by Candy Crum
They are my life and to have the opportunity to not miss out on their lives is a blessing. My goal in publishing has always been one thing: make a life for my family. And now, because of Michael Anderle, his genius brain, this amazing Universe, and all the crazy awesome fans, I stand a chance of doing that. So, again, thank you! Because this is absolutely a dream come true.
There is another person that I owe a big thank you to. Several, actually, but I want to start with Michael York. I’ve had several jobs and several employers/superiors, and I never learned a thing from any of them except how not to treat people.
I started working for Mike about six months after my divorce, and I’d never had anyone push me quite so hard. He never let me give up or take no for an answer, and he pushed me to realize that I was a much different person than I thought I was. I was stronger and more capable than I’d ever thought possible of doing anything in the world that I wanted.
Because of his initial pushing and my ever-growing desire to succeed, I made goals every day at work, and I smashed them. It made me so motivated inside of work that it carried over to my home life, and I began writing more and more all the time. Instead of telling me to focus more on my job (a Sales Rep at an authorized Verizon retailer), he let me write my books in my down time and always asked what he could do to help.
I doubt many people take the time to stop and thank him—because I’m well aware I’m not the only person he’s tried to inspire with his positive attitude and hilarious yet wildly inappropriate sense of humor—so I wanted to make sure that he knew. Friends like that don’t come around often.
I’d also like take time to thank Scott Paul (author T.S. Paul) for being a badass and believing in me and helping me along my journey. Michael Anderle—you are my hero, even if you don’t wanna take credit because you’re an awesome guy. You’re the shit, and I’ll always be grateful to you for letting me write in your world. Chris and Lee—you guys are the best and helped this entire project grow into something amazing. It’s hard to believe this all started with editing a few awesome books (the Age of Magic books) and turned into this.
The time is finally here! Cheers!
As I’m writing this, I’m sitting on the first third of the words finished in the second book, and it has even more action and fun things to look forward to. The next book is full of madness, so as excited as I am to write it, I hope you guys are just as excited to read it.
Thank you again for all the warm comments and reviews. All this is still unreal to me, and I’m just damned happy to be part of it.
Candy
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
July 19th, 2017
It is always something special for me to write this first paragraph of the Author Notes. Which goes like this… THANK YOU! Not only did you read the whole story, but NOW, you are reading the Author Notes as well.
I just got finished reading (and editing) Candy’s author notes. I’d like to say I didn’t edit much, but I did take out a few exclamation points.
Why? Because when Candy gets excited, and emotional, she whips out those “!’s” and she flings them throughout the author notes like she was giving out candy at Halloween.
So, I HAVE to tell you just how much you guys mean to her. I know she tried (through the aforementioned incredibly excessive use of exclamation points) to try to express her appreciation, and I think she accomplished it so well. She is a sweet woman who has been a huge help in the 20BooksTo50k group and then got yanked into the Kurtherian Group (LMBPN Publishing) due to her association with CM (Chris) Raymond and LE (Lee) Barbant.
So, she was editing their stories, and when it came time for Chris and Lee and myself to open up the opportunity to write for you, they asked her if she would enjoy writing a series?
And, it just isn’t easy to do this.
For one, she had to be willing to review, re-read, and decide if moving to a Kurtherian voice was something she would be willing to do? (Some authors say they will, but when it comes time to make it happen, aren’t willing to do it.)
She said yes.
Then, the rubber hit the road and the writing, and re-writing, and ‘oh holy crap, I have to rip ALL of that out of the story?’ happens.
Then the whole episodes of working with our cover artist, and the challenges that come along with it (have to grow up, grasshopper) happens. Here in LMBPN, we are a family, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t ….mmmm…. not demanding really, but very focused on providing stories that marry our collaborators voices with mine and provide the entertainment, and just kick-assery of characters we all grow and love.
It causes a few of our authors to step into a whole new world, and Candy jumped into the pool with both feet and came up bubbling with laughter. She is SUCH a hoot in the group (and really, she does love those jokes from Chris and Lee.) Here is a secret I’ve mentioned a few times lately. I think most female authors are WAY less concerned about things being PC (or correct in any way) than a lot of ladies I see played on TV.
It seems I’m the one who has been embarrassed when I’ve had to suggest anything sexually clarifying in our conversations.
For example, on the cover for Quest For Magic with Martha Carr (July 31st, 2017 - the new Oriceran Universe) I had to tell her that the cover artist had not done something … correct … with our main characters breasts.
Martha had to suffer through me stammering out that Leira’s left breast seemed to be squished over to the middle of her chest. My face was FLAMING red as I stuttered through that. Then, Martha had to take that information and talk with the artist (another guy) and work with him to fix the issue.
Apparently, I think their original clarification took less time for me to explain to Martha my concerns.
Then, I related that story to Sarah Boyce (another Oriceran group writer) and she agreed. Indie Female Publishers were VERY pragmatic and generally didn’t care about things that I stumble over explaining. Hell, Ell Leigh Clarke is the one who makes sure the covers for her books sizzle.
