Fiddle me this

“The fiddler, still unskilled in perfecting the eighth note, sighed softly in disappointment… If—no, make that when—the eighth was accomplished, it would change the world unequivocally.”

The element of music has a meaningful role in this storyline. The Chinese fiddle in particular has been utilized to entrance non-Community members with seven notes. This has become one of the main tools employed to keep the Kingdom in darkness.

The proper performance of the next note though, has been an arduous task to achieve. It is near impossible and most who have tried—have failed. What earth shattering effect could this triumph hold? How would the world change upon its momentous completion?

The short form answer is—it’s magical.

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A tale of seven dragons

Glories, Majestic Ones, Dragons, those terms are used interchangeably in this story. Currently, there are around fifty dragons remaining in the Kingdom. Twenty are being cared for at the Conservation. Nine are housed by the power company Consolidated Grid. The remaining are out in the wild that is the underbelly of this concrete jungle. Seven are mentioned in this first book.

Angus Sutherland is the foremost expert in dragonology. Let’s take a peak at his log to get to know these wingless wonders a little better.

Ohm – Light Gray – Emits Electricity – Consolidated Grid. Ohm is one of the main energy sources for Consolidated Grid. His nick name could be Times Square because he practically powers it up. He understands that partnering with Consolidated Grid has sky high potential. He is also recently beholden to Catatrina.

Ampy – Charcoal – Emits Electricity – Wild One. “On an average day, Ampy would be considered the easiest in the bunch to handle, not because she was on the smaller side but because she was one of the few who liked interaction. She was playful by nature, but her bite could still take a limb right off.”

Char & Pyre – Black and Purple – Emits Fire - Wild Ones. “Twin sisters Char and Pyre were snappy fire-breathers and did not like being around the rest of their kin. They were black and purple with motley black hair; the only way he could tell them apart was by the differing patterns of scars on their bodies.”

Ember – Dark Red – Emits Fire - Wild One. “Ember had a dark red complexion with splashes of slithering brown all over his body... Fire dragons were known to have larger nostrils, but his were exceptionally so.”

Volta – Mustard Yellow – Emits Electricity – Wild One. “She had been one of the most magnificent during their time of grandeur. Lauded for her golden coloring, on a bright day, she would be called the Sun That Flies. Nowadays, the gold skin had faded to a muted mustard yellow.”

Glacey – Pale Blue – Emits Ice – Consolidated Grid. “The runt of her pack, she was about twelve feet long with pale blue, leathery skin and patches of dark blue hair on her mane and other places on her body. Her skin tone was not the only thing that set her apart. There were also several streaks of purple, indications of a troubled life.”

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Building block

These few words were meant to be legal fine print. Handle and imagine with care! Thread further at your own risk! There is an addictive component to this material, possible dependency may occur.

Originally, this image was going to be called the totem pole disclaimer. Stacking these symbols seem to express the message differently than in other formats. Sometimes, I also view this as a four colored traffic light. When you progress downward, the words would go from green to red. If you choose to go forward after that, well, you were warned.

Let it be known, I cannot bear any responsibility if one becomes inclined to hunt for alligators in the sewer. Let it be known, hoping to catch a gladiatorial competition at the West Side Rail yards is trespassing and done so on your own volition. Let it be known, breaching the restricted areas of the Central Park zoo in search of rare creatures is not advised under any circumstance.

With that being said, I actually refer to this image as Community DNA nowadays. The warning is appropriate because those bearing this sequence in their genome can do the unimaginable. Look out world, there's something special inside.

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What does love have to do with it

When I was dreaming up the concept that would be the Kingdom in Darkness, it was heavy on the action. There was nothing but cataclysmic wars, extinction level events and a couple of Armageddons thrown in. Just like a hard rock concert, this was meant to be a loud, brash, non-stop performance full of head bobbing and head smashing. Then out of nowhere, a power ballad is played. Turns out, it doesn’t kill the mood but changes the mood. The spiritual experience between the music and reveler become deeper. The connection is notable as the introduction of a softer touch achieves balance.

In hindsight, it was impossible to write this story without including the element of love. Love makes the world go round and is that invisible force which compels us to act. The self-sacrifice, the understandable motivation that we people make and have is infinitely relatable. The troll on troll violence may sell the tickets but it is what we do in the name of love that drives the story.

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Center Stage

“Hollister felt some nerves come over him—he believed it was classified as glossophobia.” I personally like to call it the spotlight of scrutiny or the hundred eyes of judgement. For the average person, it is tough taking center stage and be perfectly comfortable.

