A.L. Knorr's Blog, page 7

Author Interview with A.L. Knorr and Writerflix

1. Which are your biggest influences (when it comes to writing and fiction) and why?

JK Rowling for how she was able to mix humour and darkness, and I’ll be grateful forever to her for paving the way for more young adult focused works to soar. Ken Follett for his ability to handle huge casts and make you hate an antagonist like you’ve never hated one before. Stieg Larsson for pure genius and holding tension in every chapter. Anne Rice for character development. Stephen King for…well…let’s just say that some writers are masters of plot, others masters of character, and yet others masters of prose – Mr. King is a master of all three. Their work and mine do not bear much resemblance, but they are all influencers for me. If you’re looking for writers whose work might share similarities with mine look to Kelley Armstrong, Cassandra Clare, Becca Fitzpatrick, or (I’m told) Tamora Pierce.

“Empathy is a vital but endangered quality of the human being––arguably the MOST important quality anyone can have. Social and mass media destroys it, reading books rebuilds it.”

A.L. Knorr

2. Do you believe in inspiration? Does inspiration take a big role in your writing process?

Absolutely. When an idea strikes like lightening and captures your imagination, not just for that moment, but for a lingering while and begs to be developed, that to me is inspiration. I travel constantly and visit museums, natural wonders, talk with people who are very different from myself, and put myself into interesting situations in order to find inspiration. When you look for it, it finds you.

3. Could you give us some background about yourself? 

I’m a Canadian farm girl who grew up in rural Ontario with an idyllic childhood. I have two wonderful brothers and amazing supportive parents. Women tell me that I write men that they fall in love with, and I credit the men in my life for being wonderful for this. I wanted to be an animator (preferably for Disney) for all of my youth, until I discovered dance, and then I wanted to be a dancer. My mother is a visual artist, and though my father is a carpenter, he too has a poetic soul. So I grew up with a love for the arts. I did study dance in college but after graduating, fell into a sales job in Calgary in my early twenties, in which I learned a lot about people––and also that I love them in all their various forms. The sales job led to a role at a sports magazine, and then a marketing role in Canmore for an amazing company called Rocky Mountain Soap. Three years ago, I left that job and began to travel and write. 

4. You worked in marketing for years, right? This background helped you with your books/your writing career somehow?

Yes, my marketing career is a massive credit to my current business. I learned during the 8 years doing this job how to build a brand, how to ask the right questions, how to develop strategies, set objectives and execute the necessary tactics to achieve those objectives. I learned to think analytically, and of course how to copy-write and market in a digital ecosystem.

5. Can you describe the working process (from idea to writing to publication) of your first novel, Born of Water?

The first novel is usually a mess, and my experience with Born of Water was no different. Your first several novels are just trying to nail down your process and there can be a lot of going down the wrong path and having to undo and try again. Born of Water started as a vignette, a simple daydream about a mermaid who blows the algae off the figurehead of a mermaid on a shipwreck she’s exploring, only to discover the figurehead has a replica of her own face. In answering the questions that surrounded this vignette, a story emerged: who is the mermaid? why does the shipwreck’s figurehead have her face? Answering these led to more questions like: if mermaids really existed, what would they be like? How would they procreate? What would their habits and life-cycle be like? Who do they love? What are their strengths and weaknesses? What is their biology and biological imperatives? And many more. I find the best advice to those who are stuck or experiencing some kind of block is simply to ask and answer more questions. Once I answered the questions, I had enough to build a story. I outlined it roughly and began to write it. I learned that the last act is the most difficult part of writing (for me) and I had to tear my original final act and climactic scenes apart and rewrite them in order for the ending to be satisfying. Once I had a first draft, I sent it to a developmental editor for feedback. She pointed out plot holes and areas that needed work. I set to work rewriting where it was needed before sending it back for a final copy edit. From there, I hit publish and hoped for the best.

6. Can you describe your writing habits?

I try to write 2000 words a day on my current WIP, unless I’m on a tighter deadline, in which case I aim for 3000 (which is not sustainable for me long term given some issues with my arms and shoulders). Once I publish, I take a break and focus on marketing and cleaning up my online presence, making sure my website and author pages are up to date, while plotting out the next story. This break can last from 1-4 weeks depending on what’s happening in my life and how complex the plot is. I try to write in the morning when my brain is freshest, because writing takes a lot of mental energy. I use the afternoons for marketing. 

7. Do you read books about the writing craft? Which of them would you recommend?

Not recently, but yes, in the past I have read a lot of books and taken many courses, though the best courses I have taken on storytelling have actually been screenwriting classes. I would recommend Stephen King’s On Writing, Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat, and KM Weiland’s book on plot (sorry can’t recall the title off the top of my head). For courses I recommend David Freeman’s Beyond Structure, Roy Williams’ Magical Worlds Communication Workshop, and Robert McKee’s screenwriting workshop. I also find Chris Fox’s Youtube channel to be helpful.

8. How did you come up with the idea for The Elemental Origins Series? 

I had actually written Born of Water before the series concept came to me. I was writing a screenplay called Godmother, which was my interpretation of the life story of Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother. Having my mind immersed in fairy-lore brought another story to life that I realized would work well as Born of Earth. Once I had that, then I knew I had to write stories for the other elements and make the girls friends with one another. I liked the idea of creating a non-linear series that readers could enter anywhere, rather than having to read them in order, so I made the novels first-person POV all taking place over a single summer in which they text one another while they’re having their adventures. This way, the reader gets a glimpse of what’s going on in the other girl’s summer holidays, enough to make the curious to read their story. The last book brings all the girls together to share their experiences and fight a single powerful antagonist. Each girl goes to a different country for their summer holiday, and I liked the idea of utilizing different cultural experiences layered on top of the supernatural evolution each girl goes through. 

9. Did you always want to be a writer? Becoming a writer was like a child’s dream or it was something that emerged later in your life?

Yes, I have been able to read since I was 3 and always loved storytelling in all its forms. I always thought that being a storyteller would be the perfect job for me but was so daunted by how difficult it was to get published and how little the majority of traditionally published authors make financially that it didn’t seem like a viable option, so I never even tried to get traditionally published. When I stumbled across indie publishing, I knew I had found my lifelong pursuit.

10. Your new book, Salt & Stone, the first one of your new series The Siren’s Curse, is coming out this year, right? Can you talk about it and your creative and writing process on this one?

Yes, it will be out in December, 2018. Salt & Stone, The Siren’s Curse, Book 1 is my 15th title, and by now my process is much smoother and faster. I wanted to continue by picking up the loose threads left over after Born of Water. Now that I know that readers love these characters, I feel confident investing my time into exploring what happens next for them. Using the story from Born of Water as a launchpad, and knowing roughly where I was going with this trilogy (meaning how I wanted it to end), I sketched out the major plot points of the story using sticky notes and a big empty space of wall. Once I had the major beats, I went about filing in the detail in between until I had every chapter outlined. I had my outline looked over by my structural editor (Nicola Aquino of Spit & Polish Editing, who is a genius for inconsistency and plot holes). She gave me the feedback I needed to make it better. I tweaked the outline until I was happy with it, then I made a guess at how many words the finished manuscript would be, set my finish date, did a little division to uncover my daily word count. Then I started writing every day until the first draft was finished. As I answer these questions, I’m going into the second draft edits.

11. In your opinion, what is the future of writing and fiction?

Self-publishing has interrupted the industry hugely in the last ten years by allowing entrepreneurial minded writers to take control of their careers. We’ve seen a huge influx of authors and books into the market, and this will continue as more authors join the fray. Authors are now writing faster, publishing more often, and readers can access this work for cheaper than ever before. Artificial Intelligence is being developed to tell stories, and I don’t think it will be very many more years before AI is being used to write fiction. Whether this fiction will be as good as human authors remains to be seen, but it will be interesting to watch how it unfolds. Publishing has become a very fast-paced, quickly-evolving industry in which those who are able to pivot and adapt are rewarded. Books are competing with movies, TV, social media, and video games, attention spans are shortening and keeping a readers attention is becoming more difficult. All that said, there has never been a better time for authors than now and though I believe the future will be fraught with challenges, I also believe that those authors who genuinely love the art of storytelling, who are committed to producing works of high quality, and who are able to develop entrepreneurial skills (even for traditionally published authors) alongside their writing craft will succeed.

12. Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Read a lot. Become an omnivore reader. Read outside your genre. Talk to strangers, ask questions, be genuinely curious about their character and life experience, you’ll learn so much this way. Go to the theatre, museums, do castle tours, visit different landscapes and countries, everything going into your mind will serve you as you craft your stories. If you do not read and do not go out and live a life full of diverse experiences, your creative well will run dry. I believe writer’s block comes from not consuming enough experiences and not asking enough questions. More important that this even, is to develop empathy.

Empathy is a vital but endangered quality of the human being––arguably the MOST important quality anyone can have. Social media and mass media destroys it, books should rebuild it. Your role as a storyteller should be to develop empathy both within yourself as you put your mind and heart into the shoes of your characters, and also to foster it within your reader. Help them to feel what your characters are feeling. Through reading, we can live a thousand more lives than just the one we were given. Learn how to tell a story well, and that is what you are doing––giving your readers another life to live…make it a good one.

Thanks to Tiago from Writerflix for permission to share the interview here. 

The Oriceran Series Starter Sale! July 31, 2018 Only!

It’s our first birthday! I can’t believe a year has passed since Oriceran came into being! And to celebrate, we’re offering this awesome bargain for today only!

Here is a handy list to each of the series starter (Book Ones) in every Oriceran Series! These are each only a buck (American dollar) for TODAY ONLY, so read the descriptions and if something sounds intriguing to you just click on the covers to stock up!

Descendant, The Kacy Chronicles, Book 1
What if finding the truth means you’re not who – or what – you think you are?

Born to a wealthy Virginian family, privileged Jordan’s got her life all planned out. Get her PhD in forensic linguistics, make her State Senator father proud. Find the perfect Virginia man to marry and pop out a few more Kacy’s.

If only Jordan could let the past rest.

When your mother disappears without a trace it carves a gash that bleeds a long time. Jordan has never given up hope that her mother is alive.

So when Jordan’s old nanny shows up with a mysterious locket containing a portrait of Jordan’s mother, Jordan believes her hope was not in vain.

When the locket opens a portal to an alternate universe and a stranger hurtles through to earth, it’s not her first clue that something very strange is at play. Teaming up with Sol, a disgruntled courier who’s lost his wings, Jordan embarks on a haphazard quest. Facing off with interfering barmaids, terrifying harpies, and disorganized elves with a penchant for inventing magic they can’t reverse is only the beginning.

Can Jordan find her mother and learn the truth about her disappearance? And what happens if the truth is far from what she expected?

Feared By Hell, The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone, Book 1 

You never mess with a young girl around James Brownstone.

It doesn’t matter what crime syndicate you belong to, that just doesn’t sit well with him.

The world has changed since the news of Oriceran came out twenty years before. Now, countries all over the world have agreed to use a bounty system for dangerous criminals using advanced magic or advanced technology.

People too powerful for the cops to deal with. Magical criminals, thugs and bounty hunters, in the future we revert to what worked in the past.

If you find out you are hunted by Brownstone, we suggest you turn yourself in. 

It will save you a monumental ass-kicking.

 

The Midwest Witch, The Midwest Magic Chronicles, Book 1

When Maria Apple receives a strange music box for her nineteenth birthday, everything changes.

She begins to showcase odd magical abilities, glowing blue, seeing ghosts, and talking to creatures that shouldn’t be able to talk, all while trying to juggle the task of being a typical teenaged girl.

Now, not only does Maria learn she is a witch, but her grandfather Ignatius reveals he was once a famous warrior from a planet named Oriceran.

