Deby Fredericks's Blog

The “Up” was that I was supposed to meet with the cover artist for Standing Stones and Safety Zones. She has a draft for me to see. If I like it, I can continue with the publication process.

But then…

We noticed one of our cats was acting out of sorts. He didn’t improve after two days, so I took him to the vet this morning. It turns out he’ll be hospitalized over the weekend. This is a problem that cannot be cured, only managed, and there’s no guarantee he’ll live that long. After hours spent in waiting rooms and facing large unexpected bills, I am indeed feeling down.

It’s too bad, because I was just getting back some momentum on The Warlock’s Army. Tomorrow is soon enough to try and pick that up again. Meanwhile, I’m going to a protest tomorrow and I have to make some angry signs. That’s somewhere I can put my energy, I guess.

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 or Pinterest.

I read a great book, and I have to tell you about it! The book is Queen Demon, by Martha Wells, and it’s a follow up to her 2023 epic, Witch King. Honestly, I’m surprised at myself for not writing about Witch King more at the time. I got to hear Wells read a section of it at WorldCon, last August, so I was primed for the release last week. Obviously, the whole book did not disappoint.

Witch King consisted of two braided plots, one in the past and one in the present. In the past, a horrible army led by Hierarchs (sorcerers) had descended on a mostly peaceful world and was gradually conquering everything. Until a group of their hostages managed to start an uprising and escaped with their lives. In the present, that uprising had been successful enough that it founded the Rising World coalition. One faction had a conspiracy to turn the Rising World into an empire.

Events in both times are witnessed by Kaiisteron, a demon who is able to drain the life out of people and can change bodies at need. Kai’s people in the underearth have a treaty with surface mortals around how and when this is acceptable. In the past we meet Kai as a youth who gets caught up as one of the hostages and nearly dies. In the present, he is an almost unstoppable force. Though felled by treachery, he still manages to foil the would-be emperor’s plans.

Queen Demon picks up both plots directly from the conclusion of Witch King. In the past, Kai and his allies continue their war against the Hierarchs. We get a fuller sense of all the characters in Kai’s close circle. There are satisfying hints of relationships growing between them. In the present, Kai is tracking down a rumor that one of the Hierarchs is still alive. The truth of this leads to uneasy alliances with a couple of opponents from the previous book.

The best part of this series is in Wells’ world building. The Hierarchs left ruins scattered everywhere, which makes for a poignant landscape. It is a diverse world with people of all colors and sizes, having varied dress, foods, architecture, and manners. Everything is beautifully described. There are also a number of same-sex relationships that are not treated as being unusual, so bear this in mind if that sort of thing bothers you.

I do see some flaws in the work, factors that seemed random or maybe just weren’t well explained. That just means I might have to read it again soon, and see what clues there were that I missed!

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 or Pinterest.

I have a new publication coming out! My short story, “The Wolf God’s Path,” is part of another anthology from Wolfsinger Publications. Spirit of the Wolf is a charity anthology, benefitting Mission: Wolf, a wildlife sanctuary in southern Colorado that (no surprise) holds and cares for gray wolves.

“The Wolf God’s Path” is about a young woman embarking on a spirit quest. Lily is searching for an “alter stone,” a mystic stone that will allow her to change her path in life. The one she finds is guarded by Kirishac Redfang, the wolf god, who is not easily convinced that she is worthy.

One interesting thing about this story is that it’s set in the same world as “Mistress Henbane,” one of the tales in my forthcoming book, Standing Stones and Safety Zones. The title character, Mistress Henbane, is wise woman for a rural village. She’s partly a healer and partly their mystic defender. In Stones and Zones, we see Mistress Henbane having an adventure while healing someone. “The Wolf God’s Path” shows more of her ordinary duties.

I don’t have a release date yet for Spirit of the Wolf, but you can be sure that I’ll pass that information along as soon as I get 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 or Pinterest.

Or at least, someone is trying to create a “new” NaNoWriMo.

Full disclosure: I was never involved with NaNoWriMo. I had already been writing for decades before the idea ever came into public view. Thus, I didn’t need the goals and incentives NaNoWriMo provided. I never scorned it, either. If it was helpful for other writers, then I was happy for them. And I was a little bit sad to hear that the organization was being overtaken by drama and ultimately collapsed.

