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Dead of Night Is Now Available!
Keep your word? Avoid a war? Save your your neck? Rune can do it all. And the only thing it may cost him is his soul. Things get dark in the second installment of the Caretaker Trilogy, but it’s still fun, smart, and uplifting contemporary fantasy. I hope you’ll like it!
You can find Dead of Night in all the places:
BOOKSHOP (paperback) | BOOKSHOP (ebook)
AMAZON (paperback) | KINDLE | B&N | NOOK
Design Notes: Magic and Neurodivergence
I mentioned a while back that magic in the Caretaker Trilogy takes a toll on a person’s free will. The more powerful the magic, or the more frequently it is used, the less freedom the user has.
I came to realize after the fact that at least some of this toll takes the form of tendencies that might be seen as in some way neurodivergent. This realization came through conversations with my neurodivergent daughter about her own experiences and those of her ND friends.
I remember explaining to her that, the more magic Rune uses, the more detached and flighty he becomes. He’ll either become hyper-focused on something or get quickly bored and move on to someone else.
“Oh,” she said. “Like ADHD.”
I think my verbatim response was, “… Yeah.” Then, pressing my luck, I explained that when Rune’s sidekick Brack uses too much magic, he becomes overly controlling, needed everything to be just so.
“So, OCD,” dear daughter said.
I promise you, I had no intention of going down this rabbit hole. I had already worked out most of these effects based on classical alchemy, both Eastern and Western, and how it associated the classical elements with certain traits of temperament. (A lot of my early worldbuilding was based on a nice popular article on the five elements in Chinese acupuncture) But not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I’m grateful dear daughter suggested this further line of reflection.
So, if you want to keep score, here are how the various classical elements affect someone who dives too deeply into them:
- Air: ADD/ADHD. Inability to regulate focus.
- Earth: Depression. Loss of passion, failing to see the point.
- Fire: Mania. Restlessly move from one thing to another.
- Metal: OCD. Control every variable to the nth degree.
- Water: Bipolar. Strong, unpredictable emotional ebbs and flows.
- Wood: BPD. Emotionally reactive, prone to rage and aggressive outbursts.
Most of this will never see print, but some of it does in Dead of Night.
The night gets darker on July 1.
Interview with Lilah
[I wasn’t sure I could arrange an interview with Lilah, and I wasn’t sure I could go through with it when things came together. Thanks to my connections in the religious community, I was able to arrange for us to meet in a small church that I prefer not to name. Suffice it to say their lovely sanctuary is adorned with several ornate crosses and other religious symbols.]
DP: Thank you for your time. This shouldn’t take long.
L: I don’t suppose it will. You’re nervous, aren’t you? I can tell.
DP: What? No… Just…
L: <smirks> It’s all right. You don’t have to pretend; I know the signs. You set this meeting up at a nice neutral location so you wouldn’t have to invite me into your house. Plus, what’s that around your neck. A cross?
DP: …I mean…
L: Crosses don’t work on me. Or dharma wheels or stars of David or anything else, for that matter. We don’t all get our panties in a wad over the Powers that Be.
DP: <internally crestfallen> Uh… Good to know.
L: You can’t believe everything you see in the movies.
DP: I never do. I understand you’re leaving on a trip soon?
L: <nods> To Louisville. But it’s for business, not pleasure. Some unfinished business I need to handle.
DP: Have you been to Louisville before?
L: Once or twice. The baron and I have crossed paths.
DP: The barron?
L: “Baron” is wishful thinking, if you ask me. A pretentious little man trying to herd cats, and he calls himself a baron. <scoffs> Vampires. A guy reads one too many Sookie Stackhouse mysteries and he thinks he’s royalty.
DP: I take it that’s not the way it works?
L: I’ve got to admit, it’s not too far off. You can call yourself whatever you want. You just have to have the strength to back it up…and you’d better hope nobody stronger is waiting in the wings.
DP: I understand there are varieties of…of…
L: You can say it. Some of my people find the word offensive; I don’t.
DP: Varieties of vampires.
