This isn’t even mine, but my husband’s photograph. He was out on his ebike 30 minutes away from us. But his enjoyment is my enjoyment. Pretty fabulous to crest a trail and see this.
I so enjoy pet sitting for Mack and Elway. Wouldn’t you? We had a lovely week together though I missed my own two fur faces.
While pet sitting, I got out for a girlfriends day. Always nice since I’m staying in Midtown where there’s lots of fabulous eateries. We went for gyros. Tori brought me gifts. She loves getting me Kodiak/Grizzly bear cards because she’s in love with Andras Johns, my alpha shifter in The Starlight Chronicles, and aren’t the mug and stickers awesome!
More fun things from my hubby this month. He found this coffee table book for a steal on eBay where he also sells knives. Doesn’t this knife scream Mando! Think Beskar and blue triangles.
Last but not least, I’m digging on my May WIP! This novel has been in the works for a couple of years and my current focus. Toxic Friends Can be a Good Thing is a YA Urban Fantasy. Shifters, ninja brothers, hidden places beneath Long Beach, CA, an unhoused teen girl, and her stray Aussie Shepherd companion are a few of the elements.
Stay tuned!
Thanks for catching up with me!
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May in the high desert is a crap shoot. Will it be hot? Will it be cold? Will there be snow on the mountain top? Will a freeze crush all the blooming plants? Will I need my allergy medicine? This May, all of that is happening and more.
I love my home environment for that very reason. You never know what kind of day it will be when you wake up. Roll the dice and get any combination of the above-mentioned scenarios in one day! That’s exciting in my book. If I take a walk in the morning, I might need a jacket and will see my breath in front of my face. If I walk at noon, I’ll need a hat and sunglasses to guard against the hot sun while I inhale all the wonderful-smelling natural blooms. If I walk in the afternoon, the high winds will push me and the huge puffy clouds along for the ride, and I’m back in my jacket.
The high today was 58, the low 36–Fahrenheit. But the sun is oh so warm… until the wind blows. We had snow last weekend. No one in my 5,000-foot elevation valley plants anything until June.
Views from my place
May brings other things to enjoy besides the mercurial weather. It’s MerMay for one. I love checking out the creative output during MerMay and have been doing so for the last five years, ever since I got embroiled in my mixed media phase of life. It’s primarily about sketching and art, but we writers get inspired too.
At the end of the month, I’m participating with five indie authors in a MerMay Selkie Take Over giveaway. You can follow me on Instagram if you would like to participate. We’ll be posting the event instructions and the drawing results. There’s more about the event and selkies in my May newsletter going out soon.
What’s MerMay you ask? A Disney creator back in 2016 posted an illustration of two mermaids chatting on their “shell phones” and the craze was born. Every May, artists follow daily prompts to draw something mermaid-inspired throughout the month. Check out MerMay.com and this NPR piece for the scoop.
Here is my MerMay gift to you. It’s humble, I know, but she’s sort of cute. She was inspired by a class at Willowing.org and has lived in an art journals for a while now. I recently ran her through a couple digital backgrounds (side images. I know… duh) to explore color alternatives.
My other big happening coming up is a pet sitting gig. I don’t pet sit for just anyone. Okay, so I only have one client–because I adore her dogs–and it’s like going on vacation–and when they do what they do the cutest, which is sleep side by side, it even becomes a writing retreat.
Meet Bully brothers Mack and Elway. They’re actually quite active a good portion of the day, but I love listening to them snore. Can’t you hear it?
It is such a pleasure meeting new authors on my Spotlight and a special treat when they come back for another chat to catch up on the latest happenings and explore new topics.
So, Let’s Meet My April Guest
E.B. Hunter lives in a remote town in Northern Alberta, Canada with his wife and daughter. He spends his days working, and his nights crafting stories to entertain himself through the long, harsh winters. He hopes these stories portray people as they are, flawed humans capable of great and terrible things, and you can see yourself within his body of works. He strives for representation in his storytelling, and believes that everyone’s story is worth being told. If he ever stops writing, there are strict instructions for him to be put out of his misery. You can find his short stories in anthologies with Dragon Soul Press, and Starlite Pulp, as well as on Vocal Media.
Let’s Get Started
Thanks so much for stopping by, Eric! I’ve been eager to check in this year and talk to you about some of your latest works. I just finished the rest of your stories in Tales From Beyond the Veil and had so much fun being surprised by that last story! I want to gush about it, but I don’t want to let slip any spoilers. Also, I just ordered my copy of Starlight Pulp Review #2. Those covers are the bomb! And I can’t wait to read the stories, especially yours.
I was super impressed with Starlite Pulp’s website and its vibe. Let’s start by asking you about the story you submitted for Review #2 and your submission experience with the publisher and then we’ll delve into Tales From Beyond the Veil and talk about horror.
E.B. Danny Galieote’s artwork is superb! I am a big fan of his femme fatale series. Fun fact: the title of the review #2 piece is Damn, I Broke a Nail.
I have submitted a few times with Starlite Pulp, and it has always been a good experience. They are responsive and get back to you when they say they are going to. They work hard to cultivate not just good stories, but ones that carry a unique voice. I had a story sent in for #3 that didn’t make the cut, and I don’t even feel bad about it because I know they have a very specific vision for all their collections. They do charge to submit, but like they say on the site, there is a LOT of work that goes into putting these out, and the people doing the work deserve to get paid for it.
The story I have in Review #2 is an urban fantasy called Luck that sees Peter Halliday caught in between two vengeful Irish deities and an ancient game. I think it is one of my best short stories, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of it.
D.L. Ooh. Thanks for sharing the name of the cover art piece! Fabulous! And for sharing the artist’s Instagram. And yes, I agree that the nominal submission fee is very well spent. I had a blast reading Luck. Loved the ending because my mind went all over the place thinking of what I might do in Peter Halliday’s place.
My favorite partial line…
… I said, heading for the maroon Porsche that screamed ‘my owner wears turtlenecks.’
That totally landed on so many levels. Congratulations on being part of this great collection.
Here’s a shot of my book mail. I must say it was a very pleasant shopping experience.
I like how your Instagram vibe is noir, including the classic movie graphics you’ve been sharing on your posts. Can you talk a bit about that noir influence on your creativity?
