Libby Doyle's Blog, page 2

Master of Matter and Energy

Hello dear readers: The Warlord Season ebook is now live on all platforms (6.16.20) and Pellus finally has his portrait!

Visit https://libbydoyle.com/blog/master-of...

You'll have to let me know what you think in the comments.

On the occasion of the new release, I've decided to repost an interview with Pellus from shortly after I first published The Passion Season, Book I of the Covalent Series, way back in 2016. Time flies, eh?

The spotlight on Pellus is appropriate given that he suffers much in The Warlord Season. Abraxos, an erstwhile member of the Council who has long hated Barakiel, seizes control of the Covalent Realm and throws Pellus' mate Jeduthan into the Wasteland Dungeons. Though they know very well that Abraxos wants to lure them into a trap, Pellus, Barakiel, and Zan will stop at nothing to get Jeduthan back.

Let us preface the interview with a quote that has always reminded me of Pellus because he uses science in a way that seems like magic.

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." – Arthur C. Clarke

Pellus is a traveler, the type of Covalent who can travel between dimensions using rifts in the fabric of existence.

Moreover, he has achieved the highest rank of traveler. He is an adept, able to manipulate the properties of matter and energy with his mind as well as pass between dimensions. What does this mean? He can change the phases of matter from gas to liquid to solid and back again. He can bend light and muffle sound. He can desiccate corpses and send electromagnetic waves to do his bidding. This may seem like magic, but it’s science with a touch of art. Travelers are born with the ability to perceive the molecular structure of things at the subatomic level, but they must study for an age before they can fully understand the bonds that give structure to all things; before they can break and reform these bonds at will. Pellus has achieved this mastery. He is badass.

An apprentice in the Travelers Guild had the chance to ask Pellus a few questions, recounted below. The apprentices are slightly in awe of Pellus, one of the Covalent Realm’s most powerful traveler adepts.

Q: When did you first realize you were a traveler?

A: My earliest memory was watching my parents and noticing their vibrations. I could see they were different from one another yet in harmony, an impression of beauty and love. I did not know what it meant until my mother began to teach me about the different types of Covalent. When she told me about the travelers, I knew I belonged with them.

Q: What was your apprenticeship like?

A: I was fortunate enough to be apprenticed to the legendary adept Segellen. She was demanding, but she taught me well. During one lesson she taught me how to construct a barrier over my head, to strengthen the bonds between the molecules in the air so they could not be broken. Then she placed heavy objects on the barrier. If my concentration had wavered they would have come crashing down on me. That is one way to learn how to focus.

I loved Segellen dearly. I would not be who I am were it not for her. Some time ago, she and her mate grew weary of life, they were so ancient. They met the Stream together. They let themselves be absorbed by the furious power of Creation. I will always miss them, but I am happy they were able to choose their death together.

Q: Tell me about your period as a journeyman traveler.

A: Sometimes I miss it, flowing through the rifts, the beauty of the vast heavens spinning before me, the dark energy taking me wherever it wanted to go. I encountered phenomena so fantastic it will take the adepts and scholars an age to decipher the information. I am often tempted to shoot off into the cosmos once more, to gather more data, but I have responsibilities.

Q: You are traveler to the great warrior Barakiel, who lives in exile. No other traveler adept has ever had such a duty. What is it like?

A: I enjoy it. For all the times I have passed to and from the dimension of the Earthly Realm with Barakiel, I still relish the task. I have also had the chance to build a strong relationship with Barakiel. I value our friendship and I feel privileged to know him so well. Not many do.

Q: Covalent are generally forbidden from traveling to the Earthly Realm. Can you tell us something about it?

A: A fascinating place, a realm that offers the highest beauty and the most visceral ugliness. I love earthly weather. Once, when Barakiel was feeling broken-hearted because he had to leave some humans of whom he had grown fond, he asked me to take him to a storm. We stood on a plateau and watched it approach, a wall of driving rain and wind and flashing electrical power that swallowed the boiling reds of the sun. I could feel the beating heart of the Earth, and I could see Barakiel gather its strength. I knew Barakiel was powerful, but at the time I did not know what he could do with a storm. It was astonishing to behold.

Q: Do you have any advice for apprentice travelers?

A: When you graduate, you will begin your duty as journeyman travelers. Many will be lost or return insane. You must hone your ability to avoid this danger as much as possible. Before you set foot into a rift, your concentration must be unwavering. Spend some time outside Covalent City’s protective barrier. Test your survival skills there. When the Wasteland is as easy as a stroll through the gardens, you will be ready for the rifts.

