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Important Announcement

Beloved readers,

Over the past few weeks I have been mulling over a variety of points.

1. At my current pace of one novel published per year, it will take me seven more years to get through the backlog of my current Laconia novels.

2. While they certainly have their charms, books 8-12 have far diminished returns than books 1-7, because while books 1-7 can be each read independently, the latter novels are near-incomprehensible for people who have not read every single earlier one.

3. I will not flatter myself into thinking a lot of people would eagerly read all 12 in order. Some have, and some would, but it feels like I'll be making people go through a lengthy slog if they're gonna catch 'em all, so to speak.

4. Book 8 draws heavily on true-life events involving other parties whom I have realized could be hurt if the novel were widely circulated and anything recognized. Also I simply don't want to remind certain people of certain things they have managed to put behind them. And all the subsequent books require Book 8 as prior reading.

5. Book 7, thematically, is a near-perfect stopping point with just a little tweaking.

6. I'm having trouble finding a new publisher for my new Seasons Four series, and am contemplating going with Eternal Press for that as well. If so, it would be against my interest to clog their inbox with ever-more Laconia.

The upshot is that I have tentatively decided to end the published version of the series with Book 7 (there is a small possibility of a spinoff based on the backstory of Dr. Nat Silver, but that's in very early conceptual stages). Those who have read the online drafts from when I first wrote them will notice significant changes to books 6 and 7 to make it work, but hopefully they will be changes the readers are glad to see. 

I do not consider the novels I am putting aside as a waste in any way, because they were a joy to write and taught me more about the craft with every line. They also brought joy to a few people and thus were not posted in vain. However, I am willing to "kill my darlings" as Stephen King advises authors, for the sake of a better series. 

It is probable I will find some way to make the drafts of books 8-12 accessible for those interested, whether for free online or in some other format. Thank you for your time and attention, and stay tuned.

Excerpt 3

"Are you sure Jared will be comfortable having you here in his home, considering the last time the two of you met you were commissioned to kill Kira and you threatened all sorts of bodily harm on him for spoiling your plans?" Rain asked the assassin once they were safely in the castle, through one of many smaller entrances. This one had a lobby with a koi pond full of spotted orange, black, and white carp - along with a few small turtles poking their noses out of the water every once in a while to take a breath - a hotel-style bellhop in a royal blue uniform who took the guest's single suitcase without asking any questions, and walls paneled in some sort of creamy light-colored wood. On the way they had been busy chatting about less critical things, because along with Amber and Lynne - though of course recent revelations made their company feel strange now - this particular member of the Assassin's Guild of Centralia was one of the few people Rain felt friendly towards.



Rupert Djones, whose surname was pronounced with a silent "d" at the beginning, gave her an indulgent smile and adjusted his monocle with a white-gloved hand, even as they followed the bellhop towards the room William had set aside for him. "That is ancient history, darling, and it was purely business. No ire or bad blood should remain. Besides I don't believe it altogether necessary that the dear boy or his lovely wife to know of my presence here, as the invitation from his second-in-command was enough to grant me access through the magical gate. I plan only to stay so long as it takes to eliminate my target."



Rain tucked her wings as tightly as possible to make them fit in the narrow spiral staircase they climbed up as they continued their conversation. "Who is your target, anyway?"



"Walls have ears, darling Rain. And so do servants of all kinds. But this is a job for the Guild, not for William." After the first ten steps he started breathing a little heavily and leaning on his gold-topped cane.



"Oh, so someone doesn't have a license." Rain put a hand on his back to nudge him forward so she wouldn't have to slow down. She hated slowing down. "Didn't figure assassins were allowed to join if they had asthma."


Djones did his best to pick up the pace but his struggles were obvious. "It's not...not...never...mind..."



"Whatever. Just don't be a slowpoke."



