Hello V. R.! Thank you for stopping in today. Can you tell us a bit about yourself as a writer?
Thank you for having me! I wrote my very first story when I was just six years old, a few little paragraphs about some kittens. One of my older sisters revealed an amazing thing called quotation marks to show dialogue—blew my mind! No one thing inspired me to be a writer—it was an uncontrollable, innate urge since before I even understood punctuation. Crucially, no one along the way discouraged me. No one pressured, hovered, interfered, or tried to steer my course. They accepted that I was a writer and left me alone to do my thing. That insatiable need to create stories never left me and in the last decade I finally implemented some discipline and dedication and got serious about it.
I recently read your wonderful series Gravity Shattered. Where did you get the unique idea of shattered gravity?
I saw a picture on Pinterest, one of those manipulated photos where a girl is asleep in a hallway…on the wall. My “what if” engine went into overdrive. What if gravity didn’t work right? The following deluge of questions and speculations rivalled the Niagara Falls—why? How? Consequences? How would people live? React? Adapt? I wanted my main character to have a direct connection to gravity, beyond just navigating it as a grav-walker (scavenger). Controlling gravity would be an epically cool superpower—almost too cool. I wanted to turn the idea of that superpower on its head and make it so dangerous and uncontrollable that it risks Jasper’s life every time her gravity changes.
It seems like you had fun writing about “broken” gravity. What were some of the unique challenges the characters faced due to it?
The biggest challenge for the characters is travelling through the city when it is filled with gravity zones where the orientation of gravity may vary between one step and the next. While it is admittedly difficult to convey at times, I enjoyed thinking through the mechanics of each scene—of walking across ceilings, of climbing “up” perpendicular floors or streets, of leaping the gaps between buildings and slipping on windowpanes. Falling up into the sky is always the biggest danger because even if you stop at the “ceiling” of the zone and “float” in midair, how will you get back to the ground? So of course I made my characters face this very challenge in Gravity Tower!
What was your favorite character in the series and why?
Hard to say. I love them all equal—who am I kidding, it’s Grammar. He was supposed to be a minor character, a sullen fighty pack kid who becomes Jasper’s sort-of apprentice. Instead his fierce anger, protective instinct, and heartbreaking vulnerability absolutely stole my heart. Which is why he is now the main character in the follow-on series I’m writing, Children of Gravity.
The scene opens with Jasper, the main character, in a broken gravity zone with her brother and former boyfriend, Merlot. Did you consider having Merlot and Jasper get back together in the first book, Gravity Girl?
I considered a lot of things in the years it took me to finish the series. But ultimately, no. Merlot represents a part of Jasper’s past that she needs to come to terms with and a version of herself that she needs to forgive and let go. They always had chemistry but they weren’t very good for each other.
Some poetic lines run through the book. Are you a poet? If so can you share one of your poems?
I went through a phase as a teen where I wrote poems. It taught me rhythm and flow and the joy of playing with words and imagery without the strictures of proper sentence structure, but ultimately I moved on to write longform fiction albeit. However, that poetry phase had a powerful hand in shaping my prose. While I don’t consider myself a poet per se, I do enjoy the whimsy and thematic depth poetry can bring to a narrative.
Why do you consider your books young adult when you explore some very adult themes?
Honestly, when I wrote these books, I had no notion in my head of genre or age group. I wrote what I wanted and felt. It was only much later when I was trying to publish and market that I was forced to consider where on a bookshelf my books would best fit. Young adult is not a perfect fit, but Jasper does take a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance which is a common feature of young adult stories.
On your website, you say that your themes are healing, hope, family, and the search for connection. There is another theme in the book about death. Jasper faces the real possibility of dying if they can’t find a cure for the alien bacteria in her. Moreover, a close friend of hers committed suicide. The book explores how suicide affects everyone around the person who dies. Is there a reason you picked death as a theme?
I’d love to say everything I did was intentional, but as is often the case, some themes emerge organically and some themes people point out to me that I hadn’t even noticed. The theme or mood that I was intentional about was one of overcoming regret, mending the mistakes you can and accepting the rest, and forgiving your younger self. Jasper has faced her impending death for a long time and has come to peace with it because it seems easier than living with everything she’s both suffered and done. Deep down she believes that she doesn’t deserve to live. And when she realizes she still wants to live, she’s forced to face some difficult parts of her past. The theme of death is only one side of the coin; the other is the courage it takes to choose living.
I’d like to add: Shortly after the publication of these books I lost my brother to suicide. Choosing to live is not a decision made once. Like my brother, Jasper’s friend fought every day—sometimes every minute of every day to stay alive. She was a warrior, as was my brother, and every day that they lived was a bloody, hard-won victory against a brutal, unseen foe. They were victorious…until one day they weren’t. They didn’t fail, they weren’t weak, they weren’t selfish. They were defeated by an enemy that on one particular day was too strong for them. Jasper is fighting the same battle…but learning to reach out to her friends and family—for healing, hope, and connection.
