The silvery gates of Faerie are about to open up! That’s because this June I’m hosting my annual blog event, Queen Titania’s Court. And I’m inviting my fellow fantasy authors to take part.

The setup is that one character from one of your books will be summoned to Queen Titania’s Court. You’ll answer a couple of questions, interview style. This gives you a chance to show off your book in a more fun way than just an ad or the cover copy.

It’s a chance for Indy fantasy authors to shine. Whether you work is epic, contemporary, urban, fairy tale, grimdark or cozy — if it can be categorized as fantasy, this is for you. It’s also my chance to reach out and support the community of Indy fantasy authors.

If you’re interested, all you have to do is e-mail me, CAT09tales -at- protonmail -dot- com. Or if you aren’t a writer, but you know someone who is, please give them to info. I’ll get you all the details. It’s so simple! I look forward to planning this year’s event with everyone.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website or follow me on Bluesky.

The change is concerning to me, since D2D is my main publishing platform. I’ve found their service reliable and let’s just say the fee-free environment was a bonus for me. In fact, D2D is really the dominant platform for Indy writers since 1) they have bought up several competitors and 2) Amazon, B&N and other platforms have previously made some arbitrary changes to their terms of service, too.

D2D’s rationale is that they are being flooded with AI-generated bookspam from “content mills” and it’s overwhelming their platform. Some of these dubious outfits were uploading hundreds of books a day, making it difficult for D2D’s quality assurance to keep up. Once they began rejecting spam titles, the spammers started opening dozens of accounts and uploading 1 or 2 books for each. D2D is instituting the fee for new accounts to try and combat this.

Since there’s been widespread reporting of SF/Fantasy magazines being flooded with spam submissions, this rationale does make some sense. They now have submission windows and other devices that make it nearly impossible to submit work there. But hey, they don’t have to deal with that terrible slush pile any more!

More troublesome is the “maintenance fee,” which is being charged to authors like me who publish regularly but only sell a few copies. You have to sell at least $100 of books in a year to avoid the fee. Since most of my sales are in person through book tables, and they are not counting author copies as sales, I will never be able to meet this arbitrary standard.

It stings. I am the baby being thrown out with the bath water. Unless I pay up, of course.

In this case I feel D2D is trying to get rid of writers they deem not profitable enough — for them. It’s just another corporation deciding to “monetize” their creative partners. In fact, I’ve heard some commentary that the aggressive acquisition of competitors has undermined D2D behind the scenes, and that’s why they have to monetize Indy writers.

All this said, I likely will pay the fee. I do have the expectation of selling enough copies to cover it. I’ll just never see any additional royalties from D2D, if it all goes to their fees. Unfortunately, there are few reputable alternatives. D2D has bought up a lot of them.

Anyhow, if you know of a reliable self-publishing platform besides Amazon or D2D, I’d be interested to hear about your experiences.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website or follow me on Bluesky.

They have a similar concept: a dystopian future where amoral corporations treat hapless humans as a product. In one, a human officer is converted to a cyborg policeman. In the other, a construct is manufactured to do security work. Both have external control systems they are fighting against. Both also are fully armored in an intimidating fashion.

I guess in Robocop the plot is mainly about revenge. It seems like it was fairly bloody, which may be why I don’t remember a lot. Bloody revenge plots are not exactly my cup of tea. Also, it came out in 1987, so it’s been a decade or three. Murderbot, on the other hand, deals with the escaped construct trying to find its way to independence and accidentally making friends along the way.

What do you think? Are these two films more different, or more alike?

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website or follow me on Bluesky.

I am close. I’ve written the scene where the character has been dragged into the depths. Three of his kids are staring at the churning water and trying to figure out what to do about it. I have to pause for gaming tonight, but whatever they try will be in vain. It will be super dramatic. Soon, soon I will earn my celebratory chocolate cake.

After that are just a couple of scenes to tie things up. It won’t be a neat, happy ending even if it does come full circle. More like a picking-up-the-pieces ending.

As for those other projects, I’ve seen the cover art for Standing Stones and Eldritch Tomes. It’s good, but I requested some changes. That’s coming along well, and I hope I’ll have something to show off soon. I’m also working on the character and author questions for Queen Titania’s Court. As always, if you have a fantasy book (or similar publication) that you’d like to promote, I’d love to invite you to the Midsummer Ball. And if you know a friend who has something, go ahead and give them my name. The more the merrier!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website or follow me on Bluesky.

First, there’s the comfort factor. So many of us have good memories and emotions around libraries. They are a natural way to draw readers into a story with positive expectations. This may sound a bit cynical, but it’s a legitimate approach.

Second, libraries can be useful information centers. Whether characters are researching obscure legends, local history, or details about how to repair a particular item, they can get that from a library. Even if the sources they’re looking for aren’t there, it still hints that someone else might be after the same information.