Master of Matter and Energy

Hello dear readers: The Warlord Season ebook goes live on all platforms tomorrow (6.16.20) and Pellus finally has his portrait! You'll have to let me know what you think in the comments.

On the occasion of the new release, I've decided to repost an interview with Pellus from shortly after I first published The Passion Season, Book I of the Covalent Series, way back in 2016. Time flies, eh? 

The spotlight on Pellus is appropriate given that he suffers much in The Warlord Season. Abraxos, an erstwhile member of the Council who has long hated Barakiel, seizes control of the Covalent Realm and throws Pellus' mate Jeduthan into the Wasteland Dungeons. Though they know very well that Abraxos wants to lure them into a trap, Pellus, Barakiel, and Zan will stop at nothing to get Jeduthan back.

Let us preface the interview with a quote that has always reminded me of Pellus because he uses science in a way that seems like magic. 

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." – Arthur C. Clarke
                                                                                                               
Pellus is a traveler, the type of Covalent who can travel between dimensions using rifts in the fabric of existence.
 
Moreover, he has achieved the highest rank of traveler. He is an adept, able to manipulate the properties of matter and energy with his mind as well as pass between dimensions. What does this mean? He can change the phases of matter from gas to liquid to solid and back again. He can bend light and muffle sound. He can desiccate corpses and send electromagnetic waves to do his bidding. This may seem like magic, but it’s science with a touch of art. Travelers are born with the ability to perceive molecular structure at the subatomic level, but they must study for an age before they can fully understand the bonds that give structure to all things; before they can break and reform these bonds at will. Pellus has achieved this mastery. He is badass.
 
An apprentice in the Travelers Guild had the chance to ask Pellus a few questions, recounted below. The apprentices are slightly in awe of Pellus, one of the Covalent Realm’s most powerful traveler adepts.
 
Q: When did you first realize you were a traveler?
 
A: My earliest memory was watching my parents and noticing their vibrations. I could see they were different from one another yet in harmony, an impression of beauty and love. I did not know what it meant until my mother began to teach me about the different types of Covalent. When she told me about the travelers, I knew I belonged with them.
 
Q: What was your apprenticeship like?
 
A: I was fortunate enough to be apprenticed to the legendary adept Segellen. She was demanding, but she taught me well. During one lesson she taught me how to construct a barrier over my head, to strengthen the bonds between the molecules in the air so they could not be broken. Then she placed heavy objects on the barrier. If my concentration had wavered they would have come crashing down on me. That is one way to learn how to focus.
 
I loved Segellen dearly. I would not be who I am were it not for her. Some time ago, she and her mate grew weary of life, they were so ancient. They met the Stream together. They let themselves be absorbed by the furious power of Creation. I will always miss them, but I am happy they were able to choose their death together. Q: Tell me about your period as a journeyman traveler.
 
A: Sometimes I miss it, flowing through the rifts, the beauty of the vast heavens spinning before me, the dark energy taking me wherever it wanted to go. I encountered phenomena so fantastic it will take the adepts and scholars an age to decipher the information. I am often tempted to shoot off into the cosmos once more, to gather more data, but I have responsibilities.
 
Q: You are traveler to the great warrior Barakiel, who lives in exile. No other traveler adept has ever had such a duty. What is it like?
 
A: I enjoy it. For all the times I have passed to and from the dimension of the Earthly Realm with Barakiel, I still relish the task. I have also had the chance to build a strong relationship with Barakiel. I value our friendship and I feel privileged to know him so well. Not many do.  
 
Q: Covalent are generally forbidden from traveling to the Earthly Realm. Can you tell us something about it?
 
A: A fascinating place, a realm that offers the highest beauty and the most visceral ugliness. I love earthly weather. Once, when Barakiel was feeling broken-hearted because he had to leave some humans of whom he had grown fond, he asked me to take him to a storm. We stood on a plateau and watched it approach, a wall of driving rain and wind and flashing electrical power that swallowed the boiling reds of the sun. I could feel the beating heart of the Earth, and I could see Barakiel gather its strength. I knew Barakiel was powerful, but at the time I did not know what he could do with a storm. It was astonishing to behold.
  
Q: Do you have any advice for apprentice travelers?
 
A: When you graduate, you will begin your duty as journeyman travelers. Many will be lost or return insane. You must hone your ability to avoid this danger as much as possible. Before you set foot into a rift, your concentration must be unwavering. Spend some time outside Covalent City’s protective barrier. Test your survival skills there. When the Wasteland is as easy as a stroll through the gardens, you will be ready for the rifts.