E. B. When I first started writing, a friend of mine described my writing as ‘punchy’. I didn’t know exactly what that meant, but soon found out she was right! I like to keep things tight. Short, concise sentences like a shotgun slug that packs a wallop. I ended up reading the entire works of Raymond Chandler, then moved on to Dashiell Hammet. Starlite Pulp definitely got me more interested, and I really liked the vibe of the old gumshoe stories. I think the biggest influence on my writing style was seeing these masters of similes deliver such impactful dialogue with such punchy timing. I try to do that with my work, and hopefully succeed. My favorite line from Chandler has a woman tell Phillip Marlowe, ‘geez, you’re awfully tall.’ to which Marlowe replies, ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be.’ I just love stuff like that, and the old crime books are chock full of it.
D. L. I think you’ve found your voice, and that punchy style resonates with me for sure. I so appreciate getting the story behind the influence.
You recently published your first book under your own publishing banner, Heorot Press. It’s a collection of horror stories where each protagonist has an encounter of the supernatural kind.
Here are a few of my favorite lines as examples of the mood and setting your stories evoke.
Moth at the Window
“It’s stupid. To look into something like an attic and feel like death is staring back at you.” ~ Tiff
“A broken record is the worst noise in the world, other than maybe nails on a chalkboard.” ~ Tiff
As You Wish
“The reverberation of his neck breaking rumbled up my arms and across my back, making my stomach flip-flop.” ~ Amir
What Lies Beneath
“I’m glad that I was unable to sleep, or didn’t seem to be anyway (for all I know, it was all sleep though my eyes felt open). I was thankful for the stillness and the calm that came with knowing that nothing would happen in that place. I don’t know how I knew that, but it seemed true while I was there. But now I’m no longer there, and calm is a memory.” ~ Lawrence
Wow! I’m thinking our readers know what I’m talking about here. I enjoyed how each story had its own voice. Each protagonist was completely unique and anchored the reader immediately to what was happening. Thus anchored, each story moved along at a satisfyingly brisk pace, either with pure horror driving it, a gritty noir setting immersing the character (which I adore), or the soul-searching dread of fate moving inexorably towards them like a freight train.
If I had to pick, I think What Lies Beneath is my favorite. Lawrence was a compelling character, relatable in many ways, perfectly illustrating our human weaknesses and the consequences of giving in to them. Also, following him on his journey was probably the most terrifying read for me. And in Moth at the Window, my second favorite, I’m glad about Larry the Terrier, though I won’t say more. 🙂
I’ve read about half of these stories in earlier formats, so I know many of them have been around for a while. I’m enamored with how they all came together in this volume and curious about your process.
So, my questions… Did you plan early on to link them through a supernatural theme and publish them together? When did you construct that last story in the scheme of things? And tell us about Heorot Press and how that came about.
E.B. Ahh! So many good quotes! I love how things like that creep up on you after you haven’t read them in a while.
It all started when I felt like I needed a break from my third person narrative I was doing for my novel. I wrote a horror story called Graveyard Shift, and people seemed to like it, so I wrote three more. Once I had three stories together, it gave me the idea for the eighth and final story. All I had to do was keep writing! I did Moth at the Window and What Lies Beneath, then finished with the eighth story. I really wanted each of them to have a unique feel to the character and capture who they were.
For Heorot Press, I decided to create a banner for the book to be released under. I felt like I wanted something a bit eldritch, and a bit fantasy as well. I chose the name Heorot, which is the name of King Hrothgar’s lodge in Beowulf. It is an old English word that translates to stag, so the logo came easily enough for it as well!
D.L. This is great stuff! So fun to dip into your process a bit and to learn the story behind your publishing mark, which I really like btw. It’s a great idea to have one, and I’m thrilled to see an example.
What is it about the horror genre that appeals to you most? What elements are typically involved in a good horror story, and which of those do you focus on most as a writer? Can you give us an idea about the tools a writer needs to tackle the genre and tap into terror and fear?
E.B. I think the biggest thing to be aware of is your own fears. I don’t try to make a scary story when I’m writing horror. I write about human nature and lean on primal instincts to evoke that fear. In any horror movie, as soon as you see the creature, the jig is up and it isn’t scary anymore. I think showing your hand too soon is never good, so like with most storytelling, timing is key. So far as the tools you need in your toolbox, I think reading Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ is step number one. After that, just make sure to write about what makes your skin crawl.
You write fantasy as well. I enjoyed beta reading your fantasy novel in progress, which I might classify as dark fantasy. To me, your author’s voice in horror and fantasy is distinct. In your horror stories, there is often a gritty (think shadows and rain trickling down windows and splashing on pavement) noir atmosphere, though I did detect some of that in certain scenes in your novel. Are dark fantasy and horror interchangeable for you? What are your aims for each? Feel free to take the opportunity to talk more about your novel here. We would love the scoop!
E. B. I think genre is really subjective, so it is hard for me to pin anything down to one category. I really love urban fantasy. The thing with that is, when you introduce any fantasy creature into a modern urban setting, it doesn’t take long to become Horror. Just look at the TV series Supernatural. There are ghosts and demons, but the episodes with Gods pulling out fingernails and people sacrificing their granddaughters for bumper apple crops are the ones that are really good. I can’t get enough of the supernatural, and I will take it in most any form I can get it! So far as my aims, I just want to write what I love. I’m currently working on what I am calling an Occult Western that sees Brant Garret working with an astral plane being to avenge his lost family. I do plan to continue with my urban dark fantasy series once I find representation though!
D. L. Thank you for sharing what inspires you (including fingernail torture 😄) and what you’re working on! I’m with you on the supernatural subject matter. There is so much in the way of mythology, legends (including the modern urban variety), history, and ancient texts to draw from for the speculative fiction writer.
I believe you’ve written a romance as well. And I love the diversity of your protagonists and how their individuality comes through. Do you enjoy and are you exploring other genres besides the ones mentioned? And out of so many amazing characters, do you have a favorite that resonates the most?
E. B. I did write and get published a sci-fi romance short story! It is called Pink Lights and is about the last surviving human refugee on a starship far away. He fights with feelings of his lost planet and wife while coming to terms with the new love he has found in the heavens. It is definitely a NSFW kind of read, and it was a lot of fun writing it!
I really do enjoy genre-hopping, and it is all dependent on what I am in the mood for. I think to really get a good view of the human experience, no viewpoint should be left unexplored.
I don’t really have any one character that resonates with me the most. I think if I needed to choose, I would say Alex from my story Graveyard Shift has a lot of me in him.
D. L. Pink Lights… awesome! (Click on the cover to find Eric’s sci-fi romance in Dragon Soul Press’ Union anthology) For links to this volume and Eric’s other publications, check out his website.
