What's new? So glad you asked!

While it might seem like there has been a lull in my writing and published works, that's not entirely the case. I haven't blogged a lot but I have been extremely busy at writing. I'm working on both short stories as well as novels. I'll get to those in just a bit; first I want to talk about some new releases since the last time I posted here.

This first one is especially near and dear to my heart... Mark Halegua and I had been messaging each other in email and then on Twitter since fall of 2019, where we chatted about our respective days. We also talked a lot about writing, and he often shared with me what he was dealing with health-wise. I knew he was struggling both financially and with ongoing health issues, but he also was excited to tell me some details of a new book he was working on with a classic-style pulp superhero set in 1930s NYC. He did ask me if I'd be willing to take a look at it, but unfortunately I was pretty busy at that time. So I suggested to Mark that he could send what he had completed of his manuscript to fellow writer/editor Lee Houston Jr., and Mark was amenable to that. Lee went over the initial beginning, which was somewhere around 10 pages, and then Lee sent it back with his corrections/suggestions. Several months later when Mark wanted input again, I had gotten an opportunity to write a western for a publisher with a hard deadline, though they had bumped it ahead a couple months to accomodate me. So I just could not take on another project. Once again, the now much longer manuscript Mark had went to Lee, who worked on it in his spare time. Unfortunately we lost Mark in the interim, so what we had was basically 2/3 of a book that Mark wrote and never got to finish.

I felt really bad about not being involved in that, because I knew how much Mark wanted to see his name on a cover of a book that he had written. We were now well into 2020 when I approached Airship 27 Productions about Lee and I finishing Mark's book. Airchief Ron Fortier readily agreed to let us take on that project once we had the time. We worked on it a large part of last year (2021). First Lee and I gathered all our notes and material on the project (I had some info in messages, either email or on Twitter) and we had plenty of discussions. Lee did the initial reformatting and copy editing along with some light line editing for style. Then Lee turned it over to me.

The first thing I did was read the entire unfinished manuscript to try and get a feel for Mark's style, where he was going with the story, and how to bring it to some conclusion. I had read only snatches of it before that time and I'm not usually a superhero writer, so I really needed a chance to get the flavor of the story before I could go on. There were a lot of random crime scenes in it that did not seem purposeful, and some big time jags with flashbacks that were hard to make sense of. Lee was busy with a book he was working on so I took it on myself to pull the story Mark had already laid out for us together so that it made sense, and then it had to be continued. That's where it got challenging.

I had no clue what Mark intended for his big climatic scene, because he hadn't gotten that far. But there were some indications that he was going for something big from gangland that had to be stopped. I just had no idea exactly what. Explosives were mentioned, that could be built upon, and nobody in organized crime tolerates a do-gooder interfering with their 'business'. Mark had written in from the beginning that this hero in his real life was a struggling pulp author barely getting by who finds an alien A.I. that grants him certain enhanced abilities. There was a love interest for the main character that while it was rather distracting at times, could be used in a plot to smoke out the Blue Light. I went back and forth with Lee all the time I was working on it. Lee is a big comics fan and he loves mysteries and police procedurals, so his input was invaluable. I ran my ideas past him on almost a daily basis. The hardest thing was giving some reason for all the randomn crimes that Mark had written in. We certainly didn't want to lose Mark's hard work and author style in the process, so we did what we could to incorporate whatever he had written and have it all make sense and be readable. While working together all the way, I think Lee and I managed that aptly.

After weeks of working on the book with Lee's input throughout, I completed a rough draft that I felt good about. It got set aside for a bit before I made a second pass and then turned it over to Lee. When we were both on the same page about the events in the book and how readable it seemed, we sent it off to Airship 27 late last August (2021), and then both of us went on with other projects.

When we got the galleys back a week or so ago as of this writing (we each got a copy), Lee and I worked hard to get them corrected and back in on time. Reading that book over again, seeing the cover, the interior illustrations, and the dedication we wrote inside along with the one the publisher put on the back cover with Mark's picture, I'll admit I teared up more than once. It had been over 6 months months since we turned it in, and while reading it over I was very happy with how seamless it appeared to be. You could not easily tell where Mark left off and we stepped in. I kept thinking how proud he'd be to see his name on that cover that shows his character in an action scene—which by the way was done by AS27 in-house artist and all around setup man Rob Davis. The interior illustrations are awesome too, all done by Colorado based artist Sam A. Salas in a style that really suits the story. Every time I look at this book it makes me proud. How often in life do you get a chance to make someone's dream come true, even post-humously? It was worth every hour we put into it, and believe me there were plenty involved. Still very much a labor of love.

And now you can get your own copy, in Kindle or Paperback by clicking here. There is an inexpensive PDF available at Airship 27's Hangar site as well (scroll down). A book well worth reading to honor a great guy, and one I'd love to see do well for Mark's sake. None of us writers want our hard work to die with us. Let's make this novel a big success in Mark's memory.

In other recent release news, I found out today that my first Jezebel Johnston book, subtitled DEVIL'S HANDMAID, just got released in audio format once again—this time by Radio Archives! When someone believes in your work enough to go back and make their own audio version of the very first of eight current novels, that's absolutely a vote of confidence for the entire series. Right now you can get that 8 hour recording, read by Radio Archives voice artist Roberto Scarlato, for half price. So don't delay, because $7.99 for 8 hours of entertainment in a digital download you can enjoy at home or while out & about is a bargain! Also available on CD. This is the book that started the series, and I'm currently working on novel #9, so here's your chance to start at the beginning with a low cost source of entertainment for those long commutes, beach days, or evenings in the easy chair with the earbuds in. In case you were wondering, this is PG13 with off and on violence and some subtle adult situations, but filled with rollicking pirate adventures in a historical backdrop and as realistic as I can make it. You can find it in either format right here.

