149220_8261791387738467426_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj581nFRbNNPSqcb-ZXPyz72RKU00w4OP13uSuMaL3SpTH5At-9PVSi77glElzmGa_oDYvtWIQaA6r2rIVS_1flanYqtVnYqYLdxrf6tHwab8xyTAL1n9T15V-ntxTLzGz4Nc-OFdGd-C8/s320/11863220_10206488668149220_8261791387738467426_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of Mairen and Silvan</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bethel and Sora (Arrow of Entropy)<br />
Yes, Bethel's coloring isn't his usual, but there is a good reason for that. You'll have to read it to find out why. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYVYrPjoFncw0BmmjL9-GtBqAroGYg_9wVaNW0JRYf0tR5WdF67vsBMOPpfULlRlEV71gUuHIk2N3R7kG3HUz-ykdacJNDbVT7x9hlGpO0l42HzPqA9atUKFxzcFg3IX9ZJNy-xmMO-Y/s1600/11223477_10206497560531524_3079784931393794933_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvYVYrPjoFncw0BmmjL9-GtBqAroGYg_9wVaNW0JRYf0tR5WdF67vsBMOPpfULlRlEV71gUuHIk2N3R7kG3HUz-ykdacJNDbVT7x9hlGpO0l42HzPqA9atUKFxzcFg3IX9ZJNy-xmMO-Y/s400/11223477_10206497560531524_3079784931393794933_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love Sora's face in this. It's amazing how personality and emotion can be shown with just a couple lines.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlK1MvEmyjI9QVYhzfJDR4VUzKOeNf0jDN-fVi9wDJGLF1Gpr9ctW28stKSR8vKCXyW77ggWrobBE1oLzK3NBw6-lw2ol_fXKm8mHlrlQHvXRBPqQ7MYNG9mFnWzhNYmIAblnssbhSos/s1600/11145164_10206497498049962_8132898175043454750_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlK1MvEmyjI9QVYhzfJDR4VUzKOeNf0jDN-fVi9wDJGLF1Gpr9ctW28stKSR8vKCXyW77ggWrobBE1oLzK3NBw6-lw2ol_fXKm8mHlrlQHvXRBPqQ7MYNG9mFnWzhNYmIAblnssbhSos/s400/11145164_10206497498049962_8132898175043454750_n.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Safora and Terali (The Crystal Lattice)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXqPk18Gr1hQabcvn8NRmRoHjFl1pgJ9ntr2tXe8pjMEhOeQbDwqvYtsOPk6_Xcqbtab4iw3tGLIoB8KutUhzYY8F8uGuCnSN1sVSh3Oy3ltk-aHSTa-6-1rqHXH68Btrcmt_Nji44GQ/s1600/11888108_10206498585197140_3125236033433563380_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXqPk18Gr1hQabcvn8NRmRoHjFl1pgJ9ntr2tXe8pjMEhOeQbDwqvYtsOPk6_Xcqbtab4iw3tGLIoB8KutUhzYY8F8uGuCnSN1sVSh3Oy3ltk-aHSTa-6-1rqHXH68Btrcmt_Nji44GQ/s400/11888108_10206498585197140_3125236033433563380_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Ellis Thula (Arrow of Entropy)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">I love Ellis. His sister describes his style as "an explosion of flamboyancy" and you never quite know what is going to come out of either his mouth or his mind. My three year old is in love with this picture because of the flamingo.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Line drawing</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Color added</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Background added (lighting washed out my colors a little)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lani (Mayfly Requiem and the rest of the Malora Octet)</td></tr>
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Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-80008200999332870302015-08-09T11:07:00.000-05:002015-08-09T11:07:50.688-05:00Snippet Sunday: Creatures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I made these two little guys last night and love how they turned out. The gourdling is probably cuter than it should be, but I still like it. The rychan is kind of nightmarish, probably more how Lani sees them than how other people see them. Rychan can be a nuisance but they're usually harmless. Gourdlings on the other hand...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WauWIbGaRRX86pCxbmK-cJXKpy_-X-2-vfFKMjVvat2E-fWs4cbcvjnxyVQvDDum_QlhFxAZ4vuB0ddeCoPmBt_Yp3khvFY3zENc2KX08T6pwIiLn5EL7iq2RXKhhdhTjfswYPZScoc/s1600/IMG_20150808_225804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WauWIbGaRRX86pCxbmK-cJXKpy_-X-2-vfFKMjVvat2E-fWs4cbcvjnxyVQvDDum_QlhFxAZ4vuB0ddeCoPmBt_Yp3khvFY3zENc2KX08T6pwIiLn5EL7iq2RXKhhdhTjfswYPZScoc/s400/IMG_20150808_225804.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Gourdlings</span></b></div>
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<i style="text-align: start;">They wore nothing but hollowed-out gourds tied over their shoulders with bundles of spiderwebs. Tufts of woolly, green hair sprouted from random locations on their leathery brown bodies. Their eyes were the same color as their skins and had no whites, so I had difficulty determining if either of them were looking directly at me. They each grabbed one of my knees between gnarled, green-nailed hands, and then ushered me into a large burrow.</i></div>