Thanks for addressing the favorite character question again, Eric. I know I’ve asked before, and it’s fun to see that Alex is still your favorite!
Can you share more about your works in progress and what we can expect to see next?
E. B. I am in a bit of a lull at the moment as I await the birth of my second daughter. I have described this experience as waiting at an airport, but I don’t know when the flight is leaving. It is exciting, but the waiting makes it hard to want to jump into anything with fervor.
I am currently focusing on my Occult Western called Revenge, as mentioned above. Once the first draft for this is completed I plan to throw my shoulder into finding an agent for Into the Grey, my dark urban fantasy about a secret organization that keeps parallel earth demons from taking over our world. I also have the short stories from the FSF Alliance to keep me busy as well as the occasional poem when the mood strikes. I like to work on a lot of things at once!
D. L. Well, I can’t wait to see both in print, Eric. And I’m up for another beta read! All the best on the projects!
We’re both members of the Fantasy Sci-Fi Writers Alliance, you being one of the founders and me being an early member. So, I’ve watched it grow and am blown away these days by all the new members and support. There are lots of fun events, including Instagram follow trains. But I wanted to highlight how well thought out the short story competitions are and how they’ve inspired some fantastic stories.
ScreenshotScreenshot
The group published its first anthology Versus. The whole process was impressive, from the competition to the editing and compiling–to the cover art and marketing. Congratulations to the volunteers and writers and kudos for all their hard work!
Can you tell us more about the Alliance?
E. B. Absolutely! It was started because it can be a really lonely place, being a writer. A lot of people have a hard time finding feedback or support for their work in the early stages, and I think it can be really demoralizing when you don’t have that community. We wanted to create a community that could be that support, and it took off from there! The anthology was really born from that. We wanted to have a contest for the people who are looking to get some recognition for their work, and I think the anthology is a great way to support the members.
D. L. Well, the prompts are fantastic. The current one I believe is a mashup of Punk meets Fae. I love it! And the graphic is really inspiring. I hope there are lots of fabulous submissions.
Check out the submission page and reach out to Eric or sign up here to become a member.
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy working, family, and writing life to chat, Eric. Congratulations on your growing family, and I look forward to your upcoming works. Do you have any parting words of advice for those who dream about embarking on their writing journey?
E. B. I will leave you with wise words from Colum McCann in his book Letters to a Young Writer, “if you want to be a writer, get your butt in the chair.” At the end of the day, we only have to conquer the blank page and keep honing our skills. To do that, you need to sit down and do it!
I write romance. I like to think it’s romance with heart and enough steam to compete with a hot mug of tea and keep those pages turning. So, I’m going to talk about what influenced me to march down this path. First, I was heavily influenced by all the fantastic romance authors of my day, Johanna Lindsey(greatly missed), Jude Deveraux, and Julie Garwood to name a few.
We’re talking, sexy, Fabianesque, badass, cinnamon roll heroes whether wearing tartan, business suits, or armor and engaging in all the exciting tropes of today, and maybe a few forgotten ones of yesterday–and the strong women who cleverly persuaded them to change their ways.
Remember the movie Romancing the Stone–the opening scene when Joan Wilder bawls like a baby and can’t find anything in the apartment to blow her nose after she finishes her novel? I wanted to experience that… and crying after writing an emotional scene or ending is real folks. Awesome!
In my youth, my favorite place to get lost in a good romance novel was climbing my way around to a remote ledge along the Pacific Ocean at places like Salt Point or Timber Cove. My parents were scuba divers and they’d be out all day freezing in their wetsuits while I cozied up in a rocky alcove with a bottle of pop and a bag of sunflower seeds, the ocean spread out before me and the surf crashing below my dangling feet. Often, whole families of seals would be lounging near my spot, and a grey whale would spout so close I could see the barnacles on its back. If I wanted to cry at the end, no one could hear me. It was heaven.
Salt Point State Park, California
But my stories must also be steeped in fantasy and paranormal lore. This brings me to the other side of my romance coin–the influence that came from my obsession with muscle-bound barbarians in the delightful, violent, and sexy eighties movies… thank you Schwarzy for blazing the trail.
Conan The Barbarian, Conan The Destroyer, and Red Sonja taught me that fantasy can take you anywhere you want to go in a plot. Yes, they might have come with lots of cheese, but it’s all in the perspective. Great actors like Max Von Sydow and James Earl Jones elevated the cheesy pizza grade movie to a steak dinner in my book. Enjoy all three movie trailers in this YouTube video.
Do you remember the other lesser enduring flicks like the one starring another of my favorite eighties hunks, Mark Singer, in The Beastmaster? I’m providing it below. Watch if you dare. 😉 I’d even consider my all time favorite fantasy flick, Willow, to be in the barbarian realm, and all the Highlander movies. Seems like where we had magic, we had to have barbarian hordes. This is the stuff of fantasy world building for me.
People think I’m crazy when I tell them I love being my age. But hey, it means that I got to spend decades steeped in all of the above while watching and being part of the exciting romantasy genre taking over the fiction landscape of today. Barbarians still have a role to play in romance and many of them have moved into space. I’m not surprised. It’s harder to imagine fierce horse cultures and warrior races clashing over territory across the vast steppes of the Earth we have today. So, why not fly off to unknown planets? That’s what I’m doing in a novel I have in the works, Caged Diamond.
Stay tuned for the story of MMA fighter Justina “Diamond” Jewel Blake who’s forced to fight for a planetary syndicate and the barbarian warrior she’s pitted against. You can follow me here and subscribe to my newsletter for updates.
I’ll leave you with a sci fi romance reading recommendation. A romance writer who brings to mind my old faves is Zoey Draven. Her Horde Kings of Dakkar series is a romping lot of fun and full of suspense. Here’s the first in the series.
I’ve been an indie author for three years now, and I’m here to say that publishing my own books has been the best way to go… for me. There are many pros and cons for going indie or trad. I encourage anyone to research both options as well as the various hybrid options as thoroughly as possible.
I’m a creator at heart and the control I have over every aspect of my product is necessary as a creative outlet as well as extremely satisfying and fun. That is not to say it isn’t a ton of work, but what better way to spend my time!
Check out these astonishing statistics at Wordsrated.com like the 300 million a year number in the title of this blog, or that the number of self-published books has increased by 264% in the last five years, and up to 34% of all books sold are self-published.