What writing project are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on the follow-up series to Gravity Shattered. The series (and probably the first book) will be called Children of Gravity. It will take place five years after the events of Gravity Shattered and will pick up the story of some of the younger characters (Grammar, Neverwhen) and their friends.
Son of a monstrous warlord father and the woman who shattered gravity—who will he become?
Grammar has spent all eighteen years of his life in a city quarantined for its broken gravity. To his friends he is a fierce and loyal protector, but to everyone else he is a hotheaded troublemaker, with all the dangerous potential of his hated parents. He’s also the last remaining host of a mysterious gravity-controlling alien bacteria—dormant, for now. All he wants is a home and a life free of his father’s shadow. And maybe to kiss his long-time friend, the brash and irrepressible Lieutenant Zanna Kingston.
But now a ruthless bandit army is threatening his home and everyone he loves. After a brutal attack on a nightclub, Grammar finds himself at the centre of an escalating war. To make matters worse, the dangerous, unpredictable power in his blood is beginning to awake, heralding city-wide catastrophe.
He can’t run from his dark heritage any longer. But if he’s not careful, the biggest threat to his home and friends may be Grammar himself.
You offer several free short stories. How would people get on your mailing list and get your stories?
Thank you for giving my books a chance! It means a lot to me, and I’ll have more gravity books out for you soon (all fingers crossed)! Also, Gravity Girl AND Gravity Curse, the first two books, will be 0.99 in November for a rare dual sale! Here is the link. Amazon
Welcome John! Thanks for taking time for an interview. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Yeah, I guess. I’m a guy, 73 years old—uh, make that 74—just had a birthday. I’ve been a computer programmer and a substance abuse counselor in my previous lives. I semi-retired in 2012, working part-time at my counseling job so I could write. Then started writing full-time in 2020 when the pandemic hit, and my employer closed up shop for a while. (You know. One door closes; another opens, and all that.)
I’m an avid hiker and backpacker. (God help me, I love the woods.) I’ve been known to stay up all night playing guitar, and my guilty pleasure is binge-watching K-dramas on Netflix.
I love, love, love to write.
You’ve been writing sci-fi novels with fantasy elements, but this book is all fantasy, can you share why you decided to write a fantasy novel? Can you tell us about your new release A Verse for Witches?
I’d say I’ve been writing fantasy all along. Wait, let’s call it speculative fiction—that sounds classier. I don’t begrudge putting a genre tag on my novels—readers need to know what they’re getting into—but, no, I didn’t just decide to write fantasy.
My first series was urban fantasy—werewolves and vampires. Then, I took some of the same characters, who lived supernaturally long lives, into the future for a space opera series.
The new series is still written in the same universe but in the distant past, when human and Fae intermingled. A Verse for Witches begins the tale of an orphan king prophesied to reclaim his throne and a dream-walking witch whose Guild assigns her the task of helping him fulfill the prophecy.
And, along the way, it could be they fall in love.
What was your inspiration for A Verse for Witches?
Well, for anyone who’s read my other books—I know you’ve read some of the Spaceship Huey Adventures, Heidi—you’ll know the character Pieter. He’s a dragon and rogue member of the Fae Protectorate, an alliance of aliens formed on ancient Earth for the purpose of exterminating the human species.
Unlike most of the other dragons and elves, Pieter saw something in us humans that made him think we should be allowed to evolve and eventually reach the stars. In both of my previous series, he’s been working behind the scenes to help us survive and grow.
I’d scattered bits of his origin story throughout the Spaceship Huey novels—and in the Red Wolf Saga series before that—and I wanted to explore it in greater detail. I’d originally decided to tell the story of how he’d created the werewolves to act as protectors of mankind.
But then I asked myself, what made him side with us in the first place?
Turns out, it was this love story between Erin and Tsing—demonstrating our capacity for perseverance and resilience in the face of adversity—that made him decide to help us.
And—I don’t know—considering the state of our world today, I thought a tale of love would be a good one to tell.
I understand this is the first book in a new series. How many will there be? Can you tell us about the next book and when it will be published?
The Song of Tsing will be a trilogy. I’m about halfway through A Chorus of Swords, scheduled for release in summer, 2025. A Bridge to Hearts (hopefully) will be ready the first of 2026.
That will complete Erin and Tsing’s story. After that … I don’t know. We’ll see. There are a plethora of interesting characters cropping up along the way. One or two of them could be involved in a spin-off series.
A Verse for Witches has been released as a paperback, but the ebook won’t come out until January 2025. You have a special contest for preordering the ebook. Can you tell us about the contest?
