Missy Sheldrake's Blog, page 10

Getting ready to launch book three, which is set to release this Friday, June 10, I’m spending this week fixing up all of the little things that have been shelved in favor of writing, illustrating, and editing. One of those things was my website, which was in dire need of an update.

Now, without further ado, I’m excited to share the newly updated missysheldrake.com with you! There, you can browse the illustration galleries for Call of Kythshire and Call of Sunteri, read excerpts from all three books, tiptoe through my fairy art doll gallery, download my new Marketing Kit, and even send me a message! I hope you do. I love hearing feedback. So, go on over and take a peek!

www.missysheldrake.com

I had so much fun doing this podcast with Josh Blum, Author of The 13th Hour. Enjoy!

The Thirteenth Hour

Episode #43: Author and Illustrator Missy Sheldrake Interview – Digital Art, Fairies, Fantasy Writing, and a Hidden Benefit to Video Gaming  

https://c0e15ad30202884059b5ec2076c358c6458e6558.googledrive.com/host/0B069Riqr1ie_ZFdIYVNaenhxWjg/Podcast%2043.mp3

In this week’s episode, fantasy author Missy Sheldrake joins the show, so fairy tale fans, authors, and illustrators sit back, relax, and enjoy the one hour plus show!  Missy is unique in that she’s one of the few authors out there who also creates her own covers (see them below) and illustrates her novels.

You’ll find out more in the podcast, but early elements of the series actually came from this game:

(Missy definitely got her money’s worth out of this game, since she got not only a book series from it but a husband and a job – who says playing video games doesn’t pay???[image error]

Her creations aren’t just 2D – some of sculptures.  Check out her page for a gallery of hand-crafted fairies.

Check…

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Okay, I am going to try to keep this short. I’ve been so hard at work getting Book Three ready for all of you that I’ve otherwise been a Very Bad Author and haven’t been updating my blog! I hope you can forgive me.

June is promising to be an exciting start to an even more exciting summer as I delve into a new writing project that I hope to share with you very soon. Don’t fret, though, I’ll still be working on the Keepers of the Wellsprings in the meantime!

Call of Brindelier is the third full book in the series, and I’ve decided there will be at least two more books to round the series out after this one. Azi and Rian have a lot of adventures left to face, along with Tib and a new character who’s introduced in Book Three: Celli! Celli is a scrappy street fighter with a penchant for pick-pocketing, who gets caught with the wrong crowd in a major way. She’s sort of like Tib, but with fewer morals.

Here she is sneering at Dub, an assassin who you might remember from Call of Sunteri. Dub plays a much bigger part in this book. I’ve grown pretty fond of that guy.

Celli and Dub had a fun first meeting.

Here’s an excerpt from Chapter One of Call of Brindelier:

     This room is strange. It’s dark, and the floor is covered with gold tiles in the shape of a sunburst that starts in the center and goes out toward the walls. Each point of the sunburst creeps up to an alcove in the wall, and each alcove holds an empty pedestal. I think about going to look at one closer, but before I can move, Quenson appears in the doorway.

He’s flanked by two guards: a woman and a man both wearing heavy chain mail. They post themselves just inside and eye me with caution while the Sorcerer approaches me. I don’t let them intimidate me. With him standing as close to me now as we were in the alley, they don’t matter, anyway. He’s even more handsome than I remembered.

“Sybel has outdone herself,” he says as he circles around me, looking me over.

His tone makes my cheeks go hot. He’s dangerous, I know, but that excites me. All I want is his approval. I want him to admire me. I want to always be close to him. I want to show him that I can do anything for him. Whatever he needs me to do. I watch him come around to face me again, where he stands and looks at me without a word. He’s not wearing his veil here. His face seems older than it did in the street, wiser and more impressive. With his eyes on me, suddenly I feel like a child about to be scolded.

“I’m sorry,” I blurt out. “I won’t fail you again.”

“I believe you,” he says. “You will begin by never speaking unless spoken to.”

I nod my agreement and he smiles at me. I want him to keep smiling. I want to be his favorite. I never want to make him scowl.

“This is Dub,” he says after a long pause. It takes me a moment to realize there’s someone else here. He’s been lurking against the wall all this time. He steps out of the shadows as Quenson introduces him.

He’s in his twenties, maybe, lean and strong, and dressed all in leathers like me, except they’re black. His face is coarse with whiskers, and one eye is covered with a patch. The most remarkable thing about him, though, are all the knives. I can count at least a dozen strapped to his torso, his belt, his arms, and his legs. I wonder how many others he’s concealing.

