The Many Adventure of Eaglethorpe Buxton – $1.00 Off

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Eaglethorpe Buxton MiniJust a few more days to take advantage of the August sale on The Many Adventures of Eaglethorpe Buxton at Smashwords.  Pick up this wacky fantasy for just $1.99 by using the coupon code: HQ64S.  Follow this link to the book.

Eaglethorpe Buxton, famed adventurer and story-teller, friend to those in need of a friend and guardian to those in need of a guardian. He is a liar and braggart, not to be trusted, especially around pies. Who are we to believe? Buxton himself leads us through The Many Adventures of Eaglethorpe Buxton. This volume includes the previously published Eaglethorpe Buxton and the Elven Princess in which our hero comes to the aid of… a poor orphan? An elven princess? And Eaglethorpe Buxton and the Sorceress. When the sorceress, subject of Eaglethorpe’s play arrives with fire in her eyes, the hapless story-teller must pretend to be his good friend Ellwood. Will he pull off this charade and survive? And what happens when the real Ellwood shows up? One can never tell, especially when Eaglethorpe tells the story. Plus thrill to three all new Eaglethorpe stories. In Eaglethorpe Buxton and the Queen of Aerithraine, our hero is back in his homeland, just in time to stop a mysterious murder, meet the Queen, solve the mystery of his best friend, and face off against a zombie apocalypse! In Eaglethorpe Buxton and the Amazons, our hero and his new friend Percival Thorndyke tramp through the horrible, stinking, insect-infested land of Ennedi in search of treasure. Eaglethorpe must deal with man-hating Amazons, jungle-dwelling goblins, vicious centaurs, the dreaded and feared frog-bear, and a companion who seems determined to get himself killed. In Eaglethorpe Buxton and the Day of the Night of the Werewolf, the famed story-teller is sent to hunt down an unusual werewolf and manages to run into practically everyone he has ever met along the way. The Many Adventures of Eaglethorpe Buxton is a farcical fantasy of heroic proportions, sure to elicit more giggles than gasps.

His Robot Wife: Patience is a Virtue – Chapter 11 Excerpt

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PatienceMike lifted up his texTee and smoothed out the front of his suit.  Then he began watching the rest of Watchmen.  Five minutes later, he looked up to see Bella and Delia standing beside him.  He slammed the texTee back into his lap, perhaps a little too forcefully.

“Ladies,” he said, through clenched teeth.

Delia wore a yellow bikini, the bottom of which seemed to be designed to divide and accentuate her nether region.  The top was a fairly traditional bra-cup design except that, like the bottoms, it was completely transparent, leaving her magnificent Daffodil-constructed breasts exposed.  Bella wore something that looked like a black ribbon of lace stretched around her waist, with a strip of similar material that went through her legs.  She wore no top at all, and after what seemed a long, long time, Mike appeared to realize that he was still looking at her small, pert breasts.

“Um, I was just trying to read your tattoo,” he said.

A small thin line of script ran from her sternum, curving first down and then over and back up as it followed the underside of her left breast.

“When you start to live outside yourself, it’s all dangerous,” he read.  “I don’t think I know that quote.”

“It’s from The Garden of Eden, by Earnest Hemingway.  Do you mind if we join you?”

Mike waved to the two lounges to his right.  Bella sat down closest to him and Delia took the farther chair.

“I haven’t read that book,” said Mike.  “I like Hemingway though.”

“I haven’t read it either,” said Bella.  “I just liked the quote.  It was on the library wall at school.”

Patience exchanged packets with Delia and compared their schedules.

“I was about to bring out a light lunch for Mike,” she said.  “Would you like to join us?”

“You’re going to eat here by the pool?”

“Yes.”

“All right then.  Delia knows what I want.  You two can coordinate.”  Bella ran a hand through her short brown hair.  “What were you watching, Mike?”

“Oh, something very literary and you know… weighty.  Certainly not a superhero movie.”