So, when Candy Crum (which is her real name, not a pen name) is speaking about the joking around with Chris and Lee, I get it. Sense of humor is a wonderful thing, and girls can be just as humored as guys about stuff I’d be embarrassed to say at times.
Yeah, this is coming from me, right? With some of the stuff I put into the Bethany Anne stories I can only imagine some of you are thinking ‘WTF?’ I curse like a sailor in real life, I don’t share too much other stuff IRL (in real life) as I put into my stories.
Damn, these author notes are freaking rambling.
Once upon a time, we had just one female author writing in The Kurtherian Gambit (Natalie Grey). Now, LMBPN Publishing (The Kurtherian Gambit, The Oriceran Universe and minority partner on Allazar Universe) will have the following ladie’s stories out or coming soon and I couldn’t be happier.
1) Natalie Grey (The Kurtherian Gambit - Trials and Tribulation Series - Paranormal / Sci-fi)
2) Ell Leigh Clarke (The Kurtherian Gambit - The Ascension Myth Series - Age of Expansion)
3) Candy Crum (The Kurtherian Gambit - Tales of the Feisty Druid series - Age of Magic)
4) Martha Carr (The Oriceran Universe (Co-Creator) - The Leira Chronicles - Urban Fantasy)
5) Sarah (SM) Boyce - (The Oriceran Universe - The Fairhaven Chronicles - Urban Fantasy)
6) Amy Hopkins (The Kurtherian Gambit - A New Dawn - Age of Magic)
7) Amy DuBoff (The Kurtherian Gambit - Uprise Saga - Age of Expansion)
8) Abby-Lynn Knorr (The Oriceran Universe - The Kacy Chronicles - Urban Fantasy)
9) JL Hendricks (The Kurtherian Gambit - Series to be Named - Age of Expansion)
10) Holly Dodd (The Kurtherian Gambit - Chronicles of the Queen’s Rangers - TKG)
11) Sarah Noffke (The Oriceran Universe - Soul Stone Mage Series - Urban Fantasy)
12) Hayley Lawson (The Kurtherian Gambit - Series to be Named - Age of Madness)
Chrishaun Keller-Hanna Publisher / Author (Tal
es of Allazar among MANY others)
The Undying Illusionist
Tales of the Feisty Druid Book 2
Prologue
"Archers, hold!" Arryn shouted.
Her voice was the only sound that could be heard, other than the gentle shifting of feet and the slight creak of the bows as they were pulled tight.
The early Spring temperatures were still frigid in the mornings. The air was cold enough Arryn could see her breath. But that didn't matter. There were other things—far more important things—to focus on.
A light fog had descended upon the area that morning, creating the illusion that everything was calm. Peaceful.
But it wasn't.
This particular morning was clouded over by more than the fog. Several guards stood ready on the ground and several more stood on the wall with Arryn, bows in hand, as she tried to remind herself to breathe.
The possibility of a remnant invasion on the city had become a reality.
Several weeks after Samuel’s group had been rushed, another crew further south than that had been as well. Unfortunately for them, they didn't have Samuel and Andrew and had been completely overrun.
There were no survivors that time.
Still, half the city had felt confident the remnant had only been protecting their lands. That the men—both Ren’s group as well as the second—had been working too close to the Madland’s borders and incited an attack. But Samuel had far more experience with them than anyone, as did his friend, Ren.
Most had believed the Capitol Guard was ever vigilant and capable of handling an incursion, but more importantly, they never believed such a thing would happen.
Arcadia was just too far away from the Madlands and too heavily protected for the remnant to risk attacking and failing. While they were incredibly strong and lived only to destroy, they were still capable of higher reasoning. They would know not to advance on a city so well-armed, or so the most Arcadians had believed.
Arryn sighed as she thought back to the first conversations regarding the invasions. What some hadn’t taken into consideration was that it didn't matter how well-armed the city was.
The Guard was untrained and underprepared.
Nearly the entire Arcadian Guard was brand-new. Almost all of them lacked sufficient training with weapons of any kind, let alone magitech weapons and hand-to-hand combat. It would require a hell of a lot for any single member of the Guard to take down a remnant, more so if there was an army of them.
The only way they would be able to survive such an onslaught would be to have skilled archers on the walls to thin out the horde before it reached the gates—and Arcadia didn’t have a single one.
Given the growing fear of the remnant, after talking to Amelia and getting her blessing, Arryn, Cathillian, and Samuel had taken matters into their own hands, fixing that problem after they had rounded up a few men who were interested in learning extra skills. Brave men who took their job seriously and would stop at nothing to protect their city.
They weren't the best archers in the world—yet—but they knew how to shoot, and they occasionally hit something… Especially if that something was an approaching big-ass horde.
It was a hell of a lot better than what they’d had before.
As Arryn stood on top of the wall that separated Arcadia from the rest of the world, she stared outward into the fog as she tried to see anything that might be coming their way.
“Hey, bitches,” Arryn said, holding tight to her bow and taking aim at what seemed like nothingness. “How lucky are ya feeling today?”
There was a laugh beside her from one of her archers. “Lucky enough not to fall off the wall and on my ass. Anything else, ask me later.”