His one good eye looks me over like Quenson did. Except when he does it, it makes me uncomfortable. I square my shoulders and cross my arms and raise my chin, trying to seem bigger. Tougher. He smirks, but doesn’t say a word.

“Go.” Quenson says.

Before I have time to think, Dub leaps at me, his knives flashing. He swings and I duck and roll away. He throws a blade, and I somersault and narrowly dodge the attack. His knife clatters and skids across the floor. I tumble to grab it and another one of his blades slices my sleeve as it whizzes past. I don’t know why, but this guy is serious. He means to kill me.

With Dub’s knife tight in my grip, I charge him. He’s nearly twice my size but I don’t care. If he wants to kill me, I’m going to make it difficult. He’s ready for my attack though. As I swing to stab him, he sheaths a knife and grabs my arm, twisting it painfully behind my back. He’s strong, but I’m a fighter. I elbow him hard in the ribs and kick him between the legs until he doubles over. That makes him loosen his grip on my arm, so I spin and punch him hard in the face. His nose cracks and he curses.

Quenson’s laughter somewhere to the side of the room is a musical sound that echoes up to the high-domed ceiling and back down again. It reminds me of how much I want to please him. It makes me fight harder.

If you like what you’ve read, you can click here to preorder Call of Brindelier! Thanks!

I’m happy to say that Call of Brindelier is finally in its final draft! I’m working on my final edits now, polishing things up, and formatting illustrations for the release date set for June 10! I have some exciting things planned for that weekend, so make sure to keep an eye here on my blog.

Here’s a quick quote from one of my favorite chapters, in which Azi is describing the High Court where a certain verdict is about to be read:

This vast room is imprinted in my mind. I could close my eyes while sitting here and still see every detail in the frames around the narrow, bright windows. Every unusual pit in the stone of the walls, every carving of past judges engraved in the massive columns is etched in my memory. Their faces, young and smooth or rough and wrinkled gaze across the vast hall, stern and sober, the weight of justice as heavy on their shoulders as it is on my own.

If you just can’t wait for Call of Brindelier, then you’ll be excited to know it’s now available for preorder on Amazon! Click here to reserve your copy!

This is my first time participating in a book promo with my friends over at Support Indie Authors, and I’m excited to share this post with you!

It’s time once again for a Support Indie Authors Free & Bargain Book event, previously known as the Book Blast. After a fantastic 2015, we’re looking forward to an even better 2016. Our first event of the year will be this Friday, April 1st and no, we are not fooling. We are offering more than 65 free and 99 cent books by more than forty talented authors. This year, you can find the books at events.supportindieauthors.com

Mark your calendars and save the pranks for later!

As is our tradition, we have asked each of the authors to participate in a short interview so you can better get to know them. Below are just some of the featured authors as well as links to read the rest of the interviews. As always, thank you for continuing to #SupportIndieAuthors!

What is your name?

Denae Christine

Are you typically the class clown or the butt of jokes?

Butt of jokes

Tell us a little about the book(s) you are offering in three sentences or less.

“A Prince who can shift his arms into swords, a tutor who can shift his arms into wings, and a madman who wants to kill them both. Like all royals, thirteen-year-old Prince Symon is a living weapon. For generations, blade shifters have ruled commoners and animal shifters without trouble . . . until now.”

Since we’re holding the Free & Bargain Book event on April Fools’ Day, tell us about the best prank you ever played or the best prank played on you.

I was having dinner with friends, and all three of us got ice cream. One girl stood up to get a spoon, and we poured salt on her ice cream. It was invisible. She returned and tried some. She made perfect this-is-nasty faces at us.

Where can readers find out more and connect with you?

Website: http://www.denaechristine.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DenaeChristineauthor

What is your name?

P.D. Workman

Are you typically the class clown or the butt of jokes?

Class clown

Tell us a little about the book(s) you are offering in three sentences or less.

Is Justine crazy? Everyone thinks so, but Justine can’t give up her sense of who she is—someone far different than the loving daughter Em expects her to be—to just fit in and be happy. She is sure that Em secretly holds the key to who Justine really is—but if she does, Em isn’t talking.

Since we’re holding the Free & Bargain Book event on April Fools’ Day, tell us about the best prank you ever played or the best prank played on you.

My dad put tiny plastic ants in the cereal bowls and then waited for us to make our breakfasts. I’m pretty sure I didn’t scream… really…

Pick one of your characters to play a prank on. Who are they? What is the prank? And how do they react?