Yes! Thank you for asking, Heidi. And, actually, you can enter by purchasing the paperback, as well. It’s more expensive, of course—paperback prices are through the roof, these days—but that Ivan Zanchetta cover is gorgeous, so …
I’m offering folks who want to buy the book the chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card—and some $20 gift cards for runners-up—by searching for it using one of my specific keywords, then purchasing it or pre-ordering the ebook.
I’m told that purchasing a book after searching with a keyword affects the ranking of the book for the word—you know, whether it appears on the first page of search results or the last—so I’m using the budget I normally allocate for promotions to gather some information. I’m very curious. I think it’s the computer nerd in me.
I guess I’m what we call a pantser? (Writing by the seat of my pants?) I think that’s the correct term. Most of my ideas come to me while walking in the woods—I might jot a note down on my phone if I think I need to. I do some preliminary outlining—a “W” plotline with high points and low points in the story—but I only have a vague idea how I’m going to get there before I start writing.
After that, I just write and let the characters determine the pace and action. I try to put in a few hours a day—early morning is best. My laptop stays on a desk in my bedroom, so all I need is a cup of coffee to get started.
I begin a session by reading over what I wrote the day before and editing it a bit. I try to end each session in the middle of a scene, making it easier to pick up the next day where I left off. I shoot for at least 500 words a day, which is what I base my production on when I’m scheduling with an editor or something.
For the most part, it’s a lot of fun. Lately, there have been more deadlines to hit and distractions with side projects—like, I’ve got a Kickstarter campaign to manage soon to fund an audiobook version of A Verse for Witches.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with my readers?
Just my gratitude and appreciation for their support of my writer friend, Heidi Skarie. You guys cannot know how much y’all mean to us. Ultimately, you are the ones who bring life to our stories. None of this could happen without you. Give yourselves a pat on the back and a round of applause.
Thank you for the interview. I wish you success with your new series.
Thank you, Heidi. I appreciate it immensely. As always, it’s been a pleasure talking to you.
Having adventures provides important material for authors to write about. For example, Hemmingway was known for big game hunting and fishing, and for his fascination of watching bullfights. My character’s adventures come out of some of my own experiences such as backpacking in the Rockies, canoeing in the Boundary Waters, exploring caves, and skydiving.
When writing the Star Rider series I drew on these skills. Originally the title of the first book in the series didn’t include the words Star Rider. Its title was On the Razor’s Edge.
Before it was published, I was walking along the street when I saw a movie Marquee displaying a new movie On the Razor’s Edge. I stood there amazed that there was a movie with my book’s title. With a little research, I discovered the movie was based on a novel by Somerset Maugham Titles aren’t copyrighted, but I didn’t want my book to have the same title as an already-published, well-known novel.
Grateful for my discovery, I changed the name of my book to Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge.In my story, the heroine, code name Star Rider, walks the razor’s edge in pursuit of high ideals such as integrity, honesty, courage, and truthfulness.
Maugham’s book is about the search for meaning in life and the clash between materialism and spirituality.
Maugham was the most popular author of his era. He was known mainly for his short stories. The most famous one is Rain. Itis the story of a missionary trying to save the soul of a prostitute in Pago Pago. The name Rain is partly based on the fact the Pago Pago harbor has the highest annual rainfall in the world.
In the story, the missionary is a tyrant, unwilling to learn about the native people and their culture. He feels justified in forcing Christianity on them. What makes Rain interesting is that the ending can be interpreted in two different ways. It leaves the reader pondering the ending.
ROYAL PALACE, CITY OF SILVER LIGHT, COUNTRY OF JAIPAR, PLANET BORKO
Prince Everette held his newborn son close, taking comfort in his warmth and breathing in his sweet smell. Leaning against the stone wall, exhaustion overtook him. Morisa’s labor had been long and difficult, and he’d stayed at her side all night.
Outside the window, the predawn sky was lit in vibrant laser light designs, announcing the birth of their child, the future king of Jaipar. The line of succession was secure for years to come—a cause for rejoicing in these uncertain times with the threat of interplanetary war only a whisper away.
Soft footsteps caused him to turn toward the door as his sister, Princess Fawniteen, entered the circular room.
“Fawn, you’re still awake. I thought everyone went to bed after the baby was born.”
“I was about to when one of the servants told me Morisa’s mother, Queen Haleh Farha, has arrived from Encore and is waiting to be received. No one knew where you were, but I thought you might have come here. The tower is a great place to watch the laser light show.”
Everette drew in a shaky breath. “Morisa could die.”
“What?”
“All at once her heart rate plummeted and she lost conscious- ness.” His throat constricted and he could barely continue. “They wouldn’t let me stay with her.”
Fawn placed her hand on his arm. “Oh Everette, I’m so sorry, but I’m sure she’ll be all right. She’s young and strong.”
“Dr. Tenzing doesn’t know what’s wrong with her.”
“Her mother’s a priestess and a healer. She’ll know what to do.”
