BIG NEWS! I’m Now A Full Time Writer Now!

 

OMG OMG OMG! I’m so excited and nervous, I can hardly breathe….

Okay… taking a deep breath….

In a nutshell: I’ve decided to become a full-time author!

There, I’ve said it. You have no idea how incredible it feels for me to write those words! Or how long I’ve dreamt of such a thing.

Some context for my decision:

As many of you know, I was laid off from my job as a manager in a biotech corporation back in August of 2025, one of many waves of layoffs from that company, sweeping out thousands of employees over last year and this year. I was with that company for 26 years! Unemployment payments stopped after six months. After that (and really during it), I’ve been living on the severance pay I got and whatever I had in savings. It’s been painful watching my bank account decrease despite every cost-cutting measure I could come up with, including going to food pantries and whatnot. It’s been nine months now, with little hope for things changing for me.

The layoff is thanks to the current president drastically slashing funding to science and medicine, which impacted academic customers that my company, and most biotechs, rely on to buy their products. The company is floundering. This is true for most biotech companies, academic labs, science non-profits, and related companies. Some companies are folding. Most are cutting back drastically, hoping to survive until things turn around (which likely won’t be until a Democrat is back in the presidency).

Since then I’ve applied to 120 job announcements, all of which I’m qualified for, which drew upon my background doing science lab work, technical support, technical writing, or management. You’d think with two degrees and 28 years of post-graduate experience over many roles, I’d be imminently hirable. Despite tailoring every resumé to the job announcements, getting advice from recruiters, and being on every major job board on an almost daily basis, I’ve only managed 7 recruiter interviews – all rejected. Only half of the jobs I’ve applied to have gotten back to me (with rejections). And AI has made the entire process stupider. Since every other science company is hurting, there aren’t many jobs to apply to, and they get hundreds of applicants for each position. Combine this with a high unemployment rate, inflation, tariff effects, and AI taking over many white-collar jobs, the outlook for getting hired is very, very bleak.

BUT…. I have a sizeable 401K. I’ve consulted with a financial advisor several times. There’s this thing called Rule 72(t), which will allow me to withdraw it, penalty-free (but taxed as income), over the next five years in regular, monthly payouts. This will be just barely enough over the year, combined with my other income streams, to make the minimum I need to meet my financial needs.

Am I nervous? Hell yes! And what will I have to fall back on when I’m old? Between now and then, I’ll just have to build my author empire big enough to meet my financial needs.

At the same time, I’m incredibly jubilant!

Finally liberated from the corporate workaday life, endless meetings, and being under some manager’s thumb, I am now free to pursue my author activities! I’m my own boss, with all the concerns that go along with that.

In addition to writing more books (and I have soooo many books in my head yet to write!), which I’ll have more time for now, I have income from the great number of author events I do all year (and time for more!), income from online sales, income from my publisher (GladEye Press), and income from the author services I provide to other authors. I also have a part-time job doing data entry for the University of Oregon (with special thanks to my friend, Vicki, who hired me for that).

And if I don’t earn enough? There’s nothing to stop me from taking another job if, gods forbid, this decision doesn’t work out for me. Maybe I’ll land an additional part-time gig doing editing or technical writing.

I’m seriously shaking right now. Here I go!

Please wish me well as I move forward with this. And if you want to help me in this new era of my life, please buy my books, request that your local bookstores and libraries carry them, or contribute to my Ko-Fi page.

 

Cheers and happy reading!

Author Questions: What Did You Learn Faster By Doing Instead Of Studying?

 This is an ongoing series of “questions every author avoids answering” (based on this video by Dale L. Roberts) and my answers to them. I recommend every author ask themselves these same questions to better understand themselves and their art.

 

Question:

What did you learn faster by doing instead of studying?

 

The quick answer:

In-person table sales of my books.

 

The long answer:

I had published books, but few were selling. I had some reasonable sales on Amazon, but I knew there were plenty of readers out there who would be eager to read my books if only they knew about them. But getting your book in front of potential readers online is incredibly difficult. There is so much competition for their attention, and so many millions and millions of books, that it seems like a Herculean task just to get the cover in front of them, much less tell them what it’s about.

Before I did in-person sales, I would try loads of social media posts across all of my social media platforms. I tried Facebook ads. I tried Amazon ads. I even ran an ad that showed on the screen at my local movie theater (yes, really).