Now, what have I been working on? Well besides the 9th Jezebel Johnston pirate tale in progress (no title at this point) I've completed in rough draft the third Silver Pentacle book, which turned out to be a full novel this time. I still need to go over that and title this one, but it is essentially completed. The story went places I wasn't expecting, but that's nothing new. I hear SP #2 is in progress, so I'll let you know when that makes it to print.

I've been trying my hand at writing some horror this year. I've been flirting with that for a while now in certain stories, but this is the first time I've actually settled in to write a story that is 100% horror throughout. It's harder than you'd think, though I've really diversified my writing over the past 10 years or so, moving myself away from mostly epic/heroic fantasy and into other genres like westerns, private eye, children's adventure, Kaiju-type monsters, and of course those historical fiction pirate yarns. I have started a paranormal investigator series of short stories set in the 1950s that are gradually catching on, but true horror has always been something I've wanted to do and have been a bit uneasy about. The trick is much like in writing romance (especially the ever-popular bodice ripper stuff), maintaining the tension throughout without tipping your hand. I've got two in progress right now, one a novella series that I'm not positive that the publisher will take (though another has expressed interest) and a short story aimed at a specific publisher that I've already turned in. That story is more of a horror/gothic noir mashup and it had a fixed setting, so that was quite a bit easier. The novella is coming along, but I've had to pare out some wordy sections that slow it down. You can't afford that sort of slog-through area in a manuscript that is only 35,000-40,000 words long and is supposed to remain gripping throughout. Have to keep the action ramped up. I did write a pseudo horror short that was inspired by a reading group podcast I watched online last Halloween, but I haven't really thought of where to send that yet. So I've not just dipped my big toe in the genre, both my feet are wet now. Just something else to add to my usual repertoire.

I'm also writing another Chandra Smoake short story (the 1950s paranormal investigator) for a specific market that is looking for that sort of thing over the next month or so. They want a pitch and a sample of something else published. I want the story at least done in rough draft before I toss my hat into the ring. I'm trying to broaden my readership by reaching out to companies I have not yet dealt with. The idea is to keep expanding, which does bring new opportunities and makes my writing résumé look better. Anything I can produce has more than one potential sales site, so even if it doesn't make the cut for the intended target, I'll eventually find a home for it.

All this writing certainly keeps me busy, which is a good thing at this stage of my life. For one thing, I am an empty-nester in an all older adult household. Since I'm not employed outside of the home, I have the time and energy to write. Over the last eight years I've become increasingly incompacitated with advanced osteoarthritis and degenerative spine, making it hard for me to get around. I can't stand for more than 15 minutes without pain, and with at least one hip that is bone-on-bone (no cartilage left) and a knee joint below it that is severely damaged, I shamble along with a cane. Housework is tough for me, I can't garden like I used to or walk my dog, and just getting in and out of a vehicle or off a couch or chair is a struggle. I plan on getting some of that repaired with whatever medical science can provide for me, but it's going to be a while yet. I've been gradually bringing my weight down to a level that agrees with artificial joint replacements, but even after losing 77 lbs, I've still got some way to go. And most of those replacements at present have about a 15 year life span, though they are being improved all the time. So timing is everything now that I am about to turn 65.

Plus last fall, I was diagnosed with Stage 3A kidney disease, which forced me to once again, alter my diet rather drastically. In order to keep my kidney function where it is, I had to drastically cut back on all animal protein, including eggs and dairy. I had to add back in copious whole grains and some starchy stuff like potatoes in order to make up the difference in the reduced meat/fish/poultry/egg/cheese portions. The first month was tough since I'd been losing weight on a low carb/high protein keto regimen. As a longtime gardener, I love my veggies and fruit, but you can only eat so much—plus you don't stay full long enough. I can't stomach beans of any kind, they have never agreed with me, so that was out. In the intervening months I have come up with reasonable alternatives and I'm doing fine now; my kidney levels are stable at their current stage (they don't improve, the idea is to stop the damage) and weight is coming off again. But I have become even much more of a label reader than I was before, because sodium and phosphates—both abundant in most factory foods—are the enemy. In fact, I had to give up my prescription for twice daily 500 milligram naproxen that helped control the arthritis pain and stiffness to some degree because that too is sodium based and all that salt filters direcrtly through my already damaged kidneys. The only medication I am allowed now for the pain is time-released Tylenol and the very occasional muscle relaxer (for bad pain nights). So this is very much NOT fun.

So what does that have to do with writing? Well, everything! Writing is something I do well and enjoy immensely. It gives me something to look forward to daily. I can do it sitting down, and it takes my mind off my pain and my worries about what the future holds for me. It can also be squeezed in around other things in my day. I lose a lot of sleep due to chronic pain as well as nightly bathroom visits. The latter is because my kidneys are now much slower working than they used to be, and that end process cannot wait until morning. Thankfully most of my days are spent here at home, writing. That's what gets me up and gives me something positive to focus on. These big life changes don't come easy, so it's good to have something to look forward to accomplishing when I'm not with friends and family.

Which is exactly why I am here writing this post. To get the word out about what I have going on so I can continue writing and having places to publish my work where people will read it. If they'll print them, I'll write them. Keeps me out of trouble and in a better frame of mind.

~Nancy

Happy 2022!

Let's all hope this new year is a grand one, and a big turnaround from the last two. While there are positive things to speak of in any year, Covid 19 has overshadowed most of the good news out there. On the homefront here in rural Eastern Connecticut, new cases are rising at an alarming rate. In my family we are all vaccinated and those who can do so have been boostered. We all wear masks in public and avoid big gatherings. This is how you beat something as pervasive as this virus. We don't want to lose a loved one, or take a chance of infecting someone else. That's not being paranoid, it's being wise and thoughtful of others. That's how I was raised.

