Deby Fredericks's Blog, page 10

Woman at Work, January 2025

What’s Happening? Winter break has been good, but I’ve come to the part where I feel I should be more productive and I’ve already done all the productive things. Getting back to my regular work schedule will be nice, too.

What I’m Working On. A new short story is in the works. It’s a satirical fantasy about resisting the takeover of a government agency. Gosh, what could be the inspiration? It’s currently just under 7,000 words with a projected length of 10,000. This makes it perfect for the vague idea I have about my fall project.

What’s Next? Cleodora, Book 1: Willow Lake is steady on my calendar to release in May of 2025. I’ve started the process of cover design with the artist and expect to do one more editing pass before then. There’s plenty of time for that.

Where I’ll be. My next in-person event will be RadCon, in February 2025. My table in the Artist Alley is confirmed. I’m ordering books and gathering table decorations to make that fun.

Fun and Games. A couple of years ago I got an Indy game, Mika and Witch Mountain. That arrived in early December and I had a good time with it. I’m still enjoying Veilguard adventures and after a year my Animal Crossing village is about to have a make-over.

I have a lot of concerns about this next year. Starting off with two terrorist attacks is not reassuring me. Good luck to all of us!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

New Resolutions

The Smashwords Year End Sale ends today. All of my e-books are 50% off for a few hours more. My catalog with them is here, and Lucy D. Ford’s books are here. Get them while they’re on sale!

Resolutions. Love them or hate them? No blame on anyone who doesn’t keep them and then feels bad. For me, I find resolutions helpful. They give me a target to aim at. Otherwise, I can just write story after story and never do anything with them.

Rules. The resolutions have to be something that I, myself, can control. So rather than vow to sell stories, a decision that is not up to me, I vow to submit them. This way I don’t unnecessarily set myself up for failure.

Resolution 1: Publish the second part of Cleodora. This work is already complete and the first part (Acorn Canyon) has been published. Bringing out part 2 (Willow Lake) in May seems like a pretty straightforward goal.

Resolution 2: Host Queen Titania’s Court in June. This is always very fun, although I noticed a drop in participation last year. That makes this one something to strive for.

Resolution 3: Write 3 short stories and submit each one to three or more markets. This is one of my perennial goals. While I’m between novels, I keep myself going with short work. In fact, I’m already working on one that I know I won’t finish until probably mid-January. (That almost feels like cheating.)

Resolution 4: Make three or more personal appearances to support my writing. As a push goal, be present in the Dealer’s Room or Artist Alley at one event. I won’t resolve to be an Author Guest of Honor again (that comes under the category of things that aren’t my decision). On the other hand, I will be attending the World Science Fiction Convention in August. If I can be on programs there, I’m going to give myself bonus points.

Resolution 5: Project X. I like to publish every six months, in May and November, However, I don’t have a clear idea what my November project will be this year. I have some longer short stories/novelettes that I could combine in some form. I don’t know what it might be yet, hence “Project X.”

If you’ve read my blog in the past few months, you’ll be aware how the last election really threw me off my stride. I’m sure this is why I’m confused about “Project X.” I trust I’ll get re-oriented and come up with something by next fall. I’m a creative person, after all.

What goals will you set for yourself in 2025? Comment to share your thoughts!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Resolutions… Resolved?

The Smashwords Year End Sale is still going on. All of my e-books will be 50% off until January 1, 2025. My catalog with them is here, and Lucy D. Ford’s books are here. I hope you’ll take a look!

It’s that time. I’m looking back at the year just ending and seeing how my 2024 resolutions came out. It think I did pretty well, all in all.

Resolution 0: Re-organize my cabinets. I had a lot of outdated paperwork to dispose of, and sold stories to file. Did I do it? Yes! It went so well that I’ve already included that in this year’s closing chores.

Resolution 1: Finish my current WIP, The Spirit Binder. If possible, publish it in November of 2024. Did I do it? Yes! Although I ended up breaking it in two and only published the first part.