My publisher, too, was selling very few of the books they represent.

So I had to take action and go out, in person, to talk to readers.

There’s no guide for how to do this. There’s no self-help book for authors that I’ve ever seen that discusses this topic. No one mentors you on these things. [if you’d like some advice, read to the bottom and follow the links]

I had seen authors at events, smiling at people and talking about their books, which were neatly arranged on the table in front of them – at festivals and fairs as people milled about eating ice cream or listening to live music or perusing art stalls - at author fairs where there were dozens of authors and too much to take in at once – and at bookstores.

So I started talking to them. Introduced myself as an author. Asked them how to sign up for the next event. Asked them where and when other events were, and who organized them.

And then I got my first event, doing a reading at a local bookstore during a monthly “street art walk” in a nearby town. Then I was able to get a table at a yearly author event.

Slowly, event by event, I built up a rapport with other authors, signed up for more events, until my weekends were filling up with them. I eventually even purchased a little camper so that I could extend my range to do events around the state and even into other states without having to pay for hotel rooms (which would eat up all of my meager profits), taking my efforts to a whole other level.

And, more importantly, I “learned by doing” slowly, figuring out how best to display my books, what accessories to bring, which book pitches worked for which kinds of customers, being able to pick out who my likely customers would be, and how to just put on my sales face and speaking tone.

It helps to be a “people person,” of course. But let’s face it, if you aren’t out there engaging readers, you aren’t going to sell many of your books. And that’s the point, right? You want your hard work to be appreciated. You want to share your inspiration. You want to have other people escape into the worlds you created or learn the knowledge you wish to share with your words.

Last year I sold 516 books at in-person events, which for me is a lot, and way more than I sold online or with my publisher. You can do it too.

HERE is my advice on how you, too, can find events to do in-person sales for your books, sign up, and what to bring.

HERE is my advice on what to do, and what not to do, while selling your books at those tables.

To learn more about what events I’m doing this year, click HERE (the page will be updated throughout the year as events are added and confirmed). That list will give you a good idea of the range of events that maybe you could find, too.

So get out there. Engage your readers. Build your fan base. There are people who crave what you write, you just need to find them first.

 

 

Cheers and happy reading!

Author Questions: What Made You Start Writing?

 This is an ongoing series of “questions every author avoids answering” (based on this video by Dale L. Roberts) and my answers to them. I recommend every author ask themselves these same questions to better understand themselves and their art.

Question:

What made you start writing?

The quick answer:

An insatiable desire to be creative and lose myself in other worlds.

 

The long answer:

For the most part, I both read and write to escape the real world. This is why speculative fiction is my thing, for what I read and what I write: primarily fantasy, science fiction, and horror.

It has always been this way for me. I remember, as early as ten years old, reading books in those genres that were meant for adults. Authors such as Michael Moorcock, Stephen King, Stephen R. Donaldson, and J.R.R. Tolkien, took me far beyond the childhood books I had been reading and launched me into new worlds.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I read books for my age range, too. For instance, I consumed all of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, The Phantom Tollbooth, A Wrinkle In Time, and so many others. Scholastic book sales at school were super exciting to me. But it was the adult books that really set my imagination on fire.

Around the same age, my mother introduced me to Dungeons & Dragons (thanks, Mom!). It was the first edition basic box set. I promptly found other kids to play it with. Thus began a lifelong love of roleplaying games. Soon I found myself with a group of kids and doing dungeonmastering. Over the course of my junior high and high school years I developed the world of Irikara, which now serves as the world I set my fantasy stories in. It’s a vast world, with so much complexity that sometimes it feels more real to me than the real world we live in.

The need to escape from the real world is a driving factor for so many readers of speculative fiction. I know I’m not alone in that.

There are two very moving anecdotes I want to share, along these lines:

A few years ago, I was contacted by a young man who was an online acquaintance of mine. He said that he read my scifi space opera novel, The First Nova I See Tonight, and it changed his life. I was really surprised by this. To me, it’s just a fun and sexy romp through space with lots of action. I asked him why he felt this, and his response moved me to tears. His girlfriend had died, and he had a hard time dealing with life and coming to grips with it. He said that my book had helped him escape the pain, at least for a while, until he could get back on his feet. This was a real eye-opener for me, and I thanked him for telling me.