Excerpt: The Warlord Season

Hello, dear readers! Book IV of the Covalent Series in due for release in early 2020, so how about a few bits to whet your appetite?​ The Lord of Destruction is dead.
Long live the Warlord. Lucifer is dead by Barakiel’s hand and Zan O’Gara wants to love her mate in peace, but nothing is ever simple when it comes to the Covalent. With many warriors wounded or exhausted by the battle in the Destructive Realm, a new villain sees an opportunity to seize power. He imprisons the Council and the healers. He hunts those warriors who refuse to submit to his authority. He throws Pellus’s mate into the Wasteland Dungeons.
 
An attempt on Barakiel’s life while he is in the healing sleep forces Zan and Pellus to flee to the Earthly Realm with the warrior long before he’s had time to recover from his fight to the death with Lucifer. Despite his impairment, Barakiel vows to reunite Pellus with his beloved, and that this new tyranny will not stand.     Excerpt Zan paused at the edge of the trail where it emerged from the trees into a sunny meadow dotted with rocks covered in pale lichen. Further on, reddish-brown heather stretched along the ground until the curve of the mountain hid it from view. Rainer came behind Zan, his limp less noticeable than it had been the day before.
 
Movement is good for him. And the wind through the trees. That serene power will do him wonders.
 
The hike up Wildcat Mountain wasn’t easy, but Rainer had said he needed to test his limits. Zan figured she’d better relish being faster than him because it wouldn’t last, Balance or no Balance.
 
“Is this the meadow you told me about?” he asked, stopping beside her.
 
“Yes. As perfect as I remember.” She reached for his shirt and lifted it to inspect the angry red gash that ran from below his sternum to just above his right hip bone. “How is it? Did it feel okay during that climb up the last part of the trail? It was steep.”
 
“A little pain. I had to rest for a moment, but the wound didn't feel like it would reopen.”
 
“Good.” She let his shirt fall but kept her hand on his stomach, smiling up at him.
 
With all our worries, I’m still here with him in this magical place. Lucifer is dead and there will be no more demons. That is true and real.
 
Rainer took in the view, a wistful look on his face. “All this beauty will help with my healing. It has to. The mountains, the meadow.” He took her hands. “And above all, you.”
 
“You’re so dreamy,” she said with a sigh, only half-joking. “You make my knees weak.” She was about to hug him when he walked some distance away to look off toward the neighboring peaks.
 
“Am I? Do I?”
 
“What are you asking?”
 
He turned back to her, running his fingers along the scars on his face. “Am I ugly to you now?”
 
Zan laughed as she closed the ground between them. She took his hands away from the dark streaks of knotted skin and caressed them with her own. “Rainer, you are beautiful, the most beautiful thing in the world to me. The scars add just the right touch of menace. Seriously hot. You know I’m not a girl much turned on by safety.”
 
Despite his smile, sadness clung to the edges of his eyes. “I look menacing, yet I'm far less dangerous. Pellus needs me and I fear I won’t be able to help him. What if I cannot fight? What if I cannot fulfill the purpose of a warrior?”
 
She broke away from him and walked some way up the trail before she whirled around.
 
I knew this was coming, but even so, it pisses me right the fuck off.
 
“You fulfilled the purpose of a warrior! Fulfilled. E-D. Past tense,” she said. “You killed Lucifer for them! You don’t have to do everything yourself. Remiel and her warriors will help us rescue Jeduthan, and once we do, your purpose will be to stay here with me. To love me. To spend every precious second with me, as long as I live.”
 
“I cannot imagine a finer purpose.” He hugged her and nuzzled her neck, then held her shoulders to search her face. “It should be enough for me, but I don’t know what I’ll be like. My injuries have impaired the flow of Balance but I am still a born weapon. I may act out in ways neither of us understand.”
 
“I know. I remember what it was like for you before the Council let you fight from exile. We can deal with it.” She drew him down for a kiss then put her hands under his shirt to caress his tender flesh. He kissed her harder. Hungrier.
 
“Can we, honey?” Zan asked. He stopped and held his forehead to hers.
 
“Perhaps not yet.” He wrapped her up and stood with his chin on her head. “It’s hard for me to tell you this, Zan, but our love won’t be the same. Not the way it was before. You won’t feel my power.”
 
“So, I’ll have to settle for someone generous, beautiful and skilled. What a shame for me.”
 