 

House of Enchanted, Soul Stone Mage Series, Book 1
The Kingdom of Virgo has lived in peace for thousands of years…until now.

The humans from Terran have always been real assholes to the witches of Virgo. Now a silent war is brewing, and the timing couldn’t be worse. Princess Azure will soon be crowned queen of the Kingdom of Virgo.

In the Dark Forest, a powerful potion-maker has been murdered. Charmsgood was the only wizard who could stop a deadly virus plaguing Virgo. He also knew about the devastation the people from Terran had done to the forest.

Azure must protect her people. Mend the Dark Forest. Create alliances with savage beasts. No biggie, right?

But on coronation day everything changes. Princess Azure isn’t who she thought she was and that’s a big freaking problem.

 

Justice Served Cold, Rewriting Justice, Book 1
Leira’s back in town and this time she’s making up the rules.

Leira Berens has split with the Feds and has gone out on her own to save her corner of the world. Magic is on the loose and the werewolves, Elves and Witches are causing trouble. Leira’s working on a new world with her Light Elf by her side and a certain swearing troll.

There are whispers among the dark Wizarding families that she’s a new kind of bounty hunter. Time to show them how it’s done. They’ll never see her coming.

 

Dark is Her Nature, The School of Necessary Magic, Book 1

For Hire: Teachers for special school in Virginia countryside. Must be able to handle teenagers with special abilities. Cannot be afraid to discipline werewolves, wizards, elves and other assorted hormonal teens. Apply at the School of Necessary Magic.

Alison is a young Drow princess whose power is just beginning to grow inside of her – too bad for the dark forces after her. They won’t see it coming. Even better… Alison’s making a few tween friends who can stand by her side.

School’s in session – the world’s about to change. 

 

Glow, The Fairhaven Chronicles, Book 1
Everything you know is about to change. 

Victoria Brie is getting her life together. She may be just a cashier, but she has big dreams and high hopes for what comes next. In the meantime, she has everything that matters: her family and her best friend.

If only life were that simple. 

When she comes home to find her parents murdered by an elf — yeah, an elf — she’s thrust into a world of magic, mystery, and a madman who wants her dead. The question is… why? Merged with a powerful artifact created by an evil mastermind, Victoria is hunted, stabbed, burned, shot, and attacked in the street… but she’s a survivor, damn it, and no one’s taking her out. She falls in love with the magical underground city of Fairhaven, and when the elf who assassinated her parents comes after her new home, she not taking any prisoners.

 

Waking Magic, The Leira Chronicles, Book 1

Magic is Returning to Our World

What if the weird and strange things you saw on the covers of tabloids was real? What if that was just the tip of the iceberg?

Austin Homicide detective, Leira Berens is in a race against a magical force that wants to rip apart our understanding of reality at the seams.

Enter the magical world of Oriceran. Where magic and danger go hand in hand.

With the help of a Light Elf sent to mentor her and a swearing troll, Leira must push beyond her limits to get back a magical artifact before it goes boom, solve a murder and rescue her mother. Maybe she’s not crazy. Maybe there are Elves, magical realms and things we just can’t explain.

The stakes are real and so is the magical world she just visited.

With help from unexpected places, Leira is going to accomplish more than she ever thought possible.

 

 

PS In the interest of full-disclosure, I am using affiliate links (one link should take you to your Amazon store, no matter which country you’re in – do let me know if you get sent somewhere you shouldn’t, please!) to help offset the cost of running this website. An affiliate link provides a tiny commission from Amazon should you decide to make a purchase based on what you see on this page. -Abs

June / July 2018 Update

Who, Where, What?

As I write this, I am in Calgary, basking in the afterglow of my best friends wedding and preparing to fly to Niagara for the wedding of another good friend. It seems love is in the air! I’d been a bridesmaid before, but never a Maid of Honour, and it was an awesome experience (sometimes a little nerve-wracking – hello, speech) to be able to stand for a good friend of nearly 20 years!

In June and July, I managed to cram in a helicopter tour of the three sisters in Canmore, a mountain biking weekend in Fernie, BC, a visit to Sunshine Meadows to see all the pretty wildflowers, and planning a Three Act Stagette which included traditional afternoon-tea (while wearing fascinators, even… which somehow manage to be both sophisticated and ridiculous at the same time) at the beautiful Fairmont Hotel in Banff.

I return to Canmore from Ontario on August 6th and resume a summer of mountain biking, writing, and enjoying the Canadian Rockies until mid-September, at which point I’ll head back to Saskatchewan to visit with my family before running away from the Canadian winter (fast and far).

The tail end of 2018 will see me on a cycling holiday in Majorca, Spain (super excited, as I’ve never been to Spain), back to Italy for the majority of November and December (not sure where yet but for sure I’ll zip up to Trentino and pop in to visit some good friends there) and then on to London for Christmas and the new year. I promise to post pretty piccies and keep you updated on all the chaos!

In and amongst all the travel, fun and weddings, I’ve been working on Surfacing, which will launch no later than August 29, which ties together the stories of Returning and Born of Water. The writing of this fable also marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new one for me as an artist and author. Curious as to how? Keep reading or scroll down to the ‘what’s next’ blurb! Now on to the writing updates and announcements!

 

The Elementals, Book 6 of the Elemental Origins Series is out!

In case you missed it somehow – the final book in my Elemental Origins series is out and appears to be a hit! Phew!

This book was especially challenging to write given the multiple points of view (written from Saxony, Petra, and Akiko’s POV) and the coming together of multiple story threads in one epic ensemble story and finale.

I know I can’t please every reader with everything I write, but I’m proud of this work as it stretched me to become a better storyteller and challenged my imagination in new ways. Don’t’ miss it – this book is a fast-paced speed-rap of a novel. According to several readers, its the best book in the series. Them’s fighting words though – it’s so cool how everyone has their favourite character and story.

Haven’t grabbed yours yet? Here are the links:  USA    UK    CAD   AUS

 

Elemental Origins: The Complete Series Is Available As a Digital Boxed Set

The publication of this set marks the achievement of an important goal for me. Many readers will not pick up a book if its part of an unfinished series, so I’m hoping many new fantasy lovers will find their way to this series now that it’s done!

The boxed set is performing so well in the store as I write this, hovering between 800-1000 in the whole Amazon store, which is amazing! It helps that I’m offering a 1-time crazy deal for the whole kit for less than an American dollar. This set will sell for $9.99 once the promotion is over, and even that is a great deal, as the books bought individually come in around $32.

If you’re looking for the paperbacks, they are available for sale on each books individual page. I will figure out how to get the boxed set in paperback form, it’s another thing on my to-do list. Thanks to everyone who purchases my stories in every form!

Grab yours here:  USA   UK   CAD   AUS

 

Born of Air Is Now Available in Audio

Gabra Zackman has outdone herself with this story! I haven’t had a chance yet to listen to the whole thing all the way to the end, but I have to say that so far, I am SO PLEASED with how she has represented Petra and the other characters in this story.

I’ve had several readers tell me that they like to listen to the audio version WHILE they’re reading the print or Kindle version. This was an interesting learning for me and makes sense especially for those who might have difficulty reading smaller print (on my to-do list is to get the books out in large-print).

Grab Yours Here: USA    UK    CAD

 

Combatant, The Kacy Chronicles, Book 3 is Now Available in Audio

Mikael Naramore does a kick-ass job at narrating this series, and I’m stoked to announce that COMBATANT is now out in audio! WOOT!

This particular story was super challenging as it involves a ton of – you guessed it – fighting! Aerial combat is the name of the game but there is also a love story woven in and good fun with dragon Blue and Eohne, our amazing Elf inventor and magician of Charra-Rae.

Don’t miss out on this story, it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat!

Grab Yours Here: USA   UK    CAD   AUS

 

The Kacy Chronicles Digital Boxed Set is Now Available 

 I’m proud of this series and excited to announce that its available as a digital boxed set! It’s also available in paperback when ordering through each books individual product page.

It’s been 1 year since the inception of the Oriceran universe and if you haven’t dived in head-first, what are you waiting for? A group of talented, imaginative authors have come together to provide multiple series within the same universe to give you hours and hours of reading enjoyment.

If you love portal-fantasy, dragons, elves, fae, harpies, and fast-paced adventure – these books are for you!

Grab Yours Here: USA    UK    CAD    AUS

 

What’s Next For AL Knorr?

With the publication of the Elemental Origins boxed set, I have been letting my mind and imagination wander free and dream of all the possibilities for stories to come. Readers have made it clear to me that they love my Elemental characters and want more of those kinds of stories, and I am happy to oblige!

It was mermaids who first inspired me to start the EO series, and it’s my mermaid characters––specifically Targa, Mira, and Aris––who have stories which are urgently begging to be told. Mermaid mythology is also (yay) trending right now with the release of hot new television series The Siren, and the live-action The Little Mermaid which Disney is working on right now (set for release in March of 2019). There really couldn’t be a better time to schedule more mermaid stories into my publication calendar.

With a year and a half of publishing experience now under my belt, I’m challenging myself to push the bar higher. I want to stretch my storytelling abilities and demand more from myself as an artist and a writer. The Elemental Origin stories had elements of fantasy and magic, but they could also be labelled as somewhat domestic, as these young women transitioned from a world just like the one you and I live in, to one where fairies, fire-mages, and sirens exist.

The time has come to push them beyond their comfort zone, challenge them with stronger antagonists, expose them to more exciting adventures, and stimulate them to grow as people and Elementals. I’m excited to take my stories in a more magical direction, with more fantastical covers and pulse-pounding adventures.

So… I’m cooking up three more siren stories, which I’m plotting at the same time as I’d like them to interweave. Stay tuned for the title and cover reveals as we move into fall and winter!

Thanks for being here and happy reading!

Abby

XOXO

Surfacing, Chapter One.

Surfacing Snippet: Audio Clip, read by AL Knorr. Unedited, not a professional recording, and some inconsistency with the written sample as the story is still being written. To listen or read the Prologue, click here.

https://www.alknorrbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Surfacing-Chapter-2.m4a

USA   UK   CAD   AUS

Surfacing, Chapter 1

In many ways, The Seadog was where I grew up. It was home and even Targa’s day-care facility at times. The tourist restaurant floating in Saltford’s harbour, modelled after a sixteenth-century barque, was built by Nathan after a flood destroyed the first one. The replacement restaurant was bigger and more elaborately finished than the first, and Nathan’s labour was donated. This was before I came out of the ocean for my land-cycle. Though I’d missed the construction of it, I could still feel Nathan’s touch in the polished brass finishings and red lacquered hull. Even locals loved to eat Phil’s famous fish and chips during the off-season when there was finally a way to make it to the toilets without tripping over a purse with a tiny dog in it.

Phil took a chance on an inexperienced young woman (me), gave me a job and taught me what forgiveness was because I made a lot of mistakes. I was a quick study, but I was also a lot more sheltered from the ways of humanity than most young women were, having spent the previous eleven years at sea.

Another eleven year period had passed, and I was still waitressing at The Seadog, but my days serving at the restaurant Nathan built might be numbered.

Phil was getting on in years now and though he never complained, I could see the stiffness settling into his bones and the stress lines etched into his brow. He longed for his recliner and a condition I didn’t yet fully understand (and probably never would) known as retirement.

“But what are you going to do?” I asked as I polished the hot silverware fresh from the industrial dishwasher and lay them in their appropriate drawers.

Phil’s damp and rosy face reappeared from behind the bar where he’d been changing one of the hoses. He slid the door shut with a snap. “That’s the point. I’m going to do nothing.” He put his palms together in prayer and shook them. “The whole reason people work so hard, scrimp and save their whole lives, and pay off their mortgages by the time their sixty or sixty-five, if they are lucky, is so they can retire and do nothing with the rest of their days.”