Justine gets back at Squints by playing a prank on him that involves a live snake… Suffice to say he never teases her again…

Where can readers find out more and connect with you?

Website: http://pdworkman.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pdworkmanauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pdworkmanauthor

Other: https://plus.google.com/+PDWorkman/

What is your name?

Rosemary Noble

Are you typically the class clown or the butt of jokes?

Ha-ha! You said butt!

Tell us a little about the book(s) you are offering in three sentences or less.

Search for the Light tells the story of female convicts being sent to Australia in the 1820s and is about friendship, love and loss. The sequel, The Digger’s Daughter, follows one of the families from the previous book, all through the Victorian goldfields. It is a story about determination, perseverance, the struggle to succeed and the desire to put the convict past behind them.

Since we’re holding the Free & Bargain Book event on April Fools’ Day, tell us about the best prank you ever played or the best prank played on you.

Telling a friend who was visiting Niagara Falls that they were turned off an night so that the water could be diverted to a hydro electric plant. So be sure to visit before 5 o’clock in the evening.

Where can readers find out more and connect with you?

Website: https://rosemarynoble.wordpress.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chirosie

What is your name?

Shannon Reber

Are you typically the class clown or the butt of jokes?

Ha-ha! You said butt!

Tell us a little about the book(s) you are offering in three sentences or less.

My books are exciting, fantasy creations of my fantastical mind. Magic, myths and mayhem are the primary themes in either series. One is dystopian future, while the other is medieval, dark and twisted.

Since we’re holding the Free & Bargain Book event on April Fools’ Day, tell us about the best prank you ever played or the best prank played on you.

I plead the fifth on grounds that may incriminate me! !-)

Pick one of your characters to play a prank on. Who are they? What is the prank? And how do they react?

Layna is a tough girl with a fabulous sense of humor. I think I’d go with the classic woopie cushion. She’d fall on the floor laughing!

Where can readers find out more and connect with you?

Website: http://www.authorshannonreber.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/ShannonArtWrite

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shannon-Reber/1450668291923946 Other: https://www.instagram.com/authorshannonreber/

What is your name?

J. Riley Castine

Are you typically the class clown or the butt of jokes?

Ha-ha! You said butt!

Tell us a little about the book(s) you are offering in three sentences or less.

Alien Abduction? Check! A Promise of Enlightenment? Check! Corny jokes? Check!…and face palm!

Since we’re holding the Free & Bargain Book event on April Fools’ Day, tell us about the best prank you ever played or the best prank played on you.

Best prank played on me…was when my brother crazy glued me to my bed sheets while I was sleeping. Best prank I did…when I duct taped my brother into his bed.

Pick one of your characters to play a prank on. Who are they? What is the prank? And how do they react?

The who, Jonah from Rigel in my book Fragmented. His natural state is that of a floating blue orb of energy. The prank, Gwen using her powers to float a pink glow stick with a pair of plastic red ‘kissing’ lips over his ‘eyes’ while he is resting. When Jonah awakes, he observes this site before him, laughs, grabs the glow stick and chases Gwen’s friend Tom around with it.

Where can readers find out more and connect with you?

Website: http://www.jrcastine/com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jrcastine

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jrileycastine

Other: http://plus.google.com/+RileyCastine

What is your name?

Anthony J. Deeney 

Are you typically the class clown or the butt of jokes?

Ha-ha! You said butt!

Tell us a little about the book(s) you are offering in three sentences or less.

“Robots Like Blue” follows a robot on a journey of self discovery, from a confused start up to a, perhaps surprising, conclusion. It is a philosophical book, exploring the self, free will, ‘good and evil,’ and love. It will obviously appeal to Asimov fans, but has human elements that give the story a broad appeal.

Since we’re holding the Free & Bargain Book event on April Fools’ Day, tell us about the best prank you ever played or the best prank played on you.

“Kids always try to prank their teacher. As a former teacher of Physics I was remember spending nearly a day trying to identify the source of a random infrequent “”Beep!”” in my classroom. I checked my watch, phone the smoke alarm… nothing. It turned out to be two little electronic devices taped under two different desks. The student had designed and programmed the “”Annoyers”” himself, so I was more impressed than annoyed.”

Pick one of your characters to play a prank on. Who are they? What is the prank? And how do they react?

Ha! How cruel! Well my robots are initially so trusting and naive that there would be little sport in pranking them.

Where can readers find out more and connect with you?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Robots-Like-Red-567557596662666/

What is your name?

Charles Freedom Long 

Are you typically the class clown or the butt of jokes?