Well the big winter holidays are over now, the tree is down, and all the decorations are packed away. Most of the goodies have been eaten, and the gifts are not only unwrapped but unboxed and put to use. So now it's time to settle into the business of writing once more.

I actually got some writing done off and on during the stretch from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. It wasn't a lot, but in past years I've taken that period of time off completely to concentrate on the holidays themselves.  So whatever I got done puts me that much farther ahead starting off this year. 

Complicating the situation just a bit was that fellow writing pal, honorary family member, and all-around good guy Lee Houston Jr. had another open heart surgery (his second in 13 years) back in mid-October to replace a failing artificial heart valve.  Though absolutely necessary, that is a very complex and invasive procedure with a long and painful recovery period. While the surgery went well, there were some speed bumps along the way. He is just now starting to feel like himself again. Lee lives with us and now that I am partially disabled he is a big help to me around the house as well as great company and a fellow writer. So his presence was sorely missed. I did whatever I could to take up the slack as well as keeping his loved ones informed about his progress, but I was often pretty frazzled and not up to doing a whole lot of writing. So that holiday slack-off started kind of early this year. Which all told, was still a very good writing year regardless...

I had planned the week before the big gift-giving holiday (which most of you call Christmas but I tend to stubbornly refer to as Yule because mine is a secular celebration) to get things done in a timely manner. Each day had a purpose, most of it gift wrapping until we got close to the actual day of our family get-together and I needed to at least bake something for my older son's birthday. So I managed to get gifts wrapped for former neighbors, a package sent to a friend, and gift cards out for the mail and paper carriers. That was Monday, and I felt soooo accomplished. Which was good, because I had a mountain of family gifts sitting on my fireplace hearth, waiting to be wrapped. That would give me at least two days for wrapping, another for baking and whatnot, and then Friday our part of the family was getting together at the kids' house. All cut & dried, everything planned out. Then Monday night, having done a late evening email check before bed, I found a galley for my Sinbad novel awaiting my final pass for corrections. That's when the fun started! 😵

Now to be perfectly honest, no one at Airship 27 was even suggesting I needed to get that book gone over and turned back in immediately. This was something I pushed myself to do. I was dying to see that book come out, thinking what a great time this was for a release so that folks can spend their holiday gift cards on some reading material. So Tuesday as soon as I could get to my PC, I sat my butt down in the chair and got to work going over it, which is basically reading the entire novel from end to end, making internal notes about anything that needed changing before it went to print. It's a lengthy process and not one that you can hurry through, and I gave it my full attention for the better part of 7 hours that day, with frequent breaks to rest my eyes and give me a chance to get up and stretch my legs. I got it all done in one fell swoop. That final hour was wrapping up and writing the cover email for when it got sent back. Caught the folks in charge off guard, but yes, it did come out by the holiday, and we were all pretty pleased about that. Great interiors on this one by artist Gary Kato, and a knock-out cover by Ted Hammond. If you enjoy the whole Sinbad mythos as well as the story of the Minotaur of Crete, you're going to love this book. Just rereading it was fascinating, because there were bits along the way I had forgotten. Once a book is done, I move on to the next project, and my mind shifts gears.

Available here folks!

You know, I got all those gifts wrapped the next day, in another marathon session of similar length. This one took place in the living room, with the tree lit and music on the cable holiday station, some of which I could actually sing along to. Oh, I was thinking about writing while I was otherwise occupied, I'd been picking away at Silver Pentacle novel #3 for weeks. But the family holiday comes first. With those gifts wrapped on Wednesday, I was back to having Thursday for baking. Which was what I did, making the Nestle's Tool House Pie my oldest son wanted for his 38th birthday (which was on Thursday the 23rd, but we waited a day to combine things). And then Friday, Christmas Eve, we traveled to their house for take-out Chinese, opening gifts, spending time together, and just being thankful that we're all healthy and safe. Yeah, that's what it's all really about.

The next day was quiet, the married son and his family had to go visit his in-laws, and because the weather was not too nice, my oldest decided to stay home. I made shepherd's pie, an old holiday standby dish for when there was no big gathering. A big pan for my household that lasted a couple days, a smaller one that got delivered and devoured by my two sons. They still enjoy their mom's cooking.

You see, being a writer, I could have just put all this other stuff aside and said, "Oh I'm too busy with my career to keep doing this or that." But being a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, I won't even contemplate that. While I have scaled back the holiday projects I do now, the older I get, the more that I realize how short these years actually are, and how precious the fleeting moments of grace and goodwill have become. I love seeing the smiles and watching the faces light up when memories from the past present themselves once more. This is not a religious holiday for me and mine, but it is a spiritual one in that we long to be together. We talk about the passing years and the people we've loved and lost, and how you must cherish every moment that you have with each other. I have time to write most days, but when it's time for family to gather, even the writing that I love so much has to take a back seat. We have a little wooden sign in our living room here which says: FAMILY FIRST AND FOREMOST. We don't just mouth it—that's how we live.

No worries folks, I will be back at my desk, pounding the keys on Monday January 3rd. It's still what I love most to do with my unoccupied time. With the holidays behind me, it's full speed ahead once more.

Living life to the fullest and writing onward all through it,
~NANCY

Here there be pirates!

 I'm a bit behind on announcing this, but life sometimes gets in the way. 

On November 4th, the 8th Jezebel Johnston book, subtitled REVELATION, was released by Airship 27. Here is the press release for that. 