Then, last year, another young acquaintance of mine came forward. I had previously given him my book of poetry, Guide Me, O River. Then his best friend was murdered in a horrific manner. He said that reading my poems helped him get through that hard time. Again, I was very moved by this.

These anecdotes serve as a reminder to me that the power of the written word can move mountains. Our lives are complex and often difficult. Reading speculative fiction can help you escape those real world issues, at least for a little while.

 

Cheers and happy writing!

A Recap Of My Writing Journey In 2025

 

Thank you!

As we put a close to 2025 and welcome the new year, I first want to thank all of you, my most loyal readers, for supporting me. You are the breath beneath my wings, my muse, the ink in my pen. Thank you.

2025 was a busy year!
Back in January, I finished the first draft of The Parable of Sam, a "biblical horror" novel (as my publisher, GladEye Press, is calling the genre). It will be released in the fall of 2026 with the full works: a release party, bookstore tour, press releases, and ARC readers (people who will read a pdf copy before the book is released, for free, with the promise to post a review on Amazon and Goodreads after it releases). Would any of you like to be ARC readers? If so, let me know and I'll sign you up!

Lately I've written some new short stories, and I've started book 3 of my fantasy series, the Heartstone Series. The working title is Lord of Silk and Steel. I'm so excited to work on this series again, and I know many of you have been clamoring for it.

This year also saw a huge ramp-up of my in-person author table sales at events: street fairs, festivals, book fairs, and bookstore events. I even purchased a camper van so I could extend my range for these events across Washington and Oregon! This year I had a whopping 21 events over 41 days for around 319 hours! I drove over 6300 miles for these events, too. Time well spent! The longest was an 8-day stretch at the Oregon State Fair. I LOVE these events, as I get to meet readers face-to-face, get them excited about my books, and sell my books to them. I met many of you at these events, in fact! I would gladly do more, if I could. I sold 516 books at these events. So many new readers. Yay! Stay tuned for events coming up in 2026.

I've also started advertising my author services (services for other authors or would-be authors), including helping them with the conception stage, formatting books for self-publication, book cover design, Amazon ad generation, writing book blurbs, creating Amazon author pages, and more. To date I've helped four authors with these things. Most recently I helped Corvallis author Judy York with formatting her first book for Kindle and print (including her original essays, color paintings, and poetry), creating covers for each version, creating an Amazon author page for her, and uploading the books with meta data. Her book is now live and selling. Are you an author or aspiring author who could use my services? If so, let me know. Here's information for my services from my webpage, and here's my Fiverr account if you'd rather book me there.

And I continue doing other things that professional authors like myself need to do, such as writing these newsletters, blogging, attending and critiquing for my writer's group, attending workshops, dealing with marketing and ads, doing readings, editing and revising, and the endless need to attend to my many social media pages. I even had a book club that I did for a while. And, of course, I need to find time to read other people's books (as Stephen King has said, "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.").

Though I got laid off from my dayjob as a scientist back at the end of July, and haven't yet secured a new job, it has given me time to focus on all of these author activities. I'm thankful for that. But it doesn't pay all the bill (yet). Some day! So I'm looking for a new job right now and trying to make ends meet. I'm thankful that all of you are supporters!

Have a very prosperous new year, and happy reading!

Footman of the Ether is Now For Sale!

 

I'm overjoyed to report that, at long last, Footman of the Ether is now for sale: the explosive fantasy novel is the sequel to Dragon of the Federation, and book two of the Heartstone series!

Available direct from GladEye Press, Amazon, or any other bookseller!

Who can fathom the motives of a demon?

Azartial, demon-dragon, is meddling in the affairs of men. Disguised as a human mage, he conspires with a mysterious cult and the Emerald Dragon to destroy an entire town and its institute of magic. When Torra Com Gidel, a young mage with untapped potential, comes to investigate the destruction of her hometown, the demon seems to side with her and her companions.

Drawn to the energies of the renegade magic used todestroy the town, the Gold Dragon, Ingal Jehai, suspects the sinister Triumvirate Gods are at the root of it. Complicating matters, a cruel general from the Southlands also seeks a powerful artifact that can restore his family to the imperial throne. Azartial schemes to draw them all together.

But to what end?

Cheers and happy reading!

I Want To Write Full Time

I have a day job, but like so many other writers, I dream of one day writing full time and making enough to make a living at it.