“I don’t want that woman anywhere near Morisa and our baby. If
Morisa hadn’t used her accursed reishe power during her pregnancy, her life wouldn’t be at risk.”
Fawn frowned. “That wasn’t Haleh Farah’s fault.”
“Yes, it was. She’s the one who gave Morisa to the monastery as a small child to hone her reishe power.”
“There’s danger in using psychic forces, but Anayaism is still a valid religious teaching. There are many paths to God.”
“You wouldn’t say that if you’d visited the Anaya monastery. They’re into power and control, instead of love and service as Master Michio teaches.”
She tightened her grip on his arm. “You’ve never spoken of your time there.”
“I’d rather not talk about it. Morisa’s finally broken the head priestess’s hold on her, and the last thing I want is for Siljana to regain her influence and brainwash Morisa again.”
“Haleh Farah might be able to help Morisa without involving Siljana. You can’t refuse to let her see her daughter and grandson.”
He sighed deeply. “I suppose you’re right. Haleh Farha under- stands the danger of using reishe power.”
When they reached the guest receiving room, Everette discovered several priestesses from the temple of Anaya accompanied Morisa’s mother. They all wore the violet robes of their order. Reishe power pulsed in the room with intense energy like a brewing storm. A chill of foreboding shot through him.
Queen Haleh Farah’s commanding presence filled the room. Morisa had inherited her high cheekbones, black hair with blue highlights, and violet-blue eyes from this woman. But the queen’s stern beauty contrasted with Morisa’s whose fresh face was as lovely as a rose on a spring day.
The queen’s eyes met Everette’s, then lowered to the baby. “Let me see him. He has the gift. I felt it as soon as you carried him into the room.”
Everette held his son protectively against his shoulder. Is it possible my son has reishe power? It was a terrible idea to bring him here. The queen will want to raise him at the monastery if he does. “You’re not welcome here.”
“There’s no time for this. He might need medical treatment— Morisa certainly does.”
“How do you know?”
“I can feel her life force weakening.”
“Jaipar’s best doctors are taking care of her. We don’t want your help.”
Haleh Farah’s eyes narrowed and energy swirled around her. Everette felt a sharp, stabbing pain sear into his temples and threw up an inner shield of light to block her attack.
Fawn moaned and clutched her head. “Stop it. Please. There’s no need for force. Everette, let her see her grandchild. She won’t harm him and Morisa needs her help.”
The pain faded and he didn’t protest when Fawn lifted the infant from his arms and loosened his blankets.
Haleh Farha put her hand on her throat when she saw the child’s pure violet eyes and blue-streaked black hair. “He’s a throwback. One of the Firstpeople.” She took the child from Fawn and lifted him into the air so the other priestesses could see him.
A flood of energy pulsed from the child to the people in the room and the priestesses bowed in reverence.
I am Chu-ko, he communicated telepathically in the ancient language of the Firstpeople. I’ve returned to Borko.
A shiver ran down Everette’s spine. From the reaction of the priestesses, he knew everyone in the room had also heard his son’s telepathic message.
A slight priestess stepped forward and pushed off her hood to reveal her face.
“Siljana, what are you doing here?” Everette asked. Though an old woman with white hair and deep wrinkles, Siljana was the Head Priestess and the strongest of the priestesses—and the most fanatical and dangerous.
“Chu-ko has returned with his full abilities,” Siljana said ignoring his question. “We must perform the birth rite.” Energy radiated from her and the huge crystal dangling from her neck.
Everette’s heart jumped to his throat. “No! None of your rites.”
Haleh Farha stopped him with a sharp glance. “You don’t under- stand the importance of Chu-ko coming back to us, nor do you know how much danger he’s in. His body is too sensitive for this world. He’ll die if we don’t tend to him.” The other priestesses closed in. Their psychic power struck him with a painful, burning force.
Everette’s head pounded and his stomach hurt from the psychic attack. Fawn whimpered and her legs gave out. He grabbed her before she hit the floor, holding her upright while he reinforced his inner shield and expanded it to protect his sister.
Everette glared at the queen. “I’ll call the guards if you don’t stop at once.”
She raised her hand and the attack stopped. Everette helped his dazed sister sit on the cushioned seat of the bay window, then took a deep breath and faced Haleh Farha. “You’re not at the monastery where you can abuse your authority without consequences. Here it’s considered an act of treason to harm members of the royal family.”
“There’s no time to try to persuade you. My daughter and grand- child are in mortal danger. Chu-Ko wouldn’t be born with this much reishe power unless Morisa used it while she was pregnant. What happened?”
“It’s not your concern; I don’t want your help.”
“Don’t be a fool. You don’t want it but you need it. If you love Morisa and your son, you’ll help me save them. I need to know what happened so I can heal them.”
Everette stared at his son, torn and uncertain. He swallowed. “Morisa used reishe power to fight Samrat Redon.”
The queen jerked back. “She fought the most powerful of the Imperial sorcerers? How did this come to pass?”
