Hello Readers,
Do you want a magazine with a bunch of free stories? How about stories related to The Gates of Westmeath and Lucky in Love?
Feel free to go check out the other four editions that have stories of Baker and Westmeath.
Happy Reading!
Gates of Westmeath
Proof of Concept – The Puzzles of Everdome
Hello Friends, Family, and Fans;
Every once in a while I get an idea for a novel but I’m not sure how well it’ll transition from brain to page. So I take the story out for a test drive. I call it a Proof-of-Concept and wrote about it here.
My family has been doing digital escape rooms for a while and I got an idea while writing Elizabeth 5, about a combination of an escape room and a dungeon dive but as a reality TV show.
Since I’d already written a book as a reality show, I figured this would be the perfect concept to re-visit Everdome.
It’ll probably be a long while before I get to it, but I’m excited to go back.
She stood on the highest hill in the Grey Havens and looked over the fields of the dead. Despite the vanquishing of the Corrupter, this dome still writhed with undead horrors. Mostly shambling corpses that projected illusions of loved ones, but there were darker things hiding in the golden cities. Vampires, necromancers, and the last of the great beasts.
Just the idea of Thincas, the beast of two faces, sent a shiver down Queen Jasmine’s spine. She put her hand to her sword and felt the comforting weight.
“That’s not going to help you against the dead,” Kathryn said glibly.
“This isn’t any ordinary blade. It’s been blessed by twelve priests, the Sisters, and Myrddin himself. Since this is as much your fault as it was the old gods, I think you should be less flippant.”
Giving a withering look toward the Queen, Kathryn said, “Child, I have lived and seen things you have no concept for. I watched as Everworld exploded and became Everdome. I was there when this dome turned from gold to grey, and I have been trying to find a way to fix it since. I have travelled the realms and universe. If swords, honour, and military arrogance could fix it, it would have been done by better sovereigns than you.”
The Queen advanced toward the other woman, both the only splotches of colour other than the golden ruins. Their warm brown skin seemed to brighten the area. The Queen’s armour shone bright silver and Kathryn’s purple coat seemed to mirror the difference between them.
“Oh for fuck’s sake. I thought travelling with women meant I could avoid the pissing contests.” They turned to the shorter woman with wild brownish red hair. She was dressed in brown leather armour and had more weapons than most people could count. “You’re both idiots and you’re both right. We can’t do this without Kathryn, and we can’t do this without Jasmine. Get over yourselves and get along or we’re not just going to die, we’re going to become like them.” Es’Sem the warrior queen of the Wild Nations said, and the other women stepped away from each other and looked suitably cowed.
The three companions walked in silence while the sun rose, or more accurately the clouds became less black and more grey. The smell was horrific; a combination of sickly sweet and rotting. They each sucked on a strong mint candy to avoid gagging.
They approached the walls of the city of the dead, feeling the warmth radiating from its golden glow. There was a small strip of wildflowers and grass that grew along the walls. The walked as close as they could without trampling the only life they’d seen in three days and reached the great gates.
The city had been Everdome’s greatest mausoleum, where kings and heroes were laid to rest. It was also the site of a yearly patronage to honour the dead. When the Corruption had taken the land, smaller versions of the mausoleum had been created in all the domes.
When they reached the gates, all three women swore. They were sealed and had a large inscription, “The way is shut. The city was made for the dead, and the Dead keep it, until thirteen more heroes come to our aid.” Below the inscription was the sign of Elric the Mad.
“Elric, that plagiarizing ass! I regret ever loving that man or letting him read my copy of Lord of the Rings,” Kathryn spat. “What does it mean by thirteen more?”
Queen Jasmine shook her head and answered, “It seems we, again, need help from Earth to save Everdome.”
You can learn more about Queen Jasmine, Es’Sem, Kathryn, the Great Beasts, and Everdome in:
The Siren’s Song Vol 4
Hello Readers,
Do you want a magazine with a bunch of free stories? How about stories related to The Gates of Westmeath and Lucky in Love?
Feel free to go check out the other three editions that have stories of Baker and Westmeath.
Happy Reading!
Red Day, Ere the Sun Rises – Epilogue
Characters | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Epilogue
Chapter 13: Epilogue
A few months later Suzie and I were relaxing on a beach on Earth. Zuri and the Galahad had returned to their home to try and organize the survivors. Where Zuri went, the Myrddin followed. Diamond Stars and the crew of The Revenge returned home with the remnants of Black Sun to try and fix the harm they’d done. Captain Ng and the crew of the Warship Ennill had stayed to learn all they could from the various people.
The other speakers and people of the Sun fleet were given the chance to stay with a quarter of them doing so and the rest returning to their systems.
With all the technology we’d gained, travel between systems was going to be a regular thing now. The universe had shrunk significantly.