The bellhop deposited Djones' suitcase in front of the first room on the left at the top of the stairs, opened the door with a flourish, and then headed into the catacombs of that wing of the castle. Djones tipped his bowler hat at the retreating figure and moved the suitcase to the foot of the bed. It was a small room, but comfortable, in shades of dark cerulean blue and a nearly iridescent turquoise green. The suite included a bathroom with a tub of gleaming brass and fresh white towels hanging from the rack. The overhead pendant light shone with warm, creamy radiance when Djones flicked the switch on the wall, and the slender, ivory-shaded lamp on the bedside table was embossed with leaves and curlicues. The bed itself was a generous queen size with two plump pillows and a fluffy comforter. "Quite tolerable indeed, upon my word," Djones commented.

Rain sat on the bed without asking permission, earning a raised eyebrow from Djones that she did not appear to notice. "William said you can call room service whenever you like. He has a dinner with the Seasons and their consorts to enjoy. Even I'm not invited, though I heard a rumor that Hamnet Shakespeare is being dragged in and given a seat of honor because Jared was secretly a huge theater and literature geek along with his other nerd qualities all this time. William will come talk to you at nine o'clock. He generally goes to bed at eleven. You could set your watch by that guy."

"Well, good thing I brought one of my favorite books to read again," Djones said, propping his cane against a bedpost and kneeling to unpack his suitcase. "Have you ever had the happy fortune of reading The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss? The hero is a rakish assassin and spy, you see, and I consider him somewhat of a role model even if he is fictional and prone to copulate with anyone willing."

"No..." Rain unfolded her wings part of the way, not enough to smack into Djones but enough so they were glorious limbs rather than constrained bundles of feathers, partially because it was more comfortable that way and partially because when they had met before Djones had shown a fondness for touching them. "Speaking of that, though, how about it?"


Djones stroked the nearest inky feathers without consciously intending to. "I don't believe I follow you, dear lady."


"I haven't had sex in over a week. And it's been a stressful few days."


"My condolences. I hear that, er, self-stimulation can be most gratifying, even if not so much as activities with someone else." Djones dabbed at his brow with a silk pocket square. "It is a bit warm in here, don't you think?"

"You could take off your jacket and gloves at least," Rain said, wrapping her nearer wing around Djones' shoulders and bringing him closer.



"That might be a good idea; we are in June after all. Quite literally. But I need you to know that while I find you attractive, I've never actually -"



"Had sex? That's all right, we can go slow."



"I was going to say kissed anyone. Which is the only thing I've been curious about, really. Sexual intercourse in full always seemed rather distasteful."



Enlightenment entered Rain's eyes. "Oooooh, you're ace, aren't you?"

"Again, you use a term with which I am unfamiliar."

"Asexual. Not interested in sex. It doesn't necessarily mean sex is disgusting to you, just that you don't really have a sex drive. Some asexuals do have sex but to make their partner happy, or purely to reproduce, or because of boredom or some reason other than arousal. I never understood it myself but people don't understand me either and I figure it's fine all round."

Camp NaNoWriMo Meme

1: Have you participated in NaNoWriMo before? If so, which years and what end result? If not (or even if so, for that matter) what’s your connection to writing? Why do you want to participate this year?



Yes, both times I made it up to roughly 11,000 words and then stopped because of life drama. I am a published author but I would like to make it into bigger leagues someday, and I’m always trying to push myself. This June I want to complete the novel I began last November. I realize this is cheating but since we’re not actually competing against one another I think that’s fine.



2: What’s the title of your story? Why did you choose the name you did?



My novel is called Seasons Four Behind Closed Doors. It’s a sequel to my previous NaNo-begun novel, Seasons Four Open the Door, and I plan to follow it with Seasons Four All Outdoors and Seasons Four Now Indoors.



3: Pick one of your female characters. Introduce your readers to her, from her point of view and her words only.



My name’s Kira Greer. How do you do. I’m originally from the Temperate Zone, but these days I live in Summer’s Castle with my husband, Jared the Lord Summer, and his personal assistant and lover William. I’m good friends with William, and Jared has enough love for the both of us. I let the two of them deal with politics and ruling and such - I’m a carpenter by trade; my sales go to fund different charity projects. I grew up poor and reckon no one else deserves that if it can be helped.



4: What genre is your novel? Why did you pick it?