I started in a time when more amazing tools than ever are available to help authors publish on their own, and I’m extremely thankful for services like Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Draft2Digital, Reedsy, and BookBaby that offer so many resources for indie authors–many of them completely free.
The other fantastic resource for indie authors is us–our community and all the amazing collaboration opportunities. I’m taking part in one starting Friday, April 12, and running through April 15. The Indie Authors Spring Spectacular Event. Indie authors are amazing when it comes to supporting each other and you can be part of it. In addition to the volume of affordable reads for .99 or less, there will be fun giveaways and other events.
With all this said, nothing beats a reader’s review for spreading the word. That goes for all authors no matter how you publish. It always comes down to what our readers like and want. I’m an avid reader, so I can attest to that from a reader’s perspective as well. I’ve got my shopping list going. Happy reading!
“Write one. Read ten. Win thousands… The peer-powered short story competition where everyone receives oodles of feedback.”
Writing Battle
As a participant, I can attest to the oodles of feedback, which is one half of the backbone of this engaging community. The other half is Max and Teona. Last summer, I visited with the dynamic duo as they prepared to launch their revamped platform—and soon after—what was fun got funner! We’re checking in this month to see how it’s going. Here’s what one member had to say about Writing Battle.
“This is a growing community with a mix of experienced and curious writers. Sharing your work and feedback in the forums is invaluable.”
Matt Gamarra
In The Beginning
We learned during their visit in 2023 that software engineer Max Bjork wanted a chance to use his creativity in his working life. Like many of us back in 2020, the disruptions to our lives and routines wrought by the pandemic inspired big changes. As an amateur screenwriter, Max turned his creative aspirations to writing contest platforms, recognizing a need to offer more to participants like a robust and engaging community, easier navigation, and more ways to have fun during the contest. Max gave up his job, took over daytime parenting so Teona could get back to work after maternity leave as an EEG Technologist, and started creating. See our previous chat for the couple’s in-depth discussion on how Writing Battle (“WB”) got started.
The unique structure, engaging graphics, and shining personalities behind Writing Battle were an instant hit, and WB captured my attention from the first Instagram post.
Let’s Meet Writing Battle!
Thanks both of you for coming back for a chat in 2024! I’ve been dying to check in to see how things are going–in general–but especially since you launched the new design. What is your biggest highlight since July? And if you each have a take on that, we’d love to hear both perspectives!
Max: Thanks for having us back, Darci! I think it was the last interview we did with you that we announced a redesign of the site. Cool to do this again a year later and everything is in full swing with the new site. The biggest highlight I think is that this “product” (if you want to call it that) is feeling more and more complete. We’re really just refining at this point and that feels weird in a way since we spent years trying very different battle structures.
Teona: Things are great! We have come leaps and bounds when it comes to restoring some stability to our life when the battle gear comes off. There have been a lot of things that we have been able to put a happy little book-end on so that we can spend more focused time and energy on the business. A highlight for me would be the merch store–it is a part of Writing Battle that I helm and gives me more sense of connection to the community since I’m not a programmer and don’t have much to offer in terms of site features.
Darci: In other words, you both are totally in the groove. Awesome!
We talked about your phenomenal success last summer. There have been two Battles since then. Two of my peeps (a Canadian writing friend and my niece) signed up for the Fall Short Story Battle, which I participated in, and my niece participated in the Winter Flash Fiction event that just ended. So, if every member pulls in just one or two… yikes! This might be a good place to insert that WB’s slogan rocks! Write one. Read ten. Win thousands. Are we talking about exponential growth? What are the overall stats since last summer?
Max: Thank you for spreading the word about Writing Battle! You know, the slogan actually came from the community. If I recall correctly, Cristi Lynn, a previous winner from an early Screenwriting Battle suggested that slogan. She said it on the Forum and I immediately asked if I could use it. When we started these Battles we really thought that the reading part of the contest was going to be a chore. As it turns out, it’s everyone’s favourite part about the contest, so why not highlight the reading aspect.
Teona: Definitely seeing something along an exponential growth curve. It’s still amazing to us! It looks like we might 3X the Spring 2023 Battle. And, like you say, if one person pulls in one or two friends to join in the fun, it really just takes off from there.
Our New Year’s resolution with WB was to make long-term realistic and holistic goals for the year. So instead of saying we need to accomplish X,Y,Z… we set a single goal of 3000 participants for the Autumn Battle. We’re then able to reverse-engineer a path to that goal and then it has been more figuring out what that goal looks like in the shorter term in regards to the Spring and Summer battles. What has been so incredible and exciting has been seeing the numbers for the upcoming Spring Battle SMASHING the shorter goal in place for the Spring. It really looks like there is some snow-balling happening and we are just grateful the site broke when it did last year because there is no way this growth would have been stable or sustainable on the old platform. Our new website handles traffic with ease because it is built on Google’s infrastructure.
Darci: So exciting to hear the numbers! And I love that about the slogan being a community contribution.
A little side story on the fall Battle. I hadn’t been in touch with my niece, Arianna, for a few weeks, and I had no idea she’d participated until a few weeks after it was over. We could easily have ended up critiquing each other’s stories… but we didn’t. Still, the idea that we could have added another fun element to the contest.
Her story was excellent, too. She does audio narration and has a one-minute audio excerpt of The Emperor’s Noose on her website’s project page. I was super happy with my story, Little Shop of Honeybees, as it was my first whodunnit and I enjoyed researching how to write a locked room mystery. Every time I participate, I’m glad I took on the challenge of a new genre I might never have tried otherwise and happier each time with the results.
How is the feedback stacking up since launching the revamped platform? Has the revised structure made a difference in participation aside from the momentum WB had going already?
Max: Absolutely. There were over 3.5 million words of feedback written in the Winter Battle. 1 million of those words were written after the Battle was complete in Debrief. There’s still a lot of improvements to the site coming, but the revamped platform has helped with that.
Darci: Mindboggling!
To get an idea of how far you’ve progressed in the short time since starting up WB, I’m throwing out multiple questions. 😊 Have you reached a place where the business is starting to run itself, or does it still require a lot of hands-on attention? How much of that is the fun stuff, and how much is business? What constitutes both? Is this turning into a full-time business for you both?
Teona: It is definitely turning into a full-time business for the both of us. Our youngest starts school in the fall which means that I will have time in the day to dedicate to WB and to work on things we would like to see evolve in the future. I would say the vast majority of what I do is fun. I think Max will likely say the same. There is a lot of hands-on. There is a LOT of reading–and not just stories. We are constantly on the forums trying to keep an eye on the community to ensure that needs are being met and that members maintain the constructive space we believe WB to be.