Resolution 2: Reissue Aunt Ursula’s Atlas with an updated cover and interior layout. Did I do it? Yes! The revised edition came out in late summer.

Resolution 3: Host Queen Titania’s Court in June of 2024. Did I do it? Yes! And a good time was had by all.

Resolution 4: Write 3 short stories and submit each one to three or more markets. Did I do it? Partly. Two of the stories were for anthologies, and I submitted to them. I got an acceptance from one, and the other hasn’t closed yet. The third story has been thrice rejected, but I’m still keeping my eyes open for new opportunities.

Resolution 5: Make three or more personal appearances to support my writing. As a push goal, be present in the Dealer’s Room or Artist Alley. Did I do it? Yes! In fact, I made four appearances. One of these was as Author Guest of Honor at RadCon, and that is where I had my table in the dealer’s room.

Resolution 6: Publish a new short story collection. Did I do it? Yes! Aunt Anne’s Archive came out in May of 2024.

What will I challenge myself to achieve in 2025? Check back on January 1st to find out!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Your Holiday Gift

I’m setting this to arrive on December 24th, so we all can have a fun moment amid the holiday hustle and stress. Just a little poem Lucy D. Ford wrote and never found a publisher for. Enjoy!

SHOE-FLY

by Lucy D. Ford

I kicked my shoe off, watched it fly
All the way up to the sky!
It bounced right off the neighbor's roof
Left a footprint as the proof.
It passed a plane up in the air,
Shocked the pilot flying there.
My shoe kept on at such a pace,
It went right into outer space
And floated gently past the moon...
But I hope it comes down soon.
I want my shoe back, truth be told ---
My foot is getting kind of cold!

True story! One spring at school, the boys all had this rage for tying their shoes so loosely that the shoe would fly off when they were playing on the field.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Featured Books

The Smashwords Year End Sale is going on. All of my e-books will be 50% off until January 1, 2025. My catalog with them is here, and Lucy D. Ford’s books are here. I hope you’ll take a look!

Going on to highlight my books in the Smashwords sale, this day is for Lucy D. Ford! This is the pen name I use for juvenile novels. “Lucy” only has two novels out, but I’m just as proud of them.

Cleodora, Book 1: Acorn Canyon. People say the shrine is cursed. To her, it’s just home. Ten-year-old Cleodora grew up in Acorn Canyon, where her mother is guardian of a shrine to the nature spirits. Spiteful rumors have isolated them from the rest of Tenebira. Then a stranger arrives. Navaire is a member of the Majian Guild. He’s on an urgent mission — to learn why the nature spirits have made it stop raining. But a corrupted spirit is chasing him. Instead of fighting, Cleodora saves it. Now her life will never be the same! 

Masters of Air & Fire. Three young wyrmlings lived on the green slopes of Hot Mountain. Then their peaceful world was shattered by the eruption of their volcano home. Now they must struggle to survive in a world dominated by beings alien to them: humans.

This book has a special place in my heart. This very blog you’re reading and a lot of my following career are related to Masters of Air & Fire. If you have an interest and dragon family drama or bold spirit girls, both e-books are 50% off until the end of the year.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Featured Books

The Smashwords Year End Sale is going on. All of my e-books will be 50% off until January 1, 2025. My catalog with them is here, and Lucy D. Ford’s books are here. I hope you’ll take a look!

Today I’m featuring my series, Minstrels of Skaythe, which is part of the Smashwords Year End sale. (See above.) This is the high fantasy novella series I started writing back in 2018. The first volume was published in spring of 2019. In a world ruled by dark magic, the Minstrels are a secret group dedicated to bringing hope to the land.

The Tower in the Mist. Zathi’s job is to capture renegade mages, but Keilos isn’t like any other mage she’s dealt with. Her drive to bring him in only leads them deeper into a cursed forest. Together, warrior and mage will face deadly beasts and grapple with decisions that compromise every principle. Until they stumble upon a place of ancient, forgotten magic. Zathi must choose — allow Keilos to claim it, or kill him once and for all.