It’s a dream shared by so many other creative people out there: artists, musicians, dancers, poets. Our creativity is part of our core being. As we go about our daily drudgery, our minds often go to our work in progress (WIP) or our next big idea.

Don’t get me wrong. I actually enjoy my day job and the people I work with. I earned two higher degrees for it. And after that, I’ve worked hard at my career as a scientist for almost three decades since then, through hard times and good times. I now make enough to live reasonably well. I’m not hurting.

And yet, writing is in my blood. Every still moment, my mind goes back to my books. Coming up with the next plot point while waiting in the doctor’s office. Visualizing the action during a break at work. Hearing the dialogue as I make some tea. Thinking up ideas while in the shower. All day long, I feel an irresistible urge to be back at my writing desk to bring it all to life on the page.

But I have to bring in the money. I can’t make enough of a living on my writing yet to even live modestly. Not yet. I still have a family to pay for. Too many bills to pay.

After self-publishing four books on Amazon, I’ve recently signed with a small press, GladEye Press. They will cover the editing costs, cover image art, and maybe a bit of marketing, so that I can focus on the writing part and not have to shell out money ahead of time. They will also help get my print books distributed to brick and mortar bookstores. They take a massive chunk of my royalties for these services, but if distribution is significantly higher than what I was currently selling, it’ll pay for itself and more, and we both profit. They are in the process of republishing each of my books with their brand, and this spring will publish my fifth book, Footman of the Ether (a sequel to my fantasy novel, Dragon of the Federation).

Related blog post: Before signing with GladEye, here’s why I self-published.

There was a time, up to a couple generations ago, when it was expected that an author would only publish one book a year, and it was enough to make a living on. Publishers would actually limit authors to only one book a year (this is why Stephen King took the pen name of Richard Bachman, in fact, so that he could publish more often). Now, the expectation is at least three a year, and the author has to do much of the publicity themselves (unless you are big name, of course). If you don’t already have a huge following on all the social media channels to do that, agents and publishers won’t give you the time of day, much less actually pay attention to your query letters or read your submitted work. Trust me. I spent more than a decade playing that game before I self-published. I feel lucky to get accepted by GladEye Press, frankly. If you still want to self-publish, you’re going to have to publish a dozen books, do everything yourself (or pay for others to do them for you), and have side gigs (such as editing or tutoring) before you can maybe earn enough.

I don’t say this to dissuade anyone from hoping for one day being a full time writer, even if self-published. There are lots of writers who have make it. I’m just being realistic. Like entering any other career, you always start at the bottom and have to overcome obstacles, train hard, and work even harder. Just don’t expect to live like a (Stephen) king!

As for me, I have a plan. It may be too ambitious, I admit. But in three years, my financial responsibilities will lighten. Then, if all goes well, I’ll quit my day job, sell my house and most of my belongings, and move to a cheaper area to live in. I’ll live a more modest lifestyle, too. By then I should have at least 3-5 more books published, bringing in royalties. Maybe … just maybe … I’ll be able to make enough to live a modest lifestyle with a roof over my head and enough food on the table.

Is it a pipe dream? We’ll see. But I’m clinging to it with one hand and a pen with the other.

Is it your dream too? Let’s help each other make it happen.

Cheers and happy reading.

COVER REVEAL: My New Poetry Book, GUIDE ME, O RIVER

Big news! On January 2, I'll be releasing a new book of poetry! 

As you know, my first love is writing speculative fiction, including my published scifi, fantasy, and horror books. But now I can add another genre.

GUIDE ME, O RIVER is a collection of the various poems I've written over the first half of my life. There are poems of love gained and love lost, poems on the travails of a father trying to work hard at a white collar job while holding down a house and raising children, and poems about a love of nature and longing to be back in the forest. 

The Kindle version is available for pre-order now. Go here to order yours: mybook.to/GuideMe

A paperback version will also be available on the release date.

Even though releasing immediately after Christmas is about the dumbest thing you can do for sales, the date of January 2 is very significant to me. This was my grandmother's birthday. But she wasn't just beloved as my grandmother. Verna Lee Hinegardner was poet laureate of Arkansas. She released numerous books of poetry in her lifetime, wrote a regular poetry column in the local newspaper, served many different roles in poetry societies, and won lots of awards, including being inducted into the Arkansas Writers' Hall of Fame. She even invented a poetry form, called the "Minute." Most of all, she loved encouraging children to write poetry and express themselves in writing... including me. I can't think of a better way to honor her.

