List 3 things you can talk about for 3 hours with no prep 1. Miniature painting and techniques 2. The economic importance of regional infrastructure 3. My Triempery series. I literally know it all. 🤣

SANCTUARY (2019) Oil - 24” x 18” SANCTUARY rose from my desire to revisit thematic ground that inspired my first gallery show at Tree’s Place back in 1997. 1/3

#Septopolis 25 Had I chosen one of the great cities there'd be more to say about public holidays and events. Still... Gustan Manor holds an annual pelekys match that draws noble contestants from far and near. I foresee a new annual event in Gustan's future. 😉 #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#WIPSnips The word for September 25 is ABSORB This was a tough word to find but I did find one use in THE KHELD KING, Book 2. Dorilian is godborn, yes, but he needs to learn his gifts. Rheger can help... within limits. Not all Highborn are created alike. #epicfantasy #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 25: Sources of light Aside from celestial sources like the sun, moon, and stars-- Leur entities like the Wall and Rill (Wallglow and Rillglow respectively), and the Cities Arcane crystals and runestone Waterglobes (which use above crystals) Fire Volcanoes Fluorescent plants

#FantasyIndiesSeptember 25: MC's favorite subject in school Dorilian's school experiences were more traumatic than helpful. He mostly had tutors. School or tutors, though, his favorite subjects would be poetry and Rill mechanics. He always took his godborn heritage seriously. #epicfantasy

It's Book Quote Wednesday! The word is LAST. #bookqw In this snip from THE KHELD KING, Book 2, Dorilian is tossing a ball to the toddler Fahme. It ends with him reflecting on whether he should ever marry (again) or sire a child. #epicfantasy #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#Septopolis 24 Gustan's relationships with neighboring town and regions are friendly. Gustan claims, and is often called upon to prove, that it has the better taverns. Gustan's pelekys team--a game played on horseback--has deep rivalries with other local teams. #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#WIPSnips The word for September 24 is LEAVE In the RILL LORD, Dorilian decides to leave Stauberg. He does so in secret as shown below. A simple scene but one with lots of meaning--though some of that meaning depends on having read what leads to it. #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #epicfantasy

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 24: Symbolism of darkness Dark represents the Void, that which existed before Leur and what will remain should Leur cease. Curses retain this meaning: "Into Darkness with you, then!" Khelds consider darkness to be Mother-ruled and kind, as in sleep or under her Hill.

#FantasyIndiesSeptember 24: Interesting Fact From WIP World History Trongor is interesting. It's not Highborn-ruled nor part of the Triempery. The country was founded by rascals. They're respectable now. Mostly. #epicfantasy

#Septopolis 23 Crime. There's very little crime at Gustan Manor, but humans will be human. There have been minor assaults and the occasional theft. Gustan town has more crime, though again very little. Small town, small crimes. Stealing a boat would be big news. #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#WIPSnips The word for September 23 is SKILL Learning new skills can take time and try the patience of those around one, especially when the skill involves magic. #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 23: Symbolism of light If a thing IS Leur (part of the godhead), it has an inner light or glow. Sordan is called the City of Light and it does glow. So do its sister Cities. The Rill and Wall have that light. One of Kheld god Lud's symbols is the Sun. Another is fire.

#FantasyIndiesSeptember 23: What grammar rule catches me out? One good thing about writing for as long as I have been is that I've become quite intuitive about grammar. Copy editors smile. But apparently I can be the queen of Pronoun Confusion. Published books have been vetted for this. 🤣

#Septopolis 22 Local government. Gustan Manor, of course, is run by the royal family. Except really it's run by the Steward and also the Matron of the House. Gustan town elects its leaders. It has a Head Man (or Woman) and four others who also Stand for the town. #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#WIPSnips 22: The word for September 22 is FLURRY I love this word. So fun and active even in minor roles. In this snip from THE RILL LORD, Book 6 (April), Hans and some of his men are at a farm looking for someone. They're having no luck until this moment. #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Triempery

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 22: A time your MC felt lost Feeling lost (and actually being lost) appear strongly in THE RILL LORD (coming in April 2026). I won't spoil those. Dorilian doesn't feel lost a lot but people are his compass, so losing someone important can leave him reeling.