Dancer in the Grove of Ghosts. “He’s dead. He just doesn’t know it yet.” Mortally wounded, Cylass is abandoned on the battlefield by comrades who would just as soon have him out of the way. But as he waits for death, a strange savior appears. The dancer, Tisha, is so much more than she seems. With forbidden magic she heals Cylass, but also draws the wrath of his former lord, Count Ar-Dayne. Will Cylass help Tisha, as she helped him? Or will he do the smart thing, and turn her over to his vicious master?

The Ice Witch of Fang Marsh. Meven is a renegade, hunted by the cruel regime of master mage Dar-Gothull. Her desperate desire is to lose herself in the treacherous Fang Marsh. Only there can she live the life she wants, in freedom and safety. To reach the marsh, Meven must sneak through the town of Eshur, where her old enemy, the wicked Countess Ar-Torix, commands dozens of spies and guards. It should be no problem! What Meven doesn’t know is that she’s already being tracked. Ozlin was thrown out because of his emerging magic. Now he’s starving on the streets of Eshur. Caught stealing, he’s about to be imprisoned in the brutal temple school. Until Meven recognizes his power and intervenes. Suddenly she has a new, desperate desire — to save this mageling boy, and maybe save herself as well. 

The Renegade of Opshar. All Berisan wants is a place to hide. The insignificant village of Opshar seems like a perfect haven. Disguised as a beggar, he can lie low and evade the brutal hunter-guards. But Berisan isn’t the only one with secrets. Widowed and pregnant, Yamaya struggles to hold the farm she and her husband built, but she can’t escape her sordid past. In desperation, she hires the one person who hasn’t taken a side in Opshar’s murky politics — the beggar, Sand. Common sense tells Berisan to walk away, but his code as a minstrel compels him to help Yamaya if he can. Soon he faces a decision that challenges every principle he holds. Will he give up the safety of his secrets, or allow another to suffer in his place?

Prisoners of the Wailing Tower. Alemin only wanted to help an innocent. Instead, he was caught by the dreaded hunter-guards. Now he finds himself flung into the Larder, where the very walls are steeped in nightmares and his fellow inmates are vicious killers. Worse, Warden Ar-Lizelle seems intent on tracking down his friends, the Minstrels, who have devoted their lives to undermining Skaythe’s tyrannical regime. On the outside, the renegade mage Lorrah receives a premonition of Alemin’s plight. She’s desperate to save a man she cares for, but the Larder is commanded by someone she has hated for years and can’t bear to face: her cruel sister, Ar-Lizelle. Luckily, Lorrah is not alone. She has help from the fierce women warriors of Badger Squad. Yet even their combined forces might not be enough to get Alemin free from Dar-Gothull’s Larder!

The Tale of the Drakanox. It was just an old story. There couldn’t really be a lost civilization based on trust and equality. Not when the Wizard-King Dar-Gothull rules Skaythe through cruelty and terror. But when Ar-Thea told the story of the Shining Ones to her six magelings, the legend took root in their hearts. For years, they traveled the land as Minstrels. Through stories and song, they offered light and hope in dark times. Now their secrets have been laid bare. The Minstrels flee as the regime gathers its forces to crush them. Yet there is hope. Deep in the cursed Hornwood, there is an incredible power that only the Minstrels can use. It is guarded by a terrible beast — the Drakanox! The Minstrels must call on every ally and avoid every enemy if they hope to recover what has long been lost.

There are paperbacks also, but it’s only the e-books that are on sale through Smashwords. I hope you’ll pick up one or two of the Minstrels of Skaythe series.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Too Political, Redux

The Smashwords Year End Sale is going on. All of my e-books will be 50% off until January 1, 2025. My catalog with them is here, and Lucy D. Ford’s books are here. I hope you’ll take a look!

The great wheel turns. The political forces we thought we vanquished have again reared their ugly heads. Writers and artists have been threatened with bans and harassment all along, but the danger grows more imminent with each day.