I was enjoying the feel of clear water on my toes when we got a call.
“I shouldn’t answer it,” I said.
“They won’t stop,” Suzie replied. She’d seen it was the Hey Sunny Too.
“What is it?” I asked into the coms.
“The Gate activated, get up here,” Adric replied and we had no choice but to get the shuttle and head back to our new ship.
The gate dated from the beginning of the universe and seemed to emit a kind of power we couldn’t recognize. Sol didn’t know what it was. Of course I installed it on my ship.
Once we were aboard, Adric said, “The gate activated and a crude robot came through, left this, and then went back in. The whole thing lasted less than a minute.”
He handed me a nicely embossed piece of paper that had a tree on it. As I stared, the words swam and formed, Yggdrasil Command Aether Earth. If your atmosphere is safe for us, we shall visit you in 24 hours. It was followed by a complex mathematical algorithm.
Adric anticipated my confusion and said, “It’s a formula for figuring out what their 24 hours means using the speed of light and the emission frequency of a hydrogen atom.” He stopped there and I gave him a quizzical look. “Oh. It’s close to our Earth but their day is roughly 80 milliseconds longer than ours which means they are probably from an alternate reality Earth that is further in the past.”
I blinked a few times and asked, “How do you get that from a simple calculation?”
“It wasn’t simple, and I also analyzed the note. It has massive quantities of microplastics and greenhouse gases which was typical of Old-Earth.”
I nodded and said, “I’m impressed. How long do we have?”
“Ten minutes. You really took your time.”
Suzie wanted us to greet them remotely but I figured if we’re going to meet interdimensional aliens, we should do it in person.
The gate lit up with blue energy that looked like waves, which was different from our jumpgates that just shimmered silver.
Two people walked through, a man and a woman in what looked like pseudo-military garb. He had dark skin, was tall, broad, and his long brown hair was streaked with grey and tied in a bun on the top of his head. The woman with him was also tall, but had white skin and blonde hair, just starting to turn white.
They didn’t look like any military I’d met and there was a strange power about them.
The man smiled and it was obvious from the creases in his face that he did it a lot. He moved forward and spoke gibberish.
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand you,” I said. I was surprised, we’d installed a translator designed by the Children of the Stars, and it was able to translate almost anything.
The woman said a few words, pointed at Suzie, and at Suzie’s sword.
“I think she wants you to talk about your sword?” I said.
“I don’t want to tell them about my sword,” Suzie said, sounding almost offended.
The man held his hand out for a handshake and said, “Thank you, our translations need two native speakers and a few sentences to parse the language. I am Agent Jason Johnson and this is Agent Kennedy Johnson.”
“Nice to meet you.” I shook his muscular hand. “I’m Hal the Sun Speaker, this is Suzie, and this is Adric. You are on my ship in orbit around our Earth.”
The woman smiled broadly and said, “I love it when it’s a spaceship gate. It’s always so cool.”
“I don’t want to be rude, but why are you here and where did you come from?” These two were likeable, but seemed genuine and not fake.
“We’re from Aether Earth and we’re here with a warning. The Mulciber are coming.”
The word meant nothing to me, but it triggered a vision from Sol. I stood on a tall mountain on Mars and watched as a silver serpent of massive size decimated the Martian military.
At least it was less disgusting than the void-beasts, but it looked like I had another threat to prepare for.
While you wait for the next serial story, check out the previous ones:
- 2022 – Birth of the Aetherverse (Fantasy)
- 2021 – Diamond Stars and the Galactic Heist (Sci-Fi, Heist, Romance)
- 2020 – Point Zero (Superhero, Sci-Fi)
- 2019 – Seren Plentyn and the Secret of Hokulua Station (Sci-Fi Adventure Mystery)
The State of Éric – November 2023
Hello Family, Friendns, and Fans,
A lot of stuff is happening so let’s do this rapidfire:
Queer Christmas Craft Fair
As we mentioned in a previous post, we’ll be at Queer Christmas Craft Fair tomorrow (Saturday November 25th) from 10-2. Come get your coffee!!!
Writing
Jen and I are writing the next book in The Gates of Westmeath series and it’s awesome. The only thing keeping me from binge writing right now is that we’re doing the first pass at editing Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests (Coming June 2024). As much as I love writing, I despise editing. Like everything else in the writing process, it’s much easier to do with Jen.
Renaissance has Copper Tarnish, Stories! The First Unexpected Collection, and Faymous and I will hopefully hear in the new year if they’ll publish or pass.
Work
I’ve been acting (in government that means I’m doing the job but it’s not permanent) at a higher level as a Web Accessibility specialist. It’s pretty much an evolution of my old job as print and PDFs fall out of favour, but it’s a promotion.