I frowned. “That doesn’t sound right to me. Won’t you get bored?”

“Nope.”

I shook my head, mystified.

Phil wiped down the bar, making the wood gleam. “You’ve never thought about retirement?”

I shook my head but couldn’t justify myself. Mermaids don’t retire, they go to the ocean to die, probably somewhere around their five or six-hundredth birthday.

“You should.” He shook his damp rag at me. “You’re, what, thirty?”

“Thirty-one.”

“No spring chicken. Sorry, but you aren’t. You look like you’re twenty but one day the years will catch up to you and you’ll,” he put his hands to his lower back and stretched, something cracked, “fall apart.”

I laughed. “All at once? That’s a little extreme.”

“It comes on fast. You only have one life, Mira. You work hard and raise that beauty of a little girl of yours, and maybe find a nice guy…”

My smile disintegrated.

Phil sighed. “It’s been three years, Mir. No one would begrudge you a relationship. We just want you to be happy.”

“We?”

“Crystal, me, Nathan’s folks, Targa…” he paused, “I’m sure you have lots of other friends.”

But I didn’t, and I didn’t have the heart to correct Phil on the facts. Crystal moved to Toronto two years after Nathan and me were married. She came back for Nathan’s funeral and called once a year or so, but otherwise, she wasn’t in my life anymore. Nathan’s father was ill, so Nathan’s mom moved him to a care facility in Florida. They loved Targa, and I had taken her down to visit them a few times, but money was tight for me and for them, and now it had been a year since we’d last seen them.

The Seadog’s door swung open and Kayley, another server, blew in and tossed her coat on one of the anchor-shaped iron hooks behind the door. She snapped her gum and it went off like a gun. Phil visibly winced and we shared a look.

“I miss Crystal.” I closed the silverware drawer with my hip, moved to the computer and booted it up.

“She’s not that bad,” Phil whispered as she clomped across the floor in a pair of knee-high lace-up motorcycle boots and snapped her gum a second time. “No gum please, Kayley,” he said over his shoulder.

“You missed a spot, Phil,” she mimicked in a nasal voice before slamming her way through the swinging door and into the kitchen to get her apron.

I gave Phil a look of long-suffering and he agreed with a weary nod. He missed Crystal, too.

If I were Phil, I would have fired Kayley by now. For a while, I wondered why he was putting up with her attitude. There were two things at play. One, it was difficult to find and keep good help, and two, Phil was selling The Seadog and was counting down the days until he would be passing the keys over to the new owner. Why disrupt things with a firing and a hiring? He’d told me only the week before, and the deal was already signed. The date was set and the handover would happen in four weeks time. Phil had assured me that the buyer was a lovely couple from Halifax who would give me a probationary period of three months before any final decision would be made about my role here.

Great.

Phil had no doubts that they would keep me. At eleven years, I was the longest-standing most trustworthy employee Phil had ever had. I was given the responsibility of a manager and a slight bump in pay every year, but no official title (not that I cared). Phil ran with a small crew, five servers including himself during the high season. A manager wasn’t really needed aside from himself.

“What time will they be here?” I open the computer’s software and set it up for the lunch shift.

“Just Clive is coming, his wife can’t make it today.” Phil looked at his watch. “And he’s late. I asked him to come at ten to avoid the lunch rush.” Phil and Clive had arranged a meeting to discuss the paperwork for the sale and for Phil to give Clive a thorough tour of The Seadog’s inner and outer workings.

The front door opened again and a man in a long oilskin jacket and outback hat came in. The outfit could have been imposing but the bulge in the middle––over not inconsiderable belly––diminished the effect.

“Clive,” Phil wiped away the look of annoyance and greeted the man with a hearty handshake. “Nice to see you could make it, after all.”

Clive nodded and wheezed. “Got tangled up in traffic at Hope’s corner. You know how that intersection can be.” Clive shrugged out of his oilskin and draped it on a hook. He kept the hat on.

“Indeed,” said Phil conspiratorially as they sat down to a table.

Hope’s corner was an intersection at the end of the shopping district where Pepper St ran into the first suburb and became Hope St. It was never blocked up with traffic.

On the heels of Clive, five men entered next. Three of them were wearing baseball jackets in the identical shade of azure. There was a logo on the arm of each jacket but it was difficult to make out hidden in the folds.

The door to the kitchen opened and Kelsey came out, snapping her gum. She glanced at Clive, her eyes raking his outfit. She made a face and I thought I heard her say, “All hat and no cowboy,” under her breath. Then her eyes fell on the table of five young men and she followed up louder with: “Ooo, men-flesh. I’ll take this one.”

Kelsey ignored many of the rules of engagement Phil had put into place for his servers. It used to be that all tips went into a shared pot and were split at the end of the night, but servers grumbled if they felt that they’d worked hardest and didn’t get the share they deserved. So he switched it so that servers received the tips of the tables they took care of. Seniority took the first table to sit down and it alternated after that. It was irritating that Kelsey behaved in this selfish way, but I couldn’t stand to cry off to Phil. He didn’t need the extra stress, and did it really matter? Just to hear the petty words, ‘Kelsey isn’t playing fair,’ come from my own mouth would have made my skin crawl. It wasn’t worth it. I let her sashay over to the table of men as they chose a booth near the ship’s wheel and settled in.

The group seemed happy about something, talking and laughing, their faces sunburned and lively. They grinned up at Kelsey as she took their drinks order, someone said something funny and the table exploded with laughter.

I made my way across to where Phil and Clive were sitting and asked if they would like a drink.

“Thanks, Mira,” said Phil appreciatively. “I’d love a ginger-ale.”

I swung my attention to Clive. He was staring at my chest, his jaw slack and mouth hanging open. His cheeks were tomato-red and a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his neck and stained his collar.

“Clive?” Phil shot me an apologetic look. “Would you like a drink.”

Clive came to life. “Ah, yes how kind. On you, of course?”

Phil coloured. “Of, course,” he murmured.

Annoyance zinged through me.

Clive craned his neck to scan the bar. “What have you got for single-malt scotch?”

I blinked. Hard liquor before noon? I rattled off a few brands we carried and Clive chose the most expensive one.

I turned for the bar, rolling my eyes, and that’s when he slapped me on the ass.

Hard.

“Atta girl,” he wheezed as the smack resounded through the restaurant.

I froze in disbelief. In eleven years of serving I had been flirted with, hit-on and asked out too many times to count, but never had I been treated with such blatant disrespect. Clive didn’t know me. He didn’t know that I had broken up four bar-fights and bounced at least a dozen men twice my size from The Seadog. I had a reputation which even tourists picked up on if they mingled with enough locals.

I turned stiffly back to the table, catching a glimpse of Phil’s horror.

I made a fist but Phil on his feet.

“Out!” He stormed. “Get out of my ship! Forget the scotch, forget the deal!” He reached across the table and grabbed Clive by the shirt-collar, heaving. There was no way petit Phil could lift Clive but it didn’t matter, Clive was on his feet, huffing and puffing and turning purple.

“This is still my place-” Phil was yelling.

“No it isn’t, we signed the paperwork!” Clive bellowed back and the two men stumbled toward the door, Phil shoving and Clive tottering.

I noticed the table of men in blue jackets had paused and were watching with interest and some mirth. It looked like an irate grizzled gerbil was escorting a sweating walrus to the door, both of them yipping and chirping at one another.

Clive stumbled over the runner and crashed into the wall below the coat-hooks, grabbing his jacket on the way down. The sound of cracking wood echoed through the ship as Clive pulled the line of coat-hooks out of the wall and crumpled to a heap on the floor. He thrashed to get up, his hat jammed crookedly over one eye. He finally heaved himself to his feet and found his oilskin.

“You’ll be hearing from my lawyer!” He belted, his face apoplectic with rage. He straightened his hat and opened the door.

“Just try it,” Phil barked. “You’ll be staring down the barrel of a sexual-harassment charge.” He slammed the door and the remaining screw holding the hooks to the wall decided to give and it fell to the hardwood with a clank. Phil turned, nostrils flaring. “I’m sorry about that, Mira.”

I bent to pick up the coat-rack and the few jackets it had been holding. “Don’t worry about it,” I murmured.

Truthfully, I was both shocked and touched. Phil needed the deal to go through, and he also knew I could handle myself. He hadn’t needed to interfere on my behalf. I might have been making a fist but I hadn’t been intending on hitting Clive with it. I wondered if Phil had reacted first to prevent me from beating his buyer to a pulp. It wasn’t the first time Phil had come to my defence but it was the most dramatic. The Seadog’s owner was gentle, a pacifist who hated conflict in any form.

I turned to carry the coat-hook to Phil’s office until the wall could be fixed and nearly ran into one of the men in blue jackets.

“You alright, Miss?” he said, his round face concerned and tinged with pink. “That took us all a little by surprise there.” He had a pleasant lyrical way of speaking.

“I’m fine.” I passed by him before remembering my manners. I turned back. “Thank you.” I smiled

He nodded and went back to his table, sliding into the booth where his friends were already talking and laughing again.

I passed Kelsey on the way to Phil’s office. She’d missed the whole event and came out of the kitchen completely oblivious.

“They’re treasure hunters,” she hissed in obvious delight. “Probably rich as Midas.”

I blanked out for a second until I realized she was talking about the men in blue jackets. She balanced a tray of food on a single flat palm and swayed her hips dramatically as she approached their table.

Phil appeared and took the coat hook from me. “They’re not treasure hunters,” his tone was exasperated, as it usually was when Kelsey was involved. “They’re salvage divers. Honestly,” he mumbled as he disappeared into his office to deposit the coat-hook.

I peered at the men with curiosity. When Phil returned from his office I probed for more information. “What kind of salvage?”

“You don’t know Simon?”

I shook my head. “Never saw him before, or any of them.”

“He grew up here, though he was gone for quite a few years, working for a larger salvage crew on the other side of the country. He returned and started Bluejackets, thinks there’s need in the East. His company is still small, and mostly subcontracts to larger companies, but he’s got big dreams, that lad.”

“Salvage of… shipwrecks?”

Phil rocked his head back and forth, indicating maybe, maybe not. “Sometimes. I think that’s what he’d like to do the most of, its more fun than dragging a truck out of a river wrecked by a drunk teenager.” He blew out a sigh. “I’m sure he takes whatever work comes along, like most of us.”

The heavy tone of Phil’s voice drew my attention away from the dive team.

“What are you going to do now that the sale is null?”

Phil chewed his lip, his brow furrowing with worry. “Honestly, I think I have to wait and see if Clive holds true on his threat. He’s got a copy of the contract and he’s right, we signed it last week. If he wants to, he has legal grounds to take me to court for breach of contract.”

“Would you really charge him with sexual harassment?”

“I don’t want any trouble,” Phil grumbled. “If I had to, I suppose I would, but I sure hope he just goes away. I’ve got enough on my plate and it looks like my retirement plans are shot until I find another buyer.” Phil suddenly looked very old and I thought that the consequences of breaking the deal with Clive were sinking home. “I’ll be in my office.” He closed the door behind him.

 

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Born of Water Gets 5 Stars From Readers’ Favorite!

It was absolutely lovely to receive the below review by Readers’ Favorite reader Sierra Edelen. The book has also been submitted for their annual awards, which get announced in September so you can bet I’ll be watching for the announcement of winners, of which one of my favorite actors (Jim Carrey) has been a recipient. I won’t hold my breath, but it’s nice to get a nod from them.

I’m also excited to announce that Born of Water was selected for the Amazon Prime Reading program, which is an invitation-only 90-day promotional period. This is a first for any of my titles, and I was pretty excited to get it.

I think the only other update on this title is the pretty silver 5-star seal on its cover, which will be printed on any copy ordered after June 1, 2018. Curious about what Readers’ Favorite had to say? You can read the review just below, in italics.

