It is the end of 2020! The less said about that the better on most counts.

What is happening? I’m finalising the copyedits of GAUNTLET book 1 before it goes to formatters/printers, hoping to catch any wee mistakes in continuity etc. This has been great as I am deep in the first draft of book 2, a nice reminder of open threads and pertinent details. I’m out in Algiers, where COVID-19 has led to some strong restrictions- we are all living under a 8pm-5am curfew, which curtails the fun a wee bit. Some big storms have been blowing through, but the oranges on the tree outside are ripe and the view across the mediteranean sea is beautiful as ever.

2021 is going to be a big year for me, mainly centered around the launch of GAUNTLET, the delivery of book 2 to my publishers at Aries, and hopefully getting some time hiking in. Last year i was meant to spend 6 months hiking inthe woods and ended up only doing a few weeks, so this year I’m aiming for at least a few weeks and we will see where we land. The Kungsleden trail in Sweden is currently high on my list, 273 miles through arctic wilderness where elk, bears, and wolves still roam.

I got some runestones as a christmas present- a lot of the magic system in GAUNTLET is about pattern, and how patterns call to patterns beyond themselves. I used the elder futharc rune system as a model for the alphabet used by the Ferron/Undal mages, but as with all languages it is inherently limited. The magic an Undal mage might conjure with a rune may be equally conjured by a mage from elsewhere by use of an image, an incantation, or a gesture. However, four patterns are linked to forces far beyond any mere human mage: ᛉᚷᛏᚫ.

These are the marks of the JUDGES.

I can’t wait for you to meet them.