Category: The Magic Council

• June 6, 2024

  Humble, unassuming characters are the BEST!

  Some of my favorite characters are the humble, unassuming ones–who do what’s needed, without caring about whether it’s recognized, because it’s needed and it’s the right thing to do. They tend to be sidekicks or minor characters. Helpers. Supporters. They don’t mind sharing, or even giving up, the spotlight after it falls on them here…
• June 4, 2024

  Character Spotlight: Gratton Welder

  I had a lot of fun writing Gratton: one of the king’s most trusted guardsmen. Gratton is originally from Partsvale up north. He has older brothers, most of whom also joined the army before him. Gratton had just become a soldier before Zalski Forzythe executed his coup against the royal family before The Crimson League:…
• June 3, 2024

  The Crimson League in “The Magic Council”: from War Buddies to Family

  One of my favorite things in The Magic Council: The Fight for Home is seeing the relationships of the members of the Crimson League (from book one of the Herezoth trilogy) mature and transform. They are all in different circumstances and different stages of life fifteen years after Zalski Forzythe than when we last saw…
• June 2, 2024

  My Only Villain Without Magic

  The Magic Council: The Fight for Home has my only villain who doesn’t have magic. I’m talking about Carson Amison, the Duke of Yangerton. He’s a bit older than the king, and he does not want Vane coming to the royal court. So, how much of a threat could he actually be to Vane and…
• May 31, 2024

  Character Spotlight: Francie the Fearless

  

  Francie Rafe is a really fun character–and pretty complex, I think. She had a rough childhood and carries a lot of guilt, not all of it necessarily her own. Francie grew up in the northern village of Fontferry and was Vane‘s best friend in childhood, before his Aunt Teena took him to Herezoth’s capital city…
• May 30, 2024

  TODAY IS THE DAY! “The Magic Council” is out!

  

  Launch day is HERE, y’all! The Crimson League is free on Kindle. The Magic Council is temporarily less than a dollar on Kindle. And both are available in paperback on Amazon. Learn more at www.herezothtrilogy.com There’s more about the books below, but first, I just wanted to thank, with all my heart, everyone who has…
• May 29, 2024

  One day to go! Reflection on pre-book launch jitters

  A book launch is such a fun experience, and such a fulfilling accomplishment. It can’t satisfy the deep longings of the human heart, but when you’ve worked long and hard on a book that you know has something of real value to offer to other people, it’s a wonderful feeling to know it’s going out…
• May 27, 2024

  This is a BIG week for me, but it’s only the start of what’s coming in 2024 for me as an author! Let me spill the tea . . .

  This week, with book two of the Herezoth trilogy launching on Thursday and the tenth anniversary of what I call my conversion experience, is a huge week for me. But it is only the start of things to come in 2024. Please keep posted . . . there will be much more happening. There will…
• May 26, 2024

  The difference a good woman makes (August vs Malzin)

  I wrote yesterday about my villain Zalksi Forzythe and one of my favorite heroes, his nephew Vane Unsten. I went a bit into the ways they are similar. One of my favorite things about them is that they are incredible figures in and of themselves, for good or ill. They are principled. They have goals,…
• May 25, 2024

  Is Vane a lot like Zalski?

  I’ve been thinking a bit lately about Vane and Zalski. Vane is the protagonist of The Magic Council, and I just adore him. He’s not perfect, but he’s a hero at the end of the day–because he’s selfless. He strives to live up to the example of worthy role models, has a deep sense of…