Ha-ha! You said butt!

Tell us a little about the book(s) you are offering in three sentences or less.

Dancing With The Dead explores the life, death and life after death of Fahd al-Sharfa, a boy genius from the Mahrat mountains trained as a scientist to infiltrate and destroy the elite Luna base. Fahd’s love for his Antal coworker, Quenby, and his quest for ultimate truth takes him and the reader beyond the veil called death. The presence of the dead, beside and among the living cultures, both human and alien, fills this unique book with original ideas and thought-provoking philosophical questions.

Since we’re holding the Free & Bargain Book event on April Fools’ Day, tell us about the best prank you ever played or the best prank played on you.

The best ever played on me was in Montreal, when Mother Nature delivered twelve inches of snow on April Fool’s Day.

Where can readers find out more and connect with you?

Website: http://www.charlesfreedomlong.com/

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the interviews!

Click here for interviews hosted by Christina

Click here for interviews hosted by Riley

Click here for interviews hosted by Ellison

Click here for interviews hosted by SIA’s Supreme Overlord

I have been busily typing away at the next installment of the Keepers of the Wellsprings series. Book three is well underway, and I’m confident enough to be able to announce the title: Call of Brindelier!

Here’s the current status of my work in progress:

Draft: 1

Words: 140,425

Chapters: 41

Percent complete: 90%

Pending release date: May, 2016

Not only have I broken through my writer’s block, I’m also busy with illustrations. Here’s a taste of some of the images you’ll see gracing Call of Brindelier’s pages:

And just for fun, here’s an excerpt from Chapter 3: The Satchel (Tib)

A brush of cobwebs against my skin. I step into the unseen. Into the shadows. Mevyn’s gift. Valenor’s lesson. A gift is not a trick. They taught me that. Sometimes, a gift is necessary. Sometimes it’s the last hope for something better. This time, it’s for something nobody else has dreamed up yet. I adjust the blade strapped to my back. It’s longer. It stretches up over my head farther than I can reach. Flatter, too. Twisted. Perfectly worked by Sir Benen.

Zeze walks in front. Gets people to jump away or risk tripping over her. Some of them kick at her. I make a mental note of them for later. We travel this way for a while. Slinking on foot. Sticking to shadows. Out of the tucked-away street where Azi’s guild keeps their hall, past the castle, through the market. Past the lifts to the docks. I pause here. Watch the Mage at the wall as he raises his arms. Bulky muscled men crank the cranks. The lift creaks and squeals and bumps along the cliff face. Crates jostle and threaten to fall, but the Mage keeps them safe. His spell is a powerful one. It makes the load lighter. It keeps it protected. It’s necessary. Even the Princess thinks so.

This goes on all day into the dusk. Mage spells. Crates. Boxes. People. Animals. Up and down, never stopping. Workers working. Ships loaded and unloaded. Cargo in. Cargo out. In the summer, the Mages keep things light and safe. They protect from wind and rain and sea salt. In the winter, they melt the ice. Every spell drains a drop from Kythshire’s Wellspring. A drop, a stream, it doesn’t matter to them. The port gets busier. Their work needs to be done. Nobody thinks of the fairies. Why should they? To them, the fae don’t exist. Legends. Stories. Mention them and they call you a simpleton. A liar. A tall tale-teller.

I slip away from the port. When I’m done, they won’t need magic anymore for that task. My way will be better. My way will preserve the Wellsprings. Kythshire’s and Sunteri’s, too. I’ll sell my machine to them, then I’ll find another need to fill. Rian says we’ll always have a need for magic. He says the arts are getting more popular by the season. It’s harder to get into the school now. The Academy. They’re very careful about who’s allowed to learn its secrets. I’m glad. Magic is selfish and dangerous. It ruins people. It destroys things too easily. They shouldn’t trust just anyone with it.

Zeze knows the way to Redstone. I follow her without thinking past the bright white walls of the Academy. Past the dorms and the stables and the rows of merchants in the main square. Through to the poorer places. The places you don’t really notice when you first come to Cerion. The places you walk by without looking too hard. The places you try to avoid. When I first came to Cerion, I didn’t think anyone here was poor. In Zhaghen, they’re everywhere. Spread out through the city, right in the open. Begging. Coughing. Crying.

It’s different here. They have their place, neatly tucked away. Dark, stinking rows of red-brick houses. Houses so old and ignored that they might crumble to dust with one careless bump of a cart. Redstone Row. It used to be a small part of the city, but now it’s growing. The king is too distracted to pay his people the attention they need right now. Everyone’s talking about it. They say he doesn’t care. He doesn’t see them like he used to. The people aren’t important anymore. He’s too focused on his son. On the trials.

