Annals: Year 31
A Dustsong story fragment—and updates
From the Annals of the Vaporous Realms
Len, son of Ghrem, took a notion to offer the Wright a gift, as he’d watched his brother Sceg doing. In secret, Len placed a portion of his garden yield upon a great rock and set it alight, so the lord of the heaven-realm might see and smell the tribute. The fruits and grasses smoked and smoldered but would not catch flame. Len’s temper fouled, and he stoked a sore demeanor toward his brother and the Wright.
Author Note
Once more, I’ve been laboring hard behind the scenes without sharing much, if anything. The main culprit this time is an exceptionally hard, fast pivot in my work life, which made March a perfect whirlwind for my household. Happily, the dust is settling, springtime is upon us, and the Vaporous Realms will consume most of my attentions for the foreseeable future.
Here are my recommendations, updates, and public service announcements for March:
3 Recommendations
D. S. Brandt (aka The Man Behind the Screen) made a welcome appearance with “A Lord’s Wake,” part of his Pearldiver’s Adventures series.
Nick Thurston has returned with the intrepid inspector Loucet in his ongoing Shadow of Doubt series.
If you appreciate the fantastic imagination of the Brothers Krynn but prefer digesting their tales as shorter snippets, check out the Annals of Livania stories.
2 Publishing Updates
Above, you’ll see I’ve got a prototype for the restyled Vaporous Realms at War miniatures. Not efficient enough yet, but at least I’ve got a feel for what I’m after (and something to show for it).
I’ve further updated the publishing schedule. There are also several events on our summer schedule now, if you’re in the Southeastern U. S. and can afford to take your car out of the driveway.
1 PSA
I’ve discovered that Patrick Lawrence, here on Substack, is from my neck of the woods. If you’re not subscribed to Ringfolk, it’s well worth your while. He recently posted an excellent essay on “Frodo’s ‘Failure,’” and he’ll be taking us on a Return of the King read-through journey in April.
Happy weekend reading, y’all!
Brother, do I feel you on the tumult of life. There's been a goodly amount of chaos going on in my own, too, but on the home front and unfortunately, of the expensive sort. It really does eat into the time and mental capacity to write, so I appreciate you recommending "A Lord's Wake" all the more for that reason.