I also need reviewers and ARC readers. If you're interested, please let me know!

Check out the cover below:

Cheers and happy reading!

Dragon of the Federation COVER REVEAL and Promo!

Exciting news! I'm releasing my third book. This one is a fantasy, and the first in a series, the Heartstone series.

DRAGON OF THE FEDERATION

How far would you push yourself to save the world?

Ingal Jehai is an ancient Gold Dragon who rules over the White Lands Federation, but at over two thousand years old, his age wears on him. A young but powerful female mage, Torra Com Gidel, ventures to Ingal’s palace to deliver a dire warning from wrathful gods, pushing the limits of her courage. When an elvish prince is assassinated in Ingal’s court, the dragon and the mage team up to investigate. As war brews between three nations, the pair uncovers a vast conspiracy by the elves to let loose domineering gods upon the land, aided by the ruthless Iron Dragon, a vicious elvish warrior-cleric, and powerful renegade spells. If Ingal and Torra fail to stop the scheme, the world of Irikara –  and its wild magic— will be forever lost.

Available for PRE-ORDER NOW for only $0.99 until it releases on October 1.

Cheers and happy reading!

Listen to an excerpt of Into the Ruined Lands

Recently I published a fantasy short story entitled "Into the Ruined Lands," on Amazon.  In the story, two teen girls go on an adventure in the dangerous volcanic Ruined Lands to find a healing herb, which will be given to the mysterious Old Mother Aya to make a healing potion and save the life of one of their younger sisters.

But the Ruined Lands are extremely dangerous, risking their lives to dangerous beasts, volcanic eruptions, or harsh geography. And girls are forbidden to go on such adventures. They risk the ire of their fathers and the condemnation of their culture.

Once again, Overwrite Podcast has generously agreed to read an excerpt. Click below to listen to this exciting moment in the story.




Did that get your interest? If so, click HERE to download the short story for just $.99.

Overwrite Podcast has read two other excerpts of my stories in the recent past. One (HERE) was from my fantasy book in-progress, Footman of the Ether, highlighting a magical animal called a "guise cat." The other (HERE) was an excerpt of the big action scene from my story "Rabbit Cry," where a woman is running from a murderous teen who has aroused supernatural forces, from my published book of paranormal stories, Around the Corner from Sanity.

Cheers and happy reading!

OFFICIAL RELEASE of Into the Ruined Lands - a fantasy short story

Yay! Another release!

INTO THE RUINED LANDS is a short story (really a novelette), just for Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. It is the first in a series of stories, set in the world of Irikara. Others will be published very soon.

Into the Ruined Lands tells the story of two girls, Talay and Shaali, who live in an patriarchal society that frowns on girls being self-assertive or adventurous. But Shaali's younger sister has a wasting disease, and treatments by clerics have done nothing.

So the girls turned to the mysterious Old Mother Aya, who is rumored to be a witch. The crone instructs the girls to go on a quest to the Ruined Lands, a volcanic wasteland to the west, to pick a flowering plant called sulfur wort -- a necessary ingredient for a healing potion.

But the Ruined Lands are dangerous, even for seasoned warriors, with volcanoes, volcanic gases, desert-like conditions, and horrifying beasts. Will the girls survive? And if they do, what punishment awaits them at home?

Read it HERE!

Cheers and happy reading!

OFFICIAL RELEASE of How Cold the Steel Hand - a robot story

I've just published a science fiction short story, and it's awesome.

Does technology make you feel more connected?
Are you sure?

HOW COLD THE STEEL HAND examines the juxtaposition of technology in how it can bring us together and yet give us a false sense of personal connection.

"Wow! Just...wow! What an incredible heartwarming and heart-wrenching story that is set in the future...! A short, but amazing read!" - Quoth the Writer Book Reviews & More @qtwreviews

Read it HERE.

In the not-so-distant future of this short story, telepresence droids, or "teledroids," are used in homes to interact with others, in battle as surrogate soldiers, or to visit far away locales. Gary Feltman is a young surgical specialist working from his compudesk in Chicago, performing surgeries via teledroid on patients across the globe. His important work and medical studies require constant focus and pull his attention away from family. Yet while he is connecting to others and saving their lives, the very same technology is shunned by his beloved Uncle Wallis, who lies dying from a cancer that Gary could have cured with his techniques. What would drive his uncle to make such a choice?