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTION

Presents

JEZEBEL JOHNSTON Vol 8 - Revelation

Airship 27 is proud to announce the release of the 8^th chapter of writer Nancy Hansen’s pirate queen saga; “Jezebel Johnston – Revelation.” In India, employed by the Maratha Warlord Shivaji, Jezebel Johnston directs the captured ship Mastiff in its battle against a superior British warship and wins the contest. To show his gratitude, Shivaji frees the mulatto pirate and her two friends, dancer Zuri and African warrior Amaka, while granting them whatever they desire. Though her companions only wish for their freedom, Jez request the ship and its captured crew.

Using her learned manipulative skills, she quickly gains the trust of the sailors representing mixed nationality and soon is sailing westward back to the Caribbean and her home in Tortuga. Little does she realize what she will find there and the challenges it pose to her new career as a Pirate Captain. Once again writer Nancy Hansen delivers a taut wonderfully realized story of high adventure with a cast of truly remarkable characters you won’t soon forget.

Award winning Airship 27 Production Art Director Rob Davis provides both the interior illustrations and the dazzling cover of Jezebel in action.

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – PULP FICTION FOR A NEW GENERATION!

(https://www.amazon.com/dp/1953589138/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Jezebel+Johnston+Revelation&qid=1636029078&s=books&sr=1-1)

And take a gander at that gorgeous cover by house artist, Rob Davis. Rob also did all 9 interior illustrations in the book, and believe me, they are top-notch. 

This book has all of the action, adventure, drama, and twists that the rest of the series has, and for now it's the concluding tale of Jez's adventures in the East Indies. She has moved through the other three novels in this part of the series (DANSEUSE paperback & Kindle,  SISTERS OF VENGEANCE, and MASTIFF) from coming into the area as a spy and being abandoned ashore in India and taken prisoner as a slave, to fighting her way to freedom by agreeing to help a local Maratha warlord (Shivaji Bhonsale, a historical figure) capture a treasure barge. Again it is Jez's unique skills as a pirate and her natural charisma, as well as being young woman of color who is always up to a challenge that make her able to pull off the things she does. And she is no Mary Sue, for she often has to fumble her way through a situation, learning as she goes. She's one of the best characters I've ever written, and one that seems to resonate with a lot of people. These books are pure adventure as well, and I don't pull any punches with the gritty, gory details of the pirate life as well as the social, political, and economic backdrop. Even when you're not out on the account, life in these times can be hard and short. Yet the sea offers Jez the freedom to be whomever she wants to be, though she often gets herself into trouble and continually butts heads with convention. These books will not disappoint you if you're looking for a rollicking sea adventure with characters you will learn to admire or despise. One of the things that I have not done with the series is use the archaic Early Modern English language of the era. So you're not going to read through a ton of 'thees' and 'thous', which I would find tedious even as a reader. I do pepper in some foreign words and phrases to give the feeling of the multi-lingual melting pot these early colonial places were. But it's not overdone. Just enough for a bit of flavor.

You know after writing eight of these books, I've settled into historical fiction pretty well for someone who was at one time primarily a fantasy author. It's not that I've left the fantasy behind, I still write plenty of that. I just decided from the beginning that if I was going to write about pirates, I wanted a factual slant without all the bizarre creatures and magical happenings. I'll leave that to the Pirates of the Caribbean series, which I do enjoy watching. I also haven't included a lot of the better know pirates, because they tend to overshadow your own cast. That is why I chose the Age of Buccaneers (roughly the early-mid 1600s) rather than the more commonly known Golden Age (about 1690ish onward into the 1700s). The pirates of this earlier era were less well known but they set the stage for the more ostentatious and over-the-top tales that came later. It's sort of similar to the difference between Mountain Men and Cowboys in the old American West. Everybody knows a cowboy tale, but the mountain men remain sort of a elusive entity, mostly because of their reclusive nature. There is some crossover with the two types of western adventurers, and as I get later into this pirate series, you will see that with the pirates as well. An older and more established Jez will still be active out there as the Golden Age pirates begin to gain notoriety. Her reaction to their rather  too-obvious flamboyant lifestyles will be interesting. I don't do a lot of advance plotting, but I know where I want this series to go, and so I have some vague but pervasive ideas about scenarios for the future.

Starting right after the holidays I will be picking away at Jezebel Johnston Book #9, which will pick up where this one leaves off, back in the Caribbean. I've been ruminating on how to get Jez through the problems she faced at the end of REVELATION, and I'm pretty sure I know what I want to do. The next four books will also have a story arc of their own, it's something I've been setting up all along. I had originally promised Airship 27 head honcho Ron Fortier at least 12 books, but I think I can probably find enough incentive to do 16. That's a healthy size for a series, but Jez and her world have grown on me, and I'd like to see her through to a comfortable ending. While it was rare for pirates to live long enough to retire with the dangers of the lifestyle and the ruggedness of the times they lived in, there have been a few documented to have made it to a reasonable old age. A handful were even reported to retire. We shall see where the muse takes me on this one.

So stay tuned folks, there will be more to come where this story leaves off. I'm far from done with pirating tales. Who knows, even later on, Jez might pop up in the occasional short story. Sometimes it's hard to let go of a good character, they tend to become like family.

Writing onward,

~NANCY

Catching Up Again...

Yeah it's been a while since I've posted here. This has been a busy writing year all around for me, but the second half has been especially lively, with both writing and editing to do. So I thought I'd take some time today to get caught up with things like recent new releases and projects I can talk about.

It's certainly been a productive year, with several projects having been completed and turned in. As mentioned earlier Airship 27 now has both a full length Sinbad the Sailor novel (SINBAD AND THE MINOTAUR) that I worked off and on at over the last couple of years, and they also have the 8th Jezebel Johnston novel, subtitled REVELATION. I wouldn't expect to see those before sometime next year, and that is perfectly fine. A lot depends on artwork getting done because not only does Airship 27 give me great covers, but interior sketch art throughout the books as well. Believe me, that is well worth waiting for. I get a lot of compliments on the interiors especially, since so few books these days have that extra touch. The folks at Airship 27 do have a second Silver Pentacle book of mine somewhere in the queue as well and I've been hard at work on #3, which is close to breaking 25,000 words at this point.