However, a lot of NaNoWriMo’s aficionados must have been missing it. Which is totally understandable. And so, another organization is attempting to spark that magic anew. The result is “Novel November,” sponsored by Pro Writing Aid, a commercial software that helps writers get organized and track writing goals.

Again, this isn’t something I personally need or use. But I thought I would mention “Novel November” for those of you who did regularly do NaNoWriMo and are looking for something like its community experience. Registrations and details are available through ProWritingAid.

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 or Pinterest.

What’s Happening? October is just beginning. It’s my second favorite time of year because I love Hallowe’en. On the other hand, I have to put my garden to bed for the year. Lots of trimming and mulching to take care of.

What I’m Working On. Layouts and organizing for Standing Stones and Safety Zones are my top priority.

What’s Next? I’m a bit stalled until cover art comes in for Stones and Zones, so I’m pushing forward on The Warlock’s Army.

Where I’ll be. Fall Folk Festival is next month, and I always have a good time there.

Fun and Games. I’ve been very involved with a video game called Wildmender. The goal is to save the world by restoring habitats in a desert. My current read is Network Effect by Martha Wells, an author I really admire. She has a new book coming out later this month, and I can’t wait to get it!

Wishing you a soft and lingering fall!

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 or Pinterest.

Work continues on layouts for my next book, Standing Stones and Safety Zones. There are miles to go, but in the meantime I got a nice bit of news.

Fall Folk Festival has released their schedule of performances. They have me on Saturday in the early afternoon. This is a nice improvement from previous years, when I was scheduled on Sunday mornings. I will have books in the festival store, as always. This year I’ll be featuring my Cleodora duology.

Anyway, my brain might be full of type sizes and clip art, but this is something nice to look forward to.

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 or Pinterest.

I’m running behind on this blog. Usually I try to set them up the previous night, so they go out at the usual 10 am. Last night, I spaced that out.

The main reason is that I’ve started the preparations for Standing Stones and Safety Zones. (Yes, that is a slight change.) The first step is to re-read my texts with that careful eye for the sneaky typos and slight inconsistencies. Last night I worked on “Mistress Henbane” and lost track of other things.

So, oh well, technically it’s still Wednesday and my blog didn’t skip a day. Now I’m back to the second story of the volume. Where, once again, I’m having trouble with the title.

Onward!

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 or Pinterest.

I’m at Just-A-Con this weekend. It’s a tiny local “relaxacon” where attendees can roam around and spend time catching up. I’m bringing books and doing a reading, but the emphasis isn’t on sales. (Although I did sell well last year.)

The important thing will be the catching up with friends. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that a lot of us are worried about the direction of our government, turning sharply toward control and destruction. Keeping our community together is more urgent than ever.

In fact, my first program item will be a check-in to see how everyone is doing. I’m also on one about DEI and why there’s such a backlash. But in a more fun vein, those of us who were at Worldcon will give a recap of our impressions, and we’ll be talking about trends in gaming (table top, rpg, video).

I hope you all have a chance to rest this weekend and reconnect with your friend group. We’re going to need each other in days to come!

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 or Pinterest.

The Warlock’s Army is going along well, approaching 50,000 words or around the half way point. I’m in the midst of a dramatic scene, where the warlock has been missing for a couple of days. The boys sent a message and he comes back in a rage. How dare they disturb his research? As soon as I finish the scene, I need to pause the book temporarily.

This weekend is Just-A-Con, a small local convention where I’m showing off my books and hosting a couple of program items. It’s very low key, but I do need to prepare a few things. Unfortunately I won’t have a schedule ahead of time, or I would announce it.

In addition, it’s two months out from my planned release of Standing Stones and Danger Zones. Now that I’ve chosen a title, I can begin the publication process. There’s the e-book layout (this volume will be too short for a printed edition) and cover, registering with Bowker, and other setups with Draft2Digital. That will be creative fun of a different kind.

Now back to all that family drama!

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 or Pinterest.

Thank you to everyone who commented on my title ideas. “Standing Stones and Danger Zones” got the most positive response of all. I’ll be going with that.

As I imagined myself at book tables, talking to potential readers, I found that my other ideas were more awkward. Customer: “What’s the book called?” Me: “Fantasy Times Two, it’s about…” Customer, “Huh? No, that’s okay.”

On the other hand: Customer: “What’s the book called?” Me: “Standing Stones and Danger Zones, it has two stories in it. One of them has standing stones and the other one is about…” Customer: “Never mind, take my money!”

Or so I hope!

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 or Pinterest.