Max: I don’t think Writing Battle will ever run itself, but my job as the sole software dev is to build systems that make things easier on Teona and I during a Battle. It is ALL fun. Honestly, I still love every second of every Battle. It’s been a full time business for a while now. We will be building the tools for Forum mods soon, so that will help some of the stress. With so many passionate creatives, you want to put out fires as quickly as possible, so the Forums require a lot of attention. Having a few mods might ease the workload a bit.
Darci: I’m sure I speak for the community when I say your joy comes through and we appreciate all the hard work.
WB opened an online merchandise shop. My Two Crows sweatshirt just arrived! I’m excited about the designs and to have something to show for my battles. Also, being a sticker and planner fanatic, I adored getting your stickers in my happy mail! What a great idea to offer merchandise. How is that going? Will we see more offerings–more designs?
Teona: The merch store has been a lot of fun and I get a little giddy knowing that there are people out in the wild sporting the WB logo! I handle the majority of the merch dealings because it isn’t too time consuming now that it is up and running.
Modeling my Two Crows sweatshirtLove me some stickers!
Once our littlest little starts school, I will have a lot more time to dedicate to expanding options and designs. I have been looking to source pottery mugs and had a prototype made but we are putting a lot of that on hold while we set up our new Tarot Card Decks that will hopefully be ready for purchase on the site late summer. I will let Max get into detail on this…
Max: Actually, I don’t want to go into too much detail because we’re still working on it. But I will say that there will be a card-collecting aspect to the site. You will get digital cards for participating in Battles and then if you order the physical cards, you’ll automatically get all of them digitally.
From My Fall Battle in 2023. Aren’t these amazing genres? The card turned up for me was Locked Room Mystery
Darci: OMG! We get the scoop right here folks. I love the card collecting idea! It shouts “huge hit!” I’m super impressed with my merch, and I must say the customer service was excellent. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Was it a tremendous undertaking adding a shop?
Teona: Long story short: Max said “I think we need a merch shop. Go.” And after panicking ever so slightly, I learned how to set up a Shopify store and a Printify print-on-demand service. It was very much out of my comfort zone at first (and perhaps a few tears of frustration spilled) but I feel I have a handle on it now and it works quite well!
Darci: You are so totally inspiring, Teona! I see the merch shop exploding in the near future. I’m trying to get up the gumption to add a shop on my website for signed paperbacks. Supposedly it’s as easy to offer a small line as it is for a larger one.
I asked this question last time, and I’ll ask again because I’m sure everyone wants to know. Who’s behind the artwork? How do you come up with so many wonderful ideas and illustrations for the slew of genre cards needed four times a year and for social media marketing?
Max: The Italian tattoo artist, Vincenzo Ingenito, does most of our artwork and he illustrated an entire 78 card tarot deck for us. We are also using Valerie P (@valerie_pl on Fiverr) for a lot of cards. We commissioned a few pieces of art from some folks from our community too. Oh! Someone is getting a Writing Battle inspired tattoo and used Vincenzo as the illustrator. The person that had the art commissioned gave us permission to use the illustration. I can’t wait for people to see it. It’s going to be a cool tattoo!
Darci: This is so fabulous! Thanks for sharing, Max. Check out Writing Battle’s Instagram page to see all the wonderful art and stay posted on everything Max just shared.
Let’s talk about the community. The WB forum is super active, and I love to see that. Do the conversations continue between the Battles?
Max: Things definitely die down in-between Battles in the Forums. I think that will change when we have more of a reason to come back to the site when a Battle is not underway. But you know – in the end, that’s probably healthy. Battles are pretty intense (haha it’s not just the name). People get fairly invested in each one and it’s a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. It’s probably a good thing to take a break and recoup before the next Battle. That being said, we are working on features that might keep more Ravens** engaged in-between Battles. **Our community members now refer to themselves as Ravens which is fairly bad ass.
Darci: That’s about what I expected. I think WB has settled into a very nice ebb and flow with the four yearly Battles.
Teona has been awesome about reading and sharing works by WB’s members and the newsletter is generous with its shoutouts. You’ve truly made it feel like family and it’s clear from your adorable Instagram reels that WB is a family affair in your household. What are some of the other activities going on in the community and what are a few of the recent highlights?
Teona: For a hot second we were going to plan an in-person meet up because we basically wanted an excuse to hang out with WB’s incredible community in person. It fell through because it turned out to be a bit more of an endeavor than we anticipated and I won’t be able to put in the hours for something like that until at least this time next year. We’re now looking at an in-person meet up for 2025!
Darci: Okay, now my heart is really pounding. Another sneak peek at what’s coming! A WB Retreat would be phenomenal!!
What routines have you found to be helpful to keep the productivity and creativity flowing for Writing Battle? Any tips or tricks you can share about staying organized and balanced with other aspects of daily and family life?
Teona: One thing we are looking to set boundaries on this year involves not trying to implement new features during a Battle. The intensity of programming AND running a Battle can take its toll and Max gets completely burnt out and needs time to decompress. So we have “official meetings” at least twice a week. It sounds kinda funny to me since we’re husband and wife and these conversations can happen at any time of day (and they do) but actually setting time aside with the purpose to brainstorm and discuss what’s working and what’s not is so valuable to how we maintain boundaries between work and home lives.
Max: Yeah, no new features while a Battle is underway is going to be huge. The plan is to get a lot done in-between Battles so during a Battle, I can just focus on the community and not coding new features.
Darci: I really appreciate getting a glimpse into what you’ve learned as you grow with Writing Battle.
What advice can you offer to those who would love to leave their mundane jobs to pursue their dreams?
Max: Oh, if you’re reading this and you are thinking about starting your own business or side hustle, go for it! Even if Writing Battle was deemed a failure and shut down for whatever reason, this entire journey would still have been worth it. I’ve met the coolest people and have learned so much from them – and learned a lot about myself. It’s hard work and expect to work long hours, but there is a price to pay for not pursuing your dreams too. I promise that you won’t regret it.
Teona: Have a “yes-buddy” in your corner. There are going to be people who give unsolicited advice and who are going to help you find reasons not to follow a dream. There has to be at least one person in your life who will listen and encourage you without question. And I know for Max and for Writing Battle, this person wasn’t always me… I became a bit more certain about WB when it transitioned from an amorphous and iterative early idea to an actual thing with rules and a schedule. Max’s brother has ALWAYS understood what WB could be way before it was WB.