What are we to do? Should we stop writing/art before we get attacked? We could take down old posts and images, clean up our online presence to avoid offending the harassers. Then just keep our heads down and try to get through each day.

Or should we keep up our art, as a way to defy the authority? Our stories may give hope and courage to those who resist. More than that, they may keep us sane by releasing our anxiety into an artistic form.

Whatever we decide, it is definitely informative to pay attention as these events unfold. The incoming faction claims a overwhelming mandate. Cabinet nominees are grossly unfit for office, an open insult to the institutions of government. Politicians, pundits and billionaires bow down to the monster they helped create.

Will the institutions fight back? If so, how? It might seem we are helpless, watching from the sidelines as it all unfolds. But this is all material we can use, from the single word to the big confirmation fights in the Senate. We can watch, and let events spark our creativity.

I have said before, all stories are political. Writers and artists should continue to create work that reflects our times. We can satirize the hypocrites. Blame the guilty. Call for a better future.

We must. And, here we go again.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

End of Year Sale

I should have mentioned it before now, but I’m taking part in the Smashwords end-of-year sale. From December 12, 2024 to January 1, 2025, all of my e-books will be 50% off. My regular publisher, Books2Read, merged with Smashwords earlier this year, so everything of mine is now included in the special price.

My catalog with them is here, and Lucy D. Ford’s books are here. In addition, my books through Wolfsinger are usually included in this sale at 25% off, although I haven’t heard an official announcement from them as yet. I’ll update this post if I hear something official.

Anyhow, if your holidays are looking a bit dull, feel free to splurge on some fine fantasy ebooks. You deserve it!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Shifting

Fall has shifted into winter around here. The old year will soon shift into a new one. A new administration is coming in — one which promises to take us into much darker times. And I am still trying to shift into a new writing project.

But stories don’t exist in a vacuum. They are shaped by their time and place, the people around us, and important events in the world. Part of my hesitation around what to write next may come from the uncertainty of these times.

Looking back at what I’ve written in the past, I can see the trend line. My Minstrels of Skaythe series began in 2018 and continued through the first Trump presidency. The White House was in the hands of an erratic narcissist. Human and civil rights were under constant attack. Then came a terrifying pandemic — followed by an attempted coup.

The direct inspiration for Minstrels certainly was the Dragon Age video games, but the darkness of its setting definitely reflects the stress and uncertainty of its era.

By the time I completed that series, we were into the Biden presidency. That administration used its powers to support the people through the pandemic and staved off economic collapse. It’s been a time of renewal and hope for the future. This era allowed me to write Cleodora, the tale of a bold young girl trying to save her world from climatic disaster.

Yet, the pendulum is about to swing again. We are returning to chaos and endless threats to human and civil rights. Publishing Cleodora now seems almost naive. The story is coming out in a different era than when it was written. (I will publish it, though. Don’t get me wrong.)

I still don’t know what I’m going to write next. But I suspect, as storm clouds gather and the light of freedom fades, that my next story will again reflect a darker era.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Woman at Work, December 2024

What’s Happening? December is here once again. It’s time to start wrapping things up in my writer’s year.

What I’m Working On. This is the time when I go through a number of chores. I check this blog and my web site to be sure all the book links are working. This year I’m also making sure Amazon’s links are gone. Then I go over the header art and sidebars to make sure everything still looks good.

After that, I still have no work in progress, and it’s starting to worry me.

What’s Next? Cleodora, Book 1: Willow Lake is on my calendar to release in May of 2025. I’ve just finished a revision, but it still needs more. It would be pretty early to start promoting Willow Lake, anyhow.

Where I’ll be. My next in-person event will be RadCon, in Februrary 2025. I plan to have a table in the Artist Alley there.

Fun and Games. I’ve been focused on the lastest Dragon Age game, Veilguard! I already wrote some thoughts about it. (Go back a few posts if you missed that.) And I’m back to Animal Crossing as my villagers were feeling a bit neglected.

I hope your upcoming holidays will be safe and peaceful!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website, Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.