I’ve been quiet this week (I actually posted twice this week already, but those were scheduled in advance) because I am currently on the home stretch of my next Four Horsemen novel, DAUGHTERS OF THE PRIDE. I can see the ending, and the middle is coming along nicely. There’s a few parts I want to go back and clean up a bit, since it reads a bit muddled to me. But overall? I’m very happy with this book so far, and I feel it is a worthy sequel to SONS OF THE LION.

I was at Target yesterday (yes, I do go outside every once in a while) and picked up a really cool sketchbook. Now, I’m no artist by any stretch of the word, but I do enjoy map-making (I literally just heard my coauthor groan from like 3 states away). There are only resources which are free, but sometimes it lacks the intimacy of something you’re looking for or needing to put in your story. For example, why is that alley there? Well, not many people understand how tanning works these days, but in the middle ages tanning was a very disgusting and smelly job which required blood and bits to be dumped somewhere. There’s a reason the Thames was probably the most polluted river in Europe before the industrial era.

But anyway, that alley in question… it’s a path between two streets, and informal route meant for the dumping of tanning waste (lye and blood, God only knows what else). Only the brave or those lacking any sense of smell would go this route. It also meant it was a good place for thieves to duck down. Who wants to chase someone through that?

On a computer generated map you’d have to get creative in determining which streets were alleys and which are, well, streets. When drawing your own area by hand, you get to determine where the alleys are. It’s handy, and if you’re good at it you learn how to label certain alleys (Blood Alley on the Butcher’s Block, for example… pretty obvious as to how it got the name).

Plus, I like drawing maps (there’s that long-suffering groan again… man, that poor guy).

I also picked up a copy of THE PLANTAGENETS by Dan Jones from Barnes & Noble. I’ve been watching a really good YouTube series on them recently and decided I needed to pick up a copy. I haven’t read anything by Jones before, so we’ll see if he’s drier than toast, or if he’s the type who can keep the reader engaged.

Also, if you’re looking for autographed copies of FREEHOLD: RESISTANCE, said B&N has two copies. I know because I signed them. You’re welcome.