This week I signed my papers to make it permanent. It’s better pay and duties that are no longer 10 years antiquated. So yay!
Health
I’ve seen a neuro-opthamologist and had lots of tests including another MRI. Everything came back clean except for a loss of vision in my left eye and the fact that my left eye dilated slower than my right. He thinks I had some sort of nerve issue and he’s sending me to a neurologist and has set up a follow up for June.
Yay nothing serious and that he believes me but boo I didn’t get any answers.
That’s about it now.
Stay safe and be kind,
Éric
Book Contract for The Gates of Westmeath Book 2
Hello Readers,
Renaissance Press has agreed to to publish the sequel to Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers.
The Gates of Westmeath Book 2 Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests will be published, hopefully, June 2024!
Thank you for reading!
Jen and Éric
Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers – Book Launch
Family, Readers, Friends! Lend me your eyes…
We’re finally having a digital launch for Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers. Join us Sunday December 4th, at 3PM EST for the launch of our book and a few other awesome ones.
Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/395598352708307
Join us on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89836020683?pwd=YnVrRWIzUEFQTWlham9XMkpJZXFOZz09
Hope to see you there!
It’s the most wonderful book launch of the year!
Join us for an evening of pre-holiday fun as we celebrate the release of five extraordinary books! Hear some great readings, meet the authors (virtually) and get a chance to win some prizes!
**Please note this is a virtual event.**
ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION:
Automated live captioning will be available during the event. Should you have any other accessibility needs, please communicate with Renaissance via messenger.About the books:
Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers by Jen and Éric Desmarais
When Kennedy saves Jason, the leader of a secret Community of supernatural people called Aetherborn, they embark on a whirlwind epic romance and adventure, where they’ll have to face teleporting assassins, grumpy wizards, gossiping hags, mafia robots, and secret military groups, all in the city of Westmeath, Ontario.
“I’m totally enjoying it! I’m hooked!” – Jennifer Bernard, author of The Fling and Smitten in Summer
Jen and Éric Desmarais have been helping each other with writing projects since 2006, and have been collaborating on business projects for several years under the name JenEric Designs. They live in Ottawa, Canada, with their two children and several thousand books.
Watch a trailer for the book here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhDZ3w6sYYkEaster Pinkerton and the Case of the Heretic Blood by Evan May
The greatest constant in Easter Pinkerton’s life has been her duty to the realm: she knows its secrets, safeguards its interests, and kills its enemies. When her investigations unearth powers beyond her understanding, Pinkerton will have to fight enemies she could not have imagined, rely upon allies she would never have contemplated, and above all, decide where her duty truly lies.
“I was enthralled by every page.” Kate Heartfield, bestselling author of The Embroidered Book
Evan May is a writer and history professor who lives in Ottawa, Canada. His MA and PhD in medieval history largely focused on scamps and troublemakers in 15th century England, and he now also writes down the strange things that live in his head.
The Ground That Grows Roses by Elizabeth Hirst
More Singers have risen, and they’re about to unleash chaos.
Denny has put her father to rest, solved the mystery of the screamers and become a national hero. On the surface, she is living a dream, but her problems are far from over. In order to end the screamer crisis, she and Verity will need to find more singers to help calm the restless dead, but so far none have been found.“Set in the post-climate change Canadian north, this adventure-thriller is a metaphoric journey of the mind and the heart into the soul’s search for home… A fulfilling read.” – Nina Munteanu, author of A Diary in the Age of Water and Water Is…
When she was a small child, Elizabeth Hirst’s school principal had to give her an award to get her to stop making books and focus on literally anything else. She has been described as cheeky, highly intractable, exceedingly stubborn and as Canadian as saying sorry.
Watch a trailer for volume 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpR4AYPOmAQHuman by S.M. Carrière
At the behest of the vampiric Shadow Council, Aleksandar Svetoslav, Prince of his House, moves to America to re-establish their foothold there. Things spiral quickly out of control as Aleksandar is drawn into a cat and mouse game with a deranged kidnapper targeting those closest to him.
“Carrière has combined her keen historian’s mind and romantic soul in creating Aleksandar Svetoslav, a character who demands your attention and then takes you on a darkly compelling journey.” – Evan May, author of Easter Pinkerton and the Case of the Heretic Blood
When S.M. Carrière isn”t brutally killing your favourite characters, she spends her time teaching martial arts, live streaming video games, occasionally teaching at the University of Ottawa, and cuddling her cat.
Nothing Without Us Too edited by Cait Gordon and Talia C. Johnson
Multi-genre fiction where once again, we are the stars.
