I'm pleased to present the debut novel in my new series, Clann na Morrigna. It takes place in the fictional Colorado town of Nightshade.
Never piss off a daughter of the Morrigan, especially in a town like Nightshade. Nightshade’s a weird town. It has a large Pagan population and a lot of fundamentalist Christians. Usually, they get along well. Then the attacks started. It began with assaults. A Christian had satanic imagery burned into her. A Pagan had a cross pounded into him. Assaults became rapes, then murders. Each side blames the other. Detective Tiernan Dempsey turns to two of his friends for help, Dr. Alexis O’Connor, anthropologist and Wiccan priestess and Honor MacGregor, Pagan PI. This case forces Honor to face fears she thought buried leaving her with severe trust issues and a touch of paranoia. Then she set eyes on Ethan Malone. Ethan expected his life to be unending darkness. Wounded by his past, he resolved to never suffer that pain again. As long as he didn’t let anyone get close to him, he had nothing to fear. Then he set eyes on Honor MacGregor. And the body count continues to climb. Then reports of possession emerge…
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Political correctness has been with us for some time, now, the phrase first coined, I believe, in the nineties by Hillary Clinton. Today, it has taken on a new form knows as "being woke," as in being aware of and sensitive to certain issues, but it's not just being aware and sensitive, it's being hyperaware and hypersensitive. It seems like every other day we see stories of someone getting so offended over such small things, offended to the point that they sometimes take measures against the offender, such as protesting outside their homes, trying to affect their careers, publishing their personal information on social media. If you voted for candidate A when they wanted you to vote for candidate B, they see you as an unforgivable mortal enemy who must be destroyed. The inability or refusal to get along with someone simply because they hold a different opinion than you is a mentality I find quite infantile; if I voted for candidate A and you voted for candidate B, I might find your reasons incomprehensible, but I won't hate you for it. But this mentality is running rampant, and people are nervous. They don't want their lives disrupted. They're afraid of saying something to piss off the mob. What's a creator to do? For someone like J.K. Rowling, who is catching flack for her stance on the transgender issue, it doesn't really matter; go ahead and destroy her career, she's already made her millions (and she's such a well-established creator, it'd be virtually impossible to destroy her career - she has far too many fans to allow that). But what about us up-and-comers who run the risk of never getting our careers off the ground because of one little thing we said?
"If you want to send a message, use Western Union." I've seen that quote attributed to several personages in the film and theater industries, so I don't know who originally said it, but I think it's a good general guideline. When writing fiction, my first and foremost goal is to tell a good story. Everything else takes a back seat to that. I'm not usually deliberately trying to send a message, so messages in my story tend to be side-effects of the story-telling process. Some have called my Sisters of the Storm books feminist. I can certainly see why a reader would think that, but that wasn't my intent. My intent was to give a realistic portrayal of things from the viewpoint of female characters, and since I'm not a woman, I had to read up on it. Based on what I've read and heard, things like not being taken seriously (and the prettier they are, the worse that gets, apparently), beauty inspiring either hate or unbridled lust, assuming they slept their way to their positions, are things women deal with, so I threw those in there to make a more authentic portrayal. As a creator, your beliefs are probably going to work their way into your work, regardless of how you try to prevent that, and that's certainly the case with me. I'm a firm believer that people are responsible for their actions and that one bears at least some (not necessarily all) responsibility for one's fate, so that tends to be a common theme in my stories. Likewise, the belief that some things are worth fighting for. I try to keep my political beliefs out of my stories, but some of it worms its way in there. A keen observer reading the Sisters of the Storm books might conclude I'm rather libertarian in my political outlook, and they'd be right, but I try to make sure the Artisan League isn't some libertarian utopia; all systems have their flaws, and a libertarian one is no exception, so I try to be realistic and throw in some flaws. Likewise, I try to keep my religious views out, but they're such a deeply ingrained part of me, some of them will find their way in there, and at least one reviewer correctly determined that I am, in fact, Pagan, even though none of the Sisters of the Storm books are meant to convey any religious message. So any of those messages a reader gets from those books are, as I said, incidental to the story - when I write, I'm focused on telling the story, not conveying those messages. However, I'm starting a new series where this could get more problematic. The Clann na Morrigna series takes place in our present-day world. It takes place in the fictional Colorado town of Nightshade, which is home to a large population of Pagans as well as conservative Christians, so naturally there's a bit of friction. The protagonists are Pagans, so the story is from their point of view; just as Christian fiction is infused with Christian beliefs, this is Pagan fiction and is likewise infused with Pagan beliefs. They occasionally have to deal with a fire-and-brimstone preacher who started his own denomination, the Apocalyptics, because none of the others were hard-core enough for his tastes, and a televangelist. Now, I have nothing against mainstream Christianity. I was raised in the Episcopal church. I left not as an act of rebellion but simply because Christianity wasn't meeting