Zan rested her cheek on his chest as the sun broke free from a gathering of clouds, lighting the valley below.
 
“I’m a shadow of my former self,” he said.
 
“Look at me, Rainer. Do you really think I mind if you’re a little less superhuman? You know my insecurities. They’ll always be there.”
 
Rainer put one hand on her hip. With the other he smoothed her hair. “Zan. I could be the most powerful being in the cosmos, and still I would love you.”
​ The Covalent Series. A shared life is the strongest bond.

I Have Been Remiss

Did you ever get the feeling that you live in some strange phase of reality that makes time pass more quickly for you than for other people? No? That's just me? Shit. 

If you're wondering why I feel this way, it's because I'm not going to publish The Warlord Season, Book IV of the Covalent Series this month the way I'd planned. The new goal is late January or early February, 2020.

Sure, you could say I have an excuse. I sold my house in Philadelphia, drove across the country, had to find a house to buy in Washington state, found said house, bought it, and set up my household. You could say that, but truth be told, I have been remiss. I could have pulled it off if I'd made myself write every day.

I'm really not cut out for the trend in independent publishing to release multiple books in a year. I don't operate that way and I never will. If I ever write another series, I'll make sure the whole thing is finished before I publish a single part. Of course, I'll probably die of old age before I finish. Ha! 

I offer no excuse for my turtle nature. With so much going on in my life, it took a while for me to WANT to finish The Warlord Season. I guarantee you, the book will be better for it. 

You may remember back in June I told you all that my husband and I were decamping to the Pacific Northwest. I hope you followed our adventures on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter as we made our way across the wide-open spaces of America in a two-door coupe with a couple of cats. Yes – we are a little daft. The trip was a lot of work because our cats, who rarely left the house before our madcap excursion, were not the easiest traveling companions. The trip was also once of the best things I've ever done in my life. Freaking fantastic. Really, if you can in any way swing it, drive across the country. It is freedom and adventure, learning and beauty. Here are a few photos (slideshow). By this time, we've bought a house and more or less settled in. We live in a beautiful place, all quiet and fresh air, perched on a ridge above a fjord that for historical reasons is called the Hood Canal. I'm a lucky woman. I will try to be mindful of it, every single day.

I'll leave you with a few photographs of my new home. And I assure you, The Warlord Season is on its way. The Covalent Series. A shared life is the strongest bond.

To the Mountains and the Sea

[image error] Mount Rainier in Washington state Big news! After my nearly thirty years in Philadelphia, thirteen of those in our current house, my husband and I are decamping to the great Pacific Northwest. We've got a hankering to hang out near some mountains. Like Rainer and Zan, the main characters of the Covalent Series, I love mountains!

The picture shows Mount Rainier, at 14,410 feet (almost 4,400 meters) it's the second highest peak in the contiguous United States and an active volcano. I've been lucky enough to visit this gorgeous place. Now I'll be able to go all the time. Yay! 

Mount Rainier anchors the Cascade range that runs east of Seattle. The region is also home to the Olympic range, on a peninsula at the far western edge of the continent. That's one of the best things about western Washington. Two giant mountain ranges! We're going rural, but when we want a taste of city life we can drive into Seattle, the Emerald City, to catch a show or go to a nice restaurant. The town got this nickname because its famous (or infamous) wet and cloudy weather leads to an abundance of greenery. Perched as it is on the deep blue waters of Puget Sound, it really is a gem of a place, although the traffic is horrendous. 

Our daughter (my step-daughter) and granddaughter live near Seattle. It will be wonderful to be close to them.

Of course, we'll miss Philadelphia. We love our absurd mess of a city. We'll miss its character, its history, its humor, and its sandwiches. In tribute, allow me to share some photos I've taken of the city over the years.  ​​Hover or tap for captions. [image error] [image error] [image error] [image error] Farewell, Philadelphia! I will miss you. 

The Hubby and I are setting off next week to drive across the country with our two cats. Wish us luck. We'll need it. Ha! 

Make sure to follow me on social media for groovy photos from the road. And amusing anecdotes, I dare say. 

Twitter
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I'll leave you with this lovely shot of our destination.

Seattle at sunset with Mount Rainier in the background.

WTF, Thor?