 Also with Airhship 27, co-author Lee Houston Jr. and I were thrilled to turn in the novel that I've been referring to all year as 'the special project'. This is a completion of our late and sadly-missed writer pal Mark Halegua's Blue Light novel project, something Mark was working on over the last couple of years as his health was going downhill. We were fortunate enough to be such trusted friends that this novel start was shared with us, because Mark left us suddenly and with no notice. Mark had asked me first if I could help guide him along, but at the time I was working on the western novel for Wolfpack Press (Fire Of The Black Rose is my book in this novel collection) and it had a hard deadline. I knew I could not give Mark's book the attention it needed, and because it involved a pulp superhero set in the 1930s (Golden Age style for you comics fans) I thought of Lee immediately. Lee is a longtime comics fan who has made the transition in his writing to a pulp prose style, and since Mark was perfectly agreeable with that, he sent it to Lee. Good thing too, because that became the only copy of the unfinished manuscript we had! Lee and I had saved notes from online conversations with Mark, and when we finally got notice that he had passed on, we agreed that we wanted to finish it for him. Airship 27 was all for that, and so after Lee made another formatting pass and some corrections and additions, he sent it to me, and I started going over it about once a week while working on a couple other books. Once my other books got finished, I devoted most of my time to the Blue Light project. Lee and I had numerous behind-the-scenes kibitzing sessions about how to best use what was already there, how to keep Mark's voice in it, and where it had to go to create a satisfying conclusion. I'm not known for superhero fiction, but I'll try to write anything, and with Lee to advise me, we got the story concluded. In fact, I was so enthusiastic along the way, I suggested we leave some wiggle room in there for potential sequels. I think Mark would be thrilled with what happened with his unfinished story, I know Air Chief Ron Fortier was. He thanked us personally and also wrote about it on his Flight Log blog. It's all very much worth reading—partner Rob Davis' models are very cool!—but scroll down to the bottom for Ron's input on this project. The picture of a happy and smiling Mark Halegua tears me up every time I see it. Mark teased me often about my dark chocolate habit, and he kept suggesting that we had to meet somewhere, but traveling has become tough for me so we never did. We stayed in touch on Twitter for quite a few months before his untimely demise, and I still cherish those evening messages back and forth. I feel good that we were able to give him one more bit of legacy to outlive him.

As announced earlier, the 4th Companion Dragons Tales book, LAZLO AT HOME was released back in April. Two more of my books from Pro Se have been released since then. The first of them was another CDT book, the 5th one in the series, titled MYSTICAL, MAGICAL WAXY. This one, released September 1st, is a collection of three short stories featuring rainbow striped Waxy Dragon and her bumbling human sidekick Roger 'Rusty' Rustman (AKA Bubblehead). Lots of fun and puns amid adventures in this one, suitable for all ages. 

Also released on September 5th, THE KEENER EYE is a novel size collection of three short stories featuring contemporary private detective Katherine Mary 'Kate' Keener and her friends and business associates. These stories take place in a mythical town of Rockport in southern Connecticut. Two of them had appeared in various issues of Pro Se Presents Magazine but the third and last one is brand new. This is a real departure for me from my usual fantasy adventure writing, but I got teased into doing it by Pro Se head honcho Tommy Hancock, and I found I had an affinity for the genre. It may take me some time, but I'm far from done telling the stories of Kate, Gwen, Dex, and Andy. I expect to put together another one of these somewhere down the line.

I've done my share of editing this year too. That is something that I do for select friends, who can and will return the favor when I want something gone over. You need to have a special rapport with someone you trust with your brainchild, especially for any in-depth edits. What I do is a combination of line and content editing, looking for the usual errors in typos, grammar, spelling, tense, and redundancies (repetitive words/phrases) along with how the story flows, is there anything in there that loses my attention, do I feel confused, does it have a satisfactory conclusion, etc. So much stuff to wrap your brain around. You'd think I'd be better at finding those problems in my own work, but noooo... 😖 We all get tunnel vision about the words we put on a page and we don't see the problems and inconsistencies. Having a beta reader you can trust is a big help. So is belonging to a supportive author's group where stories can be read aloud and shared, with critiques that are honest and helpful rather than just scathing or a rubber stamp validation. I'm lucky, I've got the best of both worlds, and I'm grateful for those writing pals who go the extra mile on my behalf. So when I'm asked for help, I give whatever I can. I've got like 25 books in print now and at least 15 short stories, and I still don't get everything right! All part of being human, and it keeps you humble.

So what's next? Oh, all sorts of stuff! I always have several projects going. Like I mentioned above, I'm currently working on the third Silver Pentacle book. I'm not sure yet if this one will feature more than one tale like the first two, or if it will be a complete novel unto itself. It feels 'novelish' at this point. We have most of the team collected with just one member outstanding, who gets introduced in this story. It's a matter of bringing everyone together before the end and giving them something important to accomplish in order to build a sense of joint purpose. I am not someone who plots every step out, I start with raw ideas and a general direction and then take it from there. If you write long enough, you learn to trust your instincts and insight.

I also have an unfinished Vagabond Bards tale that has become longer than the small publishers usually want that I'm not sure what to do with. It's not something that can end in a cliffhanger to be continued in another book, I'd like it to stay as one story. When I get back to it, I'll finish it first and then decide what has to be done to get it published. I believe it can stand alone, I just might have to find a new market. We'll see.