“Superheroes?  I’ve heard of them.  Boys like them. I only know one: Batman.  Were you watching Batman?  It was Batman, wasn’t it?”

“I was watching Watchmen.”

“Is it like Batman?”

“As a matter of fact, it is a little.  How about I loan it to you?”  He punched in a ‘lend.’  “There.”

“Thanks, but I probably won’t watch it for a while.  There are too many things to do here.  Tomorrow, I’m taking dance lessons.  Then the next day, Delia and I are taking the copter to Adelaide.  We’re going to Palmerland and ride the world’s highest roller coaster.  Do you want to come?”

“Not even a little bit,” said Mike.

“What was it you studied in school,” Patience asked Bella, knowing full well the answer.

“Education.  I was planning on becoming a teacher.”

“Good God, don’t do that,” said Mike.

“Oh, I’m not going to.  I’ve got a very nice job lined up with a textbook company.  They sent headhunters to school and they convinced me.  I’ve already signed the contract.”

“Good pay?” asked Mike.

“Not bad—435.”

“Four thirty-five?  As in $435,000?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Well that was a good choice.  You know that is about ten times what they paid me when I started teaching.”

“That was probably a long while ago though, right?” said Bella.

Mike stared at her.

“Our lunches are here,” announced Patience as a Daffodil crewmen set out their meals on a nearby table with four upright chairs.

Senta and the Steel Dragon: Characters

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As I’ve been working on a Senta and the Steel Dragon Encyclopedia, I’ve been reexamining my characters in that book series.  There are a lot of them– literally hundred.  The important characters, by design, fit nicely into triangles– sets of three characters that work push and pull against each other.  Some triangles strengthen each corner and some (love triangles, in particular) threaten to tear apart.  Here are some of the ways the characters fit together.

Senta, Zurfina, Bessemer: Zurfina is guardian to both Senta and Bessemer, though she seems devoted more to one than the other.  Senta and Bessemer have an extremely strong bond, as they must since they are the title characters of the series.

Iolanthe, Terrence, Augustus: The three Dechantagne siblings, who each have very different feelings toward their brothers and sister.

Iolanthe, Terrence, Yuah: Iolanthe and Yuah (her dressing maid) have a very strained relationship, and Terrence is often the straining point.  He is the only man Iolanthe respects, and the one Yuah desperately loves.  He has a sort of ambivalent love for them both.

Yuah, Zeah, Egeria: Zeah and his daughter Yuah are very close, and the addition of Egeria as Zeah’s love interest puts the two very different women in a sort of admire/fear relationship.

Iolanthe, Calliere, Staff: Iolanthe and her two love interests.

Hero, Honor, Hertzel: Three siblings escaping a police state to arrive in a new and very different world.

Senta, Graham, Saba: All three of these characters grow up together and each is friends with the other two, though in different intensities.

Zurfina, Kesi, Labrith: The two wizards who both want Zurfina’s power, and whom she dismisses as not worth her interest.

Terrence, Yuah, Pantagria: Terrence and the two women he loves– one real and one not so much.

Some of these relationships fall within the confines of one book, while others continue throughout the series.  And there are about 300 more characters, so I could point out about 900 more triangles.

Update: Love and the Darkness

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Love and the DarknessI’m a little over halfway through the draft of Love and the Darkness.  That means that there are less than ten thousand words left, since it is plotted out at 20,000.  I’m finding it harder and harder to write right now, and it’s not because of this particular story.  It’s because school is getting closer and closer– two more days off as I write this.  Hopefully by the time you read this though,  I will have finished those 10K words and have it on the release schedule.

When the book is ready, there will be a release date several weeks after the announcement.  I’ll be using Smashwords’ new preorder system.  That will let me get it all arranged and yet give me time enough make sure that it is properly finished.  I was really upset with myself about His Robot Wife: Patience is a Virtue.  I was in such a hurry to get it out that I sent it with errors.  I’m not going to let that happen again.  Professionalism– that’s my new watchword this year for school and its going to be the same with my writing.  Readers deserve nothing less.