L: See, that didn’t hurt, did it?
DP: <takes a deep breath> Your…people, they originated in the classical world, didn’t they?
L: In our most recent incarnation. Before that, it was ancient Babylonia. There’s always a market for vengeful women, it seems. “Hell hath no fury” and all of that.
DP: Yes, I’ve read a little of your history. Do you mind if we talk about that?
L: Why should I mind?
DP: Well, you… That is to say…
L: My fiancée was sleeping with my best friend behind my back. Is that what you’re so carefully trying not to say?
DP: I know it’s…a delicate topic for you.
L: <eyes smouldering> It was. At first. I can’t let it get in the way of my purpose in life. Or unlife? It’s complicated.
DP: Your purpose in life?
L: I am a cautionary tale, Mr. Pursiful. A living, breathing cautionary tale. As old as Lilith. You know the story, I presume?
DP: Of course. The spurned woman who takes out her vengeance on the man who jilted here. As you say, it’s a common trope in mythology.
L: You’ll find that I am no myth, Mr. Pursiful. Whenever women cry out for vengeance, I’m there. I or one of my sisters. Do you know how many women endured the shame of infidelity, the indignities of oppression? Do you know how many have mourned their husbands’ and sons’ sham imprisonments? Lynchings? <smiles> Nothing changes. Rachel is still weeping for her children. And vengeance is a bull market.
DP: And you’re in it for…what? Money?
L: Sometimes. As it turns out, houses cost money. But I much prefer pro bono work. So fulfilling! It makes me feel all tingly inside.
DP: <shudders>
L: Are we through here? I’m supposed to clear a domestic abuse case later tonight.
DP: Yes, I think that’s all. Uh, thanks again for your time.
L: Of course. <smiles, bats eyes> Sleep tight.
Lilah meets Rune in Dead of Night, and you’ll just have to see for yourself what happens next.
The night gets darker on July 1.
Interview with H. Brackwater
[Mr. Brackwater prefers to go by Brack. I’m not sure if he doesn’t like his given name or if he’s just a little paranoid about revealing his true name to strangers. Whatever the case, he was kind enough to visit with me and share a little about his life.]
DP: Thank you for meeting with me. I understand you first met your wife because of an argument?
HB: That’s right.
DP: Do you remember what it was about?
HB: Yes.
DP: Would you like to tell me?
HB: No.
DP: …
HB: …
DP: I just thought—
HB: It’s between me and Thora. What’s your next question?
DP: Uh. You traveled a good deal when you were younger. What was that like?
HB: Really good. Those were really good times. My father was a gearsmith, you know. He’d go wherever there was work: Arland, Iwashe, Cài Penlly. All up and down the Mother of Rivers. And every place is a little different, you know?
DP: What’s one lesson you learned in your travels?
HB: I guess you gotta do right by people, no matter who they are or where they’re from.
DP: Treat them the way you’d want to be treated.
HB: <nods> All coins are struck from silver.
DP: Is that a dwarfish expression?
HB: You ain’t never heard that? Yeah. It means, no matter who you are, you’re the same as everybody else. We all got the same needs, right? I’m a businessman. If you’re my customer, I don’t look at your size or the shape of your ears. I treat you just the same as everybody else.
DP: Not everybody thinks that way. I understand there are some who get nervous about having a metal-weaver around.
HB: <sigh> Yeah, that’s true too. Probably a lot of why we moved around so much when I was a kid.
DP: Could you explain that a little bit?
HB: Folks don’t always know what do to with what’s different. I bet it’s the same on your side of the Mere, too. You see, iron and magic don’t always get along. Your people used to carry around iron nails in their pockets to keep my kind of people from bothering them. And it can work, too, if you know what you’re doing. Iron sets up…you might call it a field. Keeps magic from being too, well, magical.
DP: I see.
HB: Most folks where I’m from won’t even touch the stuff. They say makes ‘em feel empty inside. Like they ain’t even connected to their chaos anymore.
DP: Their chaos is the source of their magic?