my spiritual needs. That said, in the story I mercilessly mock and criticize fanatical Christianity and televangelism because, in my opinion, they need to be mocked. However, as an egalitarian, I believe if I'm going to offend people, I might as well offend everybody, so I also mock the Pagan equivalent of Christian fundamentalists, generally known as fluffy bunnies. Religious affiliations notwithstanding, I find both groups to be remarkably similar, and both are crying out to be mocked. The protagonists do so. I also have characters who are Christians but not obnoxious about it. This balance works out because it's very, very rare in a situation where one side is totally right and the other side is totally wrong - there is almost always room for criticism of both sides. It's a more realistic portrayal and, like I said, I try to be egalitarian. So, given the volatility of the topic of religion, I'm sure to piss someone off with these books, but they're stories I have swirling about in me, demanding release. I think there's an audience for them and I tell them the way I think they need to be told. Admittedly, it's harder to hold back political commentary in these stories, since they take place in the here-and-now, and some things do find their way in there - the fact that I'm a huge supporter of gun ownership will be glaringly obvious. Combine that with my natural urge to educate people and I have to be careful not to veer off into a sermon on that topic, but I manage to rein it in. So my point is, to all creators of any sort, create as you see fit. Someone once said you will never do anything of any consequence without pissing someone off. This is especially true of the woke mob - they're so hypersensitive to offense that, should you encounter them, there's no way you're going to be able to create your art without pissing them off. I guess we up-and-comers have to make a choice: do we give in to the woke mob and let them bully us so we can hope to keep our careers by saying only what they allow us to say, or do we stand up to them and be true to ourselves and our art and create it as we, the Creators, see fit? Having learned valuable lessons by being bullied in school, I know what I'll do. I'm not surrendering my right to free expression. They will not silence me. They will not break me. As Kyle, Baezha's fight master, told her in Reckoning, "You're never truly defeated until you stop trying." If we are not free to express ourselves, we're not free to do anything. Good ideas don't need to be forced on people. If it can be destroyed by the truth, it probably should be. Just wanted to let everyone know about a couple of book sales going on over at StoryOrigin. Just click on the links and browse numerous fantasy and sci-fi titles.
https://storyoriginapp.com/to/n3KokUg https://storyoriginapp.com/to/jCaIHeo Just wanted to let you all know about a new book giveaway going on over at Prolific Works (the site formally known as Instafreebie). There are 75 titles to choose from, one of which is my latest, The God Makers. Membership at Prolific Works is free and easy, so follow the link,register and find your newest treasure!
https://claims.prolificworks.com/gg/PvF5qt43kP9LzJ9pcJZp If the link doesn't work, simply go to prolificworks.com. Once you register, the name of the giveaway is Books and Brews. Book 5 of the Sisters of the Storm series, The God Makers, is available as an ebook from Amazon and Barnes and noble! A heroic fantasy about two women battling a twisted madman and his creations as well as themselves is perfect for Women's History month! I'll have a paperback in Barnes and Noble's print on demand service before long, too.
The problem with trying to trap the Death Queens is you run the risk of succeeding. Over a year ago, Aleena Kurrin, divinely gifted warrior, and her adoptive sister, Baezha Ambrose, divinely gifted sorceress, faced the unnatural monsters of the Shingora – the Eighth Hell. The sisters triumphed, but their victory felt hollow, their souls scarred by guilt – though they saved many people, they failed others, something for which they cannot forgive themselves. Making things worse is the fact that the mysterious alchemists responsible for creating those monsters remain unknown… or do they? A group of alchemists calling themselves the God Makers has set up shop just outside the alchemists’ guild’s jurisdiction, and they sound exactly like those who created the abominations on the Shingora. Haunted by their failures on the Shingora, the sisters must know for certain if the God Makers are who they fear, and if so, put them out of business. Permanently. But when they get to the God Makers’ lair, they discover their fears fell short of reality. The God Makers’ master, Arleth, means to show the world just what they’re capable of, threatening a city and the sisters’ loved ones in the process. And the sisters would make an invaluable addition to his ranks… whether they want to or not. To save their loved ones and a city of innocent people, the sisters chosen by the gods clash with those who would create gods, all while trying to accomplish the most difficult task of all – forgiving themselves. Like all other installments in this series, this is a stand-alone novel. Even though this story is the result of events in book 3, you do not have to read the others to understand this one. Pop over to Amazon or Barnes and noble and download a copy, And it would be a huge favor to me if you would leave a review of this or any of my books you've read. Thank you all so much for being a part of this! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YJZRN8T/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-god-makers-guy-estes/1138988819?ean=2940162306610 The next installment of the Sisters of the Storm series, The God Makers, is nigh, and just in time for women's history month, at that! I got my draft back from my editor and made the final revisions. I received my cover from my artist today! All that remains is to upload everything to Amazon and Barnes and Noble. By this time next week, both should be available as ebooks. Until then, here's a little something to when your appetites!