Unlike my other stories, Love and the Darkness has essentially one main character.  This is at the same time easier and more difficult to write.  You can stay in the mind of one character, which is nice.  But characters can get inside your head too and when that happens, it’s nice to be able to switch to a different one.  My character in Love and the Darkness is Charles Bentley Howard.  He’s sort of a wealthy, nerdy character, and so his first name is a tip of the hat to Charles Dexter Ward, the H.P. Lovecraft character, though this is not really a Lovecraftian horror story.

All the characters in Love and the Darkness either interact with Charles Bentley Howard, or they are related to him– or both.  There are several female characters, and I have had trouble with their names from the beginning.  I have already changed several of them and I don’t think I have the final versions yet.  Whatever they finally end up, watch this space for a release announcement.  As I mentioned before, Love and the Darkness will be a free ebook.

Senta and the Steel Dragon: Dinosaurs

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The Dark and Forbidding LandOne of my favorite parts of the story of Senta and the Steel Dragon is the dinosaurs.  Senta and her friends constantly have to deal with velociraptors, deinonychus, utahraptors, dromaeosaurs, and t-rex.  Port Dechantagne has a trolley pulled by a triceratops and the people there keep (and eat) iguanodons.

Birmisia has a rather cold climate.  I think Senta and the Steel Dragon is one of the few stories in which dinosaurs appear in the snow.  I enjoyed the writing t-rex/snow scenes in The Dark and Forbidding Land a great deal.  I was careful that only cretaceous period dinosaurs appears in the books, both for basic continuity, and because the Earth was much cooler during much of the cretaceous than it was during the jurassic.

I started writing after it was already discovered that velociraptors and utahraptors had feathers.  I decided that they should be very feathery– so much that the people in Birmisia refer to them as birds.  As it turns out– they really were.  And so far I think, nothing else I guessed about and put in the book has been overturned by science.  I did assign specific colors to the dinosaurs and scientists are just starting to figure out the feather colors of fossils.  I look forward to seeing how close I was.

I had read an article speculating that t-rex had been black with a red head– kind of like a vulture.  I liked the idea just because of the visuals, so that is how the t-rex appears in my books.  I was really excited when I was watching a recent “Walking with Dinosaurs” type show and the t-rex was colored just like mine.  Someone read the same article.  They looked just like I pictured them.

The World of Senta and the Steel Dragon: Favorite Entries

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I’ve been posting the entries from the Senta and the Steel Dragon Encyclopedia, but I’m continuing to add to it as I go.  Hence, there will be a few more entries when it appears as an appendix in the ebooks than when I posted it here (unless I post it again).  Some of the details in my little world I enjoy more than others.  Some of them tickle me.  Here in no particular order are ten entries that I really like.

Garstone, Kasia

Perhaps the most influential writer in modern Brechalon, Kasia Garstone has written dozens of realistic novels, all of which expose the excesses and social problems of Brech society.  Though frequently denounced as a socialist, she remains widely read and early editions of her books are highly sought by collectors.

Spit-N-Gag

A colloquial term for the language of the Birmisian lizardmen.  The language, which has no actual name, contains many more “s” and “t” sounds than most human languages, and is notable for a lack of labials, such as “m,” as lizardman have no lips.  Many humans have mastered spit-n-gag and can speak the lizardman language fluently.

Mrs. McKeeb’s Big Book of Childhood Admonitions

One of the most popular books in Brechalon for more than 100 years, Mrs. McKeebs is a compendium of short tales in which children defy authority in various ways, usually resulting in their horrible death, dismemberment, or at least disfigurement.  Brech parents generally consider this required reading for all their children under 10 years of age.

Major Frisbie’s Chutney

Major Frisbie’s Chutney is a product produced in Brechalon and distributed around the world.  Founded by a former army officer, the company produces several different varieties of chutney, the most popular of which is green tomato.

