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About The King and Queen of Wands
The Gods of Asgard are on edge. Rumor has it Loki and his son Fenris have broken free from their bonds, the final precursor to Ragnarök. They've prepared for this moment. They're ready to face their deaths valiantly and with honor.
Only Loki never shows.
Instead, spring, beautiful spring starts make its appearance for the first time in years, and the mortals are slowly forgetting what was to befall them. For Odin, this is a sign something has happen to alter the course of fate. Loki's desired vengeance and justice for some time. He isn't one to let go of a grudge, and the Allfather wants to know why.
For Zeus, King of Olympus, life is good. The lands he inhabits are abundant with people and food, and he and his fellow Olympians are secure.
Until Hermes announces there are trespassers stealing food in their sacred groves. Worse yet, the Messenger claims a large black wolf accompanies them. Determined to bring the thieves to justice and to slay the wolf, Zeus sets out with two of his daughters to capture them.
Loki is hungry. For centuries, the Gods of Asgard hid him away, bound to a rock with the entrails of his son Vail and a serpent hanging over his head. His wife Sigyn endured his torment with him, and they've finally broken free. But his wife's told him something that's made him rethink his desire for vengeance and destruction upon his former allies. With his wife and son, he flees to find food and freedom.
Worlds are about to collide, and tragedy will strike. The Gods of Asgard and Olympus will never be the same again.
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The King and Queen of Wands is a Tarot-inspired story and a prequel of sorts for Portal to Gaming.
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About Portal to Gaming:
Nineteen-year-old Fen Willows lives an idyllic life. Both of his parents are universally renowned alien archaeologists, pioneers of the field. He studies alien archaeology and plans to follow in the footsteps of his parents, used to have a boyfriend, and enjoys spending his free time hanging around with his best friends, Daniel and Wolfgang Evans.
The idyllic life, however, is not for Fen. Earth is too boring, too bright, too shining for him, but war with the Salmorians keeps him from joining his parents as they travel to ancient civilization sites. Bored and on the heels of a painful break-up, he takes to the virtual reality simulators of Portal to Gaming, one of the leading companies in entertainment and information technology, and where he feels most at home.
There, his world is turned upside down by a stranger determined to fight him for reasons unknown. No one else sees the stranger, and Fen is left to defend his sanity on the issue.
After the confrontation, strange phenomena start to follow Fen around - moments where he stands in his gaming world and moments where destruction is raining down around him.
Unbeknownst to Fen, the war with the Salmorians runs deeper. His parents harbor secrets, ones that can change the course of the war, and his life, forever.
Portal to Gaming is available on Amazon Kindle for $3.99.
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Upcoming holiday season:
Portal to Gaming will go on sale one more time, just in time for the holiday season. Price and run time will be announced next week.
Nov. 12th, 2014
I'm pleased to announce that, by the end of this week, The King and Queen of Wands will be available for purchase on Amazon Kindle. Price will be announced on the publication date.
The Homeless Experience, Part 1
Nov. 12th, 2014 02:26 pm So the other day I posted to facebook that I am homeless and staying in a shelter. It was something I figured would happen upon moving out to Washington. I didn't have much money, an expired driver's license, and nothing lined up for work or a place to live. I also have no family in Washington - I have two very casual acquaintances in the entire state and really not a lot of support from either one for a variety of reasons. It was a very risky venture on my part, and I admit that I was very naive about a lot of things.
It's one that's also been paying off. While I will not say which shelter I'm staying at - this is out of respect for the people who run the shelter and for the safety of the women who are also staying there - I will say this. My life hasn't nearly been as difficult or as fraught with hardships as I used to believe. There are so many women, so many people who have never had a safe haven their entire lives. I'm very fortunate that, until I moved out here, I had a place to sleep, food on the table, and clothes on my back. I'd been surrounded by the love of family my entire life. And that isn't a bad thing because some of the women who are in the shelters haven't had that. They've never had that kind of stability, that kind of home environment, and, while mine wasn't always the greatest (told my counselor when I was 16 I thought my dad was manic-depressive because of his up-and-down mood swings), I now know my life could have been a lot worse than what it was.
I am still seeking work in Bremerton, where I'm currently staying, where I've been for the last month. The goal now is to something that will pay halfway decent, be it seasonal or something a little more long term and will give a lot of hours. I need to save up what I can to move to Philadelphia, be it after the holidays, when my 90 bed nights are up, or even six months from now. This hasn't been a wasted trip. I wouldn't change a thing about my life and where my path has taken me. I feel much closer to my Gods now because I listened to them on what they wanted me to do, where they wanted me to go, and I'll keep doing what I can to hear them, to listen to them, and to do what they need me, what I need to do.
There's a lot that I can't do right now - be out after a certain time of night, can't work any midnight/overnight shifts, drink, be wild (not that I would, anyway) - but the pay offs on a lot are still there. I'm homeless but not out of hope or happiness. I have a deeper respect for what others go through. I've been blessed with a lot of kindness from others in situations like me. I feel like I'm growing stronger every day I'm out here, and I look forward to the next adventure each day brings. It usually means finding a computer to seek work and a place to rent either as a month-to-month contract or a six month contract, but there's always something new.
I only have one thing I'd ask of anyone who reads this journal. If you see a homeless person, offer that soul something, be it a meal, a blanket, a ride, a place to stay for the night, or just a friendly ear, and fight for change for them. You truly don't know what a single act of kindness can do for someone. It creates an ever lasting beauty, and it will be remembered.
It's one that's also been paying off. While I will not say which shelter I'm staying at - this is out of respect for the people who run the shelter and for the safety of the women who are also staying there - I will say this. My life hasn't nearly been as difficult or as fraught with hardships as I used to believe. There are so many women, so many people who have never had a safe haven their entire lives. I'm very fortunate that, until I moved out here, I had a place to sleep, food on the table, and clothes on my back. I'd been surrounded by the love of family my entire life. And that isn't a bad thing because some of the women who are in the shelters haven't had that. They've never had that kind of stability, that kind of home environment, and, while mine wasn't always the greatest (told my counselor when I was 16 I thought my dad was manic-depressive because of his up-and-down mood swings), I now know my life could have been a lot worse than what it was.
I am still seeking work in Bremerton, where I'm currently staying, where I've been for the last month. The goal now is to something that will pay halfway decent, be it seasonal or something a little more long term and will give a lot of hours. I need to save up what I can to move to Philadelphia, be it after the holidays, when my 90 bed nights are up, or even six months from now. This hasn't been a wasted trip. I wouldn't change a thing about my life and where my path has taken me. I feel much closer to my Gods now because I listened to them on what they wanted me to do, where they wanted me to go, and I'll keep doing what I can to hear them, to listen to them, and to do what they need me, what I need to do.
There's a lot that I can't do right now - be out after a certain time of night, can't work any midnight/overnight shifts, drink, be wild (not that I would, anyway) - but the pay offs on a lot are still there. I'm homeless but not out of hope or happiness. I have a deeper respect for what others go through. I've been blessed with a lot of kindness from others in situations like me. I feel like I'm growing stronger every day I'm out here, and I look forward to the next adventure each day brings. It usually means finding a computer to seek work and a place to rent either as a month-to-month contract or a six month contract, but there's always something new.
I only have one thing I'd ask of anyone who reads this journal. If you see a homeless person, offer that soul something, be it a meal, a blanket, a ride, a place to stay for the night, or just a friendly ear, and fight for change for them. You truly don't know what a single act of kindness can do for someone. It creates an ever lasting beauty, and it will be remembered.