HB: That’s right. So somebody like me, who can work with iron all day long? Pfft. I can see most folks would think that’s kind of freaky. Scary even. It ain’t right. I’ll call ‘em on it, too. But I guess I can see their point of view.
DP: Is that important? To see other people’s point of view?
HB: You want to walk around in my work boots for a day? <chuckles> You want me to try on those shoes you’re wearing? ‘Course it’s important.
DP: Because all coins are struck from silver.
HB: Damn right.
DP: So now you live in Goblintown. You’ve raised a family there. How do the people there treat you?
HB: They’re all right. Of course, Thora knows a little about healing magic, and nobody complains about having a healer around. And she ain’t a metal-weaver, anyway. She weaves earth, same as my oldest son, Laurin. Now Duren—he’s the middle one—he’s gonna be a metal-weaver like his old man, but he’s still young.
DP: And your daughter?
HB: Ulfa’s bound to take after her momma, but she’s got some growing to do first. No, the Goblintowners are all right. Goblins don’t think twice about welcoming strays—if there’s something in it for them! And like I said, everybody needs metal fittings and tools and cranks and whatnot.
DP: You serve a purpose.
HB: And it feels good to be useful. It’s no good just taking up space. You gotta do something, you know?
DP: You’ve lived in bigger towns, places with a lot to offer. Do you regret ending up in a little, out-of-the-way place like Goblintown?
HB: Big is overrated. Any place can be home if you let it. Goblintown’s my home. I expect it always will be.
DP: And when there’s a problem?
HB: I’ll be there, doing what I can do.
DP: You mentioned your children. What do you hope for their future?
HB: Same as everybody, I guess. I want them to grow up to do the right thing. To make me and Thora proud. One of these days to make their own kids proud. Did you know my oldest just got married? <chuckles> Found himself a trollish girl, of all things!
DP: Congratulations.
HB: By the Seven, I’m gonna be a grandpa before too long! Can you believe it? But I want those grandkids to know their parents were strong. That’s what I want for my children. I want their own kids to grow up knowing they never gave in, were never untrue to themselves. <sniff> I want ‘em to hear their kids say, “That’s my daddy!” “That’s my mommy!” and swell up with pride ‘cause they’re a hero to their children, you know? ‘Cause when I hear my own kids say that? Boy, there ain’t no better feeling in the world. So that’s my hope for them.
DP: Yes, that’s, uh… That should be enough. <sniff> Thank you once again for your time.
You can learn more about Brack and his family in Dead of Night.
The night gets darker on July 1.
Science Marches On—But It Didn’t Step on Me (Yet)
In the Caretaker Trilogy, I have played with the conceit that the dwarves and trolls of world mythology are hominins from a parallel human lineage: Neanderthals, Denisovan hominins, etc. I’ve previously commented on how the prehistoric world has taken on a decidedly “Tolkienesque” tone in recent research. If anything, things are getting even more complex.
So I’ve been excited to learn that a recent scientific study has identified DNA from the Chinese Harbin skull, generally dubbed Homo longi or “Dragon Man” (from the Dragon River where it was found), as a Denisovan. Here is a nice, accessible summary:
What this means is that the Denisovans, formerly only known from a mandible, a finger bone, and a few other tiny fragments, now has a more or less complete skull and even a face.
I have always been careful in my behind-the-scenes resource documents to describe dwarves and trolls as “derived” species or “chronospecies”—not exactly what anthropologists are digging up from the earth, but close enough that I can draw on scientific findings to add flavor and detail. And now I’m glad I did, because this new finding doesn’t introduce any scientific gaffes into the Caretaker Trilogy. Nothing I have written about the physical appearance of trolls, the kindred that I’m basing on Denisovans, is suddenly flatly wrong because of the new information.
This is fascinating! And it doesn’t make me look uninformed to readers in the future! (Yes, I know, that’s an awfully selfish take on this major advance in the understanding of human evolution. But it is what it is.)
Anyway, you can read more about trolls and their cousins in Dead of Night, the second book in the Caretaker Trilogy, which is soon to be released.
The night gets darker on July 1.