#FantasyIndiesSeptember 22: What type of book would your MCs write? Dorilian - Poetry Marc Frederick - Memoirs and Reflections Hans - Might try his hand at fiction Robdan - History or biography Aubrey - Kheldic Lore Examples of Marc Frederick's and Robdan's writing appear in epigraphs.

Day 21 of #FantasyIndiesSeptember Author wisdom? Don't be afraid to try different things to find out what works for you. I wasted way too much time doing what was popular before I realized none of it worked for me. For example, I don't write every day. It's just not possible. #WritingCommunity

My next book is coming out on the 26th. Fifth in the series. www.amazon.com/Queen-Thorns...

#WIPSnips 21 The word for September 21 is DISAGREE Sometimes the best thing about disagreement is when you don't find any. Like Hans in this snip from THE RILL LORD, where he's looking for approval of a plan. #Triempery #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#Septopolis 21 Most people who come to Gustan Manor wish to see the King or his family. Some local people wish to visit relations or friends. People who come to Gustan town generally seek work or profit. Some come for the markets and shops. The town welcomes them! #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#WIPSnips 21 The word for September 21 is DISAGREE Sometimes the best thing about disagreement is when you don't find any. Like Hans in this snip from THE RILL LORD, where he's looking for approval of a plan. #Triempery #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 21: Sailors, fishermen, divers In the SECOND STONE Hans meets Ezhno, a former sea captain, who assists him in his Sordan escape. Readers also meet Herberth and the sailors aboard his Trongorian flagship. Dorilian's admiral appears in THE KHELD KING.

#FantasyIndiesSeptember 21: Pass on some author wisdom! All stories an author writes are, in one one way or another, for better or for worse, the story of that author's life.

#WIPSnips The word for September 20 is OBVIOUS Sometimes obvious things lead us to think about less obvious things. As in this snip from THE RILL LORD (coming April 2026) in which Robdan looks upon a sleeping Dorilian. #Triempery #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#FantasyIndiesSeptember 20: Saturday Snippet Today's snippet is from THE GOD SPEAR, Book 4. Kheld woman Aubrey is suspicious about someone (it's Dorilian in disguise) but she's also attracted. She talks this out with her friend Lark. Things could get interesting... #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#Septopolis 20 Gustan Manor has oak groves and lovely, quite private gardens open to residents of the Manor and estate. Gustan town has Sonnen Hill with its barren hilltop, a nice lonely place above the bustle. It also has many pubs along the riverfront for a few pints. #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#WIPSnips The word for September 20 is OBVIOUS Sometimes obvious things lead us to think about less obvious things. As in this snip from THE RILL LORD (coming April 2026) in which Robdan looks upon a sleeping Dorilian. #Triempery #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 20: Has your MC ever been to an ocean? Many characters, Khelds mostly, have never seen the sea. But most of the MCs have. Dorilian enters Stauberg (the first time) by sea. He's later in a shipwreck. Hans is a skilled sailor who flees Sordan by sea in a small boat. 🌊

#FantasyIndiesSeptember 20: Saturday Snippet Today's snippet is from THE GOD SPEAR, Book 4. Kheld woman Aubrey is suspicious about someone (it's Dorilian in disguise) but she's also attracted. She talks this out with her friend Lark. Things could get interesting... #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#WIPSnips 19: The word for September 19 is YARD The "yard" here is the setting, but the snip is more about the conversation that takes place in the yard when Aubrey meets with her uncle Nalf. You see, Nalf just learned something he doesn't like. #Triempery #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#Septopolis 19 The workforce inside the Manor is staff: housekeeping, cooks, secretaries. The estate's farmers grow crops of fresh vegetables and seeds. The dairy produces an excellent cheese sold for profit. Local work includes eel farming, shipping, and distilling. #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#WIPSnips 19: The word for September 19 is YARD The "yard" here is the setting, but the snip is more about the conversation that takes place in the yard when Aubrey meets with her uncle Nalf. You see, Nalf just learned something he doesn't like. #Triempery #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 19: Fact about my world's ocean. The ocean, like the World, is literally is unfinished. The Bounding Fog exists to keep unwary sailors (and birds and sea creatures) from "falling off" the dimensional edge. A few characters know this... but most don't.