*** WARNING *** THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: ENDGAME *** Let me begin by stating that I love Chris Hemsworth and I love Thor. The first two Thor movies that everyone disses? I like them, though not as much as Ragnarok or my other favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, Captain America: Winter Soldier and Captain Marvel. And of course, I love Infinity War, mostly because of Thor’s arc in that film. When Thor rode the Bifröst down into the desperate battle in Wakanda in an explosion of power, the audience erupted in applause. That doesn’t happen often in movies these days. It was the best part. For me, the scenes with Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy were close behind, managing to blend humor with what was necessary to move a serious story forward.

Remember this exchange, after the Guardians hauled an unconscious Thor into their ship?
​Peter Quill: “How the hell is this dude still alive?”  Drax: “He is not a dude. You’re a dude. This is a man. A handsome, muscular man.”
​Therefore, imagine my dismay when Endgame turned Thor into a dude! Yes, I know he failed. I know he should have gone for the head. Maybe his desire to gloat caused him to make that disastrous mistake, but he failed like a superhero (I still don’t understand why it took so long for Thor to show up where the others were fighting Thanos, but I seem to be the only one who wonders this).

In Endgame, we see the consequences of that defeat. Thor has turned into a beer-soaked, pot-bellied little boy. Mind you, there are a few things I admire about this choice. Thor’s arc could have shined a light on post-traumatic stress. It could have shown how a person can claw their way back, but it was played for too much obvious humor for that to work. I will also begrudgingly admit that the choice to not have Thor magically regain his beauteous physique was a bold one, and could have been a nice little statement about living large in the body you’ve got if it weren’t for all the fat jokes. In addition, I will unapologetically state I was miffed I couldn’t get an eyeful of Chris Hemsworth’s gorgeous body.

Yes, Thor’s arc disappointed me. I expected heroic redemption. I even thought he might die – sacrifice himself to kill Thanos and restore all that had been lost. Instead, Stark was the one. All Thor did was unsuccessfully grapple with Thanos a few times and watch Captain America wield his hammer.

Even when Thor and Rocket time-traveled to Asgard to retrieve the Reality Stone, Rocket was the one who got it done. Thor went to get a little nurturing from his mother. Her advice may have been good, but the tone of the scene underscored Thor’s new status as a dude rather than a man.

So you see, it was impossible for me to think much of Endgame. A friend of mine pointed out that Chris Hemsworth himself suggested this arc for Thor. While I didn’t find anything that specifically said he wanted to have a beer gut and act like a dude, I did read an interview in which he said he and the Russo brothers discussed how far they could push his character. After the success of Ragnarok, it’s clear that Marvel wants to keep Thor on the humorous side. At the conclusion of Endgame, Thor is poised to fly off with the Guardians of the Galaxy again, to reprise the fun and chemistry of those great scenes from Infinity War. But what if Hemsworth had other reasons to play most of Endgame as Big Lebowski Thor? [image error] Don’t worry. I’m not so far gone as to think I know what goes on in Chris Hemsworth’s impossibly handsome head. I’m just going to indulge in a little speculation.

I watched a clip once of Hemsworth on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. No doubt to please her viewers, she compiled a reel of all the times Thor appeared shirtless (I can tell you it pleased me). At some point, Hemsworth said, “Yep. That’s all I did. For ten years.”

This got me thinking. The man may be sick of being objectified. Women complain about being objectified, myself certainly included. I hold to the feminist precept that what we do should be more important than what we look like. As things have gotten better for women, it’s not as though the objectification has stopped, but it’s become much more common for women to objectify men as well, to give as good as they get.

Yes, I know the dynamic is different. Objectification, turning women into a commodity, is one way to strip them of their power. It doesn’t undermine men in the same way, but that doesn’t mean they never notice.

One year, Chris Hemsworth appeared at the Wizard World comic con in Philadelphia. I attended a panel discussion with him and Tom Hiddleston. Most of the questions from the audience were for Hiddleston. People asked about his show at the time, a highbrow affair called The Night Manager, as well as his roles in Shakespearean theater. I felt bad for Hemsworth.

I know, I know. It's ridiculous to feel bad for a multimillionaire movie star who lives in an idyllic place with his stunning, super-cool wife and his three beautiful children, but I couldn’t help it. The moderator asked Hemsworth about his favorite role. He didn’t say Thor. He answered James Hunt, the race-car driver he’d played in Rush, a role for which he received critical acclaim (great movie, by the way).

Not to say his looks weren’t also important for that role, but I felt like Hemsworth might be saying there’s more to him than abs.

So imagine how much fun he must have had playing Thor with a beer gut? To continue what he’d started in ​Ragnarok – to shed the faux-Shakespearean heft that earned the early Thor movies so much ridicule (while his costar actually did Shakespeare) and display his comedic talent? To completely subvert all those shirtless Thor scenes?
​
Really, he must have had a ball.