“She and Baymond flew to planet Orgda and were attacked by Samrat Redon and his men. She used her abilities to destroy his headquarters and escape.”
Everette paused, waiting for the queen’s answer. He had to handle the situation diplomatically. The queen’s country was a powerful ally to his.
Haleh Farha frowned. “Your story leaves a lot out, but you’ve answered my question. When she fought Redon, she would have had to open herself to the full force of reishe power. She’ll die if you don’t allow us to treat her. Where is she?”
Everette’s stomach twisted into a knot. Every instinct warns me to protect Morisa from the priestesses. “She is being tended by Dr. Tenzing. You can see her when she’s better. Hand me my son.”
“No, we must attend to him too.”
Siljana stepped forward, glowering at him. “Order Dr. Tenzing to turn Morisa’s care over to us or you will lose her to the Angel of Death before the day is over.”
Everette broke into a sweat as the situation slipped from his hands. He glanced at Fawn and saw her expression was vacant. They’d robbed her of her willpower. Heat flushed through his body; he turned back to Siljana. “What have you done to Fawn?”
“The same as we will do to you if you don’t give your consent for us to help them. Chu-ko is a link between our two countries and is one of the Firstpeople reincarnated. We want him and Morisa to live. Let us attend to them. We’ve mastered the healing arts and under- stand the effects of using too much energy. Your doctors can’t save them.”
Everette turned to Morisa’s mother. He trusted her more than The Head Priestess. “The child appears healthy. What danger is he in?”
“When the Firstpeople came to your planet, most of their babies died during their first year of life. Their home planet exists on a higher vibratory frequency than this planet, and they were used to breathing air containing more oxygen. If Chu-ko’s body is like those babies, he will have trouble breathing. Moreover, he is open psychi- cally. He doesn’t know how to shield himself from the energies, emotions, and thought forms of everyone at the palace and is being bombarded by them. We’ll teach him how to shield himself and help him get used to the air here.”
“What can you do for Morisa?”
“She suffers from too much psychic energy flowing through her. It’s burning her inwardly and will kill her if we don’t help her. While she carried Chu-ko, his life energy kept the power from being too strong. Now that he’s no longer in her womb, where his cells mingled and danced with hers, she’s weakening rapidly.”
Fear pulsed through Everette. “I’ll take you to her.” He glanced at his son who was content in the queen’s arm, then strode out of the room. He led the priestesses to the sitting area of the royal bedchamber.
He paused outside the door leading into the inner sleeping room. “I’d best speak to Dr. Tenzing privately.”
Inside the room, four doctors were gathered around the bed. Everette hurried over, concerned for Morisa who appeared to be asleep and wore an oxygen mask. Sweat made strands of her dark hair curl around her red, fevered cheeks. Soft orange light shone from a lamp next to the bed and soothing music filled the room. Jaiparian doctors used light and music to heal people of his race on a deep cellular level, but perhaps Morisa’s body was different. She needed much more.
“Dr. Tenzing,” he said.
The stoop-shouldered old man turned to him with a questioning frown. “What is it?”
“Morisa’s mother has arrived. Would you and the other doctors please wait in the sitting room while she examines Morisa?”
“You’re distraught, dear boy. You’ve gone too long without sleep. Let me give you medicine to calm your nerves so you can rest. Princess Morisa’s dangerously ill. We need to keep treating her.”
“Queen Haleh Farha’s a healer and is here with her priestesses. They’ll take over Morisa’s care.”
Tenzing ran his finger through his white hair. “They abuse the spiritual laws. Will you give your helpless wife to them? They’ll try to make her one of them again. She’s been happy and has grown so much living at the palace these last months, free from their control.”
“We don’t understand their abilities.” Everette’s stomach twisted. “I can’t let Morisa and our baby die because I fear something I don’t understand. Morisa’s body is shutting down because she used enor- mous amounts of psychic energy while pregnant. Do you know how to save her? Do you know how to heal her inner body as well as her physical body? Have you ever treated someone of the Firstpeople race?”
“No illness is physical alone. All diseases start with thoughts and emotions. Your wife used sorcery. She is paying the price. We’ll do what we can to heal her without the use of unnatural forces.”
“Reishe powers are unnatural to us but not to the priestesses. They descended from a race of people from a different planet who were born with these talents. Please don’t fight me in this and leave without further objections. I want my wife and child to live.”
A worried frown creased his brow, then Dr. Tenzing nodded. “We’ll wait in the sitting room. Call if you need us. This isn’t over. I’ll talk to your parents when they awaken and to Master Michio when he comes to see the royal child and give his blessing.”
“I’m glad he’s coming.” He felt lighter knowing Master Michio would be there soon and treasured his guidance as the spiritual leader of the Secret Teachings.