A smile crossed her face. “Fair enough. Let’s just hope Cathillian doesn’t get hit on by one of their chicks. They might be ugly, but Cathillian can’t deny a girl that thinks he’s prettier than she is.”
Everyone laughed, and Arryn sighed, happy she could bust up the moment.
There were five bowmen to her left and five to her right, spread evenly apart to defend the eastern wall. Given the last remnant attack, Cathillian, Samuel, and Arryn all believed they’d be coming from that direction.
Unless they were smart enough to change directions to throw them off, of course.
Samuel seemed to think that might be possible, too, so he and Cathillian took the northern wall. The Arcadian gates had been closed, but only after some heavy convincing on Arryn's part.
After a man covered in blood from head to toe had raced his horse into the city, screaming about yet another remnant attack, one would think he'd have been believed. But because he came to warn them the remnant were planning to come for Arcadia, the guards and those that had discovered the news hadn't been so convinced.
The man lived on a small farm several miles south of Arcadia. The remnant had overrun his home, killing his entire family in the process. He’d been the only one to survive and had made haste toward the city after hearing one of the beasts mention Arcadia.
Though the Chancellor had been hesitant to cause fear and chaos, Arryn and the others believed him, and Amelia decided subtlety was their best chance.
Unfortunately for them, things had already escalated, and the attacks were controlled by outside sources. Now, the only thing they could do was hope for the best and do their best to protect their walls as the horde grew closer.
The fog seemed to thicken, and Arryn found herself wishing that the druid Chieftain’s daughter, Elysia, was there. She would have been capable of lifting it. Arryn could only control the weather when she was pissed off.
But the fog wouldn’t matter.
She knew she didn’t need to see the enemy coming. No one did. According to Samuel and Ren, the enemy was more than happy to announce themselves.
And they did…
Loud gravel-voiced screams ripped through the air, chilling Arryn to the bone. She looked at the men beside her, only to see them glancing toward one another with fear on their faces. They turned to Arryn for direction, afraid of what was about to happen.
She knew how they felt. It was up to her to be their backbone.
"Archers, aim!" Arryn shouted. She heard the wings behind her before she saw the large Golden Eagle who was Cathillian’s familiar fly overhead. "Echo, warn Cathillian. The remnant are here. Oh! And that the ladies will eat him alive, and not in the good way.”
1
Two weeks earlier
Things were changing very quickly, and Amelia had started to feel even more hope. It was almost like the old Arcadia again.
Well, minus an evil dictator.
It had been a couple of weeks since they'd tracked down and killed Doyle—a situation Amelia had regretted on behalf of Arryn because she’d wanted answers about her father, but it was a development the city rejoiced in. Knowing he was gone was a blessing.
The Governor had yet to be found, even after identifying the bodies at the farmhouse. It was no matter. Amelia would find him, too, and put an end to his plans for vengeance.
The men the city of Cella had sent were more than helpful. The factory building had been rebuilt, and now they were finishing everything on the inside. Within a few days, work would start again and the city—as well as its families—would be able to bring in money for the economy.
It had been quite an effort for Arcadia to feed and shelter so many extra people after the Battle for Arcadia, but luckily, plenty of vacant homes had been available and several local farms had been willing to donate food.
Given the impending reopening of the factory, extra men poured back into the city, no longer searching for work outside with the nobles that were building homes. Even the unemployed had lent a hand to the effort, knowing they would soon be receiving regular pay.
The factory was small, but not as small as they had anticipated. With the donated supplies and the added help from Cella, nobles, Boulevard men, and stray Arcadians returning home, they had been able to build larger
and faster due to most of the wood being harvested locally.
Amelia's largest concern now, other than the factory, was getting the Arcadian Guard fully trained and ready to go. Because there were so many recruits and so few experienced fighters, the training was going very slowly.
Still, she was confident everything would turn out fine. They had to do well. It was Arcadia, after all—the grandest city in the valley, and its namesake. She needed her residents to feel safe and secure.
"Ah, Chancellor," Samuel said as Amelia approached the factory site. "It's good ta have ye. We're almost ready. I'm gonna say three days, but we might get done early. We have some magicians here installin’ the magitech lightin’ right now. We had more than plenty of glass from the old buildin’ ta melt down into enough panes ta make sure this bitch is well lit. It won’t remind anyone of the old place."
"I've never seen anything so incredible. Everyone really cooperated and put it together so quickly." She shook her head, trying to hold back her emotions. She was overjoyed and relieved, grateful to see everyone so happy. "I look forward to the reopening. I just came by to check on everyone. Do you or anyone else need anything?"
"Aye," Ren chimed in. "I could use a nice night at the Dragon’s Lair. That ought ta set me right."
Amelia laughed. "I don't think that's on the menu, rearick. Not on my coin, anyway. But you're more than welcome to head there this evening. I'm sure you'll find nothing short of plentiful entertainment there."
"Aw, ye ain't jealous now, are ye?" Ren asked. "I know how shy Arcadian women can be sometimes. No need ta be shy around old Ren."
Amelia shook her head, still smiling. "Samuel, I think you need new friends. This one's old and broken."