Billingbow’s

Billingbow’s Sarsaparilla and Wintergreen Soda Water is a soft drink produced in Brech City.  The syrup is mixed with sparkling water and bottled.  Billingbow’s syrup is shipped to Freedonia, Mallontah, and Birmisia, where it is mixed and sold.  Billingbow’s is a favorite of Saba Colbshallow.  Ssissiatok (Cissy) was also fond of the drink, though it is not generally particularly popular among lizardmen.

Fostbeck Sandwich

A sandwich named for the Brech city of Fostbeck, the Fostbeck Sandwich is popular in Brechalon and Freedonia.  It consists of corned beef on rye bread, with stone ground mustard.  In Freedonia it usually included sour kraut, instead of sauteed onions as is usually found in Brechalon.

Brysin’s Weekly Ladies’ Journal

A popular magazine published in Brech, Brysin’s Weekley Ladies’ Journal is the most popular of a new variety of publication featuring news on fashion and etiquette.

Importance of Pleasing the Misses, The

A play by Leda Stolz, filled with sexual innuendo, The Importance of Pleasing the Misses has seen little time on stage, but is quite popular in Brechalon in book form.

Profanity

Profanity is a subset of language that includes references that are crude or blasphemous.  Much of the profanity of Greater Brechalon focuses on Kafira Kristos.  It includes “Kafira” or “Kafira Kristos” used as an expletive, “Kafira damn it,” “Kafira’s tit,” and perhaps the wost epithet “Kafira’s bloody twat.”

Schwarztogrube

Schwarztogrube was an ancient fortress built on the Isle of Winds, halfway between Greater Brechalon and the northern coast of Sumir.  Built in 1499 as a defense against Laess and Derich, it was soon discovered that Schwarztogrube was in a magic dampening zone.  By 1750, it had become a prison for wizards and sorcerers, and held many criminals and political prisoners with magic powers.  Near New Years day in 1899, Schwarztogrube and the Isle of Winds disappeared off the face of the world.  At first it was believed that some act of god was responsible, but it was later discovered to have been the work of an escaped sorceress—Zurfina the Magnificent.

The World of Senta and the Steel Dragon : P-Q

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The Voyage of the Minotaur Palace Eidenia: The Palace Eidenia is a beautiful royal residence just north of Saint Admeta Park in Brech City.  It is the traditional home of the Princess Royal.  It was the home of Princess Aarya (the younger sister of King Tybalt III) from 1881 to her death1886.  Since that time, it has remained empty.

Pale Sun: A book by Geert Resnick, Pale Sun is far less popular than his other book—The Magic Whale.  Though a children’s book, it was banned in Freedonia for allegedly anti-Freedonian political ideas.

Paralatitan: One of the largest creatures in Birmisia, the paralatitan weighs up to 60 tons.  It is a long-necked long-tailed creature that feeds of the immense redwoods.  It can be found both near the coast and deeper inland.

Parksosaurus: A small bipedal herbivorous dinosaur found in Birmisia, the parksosaurus stands about two and a half feet tall and is about ten feet long.  Though not believed to be related, they strongly resemble the much larger iguanodons.

Parnorsham’s Pfennig Store: For some time, Parnorsham’s Pfennig Store was the only retail outlet in Birmisia.  Like similar pfennig stores throughout the empire of Greater Brechalon, Parnorshams carries notions, stationary, toys, small hardware, small sports equipment, and some canned and packaged foods.  Originally founded by Herbert Parnorsham, the business was passed to his nephew Oswald Delks upon his retirement.

Patrylla, Augustus: A modern Brech author.

Parvis, Cathal: A contemporary Brech author, Cathal Parvis is best known for light-hearted stories with simple morals.

Pavir: Pavir was a successor state to Magnus’s Empire of the Zur.  Originally covering most of central Sumir, about 500, Pavir split into Upper and Lower Pavir.  By 1081, Upper Pavir had become the Kingdoms of Sapira and Esseria.  In 1864, Lower Pavir (now known simply as Pavir) joined with neighbor Oster to become Pavir-Oster.  Porcelain from the early period of Pavir (500-700) is highly sought-after and expensive.