Reviewed By Sierra Edelen for Readers’ Favorite

Targa is almost like any other teenager about to enter the summer before her senior year in high school except for one thing; she is half siren. Being born of a human father and a siren mother, Targa was destined to become a siren like her mother as the gene is passed through the female line. But Targa turned out to be a dud, and as such, since her father died when she was only eight, her mother, Mira, was forced to stay on land and get a job as a diver, searching the Atlantic and recovering lost items from wrecks. When Mira’s company is offered a job in Poland for the summer to recover items from a ship that sank 150 years ago, Targa gets the opportunity of a lifetime, and one that will change hers forever. 

Born of Water by A.L. Knorr is only the first in a number of titles in The Elemental Origins Series. It aims to capture the attention of young adults, as it has themes of fantasy, mythology and teenage love. It is beautifully composed and encourages readers to continue reading more books even after this story is finished. It also does well to keep things in perspective, showing not only the particular struggles that Targa is going through due to her siren heritage, but that she is also a teenage girl with normal teenage confusions and that makes her all the more relatable. This book was a joy to read. It is filled with mystery and intrigue and I look forward to finding other books in the series and reading them as well. 

May 2018 Update

Where Am I?

Biking in Golden, BC

I know. The perpetual question that always needs answering! I swear I don’t even know the answer half the time!

May 20th found me flying from London’s Gatwick airport to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I have much-loved family and friends in SK and Alberta and plan to be here for the summer.

My parents live in a renovated 1930’s craftsman style yellow brick schoolhouse which up until a few years ago, was a pigeon-hotel and is now a beautifully light and airy one-room space upstairs, complete with loft, and an open-concept basement with modular walls which can be swung and moved about to create bedrooms as needed. It’s a very quiet and peaceful place to be and I get lots of writing done here.

The SK Homestead

Two of my best friend’s are getting married this summer, so I’ll have some travels to the Niagara area of Ontario on top of my swings into the BC area. As always, I plan to spend lots of time in Canmore and hit my favourite biking locations this summer which include Fernie, Revelstoke, Golden, and of course Banff.

In April I spent 10 days in Thailand on the island of Koh Samui. What a wonderful place! The best food and the friendliest people. If you’ve ever considered visiting Thailand, I highly encourage it, especially if you’re a beach baby. My pale freckly self was not designed for beaches, but I go armed with a gigantic hat and lots of sunscreen and seem to manage not to fry to death. I even might become a darker shade of white.

The writing is going strong, I seem to have found a balance of word count and arm/wrist-health. Business is going good and creativity is flowing, so that’s always a good place to be. I can’t complain!

I have just received my manuscript for The Elementals, Elemental Origins Series Book 6 back from both of my editors, and they both enjoyed the story! Yay! My job now lies in making any structural edits to the story and then to hand it back for a final copy edit before uploading the whole shebang to Amazon.

I am still going to try for an earlier than June 7th launch, but if you’ve been following me for a while now, you’ll already know that I don’t make promises! I’ll do my best, that’s all I can say! I am so excited to have Book 6 done as it marks the end of the Origin stories and the beginning of the stories about what happens with your favourite characters after high school and beyond.

What I’m working on next!

No one has seen this cover yet, so TA DA! Who do you think that is? That’s right, it’s Mira MacAuley, Targa’s beloved mother.

I am not sharing the title for this story as of yet, but I can tell you that this story will tie together the Returning novellas with Born of Water as it follows Mira MacAuley, and young Targa, as Mira faces life as a single mother and chronicles how she first joins the Bluejacket Underwater Salvage team and the challenges she finds within. It promises to be an adventure that will touch your heart and take your imagination to places that only a mermaid can reveal.

 

Born of Air in Print & Audio

That’s right, finally! Born of Air is now in processing to become available in paperback and will be up for grabs within the next 30 days! The Audio version is also being recorded right now, and though I can’t promise an exact date, the audio version will also be out within the next 2 months or so. Stay tuned for updates on these!

 

Two Boxed Sets are Coming!

It’s an exciting time! Readers love boxed sets and I’m so excited to be bringing 2 of them to Amazon before the end of June! The Kacy Chronicles will be published by LMBPN Publishing, and The Elemental Origins Series Complete Boxed Set will be published by my little house, Intellectually Promiscuous Press.

That’s it for now! Until next time…happy reading.

XO

Abby

Sneak Peek at The Elementals (Book 6 of The Elemental Origins Series)

Sneak Peek at The Elementals, PETRA’S POV (unedited and subject to changes):

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Like the Van Allen belt.

Radioactive electrons.

Impenetrable barrier.

Plasmapause.

My mind was spinning with the strange terms and vocabulary which had issued from Hiroki’s mouth in the past several days. Drawings and animations of radiation belts, particle movement, and…

“You’re doing it.”

Hiroki’s whispered words broke through my reverie and I opened my eyes. My palms were down and out, each hand tingling with a different frequency. Power spun in the centre of my being, like a vortex, connecting my tailbone with the top of my head. Energy poured through me and from me.

Hiroki was barely visible behind a protective barrier, like a dentist hides before they zap you with radiation for an x-ray. Only his head was visible behind the dark glass, and if I wasn’t mistaken, his face was alight with surprise and pleasure. His features were obscured not only by the dark glass but by the waves of the forcefield now encircling my form as I stood in the centre of the lab.

The field was visible as a thick wall of shimmering air, like heat baking off desert sand at the height of midday. Hiroki had explained to me that it was invisible to him, but visible to me due to the proteins in my body called cryptochromes which helped me detect magnetic fields. Whatever they were, learning to use them had been like trying to pin pudding to the wall. Now that I was finally getting used to my powers, the control I had was increasing exponentially, getting easier and more natural to wield. It had dawned on me slowly, like the first of the sun’s rays on a crisp spring morning, that my powers increased as my understanding of them deepened. It had been like reaching into what I thought was a shallow pool for a sparkling gem, only to realize that the gem was far away, and it was not a pool but a well of unfathomable depth. I was learning that my powers were unleashed and controlled not by my body, but by my thoughts and my will. Still, old habits die hard, and it was difficult not to use my hands and arms to make gestures while I executed the tasks Hiroki challenged me with. Hiroki had likened these hand-movements to a baby’s soother; explaining that I needed them while I was learning, but that I would cast them off as I gained confidence.

Hiroki moved and my eyes followed him. He came out from behind the protective barrier, making my heart skitter up my throat and crouch in my mouth like a frightened bird. The old fear was loosening, but it was still there, and reared its head with ferocity. What if I hurt him?

“Hiroki, wait. Are you sure it’s safe?”

“You’ll just have to make sure it is,” Hiroki answered. “I trust you, Petra.”

“I hate it when you say that,” I grumped, not relaxing my hands. I narrowed my eyes.

Hiroki reached toward the nearly invisible bubble I had created around myself.

“Don’t!” I cried out, closing my fists. He’d never tried to touch my forcefield before. I had no idea what would happen if he did. The bubble vanished. I felt the tension dissipate and the spinning vortex inside me stop immediately.

“It’s alright, Petra,” Hiroki said softly. “If it wasn’t safe, this,” he held up the small Geiger-counter which had practically become part of him, “would have gone crazy. But the needle wasn’t jumping like the times before. You did it! I’m proud of you. Now let’s try making one that stays intact, the same way you can set materials into indefinite orbit.”

“Are you going to tell me what we’re going to be using these forcefields for at some point?” I asked slyly. I’d been looking for chinks in Hiroki’s armor ever since he’d started prepping me for a mysterious project he wouldn’t give me any details about.

Hiroki gave me a wearying look which was not entirely devoid of humor. “You never give up. You know I can’t tell you anything yet. Jody says by the end of the summer, and you’ll just have to wait until then.”

I let out a long sigh.

“Ah,” Hiroki held up both his index fingers in a comical display of ‘eureka’. “How about this time we use the guns? How do you feel about that?”

“Out of the frying pan and into the fire?” I chewed my lower lip. “It’s not too soon?”

“Nonsense.” He rubbed his hands together with no small amount of glee. “Aren’t you curious to see what happens? Besides, the primary missiles are basically nerf-balls. They’re not going to hurt you if they do penetrate.”

“Yeah, until you turn on the live ammunition.”

“I already told you about that, did I?”

I nodded slowly, eyebrows raised. “Sometimes you do let things slip.” During the time I had spent working with Hiroki to develop my skills, I had discovered that inside the consummate professional lived a young boy who loved video games, laser tag and obstacle courses. This young boy version of Hiroki made his appearance during breakthroughs and just before trying some dangerous new drill.

One of the index fingers returned. “I won’t turn it on until you give me the go-ahead, alright? How’s that?”

“I can’t ask for better.” I waited for Hiroki to disappear inside the booth and flick the switch which would turn the red light to green. Six panels in the gleaming black metal walls of the circular lab slid open revealing the discomfiting barrels of guns with stacked vertical mouths in varying sizes. The technology of this lab––Hiroki had explained––had been licensed for millions to a high-tech gaming and virtual reality park in Japan. It was another of the fringe-businesses that TNC operated. I wondered what other tech the company had invented and sold and to whom. Governments? Private intelligence agencies? Foreign military? How did they decide who to partner with? It was a world that had become as fascinating to me as archaeology, but I had quickly learned that prying was not going to get me anywhere. It was when I kept my questions to myself that Hiroki would let slip some engrossing and revelatory piece of the TNC story. Just when I thought I was beginning to assemble some idea around the identity of the corporation I was contracted to for a year, I would learn some other startling fact which would change my perception entirely.

At the blinking of the emerald colored light, the spinning vortex inside me hummed to life. With an unnecessary flick of my fingers, the field fused into existence around me. My forcefield surrounded me perfectly, passing through the floor of the lab. It arched below and above me in equal distance. It had always moved with me, like a shadow, as I shifted side to side a few feet, because I was its nexus. But was this essential to the forcefields existence? I instinctively felt it wasn’t.

Not without effort, I slowly relaxed my hands.

“Who needs a soother now?” I murmured. With nothing more than intention, commanding the forcefield to stay put, I shifted side to side and saw with pleasure that it did not follow me. I smiled and glanced at the dark glass between myself and Hiroki.

He grinned and gave me a thumbs up, then clapped three times over his head.

I did a grapevine to the right and to the left before canting over one knee and shooting Hiroki a campy open-mouthed grin accompanied by jazz-hands.

He laughed silently and waved me off with a gesture of oh you, so silly.

Next, I approached the wall of the bubble and put my hand up to touch it. Nothing. No sensation. No, wait. There was, but it mere warmth and a delicate tingle. I passed my hand through the bubble and then stepped through to follow with the rest of my body. Stepping out the other side, I turned to observe my forcefield from the outside. It looked the same as it did from the inside––a thin-walled sphere of seething air.

I turned and caught Hiroki’s eye. He looked faintly awed. He shook his head slowly at me in wonderment, amazed at my new trick.

I stepped back inside and felt a click as I took my place at its nexus. It once more moved as my shadow.

There was a popping sound as a yellow ball fired from one of the guns. It bounced off my forcefield and ricocheted harmlessly against the wall. I cocked my head at the information the contact sent to the vortex spinning through my centre––the frequency of the nerf ball. Interesting. Now I had data. The ball rolled a couple of feet before dropping into some unseen channel beneath the floor, on its way to get cued up for another discharge.

“Fire another.” I spoke normally. Hiroki had had to remind me a few times that even though he was in a protective booth, he could hear me as well as if I were standing right next to him.

The popping sound originated behind me and I spun to watch the next ball explode in a poof of green plastic dust. It shimmered and drifted slowly to the floor, making a pile of green dirt.

