My oldest daughter left for college! Arkansas... an 8-9 hour drive on a good day. My wife and I have definitely fought strange battles with suddenly watery eyes since dropping her off... some kind of strange allergy attack no doubt. From the verdant growth in Arkansas.

We miss you tons, Sienitas!

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A Dragon's Egg and a Full-Circle Moment

Okay, I have to share this—because it's one of the coolest things that’s happened to me as an author.

A couple of weekends ago, my family went to one of those paint-your-own pottery places. My wife and kids picked bowls and plates. I chose… a dragon’s egg. (Of course I did.) I had a reference image on my phone—Elliah and the black dragon’s egg from Secrets of Deara—and I was doing my best to recreate it in glaze.

An employee walked by, noticed the image, and said, “That’s an interesting picture. What is that?”

I told her, “I write fantasy. That’s from one of my books.”

She asked the title. I said, “Mother of Trees is the first book in the series.” She pulled out her phone, started typing… then stopped and looked up.

“I already have that in my wish list,” she said. “Someone just recommended it to me yesterday. He’s going to be so jealous I met you.”

I probably grinned like an idiot. But moments like that don’t come around often. And hey, if you’re the mysterious recommender—thank you. You made my week.

Shepherds Update

Still creeping forward on Shepherds of Truth. I think I managed a mere chapter-and-a-half since the last newsletter. Admittedly, we had a lot going on with my oldest heading off to college, but it seems like there's always something that needs my attention. I cranked through Secrets of Deara a lot faster during the time I was between jobs. Stupid bills! But progress is still better than the opposite... congress? (my apologies to the plethora of congresspeople who undoubtedly read this)

Anyway, like I said, moving forward. Albeit slowly.

All books by Steven J. Morris

Indie Author Showcase

Oss'Stera: An Epic Fantasy

by Ross Hightower & Deb Heim

“An epic fantasy delight that reads like a standalone. The authors deliver a plot like Sanderson's Mistborn and romantic matchmaking mischief like Marillier's The Harp of Kings.” –Cam Torrens, author of the Tyler Zahn series

In a world where art can be an act of political rebellion, Alar leads the rag-tag rebel group Oss'stera against the Vollen Empire bent on repressing the Alle'oss people. Finding themselves in the center of high stakes political maneuvering, Alar and fellow rebels Scilla and Ukrit hatch a daring scheme—infiltrate an elite art event and escape with a lord's treasure. Will their resourcefulness and Alar's ability as a realm walker be enough to bankroll their dream of overcoming the Empire's oppression? Or will they be exposed as insurgents and sent to certain death?

Oss'stera is a tale of strategy and survival, where personal ambitions and political machinations intertwine. With a richly constructed world and complex characters, readers are invited into a realm where the fight for freedom is as much about the heart as it is about the sword, where artistic expression becomes a powerful symbol of resistance and identity.

Quick Study

a Federal Paranormal Activities Agency Preque

by Katherine Kim

Caroline Peters had never skipped class before...

hiding out in the dusty museum seemed like such a good idea a the time...

but now she's locked in a basement prison cell with a man who claims to be a vampire.

When she woke up that morning, Caroline's biggest concern was passing her AP English test in a few weeks and dodging the mean girls who seemed to delight in picking on her. After a particularly brutal attack from the Mean Queen Maureen herself, Caroline decided that enough was enough and skipped her next class. Unfortunately, that was the day that the usually deserted local history museum was invaded by a group of mercenary thieves who kidnap the only witness.

Now, Caroline's locked in a room with a guy who looks like he got on the wrong side of a biker gang and says he's a government agent and claims that Caroline is actually the only human in the entire building. Elves and mages Caroline knew about, but Darien Webb says he's not an elf, either, but something potentially much more dangerous. He's a badly injured vampire and she's just a senior in high school, but they're each other's best hope for getting out in one piece.

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May you get lost this week in another world.