Pentuary: Pentuary is the fifth month of the modern reformed calendar.  Like all the months except Hamonth, it has 30 days.

Perfico: Established in 1460, as the capital of the Kingdom of Rivven, Perfico is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.  Under the rule of Akkas-Miza since the early 1800s, Perfico continues to be a center of trade and culture.

Petitt Elvert: An island in the channel between Brechalon and Mirsanna, Petitt Elvert has long been claimed by both countries, and emigrants from both countries have settled there.  Brechalon has controlled the island and the waters around it for more than 200 years, and Mirsanna has never really had the island in its possession.

Pfennig, Brech: The Pfennig is a unit of Brech money equal to 1/100 mark.  In modern Brechalon, coins are minted in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 pfennigs, as well as a mark coin and a gold decimark.  The modern 1 pfennig coin features an image of King Tybalt on the obverse.

Pilgrimage into Danger: An alegorical novel by Delia Hume in which animal characters representing various parts of the human soul must navigate the dangers which metaphorically represent growth and maturity.

Pith Helmet: The pith helmet (also known as the safari helmet or sun helmet) is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of cork or pith.  Designed to shade the wearer’s head and face from the sun, pith helmets were often worn by Brechs and Freedonians in the tropics, but have also been used in other contexts.

Plagues in Brick Towers: A novel by Samson Whitney

Polacanthus: The Polacanthus is a dinosaur common to the much of Birmisia.  They grow grow to between 12 to 15 feet in length.  The polacanthus is quadrupedal, and about four feet high at the shoulder.  They are heavily-built with pointy spines poking out at forty five degree angles right and left from the top of their neck to their mid-back for protection, and an armored rear hip.

Ponte-a-Verne: A small town in the Duchy of Regencia and home to the University of the same name.

Ponte-a-Verne, University of: The University of Ponte-a-Verne, located in the Duchy of Regencia, is one of Greater Brechalon’s most prestigious universities.  It is well known for its research department.  Professor Merced Calliere was a tenured teacher at Ponte-a-Verne prior to his move to Birmisia.

Portrait of Kafira Kristos: A book about the life of Kafira Kristos by medieval writer Kenitra Madoff.

Potatoes Kasselburg: Named for the city in western Freedonia, Potatoes Kasselburg is a spicy dish of potatoes baked in a cream sauce with onions and pepper.

Potter’s Field: The location just outside of Brech City proper where the poor and unknown are buried.

Prayerful Readings: A book of religious poems and essays by medieveal writer Kenitra Madoff.

Prescott Agency, The: The Prescott Agency is located on Avenue Boar in Brech City.  They supply servants of aristocratic Brech families including the Dechantagnes.

Priest: The primary clerical position in the Church of Kafira, priests often have potent magic that is used to heal or defend their flocks.

Prime Minister, Brech: The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Greater Brechalon is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in the Brech parliamentary system. The Prime Minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government, subject only to the approval of the King. The prime minister is the presiding member and chairman of the cabinet. It is the duty of the Prime Minister to execute the directives of the King, who is the head of state.

Prince Clitus Avenue: A secondary street in Brech City, Prince Clitus Avenue is south of Hexagon Park, perpendicular to Prince Tybalt Boulevard.  It is home to small shops and three and four story apartment buildings.   Zurfina makes a home on Prince Clitus Avenue prior to leaving Brech City for Birmisia, by taking over an abandoned storefront.

Prince Tybalt Boulevard: A Major Street in Brech City, Prince Tybalt Boulevard runs north and south along the western edge of Hexagon park, perpendicular to Avenue Phoenix.  Zurfina had lodgings on Prince Tybalt Boulevard prior to her imprisonment at Schwarztogrube.

Prince Tybalt Chair: A stylish wooden chair with a cushioned seat and back, the Prince Tybalt Chair was originally designed durning the reign of King Tybalt I, and was named for his son, who would go on to be King Tybalt II.