Whispers that Cerion’s age of peace is coming to an end echo from the shadows here. As I trudge through the filth of these forgotten streets I understand why. I slip from the shadows. Stop in the usual places. Unload my pockets slowly into outstretched hands. Coins. Rolls. Fruit. Trade them for smiles, for thanks. For information. Dreiya talks to me with a baby on each hip. Her husband is at a meeting. A secret rally. He’s a master stone carver. Worked for the Royal builders. They stopped working last year. Nothing left to build, they said. No orders from His Majesty for new construction.

Lots on this row are in the same boat. No work because Cerion is fading. It’s happening slowly, just like it did in Zhaghen. Just like there, the poor are the first to see it. Just like there, powerful men sit in their towers, too caught up in their own problems to care. While things are getting worse in Cerion, in Sunteri things are getting better. The new princess is helping her prince. They’re working to rebuild the kingdom. Their first step was to make strong rules against magic. Guiding the royal treasury away from the Mage scholars and into the hands of the poor.

Maybe Princess Sarabel should come back. Maybe she’d see what’s happening. Tell her father. Snap him out of his selfish misery. Show him how skinny everyone’s getting down here.

I turn the corner, straight into a gang of boys. Their backs are turned to me. Some older than I am, some younger. All dirty. Scrappy. Grouped around something. Their arms are linked together to keep whatever’s inside from getting out. I step closer and peer in. A fray. A fistfight. A girl dressed in tatters fighting a dark-skinned boy in fine clothes. He doesn’t know how to fight. He’s grabbing at her hair. Kicking. Thrashing a lot and missing. She’s better at it. She lands a punch to his gut. A kick to his hip.

“Give it back!” The rich boy huffs, grabbing at a bag slung across the girl’s chest. It doesn’t match the rest of her. It’s finer. Cleaner. Something’s inside that I can feel, but not see. Something magical. Powerful. Dangerous. Definitely not hers. The boy lunges at her and she swings up with bloodied knuckles. Uppercut to his jaw. He’s thrown back. She laughs. The circle of boys cheers. To them it’s a game. To the boy, that bag is important. He wipes blood from his lip onto his yellow silk sleeve. Pushes himself up. The rest of the boys charge him. Push him down. Kick. The girl joins in.

He doesn’t give in. He keeps trying to get up, even when the flash of a blade catches the sun. That’s when I step in. Zeze goes first. Saunters up to them. The boys in the back of the pack freeze when they see her. They tug at the others. Point. The fight dies down as nudges travel through them into the center. One of the boys tugs the girl’s arm. She shoves him away but Zeze catches her eye. She turns. Lowers the knife.

Cowered against the wall, the rich boy peeks around his upraised arms. Glances at all of them, standing with their backs to him. Staring at me. Waiting.

“What’s the word, Celli?” I ask. Casual. Like I didn’t just interrupt her almost murdering someone. She shrugs. Rolls her eyes a little. She’s my age. Fourteen, maybe fifteen. Cold eyes. Thin mouth. Broad shoulders. The look of someone who’s been fighting for a long time. The other boys step back a little. Watch between us.

“What’s that?” she points to the iron slung to my back.

“Later,” I say. “What’s that?” I point to the bag. She shrugs again.

“It’s my lord’s bag, and she stole it right out of his hands!” the rich boy cries. His accent is thick. He starts to get up, but Celli turns a fist to him and he cowers away.

“That true?” I ask her.

“Nope. This stupid clod left it lying on a stool,” Celli sneers. “So it walked. What’s in here that’s so important?” she asks. Folds open the flap. Reaches a hand inside. The rich boy jumps up. Grabs at it. She shoves him away.

“Give it back!” he shouts. “Don’t touch it!”

“Celli, no!” I try to warn her.

She doesn’t listen. She touches whatever is in there. When she does, she screams. Pulls her hand out. It’s red. Bright red, like the petals of the flowers I used to pick. The color creeps up along her arm, swirling and curling like Mage Mark. She scrambles with the bag. Yanks it from her shoulder. Throws it at the rich boy. The curls don’t stop. They stretch over the skin of her chest, sizzling. She screams. Claws at it.

Get ready for release day by reading the Keepers of the Wellsprings Book One: Call of Kythshire and Keepers of the Wellsprings Book Two: Call of Sunteri!