Then there is the Tucker T. Bear story I started for my grandkids. That kind of got shoved to the wayside, but I want to get back to that. I need a children's book series that is adventurous but not too scary with easy words for younger readers. I Just wish I could afford an illustrator to work with!

On my 'want to write it' list is a third Chandra Smoake paranormal investigator story and another western. I've got the itch for both right now. Whether those itches get the attention they deserve depends on a lot of things. Right now we're coming up on the holiday season, and that tends to be somewhat distracting. As always, the family comes first, and there are at times things happening behind the scenes that I can't talk about.

You know, outside of my family, writing has been the best thing I've ever done with my life. It might not have been the most lucrative career for me, but it certainly has been the most satisfying work I've ever tried to get paid for. That is not to cast aspersions on my publishers, who I assure you are doing the best they can for me and other authors under the circumstances. But until you have labored for weeks or months on a story or book, honed it to what you hope is perfection, sent it off on a wing and a prayer, and then saw it appear in print—you have no clue what a wonder that is. It's a colossal ego boost to have your name on the cover of something you created by sitting down regularly to put words on a page. It never gets old for me. I love the entire process of writing, even on the most difficult days. This is something I learned from the ground up, but I've no doubt that I was born to do it. It's also something I can work at no matter what my circumstances might be. I may never become what you'd call wealthy through my writing, or lauded as any sort of celebrity, but who cares? My life is richer for having eschewed the rat race of keeping up with the latest 'must-have' and 'should-do' trends and focusing on the sort of life I want for myself. This is the career I built and am still building, one story at a time.

Writing Onward,

~NANCY

So what's going on Nancy?

Well I'm glad I asked! It's been a couple months since I posted anything here, but I have been busy throughout that time. I have been consistent in getting my writing done 4-6 days a week for 4-6 hours in the afternoon most days. Now and then I will boot something up on a day where I had other, non-writing projects going and at least get in a couple more hours. And all that pushing out work has paid off too. I have 3 novels completed this year in rough draft, and I went over a short story I wrote last year in the Chandra Smoake paranormal investigator series and was able to have that turned into to an eager publisher within a few days. Plus I wrote a healrtfelt essay about a late writer friend that is supposed to appear in a fund-raising anthology where the proceeds go to his next of kin.

I've also done some gardening; mostly potted plants that are lining the cement steps and walkway alongside the house, and covering a utility table out in the yard. Plus I try and visit with the adult sons, daughter-in-law, and grandkids at least once a week. Evenings are generally spent in front of the TV with Jeopardy and the Red Sox ballgame, or something else we all enjoy watching. I do belong to an online writer's group that meets once a week in the evening to share our latest creations as well as news, publishing hints, and what's happening in our lives. So yeah, I keep busy in these almost 'Golden Years'. (I'm 64 and proud to admit it.)

I want to focus on the novels here, because they are all longterm projects. That means they require a serious commitment over a far lengthier period of time than the occasional short story I put out. Regardless, I take any writing I do seriously. I have not had any hard deadlines on books this year, but I've been plugging away regularly and I'm farther ahead at this point than I expected to be. Three books that are finished in at least rough draft by the middle of summer is nothing to sneeze at. So let's see what we have...

First done was my latest contribution to the Airship 27 series Sinbad: The New Voyages. This one is a novel titled SINBAD AND THE MINOTAUR. Yes, it's that Minotaur, the one associated with King Minos the First, the labyrinth, and the hero Theseus. This is my third Sinbad tale for the series, the first was a short story in Volume 1, the second a novella in Volume 6. I've kind of had my own story arc going within the series, with the magical etheric devices that were developed from the formula Sinbad found in the first short story I wrote, and which got implanted in the Blue Nymph's figurehead and transported them all to an Ice Age destination in the novella. In this tale, Sinbad & Company are taken to early Minoan Crete and play a part in what happens there with the current sacrifice of innocent Athenian youths to the monster of the labyrinth. I tried very hard to work in as much historical detail of the era as I could find along with the mythology of that time, and it's a pretty interesting tale. Plus it has that bloodhthirsty Cretan mostrosity that is half bull/half man along with the bronze giant Talos, and a cameo by Poseidon, so how can you go wrong? As usual, my longtime love of the Ray Harryhausen animated movies comes through loud and clear in this one. I'm about halfway through my second and final pass, so am hoping to turn this one in soon. This was a story I started back in late 2019, and had to keep setting aside to work on other projects. Finally got it done, and frankly was surprised it turned out to be book length.

Just recently completed in rough draft as well, and also aimed at Airship 27, is the eighth Jezebel Johnston pirate novel, subtitled REVELATION. I don't want to totally spoil it, but in this one Jez finally acquires her own ship and plans on sailing away from the East Indies and back to her Caribbean homneland to continue her pirating. But things don't go quite so smoothly and she finds out that it's far harder to be the one in charge than she expected. Plus there are some surprises along the way, and I also included the exploits of the last folks she had gone a-pirating with. None of the tie-in plots are put into the books randomly or as fillers, for some of these people will cross paths with Jez again farther down the road. A select few will be allies for life. There are at least four more books in this series, and there could be more than that, depending on how well these do. I have been developing some ideas that could expand the series even further. I'll continue writing them as long as they are well received.