Great insights, and what a blast it has been catching up. Any parting words of advice?
Max: Thank you, Darci! My parting words of advice would be to reach out to Teona at teona@writingbattle.com if you are someone that is thinking of participating in Writing Battle but are a bit short on cash at the moment. Our amazing community organized a “Spartan Fund” to help fund entry fees. Please reach out to her if this is you or if you know someone that may appreciate a Battle ticket.
Teona: Thanks so much for having us again! We love the questions and are grateful for the opportunity to connect with you and your followers!
I’m borrowing this from Mr. F. Scott Fitzgerald to sum up how I feel about this day, February 27, 2024, which is special to me many times over, but mostly because my dream of publishing the conclusion to The Starlight Chronicles has come true.
Thank you all for your support and I hope you enjoy the romantic finale for Selena, Andras, Elliott, and Aviel in Tigris Vetus.
One thing I’ve discovered during this writing journey is you never know how or where you’ll come across your next great resource. So long as you keep your finger on the online pulse, surprises will come along. I happened to come across a Twitter post by Fantasy/Horror Writer E. B. Hunter sharing Richie Billing’s Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed.
I followed the link and was blown away by the wealth of help I found there for indie writers and ended up with two amazing new connections and getting involved with a great Discord community. E. B. Hunter will be visiting my Spotlight again in April.
Let’s meet the author
Richie Billing writes all kinds of stories, but mostly fantasy fiction. His tales often explore real-world issues, zooming in on the characters and their troubles. Richie worked as a lawyer for a number of years before giving it all up to pursue writing.
His short fiction has been widely published, with one story adapted for BBC radio. And in March 2021 his debut novel, Pariah’s Lament, was published by indie press Of Metal and Magic Publishing.
Richie also hosts the podcast The Fantasy Writers’ readers of his acclaimed craft book, A Fantasy Writers’ Handbook. When not writing, Richie works as an editor and digital marketer and teaches creative writing both online and in his home city of Liverpool. You can also find his writing in more formal publications like the Solicitors Journal.
Most nights you can find him up into the early hours scribbling away or watching the NBA.
Let’s Get Started
Thanks so much for visiting my blog, Richie! I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to ask you about your writer’s life and works. I just took a dive into the rich world of Tervia and got lost in your wonderful tales, and I thought we could start by having you give us a glimpse into your current projects like The Hills of Moragon. What else can we look forward to and when?
RB. Thank you so much for inviting me! It’s a pleasure to share this space with you.
The Hills of Moragon was a project that began as a novella and ended up a novel. I wanted to keep it as a novella but after chatting with a publisher they said they’d be interested in it but only as a novel. So I decided to give it a go and by the time I’d finished the publisher had gone under.
The story is now called Elanta and it’s about the great risks and sacrifices people make for love, familial love in particular. It’s my take on the classic fantasy trope of good v evil, with more monsters and magic than previous stories I’ve written.
I’m also editing a novella set just before the novel. That one’s about a revolution in a city within the same world and serves as a critique of capitalism and its negative impacts on humanity, society and the environment. It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a while. A way to express my inner frustrations.
DLL. These sound amazing, and what a story about how your novella took on the life of a novel. Thanks for sharing that.
I had a hard time choosing a favorite story in Tales of Tervia, though I did have a preference for the fishing adventures. But if I had to choose a favorite character, I’d pick the elderly nana in Forgotten. What a moving tale of what it might be like to be reminded by our past that we aren’t forgotten. It was a beautiful thing when she reached back to her love and found the will to carry out her last act of bravery. Which of these tales is your favorite, and which character? …If I can be so bold as to make you choose.
RB. I’m glad you like Nana because she’s my favourite too. That was the first story I ever had published and it’s also one that means a lot to me. I was moved to write something because of things that were going on in my life at the time and it all came out on the page.
I’m also a fan of Mal, and she features in my novella too. I really do like The Pigeon Catchers story and it’s the kind of thing I’m definitely gearing more toward.
DLL. How awesome is it that I picked your favorite! I loved The Pigeon Catchers too and wanted more. It’s nice to know we will see some of these characters again.
Richie offers this wonderful collection for free! Click on the cover to find your copy.
I’m dying to know if you love to fish because I was right there casting my line. These tales gripped me in part because of my memories of traveling through Great Britain and the narrowboats on the canals, and I confess I’ve spent a great many lazy afternoons watching CountryHouseGent chug along the English countryside in Aslan. Can you talk about the inspiration behind your immersive settings–the fantasy and the real?
RB. A lot of my fantasy stories do have the landscape you’d expect—leafy forests, hills, lakes, rivers. Some readers say they’re bored of this kind of setting, but it’s what I’m surrounded by and what I love to immerse myself in.
One of my favourite places to go for inspiration is a little village called Hough Green, not far from Preston in England. JRR Tolkien stayed in a college in the village while writing his stories and there’s a great walking trail you can do called the Tolkien Trail. He supposedly did it each day. It’s an ideal source of inspiration. You have rolling hills and meadows, thick forests with streams meandering through them, carrying the water downhill to a big river that you follow.
And I did enjoy fishing for a good spell! If you’ve ever watched River Monsters with Jeremy Wade, there’s an easter egg in the story Noodlin’ in homage to that.
DLL. Thank you, Richie, for sending me on a little adventure. Such beautiful, inspiring country.
You’ve amassed a substantial body of short stories. Another book on my TBR is Flying on the Ground. Love the cover! How many have you published to date? Can we look forward to more collections? And how exciting was that moment to learn one was selected for the BBC?
RB. I really enjoy writing short stories, but they’re not something I do often anymore. Much of the past 4 or 5 years has been devoted to novel writing. But I like a short project.
My biggest problem with short stories is knowing the most effective way to utilise them. I just want people to read what I write, but sometimes sending them to magazines won’t get you any readers. So I do enjoy putting them into collections or even publishing them individually as small books and promoting them myself.
The BBC adaptation news was very exciting. It wasn’t something I expected, but it was a lot of fun and a little bit strange to hear it go live.
DLL. It’s interesting to get your take on finding homes for short stories. I’ve found that same problem. I used to think readers would enjoy short stories as quick reads over breakfast like the ones in subscription magazines back in the day, but I’m realizing fiction fans want the novels—and with fantasy—the bigger the better.
Now for your fantasy novel. How long did it take you to write Pariah’s Lament, and what was it like to finish it and let it go? Can you give us a glimpse of what we’ll find when we dive in? And how does it fit with Of Metal and Magic?