Prince Tybalt’s Scepter: A book by Orion Weevoc.

Princess Aarya Boulevard Station: The main train station in Brech City, Princess Aarya Boulevard City Station sees trains from all over Brechalon arriving daily.  Four blocks north of the Great Plaza, Marcourt Station is sometimes simply referred to a “the great station.”  It appears from its front façade to be a large two story building, but stretches out hundreds of yards from the street.

Privilege and Sacrifice: A long novel by Kasia Garstone, Privilege and Sacrifice tells the story of several generations of an aristocratic Brech family and the servents who live among them.

Profanity: Profanity is a subset of language that includes references that are crude or blasphemous.  Much of the profanity of Greater Brechalon focuses on Kafira Kristos.  It includes “Kafira” or “Kafira Kristos” used as an expletive, “Kafira damn it,” “Kafira’s tit,” and perhaps the wost epithet “Kafira’s bloody twat.”

Prudence Plus: Prudence Plus is the largest manufacturer of ladies’ undergarments in the United Kingdom of Greater Brechalon.  One of their top selling items is the Fairy Bust Form Corset.

Pursuit of Perfection, The: The most popular novel by Dillan Westmacott.

Quaduary: Quaduary is the fourth month of the modern reformed calendar.  Like all the months except Hamonth, it has 30 days.  Quaduary 1st is Senta Bly’s birthday.

Quality of Damiano, The: A novel by Abban Keiman, The Quality of Damiano is one of the most quoted books in the Brech language.

Quasit: A quasit is a small demonic creature used by wizards and sorcerors to spy on others or run errands.  They are usually kept stored in a state of torpor inside glass jars when not in use.

Queen of Expy, S.S.: A brech freighter, one of the larger ships on the seas.

The Queen of Expy is named for the isle of Expy just north of Brechalon, which contrary to what one might expect, has no queen.

Quinn, Dorrit: A popular Brech writer who chronicles modern life in Brechalon.

His Robot Wife: Patience is a Virtue – Chapter 10 Excerpt

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PatiencePatience located two drink stations, equal distance from the walls along the x-axis and in the center of the room along the y-axis.  She collected two tall glasses of water and a diet soda.  Next to the drinks was a selection of condiments.  She grabbed a bottle of Tabasco, taking it with her to their assigned table.

While she waited for Mike, she observed others nearby.  As expected, the room consisted of about one half human beings and one half robots.  At the table to her right, a handsome man of African descent, about thirty years old, sat with a new model Gizmo robot.  The Gizmo was a female model, with a very shapely body and platinum blond hair.  She hated to admit it, but Gizmos had definitely improved their models recently, at least on the outside.  On the other side of her, a man about Mike’s age, but a good six inches shorter, sat with an Amonte 2.  Tall and thin, the Amonte 2 was dressed in a business suit, despite her human’s casual clothing.  And directly across from Patience were a pair of women, one human and the other a Barone model Daffodil.  The human was five foot six inches tall, with short brown hair, and the Barone was an inch taller with long strawberry blond tresses.  They both wore yellow sundresses.

“Lesbian watching, are we?” asked Mike, setting down his tray.

“I don’t believe they are lesbians,” replied Patience, looking from the two women to Mike’s tray.  “You don’t care whether they are or not.  You’re just trying to deflect my attention from your breakfast.”

Mike’s tray was filled with food: two eggs, three pieces of bacon, two sausages, three pancakes covered in syrup, two blintzes with a dollop of sour cream, hash brown potatoes, and a Danish.  Patience’s hand quickly moved to seize the sausages and two of the bacon pieces.  Then she lifted up the top pancake and removed the middle one.  She wrapped the food she had taken in a cloth napkin and set it on the corner of the table.

“That’s it?” asked Mike.  “You’re going to let me eat the rest of this?”

“Do you want me to take more?”

“Nope.”  He sat down opposite her.  “I’m just surprised.”