“How did you do that?” Hiroki’s artificially amplified voice asked through the sound-system.

“Same way I shattered the glass in the cave in Libya,” I explained. “I changed the frequency of the forcefield to match that of the ball.

“Huh. I wouldn’t have thought something made of soft plastic could be destroyed that way. Frequency should be too slow.”

I shrugged, feeling a little smug. “You’re the scientist. There has to be an explanation.”

“Not necessarily,” came Hiroki’s surprising answer. “We’re dealing with a supernatural ability, here. There’s a line where science becomes irrelevant and the ‘super’ part takes over. At that point, all of my education is pretty much useless. Your abilities are the way they are, scientifically quantifiable or not. And not only that…”

I knew what he was going to say. “I’m one of a kind.”

Hiroki nodded. “Exactly. As far as we know, there is only one Euroklydon, and can only ever be one Euroklydon.”

This statement brought a host of confused emotions to the surface. My thoughts inevitably went back to my recurring dream––the one of the man (father) who looked like me, who seemed to be trapped in a world that moved in slow-motion, whose warning was never explicit enough and never came fast enough for me to understand what he wanted me to do.

Run.

It was all he’d ever said, more like mouthed to me, and the message was getting old. Run from what? From whom?

More popping sounds pulled me from my musings. Three multi-colored explosions of plastic fluff appeared against the walls of my forecefield. A fourth popping sound with a higher pitch sent a tennis ball bouncing off the forcefield, and the information about that ball passed through my core. When a second tennis balled followed less than half a second later, it too exploded into shreds of rubber.

“That the best you got?” I laughed and crooked my fingers at the booth in a gesture of challenge.

A loud bang followed my invitation and a metal ball the size of my fist bounced off the forcefield and cracked against the nearly indestructible lab wall. When a second ball of the same nature fired milliseconds behind the first, I was ready for it. There was another loud crack, and the ball exploded into a million metal fragments.

“This could get expensive,” I muttered.

“TNC has deep pockets,” answered Hiroki, and his voice had a smile in it. “What happens if I fire two different projectiles at the same time?”

Before I could answer, he did just that.

The popping sound of a nerf ball firing to my right, accompanied by the much louder bang of the metal ball at the same time resulted in both projectiles bursting into fragments simultaneously.

“Whoa,” said Hiroki. “Cool. Did the forcefield do that automatically, or did you have to change something?”

“I heard the sounds and knew what was coming. It all happens so fast that it’s not really conscious.”

“Remarkable.”

The hard glimmer of confidence was steadily growing in me. “You want to try live ammunition, now?” I laughed. “Not that a metal ball wouldn’t be considered ‘live’. That thing could have taken my head off.”

“Can we?” Hiroki sounded disbelieving and ignored my comment about being beheaded.

“Sure.”

There was a sound like some quiet engine powering down and Hiroki stepped out from behind the booth glass.

“Aren’t you going to fire something deadly at me?”

“Not here. This lab isn’t equipped for it. We’ll have to go outside.” Hiroki unhooked a radio from his belt. At the same time, he flicked a switch on a small blue panel in the wall and the door to the lab slid open, letting in natural light.

I followed Hiroki from the lab and stepped onto a metal staircase leading up to ground level. Hiroki spoke into the radio and received an answer from a gruff masculine voice.

“How fast can we get cued up for live ammo test with the Euroklydon?”

“Really?” The voice sounded like a kid’s on Christmas morning just told it was time to open presents. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Really.” Hiroki looked over his shoulder and winked at me as we emerged from the underground lab and stepped into the hallway which led to one of the canteens.

“The team has been waiting for this ever since she signed the contract,” the voice answered. “Give us twenty to set up?”

“Perfect. We’ll grab a coffee and meet you in clearing twelve?”

“Clearing seven has already been pre-approved. I’ll send a rover round to pick you up.”

“Copy that.” Hiroki clipped his radio back into place as we entered the canteen. A low murmur of voices from a few groups of people at a table dimmed further. I felt several sets of eyes on me and made an attempt to smile at one of the women in a fatigue-colored skirt. The corners of her mouth twitched up but she looked quickly away again.

“The Euroklydon?” I asked as we grabbed coffee at the machine on the counter. “Is that how I’m referred to around here?”

Hiroki nodded, nonplussed. “Nothing against you. It’s just easier in this line of work not to get too personal.”

“Why would that be, I wonder?” I took my hot cup out from under the nozzle and opened a packet of brown sugar. This was a sarcastic question. I had already been warned not to foster friendships with the other employees of the TNC field-station. Relationships were professional, conversations with anyone save Hiroki were curt and short.

In one way, I didn’t mind, given that after a year of working for TNC I planned to study at Cambridge and build a world-class career in archaeology. In another, the cold and constant distant professionalism grated on me. I never knew, when encountering a TNC employee, whether I was dealing with a human or a supernatural. So far, the only other confirmed supernatural I knew worked for TNC was Ibukun, an Inconquo, a metal elemental. But she was in London, presumably back at work for the TNC offices there.

“Shit happens,” Hiroki said, casually.

My brows shot up. It was the first time I’d ever heard Hiroki curse and a rare glimpse at his humanity. Though he was a professional most of the time and had even seemed robotic at first, I had always seen him as a human being.

It seemed that the favor was not being returned.

(end sneak  peek)

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Transcendent, Sneak Peek: Chapter 4

 Grab your copy of Transcendent at these links. Goes live March 23, 2018!

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When the aftermath of battle is just the calm before the storm…

The battle with the harpies is over, but some believe that the harpy threat will never be over until the harpies are exterminated. If the Strix combatants pursue the harpies to their home in the caves of Golpa, can they end the war?

Can Jordan and Juer save King Konig or is devious Prince Diruk’s rise to the throne inevitable? And what of Jordan’s estranged family and her Unbreakable Promise to Sohne? When the Elf Princess turns up to collect, Jordan has to give her what she asks for or die. The truth is… she’d really rather die.

Welcome to Oriceran. The veils between the worlds are thin. Come see what’s on the other side.

 

Audio read by A.L. Knorr. Not a professional recording.

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Transcendent, Chapter Four

“Jordan.” Toth waved her over to where he sat on one of the rocks that his brother had sat on mere weeks before, eating stew and talking about the harpy threat.

It was late afternoon, and Jordan was winded. It had been a hard day of training for all of them, and the first real day of conditioning since the major battle. The combatants had been busy helping the Strix citizens put their city to rights, but Toth couldn’t allow them to let their guard down. No one knew if or when the red dragon would decide to abandon them, leaving them open to another attack.

The physical exertion had been a welcome distraction for all the Strix soldiers, after the insult of the ceremony to honor their fallen. If what Prince Diruk had done was meant to divide the Nychts and the Arpaks, it hadn’t worked. The Arpaks were just as livid as the Nychts, for they’d all lost Nycht comrades and friends during the war.

Jordan nodded her thanks to her sparring partner, one of the rebel Nychts who had come back from The Conca with Caje and Chayla. She put away her dirks and joined Toth, settling onto the stone beside him.

“What’s going on?” She leaned forward eagerly, resting her elbows on her knees.

Toth had still said nothing about what had transpired between he and Prince Diruk on the day of the ceremony. Jordan was hopeful he might enlighten her as to what the mysterious ‘scheme’ was that he’d been referring to.

“There’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“Anything,” Jordan looked her friend in the eye, willing him to feel her respect and support. She was still chafing over having accepted the medal, even though he’d encouraged her to. She felt in some way that she had betrayed her Nycht friends by doing so.

Toth caught Sol’s eye as he was saying goodbye to his sparring partner and putting the throwing disks into their trunks for the night. Sol either felt the Nycht captain’s eyes on him in that moment, or he happened to glance their way at just the right time to see Toth and Jordan both staring at him. One brow went up with curiosity. Toth invited him over with his hand.

Sol tossed the rest of the disks away and locked the trunk before crossing the green and settling on the stone beside Jordan, his feathers rustling as he stretched his wings. Sweat beaded Sol’s brow, and he wiped it away with the heel of his hand. Jordan caught a whiff of sweat and damp leather as he moved.

“Have you seen Blue lately?” Toth plucked at a long piece of grass and caught its stem between his teeth, propping his foot against the rock.

Jordan nodded. “And Red, too.”

“Is that what we’re calling her?” Toth asked with a smirk.

“Unless you can think of a better name?” Sol challenged, wiping his forearm across his brow.

Toth shrugged. “I like keeping things simple.”

“We saw them a couple of days ago, in the park not far from our apartment,” Jordan answered more specifically. “Why?”

Toth nodded. “I saw them that day, as well. Blue surprised me with a little present.”

“Oh? He didn’t give us any presents,” Sol replied with a chuckle. “Did he, Jordan?”

“Speak for yourself, he licked my face.” Jordan gave Sol a smug smile.

“That’s all it takes to make you happy? Good to know.” Sol mimed taking out a notepad and licking the tip of a pen before writing something on an invisible page. “Lick Jordan’s face after extended time away.”

Jordan shoved Sol’s shoulder playfully. “You’re just jealous.”

Toth shook his head. “I’m surrounded by children.” His mouth twitched with something that was almost a smile, but the warmth of it didn’t reach his eyes.

Jordan and Sol flashed each other a look. Their playing around was a bit forced and they knew it, but they were both eager to cheer their captain up. So far, not much could incite a smile.

“The present gave me an idea,” Toth continued, as blithely as though he was ordering a mug of ale at a bar. “I’d like to take the dragons and a squadron of Nychts to Golpa.”

Jordan let out a long breath.

Her initial reaction was a fearful one, not just for any Nychts who made the journey to that inhospitable, cold, and dangerous place, but also for Blue. Once she’d acknowledged the fear reaction and pushed it aside to make room for her warrior brain, she immediately understood why Toth would want to undertake such a treacherous mission.

In Rodania, they were always on guard, always being reactive, always guessing, waiting and dreading another attack. If they went to Golpa, they’d be taking their power back. There was nothing worse than feeling like sitting ducks.

Sol was nodding. “Go on the offensive. I like it.” His brow furrowed as he unstrapped the waterskin at his waist and unscrewed the cap. The waterskin hovered near his mouth while he said, “Only Nychts? Why no Arpaks?”

Toth had an answer ready. “Golpa is a network of caves. They are vast but they are also deep and very dark. Nychts have sonar; we’re built to handle the dark. Arpaks are not.”

Sol took a drink and put the cap back on the waterskin. He swished the water around in his mouth and spat it off to the side. “True, but wouldn’t it make sense to leave some Arpaks outside the caves to pick off stragglers?”

“Wait a second.” Jordan put up a hand. “I think I’m with you, but just for clarity’s sake, what precisely is the objective?”

“Exterminate the harpies, of course. Kill them in their sleep.” Toth spoke plainly, almost mildly, around the stem of grass between his teeth.

“It’s a good idea, Jordan,” added Sol. “It’s better than waiting around here for them to attack us again.” He took another swig, this time swallowing it.

“I agree, but what if Red won’t go?”

“I think she will,” countered Toth, raking a hand through his sweaty, silver hair and making it stand up in spikes like freshly mown grass. “In fact, I think this is more their idea than mine.”

“How’s that?” Jordan wasn’t necessarily jealous that Toth had had some convivial communication from Blue, but she was very curious as to how it came about. Blue hadn’t given her any sign of having formed a plan to go all the way to Golpa with intent to kill. It seemed elaborate, even for an intelligent reptile.

“Blue dropped a harpy egg at my feet,” Toth explained. “He couldn’t have gotten it anywhere else but Golpa. You saw him earlier that same day—–why did he give me the egg and not you?”

Jordan made a thoughtful sound in the back of her throat. She had no answer. She had to admit, giving the egg to Toth was a calculated move.