RB.Pariah’s Lament took me about a year to draft and about 18 months to edit (part-time). The editing was a little tricky because it’s part of a shared universe, so it has to tie in with things beyond my creation.
By the end, I was very much fed up with the editing but I was satisfied with what I’d done. But that was the extent of my elation. I actually felt a bit down and I think it was because I was saying goodbye to something that had been a part of my daily life for nearly three years. A part of you asks, “what now?”. And I missed the characters too, which hopefully is a testament to how well-formed they became.
As for the story itself, it’s an underdog’s tale about two young adults who get swept up in a conflict between two warring kings. These two characters, Isy and Edvar, are very different and have very different stories, but their fates are intertwined. It all comes to a head in classic fantasy fashion—epic battles, lots of heroic moments and a touch of humour and romance.
Here’s what one reviewer had to say about Pariah’s Lament:
Great Debut Fantasy Novel! – I’ve been waiting for the release of Pariah’s Lament since listening to the audiobook version of the first chapter Richie Billing released some time ago. In his debut novel, Billings takes his readers on a journey of misfits–Isy, mistreated by her family and rejected by her community, and Edvar, a young man struggling to step beyond his father’s broad shadow. In their own ways, they champion the plight of the Amast, a persecuted race facing extermination by an invading army. Their fates intertwined, they join forces to stand for the things they believe in. Along the way, they confront deprivation, the intrigues of government officials, and the prospect of sacrificing their lives.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Pariah’s Lament is that it’s part of a larger universe of tales focusing on the same world but written from a variety of perspectives in the Of Metal and Magic–like crowd-sourced fantasy. I look forward to seeing further developments in this realm!
J. Christopher
DLL. This might be a good spot to share the link to your online classes. I took the one on how to write fantasy characters a while back. Lots of great stuff! I loved the help on creating character arcs especially.
What can you share with us about your best experiences in getting your stories out in the world? What have you found to be pitfalls?
RB. Getting my stories out there to enough people is still a hill I’m yet to conquer. It’s a current focus of mine however and I’m determined to get my head around it.
The best thing to do is to make the process of someone accessing your stories as easy as possible. That unfortunately means listing them on Amazon, which is the biggest marketplace for books. There are lots of different strategies people use, like giving away the first book for free and advertising other books within it.
Some people pay for ads, but these can be expensive if you don’t know what you’re up to with them, so be careful.
Book tour companies and PR agents should also be used with caution. Some are very good, but others are useless and will use AI to create re-hashed reviews of your book. This happened to me last year. So always check independent reviews before pushing ahead.
The best method I use for promoting books is my mailing list. I have campaigns that run automatically and every now and then I see spikes in sales and downloads when those emails go out, so this is the most effective method. But it takes time to build a list, engage with people and create that positive relationship.
Social media is also a good option but not one I’ve invested much time in so can’t really comment. I just know that there are millions of new posts each day and getting noticed can be tricky, but if you collaborate with others and support each other, you can get better results.
DLL. Millions of new posts, new authors, and new stories. Sometimes I feel like a castaway bobbing around in a vast sea trying to send up a flare. That’s why I love chatting with authors like you who are willing to share your experiences. Thank you, Richie!
RB. This book I decided to put together to help people with their writing. It’s made up of lots of expanded blog posts and articles from my website that discuss different aspects of writing that I’ve found the most helpful over the years.
I find a lot of craft books a bit stuffy and overly complicated so I try to simplify a lot of things here, breaking them down into more understandable chunks.
You can find a lot of advice on the key aspects of storytelling and advice from bestselling authors and award-winning editors. I also have some advice and guidance on getting published and building your author platform.
DLL. You can get a copy of Thoughts on Writing when you join Richie’s community.
You say you get grumpy when you can’t write. I know the feeling. But you give us so much of your time producing your resource-packed podcasts, newsletters, blogs, live panel discussions, and appearances as a guest speaker… and the list goes on. I get the sense you have an equal passion for helping others reach their potential. Can you tell us how sharing your craft came about and your plans going forward? What are some of the highlights in this exchange?
RB. I do have a passion for helping other people. That’s something I’ve always had and something I get the most satisfaction out of in life. When I began to study creative writing properly I produced a lot of notes. When I mustered the courage to make a website I decided to type up those notes for blog posts. People seemed to find them helpful so I kept on doing it and that led to a couple of books and a podcast on writing, which at the beginning I would have sworn I’d never do, so I’m proud that I’ve challenged and pushed myself to do those not-so-introverty things.
As for future plans, series 3 of The Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed podcast comes out on 14th March, or on 1st March if you subscribe on Patreon. I’m aiming to create more video-based content this year, but hold me to nothing because time has a habit of slipping away from me.
DLL. Exciting! And thank you for sharing your experience with putting yourself out there.
Which Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed episode should we start with and what is your favorite topic you’ve explored with your guests?
RB. My favourite episode is the one on body language with Joe Navarro. I’d decided I wanted to cover the topic so set out to find an expert in the field. Joe popped up on Google and he was everything I was looking for and more—a former FBI special agent, author and lecturer. He agreed to do it and we had an awesome chat. It was only after did I realise how big of a deal he is. He does Ted Talks all around the world and is one of if not the leading expert on body language, so I’m still really honoured that I got a chance to speak with him and learn from him. And you all can too if you listen to the episode. It’s a good one to start with but you can pretty much listen to whatever one you want in any order. I design it so you can listen by topic but there are some continuity elements so if you like to listen chronologically you’ll get that side too.
DLL. This is a great one! I worked with a retired FBI agent who was our investigator, and the stories he could tell—about crimes that I thought were boring... Makes for great fiction. And understanding body language is so important for a writer. I highly recommend a listen.
My other favorites are A Lawyer’s Perspective on Writing Fantasy and Jobs in Fantasy. And there are so many more! You can find all the episodes on your favorite platforms here.
Let’s turn to your writers’ life. What are your best practices for balancing life with your writing passion? What techniques have you discovered to help you stay creative and productive?
RB. It’s difficult to find balance. We have lots going on in life and we don’t always have enough time to do things like write and read. When you do find the time though I’d say protect it like a bear guarding her cub. Otherwise, you’ll find it filled by something else and you’ll get frustrated that you don’t get to do what you want to do. The main thing is not to beat yourself up if you don’t or can’t write. Just try to make time for it the next day.
