We’re home from our visit to Florida, and settling back into the rhythm of life in Virginia. Our short stay down south was an intense combination of writing, editing, and house maintenance (the southern coastal climate can be pretty rough on 100-year-old siding).
That being said, we did have some fun on the trip visiting with family and friends, and every time we visit a different place in the world, I’m reminded of my love for adventure; seeing new things or old things in new ways, like these mangrove tunnels that I would be perfectly happy getting lost in forever (yes, that’s me in the goofy hat).
While we’ll certainly miss our friends and the beautiful water of Florida, the mountains of central Virginia are great fantasy fodder. Every time we visit them, I see something I’ve never seen before, and often, it could fit just as easily on Taeurn as it does Earth (see attached image of what I can only imagine to be some kind of wandering sea coral who lost its way).
The Blue Ridge Mountains (about a thirty-minute drive from where we live and home of pictured wandering coral), have helped shape my conception of the Green Mountains in central Taeurn, old and rolling and thick with forest with dramatic waterfalls and tumbling streams cutting through the passes and gaps. This is heaven on Earth for me and each time the wife and I make a trip up to the peaks and folds I find myself wanting to wander on past the end of the marked trail until nature or time takes me. It’s always a heartbreak getting back in the car to come home.
And that, more than anything else, is my goal for the series, to give you a place you look forward to visiting, a place you feel like getting lost in and are sad to leave–a world you don’t want to return from.
I’d love to hear if that’s been your experience with the books. Have you found them a place to escape and if so, what has been the most important element of that for you? What stirs you and invites you further in? And let me know if the story hasn’t done that for you as well. Has something pushed you away or made it hard for you to escape into the world, story, or characters? I work on my craft every day and i’m always looking for ways to improve the experience of reading my books. Feel free to reach out anytime: shawn@shawnadresslerauthor.com
As always, you can visit that world by clicking the links below. The entire series is available for free in Kindle Unlimited or for purchase, individually.