“Blue is not a stray cat,” Toth continued. “He’s crafty. It strikes me as deliberate, what he did. All the same, I’d still like it if you ask him for me.”

“Ask him if he’ll go to Golpa with you?”

Toth grunted in the affirmative.

Jordan chewed her lip. The idea of sending Blue, who was still not yet full-grown, straight into the belly of where harpies bred and slept made her mouth go dry. If there were enough of the demon-birds to attack Rodania in the thousands, how many of them lived in Golpa? Or had a large portion of them been exterminated already? No one could answer this. “I’m sure he would go,” she said, “but…”

“Red would go too, Jordan.” Sol addressed her unspoken fear with a smile in his blue eyes. He squeezed her upper arm. “They’re mates. Where one goes, the other follows.”

He didn’t need to add, ‘just like us’.

Jordan smiled at him. “Yes, I reckon she would.”

Toth was nodding too, but his eyes were alight with something that set a chill in Jordan’s bones. Red was who he really was after. Against potentially thousands of harpies, Blue was helpful, but Red… Red was a different story. Red was a force of nature all by herself; she was a flying volcano.

“Without Red,” Toth grew serious, as though he could read Jordan’s thoughts. “We wouldn’t succeed. But with her…” He trailed off, giving a small shrug. There was an abundance of confidence in that shrug, and no small amount of hunger either—–and not for food.

Toth wanted this, wanted it bad.

“You think it will be easy?” Sol crossed his arms over his chest.

The air had grown cool, and the sun had disappeared below Middle Rodania’s horizon, sending its rays out from underneath them, as it had not yet passed below the lower island and the blanket of the Rodanian Sea. Their sweat had begun to dry on their skin, leaving the grit of salt on their brows.

“I would never assume any offensive strike like this to be easy, but with two dragons, and Nychts equipped to fight in the dark, we have a good chance of succeeding. And without taking a great number of casualties ourselves,” Toth added.

“How would you do it? Have you been there before?” Jordan couldn’t visualize how such an attack would go down. With the volume of fire that Red was able to produce, it could very well end in toasted Strix as well as toasted harpies.

“I’ve spoken at length to someone who has.”

“Could Red even fit in the cave? She’s massive.”

Toth spat out the grass he’d been chewing on and began to talk with his hands. “The caves are enormous. They have high ceilings and there are offshoots and crevices everywhere. Someone once told me they were big enough to sail a whole fleet of Hirola ships into without risk of striking the sides.”

“There’s water?” Jordan was sincerely alarmed, and pictured a massive half-underwater grotto. Water and Strix didn’t mix well. Sonar or no sonar, Jordan had seen what wet wings cost a Nycht, and it wasn’t pretty.

“Hirola ships are airborne,” Sol explained with a shake of his head. “And big.”

Jordan blinked. “Oh.” Airborne ships? “Wow.” There was still so much about Oriceran that Jordan had to learn. “How come I’ve never seen these airborne ships? Wouldn’t they be perfect for delivering goods to Middle and Upper Rodania?”

“Hirola ships are captained by Pirate-wizards from Traft,” Toth explained. “Not the kind of people you’d want managing your deliveries.” Then he dismissed the matter with an impatient sweep of his hand. “I mention them only to illustrate the size of the caves.”

“Got it.”

“Red and Blue would go in first,” Toth forged on eagerly. “The Nychts will stay well behind them. The dragons will ignite the caves with fire, killing eggs and harpies alike, then the Nychts will follow the dragons and finish the job.”

“I still don’t see why Arpaks wouldn’t come in handy,” Sol interjected. “We can wait at the entrance to kill off stragglers as they try to escape.”

Toth tilted his head side to side in what could be agreement. “If the dragons do their part right, the harpies won’t be able to escape.”

“But you said the caves are really deep, right?” Jordan was having trouble realistically visualizing the extent of Golpa. “Couldn’t the harpies just press back and hide?”

“Maybe,” Toth shifted on the stone, “but dragonfire doesn’t burn dragons. Red and Blue can push forward into their own flames, and root them out.”

Jordan shuddered at the visuals playing in full technicolor on the big screen TV of her mind. It was simple, and simply brilliant.

“Take some Arpaks, Toth,” Sol suggested for the third time, his tone quiet. “We lost friends, too. Give us a chance for vengeance, and a chance to end this war.”

At this there was a short lull in the conversation as Toth gazed at Sol, and the words hung between them.

Then Toth nodded. “I’ll choose some Arpaks, then. You are right. Can I assume the two of you…?”

Jordan and Sol were both nodding furiously.

“When do you want to leave?” Jordan asked.

“We’ll need some time to prepare. Four days should do it. I’ll handpick the squadron and then everyone will need to be outfitted with cold weather gear—–weapons that won’t turn brittle or get so cold they can’t be handled—–and survival packs and food for the journey. I’d send a scout, but Golpa is too far and too dangerous to send anyone there on their own. We’ll have to do our best with the intel we have and then finalize our strategy when we get there.” Toth levelled Jordan with a look. “So, will you ask him?”

Jordan let out a tense breath. “I don’t know if it’s really necessary. From the sounds of it, this whole thing is his idea.”

“Yes, but,” Toth leaned forward, making it clear that it was important to him. “Will you ask him? I don’t want to make the mistake of misunderstanding his gesture.”

Jordan nodded. “I’ll ask him.”

* * *

Toth felt the presence of someone approaching and turned to see the small form of Arth, his half-sister, crossing the lawn behind Mareya’s house.

A handful of Toth’s large contingent of siblings had come together to honor Caje’s memory. While most of them had to leave afterward, a few still lingered in Mareya’s backyard. They murmured under the evening sky, and listened to the insects buzz while sharing memories about their brave, larger-than-life brother.

“Care for some company?” Arth plopped down beside Toth, where he sat on the low stone wall that separated the garden from the grass.

Truthfully, Toth had moved to the end of the yard to have a few minutes of alone time, but Arth was a favorite, so he shifted over to make room.

They sat in companionable silence for a time, watching the sky become a blanket of black velvet sprinkled with pinpricks of light.

“Are you——” Arth began, then paused.

When she spoke again, her voice was raspy. “I was going to ask if you’re okay, but I just realized it’s a stupid question. Of course you’re not.”

Toth felt his sister’s small hand on his back, just under his wing. He could feel the warmth of it even through his shirt. Toth had left all his armor at the door, donning only his leather leggings and a simple, homespun, cotton tunic that laced up the back, underneath and above his wings.

His eyes fluttered shut, and he exhaled. “There is nothing that could make losing Caje okay,” he said quietly. “We’ll feel the abyss left by him for the rest of our lives. But if we fail to win the vote, or if we fail to prevent another harpy attack…” His voice tightened, and he stopped. He didn’t have to say out loud what they both already knew.

If they failed at those two things, or even one of them, then Caje’s loss would have been in vain. Neither of them could live with that.

Toth’s eyes tracked to where Mareya and her husband Eade sat with their arms around one another. Mareya had her head on her husband’s shoulder, and the two spoke with an intimacy that struck Toth with an unexpected longing. It wasn’t that Toth wanted to be in love or have a wife; his life didn’t afford such a luxury. The desire was simpler than that: to not feel so empty.

One corner of Toth’s lips tugged upward in the closest thing resembling a smile he’d mustered since before the harpy battle. “They still seem so in love,” he observed.

Arth made a grunt of agreement as she followed Toth’s gaze to their sister. “You know what they say. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

“Absence?” Toth looked down at Arth curiously.

“Mareya spent a lot of years away from home. You know, for her work at the palace.”

“She works so hard,” Toth frowned. “And for a government who has not done us any favors.”

“Not all of us suit the rebel’s life, Toth.”

“I didn’t mean—–”

“It’s okay. I know what you meant.” There was sorrow in Arth’s words, but understanding and pride in her voice. “I hope you know that none of us hold it against you. What you did and why you did it. We’re all proud of you, proud to call you our brother.”

Toth wanted to say thank you, but didn’t trust his voice. He hadn’t realized how much he’d been wanting to hear those exact words until Arth said them. After all, he’d done what he did for them, it had been an attempt to make life better for them. He just hadn’t expected it to fail.

If I fail again… Toth looked away and gritted his teeth. He couldn’t fail. For the sake of his brother’s memory, he would not fail.

“We’re proud of Caje, too,” Arth added. Then after a moment, “There is something I’d like to ask you.” She cleared her throat and forged on. “I’d like to come with you.”

“Where?” Toth’s heart increased its rhythm a notch. He had a feeling he knew what Arth was going to ask.

“To Golpa. I know you’re planning to go.”

“No.” Toth bit the word out without thinking.

“Toth, he was my brother, too.” Arth’s expression darkened, even in the moonlight and the dim throw of the lantern hanging by the rear door of Mareya’s house. “I have a right to seek revenge, same as you.”

“I’m sorry. I understand how you feel,” said Toth. “But if something were to happen to you, I’m not sure I could bear it. And I still have a job to do.”

Arth didn’t reply for a long time.

Toth expected her to continue to protest. His little sister was one of the most tenacious and stubborn people he knew; it was one of the reasons she made such a wonderful engineer.

When she spoke, it was so quiet, he had to strain to hear her. “Alright.” Then a moment later, louder, “But will you take Teetch?”

Teetch was one of the brothers in between Arth and Caje, a big, powerful Nycht who had worked on the Lewis guns at the forge before the last battle.

“Does Teetch want to come? He hasn’t asked me.”

“I think he thinks he’s already coming. He hasn’t stopped producing bullets since you first announced preparations. He’s a good shot, you know.”

Toth hadn’t considered taking the Lewis guns, not even one of them, all the way to Golpa. They were large and awkward and would tire whoever was carrying them very quickly.

Toth frowned. “Was he going to mention this to me?”

Firing guns in a dark cave full of Nycht warriors was a terrible idea, in Toth’s view. They wouldn’t be taking them.

“You know Teetch,” Arth scoffed, knocking Toth against the upper arm. “He spoke his first word at the age of five, and it was to tell our mother to turn the lights off.”

Toth grunted. It was an old family story still enjoyed among Toth’s siblings and extended family. ‘Off!’ his brother had barked when his mother had roused him for school on the Arpak schedule, which Teetch to this day refused to adapt to. It was the first word he’d ever formed, and their mother had jumped out of her skin. The entire family had assumed Teetch had been born without the ability to speak. He’d been examined by many doctors, and they couldn’t find any physiological reason for his silence. He was equipped with a voicebox as well as a sonarbox, just like every other Nycht. But he had never spoken. Until he needed to.

Teetch was not the fighter Caje had been, but he was big and strong and willing.

Toth told Arth he’d talk to their brother about the guns, and then the two lapsed into silence.

Toth had another brother he wanted to talk with before he left. Breo was the smallest brother of the Sazak family, and he worked as a cartographer for a privately held mapping and surveying company. Breo had travelled more than most Rodanian citizens, as he worked first as a surveyor, then as a supervisor. If anyone could give Toth a better understanding of where they were going and what kind of terrain and weather they were to face on their way, it would be Breo.

“I hate them.”

The words roused Toth from his mental musings. “Hate who?”

“The harpies. For taking Caje. For killing so many Rodanian citizens and soldiers. I hate them. I never knew hate until now.” Arth’s words were cold and harsh, but they were calculated and somewhat emotionless in her delivery. Toth knew his sister; she had spent time ruminating on the true meaning of hate.

“Hate is easy,” Toth replied. His eyes drifted back to Mareya and Eade, the bond between them giving them comfort, lifting them up, easing the burden of their grief. “It’s love that is difficult.”

* * *

The next day, Jordan was in the middle of a knife-throwing drill when she spotted Blue gliding high over the landscape of Upper Rodania. There was no sight of Red, but that didn’t matter. She took off like a shot after him.

