He may have no choice, though. Gothemus decreed Calibot should retrieve his body and lay him to rest. All signs point to a mysterious destiny Gothemus designed that Calibot cannot avoid.
With only the aid of his true love and his father’s inept apprentice, Calibot must leave the safety of his life at court and venture to the stronghold of those who murdered Gothemus, retrieve the body, and return it to his tower. Everyone with a stake in the future of the Known World will try to stop him, and Calibot must take care he doesn’t lose his life . . . or his soul!
The Sword and the Sorcerer is a full-length fantasy novel by the author of the Wolf Dasher series. Set against a backdrop of magic and dragons, of betrayal and greed, it is a story of one man’s journey to lay his father – and his inner demons – to rest.
Click here to purchase The Sword and the Sorcerer from Amazon.com.
Acknowledgements
No one writes a book alone. It takes a lot of help and support. Without the people below, Little Red Riding Hoodie would never have happened.
Onna Phythyon – You’ve been on my mind every time I re-approached this novel. It seemed like a book that could one day speak to you. In the end, there aren’t any characters like you or your situation in these pages, but your inspiration lives within them. In a way, this will always be a book about you, Onna, even though the story and the characters are completely different. I hope one day its messages will ring true for you.
Alida Cahir – I was stuck for a very long time on this book. I just could not figure out how to make it work. Then you gave me the title Little Red Riding Hoodie, and the dam broke open in my mind. Whatever you may think, you’re not Sally, but you (and Jacob too) inspired and informed me and helped me write an authentic novel set in the sixth grade.
Aidan Cahir – Your sister may have given me the title and a roadmap for Sally and Brian’s relationship, but there’s a lot of you in this novel as well. I’m sure you’ll know where when you read it. I hope you’ll remember one of the book’s chief lessons – young people can be strong too; sometimes, stronger than adults.
Jill Jess – None of this happens without you. You design amazing covers. You edit the text, asking important questions that never occur to me. And you give me the time and the freedom to write. Thanks for everything.
Anna and Tracy Blodgett – Your work in the foster system gave me some information on how to handle the various social services issues in the book, and of course, your fostering Onna put me in a position to adopt her. Thanks.
Chris Watson, Rachel Ashton, Sunday Barrett, and everyone else who read the original edition – The story hasn’t changed so much that you won’t recognize some of it, but I’m sure you can see it’s so very different from what I wrote in 2003. Thank you all for the advice and thoughts you offered. As I was writing this version of the novel, I kept all your suggestions in mind, so I would know what to keep and what to cut.
Lynne Cantwell – Thanks for being one of the pioneers on the Kindle Scout program. Your insights and suggestions were helpful in designing my own strategy.
About the Author
John R. Phythyon, Jr. wishes he were a superhero or a magician, but since he has not yet been bitten by a radioactive spider or received his letter from Hogwarts, he writes adventure stories instead. He has written several other modern fairy tales, including adaptations of “Sleeping Beauty” and “Beauty and the Beast.” He has also penned several comical memoirs about his misadventures growing up in the 1970’s (“My True-Life Adventure” series), and he is the author of the Wolf Dasher fantasy-thriller mash-up novels. Prior to becoming a novelist, John was an award-winning game designer, so you know this whole grownup thing still isn’t really working for him.
He lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife, their children, a dog, and a cat. It is rarely quiet, but it’s often entertaining. His current projects include more funny memoirs, world peace, and desperately wishing for the Cincinnati Bengals to win a Super Bowl in his lifetime.
Connect with John online at his website, www.johnphythyon.com, where he blogs regularly about his writing and just about anything else that is on his mind. You can follow John on Twitter at @JohnRPhythyonJr, where he live-tweets Survivor and Bengals games, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/johnrphythyonjr, where he links cool sci-fi fantasy stuff and cute cat videos. Or email him at [email protected]. He writes back.
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Little Red Riding Hoodie: A Modern Fairy Tale Page 25