Nothing Without Us Too follows the theme of Nothing Without Us (a 2020 Prix Aurora Award finalist), featuring more stories by authors who are disabled, d/Deaf, Blind or visually impaired, neurodivergent, Spoonie, and/or who manage mental illness.“Disabled authors don’t just ‘fix’ disability in their stories—they go about fixing, as it were, the entire world.” – Amanda Leduc, author of Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space, and The Centaur’s Wife
Cait Gordon is an autistic, disabled, and queer Canadian writer of humorous speculative fiction that celebrates diversity. She also founded The Spoonie Authors Network. She lives in Kanata, Ontario.
Kohenet Talia C. Johnson is a multi-faceted woman who is transgender, autistic, Jewish, queer, and more than the sum of her parts. She also sits on the executive of A4A Ontario, an autistic-led self-advocacy group. She lives in Etobicoke, Ontario.
Watch a trailer for the first volume here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7HLM6Vk0EcContributors Erin Rockfort, N. R. M. Roshak and Jen Desmarais will be reading from their stories!
Holy Moley! We did it again!
Hello My Imaginary Friends,
I was going to say Oops! We did it again!, but there was no oops; we planned and plotted and then wrote.
Jen and I have finished the second book in the Gates of Westmeath series, Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests.
I’ve considered writing with someone else in the past, and it’s always felt like more work than it’s worth. I like control of my worldbuilding and I like when my story and characters suddenly go left. I didn’t think I could do that with another writer.
Jen has listened and helped me with my books for over a decade. She knows more about some aspects than I do. (I have a terrible memory.)
It’s been a joy writing with her. Being able to bounce ideas of each other and build on our mutual excitement makes writing more fun. It’s helped eliminate the slump I usually get at the third mark of a book.
It’s not all perfect; we fought a few times over silly things (mostly because of my insecurity and feeling like I didn’t contribute enough words), but overall it was amazing and I can’t wait to do it again. (Okay, I can wait. I’m tired and I need a break.)
The next book we’re writing together is going to be a spin-off of the Elizabeth and the Gates of Westmeath series. I’ve been playing with this idea for over 12 years. It was based on a dream Jen had, so I think it’s fitting that she’s going to co-write. I’m so excited.
We’re planning on writing the next book in the Gates of Westmeath in Fall 2022, around the same time that book one will be published.
I couldn’t dream of a better partner in life, parenting, or writing.
I love you Jen,
Éric
P.S. Jen also wrote about it on her tumblr:
Sixteen years ago, my husband and I decided to officially date. Best decision ever! Married for 12.5 years, two amazing children, six published books, one published game, a fantastic business, and more! Love you so much, husband of mine.
This year, we took a giant step into the next phase of our relationship; in the middle of a pandemic, while homeschooling one child and the other having free reign, we decided to try to write a book together. It ended up working really well. Not only did we finish the first one in 2.5 months, but we got it betaed and submitted to our publisher before June. It was accepted before the end of summer and will be coming out next Fall (2022). Talk about a whirlwind!
But that wasn’t all! We so enjoyed our world that we wrote a collection of short stories in the spring, and then we wrote book 2 this fall. It took us 2 months and a week this time.
This summer, we also decided to both start learning an instrument. I chose guitar and my husband chose ukulele. We also bought a cheap ukulele for the kids to try out and for me to play when the metal strings on my guitar hurt me too much to practice.
All of this, and we’re still very happily married and excited to work together again. Not only do we have two sequels plotted (bare bones), but we have a spin-off that we’re going to start writing in the new year.
I feel so privileged to be able to be creative like this with my husband. He challenges me to try harder and be better every day.
I played my songs today. I tried using a pick for strumming. Not sure I like it. Feels weird.
Quick update – cute cat and bunny
Hello My Imaginary Friends,
My wife and I are working hard on book 2 of The Gates of Westmeath, at work it’s report season, and between allergies and season change; I don’t have much time.
Soon it’ll also be roasting for Holiday Calendar season too. (Preorder yours before Friday)
So quick update, but the kids had a good Halloween and that makes me happy.
Hope you had a happy spooky season. Bring on the Holiday music!
Stay safe and be kind,
Éric
Here We Go Again
Hello Readers,
In case you missed it, Jen and I wrote a book together called Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers. It took us two and a half months and was a wild ride. Renaissance Press loved it and will be publishing it in Fall 2022. It’s the first in a trilogy or quadrilogy, called The Gates of Westmeath.
I took some time to finish Elizabeth 4 and now Jen and I have started writing book 2 of the Gates of Westmeath.
We finished the first two chapters this week and I’ll be starting on chapter 3 today.
We’re super excited and can’t wait to share the first book with you. So excited we made shirts for the whole family.
It’s had the adorable (and awkward if in public) side effect of having the kids screaming “Assassins family!”
Well as they say, I should be writing.
Stay safe and be kind,
Éric