Also recently completed was a novel that another dear writer friend had been working on before his untimely passing, a manuscript that co-editor Lee Houston Jr. and I decided to finish for him at the request of the potential publisher. Lee and I had been asked by the original author to go over it and make suggestions, which we did, and then the individual's health began failing and we lost contact. This one was a labor of love for both of us, because as writers, we understand how tough it is to get work done when you have such extenuating circumstances as chronic health issues. I can't talk much about the actual story itself, other than to say it was written as a period piece set in the 1930s with a classic-style pulp hero who gains abilities beyond the average human being. Yet these abilities must be learned and perfected. And there are ruthless enemies of society out there who will stop at nothing to become the dominant organization of this location—with eyes on expansion over time to a far larger territory. The story was over half-finished when we got it, and Lee did a lot of editing work on it before he sent what he had to me. I started at the beginning, initially just rereading it and trying to get a feel for what the original author intended. Yes, this is a bit out of my usual writing wheelhouse, but all well-told tales have a similar working formula, it was just the specific genre that I had to bone up on. As I started to write additional material and researched topics, I found ideas coming to me frequently of how to use what was already there to move the story forward toward a conclusion. For a long time this was a one day a week project, but as I got closer to what was going to be the grand climax of the book, I set everything else aside for several days at a time to focus on it. The day I wrote THE END was an emotional one for me, because I pictured that friend smiling about having the book done at last. I need to make a second pass, and I will do that once at least Sinbad is turned in. Then Lee gets it for a going over. While this book can be a 'one and done' standalone novel, Lee and I have talked about continuing the series if the publisher likes it and thinks that would be viable. My only caveat is that our friend, the original author, gets his name on those covers too, if that is doable. It was his brainchild after all.

Every book or story we have in print is part of our legacy as writers. It is something special to be recognized for having accomplished, something we did outside of the things we must tackle in our everyday life. For me, it's a later life career that I built story by story—by myself, for myself. I might not be getting wealthy with my writing, but I have a whole bunch of stuff that I've created that will hopefully outlive me. It's fiction that entertains and at times uplifts, something I can offer to others when life gets too real. Like last year during the worst of the pandemic and the social-political upheaval. To be able to escape all that online hoopla and the ever-screaming headlines and news bulletins with a good book is a priceless thing. When I was young and times were hard, books were always my go-to antidote for bad or sorrowful days; a way to travel outside my life to places I'd never been. They still are, and I read just about every night before I sleep. How wonderful it has been to have the opportunity to create new and entertaining fiction that can actually reach an audience. That's why I work so hard at writing, I'm paying it forward for all the books I have read that got me through the tough times by giving me somewhere else to be and something else to focus on for a bit. Between those covers were people I would like to have known, places where the good guys can triumph, the bad folks get their due in the end, and the resolution makes some sense after all. My gift back to the world around me now is in those carefully chosen words I put on every page.

Writing ever onward,

~NANCY

The first Silver Pentacle book is now available!

And here it is!

Find it here!

Below is the official press release that gives you a hint of what is going on with this book.  Afterward I'll give you a bit more inside information on what this book and and the rest of the series entails.

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTION

Presents

THE SILVER PENTACLE

Airship 27 Production is thrilled to announce the release of writer Nancy Hansen’s newest fantasy saga.

In the far distant future the Earth has long been abandoned with the majority of mankind traveling to the stars to discover new worlds. Whereas old hatreds continue to fester among those who remain until a global nuclear war lays waste to everything. Hundreds of years later a demigod named Jordyn Orion descends on what remains to discover new human enclaves have sprung up among which are men and women possessing strange, supernatural abilities.

One of these is the young fire-starter Aleta Kalama and together they battle the Angel of Death in the ruins of a once great Metropolis. Later they join forces with a lovely Wind Shaper to take on a merciless sea pirate known as Crazy Katy.

“The old phrase about throwing everything into the mix including the kitchen sink was the reaction I had when reading this book,” reports Airship 27’s Managing Editor Ron Fortier. “Nancy Hansen is a treasure to the New Pulp community and her work is always fresh, exciting and above all else original. ‘Silver Pentacle’ is nothing like her previous works and we are very excited to be bringing it to her legions of readers.”

Master Storyteller Nancy Hansen launches her most imaginative series yet in “The Silver Pentacle.” These are fantastic tales from a time and place lost to the future.

Colorado based artist Guy Davis provides both the interior illustrations and the painted cover, while book design was handled by Art Director Rob Davis.

AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – PULP FICTION FOR A NEW GENERATION!

Available now from Amazon in paperback and Kindle.

This book is actually the first in a series, and it's a collection of two long stories. The premise is that post-apocalyptic Earth has been nearly destroyed by a a series of cataclysmic events. Nuclear warfare over dwindling carbon fuels and the resulting environmental breakdown those battles caused has killed masses and ruined the environemnt, while ongoing mechanized warfare (read that as large, automated hostile units) as well as chemical and biological incursions are still ongoing in some areas. Billions have have suffered and died and what is left of humanity mostly exists in small and scattered mixed groups wherever life can be supported. Lingering radiation has caused both sterility and mutations that have made it hard to repopulate the planet, let alone thrive where so much of the world is a desertlike wasteland and people are relegated to subsistence living. 

Ah, but there are other less technologically-based dangers as well, so this is not simply a story of science and industry gone wrong...

Because of the often sudden and violent exodus of so many souls, the foretold Rapture has occurred, and those who were still true believers have followed their God to whatever paradise was promised. The rest of the lost souls are just sort of bobbing around the Universe as formless energy beings, and their sudden influx has caused rifts in space and time. So all sorts of beasts and beings from the past, as well as monsters and individuals of legends and myth, have begun to appear or reappear on Earth. It's not unusual to come across living examples of Earth's history such as random dinosaurs, lost Roman Legionaires, or megafuana, interspersed with things like dragons, Atlantean merfolk, demons, and cannibalistic underground dwellers. Many levels of technology now exist at once as well, so these stories have everything from advanced war mechs, bio labs, laser or plasma weapons, and thorium powered cargo ships; to ironclads, zeppelins, swords, cannons, catapults, and Tesla coils. Abandoned, bombed-out highrises in coastal regions are flooded or inhabited by predatory sentient beings, and in the war-torn areas there is great trade in scavenging anything that can be resold from ruined machines. Mankind is struggling, but still trying to hang on.