Urban fantasy. Because that’s my favorite genre.



5: Name two songs from your playlist that you feel are connected with your novel in some way, and explain how they are.



“All Arise!” by The Decemberists is the official song of this novel; all the official songs of this series come from their album The King is Dead. Seasons Four Open the Door’s theme was ”Calamity Song”, “Down by the Water” will be the theme of Seasons Four All Outdoors, and “Don’t Carry it All” for Seasons Four Now Indoors.



6: What is your one biggest stressor related to forcing yourself to write at least 50,000 words in a span of 30 days?



Being at work and wanting to write but not being allowed, then being at home and not wanting to write.



7: Where’s your favorite place to hunker down and write?



As long as I’m sitting in a chair and I’m not being yelled at or bothered, I’m happy.



8: List your current, most up-to-date word count. Are you satisfied with your progress thus far?



15,000, which is par. I'm okay with this.



9: Have you told anyone else you’re doing NaNo this year? Who? What was their reaction?



Yes, either “I could never do that!” or “Good for you!”.


10: How does your love of writing manifest in non-NaNo months?



I’m almost always writing or planning writing something, even if it’s short poems or fanfics.





Day 11: Ever tried collaborative writing (such as play-by-post roleplaying)? If so, what do you think of it?



Collaboration is really fun! I just have trouble finding people I have a good rhythm with.





12: Imagine you’re behind in your word count goals (even if you’re not) and are going to pull an all-nighter to catch up. Screencap a playlist of inspirational music you would use to get you up to speed.



[This question would be more laborious to answer right now than I find worth it.]





13: Name a male character from your novel. Describe him through the point of view and words of the female character you introduced in question 3 (if they never interact, pick another female character).



William Meloy is a lot different from me, though Jared says he needs the both of us to complete him. He’s an albino, to start with, though the kind with golden eyes instead of pink, so he stays indoors out of the sun and helps run the castle so Jared can work on running the realm. He’s always tidy and he calls Jared “sir”, except when they’re having a tumble in which case Jared calls him sir, which I still don’t full understand but even though Jared has all these bruises afterwards he seems happy. He’s helped smooth out matters when Jared and I quarreled and has never tried to push me out of the picture. I’ll riddle anyone who calls him names full of holes with my Remington, and he knows it.





14: Is the sexuality of your characters a large part of your novel’s story? If so, are there characters who deviate from the heterosexual “norm”? In what way?



Jared Derkins, the Lord Summer, is in a bisexual polyamorous relationship with Kira (straight) and William (gay). Lynne, the Lady Spring, is a lesbian whose life partner, Amber, is pansexual. Rain, legal but reluctant heir to the throne of Faerie, is omnisexual but aromantic. Djones, an extremely dapper assassin, is a transman, asexual, and demiromantic. All of this is important but not their only character traits.





15: Do any of your characters have a disability or mental illness? If so, how does that affect their development throughout your story?



Amber is paraplegic but an accomplished telekinetic. However, compensating for her paralyzed legs takes up a tremendous amount of magic, which in this universe burns calories much as exercise does, so she must either stay in her wheelchair and lift only small objects or eat constantly. So far it hasn’t been much of this novel’s plot, though in the prequel it was of more significance.

Blogging difficulties

My dear followers,

I would blog more often, but this website is blocked on Chinese internet. My workplace has internet that bypasses the Great Firewall, as it is called, but naturally I don't want to do extensive blogging on my employer's time - just a little bit here and there on breaks. Right now, for example, it would be a coffee or tea break if I drank any coffee or tea other than Two Leaves and a Bud's Alpine Berry tea, which is purple and delicious. Sadly I keep forgetting to bring bags of aforesaid tea to keep in my office. So I'm having instant oatmeal out of a mug instead. Because I also have no bowl.

But I digress. Naturally the vast majority of my Camp NaNoWriMo efforts are on my laptop at home, but I can't put extracts up here on my dear Idris-the-Macbook because of the Great Firewall. I'm trying to decide whether it's worth it to email bits to myself so that I can put them up on this blog. Is it vanity? Is it obsession? Or is it dedication?