“You haven’t been eating well for two weeks,” said Patience.  “I want you to regain the three pounds you have lost during that time, and I have decided to let you gain two additional pounds on the cruise.”

“Really.  Two pounds.”

“It’s traditional that people gain weight on a cruise.”

“All right.”  Mike spread the sour cream across his blintz with his fork, and then took a bite.  Setting down the utensil, he salted his eggs.  “How about rounding up some hot sauce?”

Patience slid the bottle of Tabasco across the table to him.

“Thanks.”  He shook out several dozen drops onto his eggs, and then picked his fork back up and cut a piece.  “So why don’t you think those women are lesbians.”

“Body language.”

“Excuse me, are you talking about us?”

Patience watched Mike look over his shoulder, his bite of egg waiting on the end of his fork.  The brunette was standing right behind him with a hand on her hip.

“That depends.  Are you planning on slapping me?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“Well despite my better judgment I will answer.  Yes, we were talking about you.”

“And what were you saying?”

Mike looked her up and down.  “I was speculating that you might be a lesbian, but I can see now that I was mistaken.”

“I wondered when I planned this trip with Delia if people would think we were lesbians.”  She waved toward the Daffodil now standing behind her and to the left.  “How did you figure out that I wasn’t one?”

“Your shoes,” said Mike.  “Lesbians usually wear comfortable shoes.  Those sexy red pumps have to be killing your feet.”

Senta and the Steel Dragon Book 0: Brechalon

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Brechalon: Nils Chapman & Karl DrurySenta and the Steel Dragon Book 0: Brechalon is the novella-length preview to The Voyage of the Minotaur, The Dark and Forbidding Land, The Drache Girl, and the other books which make up the Senta and the Steel Dragon series. Set two years before the events in The Voyage of the Minotaur, Brechalon tells the story of the Kingdom of Greater Brechalon in a world that is not quite like our own Victorian Age. The Dechantagne siblings; Iolanthe, Augie, and Terrence plan an expedition to a distant land, hoping the colony they build will restore their family to the position of wealth and power it once had. Meanwhile the powerful sorceress Zurfina rots in an anti-magic prison, guilty of not serving the interests of the kingdom, and the orphan girl Senta Bly lives her life without the knowledge that she will one day grow up to be the sorceress’s apprentice. Senta and the Steel Dragon is a tale of adventure in a world of rifles and steam power, where magic and dragons have not been forgotten.

Find Senta and the Steel Dragon Book 0: Brechalon FREE wherever fine ebooks are sold, or follow this link.

The World of Senta and the Steel Dragon : N-O

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Nacht-der-Blumen-Fest: One of the major Freedonian cultural holidays, “The Night of the Flowers” is held each spring.  A major part of the celebration is feasting and dancing, as well as bright colorful displays of flowers.  Before bed on Nacht-der-Blumen-Fest, children place their shoes by the fireplace in hopes that they will be filled with candy by the flower sprites.

Natine: Capital city of the Kingdom of Mirsanna.  It is a major center of culture in the world, particularly of food and fashion.  Built on a site inhabited since prehistoric times, the modern city of Natine was established in 590 with the construction of the iconic city walls.

Nationalistische Demokraten: A minority political party in Freedonia, the National Socialists are allied with the Reine Zauberei and their policies.

Neo-Zaerphon: Today the portion of Zaerphon which remained after -1800 is recognized as a separate culture and called Neo-Zaerphon, due to differences in art, science, and architecture.  The Zaerphonians however considered themselves to be a continuation of the earlier society.  The Zaeri religion became monolithic in Neo-Zaerphon, centered around the Temeple of Axemom.

Neuschlindenmacht Castle: A beautiful medieval castle in Freedonia, Neuschlindenmacht Castle was confiscated as by the Reine Zauberei and used as their headquarters.

Nightmare Song: A book-length poem by Delia Hume, Nighmare Song tells the story of a woman in search of the meaning of dreams.

Night of the Snake: A novel by Ebrahim Detsky, Night of the Snake tells the story of twelve travelers who spend the night in a roadside in.