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<b>--The Crystal Lattice</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rychan</span></b></div>
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<i>Rychan frighten me. The Web's prison was full of them, but they were not prisoners. The rychan were the guards, and every time I hear a branch scratching a window, I remember their claws scraping across the floor and clinking over the crystal gates. Such a horrible sound, unmistakable, yet everything mundane reminds me of it. Sleep in my cell was painfully quiet, but my imagination concocted waking nightmares nonetheless, and rychan were among the worst of them.</i></div>
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<i>I suppose rychan were the closest thing in Malora to the mythical dragons, but they looked little like dragons and more like enormous mice with massive membraned wings and silk-furred tails. They were scavenger feeders, and their talons and sharp teeth frightened me the most. I saw the guards in shadows and darkened whispers. They brought me food and water, but I knew they would rather slash me open if I gave them an excuse. I heard the screams, saw the claws dripping with blood. I behaved. For the first time in my life, I truly and voluntarily behaved. Compliance was my only hope for clemency.</i></div>
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<b>--Mayfly Requiem</b></div>
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Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-642652308807959183.post-81976777168991897052015-08-08T14:01:00.000-05:002015-08-08T14:39:52.430-05:00Arrow of EntropyIt's over. It's finally over. The Malora Octet is complete.<br />
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12 years of work, 8 books, approximately 2570 printed 6"x9" pages, 10,500 years of history, 14 meddling and fallible gods, 4 reluctant demigods, 11 point of view characters, few survivors.</div>
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<i>Arrow of Entropy</i> published this morning for both <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Arrow-Entropy-Emergence-Book-3-ebook/dp/B013M88VCK/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1439057260&sr=1-2" target="_blank">eBook</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Arrow-Entropy-Emergence-Courtney-Privett/dp/1511403640/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1439057260&sr=1-1" target="_blank">paperback</a>. </div>
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I unleashed this final volume with a mixture of relief, elation, and sadness. I feel like I'm moving away from a familiar place, away from my friends and comfortable surroundings, and traveling into the unknown. I can always go back to visit, but I no longer live there. Home is somewhere else now. I think you'll see why when you read this story. There was a broad arc to this series, and <i>Arrow</i> reaches the end point of that arc. I'm playing short stories told by minor characters from the series, but those are just little treats for my loyal readers to give them some additional historical depth and some interesting twists in the canon that didn't fit into the main narrative.</div>
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Onward, and I'm waiting for the moving truck to arrive so I can unpack the elements of my new storytelling home. I already have a new imaginary best friend, and this one is straight out of my adolescence. I'm switching genres for a while and working on a concept for a horror novel set in Northeastern Michigan in the mid-to-late 1990s. I've already experiemented with this and had great results... my short story "They" is being published in a Halloween anthology soon.</div>
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I'll keep you updated on the anthology as I know more about the release date and title. I'm excited about it, since it's the first time I've submitted my work for consideration and the publisher snapped it up.</div>
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In the meantime, I hope you enjoy <i>Arrow of Entropy</i>. A lot of love went into this book, and although it ended up being a totally different animal from the previous books, I believe it is a fitting conclusion to the Malora Octet.</div>
Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997559559445314487noreply@blogger.com0