For this post, I thought I would try something a little different. The writing of this book, The Hammer of Amalynth, was very dynamic. It wasn't until late in the process that I settled on certain details. As you can see from the pictures below, even the first page changed quite a bit from draft to draft:
So what, exactly is the book about? First off, it is book two of the Secrets of the Elements series (Race the Sky being the first book of course). The central characters in this book are the same as those in Race the Sky: John Sayers, a storm chaser, and Madeline Kinney, a part time cult researcher. This time, however, they are faced with an unpredictable enemy, Dr. Amalynth, who is a rogue researcher fascinated with electricity and lightning. As the book opens, the doctor has figured out how to bring lightning down to earth on command.
But John and Madeline cannot solve the mystery alone. Partway through the story John visits the enigmatic Dr. Ferganut--a retired professor and a storm researcher with many inventions to his credit. Dr. Ferganut is a character who also appeared in the short stories Firebugs and Dust in the Whirlwind and will also be an integral part of the third book in the series, The Fire and the Anvil. In fact, the third book will not only tie together the first two books in the series but also the two short stories where Dr. Ferganut appears. In one sense, an alternate title for the third book could be, "Firebugs in the Whirlwind".
Which brings me to the next topic...a release date. Right now, I'm thinking the book will be available at the end of November on Amazon and in paperback over at Lulu. This will be quickly followed by a science fiction short story collection, Windows Out, and The Fire and the Anvil should be ready by early spring of 2017. More updates coming soon...