Potential allies can be found in libraries. Staff might notice the characters’ interest in a particular topic and recommend experts to consult. Two characters working on the same issue might encounter each other. They could become a team — or rivals who try to mislead each other.

A library could be the starting point of your story. Someone might be casually checking out books, and an unusual item falls out! Where did this come from? Do they need to return it to the original owner? Are evil forces looking for this item?

I’m interested to know if any of you readers have ever used a library in one of your stories. What was its role in the tale? What other ideas do you have for using a library in a story?

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website or follow me on Bluesky.

Maybe it’s that, for us writers, libraries were the special place where we first discovered 1) how many books there are to read, and 2) we could borrow them and read them and take them back to get more books, and it didn’t cost anything. What an awakening for most of us!

Of course, unless you work in a library or are connected to your local library community, you may not realize how many other things have been built onto the structure of libraries. Yes, you can check out books, movies, and music CDs. You also have access to computers and printing for things like resumes. There are story hours and book clubs, and in person advice on accessing social services. Different libraries may loan out tools or garden seeds. No wonder people love them so much!

At the same time, many people may assume that libraries are part of a bygone era. We have the Internet, after all. We can research facts through Google and similar platforms, instead of going to a library. With streaming services, we can watch anything, and e-books mean you can read without having to handle a physical copy.

Yet, authors still love to set our stories in libraries! I’ll be pondering this over my next few posts. Why do you think there are so many books set in libraries?

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website or follow me on Bluesky.

What I’m Working On. Really trying hard to finish the first draft of The Warlock’s Army! Everything in my life is interfering. Isn’t that how it goes sometimes?

What’s Next? I need to meet with my friend and see her sketches for the cover of Standing Stones and Eldritch Tomes. We’re both excited about it, but my main focus needs to be on The Warlock’s Army.

Where I’ll be. There are no current plans for an in person appearance.

Fun and Games. Animal Crossing and Skyrim are ongoing. I enjoyed reading Naomi Novik’s The Summer War. The Mermaid’s Apprentice, by L. Palmer, is next up.

Onward!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website or follow me on Bluesky.

Among the things I’ve ordered: The Faraway Inn and The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst. Apparently I ordered a copy of The Enchanted Greenhouse and also requested it from the library. The library got to me first, but that’s OK. I’ll gladly read it again.

Platform Decay by Martha Wells (latest in her Murderbot Diaries series). Apparently Murderbot will be in charge of something really terrifying — kids! As a school worker, this might strike too close but we’ll see.

The Dragon Has Some Complaints by John Wiswell. I don’t even remember what this one is about but the title just sounds amusing.

Things I’ve requested from the library: Rebecca Solnit’s latest, The Beginning Comes After the End. She’s a bit of a dense read, but the social comment is always enlightening.

The Summer War by Naomi Novik. Someone accidentally cast a curse and tries to reverse it. (The library just told me this one is in, so hooray!)

Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett. Cats and wizards, who could resist? Not many people, it seems, because the wait list is 8 weeks.

Then there are a couple of books I ordered, that have just come in: The Mermaid’s Apprentice and The Tailor’s Escape by L. Palmer. I’ve been following her Pippington series of fairy tale styled fantasies and look forward to this next addition.

Looks like I have some great reads ahead of me. If it was your choice, which of these would you go for first?

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website or follow me on Bluesky.

Whichever I end up choosing, I am under some pressure to finish this first draft of the novel. My next release, Standing Stones and Eldritch Tomes, is planned for May 15th. I need to start working on that. In addition, it’s almost time for me to start the process for Queen Titania’s Court in June. That’s a long project with many steps, and I want to finish The Warlock’s Army before I tackle it.

Spring Break is coming up in two weeks for our district. If I can complete the first draft by the end of it, then I can let the draft rest while I turn to these other priorities. Once I settle them, I can come back to the second draft as my summer writing project.

That’s my plan. So I guess I’d better focus down on these final chapters!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website or follow me on Bluesky.

Last time I featured my young adult series, Cleodora. Here’s the second volume, Willow Lake. This book came out a year ago, in May of 2025. Cleodora is a bold girl who serves the nature spirits in a subversively non-royal, non-capitalist, non-patriarchal setting, I hope you’ll give it a look.

Cleodora’s family are the spirit guardians of Acorn Canyon Shrine. Three years ago, she saved a corrupted spirit instead of fighting it. Cleodora became an archel, bonded with the nature spirit Tef as one soul with two bodies.

But the land of Tenebira is suffering under a terrible drought. It’s all because of something her relatives did at Willow Lake Shrine. Now the auctere of Acorn Canyon’s sacred pool calls on Cleodora and Tef. They must travel to Willow Lake, confront her family, and heal the broken shrine.

If they fail, all life will wither away!

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my website or follow me on Bluesky.