It was midmorning, and Jordan was still fresh; there was little she loved more than a sprint across the sky on strong wings, with the wind tugging at her hair and flowing through her feathers.

Blue spotted her and gave a long, descending whistle.

Jordan was panting by the time she got close. “Hey, buddy,” she called, a grin splitting her face. “Just the fellow I was hoping to find!”

Blue seemed to grin before lifting his snout to the sun and sounding off three happy barks. Suddenly, he banked and dove, spiralling downward. Jordan felt a blast of wind as he passed her.

“Hey!” she cried, laughing at his playful movements. “Wait up!” She dove after him.

What ensued was an eye-blearing, hair-tearing, heart-thundering game of chase. Jordan couldn’t help the laughter that poured from her throat as she chased her friend across the sky.

Blue had always been quick, but he was bigger and stronger and moved like a starving shark, slicing through oceanic currents. His spine and tail undulated in a sinewy serpentine way as he catapulted through the skies, whistling and barking his own joy.

Jordan did her best to tail him as he carved a path like a theme park ride over Upper Rodania and then out over the Rodanian Sea and toward the training islands. Loops and figure-eights, gigantic upside down arches, followed by plummeting straight down, nearly to the tops of the waves, before swooshing upward again and climbing straight verticals. She wasn’t sure she’d ever had a flying workout quite this intense before.

As Blue shot past one of the training islands in a vertical climb, she heard the sounds of the Strix warriors cheering her on, and doubled her efforts. Her heart was pounding, and her wings were burning, but still she pushed herself even harder. She followed Blue in a rainbow-shape over the training islands and back toward his favorite park on Upper Rodania.

“You’re going to kill me, bud!” Jordan panted as he zigzagged back and forth ahead of her, his tail whipping across her vision like a flag in her face. “Now you’re just showing off!”

Blue gave a barking roar and slowed down, descending toward the green. He still came in too fast, and clawed up clumps of dirt and grass as his talons raked the earth to stop his momentum.

Jordan also came in too fast, and found her bootsoles skidding across the earth. She tripped over one of the gigantic divots Blue had raked out of the soil, and went sliding across the grass on her chest, laughing and gasping for air. She finally came to a halt, her wings spread-eagled in a messy sprawl of feathers, and rolled over, groaning and panting.

“Thanks,” she sucked in a big gulp of air, “for that, you brat. You really made me work for this one, didn’t you?”

Blue heaved his own gusty breath and flopped over on his side, nosing through the grass like a dog on a scent as he crawled in her direction. He stretched his snout toward her and whuffed in her face, blowing her hair back.

Jordan felt a spray of moisture. “Gross,” she laughed, wiping off her face. “Dragon boogers.”

The two of them lay there until their breathing went back to normal. Then Jordan rolled to her knees and lay a hand on Blue’s neck.

“There’s something I have to ask you, Blue,” she said, looking into his eyes. “On behalf of Toth.”

Blue got up and wandered toward the granite overhang that he and Red had lounged under a few days earlier. He rooted around in the shadows under the cliff and then came back in Jordan’s direction, pushing a speckled, gray egg with his nose.

Jordan got a wave of harpy stench and put a hand over her nose. Revulsion clawed at her stomach, and she fought to keep her gorge down. “Eurgh.” Jordan’s eyes started watering at the smell of rot, but she couldn’t stop herself from looking through the crack at the harpy chick inside. “I guess you know what I was going to ask you, then?”

Blue whuffed at her again and sat on his haunches. He lifted one claw and rested it on top of the egg. He shook his head, his wattle swaying back and forth. His shoulder flexed as he stepped down on the egg, crushing it and its contents entirely.

Jordan was blasted with another disgusting wave of stinking harpy scent.

“I’ll tell Toth you said yes,” she said with her nose plugged.

Update For March 2018!

Hi y’all! As I write this I am sitting in a flat in Raynes Park (near Wimbledon area) in the big busy place that is London. So much is happening and has happened and is going to happen, so I figured it was worth a bit of an update!

I turned 40!

Taken on the morning of my 40th, cuz #forposterity

Yes, I had the big four-oh birthday on March 4th. Lots of people asked me how I felt about cracking 40, and the truth is… I feel great about it!

I have a theory: no matter which birthday you’re approaching, if you’re not feeling good about it, it probably means there is some unfulfilled dream or goal or expectation. 40 is a great time to recognize where you’ve been, who you are now, and what you still want to do.

If I wasn’t living my dream of writing and traveling at this point in my life, I can guarantee you I would not have been feeling as good about turning 40. But I feel so happy and blessed to be doing what I’m doing and making a living at it, that I cannot possibly be anything less than thrilled! We shall see what the next decade brings. New goals, new opportunities, new experiences and relationships, and best of all, new learnings. Learning is my favorite thing.

Where I’ve Been…

Findhorn, Scotland! Oh my, oh my, what an amazing place the North of Scotland is! My friend Shandi and I went for 3 days to visit this magical coastline. We went for walks along the beach and in the beautiful ethereal forests.

It was a quiet, cleansing, recharging visit and much-needed break from the intensity of London. I highly recommend a visit to Scotland if you love moody romantic landscapes and seascapes and I will definitely be back!

 

Where I’m Going Next…

Dubrovnik, Croatia

I’m planning to be in London until late-April or early May, but I’ve got a few fun trips up my sleeve. One of my besties is coming from Canada to visit for 3 weeks and she and another bestie of mine plan to visit Dubrovnik, Croatia for a week. I’ve been to Croatia once before (Kamenjak, Pula, Premantura) but never to Dubrovnik and it’s been on my bucket list ever since Game of Thrones came out and I knew it existed (GOT is sometimes filmed there).

I’ll be visiting the city of Glasgow in mid-April for an Amazon conference and hope to slip in a cheeky side trip to Edinburgh while I’m at it.

And the book stuff?

I just sent Transcendent, The Kacy Chronicles, Book 4 off to my editor yesterday. It’s up for preorder now and is set to release on March 23rd! This is a special launch because it marks the first time I have finished an entire series!

Amazon Links for Transcendent:

USA  CAD  AUS  UK

There are all new covers in the works for this series, so stay tuned for those!

I’ve grown attached to a few of the characters in The Kacy Chronicles (Toth & Eohne are my faves) and from the sounds of it, so have some of my readers. If there is a demand for more from this story, then I have two potential spin-off stories for those characters up my sleeve. We’ll see how the boxed set does and go from there. I try to listen to what readers want next, so if you really want more in this universe from me then please let me know through Facebook or email (abby@alknorrbooks.com).

 

The Elemental Origins Series, Book 6 is up for preorder!

Amazon Links:

 USA   CAD   UK   AUS

This is super exciting! This is the story that I have readers writing me about almost every day! Yes, it’s coming! The release date is set for June 7th but that’s just to give me some breathing room as I make the story the best it can be. I fully intend to launch sooner than that! Sign up for the newsletter or join my VIP Reader Lounge to be the first to know anything and everything about it!

Born of Aether and Born of Earth are coming in print

I’m just waiting for proofs of the printed versions before they’ll be up for sale, but I’ll be sure to send out a note when these are ready to go, as I know there are a lot of readers who prefer to read from an actual paper copy!

Born of Aether is coming in Audio

This is in final production and should launch next month. I’ll give you a heads up!

And to answer the question I see most often…

What happens to the Elemental girls after book 6?

The answer is: they get more stories! No, the adventures do not end with the ensemble novel. There will be more stories for the girls as they develop their powers and grow up. I’ll be tackling the next Targa story after The Elementals is released. She and Mira will be heading back to Poland where Antoni awaits Targa, and Mira faces the increasingly undeniable call of the ocean. The title of this next water story will be Targa’s siren name: ATARGATIS. I can’t wait to write it!

That’s all for now! Don’t hesitate to stay in touch!

Transcendent Sneak Peek, Chapter 3

Order your copy of Transcendent, The Kacy Chronicles, Book 4 at these links:

USA

UK

CANADA

AUS

 

 

 

Click here to read Chapter 1, and here for Chapter 2.

Transcendent, Chapter 3, Read by A.L. Knorr (not a professional recording)

https://www.alknorrbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Transcendent-Chapter-3.m4a

 

Transcendent, Chapter Three (unedited)

“We take the cylinder with the blood we’ve extracted, like so,” Kehko demonstrated by dislodging the little glass reservoir from the needle, displaying it so Eohne could see it. “Then we put the blood in here.” Kehko brought the cylinder near to the dashboard inside the dome and a small orifice opened to accept the blood. “That’s it.”

“That can’t be it.” Eohne stared at the tired looking Nycht with a puzzled expression. “Where, when, how does the magic barrier kick in?”

Kehko shrugged. “You’re asking the wrong person. Strix don’t have magic, that’s why we make deals with Light Elves. I assume the magic resides inside this.” She lay her hand on the simple gray dome, which looked as mundane as a boulder.

“Can you open it?” Eohne examined the dome for cracks but other than the small sliding door, there were none.

“It doesn’t open.”

“Are you sure?”

“Well I’ve never tried, but I’ve never had reason to.”

Eohne was now on her hands and knees, face close to the floor.

Kheko bent over to peer at the Elf. “What are you doing?”

“Does it go past the floor or is this where it stops?”

Kehko let out a sigh. “I don’t know, Eohne.”

The Elf got up and dusted her hands and knees off, frowning. Eohne had made the journey to one of the domes to see Kehko, the only border guard she knew. She’d had high hopes that a Nycht who worked at the border would be able to explain how it worked. So far, Eohne had been sorely disappointed.

“Why do you think the harpies were able to get through the barrier, but it is business as usual for everyone else?”

“It has to be the Light Elves.” Kehko spoke with certainty, slashing a confident hand through the air. “No one else has the ability to do such a thing. Think about it. In order for all of those harpies to get through the barrier, someone would have to go extract blood from each of them and then sneak it into the system. It’s a preposterous idea. Impossible. No one in their right mind would even attempt it. But Light Elves have astounding magic, this kind of trick would be easy for them.”

“Why would they do such a thing? What do they have to gain?”

Kehko looked stumped. “Who knows what is going on up at the palace. That’s where you should be poking your nose around, not down here. Border guards are at the bottom of the food-chain. If you ask me, you’re looking in the wrong place and talking to the wrong people.” Kehko leaned against the dome and examined her fingernails casually as Eohne continued to examine the dome. “Hey, have you seen much of Toth lately?” the Nycht kept her voice casual but her interest was still obvious.

Eohne kept her eyes on the dome’s fixtures and her expression composed. “Here and there. Why?”

“No reason.” Kehko’s cheeks acquired a girlish flush. “Just wondering.”

“You know,” Eohne came around to stand beside Kehko, “if you want to spend time with him, the best way to do that would be to join his combatants. It would get you out of this border control job you dislike so much. You’d be able to fly a lot more. You strike me as a woman who likes to be free.”

Kehko looked down at her booted feet. “I could never be a warrior. I’m not strong.”

“Don’t say that. Jordan didn’t know anything about combat a few months ago and she’s become one of Toth’s best students.”

The Nycht snorted with derision. “The blonde Arpak? Please. She’s a simpering fool around him.” She eyed the Elf suspiciously. “They’re not together are they?”

Eohne shook her head. “She’s with Sol.”

Kehko’s brows elevated. “The pretty one with the muscles and the bright blue eyes?” She smiled wolfishly. “Good. They deserve one another.”

Eohne turned her back on Kehko in a mock display of examining the scrolls in the shelving at the back of the dome. The Elf rolled her eyes. Yes, prejudice ran deep in Rodania, but it ran in both directions.

“Do the cylinders come back out again?”

“Sorry?”

“After you put the blood into the system, do the vials come back out?”