Sizzle Hands and Sisterhood: My Review of Captain Marvel

I loved Captain Marvel. In fact, it’s one of my favorite Marvel movies, right up there with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Infinity War.

Sure, you might say, “We know you, Libby. You can’t resist a movie with a kickass woman at the helm. Or a feline sidekick.”

Well, you’d be right, but it’s more than that. The movie has just the right mix of humor, mystery, emotion, and action.

Brie Larson is Vers, a Kree warrior. Her background is laced with mystery. She can’t remember where she came from and she sees flashes of a past life in her dreams. The ruler of the Kree, an artificial intelligence known as the Supreme Intelligence, appears to Vers as a woman she doesn’t know, even though the SI always interacts with people in the guise of the person they most admire. Adding to the mystery is Vers' ability to blast photons out of her hands, which is not a type of power available to other Kree warriors.

Thanks to an ambush during a mission, Vers is kidnapped and winds up on Earth. After some rock-em-sock-em action, she discovers pieces of her past with help from Agent Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Some of the best and most touching scenes in the movie happen when Vers (whose real name is Carol Danvers) reconnects with her old friend, Maria Rambeau. The relationship is really well done, a heartwarming and empowering portrayal of sisterhood. Although the movie didn’t have much time to develop this friendship, the writers pulled it off. The characterization is top notch. Information is blended in so skillfully it doesn't seem like exposition at all.

Much credit also goes to Brie Larson and Lashana Lynch. They’re both great. Their emotion is understated, but straightforward. They compel you to pay attention.

Maria helps Carol uncover her whole backstory. This frees her to come into her own as Captain Marvel. And she does, in a HUGE way (I can't wait until she meets Thor). Once you’ve seen this movie, you’ll understand why Fury called for her help at the end of Infinity War. I am so looking forward to Avengers: Endgame, so I can watch Captain Marvel pummel the shit out of Thanos with her photon blasters.

For as much as I enjoyed the movie, it has its flaws. Early on, Danvers' tech is a little too convenient, and some of the action at the climax is muddy. Bear in mind, the big finales of movies like this always seem over the top to me. Nonetheless, Captain Marvel is a straight-up good time, offering a few sniffles, a couple hell-yeahs and a scene-stealing cat.

For you Marvel Cinematic Universe nerds, Captain Marvel is set in the 1990s. This makes sense if you place all the other MCU movies on a timeline (the comics, too, evidently, although I will confess to not being a comics person). I won’t say anything about why this is so for fear of spoilers, but if you want the details (and aren’t worried about spoilers), this offering from Vox is a good explanation of a complex sequence of events.

Until Endgame, Captain Marvel fans! [image error] Goose, Captain Marvel's feline sidekick.

Music of The Covalent Series

[image error] As you know, dear readers, every book in The Covalent Series is dramatic, but The Vengeance Season takes it to new heights. Fitting, given the emotion presented by the title and the fact that this novel concludes a major story arc. 

Music is Zan's steadfast companion after she suffers a terrible trauma. Her guitar helps her find her way back. Through her skill and talent, she finds a place to be capable and strong. For Rainer, the connection that he and Zan share when they play together is one of the greatest joys of his life. 

The songs that follow sometimes reflect the action in the story, and sometimes they reflect its emotions. I've shared quotes from the lyrics of every song. I hope you enjoy them. If you'd like to listen to all these songs continuously, visit my YouTube channel.

KYEO – Fugazi
The troops are quiet tonight
But it's not alright
Because they're planning something
 
She’s a Woman – the Beatles
My love don't give me presents
I know that she's no peasant
Only ever has to give me
Love forever and forever
 
Way Down in the Hole – Tom Waits
We'll all be safe from Satan
When the thunder rolls
We just gotta help me keep the devil
Way down in the hole
 
Sweat Loaf – The Butthole Surfers
“Daddy?”
“Yes, son?”
“What does regret mean?”
“Well son, the funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done, than to regret something you haven't done. And by the way, if you see your mom this weekend, will you be sure and tell her –
Satan! Satan! Satan!”
 