Novuary: Novuary is the ninth month in the modern reformed calendar.  Like all the months except Hamonth, it has 30 days.  Novuary 28th is the first day of Fall.  Novuary 4th is the birthday of Iolanthe Dechantagne.

Numateme, The: An artifact left by the people of Ancient Bormass, the Numateme is an entire mountain carved into the shape of a lion.  It is located in modern Freedonai near the city of Löwestadt.

Nutooka: Nutooka is a small city in northern Enclep, with a native population of perhaps twenty thousand living in homes made of bamboo and palm fronds.  Its only roads are winding pathways of dirt filled with rickshaws, carts pulled along by oxen, and in a few cases by large pigs, and native women carrying bundles upon their shoulders.  The Brechalon Royal Navy maintains a deepwater port in Nutooka.

Numis: Numis is a country in southern Sumir.  Numis was a province of Pavir that became independent in 1011.  Numis is an enemy of Camora and is allied with Freedonia.

Nurix: One of the largest cities of Neo-Zaerphon, as well as capital from -1700 to -1120, Nurix is best known as the location of the Temple of Axemom.  The city was destroyed by the Rundarians in year 88.

Obscured by the Sand: The best known novel of Augustus Patrylla.

Octuary: Octuary is the eighth month of the modern reformed calendar.  Like all the months except Hamonth, it has 30 days.  Terrence Dechantagne was born in Octuary.

Oddyndessen: A Zaeri holiday, seldom celebrated in Brechalon but still common in other countries, Oddyndessen is a remembrance of the scriptural hero Odessah who set out on a journey around the world at the command of God.  This journey is recounted in the Book of Odyssey in the Grand Scriptures.

Old City, The: The central part of Brech City, The Old City consists of large marble and stone buildings constructed between 1,000 and 300 years ago.  The relatively small population of The Old City (about 600,000) is largely venerable and affluent families and tradesmen who operate businesses in the area.

Old Prophets, The: The Old Prophets is the fourth book of the Holy Scriptures of the Zaeri (known as the Grand Scriptures to Kafirites).  It deals with the lives of ancient Zaeri prophets and their pronouncements.  Zeah quotes The Old Prophets Chapter 26, Verse 3: “Fear neither dragon nor storm.”

Olgon: Originally a mountain people, the Olgon conquered first the Driconda and then their neighbors, creating an empire two thousand miles long.  Between -2100 and -1300, the Olgon built commercial centers around huge pyramids dedicated to their gods.  The practice of bloody sacrifice led to their overthrow by subject races.

Omris: Omris was one of a pantheon of gods worshipped by the ancient Argrathians.  Originally a death god, Omris evolved over time to a resurrection deity.  The cult of Omris was surpassed by that of Sirris long before the Zaeri religion was brought to Argrathia.

On the Rails: On the Rails is a book by Mirsannan writer Corrina Orendia.  It tells the story of Brech railroad moguls and was published in Brech before being translated by the author to Mirsannan.

Orendia, Corrina: A Mirsannan writer.

Ornithomimus: Ornithomimus is a large Birmisian bird.  It is characterized by feet with three weight-bearing toes, long slender arms, and a long neck.  It has an elongated, toothless, beaked skull.  Ornithomimus is bipedal and superficially resembls ostriches. They are swift runners.

Oxenbourse, Lord: Lord Oxenbourse was a title granted to Mr. Robert Pine in 1822 for heroic defense of the Kingdom in the naval engagement at the Battle of Mulien.  Upon his death, without heirs, the title was returned to the King, and was never granted again.  A statue of Lord Oxenbourse stands above a fountain on Avenue Dragon.

Osprey, S.S.: One of a number of passenger/cargo ships making the run from Brechalon to Birmisia.

Oster: A kingdom of souther Sumir from about 800 to till 1864, Oster combined the cultures of Argrathia and Pavir.  In 1864, Lower Pavir (now known simply as Pavir) joined with Oster to become Pavir-Oster.