And in a world where technology is supposed to bring us together, why can't Gary seem to connect?

The cover image is from a local Eugene artist and roboticist, Gray Eldritch. 

Cheers and happy reading!

A great interview of me by Worldhoppers' Guild

Worldhopper's Guild is a great site for learning about up-and-coming authors, and I'm please that they recently featured me and my recently-released horror story collection, AROUND THE CORNER FROM SANITY.

As part of that feature, they also did an interview of me. Learn:

• How my dayjob as a scientist affects my fiction writing
• What quirks I have for getting in the writing mode
• Where I find my inspiration
• How my readers can best engage with my writing
• More!

Read the interview HERE.

(RELATED: For prior interviews of me, see HERE and HERE.)

Cheers and happy reading!

Overwrite Podcast narrated an excerpt of my horror story, "Rabbit Cry"

As Halloween nears, the Overwrite Podcast is featuring spooky stories, and they chose my Around the Corner from Sanity, which is available from Amazon in paperback or Kindle, HERE. story, "Rabbit Cry," from my recently-released collection,

Overwrite features excerpts from a variety of different authors and genres, and has a contest to do so. If you're a writer, I recommend you submit to them. Entries are free.

So I sent them excerpts from a couple stories, and, to my great pleasure, they chose this one.

Listen to it HERE.

Nothing like a scary horror podcast to build up to Halloween, right?

They do such an amazing job. Enjoy listening!

Cheers and happy reading!

OFFICIAL RELEASE of Around the Corner from Sanity

So I'm officially a published author of a book!

I'm happy to announce the publication of my horror / paranormal humor short fiction collection, Around the Corner from Sanity. 

Find it on Amazon, HERE:

Where does fear find you? Eerie entities from beyond our waking world are hardly limited to decrepit mansions or forlorn cemeteries. These fourteen tales of the paranormal will usher you into unexpected settings such as the homes of young couples, a corporate office, a Christmas gathering, a yard that needs raking, and more – places you'd least expect to find ghosts, demons, angels, or exotic gods stalking the living. Some tales will leave you laughing, such as "Purgatory's Price," in which recently deceased souls must play a game show to get into Heaven. Others conjure fear of the dark, like "Rabbit Cry," in which a young mother and her child are pitted against a murderous teen next door, arousing the attention of supernatural forces. Prepare yourself for a paranormal roller coaster that satisfies your cravings for both horror and humor by sending you around the corner from sanity.

Here's a review of the book:

"Kilgore is a master of dread. His stories build to a fever pitch with a satisfying (and often spooky) release. Kilgore's work holds the same intrigue and suspense of Edgar Allan Poe and W.W. Jacobs (of 'The Monkey's Paw' fame). Around the Corner from Sanity is a great book to read next to the fire - with all the lights on." - Jon Dobbin, author of The Starving

I can't be more overjoyed than I am at this moment!

Here is the write-up on Goodreads.

Currently it's just the eBook, but after a bit of formatting, I'll also be offering a paperback for it, hopefully this week.

I hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Cheers and happy reading!

Podcast highlighting the "guise cat" in my fantasy novel Footman of the Ether.

The other day I was contacted on Twitter by the Overwrite Podcast, which features podcasts about writers and has a weekly submission contest. The podcasts are very well-done, entertaining, and are short, so it doesn't take up a lot of time.

In particular, Overwrite was looking for excerpts or information about "fantasy animals" by writers. I mentioned that I had such an animal in the fantasy novel I am currently writing, Footman of the Ether (which is a sequel to White Lands Dragon, that I am currently querying with agents).

The animal in question is a "guise cat" named Yaggu, who is the "familiar" of one of the mages in the book. Guise cats (also known as "ghost lynxes" are animals in the northern lands that are like lynxes or bobcats but have hair that can shift colors and patterns to match its surroundings, like a chameleon.

(photo source)

Leading up to the excerpt, the protagonist, a female mage named Torra Com Gidel, is having trouble sleeping after she and her fellow mages discovered that her home town and its magical institute have been destroyed by a powerful renegade spell cast by the Emerald Dragon. After nightmares, she goes outside and encounters her fellow mage, Master Annorov Donovan, and his guise cat familiar, Yaggu....