Everette sat on the edge of the bed and clasped his wife’s hand. “Don’t leave me, Morisa.” Her hand was hot in his and he sensed she wasn’t there. Had she already left her body for the inner worlds? Would she return? Could the priestesses save her or were they too late?
He kissed her forehead. “Forgive me, love. I wish I didn’t have to put you in their hands. I fear Tenzing is right. They’ll try to control you.”
Haleh Farha, Siljana, and four other priestesses entered the room, and Haleh Farha rushed to Morisa’s bedside. She put her hand on her daughter’s forehead and her brow wrinkled with concern. “Everette, please leave.”
“I want to stay with Morisa.”
“It’s better if we treat her alone.”
“I want to be here in case she … in case she gets worse.”
“If she becomes worse and I don’t think we can heal her, I’ll call for you so you can say goodbye.”
He took a deep breath to calm himself then nodded. The baby was asleep in Haleh Farha’s arms and she placed him gently in the cradle. “Go, we’ll do all we can to save them both.”
Everette left the room and returned to Fawn. She was slumped against the bay window as if sleeping, but he could feel a spell surrounding her. “Fawn, wake up.” She didn’t stir. He hoped she was all right. He’d demand Haleh Farha remove the enchantment right away, but he didn’t want to take the queen’s attention off saving Morisa and the baby’s lives.
He adjusted Fawn’s position so she lay on the bay window cushion in a more comfortable position. A small, slender woman, she was easy enough to maneuver. She appeared younger than her twenty years. She rolled onto her side and sighed, continuing to sleep. She’d been awake all night, awaiting the infant’s birth. He took a deep frustrated breath, upset with the priestesses, and with himself.
He placed an afghan over Fawn. “I wish you were awake so we could talk. You wouldn’t have let them touch Morisa. You hate magic.” Despair settled over him. “What have I done?” He and his sister had always been close. Her husband, Baymond, had already left for planet Saroka to be a missionary for the Secret Teaching. Fawn and their son would join him now that the baby was born. Everette longed for Baymond’s advice. His childhood friend would know how to break the spell cast on Fawn—maybe he could even help Morisa and the baby.
Everette pushed a blonde strand of hair off Fawn’s forehead. “May Master Michio be with you in your dreams.” He sat in an armchair and focused within. Chanting his secret word, he went deep within to restore his inner balance.
Sometime later, he returned to his bedchamber to see how Morisa was doing. Several priestesses and royal physicians waited in the outer sitting room. The air hummed with tension. He surrounded himself with an inner shield before knocking on the bedchamber door. A priestess opened it.
“Would it be all right if I come in?” he asked.
The woman turned to Siljana. “Prince Everette’s here.”
The head priestess and Haleh Farha exchanged a meaningful glance, then the queen rose and came over to him. “Come in. Morisa is doing much better.”
Everette crossed over to his wife and saw that although she was still unconscious her color and breathing were better. Relieved, he put his hand on her forehead. Her fever had receded. He peered into the cradle and saw the baby slept contentedly. Everette’s heart expanded in unconditional love for his wife and child. “Thank you,” he said to Haleh Farha who radiated calm energy.
“Morisa’s still not out of danger, but she’s stabilized.”
“How is the baby?”
“He’s adjusting to this world. I was afraid he had little chance of surviving but I’m more hopeful now. Will you stay and join me for breakfast?”
“All right.” He sat in an armchair at Morisa’s bedside and clasped her hand, thinking about how much he loved her. Inwardly he chanted HU, a love song to God, to center himself.
The food arrived and Haleh Farha took the tray from a serving girl Everette recognized from the royal kitchen. The aroma of warm bread caused his stomach to rumble. How long had it been since he’d eaten? Haleh Farha accepted the tray and set it on the nightstand.
He took a slice of bread and devoured it in a few gulps, enjoying the taste of berries and melted butter. Another disappeared a moment later.
Haleh Farha sat near him and ate a slice of bread in a more digni- fied manner.
Everette lifted a glass of gonzoberry juice and took a deep drink. When he set the glass down, he felt an odd sensation spread through his body. His limbs felt heavy and fatigue settled over him. The food should have been safe to eat—it came from the royal kitchen. Had Haleh Farha put something in his juice? If so, when?
Panicking, he tried to rise but his legs no longer functioned. He tried to speak but his tongue felt thick in his head. The queen rose and towered over him. “You were wrong to marry my daughter in secret using the ceremony of the Secret Teaching and you were wrong to force her to leave her religion for yours. She is an initiate of the Lady Mother and I’m reclaiming her. Her destiny is to be a priestess.”
Everette fought against the effects of the drug, but it was too strong. A terrible fear descended over him and he was drawn into a dark, dangerous world.
Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge is the first book in the series. It came about as a result of a series of six dreams that were like watching an action-packed sci-fi movie.
Healer’s Blade takes place in medieval England in the 11th century during William the Conqueror’s time. The novel is well-researched but deviates to alternative history by adding gunpowder and a tribe that didn’t exist.