I’m giving way three autographed copies of Call of Kythshire on Goodreads!

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/179397

That’s right, my first novel is one year old! I can’t believe it! It has been a fun year filled with growth  for me. I’ve made so many friends in the indie publishing community and learned so much along the way.

To celebrate, I’m offering Call of Kythshire for free today on Amazon. Click here to get your copy.

Not only that, I’m inviting you to post your book link here to celebrate the amazing accomplishments of Indie authors everywhere!

It doesn’t have to be discounted or free, I only ask that you please only post one book per person. Thanks, and congrats to you, too, Indie Author!

I’ve been a participating author of the Support Indie Authors group over on goodreads for quite a while now, and I was recently honored to be welcomed there as a moderator.

Support Indie Authors was created for independently published authors as a safe haven from the sometimes cutthroat negativity that many authors face from a variety of sources online. If you’re an indie author, I highly recommend this group. Ann Livi Andrews (the group’s ‘Supreme Overlord’) and the rest of the moderators work hard to make it a place where authors can go to seek support, encouragement, and information.

The group recently started its own  website as well. Find out more about it here: http://www.supportindieauthors.com/

Here’s a guest message from Ann herself:  

***********************************************************************And now, a brief message from your Supreme Overlord***

********************************************************************

For those of you wondering who on earth I am and raising your eyebrows at the Supreme Overlord reference, my name is Ann Livi Andrews and I run Support for Indie Authors, SIA for short (no relation to the Australian singer). What started as a small idea in January 2015 has quickly turned into a vast wealth of support, encouragement, resources, etc for Indie Authors.

We have now grown to 5,000+ members and having outgrown Goodreads, we began our own website (www.supportindieauthors.com) dedicated to helping Indie Authors be the best they can be. We are now 13 Moderators strong and have put in countless hours to ensure an organized and well managed group.

“Sure sure, Ann,” you might say. “But what’s with the blog post?”

Right – to the point.

We are about to undergo a major transformation on the Goodreads side of the equation. We just celebrated our First Birthday, or First Anniversary, whichever way you’d like to look at it, and with over 5,000 members, I’m sure you can imagine just how many folders, topics, and comments we have to sort through on a daily basis.

In addition, with this many topics to sort through,  it becomes difficult for our members to find the answers they’re looking for to questions that have already been posted. We receive a lot of “Do you know where that one post that the one guy posted a few days ago is?” queries from our members.

So here’s the deal: tons and tons of posts are going to be deleted.

BUT DON’T PANIC.

We’re compiling all of them into an easy to read and easy to search PDF that you’ll be able to download from our website. (For free, of course) This will be updated on a semi regular basis (as often as I or my other moderators can – I don’t pay them, you know – at least not yet.)

In addition, we’re going to be posting a new set of rules in response to some of the criticisms and . . .um. . .how shall I put this. . .harassment that we’ve received. The majority of you are super amazing members and we’re grateful for your participation and the respect that you show one another. Unfortunately, a handful of people haven’t been quite as understanding.

With this in mind, we are going to be a little stricter in the future, to keep things safe for everyone. These rules will be straight to the point with no room for imaginative interpretation. With so many members, we’re going to have to toughen our defenses in order to maintain an organized and peaceful environment. We want to keep this forum and our group just as awesome as it’s been for the past year.

So there you have it. Changes are a-coming. But we’re still the same fun-loving Mods that we always have been. The Fun Folder won’t be disappearing. We’ll still be joking around etc. Just remember to keep it respectful and you won’t wake up to a cut-in-half bookmark lying on the pillow next to you.

As always, if you have any questions, or you feel that you have an issue with me or one of my Mods, please send me a message about it. Despite my tyrannical title, I am actually all about resolving conflicts. A happy and content army is one who can conquer many.

***********************************************************************End Transmission – Resume your regular routine***

********************************************************************

Writing is a funny thing. For me, it comes in bursts. There are days when I wake up early and write well into the morning, and days when I sit restlessly at my keyboard, desperate for an idea.

I finally broke through my snowday-related writer’s block and wrote two chapters yesterday. I’m really hoping to keep my momentum despite a busy weekend coming up, and a busy beginning of next week, too.

Here’s the current status of Call of Brindelier, Keepers of the Wellsprings Book Three:

Draft: 1

Words: 115,550

Chapters: 32

Percent Complete: 80-85%

For me, a long nature walk helps me get through a block. I find myself inspired by music, art, and television. How do you break through your writer’s block? Feel free to comment. I’d love to hear from  you!