#FantasyIndiesSeptember 19: Share a pet photo. Here is a photo of my incredibly intelligent (and literate) poodle. Penny proofreads all of my books. (You can blame her for any typos.) #WritingCommunity

Causing friction is very effective protesting. Three short, polite points in paper letters which must be manually opened to find out what they say. 90 seconds a letter? 100 letters = 2.5 hours staff time not spent on usual tasks. 1000 letters? Heaped mailbags soon get noticed.

#Septopolis 18 Gustan Manor itself is a wonder. I refer again to my blog post (linked again in comments). The house is built on the lines of an English great house and looks warm and grand. The gardens are planned but not overly formal. A home, as much as a palace. #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#WIPSnips The word for September 18 is RED This bit of conversation between Hans and Raphelon from THE RILL LORD puts together some clues that have been in the series all along about the Leur nature of Highborn blood. It's not just red... #epicfantasy #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#SeptemberWorldbuilding 18: Myth about the ocean The myth is that there's something--no one knows what--on the other side of the Bounding Fog that encircles the World. Ships sail into the fog to come out again at some other point... or vanish. Another world? More of this one? Only Leur knows. 🌊

#FantasyIndiesSeptember 18: Power-hungry character in WIP Nammuor's hunger for power evolves over the course of the Triempery series--but it is always there. He craves to gain power. He seeks it. He wishes to control who has it. And he hungers to destroy it. #villains

It's Book Quote Wednesday and the word is IDEA In this snip from SORDANEON Stefan talks about the idea of ordering a man to death, a decision that he will later stare in the eye, a test he will either pass or fail. #bookqw #epicfantasy #Sordaneon

Keep spreading the word please! Already at over 450 books given away!

#Septopolis 17 Gustan Manor is made from stone, wood, and other materials from an ARCHIVED world from the First Creation. The workmanship is also by artisans from that other world, so the Manor looks very different from anywhere else. Very *our* world, actually. #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

#WIPSnips The word for September 17 is DIFFERENCE Dorilian and Hans are the core pairing of the final arc of the Triempery series. They've had serious differences to navigate. Hans explains a bit about that to Marenthro in this snip. #epicfantasy #WritingCommunity #Writesky

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 17: Oceanic animal you created Giant sea slugs! (Yes, sea slugs exist in our world, but they are different.) Giant sea slugs live in steam vents off the coast of the frozen isles of Maskos and are harvested to be mashed into "krimoil," a vital lubricant. #epicfantasy

#FantasyIndiesSeptember 17: My Autumn TBR Available on my end table: - To Ride Hell's Chasm, Janny Wurts (also Daughter of the Empire) - Cold Silver and Souls, Tori Tecken - A Song for Arbonne, Guy Gavriel Kay - any other book that grabs me at any point along the way. 📚

THE RILL LORD (April 2026) Chapter Title Fun I don't title my chapters but if I did... 1. An Immaculate Deception 2. Return to Gustan 3. Portents of Dead Princes 4. Manors and Mothers 5. A Well-Planned Escape 6. Surprise! He’s Baaack! 7. A Breakfast Truce 8. About Those Fireballs...

32 days until Songs of Broken Bells is released! In the lead up to its release date, I’m sharing a short snippet from each chapter alongside a fun fact about that chapter or the book/world in general. Today’s snippet is from chapter 7. Preorder today! books2read.com/songsofbroke... [💙📚] [📚 🌈] [📚🪐]