I think we have all at some point had to be in front of an audience. For me, whether it was a piano recital or an oral report, my hands would get clammy and the sweats would come. The uncomfortable lump in my throat was better there than an uncomfortable lump in my stomach if swallowed.

Touching back on the subject of relatability, this is another experience the characters in this book should share. Hollister may have hundreds of years of life experience and physical abilities beyond regular people. He dreams, he loves, he cries and he also craps his pants when on stage.

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The Secret Sauce

“What I am about to tell you is going to sound a bit odd, but please indulge this old lady. Kindness, courage, and compassion… The challenge for you will be to remember that.”

With everything going on in the world it is understandable if something so simple is forgotten. We as a society can definitely use more of those three components. In addition, we can absolutely use what those three components create.

Consider the following a PSA. Pass it along to a friend.

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From an ocean away

My second book blogger review comes all the way from across the pond. I’ve always said far is a place you can’t reach on one tank of gas. The UK isn't accessible by car from here so that makes this beyond far.

I also had some concerns. Would she know what Americans call the trunk of a car is what Brits called the boot? Additionally, my writing style is quirky. Will this translate properly?

When it was all said and done, I was quite daft, she found this book to be brill and Bob’s your uncle. Colour me chuffed.

Thank you for showing interest, Jasmine… I,

want to know, want to know, want to know,

now that you’ve read this book, what you’ve got to say.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this story about New York majesty

and how magic interplays.

The Cromies do not know about the Community.

For the most part everybody just stays in their own lane.

Hollister wants dragons to fly again.

Achieving this goal will create quite a strain.

From across the Atlantic what do you say.

From across the Atlantic you say.

You can check out what she says here: My Quiet Little Corner Blog

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5 is better than one

A Unicorn is rare, desirable and difficult to find. In a world full of magic there are creatures which are even more scarce. The Pentacorn for one is the cousin of their single horn family member. They are a sight to see as they are rarely seen.

An infant corn will start growing their horns within months out of the womb. The protrusions at first form around its head in a crown like fashion. Over time the ones facing the sides and back will begin to move, eventually facing the front.

Consider yourself unfortunate to be in the way of this charging beast. Stories from old mythology have claimed these horns have magical properties and can pierce a dragon’s hide with enough force. What chance would a Cromie have if that were the case. Fear not friend, after all, they are rarely seen.

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Mischief managed

A friend had asked me once, “what’s in your book?” Not, what is your book about. This was during the aspirational pre-production phase, so I answered, everything. All the things that have ever floated around in my mind has a home here. I would liken it to a giant Halloween party, where a mish-mash of unrelated characters interact with each other. This is a playground where the following scene can actually happen. The wizard said this about the Pillsbury Bread Woman being escorted out for being sloppy, “Miss Chef managed.”

Anyway, so the question has now been asked, “what’s in your next book?” Would everything else be a sufficient answer at this point. With August right around the corner, Halloween is around the corner after that. All I can say is that there will be some tricks, some treats and some new frightful characters for you to meet.

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Man doing jumping jacks

Vitruvian Everywoman



 

Vitruvian Everyman

The concept for these logos were pretty simple, we are all perfect in our own unique way and are capable of achieving the extraordinary. The Vitruvian framing represents perfection. The non-descript gender models are inclusive of everybody (kid versions in process). My goal was to be inspirational. When my son spied these images, he thought it was cool that they were doing jumping jacks.

 

TY to TY indeed as she was able to exquisitely capture these visions and immortalize it in print. This image means a lot to me and still inspires awe. Now, it also makes me want to do some jumping jacks.

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Black hearts to kill black souls

Cuori neri per uccidere anime nere is the old world maxim of the Black Heart Academy. Graduates of this secret society were extremely skilled at doing one thing―killing. Other electives were also available like advanced interrogation, espionage, chess and historical art. Many peculiar habits were ingrained/beaten into the students such as properly marking weaponry right down to wiping your feet before entering someone’s home for a non-work event.

The world can be a dirty place at times and it requires people with the right training to clean it up. A spill requires a mop. A soulless creature requires a heartless individual with the proper weapons.

This message is brought to you by the Black Heart Academy, properly disposing evil since before time was recorded. 

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A hint of what lies ahead

“Magic abounds… dragons are its physical manifestation… they now live in varying states of depression after having their wings clipped. New dragons have not been created since that fateful day … the magical force has only dwindled with the passing of each dragon.”

As the prospect of regaining the gift of flight is understood, the dragons finally have hope. With their spirit reinvigorated, the magic in this world will grow stronger. There are certain aspects of the Kingdom that have remained dormant due to the lack of enough magic. What those components will be are sure to create additional challenges for the Community to navigate. Keeping this secret from the Cromies is going to be a whole lot harder.  

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