Author Journey: June 24, 2022 - Getting Closer!

 Welcome back, dear Reader! I'm happy to bring great news to the blog this week. And while I don't have a video for you. I do have a kitten collage to share with you. 

Writing Update: The Tale of Outh'n Durr - Map

When writing fantasy stories, maps are somewhat important. I mean, you are creating a whole new world and readers want to know what's there. Well, I would want to know what was in the world. 

Having said that, Ripples does not have a map...yet. It's created but I never got a chance to update the book to add it in. I hope to do that soon.

I do, however, have a sepia-colored map of Sheromoth (SHARE ō mōth). The 'r' is lightly rolled, and the 'th' is voiced, as in the word 'than' for those who enjoy pronunciation guides.

Sheromoth is the eastern continent and home to Shinnoah in the north, D'Koruyi in the south-west, and M'Neshunnaya in the south-east. All of this story takes place in the northern areas of the map. 

I could've redrawn the whole thing, I guess, since a map wasn't published. However, that takes some serious time and... I already had a map that worked well. It's not accurate to scale so please don't hate on that score. It's more to give readers and idea of what's actually in the world of Y'Dahnndrya and the general area one could find something. I wouldn't want to have to use it to actually get from point A to point B.

Here's a look at the color version. The black & white version will go into the book.

Outh'n's home village had to be added to this map because it didn't exist until I wrote his story. Prichud is located north-west of Mt. Charan. I'm not overly fond of how this map came out. There was a lot I had to do to it to put it together this way. 

I absolutely hate the outline around the continent, the key, and the map locations. You may be able to see the grayish tinge on this version. It's easier to see on the black and white version...which goes out to all the readers. I guess this is what I get for not having Photoshop and not desiring to learn a new graphics program. I hope it will suffice for now.

I am otherwise happy with how this looks. I love the compass rose, the buttons which represent the clans, and the parchment-colored background.

With the completion of the technical edit in Pro Writing Aid, and the final edit on the map, I'm one step away from starting the actual publishing process. Please keep me in your prayers and I continue to fight on through the tiredness and slump blues. 

 Kitten Update: Naptime

The kittens still tire out pretty quickly. When they aren't sleeping, their eating, playing, or exploring. And while they have the run of most of the house when they're out of their kennels, they tend to stay close to their kennels and the kitchen. When they start getting tired, they find me and try to wrestle in my lap. At that point, I usually put them in their kennels to sleep.

Yesterday was a rare gem of a day. Their first bath was interesting. Miss Dusk meowed her displeasure at her normal voice and held very still. Spartacus was true to his name, howled his extreme disgust with the whole matter at the top of his tiny, but efficient lungs, and fought the whole time. 

I guess it wasn't so surprising that when they got tired this time, Dusk settled down in my lap to sleep. Spartacus climbed up on top of my back pillow, reminding me of Sir Olly Ox'nfri Toebeanz, who you may remember from blog posts of yore. Sadly he passed away in September of 2020. (A rough year was made even more difficult.) 

So what did I do? I took photos, very carefully, and created this cute collage to show you. A good thing I managed to snap the photos when I did. They woke up soon after that and Spartacus tried to suckle on Dusk's cheek again. (This, if you remember, is why we had to separate them when they sleep.)

The photo -

Thank you all so much for continuing to read my posts. I appreciate each one of you. 

On Wednesday, I'll have a review of a 'Christian' mafia romance story and one other. I have a lot to say on this topic for those who want to know a little more about my perspective on life in general. I hope y'all stop by!

Turn the page...