Sometimes having smaller windows can lead to greater productivity. There’s less time to waste so you have to make the most of things. Having too much time can see you procrastinate!
So I like to set output targets rather than time limits. I aim for 1,000 words a day when drafting stories. If I have a full day to write I’d increase that to 2,000. But then I’ll forget about it as I write and just keep focused on the next sentence to try and churn out as much as I can.
DLL. I love that image—a bear protecting her cub. Perfect!
Where is your favorite place to write? As a provider of lots of tools for every aspect of the craft, what are your favorites to have at hand? Do you have favorite effects you set up in your writing space to help with your creative mood?
RB. My favourite place to write was my little old shed back in my childhood home. It was outside in the yard, because I like the quiet and the fresh air. It was big enough for a single chair and for years I shared it with our little rabbit Tilly. She used to sit on my knee while I typed away. I had a world map drawn on the inside wall too. But sadly it was dismantled and we’ve moved house. I don’t really have a good space to write in right now. I just try and get some done in any quiet spot possible.
DLL. Okay, this just made me think that someday folks will be talking about Richie Billing’s writing shed like Tolkien’s walking trail. I love it!
It’s astonishing that you gave up a career as a lawyer so you could follow your creative passion. Have you ever looked back?
RB. Not really! I didn’t like the job in practice. It’s a lot of stressful work for little reward, but I’m moved by a strong sense of injustice, and I also hate insurance companies, so I’ve carried that with me into my digital marketing job. That’s mostly focused on marketing for law firms so I’m putting my knowledge to some use.
I do still draw upon my experiences, though. In the novella I’m editing right now, there’s a workplace accident in there and references to factories and different industries so it follows me around.
DLL. Awesome!All the best to you, Richie, in life and your endeavors!Thanks again for stopping by!
You can join Richie’s Discord community, his Patreon, and stay posted on Richie’s offerings and works on his website and Instagram.
The journeys I end up on as I conduct research are a major part of the joy I find in writing. This month, I wandered into the Golden Age of Pirates and discovered all the fun facts that aligned with my precious memories of a favorite Disneyland adventure. If you’ve visited Pirates of the Caribbean in that magical park, you’ll know what I’m referring to.
I shared this in part in my recent newsletter, in case it looks familiar, but I wanted to expand on the fun facts and resources. Towards the end, I’ll give you a glimpse of the pirate story I’ve started for an anthology.
I’ve long asked myself why these infamous men who engaged in short careers rife with heinous acts of mayhem were such romantic figures who still capture our imaginations and sense of adventure hundreds of years later. The words of the most successful pirate, Black Bart, might give you an idea.
In an honest service there is thin commons, low wages, and hard labour. In this, plenty and satiety, pleasure and ease, liberty and power; and who would not balance creditor on this side, when all the hazard that is run for it, at worst is only a sour look or two at choking? No, a merry life and a short one shall be my motto.
— A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates (1724), p.213–214
Bartholomew Roberts, aka John Roberts, aka Black Bart
And just look at them. They were swashbuckling commanders of the fastest ships who wore tricorn hats shaped into their own rebellious fashions, kept pets like parrots, wore a brace of pistols in a sash slung over their broadcoats and a cutlass hanging from their belts, just to name a few of the iconic images. They lived by a democratic code of conduct customized for life aboard their ship, which gave them a semblance of order among chaos critical to the company’s success. [This image was acquired on Pinterest, shared by Beyond Geek]
They came to their ends in action-packed battles like Blackbeard (allegedly shot and stabbed multiple times before succumbing) or were hung, covered in tar, and put on display in a cage like Captain Kidd.
A fun fact shared in an article by Disney Adulting on the history of Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean; Disney’s Imagineers used real skeletons donated by a university medical center until improved technology allowed them to be replaced and returned for proper burial. Click on the image to learn more.
Pirates flew flags of doom known as the Jolly Roger like this one still in existence and referenced in Wikipedia, and allegedly wove smoking firecrackers into their beards (Blackbeard again) to terrorize their enemies.
Some faced these relentless dangers and horrible ends simply because they wanted a life of excitement and adventure. Stede Bonnet, the gentleman pirate, gave up his family, wealth, and a leisurely life on a Barbados plantation, bought a sloop he named the Revenge, employed his pirate crew, and set sail for his first raid knowing nothing about seafaring, fighting, or commanding a ship.
No one knows what motivated the Englishman to change his life so drastically, but it begs one to attribute it to boredom and discontent with his perfect life (some say his wife). This story is the most fascinating to me because of this man’s dramatic arc, though there are so many great characters to pick from.
It is harder to fit heroic women into these tales since they were banned by the code from life at sea and relegated to the background as pirate wives or prostitutes in pirate havens.
There are astonishingly two famous women, who turned out to be fiercer pirates than their not so impressive captain, Calico Jack (John) Rackham, who were tried for piracy and pardoned as expectant mothers, Anne Bonny and Mary Read. Another great story, though much of it must be drawn from sketchy historical accounts and their trial documents.
So, how do women figure into the fictional pirate legends so many people love to write about? Well, when you write fantasy, there are endless possibilities and plenty of loopholes in the pirate code at your disposal.
My story will involve a pirate captain who wants his pardon and yearns to retire to his plantation, but his crew isn’t on the same page. After a fierce storm, they come alongside a piece of wreckage and two mysterious castaways… and this is where my bent for fantasy comes into play and will loosely involve sea god mythology.
I hope you enjoy this opening scene.
It was the company’s first day of meager sunlight after the darkest storm in Bastien Marceau’s memory. The struggling brightness was welcome, which said a lot about the bizarre weather dogging the Salty Pearl since the day five months ago when his crew forced him at sword point to sign the articles of agreement and command this cursed vessel.
The reluctant captain’s skills and sheer luck had kept their losses low and this time, even as the heavily repaired and vulnerable mainsail was torn asunder by the force of nature, no hands had met their end. The quartermaster was even now rallying the men for a vote to allow their new commander to live another day.
Bastien didn’t waste this rare moment of calm worrying about his fate. Instead, he enjoyed the breeze brushing against his face as it carried the scent of sand, coconut, and spice. It comforted his troubled soul like the image he carried with him of his sugar plantation bathed in the glow of a sinking sun. His dream waited for him on Saint Dominique… if he could just break free.
D. L. Lewellyn
My latest writing journey started when I wanted to understand the anatomy of a pirate ship. I found Gold and Gunpowder on YouTube and meandered happily into a rabbit hole.
By D. L. Lewellyn 