It’s been a while, but I’ve been doing some writing in the background.  Let’s get down to business!

First, a new version of The Ballad of the Grey Swan is out. It was pointed out to me that the current version has, shall we say, a possible rating problem.  (I thought that a sex scene made it 18+!)

So now, out there is The Ballad of the Grey Swan (Unspiced Version). It’s safe for the 13 to 18 range, making it a YA novel now. (For the adults looking for a bit of spiciness between two ladies, the original is still out there for you. Enjoy!)

A series?

Secondly, I’ve officially made a Series listing! That’s right, the Ballad is now the first in the Chronicles of Taeliana series, which means…

Drumroll, please…

I have been working on writing the second book in the Chronicles of Taeliana series! It’s not a direct sequel to the Ballad of the Grey Swan, although I will get back to them when the narrative comes around. I’m not done with them yet.

What about the next book?

The second book is tentatively called The Saga of the Fiendblood Champion. I’m taking a bunch of my old short stories, reworking them heavily to remove all references to a certain fantasy world owned by a certain group of mages who live at the seashore, writing more of it to make it a full book, and moving it into Taeliana. It needs work, certainly, but that’s the wages of creativity and wanting to have something for yourself.

But for now, let me introduce you to the Fiendblood Champion herself. Her name is Meliantha, which means, in the languages of the Horselords of the Khu-Talas Steppes*, “Child of Many Trials”. She’s fiend-blooded, as her father was one of the fiends – a warfiend, one who lives for battle – and a powerful fiend at that. As a result, her appearance is a bit more fiendish – she has horns and a tail along with long pointed ears and grey skin, 

A picture will be forthcoming soon, as her appearance is very different and I want to make sure I get it just right.

The Saga of the Fiendblood Champion is a different book from the Ballad of the Grey Swan – it starts literally with her birth and does a lot more heavy lifting of both her story and the world of Taeliana. I’m excited about it, and working on it assiduously.

Anyway, back to the grindstone! A book won’t write itself, despite what some people say about AI…

Be well.

 

The Horselords of the Khu-Talas Steppes are another new piece of the world, and I don’t know if any of them will get a book or a short story. But they fill a place in the world, and that’s what matters.