Merry Christmas and progress update!

I think I’m gonna take most of the days off from now until New Year’s, so posting will be light. Though I might pop in to share amusing memes and screenshots of my (usually) ill-fated attempts to play video games. 🙂

Therefore Merry Christmas & Happy New Year in advance!

Let’s also have a progress update of current writing projects.

SHIELD OF STORMS: 40,000 words.

SEVENFOLD SWORD ONLINE: LEVELING: 51,000 words.

WIZARD-THIEF: 4,500 words.

It also looks very probable that we shall have an audiobook of SEVENFOLD SWORD ONLINE: CREATION in January. More details to come on that!

Finally, let’s have a little preview of SHIELD OF STORMS. Specifically, a conversation that ends up setting the entire plot in motion. 🙂

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“I see you have given this much thought, Lord Ridmark,” said Niara.

“I have. I admit it weighs upon me,” said Ridmark. “I look at you and Gareth, and think about the children you might have if God wills it. The children that Joachim and Rhoanna might have one day. Do I want them to grow up in an Andomhaim conquered by the Heptarchy? Or will they one day have to face war because we failed to dislodge the Exarch from the Isle of Kordain in our time?” He shook his head. “I know I cannot govern the tides of fate and time, but I have thought long and hard upon this. If I can find a way to take the Isle from the Heptarchy, it must be done.”

They stood in silence for a few minutes.

“Maybe you should cheat,” said Niara.

“What do you mean?” said Ridmark, bemused.

“That chess game everyone plays in Andomhaim now,” said Niara. “Do you enjoy it?”

“Not particularly.”

“Why not?”

He wasn’t sure what she was driving at, but he answered. “It’s supposed to be a battle. The pawns are foot soldiers, the rooks and knights and bishops are horsemen, the king and queen are the commanders of the army. All neat and tidy with orderly rules. Battles aren’t like that. The horsemen get stuck in the mud. The footmen aren’t in proper formation. Or the horsemen charge into the footmen, but the footmen are veteran spearmen and hold the line. Maybe it snows and the entire thing turns into a confused mess.”

Niara nodded. “Or you sneak around from behind and stab the king in the back while his pawns and rooks are busy elsewhere?”

“Perhaps it would be best to phrase that differently in the court of the High King,” said Ridmark, “but I see what you mean.”

-JM