[As usual, two weeks lag here, if you aren’t reading this on my Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/blazeward). If you’d like your news fresher, and the monthly Anti-Stodgy/Redneck Chef newsletter, all I ask is a buck to help keep the lights on around here.]

Woke up to drizzle. Not much. Mostly a heavy marine layer more than anything, but nice, after several hot days. Enough to skip going out. Plus, the Fabulous Publisher Babe™ and I both work up at 5am Sunday, and ended up going out to breakfast at one of those farmer joints down in Enumclaw. Ate a third, had a third for dinner, had the last third for breakfast. Still have a muffin to go. Damned good food. Place called The Kettle, if you are local or traveling soon.

Working on a new project. This one has a deadline, so it might slip in somewhere shortly. The Thrill Ride magazine has posted the Year Two themes already. Those of you paying attention know about Chace Haig. First Chace story will go up in a few weeks, then I have three more for submission.

Same with a new project to fill that elusive fourth slot with Thrill Ride.

The “Five Man Band” is a common trope in adventure fiction. And boy bands, but we won’t go there today. Leader, Lancer, Heart, Brains, Brawn, and everybody fills a role.

I asked Matt about “low hanging fruit” for “Sisters In Arms” and he expected most of his stories to be female special forces troopers, or maybe cops. My original idea would have been slightly to the weird of that. The new idea is well to the weird of that.

The T’ang Dynasty ruled China from 618 to 907 CE. Often considered China’s Golden Age, and perhaps the most culturally advanced in their history. Certainly the most sophisticated place on earth at the time.

So, Five Man Band in 680-690CE. In T’ang China. No magic, but one mad scientist inventing things for the leader and lancer to use. Action/Adventure with a historic beat.

I’m having WAY too much fun studying history, and how all the pieces go together, because this is the end of the Merovingian Dynasty in France. And there is a Jewish trade network running from the French coast to the Chinese one. An early Silk Road before it collapsed for centuries.

So all sorts of crazy silly ideas, plus I get to read history in depth and pull up my martial arts studies as well.

Gonna write an origin story soonish. Got most of it in mind. That lets me settle the voices and the setting, then I can write a Sisters In Arms story. And more.

I’d like to have more Action/Adventure/Thriller in my catalog. Add another leg to my income. Derlyth doing well means I’ll write more Occult Detective stuff soon. Historic Thriller means that I can write exotic stories and most of the folks reading won’t be experts on most of it. (and if they are, I’ll recruit them as editors. Any of you into T’ang Dynasty or Migration Period history? Heh)

Better? I’m not the weirdest story he’ll read. The Babe™ is working on a story about a team of modern-day crime-fighting drag queens using Chinese Fan fighting forms.

Because why the hell not? Matt’ll never know what hit him, that’s for sure.

So it’s a Monday. And a weird one. I’m about to dive back into Corsac Fox #4. And I need to get my ass in gear on the second Kickstarter, but I’ve been a little overwhelmed with other projects that still aren’t settled. It’ll get there. And I’m having fun with my writing. Folks seem to enjoy #1, so that’s a bonus as well.

Y’all stay out of the sun. and the drizzle. Go walk around the block and get some exercise.

shade and sweet water,

blaze

West of the Mountains, WA

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