All this activity has drawn the attention of higher vibration 'ascended beings'—most of them former deities or other immortals who see the potential for growing more powerful by mining converts from the humans who are left behind. Not all of them have Earth's best interests at heart. And sent forth to clean up the mess, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are now appearing, for Earth is designated for total annihilation as a lost cause. This is of course something that these angels of destruction relish, for their stock and trade is that of mayhem and death. Earth is now their battlefield as well as their playground. In the meantime the other gods and goddesses have gathered to prevent that, and sides are being taken as the leaders gear up for yet another war—this time for the souls of those left behind. As always, frail humanity, already teetering on the edge of extinction, is caught in the middle. Of the ascended, nobody seems to care if the remainder of what was once Earth's most uniquely intelligent and prolific species pays the ultimate price in another senseless conflict over who gets to rule these now vacated stomping grounds of the most popular god. There is sport to be had and old scores to settle.

Yet one optimistic demigod from the ever meddling Orion clan isn't quite ready to give up on humanity. So he decides to go down and take a look around. He is greatly disturbed by not only how thoroughly the humans destroyed their once beautiful world, but also what he can already see will be happening next. In his travels across the planet he stumbles across the first elementally gifted being that has been engendered in eons. If he can find three more before it's too late, there will be four to face the Horsemen, and with his help five to stand  together and fight, each with his or her own unique ability. Only then will there be a tipping in the balance of powers to thwart the Horsemen, and enough incentive to unite the returning godlings. But it will take a lot of work to reach out, convince, and train each of these four talented individuals how best to use their special gifts for the greater good. Along the way, they must inspire the battered and weary remnants of humanity to stand up once more and fight for their world, which will bring forward other unique individuals who will join in to save Earth from becoming a dead rock in space and humanity from being completely wiped out.

Yeah, nothing simple about these books. So for now, let's just talk about the two stories in Book 1.

TO KINDLE A FIRE introduces our cosmic traveler and humanity's cheerleader, Jordyn Orion. He's currently the last of his line, and having grown bored with immortality, decides that saving Earth would be an interesting diversion. In this story Jordyn finds Aleta Kalama, a young woman who willingly sacrificed herself to a local fire demon to ensure his ongoing protection for her people. Aleta is slowly and painfully ressurected and reanimated many leagues distant, and now she has the ability to project and manipulate fire—if she can get over her terror of the burning and learn to use it. She travels with Jordyn and along the way, finds herself sorely tested in both learning to accept and use her newfound gift while dealing with the memory of her past trauma in acquiring it. But it is a skill that could turn the tide when they stumble over a rebuilt settlement with an ugly secret. On the outskirts lurks an old adversary who has raised a legion of the damned to not only take over the area they are currently residing in, but to subjugate humanity altogether into thralls that will become a source of breeding material for more monsters and sustenance to keep them all alive.

WHERE FAIR WINDS DO BLOW gets Jordyn and Aleta to the Unified Islands, what is left of the UK, for a trip across the Atlantic to North America. While waiting to board, they meet the second elemental being, the Wind Mage Zephirine Merriwether who is working her way across the ocean as the sail settler on the cargo ship they will all be traveling on. The ship's engine runs on thorium, but they use a parasail to pull it along and save fuel, and being able to read and interpret winds for the best placement makes Zephirine a highly valuable asset. She is from a bit more civilized and well-to-do family in a culture where such talents are frowned upon, so is in denial of her abilities. Along the way though she and Aleta become friends, and in the difficult and dangerous situations they find themselves in while at sea, they soon begin to work together. Zephirine is no warrior, but she has to learn to fight or she will surely die like so many others. In finding her courage to face all the death and destruction around her, she too realizes that she has more control over what she can do than she ever thought possible. And now Jordyn Orion has found two of the four elemental beings he needs, and his hope for humanity is growing.

So why the series name THE SILVER PENTACLE? Two reasons really. First of all, there will be five main characters in the series, the four elementally gifted humans, along with Jordyn Orion. They correspond to the five points of a pentacle, which is simply a crisscross star shape held within a ring. There will be a greater significance to it later, on but for now it is a symbol of hope as each point corresponds to a particular 'gift'. Jordyn as the top point and being a demigod means he represnts spirit; that which inspires and motivates us to work for the greater good. Aleta represents the element of fire, Zephirine the element of air. There will also be a water elemental (introduced in the next book, which has already been written and turned in) and an earth elemental (in the 3rd book which I have started and will go back to working on a little later this year). There will be more books in the series after these first three which introduce the team and set the scenario up, for we still have a lot of ground to cover even after all that.

Also with the pentacle idea, each of our elemental beings will have a patron god or goddess who once the skill is mastered and some commitment is made to using it for saving humanity, will offer a silver pentacle medallion that is specifically designed for the wearer. For instance Aleta's has a golden flame backdrop, Zephirine's has wings (she doesn't fly but can at times float while buoyed on a cushion of air). Jordyn's has not been revealed yet, because I don't want to tip my hand there. There's also sort of a treasure hunt ongoing throughout the books, but it's too soon to talk about anything related to that.

I've done a lot of writing over the years, much of it in the last thirty. Of all the things I've written, this series is probably my oddest and most ambitious undertaking. It's quite a mashup of genres. I sure hope you enjoy reading it even half as much as I have writing it. So exciting for me now is seeing it come to life not just in reading format, but with both a fantastic cover and equally amazing interior illustrations by the very talented Mr. Guy Davis. All told, it is a labor of love, and I'm positively thrilled to have it available to readers who want something just a little out of the norm and more than a bit edgy.

You keep reading them and I'll keep writing them,

~NANCY