Somehow, despite pandemic malaise and wildfires’ haze, the authors at Emerald Cove Press are making steady progress on the next two anthologies. (And, all joking aside, I think I can speak for all of us at Emerald Cove when I say our hearts go out to those affected by the pandemic and the recent fires.)

Of the two upcoming projects, the one most likely to see publication first is the next themed anthology: Haunted! John and I have finished our contribution: The Ghost in the Mines and are eagerly awaiting feedback from the critique group. Like our short stories in the previous themed anthologies, The Ghost in the Mines is a light-hearted fantasy tale set in the Five Lands of Arbel. It takes place concurrently with the events in Lord Larrin’s Trophy, but in a different land, so there won’t be any cross-over characters. The story chronicles the adventures of a Junior Inspector of Structural Supports, Department of Walls and Columns, Division of Mine Safety, Royal Bureau of Mining (try repeating that fast three times) and what that unsuspecting inspector discovers deep below the ground.

The anthology probably won’t be ready for publication by Halloween (which is too bad, given the theme), but there’s a good possibility it will be out in time for Christmas.

The second upcoming anthology is a bit different from the themed books. For the first time, Emerald Cove is assembling a “shared universe” anthology, in which all the authors’ short stories take place in the same fantasy setting with many overlapping characters.

The fantasy setting is modern day San Diego County. While I freely admit that America’s Finest City has a magical, fantasy quality even on the most mundane days, the Emerald Cove anthology will add an interesting fantasy twist to our beloved urban setting. The book will also feature beautiful Sue Dawe artwork — I may post some of Sue’s preliminary sketches (with her permission) closer to the publication date.

As I mentioned in a prior post, I am still mulling over what to do with my twenty-five year old novel Feast of Five Crowns. I am currently reviewing the manuscript to see what can be savaged and how much will need total rewriting.

In the meantime, John and I have started work on a new fantasy novel. It is based on a premise that I have been playing with for a while, and is set in a universe unrelated to the fantasy settings of our prior stories. We’re still in “world-building” stage at the moment, so I can’t give too many details, but I’ve had fun working on it so far. We’ll see where it goes.

I hope you all have a great week!

Susan 9/18/20