Requiem, Op. 48 (Pie Jesu)
Pie Jesu, pie Jesu, pie Jesu, pie Jesu
Qui tollis peccata mundi
Dona eis requiem
Dona eis requiem
 
Take No Prisoners – Megadeath
War is peace, sure man
A retreat for the damned
A playground for the demented
A haven for those who walk this world bereft of heart and soul
 
Nobody’s Fault But My Own - Beck
Tried to tell you I never knew
It could be so sweet
Who could ever be so cruel,
Blame the devil for the things you do
 
Rebel Rebel – David Bowie
You've torn your dress, your face is a mess
You can't get enough, but enough ain't the test
You've got your transmission and your live wire
 
Careening With Conviction – Mission of Burma
She said fuck it all
Who's gonna catch me when I fall
Someone's locked out in the hall
It's me, I am
 
To Be Without You – Ryan Adams
It's so hard to be without you
Used to feel so angry, and now I only feel humble
Stinging from the storm inside my ribs where it thunders
Nothing left to say or really even wonder
 
Awaken - Yes
Like the time I ran away
and turned around
and you were standing close to me.
 
Monkey Puzzle – Brian Jonestown Massacre
I think about almost her every night
To live without her well it wouldn't be right
When I see her, yeah she looks so fine
I can't give up till I know she's mine, yeah
 
How I Could Just Kill a Man – Cypress Hill
Time for some action, just a fraction of friction
I got the clearance to run the interference
Into your satellite, shinin' a battle light
 
War Pigs - Black Sabbath
In the fields, the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds
 
Ride My Seesaw - The Moody Blues
Ride, ride my seesaw,
Take this place
On this trip
Just for me. The Covalent Series. A shared life is the strongest bond.

Passion Season Outtake

AS HARD AS it is for we writers to let go of scenes that we love, sometimes the pacing of a story demands it. All is not lost, however. The scenes can live again here on the blog as outtakes, to borrow a phrase from film. Sounds so much cooler than deleted scene, doesn't it? The offering below is a humdinger of a sex scene that didn't make it into the second edition of The Passion Season: Book I of the Covalent Series.

To set it up for you, this takes place after Rainer Barakiel, our hero, showed up at the site of an FBI operation. Our heroine, Zan O'Gara, and her colleagues in law enforcement were about to raid a house full of armed men. Rainer heard about it on the radio after the FBI's first attempt to enter the house was greeted with gunfire. Sick with worry, he rushed to the location, which surprised and embarrassed Zan. She ushered him behind the perimeter to watch with the other curious civilians.

Hours later, when her work was concluded, Zan went to Rainer's house, still angry. She explained why she found his actions humiliating. She told him how the good-ol-boy agents had great fun at her expense. She let him know that if her partner Mel hadn't been the agent-in-charge she would have been in a heap of trouble. With apologies and tender words, Rainer cooled her anger, which led to the following.  There's no sex like make-up sex, am I right? [image error] BY THE TIME Rainer set Zan down in the bedroom, the energy of her anger had transformed into the delicious pressure of lust. Rainer’s eyes burned as he backed away from her. He parted his lips and softly exhaled. Zan felt the rush. She wanted those lips on her, immediately.

He certainly knows how to seduce me.

“Now, my love,” he purred. “How shall I show you how sorry I am?”

Zan raised her chin to hold his gaze. “Love me like I’m the center of your life.”

Rainer’s skin flushed. He backed her up against the thick post at the corner of the bed and unbuttoned her shirt. He pinned her hands up, caressing her wrists and nibbling at the insides of her elbows. Zan closed her eyes as everything but the feel of him disappeared from her senses.

When her breasts were bared he placed her on the foot of the bed and leaned to lick her nipples with great delicacy. Once he had removed her pants and underwear, he took off his clothes and lay on the bed beside her. She raised herself to look at him, but before she could complete her movement, he grabbed her and snatched her up on top of him. He set her on his face, applying his tongue as gently as a flower petal floating on a quiet pond.

She moaned, a long trailing note that cracked as pleasure engulfed her. She put her hands in her hair and arched her back, images flitting through her mind of sweet juices pouring out of her to bathe Rainer’s perfect face. His soft licking continued, making her body swell as she caressed herself. She had never felt so beautiful.

Gently, he probed and explored her with his tongue until she started to shudder. He raised her body from his mouth.

“Oooh, honey, mmmmmmm,” she murmured.

“Come down here.” His voice vibrated with hunger. She slid down and he shifted, shoving into her with exquisite force. It was just what she wanted. Instantly she came, as that place inside her gripped Rainer in greeting only to fly away again in a wild explosion that created such a searing, thrumming ball of pleasure between her legs that she shouted with the exhilaration of it. Rainer leaned back and churned into her as she thrashed.