What I enjoyed about this novel was how the main characters were all interconnected in unexpected ways. I also liked that none of the main characters were all good or bad. They were all complex and had suffered great losses from the horrors of Williams’s conquest and the following revolts.
The basic story is that William the Conqueror has taken over England, but rules as a tyrant. When he is out of the country, some of the nobles rebel against him.
Aliwayn, a young healer, is caught up in the middle of the revolt. She has every reason to hate King William but she sides with him in hopes of peace for England.
Toby is a knight rebel. He and Aliwayn’s paths cross again and again. They help each other while at the same time are hostile to each other as enemies on opposing sides of the revolt.
The book is fast-paced, especially in the first two-thirds. Aliwayn and Toby go from one life-threatening situation to another. Along the way, they are drawn to each other.
If you like speculative, alternate history books with a touch of romance, you’re sure to love this one.
Here is the blurb about the story.
In a country torn by war, can a young peasant woman change the fate of England?
1075 A.D., nine years after the Norman Conquest. Eighteen-year-old healer Aliwyn lives in solitude after a series of medical failures leave her alienated from her village. With the rebellion against William the Conqueror rumbling on the horizon, she finds solace in the tranquility of her home.
But when her beloved arrives with the orphaned daughter of a Norman knight, Aliwyn is plunged into the bloody conflict she’s done her best to avoid. One daring escape from enemy arrows entangles her with the revolt’s charismatic young leader, Tobias, and Aliwyn finds herself swept into a dangerous world of rival factions and secret alliances. Faced with mercenaries and renegade knights, she must make difficult choices about treating those she despises.
After she uncovers the fiery secret underpinning the rebellion, Aliwyn is determined to take fate into her own hands and save England from sweeping destruction. Can she find the courage to fight for what she believes? And can she resist the magnetic charms of the man she has vowed to defeat?
Step into a riveting and magic-free YA fantasy adventure with an authentic historical setting and a dash of irresistible slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance. Set in a turbulent medieval England rocked by the early introduction of gunpowder and populated by Celtic-inspired forest tribes, Healer’s Blade is a page-turning read that’s perfect for fans of alternative history.
Kyrie Wang
About the Author
Hailing from the unpredictable snowstorms of Quebec, Canada, Kyrie Wang’s a medical mystery detective (fancy words for “pathologist, MD”) by day and a dreamweaver of historical fantasy by night. Pencil on paper makes her cry and laugh, and every book she writes is living another life!
She has a PASSION for crafting stories that explore the humanity common to us all. Where people find their authentic selves, goodness prevails, and the forgotten and voiceless rise as heroes.
Somewhere between sleuthing with her microscope and crafting hamster toys with her daughter, Kyrie sits down and types. You’d never catch her without (quality dark) chocolate in her bag. She would bike in Canadian January to a froyo store.
Just ask her best friend of 11 years- she was the cashier!
Last week I went to my friend Beth Obermeyer’s celebration for her new book When Winter Came, A country doctor’s journey to fight the flu pandemic of 1918. The book was published by the Mayo Clinic Press. The Mayo Clinic is a world-renowned medical center in Rochester, Minnesota. Her book is the first book they’ve published that isn’t a medical book
Fifteen years ago, I was in a critique group with Beth called The Caribou Scribblers. I still have a silver pencil from the time Beth had pencils made for us with the group’s name written on the side. It was fun to be a part of Beth’s book launch. It was a happy occasion with neighbors, friends, and other writers. It was held at friend of Beth’s beautiful mansion in Minneapolis.
Beth’s grandfather, Dr. Pierre Sartor, was a doctor in Iowa in 1918 during the flu epidemic that hit the world near the end of World War 1. The flu killed 50 million people. Dr. Sartor treated over 1,100 patients and by his reckoning only lost five. How did he do it? He was treating farm families who didn’t have electricity or indoor plumbing. They couldn’t call the grocery store for home delivery or open their freezer to find something to eat. They didn’t have a hospital or vaccinations.
From his journal, we know he kept the patients isolated. The sick person’s family would go to a neighbor’s home. He kept the windows open, burned sheets, and had people wear masks. He also prayed by the side of his patients.
He visited the flu victims regularly by car or switched to a horse and sleigh when the road conditions were bad due to blizzards. Moreover, he organized a team of townspeople to tend to the sick. And he told well people to stay home so the disease wouldn’t spread.
The book was a major accomplishment for Beth who is now 81. She said she’s been working on the book for ten years. She kept working even after her husband died suddenly and unexpectantly. When asked what she planned to do next she answered. “Play the piano.” She accomplished what she set out to do and doesn’t have plans to write another book. Though she can’t rest yet as she’s currently in the middle of promoting the book including traveling to Iowa. There she’ll be well received by the many families who wouldn’t be here if her grandfather hadn’t saved their ancestors’ lives.