“Oh. Yes. I mean, I think so.” Kehko gestured to a small box which she pulled back to reveal was full of clean cylinders. “This box is never empty. We just take a fresh one from here whenever we need it.”

Eohne peered into the box. “May I?”

“Sure.”

She pulled a cylinder out and examined it. She hefted it in her hand and closed her eyes, tuning in to the natural resonance of the glass. It was pure. She couldn’t detect any biological matter which might have previously come into contact with it.

The sliding door of the dome hummed and Eohne turned to see two figures enter the dome.

“An Elf!” The words were sung and infused with genuine delight.

Eohne found herself under intense scrutiny by a tall slender Light Elf man. He beamed at her with crystal green eyes. He had waist-length wheat-blonde hair tied half-back and threaded with braids. His fine-boned face was dusted with brown markings, like freckles only shaped like dashes and running from ear to ear. He was as slender as a drinking straw with long elegant hands and fingers. Those same brown markings ran over the backs of his hands, growing more dense where they disappeared under his sleeves. He wore a white linen knee-length tunic, open at the throat. What started as pale skin at his forehead had shifted to tan by the time it vanished under his tunic. His overall presence was striking and ethereal, but his expression was ageless and guileless. He towered over Eohne by a full head, but couldn’t have weighed much more than her.

“An Elf yourself,” said Eohne, taking a step back from the stranger’s penetrating gaze.

“You must be from Charra-Rae! Is it true?” He seemed to remember himself. “Forgive me. My name is Linlett.” He pressed a long-fingered hand over his heart, digits splaying out like a big flower. “What is your name, you glorious creature, and to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Eohne blinked at this, disarmed. No one had ever called her a ‘glorious creature’ before.

“I didn’t expect to find you here, Eohne,” said the Arpak behind Linlett.

At the sound of her name, Eohne finally tore her eyes from the magnetic Light-Elf man long enough to realize that his companion was Balroc, the Councilman.

“Balroc! Nice to see you again. I was just hoping to be useful.”

Balroc grunted and gave her an appreciative nod. “We can use all the help we can get,” he grumbled. “We’ve gotten no where so far.”

Kehko was eyeing Linlett dubiously. “She’s here trying to figure out how the harpies got past the magic barrier.”

Linlett took a large inhale, his face expanding with understanding. “That’s why I am here too,” he sang. “How wonderful.” His luminous green eyes never left Eohne’s face. They roamed the landscape of her features hungrily.

“You’re the Councilman who convinced Toth to start the military,” Kehko blurted.

“The very same.” Balroc smiled. “Tell us, what have you learned thus far?”

Eohne wouldn’t have given any intel away to people she’d just met, but the Elf didn’t have to lie. “Nothing. I’m just getting started.”

“Are you a magician?” Linlett’s eyes roamed her frame, taking in the interesting tools fastened to her belt, and the scythe-like blades fastened to her back.

“More of an inventor. Charra-Rae magic is based on frequency, it’s a hybrid of science and supernatural.”

“Marvelous,” breathed Linlett. “The Elves of Charra-Rae have evolved an entirely different kind of magic from our own,” he told Balroc. “Before Rahzdon, we were one and the same people, but after Firohne sabotaged King Keeriak, the Prophets gave him the forests of Charra-Rae as a reward. His descendants have lived there ever since.” He beamed at Eohne. “Their methods are completely unique in the world of magic.”

Eohne was shocked to the heels of her boots. “You know our history? You know who Firohne was?”

“Of course!” Linlett looked affronted, then waggled his head as if to admit he needed to amend. “I shouldn’t say it like that. Most Light Elves do not make a point of studying the Charra-Rae magic. They find it inferior.”

This was more in line with what Eohne understood to be true as well.

Linlett shook his head and made a single tsk sound, jerking his head once to the side. The movement was so expressive of his thoughts that he didn’t need to expand further, but the accompanying words clarified his position to the room. “It is foolish to assume a magic is ancillary just because you don’t understand it.”

“You are more open-minded than most of your kind,” Eohne murmured, now looking at the Light Elf with almost as much curiosity as he had displayed for her.

“It is to their loss and discredit,” Linlett added, his voice oscillating lyrically. “You have no idea how delighted I am to make your acquaintance.”

Eohne’s gut reaction to the adoration and enthusiasm of a stranger was normally suspicion. But the keen and intelligent eyes seemed so genuinely charmed that she found herself on the edge of a blush.

Balroc was watching this exchange with interest. Kehko was yawning and fiddling with the leather straps tying her vest together.

“How is it that you are still in Rodania, Eohne?” Balroc asked. “I thought nothing could keep the Elves of Charra-Rae from their wilderness home for very long.”

“I was preparing to go back, but I thought perhaps I could help get to the heart of how the magic failed.” Eohne shifted from one foot to another, painfully conscious of Linlett’s attentive stare. “I have friends here. I don’t want to leave without ensuring they are safe.”

“The magic can’t fail.” Linlett spoke matter-of-factly, holding up a long index finger.

“I beg to differ,” Balroc said with a chuckle. “The harpies were not figments of our imagination. Lost lives not withstanding, commerce in Rodania has slowed to a crawl. The infrastructure of dozens of villages has been heavily damaged. We cannot have such a disaster occur again. We simply will not survive it. The Council is divided about how to proceed, and I fear someone will behave rashly and cause a disagreement between Rodania and the Light Elves.” Balroc glowered. “We cannot have that either.”

Linlett was nodding. “Obviously something has gone wrong. But I was briefed before I left our Kingdom. The magical engineering of the Rodanian border is invulnerable. There is something else going on here.”

“Sabotage,” said Balroc bluntly.

Linlett agreed with this possibility with another waggle of his head.

Kehko was nodding too. She crossed her arms and regarded the Light Elf through half-closed lids, like she’d already decided he had something to do with it.

“Who could have pulled off such a feat?” Eohne posed the question to the group.

“That’s what I’m here to figure out,” Linlett’s bright gaze fell on Eohne again. “I propose we pool our resources.” He rubbed his hands together. “If you’re amenable, of course.”

“I am,” Eohne replied, somewhat dazedly. Learning more about Light Elf magic had been one of Eohne’s life-long goals. Thus far, there had never been anyone in her life to show her the magic of light, and Sohne had forbidden it.

“Excellent. That’s settled then,” Balroc turned to Kehko. “We’ll be shutting down your dome temporarily, young Miss. Consider yourself on leave, with pay of course.” He swept Kehko toward the door.

“But,” Kehko threw a glance over her shoulder at Eohne, unhappy to be leaving her dome in the hands of the potential enemy.

Eohne gave her a look of reassurance. “It’s alright, Kehko. I’ll be here.”

The young Nycht was sent on her way.

Balroc excused himself, leaving Linlett and Eohne alone in the dome to begin their work. The door slid shut, muting the sound of the Rodanian Sea and the cries of seabirds.

Eohne watched as Linlett approached the dashboard. “I’ve been wondering how to…” she began.

Linlett moved his hands in an elegant dance, fingers flicking outward in a symbolic inflection. There was a sound like steam blowing from a kettle.

“Open that,” Eohne finished, watching with fascination as the dome lifted away from the floor and hovered there. A bright light emanated from the crack beneath it, beaming outward in all directions. The light flickered and danced with all the colors of the rainbow. Eohne looked down at her own booted feet and discovered that they were completely invisible in the prismatic glare. “Wow,” she breathed.

Linlett had his palms together and was rubbing as if to warm them. “This magic was developed long before I was born by a company of brilliant elders. I have always wanted to see how it worked. The Light Elves have never engineered anything like it for any other species on Oriceran. It is completely unique.” He gave Eohne a warm smile. “So you see, Rodania is special to us. We would never do anything to harm her.”

“Then lets figure out who would,” the Elf countered.

“Indeed.” Linlett lifted his hands and held them poised in the air, preparing to proceed. “Are you ready for this?”

Eohne nodded, not sure what to expect but eager to begin.

“What you’ll see will only be visible to us, so don’t worry about Strix crashing into one another mid-flight, or ships going off course. I assure you, the optics for Rodanian’s citizens will remain unchanged.”

“What?” Eohne cocked her head, confused by this dialogue.

Linlett’s hands danced again and the dashboard lifted further, the light expanding and brightening. The Elf lifted the dashboard aside and let it fall with clang onto the floor.

Eohne’s mouth sagged as she was struck dumb by the beauty of the magic. Suddenly, she understood.

Optics indeed.

Her eyes filled with the flare of the border’s inner workings as it all became visible. The dome covering them disappeared in the glare. The Rodanian Sea and the horizon beyond vanished from sight.

Slender threads of light in every color of the rainbow shot from the single orb. The orb itself was such a bright light that it could not be looked at directly. The threads numbered in the hundreds of thousands, if not in the millions. The many strands originated from the star and shot outwards toward every other dome around Rodania, creating a network of criss-crossing lines. Threads arced high over Upper Rodania and Eohne could see how every border station was connected to every other one. A network of fine filaments wrapped over Rodania in an exquisite magic web. Rodania itself nearly vanished from view. The land masses became nothing more than blurry blobs, swallowed up by the radiance shooting from the star hovering near the Elves shins. The network was beautiful, mesmerizing, and fully intact.

“Hmmmm,” Linlett made a thoughtful sound as the two Elves took in the glory of the magical barrier, and all its perfection. The two of them appeared as though they were trapped inside a prism; the rainbow of filaments surrounded them and passed harmlessly through their bodies.

“What?” Eohne neck was creaking as she stared upward, her face filled with astonishment. She couldn’t look away from the complex network of magic and the perfect way it bound Rodania in safety. Never before had she seen work of such precision and elegance.

“There are no incomplete threads; no blights, holes, cankers or misconnections. There isn’t a tainted filament anywhere to be seen.” Linlett’s body was bathed in light, the threads penetrating and shooting out the other side.

Eohne’s eyes slowly adjusted and she was able to better make out the blurry-edges of Upper Rodania and Middle Rodania, rendered ghostly by the brightness of the network encasing them. Her eyes fell on Linlett with a new respect for he and his kind. It was going to take no small level of effort to set aside the awe she was feeling and wrestle her inventor’s mind into its usual professional place.

Linlett was frowning at the network, his brow creased with perplexity. He lifted his hands and Eohne saw that both of them were blue-white apparitions, rather than flesh and bone. His fingertips were illuminated and looked like ten small stars. Linlett plucked at one of the threads. It was the color of a sunflower at the height of summer. The filament twanged and snapped back into place. A yellow sparkle appeared in the thread and raced into the sky, following the filament along its length.

Eohne watched the sparkle race from view behind the shadow of Upper Rodania, reappear beneath the island and disappear again behind Middle Rodania before descending like a falling star behind the smudge on the horizon that was Lower Rodania. Eohne laughed with delight and looked at Linlett. She was about to express her joy at being allowed to witness the bones of this magic, but Linlett’s expression stopped her.

“What’s wrong? What are you thinking?” Eohne asked, the growing concern on Linlett’s face triggering her own inner alarm bells.

“I had barely dared hope,” Linlett began, without taking his eyes from the magic barrier and all its complexity, “for some clue to direct us where to look first. Alas, the magic is as I said, intact and perfect. If it is sabotage, it is masterfully done. Possibly by one of our own.” He added this last comment in a quiet tone, as though worried Kheko might be listening and he had just confirmed her worst suspicions.

Eohne’s eyes widened at this admission. Not only the acknowledgement that it could have been a Light Elf responsible, but that he was saying it out loud to her, a stranger. It showed a level of trust which disarmed her further and galvanized her faith in him. “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you’re wrong.” She wasn’t sure what else to say.

“Me too.” Linlett gazed at his new partner in investigation and let out a breath through pursed lips. “This is going to take longer than I thought.”