Listen to the podcast HERE.


She narrated the voice of Master Donovan with a Russian accent, which is how I hear him in my head.

The book is only about 60% done, so consider this a "sneak peek".

If you are a writer and would like to submit something for the Overwrite podcast as well, go HERE.

Cheers and happy reading!

"The Day I Shrunk!!"

Yesterday I was going through a scrapbook that my mom put together of memorabilia of my childhood. Good ol' Mom!

And there, on the 17th page of the scrapbook, I beheld what might very well have been my first real fiction story. Science fiction, no less.

Page 1 of "The Day I Shrunk!!"

It is entitled "The Day I Shrunk!!" I wrote it at age 9.

Written in pencil and cursive (really??), it spans three pages, and each page is labeled as a different chapter.

This sci fi tale of daring relates the exploits of a "science produkter" (a scientist?) named John "looking at science products" in a lab with other scientists. Then one day, when he "put some kind of pink stuff in a glass of hot water," a pink cloud suddenly formed over his head and started "raining some kind of crestal". The crystals made him shrink until he was only an inch high.

For some reason a hungry cat named Nibbles was in the lab and chased poor John into a tin can, which was apparently open and on the floor of the lab. After the cat fell asleep, John sneaked out, then ate some food crumbs, then hitched a ride in someone's pocket. But he got stuck in the pocket strings, was carried out of the lab, and had to cut himself free with his trusty pocketknife.

John managed to find his way back to the lab and found a "potion" on the floor. "Since he was a scientist he drank it and grew back to his own size." The End (I wrote with a fluorish).

The really remarkable thing about this story is that I DID eventually grow up to be a scientist making products in a lab (I've made a career as a cell biologist and microscopist and have worked for 20 years in biotech inventing and developing reagents used by scientists all over the world and helping them use them). Sadly, I've never invented a shrinking formula. Based on this story, I'd say that's probably a good thing!

Writers: what's the first story you remember writing? Please leave a comment!

Cheers and happy reading!

Check Out My Interview

I was recently interviewed by a fellow fantasy writer, Marissa Byfield, on my Heartstone series, White Lands Dragon (completed) and its sequel (in-process), Footman of the Ether. She posted my answers on her blog, as part of her "Author Coffee Break" series of posts.  Please check it out HERE.

I recommend you visit and read the whole interview, but here's the first couple of question-and-answers to whet your appetite:

M: What distinguishes your epic high fantasy series — featuring dragons, elves, and gods — apart from others? 

J: I think the point of view makes a big difference, as it shapes how the stories are told. Ever read a book written from the point of view of the dragon? A demon? A strong female mage? Or a sadistic villain? White Lands Dragon is told from two of these, and its sequel, Footman of the Ether, is told from all four. But the point of view characters aren’t what define the Heartstone series, they just color it. I pride myself on not relying on constant action to build the story. The action punctuates the plot and keeps the wheels turning, but those wheels take the reader down a road of discovery, realizing that they are part of a narrative where the characters are caught in the middle of a celestial war, fought by gods over eons, for control of the world of Irikara, and wind up playing a part in it. 

M: I’ve always loved books about dragons — especially those from the dragons’ perspectives, or with shapeshifting dragons (like one of your characters, Darilos Velar). What fascinates you about dragons in particular? 

J: Did you know the emperor of China was the only person allowed to wear images of dragons? He was considered the “son of dragons.” Wherever dragons were part of the native mythology, all over the world, they were seen as symbols of power, luck, or danger, never to be trifled with, called upon for powerful magic, and only defeated after massive battles with gods, heroes, or saints. 

The Kilgore coat of arms.

Thus I have called upon them in this new mythology. And though the dragons of Irikara have great strength and magical ability, destroying entire cities and citadels with potent renegade magic and on a first-name basis with gods, I have also made them accessible to the reader. You get to know them. What are their insecurities? How do they relate with each other and the humans they travel with? With multi-generational memories that can span longer than the lifetimes of entire civilizations, how can they relate to the present? Writing from that point of view is more entertaining to me than anything else I can think of. I should also add that a black dragon is even on the Kilgore coat of arms. So dragons are literally part of my family identity. 

Read the rest HERE.

Marissa Byfield will soon have her first novel published, The Soft Fall. Read more about it HERE and in the first "Author Coffee Break" post, HERE.

Cheers and happy reading!