The adventures of Lucas Harper of Meadowfork continue in this fourth installment of the Chronicles of Osten. Guided by a mysterious prophesy, Lucas and Royland are joined by their fellow journeyman, Sholeena. The three travel in the footsteps of Royland's grandparents to find adventure and intrigue. Can they overcome the machinations of the evil faerie king and the ancient artifact he wields?
Join in the merriment and discover the answer as three unlikely heroes set out to restore peace to the land.
For my latest cover, I again drew inspiration and artistry from the generous offerings available on Pixabay.
The backdrop of a peaceful lake was the work of:
Quang Nguyen vinh.
The pixie on the front cover is a model photographed by: Victoria Borodinova.
Behind her, I placed the wings of a dragonfly supplied by the Austrian photographer, guentherlig.
Chapters: They are as follows:
01. The Sapling
06. The Fox
11. The Verdant Child
02. The Stonemason
07. The Chirurgeon
**. Epilogue
03. The Seeress
08. The Scribe
04. The Trapper
09. The Captain
05. The Homewrecker
10. The Chieftain
Language
As with my prior novels, I try to keep the language and scenes portrayed from becoming too lurid or gratuitous. I would recommend adults preview Bedlam for appropriateness for anyone under the age of about thirteen. I think anyone younger might find the vocabulary challenging in any event.
Twilight Threnody
Those of us familiar with Tolkein's famous trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings" will recall having to suffer through long bouts of his poetry to get to the good stuff. In a similar fashion, my readers usually have to tolerate at least one song during the course of one of my novels. For "Bedlam in the Bog," this song is "Twilight Threnody." It is sung by the Paludas of the village of Nayen to lament the passing of the sun and (hopefully) to invoke the moon's blessing to watch over them until dawn.
(Men)
Sleeee-ep well
Sleeee-ep well
Nightime comes, a time for slumber
setting is the sun
Our sky father takes his rest now
His long journey's done
Stars come OUT to play
Moon climb HIGH!
Shine your gentle rays
governing the sky
Sleeee-ep well
Sleeee-ep well
Do not grieve the father's passing
He will be reborn
When the blackness passes we will
greet him on the morn
Rise moon, CLAIM your place
Queen of night
Show your noble face
Shine your gentle light
(Women)
SHA-DOWS faaaaall
we Greet them With our TUNE
We Im-plore
the blessings of the moon
We the pe-ople PRAY
Safe-Ty For Our den
keep us safe from harm un-TIL
the Dawn May Come A-gain
Sleeee-ep well
Sleeee-ep well
Twilight falls and silence follows
Birdsong hushed and stilled
We must bide until the dawning
promise is fulfilled
Light the VIgil fire
Flames burn High!
Guard us through the night
with its darkened sky
Sleeee-ep well
Sleeee-ep well
suuuuuuuuuun
SHA-DOWS faaaaall
we Greet them With our TUNE
We Im-plore
the blessings of the moon
We the pe-ople PRAY
Safe-Ty For Our den
keep us safe from harm un-TIL
the Dawn May Come A-gain
Sleeee-ep well
Sleeee-ep well
SUUUUUUUUN
And so, good readers, I bid you goodnight. Until next time, happy reading.
We live in such wondrous times. Nowadays, authors can find information relevant to their stories literally with the touch of a finger. I'm old enough to remember the card catalog at the library and some specialized knowledge being tough to come by. But now I can find entire websites dedicated to the most unlikely of topics. Below are some links to various sources I used for inspiration when writing Bedlam and some topics I had to research. Clicking most will launch the material in a new tab or window. I so enjoy learning new things as I write.