PS: Isn’t “Dragon Man” a cool name?
Dead of Night: What’s It All About?
Dead of Night, the second book in the Caretaker Trilogy, debuts on July 1. In the first book, Rune, a defector from Faeryland trying to make a new life on Main Street USA, finds himself in a mess when his old life comes back to bite him. In book two, the threats originate in the supernatural underbelly of what, for lack of a better term, we’ll call the “Real World.” That is to say, he doesn’t have to battle elves, trolls, or other faery creatures. Rather, he has to battle monsters that he grew up believing were only myths, monsters that can only exist among humans, whose overly-complicated souls sometimes splinter and create unspeakable horrors.
But the real threat is more internal and affects nearly every important character in the novel. It is the threat of failing to forgive.
Some of the monsters in Dead of Night are literal vengeance demons. Their anger and thirst for revenge fuel an unnatural life (or unlife) constantly lashing out at those who have offended them. Some characters have been wronged and have to decide whether—and how—to forgive someone who has hurt them.
What about Rune? Well, if you know how he feels about his past, maybe you can figure whom he needs to find a way to forgive.
Some of these characters rise to the challenge. Others are doomed to pursue vengeance until it destroys them.
I hope you enjoy their stories.
The night gets darker on July 1.
Design Notes: Building a Better Vampire
Properly speaking, vampires are a phenomenon of Eastern European folklore. But there are lots of other creatures that some writers want to shoehorn into the “vampire” template.
It’s me. I’m “some writers.”
In my defense, I actually started Dead of Night with some of these other creatures in mind. I just realized that “vampire” was a handy, if not entirely accurate, shorthand to group all these creatures into some kind of whole.
What that means is that “vampires” in my story world display great diversity, and the ones that take center stage are not entirely what anybody thinks of when they hear that word. These are creatures that have been described as vampires, vampire-like, an inspiration for later tales of vampires, etc. They exist somewhere in the murky territory between ghost and demon. Though they do, in fact, prey on mortals, they are more often motivated by vengeance than by hunger.
All this to say that, in terms of the story, “vampire” should be taken in its broadest, most generic sense. A vampire is any human-shaped, demonic, cannibalistic monster. It doesn’t have to be undead. It doesn’t even have to drink blood. What it does have to do is terrorize the living.
Some of these creatures are essentially malevolent ghosts who didn’t receive the proper burial rites. Others play into all the ancient tropes of scorned women who’ve turned into monsters to prey on unfaithful men. Others still are grim revenants from the northlands who terrorize the countryside, often accompanied by packs of vicious dogs and can grow to giant size. And, of course, there are the “classic” vampires from the Balkan region.
All of these nightmares make an appearance in Dead of Night. I hope you’ll read it and tell me your favorite!
The night gets darker on July 1, but you can pre-order today from Bookshop (paperback or ebook) or Amazon (ebook).
Dead of Night Is Coming!
Dead of Night is the second book in the Caretaker Trilogy. It will be available on July 1 at all the usual places.
What is Dead of Night about?
Dead of Night is the next chapter in the story of Rune, a defector from Faeryland who’s just trying to get by on Main Street USA. In Shadow of the King, Rune’s troubles followed him from the faery realm. Now, the problem is home-grown: a supernatural threat that he has never faced before lurking in the shadows of this world.
You’re being kind of vague.
Fine. It’s vampires. Rune is going up against vampires.
You mean like Dracula or Lestat?
Among others. There are many different creatures in world mythology that we might call “vampire-adjacent.” They maintain a grotesque existence by feeding off the blood, breath, or life-force of the living. Some of them are animated corpses. Others are demonic entities that refuse to die. I’ve packed a bunch of them into Dead of Night, so maybe you’ll find one you like.
But none of them sparkle.
Are any of them sexy?
Your mileage may vary.
The night gets darker on July 1, but you can pre-order today from Bookshop (paperback or ebook) or Amazon (ebook).
So…
July 1 sound good to you?
Dead of Night Coming This Summer
This summer the night gets darker.
Darrell J. Pursiful 