There are only six more chapters left to edit in my dad’s book Smoke of the Fire. As I’ve stated before, this editorial pass is fairly major and time-consuming. I plan on giving everything another quick pass with audio and adding a few tweaks to make sure that the flow sounds consistent. That pass should go fairly quick, but this pass is like pulling teeth. Hopefully, we can get a couple more chapters done before my next trip to Arizona next week. I asked Gemini to write a 250-word summary of the book, and here is what it had to say:

Smoke of the Fire (Gemini Summary)

Smoke of the Fire is a deeply moving novel that chronicles the coming-of-age of two young Native American men, Tall Trees and Small Buck, immediately after they achieve the status of “braves.”

The story begins with the inseparable friends navigating their new independence, sharing a humorous culinary failure that leads to a fateful encounter. They meet Bright Moon, a kind and resourceful woman who sparks an immediate, unspoken romance with Tall Trees. Their developing relationship provides a quiet anchor against the growing tensions of tribal life.

As the tribe prepares for its traditional winter migration to a sheltered cave, the pressures of tradition clash with personal desires. Small Buck is driven by a deep sense of protectiveness to pursue Star, seeking to rescue her from a difficult home. His choice puts him at odds with the tribe’s strict customs and his father, the shaman. Simultaneously, Tall Trees is heartbroken when Bright Moon is suddenly promised to another man through an arranged contract.

The harsh winter and confined living in the cave escalate the community’s moral and political dilemmas. When survival is threatened, the friends’ paths diverge drastically. Tall Trees is forced to assume an unexpected leadership role, embracing wisdom and duty. Small Buck’s bold choice for love leads to his marginalization by his people. The novel explores the painful truth that true maturity is found not in achievement, but in enduring hardship and loss, as both men must make sacrifices that redefine their lives, their relationships, and the future of their tribe.

Update on The Corvid’s Key

The Corvid’s Key has finally broken past the 10,000-word mark! I now have a story large enough to publish as a standalone novelette. Now it is time to work on a book cover design and make the final edits on the story. It might be a good idea to hand the story off to a beta reader. I’m not completely happy with the ending. The ending feels clipped to me, like I was writing a drabble. Maybe a reader or two will tell me differently. For those interested, here is a quick summary by Gemini AI:

The Corvid’s Key follows Ann, a woman with an unusual relationship with the local crows, who regularly leave her strange gifts.

This peculiar connection leads Ann, guided by a single, persistent corvid, into the woods to an isolated, decaying house. Inside, a chilling discovery is made, pointing to a decades-old tragedy involving the home’s last occupants.

What begins as an impulsive act of curiosity quickly escalates into a mystery as the crows continue to direct Ann to more pieces of a forgotten, violent history. The Corvid’s Key is a psychological thriller about the unsettling secrets held by the natural world and one woman’s confrontation with a long-unpunished past.

I managed to do a couple of small woodworking projects this week. Tell me what you think, and of course, buy a book!