(Cue soundtrack from Buffy the Vampire slayer's musical episode)

So first, yes, LAST BOOK of the Son of no Man series is coming out SEPTEMBER 20th and the link is HERE for pre-orders!

Now, let's start with where we are! Literally, because I'm still there. Dragon Con.
 
I’ll start by explaining: Dragon Con is a huge (like 5 hotels + big) conference for fans by fans. Meaning it is a geek’s Christmas. It covers art, books, pop culture, filmography, writing, a “Walk of Fame” line up of guests, books signings, talks by celebrities, parties, and cosplay. And the cosplay is everywhere. In my first day I hung out with a wookie (no stilts but still like 7’ tall), saw a dalek, dodged a contingent of Mandalorians and walked in the wake of a dozen Barbies!
 
So while husband got to see some of his favourite actors/actresses from Serenity and ask questions of David Weber, I tagged along and attended some writing panels and workshops with the likes of Patricia Briggs and Cat Rambo. 
 
I realized that I am a generalist nerd. I can talk about most of these topics, but I’m nowhere near hardcore on any one of them. Except for writing. In writing, I could hold my own fine, and even had more experience than some of the speakers. It’s not a writing conference, so that’s ok, and I still learned some new tricks and tips. 
 
I'll share pictures when I get back, but let's get to the final message from this supportive group of fun-loving geeks. 
 
Have fun!
 
I think we all need to let go a bit and just get silly. My writing does that; silliness like a fairy dragon that thinks people stink, or a witch casting spells when she sneezes. Like a dragon skull with a dagger in it that will change the course of one poor kid during the French Revolution (it came up…) 
 
I’ve been editing a lot but now I’m back to writing. That’s how I’ll get my silliness out! 
 
To that end, I’m asking a question: Where do we go from here?
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Below are two book blurbs. Which would you like to see out in the Summer/fall of 2024? Let me know below! And share this around! The more votes, the better.

Option 1: Lione
The Warrior will bring down Lione, or so the prophesies say.

Aurion Illica is proud to be a Councilman of the Lionian Sovereignty. But as corruption taints the Council, assassinations shake the Sovereign's power, and the rebellions of the slave races, particularly the Nurmi savages of the Corelands, threaten to extinguish the greatness of Lione, Aurion must choose between Lione and his own life.

Lania is the Warrior of the Nurmi, born as a half of the religious incarnation of prophecy. She will destroy Lione and free all people from the monsters of the south, killing as many Lionians as needed to achieve her goal.

But as they cross paths, Aurion begins to see that the Nurmi are not mere savages, and Lania is forced to recognize that not all Lionians are faceless Conquerors. Only by working together can the two mortal enemies save both peoples in this time of great upheaval.
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Option 2: To walk into the Sands
Should the Seers ever leave the lands of Nanterac, all the peoples will perish.
 
Askaran knows he must walk into the sands before his sanity slips and his tainted blood destroys the only waters on the desert world of Nanterac. But his home city is overrun and the only remaining desert seer is a child needing his protection. Insanity must wait.
 
When Funanya stumbles across a mysterious lone hunter in the desert, she considers it to be a great fortune. But in capturing Askaran, she unwittingly accepted custody the last desert seer as well. Now, Funanya's own people want her dead. Once enemies, Askaran and Funanya must rely on each other to set the seer on her prescribed path and save the waters of the desert world. 
 
All the monsters of Nanterac, human and demonic, will stop at nothing to claim the powers of the seer.  Only Askaran’s demonic and Funanya’s spear will stop them, if they can hold off the demon tearing through Askaran’s mind long enough.

And thanks! Here are more of the deals for this month!

Did you know we have Book Club questions? 

It's true! All 4 Horsemen Publishing books have ten Book Club questions in the back! It's convenient and fun! I admit, it was hard to come up with questions that didn't sound like a true/false quiz from an English Teacher as I wrote these! Still, I enjoyed the challenge of creating questions that would stimulate discussion. Everything from themes to philosophical points, to character development and consequences!

Here are some of my favorites, plus my answers, from across the six books (no spoilers).

Which character did you most relate to? Why?

  So hard to pick one! Every book has its favorite! But overall, it's Sori. Perhaps I'm not as tough as her, but I get her feelings of alienation and cheered for her as she realized she didn't belong but refused to change. She still carries her half-dozen knives when her people expect one on a woman's hip. She couldn't lead, so she moved into the background and got the needed results.
  
There is no magical healing in this world. Does that make the world more or less enjoyable to read about?

  I loved doing this. I didn't want it to be easy. Having the ability to heal wounds lowers the stakes in the books. In Espar, you can't wave a wand and just be cured. When my characters get injured, they either heal slowly naturally or they die. Many carry deep scars. They limp, lose an eye, get disfigured... Consequences are real in these books!

What do you consider the biggest theme in this book? What scenes or characters best demonstrated that theme?

   Whoooo boy. I'll answer for the series. The biggest theme for me is loyalty. Tohmas and Carsh's relationship is my best representation of it, especially a scene in the last book, "Traitor." But there are many more! Lance's character arc. Darknim's. Sori's. Arnika's... 

How did your opinion of Tohmas change over the story?

   This is fun! While I wrote the series, Tohmas started as a neat character with an unknown past. For those who haven't read other posts, I am a pantster (I write by the seat of my pants... meaning I don't plan it all out!). I didn't know who he was or where it was going when we started. I knew he wasn't who he said he was. He was a mystery, but he was well-spoken and collected; he knew what to say to get something done. At first, I respected him. 
   But then I saw more of him and how he would manipulate things, very much an 'ends justifies the means' kind of man. That was spooky. Honestly, by book 3, that man terrified me.

Did the Goddess Inac truly gift SoulBurner, or are you skeptical like Kitable? What evidence do you have for true divine power in the series?

  The answer to this is in Book 6 but no spoilers, so I'll just say I was skeptical. I wasn't a believer. Kitable was my voice coming through, trying to make it untrue. Is Inac real? Does she come to earth? But we have some evidence of true divine power in the books, from Celebrant Calanor's powers to Loni's amazing influence and madness. 

Should all fights be fair fights? Do you feel either side cheated?

 Yes, they cheated. Honestly, both sides cheated. They were underhanded and cruel. But fights don't have to be fair. The shorter the fight, the better... so long as one's on the winning side. That's how I've always seen things. We don't want a fair fight. We want the good side to win, don't we?

Who is the noblest character in the book? Why? 

 I thought this one was easy, but then I followed Lance's arc too far. So which character upholds true character and nobility through it all? You could argue that it's Lance, Darknim, or maybe Barnon, but for me, it's Prince Sol. He didn't stoop when others did. 


There you have it! Examples of the Book Club questions stolen across the six books and answered for the whole series. Every book has them! And even if you're not using them for a Book Club, answer them yourself for a bit of fun! 

Lastly, check out the freebies below, on for one more week. I loaded up on free, so find a new book, get to know a new author, and check it out below!