Oleg and his companions didn’t know it yet, but they had, in fact, committed suicide. To be fair, though, they were all champions on the fight masters’ guild and thus had good reason to be confident; one does not become a champion on the fight masters’ guild without the proper credentials. “Are we certain they are there?” one of them asked. “They might be away on a job.” “They are there. The adventurers’ guild is finally forming. They were going to over a year ago, but the aftermath of the Shingora disaster delayed things. Now they’re ready to proceed.” “And we know for certain they are joining the adventurers’ guild?” “They are if they want to keep their livelihoods. Just as if we fight masters want to be fight masters, we must be on the fight masters’ guild. If they want to continue adventuring, they’ll have to be on the adventurers’ guild.” And so the four men rode to Sharleah, a mid-sized town in the Kerdonia Province and home to their quarry. I'm about fifty pages into the first draft of book 5, The God Makers. It's a follow-up to The Eighth Hell, so while I'm structuring it so you don't have to read The Eighth Hell first, be warned that if you read The God Makers first, there are a ton of spoilers for The Eighth Hell. In addition to facing their external enemies, the sisters, still suffering PTSD from their experiences in The Eighth Hell, must battle themselves over their perceived failures on that adventure. I'm very excited about two new characters in The God Makers, one of whom is the antagonist - I'm having a lot of fun writing him - and one of whom whose category is a bit more nebulous. COVID-19 has negatively impacted my finances, so it's very difficult for me to give you a timetable, and I don't want to make you a promise unless I'm certain I can keep it, but my tentative estimate is to have this one complete either at the end of this year or the start of the next.
I'm also writing another book that does not take place in the Chosenverse. It's set in our present-day world in the fictional town of Nighshade, which has a large Pagan population. Dr. Alexis O'Conner is an anthropology professor and Wiccan priestess who consults for the police on cases with an occult or Pagan aspect to them. Her best friend, Honor MacGregor, is a private investigator. They meet Ethan Malone. Ethan and Honor are both devotees of the Morrigan, Irish goddess of war and fate, death and change. Alexis thinks they aren't just devotees of the goddess, but her actual children. Ethan and Honor are drawn to each other, yet hesitant, still bearing wounds from their pasts. And a series of religiously motivated crimes rock Nightshade, escalating to murder. Tensions between the Pagan and Christian communities in Nightshade are wound to the breaking point, and the murder begins stalking Alexis, then Honor. Right now it's titled Tuatha de Morrigan, but that phrase doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, and I'm pretty sure it's not linguistically correct. I'm about 150 pages into that first draft. I'm not really sure what genre it is - it has elements of a detective/crime story, romance, and paranormal. I have no idea when I'll have that ready to go. Since COVID-19 has thoroughly screwed up my finances and I have to have it edited, covers made, and so on, and I want The God Makers out as soon as possible, I can't even estimate when Tuatha de Morrigan would be ready. First review is 4/5 stars!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RH8U8BVLIO832/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B084KJYJVB It's finally here! I am beyond excited to announce that Book 4 of the Sisters of the Storm, Lords of Illusion, is finally complete and ready for your hot little hands! Like all installments of the series, it is a stand-alone novel, so even if you haven't read any of the other books you can read this one without any disruptions in continuity. Available via Kindle or Nook. https://www.amazon.com/Lords-Illusion-Sisters-Storm-Book-ebook/dp/B084KJYJVB/ref https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lords-of-illusion-guy-estes/1136392065?ean=2940162684640&fbclid=IwAR1y8OIXJa67QfPX8DDi4dg6vkNALhawL4-_JBrIx8Op0Hui2WudoW1mDlE I hope you enjoy the Death Queens' newest adventure. You could do me a huge favor and leave a review for any of my books you've read at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, or anywhere else. Thank you all so much and happy reading! |
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