The waves kept coming, her muscles moving in and out like that part of her body was breathing, breathing in Rainer like he was her air. He growled in time with their movements until Zan sensed something dangerous beneath her, like the deadly appetite of an apex predator. At the same time, she tingled with a gentle power that put her in mind of late summer sunlight falling on fields nearly ready for harvest. She didn't understand how she could feel such paradoxical things and find them so perfectly blended.

How can he be mine? This magic man.

Rainer came with a glorious shout, his muscles tensing then releasing. Zan savored the feeling of fullness for a few seconds, then clambered off him to sit on his thighs and hang off the bottom of the bed, her head near the floor. It made it a little hard to breathe, but it felt good, to be stretched out.

After a minute, Rainer peered down at her. “How long are you going to hang there like that?”

“Until some blood flows back into my brain. You pulled it to you. Every last bit. I’m all stupid now.”

He chuckled and leaned forward to blow a light stream of air on her belly. She giggled and squirmed.

“That tickles.”

With a quick movement, he grabbed her and tossed her onto the bed, stomach down, before taking her hips and raising her ass into the air in front of his face. He bit her and kept biting, sometimes hard.

“Ow!” Zan exaggerated her discomfort. “More?” she asked, turning her head hard to the left to see him. Rainer rested his chin on her ass.

“You told me to love you like you’re the center of my life,” he said. “If you would like, I can screw you until the wee hours of the morning, but I still won’t be able to express what you mean to me.”

​“Give it your best shot.” [image error] The Covalent Series. A shared life is the strongest bond.

Music of the Covalent Series

Hello, dear readers! As you learned in  The Passion Season , music plays a central role in the lives of my two main characters, Zan O'Gara and Rainer Barakiel.

Zan grew up in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho, a place of rugged beauty and long winters. She spent hours holed up in her room, practicing on a beat-up acoustic guitar. By the time we meet her, she's an extraordinary guitarist who's traded in her old Washburn for a Les Paul Gold Top. Rainer, the love of her life, has been playing the violin for centuries (time does not claim the Covalent). His skills reflect this.

In  The Pain Season, Book II of the Covalent Series , Zan and Rainer turn to music for solace, communication, and to release pent-up emotions. Music brings the two together in a poignant scene that I'll wager is unlike anything you've read before. In this scene, Rainer performs one of the pieces on the playlist: the Passcaglia from Heinrich Biber's Mystery Sonatas, called the Guardian Angel. The other songs on the playlist express the character's feelings or the action in the story. Have a listen! Each link is paired with a quote from the song. You can head to my YouTube channel to play the entire list automatically. In addition, the playlist for  The Passion Season, Book I of the Covalent Series  is available here.
​ THE PAIN SEASON PLAYLIST
Descending Angel - The Misfits
Torn from the heavens, they fall from the sky
And walk the streets among mortal men
Requiem - Killing Joke
Only a hint of religion
Uncensors to its false depravity
Superman - R.E.M.
If you go a million miles away I'll track you down
Trust me when I say I know the pathway to your heart
I Am a Scientist - Guided by Voices
I am a scientist - I seek to understand me
I am an incurable and nothing else behaves like me
All Mixed Up - The Cars
I wait for her forever
But she never does arrive
Bones - Radiohead
I don't want to be crippled and cracked
Shoulders and wrists, knees and back
Violet - Hole
You should learn when to go
You should learn how to say no
Take it Down  - John Hiatt
And I'm just an empty place
Where your love used to fit
Jesus Christ Pose - Soundgarden
But your staring at me
Like I, like I'm driving the nails, nails
Fight the Power - Public Enemy
My beloved let's get down to business
Mental self defensive fitness
The Guardian Angel - Heinrich Biber
Das Rosenkranz Sonaten, 1674 C.
Passacaglia for violin (no basso continuo) in G minor
Your Ghost - Kristin Hersh 
You were in my dreams
You were driving circles around me
I Against I - The Bad Brains
When the fact of the matter is you just don't hear
To comprehend or understand a single word I say
So You Want to be a Rock~n~Roll Star - The Byrds
The price you paid for your riches and fame
Was it all a strange game? You're a little insane
I Will Dare - The Replacements
Now, I don't care, meet me tonight
If you will dare, I will dare
​The Pain Season
Book II of the Covalent Series
​is available through these links:
Apple Books
​ Amazon
Kobo
Other Retailers Zan's guitar Rainer's violin The Covalent Series. A shared life is the strongest bond.