After a couple of days of mild weather, this week is hot again. A few tomatoes are finally getting ripe - the sweet 100s and the currents - and the beetles are still eating the bean flowers, and sometimes the bean leaves as well. I'm ready for September.
This week I've been working on the next book again, finishing the first chapter (more or less) and starting the second one. Gwernin's elder son Ieuan (mostly called Ianto, the diminutive of Ieuan) will be an important character in this book. At this point he's twelve years old, and already becoming a good poet. He'll be traveling with Gwernin this time while Llacheu remains behind to entertain the folk at Llys-Tyn-Wynnan in their absence.
As an introduction to the series, I've also created a coupon code (RQ33P) at Smashwords for the e-book version of The Druid's Son, good for the rest of August. Just use it at checkout for a free copy!
In other news, after a nice cool break, the weather is warming up again. Maybe the tomatoes will finally start getting ripe...
In the meantime, I have to do some other stuff regarding an article for the next Oak Leaves and my presentation for our October Rocky Mountain Retreat. And maybe find a morning that's cool enough and dry enough to mow the back yard - this morning is cool but not dry, thanks to last night's thunderstorms.
My war on Japanese rose beetles continues...
"In this fifth book of the "Storyteller" series, Gwernin Storyteller and his bardic student Llacheu travel through sixth century southwestern Britain with the famous bard Taliesin Ben Beirdd, visiting ancient sacred sites and learning their lore, before participating in three bardic competitions which may finally allow Gwernin to reach the coveted status of a Master Bard. Along the way they both meet threats from their past, Gwernin discovers that some of the Old Gods of Britain are still present, and Taliesin shares some of his memories of his time as King Arthur's youngest bard."
The weather has been hot lately - 90s and almost 100 one day - but next week looks cooler and damper. The tomatoes are covered w/ little green fruits, the beans are growing like crazy and starting to produce beans, and one of the lemon cucumbers has a couple of cukes already, the larger one almost walnut sized. Unfortunately the Japanese beetles are eating the scarlet bean flowers, the raspberry leaves, and any rose which ventures to bloom. That's summer.
I've also been doing a slow proof read of The Old Gods Endure, with minor corrections, mostly grammatical. And I spent a day designing the Lulu cover for the paperback edition of that book in Photoshop, and uploading it to Lulu. I'll have to make sure the final text has the same page count so that the cover will fit, but that shouldn't be hard--if necessary I can cull some of the references at the end.
A welcome break from the summer heat today, with thunderstorms starting at dawn and continuing as I write. I may not have to water the garden today!
The first stage has involved a little text file of people and some expected plot elements. Example:
The Well of Wisdom: 565
---------------------------
Gwernin (29+)
*********************
Llys-Tyn-Wynnan:
----------------
Llacheu (21) dark red hair... pale eyes. He'll take Gwernin's role while Gwernin is gone.
Ieuan, called Ianto (12+) dark curly hair, blue eyes. He'll go w/ Gwernin to Ireland.
I've set up the word document and the chapter tracking spreadsheet. And I've started the first chapter - 1,162 words so far. It mirrors the beginning of the previous book, and also establishes what's happened since the end of that one. This has involved some checking back to The Old Gods Endure, which is turning into another slow proof-read of that one, with minor corrections. It's unusual to do this before the previous book is actually published, but an excellent opportunity to fix anything in that one which needs it!
In other news, the garden is going well. Most of the tomato plants have started setting tomatoes, and the beans are mostly higher than the slugs climb. And yesterday my first sunflower bloomed. On the other hand, the rose beetles are here...
I've also started working on a presentation for Chokecherry Grove's October Retreat, which will also be an article in the Winter issue of Oak Leaves (which means it has to be ready by the end of September). The title is "The Ogam and the Coelbren: Authenticity and Validity".
The tomatoes are doing well, due to the rain we've been having. Unfortunately all the rest of the vegetation is also growing rapidly...
In the meantime, I'm currently finishing up the editing and layout work on the autumn issue of Oak Leaves magazine. When that's done, I will be working on a presentation for Chokecherry Grove's October Retreat, which will also be published in the winter issue of Oak Leaves (and therefore needs to be finished by the end of September).
After all that, on to the next book, The Well of Wisdom. This will take Gwernin and friends back to Ireland, and complete the second trilogy of the Storyteller series!
It's continued to be a rather wet June, which has been good for the roses. The weather is now supposed to dry up a bit and warm up, which will be better for the tomatoes. Always a balance.
In other news, the tomatoes and basil have survived the thunderstorms so far, although the beans are being attacked by slugs -- grow faster, beans! The pink rose is in full bloom -- pictures soon. Due to the cool weather so far this summer, everything is a little later than usual, but that's not bad.