I think my oatmeal's cool enough to eat now. Much love, and metaphors be with you.

Current word count: 14415.
Goal by tomorrow: 15000.

Excerpt 2

They had only known each other for two years, but William was a quick study in backrubs, having given thousands to Vincent Lord Winter over the decades before he defected to Jared Lord Summer's employ out of love and loneliness. Kira leaned into his kneading fingers and moaned appreciatively. 

"What I've been wondering - oh, right there, right there - is why Tiffany is still with that lout. All the money in the world wouldn't be enough for me to put up with him."

"Tiffany who?"

"Tiffany Marshall, the mousy mite. Surely you remember. Sweet woman without even one joint of a backbone."

William found a knot in Kira's shoulder and worked it with his right thumb. "You might not be able to see her standing up for herself, but you don't know how often she may have been beaten down. Not everyone was gifted with confidence like you."

"If you don't spit at the bullies they'll never leave you alone."

"Not necessarily. Sometimes if you blend in with the shadows they just stop noticing."

Kira pondered this. "Is that why you've been avoiding your brother?"

"I don't want to talk about him right now."

"Surest sign you do need to talk about him, floofy man."

Hamnet stopped playing and politely coughed. "Should I leave? It seems your conversation is taking a private turn."

"That would be nice, no offense meant, Master Shakespeare," William said. 

With a bow, Hamnet left them.

"I gather that Hamnet is the son of someone important Next Door, the way Jared seems so excited about him, but I didn't want to ask and look stupid," Kira said.

William explained as succinctly as he could, then he asked, "How did the meeting I foisted upon you go, anyway?"

"Oh, Lord. They talked about things beyond me, and I just had to stand around and smile like some sort of mannequin, and then while Jared was talking we all heard odd crunching and crackling sounds from the ceiling. It turned out Puck had stolen Jared's baked snack chips from his home realm and the bag was making the unholy noise as Puck grabbed at the treats. He's like a monkey. An ancient, magical, off-his-nut monkey under the protection of the scariest queen to flutter around and smite people."

William raised his eyebrows, though he continued with the backrub. "What was done about him?"

"Radcliff removed the ceiling panel, since he was tall enought to reach, and the Lady Gwen clapped Puck in iron fetters, dragging him to the dungeons. She said she would 'alert the 

Queen of Faerie to his continued misbehavior and demand both apology and recompense'. Jared thanked her and continued talking about freedom of the press and why that was 'pretty awesome all things considered'."

William smiled to think of the contrast, and finished his backrub with a hug. "May I lay my head in your lap? I'm getting a migraine."

"Of course." She maneuvered into a more suitable position for both of them and petted William's silky white head as he rested it against her. "When this is all over, the three of us should go for a picnic in the woods. You never go out when Jared and I do."

"It's on account of the sun and my burning, little falcon."

"We could go at night. Stargaze and whatnot."

"I'm going to be busy with cleanup..."

"Will. This is becoming alarming."

"What? And please don't talk so sharply when my head hurts."

"I'll get you a remedy and compress. But I've noticed something very odd - even at night, you never go outside. Not even to a balcony."

"That's ridiculous."

"I thought so too. Are you going to explain it to me, or would you like me to point it out to Jared, who though we both know is clever and sweet beyond belief is also the sort who would have trouble noticing his socks were on fire? And who would afterwards make you go see some sort of head doctor about it?"

"Fine. Fine. I'm agoraphobic. I am frightened of going outside."

Kira had nothing to say for over two full minutes, though she remained conscientious about tousling and stroking William's hair. Then she said, quietly, "Was it something Clarence did?"

"Oh no, no, he's a tease and a bully but he was never that cruel. I was apparently accidentally left outside for nearly a full day and night as a baby. Mother thought I was with Father in the workshop, for he believed in helping care for his children. Father thought it was Mother's turn to look after me. Then during the day, as every day, my parents' curses manifested and they turned into a fawn and a crane. When they're like that they don't even know they have children. It was actually Clarence who saved my life by realizing the problem first and fetching me from the tree where I hung in a sling, then carefully warming me by the fire."

