On the Homefront

This week was all about the Holidays. Just in case you missed my Christmas Eve special email, here is the video of the poem I wrote for you. Watch after the end credits for the doggy blooper reel.

Down the Rabbit Hole

My current work in progress takes place in the Artisan Hills of Merceria. This is an area of foothills that borders a mountain range and, as the story involves hunters, I thought it prudent to investigate what type of animals they might hunt. In Canada, we have the Alberta Foothills, which run adjacent to the Rocky Mountains, so I turned to the Internet to find out what lives there that might be of interest. Bears and wolves were an easy call, and then I saw them talking about caribou. I’d heard of them before, of course, as they usually grace the Canadian quarter (25 cent coin for those of you that use different currency). By the way, in French, the quarter is actually called a caribou.

What I didn’t realize is that it’s the same thing as a reindeer. I suppose that means that Santa’s sleigh is actually pulled by eight caribou, nine if you include Rudolf. (and let’s not forget Olive, the ‘other’ reindeer.) Oh, and by the way, a moose is the same thing as an elk.

Did you receive your Christmas Present?

Fury of the Crown

Chosen as one of Barnes & Nobles 

'This Week’s Five Favorite Indie eBooks'

What People are Saying

Fantastic storyline!

This is a brilliant read.

Thoroughly enjoyable and worth reading

This series keeps getting better and better

A great read with intrigue, battles, and twists.

The characters come more and more to life in each book.

This series will captivate your imagination and enchant fans of high fantasy!

Wonderful well-written plot and storyline that had me engaged from the start.

Facebook Live will return on Monday, January 4th, 2021. Until then, have a great year!

Pre-Order Today

Down the Rabbit Hole - Boxing Day

Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, is a holiday celebrated in many of the Commonwealth countries, such as here in Canada. It began in the UK, but its history is up for debate, and so there are competing theories about where it originated.

In the middle ages, it was a European tradition to give money and gifts to those in need at this time of year. This may be related to the practice of donating to the poor by the use of an Alms Box. The second day of Christmastide (Boxing Day) was the customary day for these funds to be passed out. Thus the coins were taken out of the box, possibly resulting in the name.

In 1663, Samuel Pepys’ diary mentioned the use of Christmas boxes of money being handed out to tradesmen for their service during the year. There is also an even older tradition of servants being allowed to visit their families on this day and being given boxes of gifts for them to take home.

By the way, the 26^th of December is also Saint Stephen’s Day, as mentioned in the Christmas Carol, Good King Wenceslas.

Warrior Knight - Book Two: Power Ascending

Releases February 23, 2021

Pre-order coming soon!

Random History Fact - Ever Hear of a Grizzly?

When most people think of World War Two tanks, they typically picture the Russian T-34, the American M4 Sherman, or the German Tiger Tank. These three are certainly well known, but how about the Grizzly tank?”

The Grizzly was a Canadian version of an M4A1 Sherman tank, build from 1943 to 1945. The Montreal Locomotive Works produced it, the same people that developed the RAM tank. It carried the same armament at the M4 but used a different track design called CDP (Canadian Dry Pin). At the time, rubber was a scarce commodity, and so this design was used instead. It was lighter and simpler to construct than the standard tracks employed by Shermans.

Only 188 Grizzly’s were made, but the chassis was used in the construction of the Sexton II self-propelled gun, which remained in service into the 1980s.

Until next time, happy reading

Work in Progress Update

This week saw a slowdown in work as Christmas approached. Honour Thy Ancestors currently sits at 6,000 words, but I've spent quite a bit of time expanding upon the story's outline and filling it with individual scenes.

I have also made some changes to Inferno, the next book in The Frozen Flame series. It picks up the story a few months after the conclusion of Flames and brings back the usual cast of suspects. I will likely be starting in on the full story in three or four weeks.

Until next time, happy reading!

Author Spotlight

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