As I read the book, I thought of cycles. Beth wrote the book during the covid-19 pandemic. Diseases often come in cycles. We’ve all heard of the bubonic plague in the mid-1300s in Europe and Asia. We’ve heard of polio and smallpox sweeping across the world.
There are also cycles of wars such as World Wars 1 and 2 and now the war in Ukraine and other places in the world. Other cycles include economic cycles of recession, depressions and inflation.
Seeing things from this larger overview of cycles makes it easier to accept the hard times. We know that this too will pass. Pandemics and wars end, and prosperity returns.
When Winter Came is a success story about Dr. Pierre Sartor. He was a sickly child born in Luxembourg. He immigrated to the United States where he became a doctor who saved many lives. His story mirrors many of the immigrants who have come to the United States. The story made me reflect on my relatives and what they sacrificed and suffered to leave their homes and come to the United States.
When Winter Came is available at bookstores across the country and online. It’s full of colored photos and three original watercolors
A friend recently said that science fiction is just a story set in space. That got me to thinking. Sci-fi should be more than just a story set in space. Good sci-fi should ask questions and explore issues. By doing so it can help us prepare for the future. Many ideas that were first explored in science fiction become realities.
Some of the questions sci-fi authors and film makers have explored are: What happens if there is a world war and civilization is wiped out? (Apocalypse books) What happens if aliens attack earth? (Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card or Star ship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein) What will our first contact with other intelligent being be like? (ET)What if we use robots to do much of our work and they start acting strange? (HAL in Space Odyssey) What if we develop AIs that look and act like humans. Should AIs have the same rights as humans? Do we have the right to develop AIs as sex slaves? (ExMachina) What if we could time travel? How would that change our present-day events if we went back and changed a past event? (The Outlander series) What if we can travel to other planets with space jumps. (Star Wars and Star Trek)
In my Star Rider series I explore many topics. Some of the questions I explore include: How would you fight an evil ancient sorcerer that has declared himself a god and is trying to take over the galaxy? What if there is an interplanetary war over desirable planets with air, water, animals and plants that can support life? Should we protect planets that have less advanced intelligent beings from invasion? What is it like to dogfight in space knowing you can’t eject out of the ship because you’d die in space? What would it be like to be from a technologically advanced planet and find yourself in a primitive planet cut off from any way to contact your starship? What kind of plants and animals would there be? What would the landscape look like? What would it be like to live in a dome city where you can’t go outside without a spacesuit on? What would it be like to live on a spaceship and never be outside? What will people in the future wear? What might other intelligent life forms look like? What would it be like to use androids that look like us? How would you travel faster than the speed of light? How would you contact someone on another planet?
Next time you read a science fiction book think about the questions being explored and how this genre has enriched the world.
Angela Treat Lyon is a prolific and versatile artist who does drawings, paintings and sculpture. When I went to Angela’s site, I was struck by her art work especially the sculptures. I was also struck by her words and how they apply to all types of artists, including writers.
On her home page, Angela says when people asked her what her painting meant, she thought the person should allow the piece to speak for itself, not realizing that not everyone knows how to do that. A writer has to take that into consideration as well. An author wants a book to speak for itself, but a story means different things to different people depending on their past experiences and background.
For example, one person may relate to the characters camping in the wilderness like my characters, Fawn and Baymond, in Call of the Eagle. Other people may have never camped and be curious as it what the experience is like.
Angela said that a seasoned collector told her that people want an experience, to be drawn in as she was drawn in. “To be in your shoes as you create and bring this painting and sculpture into manifestation.” This is true for writers as well, the reader wants to be drawn into the story world, so they feel almost as if they are the character. In Call of the Wind as the reader you can experience what it’s like to ride on a sand tiger and feel the wind against your skin as you race across the desert.
This newsletter is another way I bring you into my author world, revealing how I create my stories, my characters and their adventures.
Angela, went on to say, “They (the viewers) want a shift of thinking that leads them from ordinary, everyday consciousness – a journey into the world created by the image or the sculpture – and out the other side with a new, wonderful perception.” This again applies to novels. The reader wants to be transported from their everyday world and journey into the story world where they are transported into a new exciting perception.
Angela goes on to say: “Art is about creating and transmitting new perceptions to you, the viewer. So that’s what I strive for: pieces that take you, the viewer, to another experience, another world, another realm, where you can enjoy rich, gem-like blasts of fantasy color, or rounded, voluptuous sculptural forms, and whimsical or powerful, poignant emotion.” Again this applies to authors as well. The writer takes the reader to another experience, another world or realm.
In my book, Call of the Wind, you can enjoy what it’s like to travel by spaceship to another planet where the people have green skin and gills, so they can swim without coming up for air. You can experience a world where the people are less technologically advanced, yet have skills we don’t have like communicating inwardly.
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