"Aren't you...from December? As in winter forever and a day?"

"A friendly witch saved my fingers and toes."

After another two minutes of silence, Kira kissed William's cheek. "I would fear too, pigeon."

"I have to be sedated before I can go outside, otherwise I scream until I faint. It is most lacking in dignity."

------

Unbeknownst to Kira and William, shortly after William left Rain to her booze Ezekiel had set Puck free and ordered him to follow William around the castle as best he could. His orders were to bring back any useful information he could. And Puck had been behind a pillar, camouflaged as only such a trickster knew how, since William entered the Jellyfish Parlor. 

He scurried off to find Ezekiel. The Monk of Mendacity was meditating mutely. "Oh, Zeke, Zeke, I have news."

"Yes, Merry Wanderer?"

Puck fiddled with the loose end of his loincloth; the rest of his body he considered adequately covered in coarse brown fur. His eyes were beetle-bright and his fingernails long and sharp. "The ghost-boy fears the open sky; isn't that funny? If you take his love beyond the castle he will be unable to help."

"Very good. Spy for me three days more, and you will be given the key to awaking Lord Oberon whom you are bound to serve."

"I don't like Summer very much anyway. He keeps leaving me with all these religious books knowing full well that I can't read." Puck snorted at the foolishness of mortals and left Ezekiel, off to go entertain the queen who had no idea of how far his duplicity lay. 

.....

Hamnet was busy ironing one of Mab's gowns when Gabor Orion burst into his little room. "Have you seen Rain Smith? Her mother the queen has taken ill and wishes to seen none but me. We require a representative for the four o'clock discussion of ethical taxation."

"I believe that Miss Rain was last spotted leaving the castle twenty minutes ago and has not been seen returning. If you will indulge my curiosity, where are the notes the queen will have inevitably prepared for the meeting?" Hamnet squirted some water onto the linen from a squeeze bottle William had ensured was included among the accoutrements in this particular guest chamber. Mab did get ever so fussy when her clothes weren't just right.

"It won't do you any good, boy, they're in code."

"My lady taught me her personal code more than three hundred years ago, sir." Hamnet didn't like being called 'boy', and it was very difficult for him not to let that seep into his tone of voice.

Gabor was a tall Fae, with hands no smaller for all their delicacy and elegance. A nut-brown fist curled around Hamnet's collar. "Even the most illustrious of mortal men, and their sons, are still clods compared to the Fair Folk. I should give you a few score lashes to help you remember. "

Hamnet did his best to stand defiant, but since the beginning of his servitude Mab had made it clear that as long as courtiers' beatings did not cause him lasting harm she would not intercede on his behalf. Sometimes she even criticized their technique. He shivered.

Then a pleasantly, and at this moment artificially, cheerful voice broke in from the open doorway behind them. "That seems a bit harsh," Jared the Lord Summer said, turning to his companion, Lynne the Lady Spring. "Don't you think that seems a bit harsh?"

"Thank all metaphysical concepts it was Mother who raised me and not you," Lynne growled. "Unhand Master Shakespeare at once. I may be your offspring but my stature outstrips both yours and your...what was your word for it, Jared?"

"Sugar mama."

"Precisely. Now go away before Jared expels you from this gathering for threatening another guest, which as you will remember was the very first rule of the conference in the first place." Lynne made a shooing gesture.

With a growl, Gabor stalked away.

Jared stepped into the room and smoothed Hamnet's shirt. "And why don't you go get Mab's notes and sit in for Fairie at this next meeting? I would love to hear your spin on them as well."

Hamnet stared into those honest, artless dark eyes. "Truly?"

"Yes. You can do the ironing later. Or I'll get someone to do it. Then I want you to sit at a dinner I'm having  with Kira, William, Amber, Lynne, Gwen, and Radcliff - just a casual one between friends - and tell me everything you can remember about growing up in the Elizabethan times, okay? Forgive me but I'm just so excited to have you in my castle." Jared tugged Hamnet after him like a balloon, and even the stern Lady Spring seemed kindly disposed towards him.