Crylie Ding had nowhere left to turn.
Thus begins book two in the "Magic of Crieo" series, The Dragon Slayer.
The events in this fantasy novel pick up right where we left off in The Blue Gem. Crylie, captain of the Elvin Guard, has been sent to find help, the royal castle of Elves under attack. The Druids have been separated; some alive, some dead, and King Rion of Thurston locks down a castle under siege. Their last hope belongs to young Rukh and a quest to finally unlock the secret of the blue gem and the broken sword, the Dragon Slayer.
All of this while the Druid Alar and his outlaws have moved one step closer to gaining complete control over all the lands.
The Dragon Slayer will complete this first fantasy series, which began with 2014's The Dragon Princess. Though not yet complete, and won't be until early 2021, pages were written on this fantasy novel for the first time in nearly two months. Much of last summer was spent expanding on the background of the characters, races, and lands in this fantasy world. Actual writing of the story has been slow going the last eight months or so, but all it took was a few pages of new material to get the brain going again. Fingers crossed that momentum is on my side.
Focus in June was spent mostly on a polish of a full-length play, The Latitude of Life. With a few sports league on their way back -- or already back, like women's professional soccer here in the states -- I also cranked out a post on the Boston Red Sox. Outside of that and some freewriting sessions, not much was laid down last month.
Oh, and it's Christmas in July in so if you want to beat the holiday rush, be sure to check out my holiday novella Of Snow Forts and Santa.
WHAT I'VE BEEN WATCHING
An overabundance of options when it comes to watching a television show or movie has had me simply doing this as of late: Watching something I already know the outcome of.
While I do my best to keep up-to-date, I often find myself going back to shows I've enjoyed in the past. Some, like Lost or Justified, I've only watched through the series once. Others, like Scrubs, I've seen plenty of times but am enjoying yet another re-watch.
Currently, I am working my way through Ozark, having just finished season one. And I did watch Love Life over on HBO, a show that certainly had its moments but one ultimately I'd hand a B-.
I did also watch Space Force, a series that sounded a lot better in premise before jumping in full throttle. There were certain moments early in the season that were good, but to me, the show didn't really take off into the end of episode nine and into episode ten.
Over on the film side of things, be sure to check out 13th. Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods is fantastic and Delroy Lindo gives a performance of a lifetime. (Both of these films are currently on Netflix.)
And there's Hamilton. Knowing the songs inside and out and not usually a fan of watching filmed theater, I wasn't sure what to expect. Color me tickled, however, as I enjoyed the performances immensely and watched the thing twice in one day.
WHAT I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO
Check out Run the Jewels new album "RTJ4". It took me awhile to get around to listening to the music of Run the Jewels but I have been digging this album the last few weeks.
And give a listen to Bob Dylan's new album "Rough and Rowdy Ways". Dylan is going deep with this one, giving the world some of his best music in years.
This week a new Origins podcast with Jim Miller was released. Almost Famous Turns 20 is a look back at the film many see as the pinnacle of Cameron Crowe's career. This film is among my top-5 and the release of his series is one of my favorite things in the last few days. Crowe, Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson, and Frances McDormand are just a few of the voices you'll hear on this five-episode podcast.
This spot, of course, is normally reserved for events to check out around the Treasure Valley. Coronavirus is still rearing its ugly head so events haven't quite begun to spring up again. It seems like September is a date many are aiming for, but, as the saying seems to be the last few months, "we shall see".
Stay safe out there, friends. And thanks for stopping by.
Be bold. Be kind