I took an extra day off this past week to ‘finish’ the prequel to the Rython series. Although, the manuscript has ‘the end’ on it, this is the start of the editing and revising stage. However, it is always a great sense of achievement to get a story completed.
I hope that my readers will enjoy this part of the Rython series, which is now officially a trilogy. When I first wrote The Rython Kingdom, I had no intention of continuing the story of a traveling troubadour in medieval England. But as we all know we should ‘never say never’, and with numerous requests from readers for more story, I, of course, obliged and Rython Legacy was born. It follows the granddaughter of the first sorceress on her own journey and how she vanquishes an evil.
The idea of a prequel telling the story of the evil witch came to me unexpectedly, but then became an insistent ear worm, so to speak. So much so, I abandoned the final book in my crime trilogy, to quieten the voices. Of course, I will get back to that project once this prequel is published, sometime in the fall/autumn. I had so much fun tracing Malgraf’s character and the darkness within her soul. Watch this space for more on Malgraf’s Dawning in the months to come.
As for my current reading, I am 3/4 through The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler, which I am really enjoying and am also reading a short story collection called Insomnia by Kelly Covic.
This week’s literary birthday is: 2/22 – Edward Gorey – he wrote more than 100 books. (That is an exception number!) He was also a talented artist and illustrator.
For any book lover, a library is the ultimate place to visit and enjoy. Filled with a fantastic array of books in every genre possible, we can browse to our hearts delight.
So today, we celebrate Library Lover’s Day, which falls on February 14, and is dedicated to book lovers across the globe. The day honors libraries, librarians, book lovers, and lovers of libraries. A celebration of the enduring relationship between our communities and libraries, and more importantly to remind decision makers how loved and cherished libraries are by the entire community. Not everyone receives flowers on Valentine’s Day, but everyone is welcome at their library to receive the gift of a book, a story, an escape.
I am extremely fortunate to have the most beautiful library in my community, Strathcona County library is modern, light, functional and a vital part of the locality.
Not only do I frequent for checking out books, but my own books are display on the Emerging & Local Authors shelves and I host my writing groups monthly meeting there too. It is certainly a hub for me and many locals too.
The solitary rumble of a motorbike engine echoed along the back alley, the bright headlight chasing the jet-black night into the shadows. A sliver of a moon gave no illumination, so darkness enveloped the alley the instant the bike passed. Gravel crunched under the vehicle’s wheels, and exhaust fumes were added to the garbage bin aroma. The night air blew a chill breeze along the alley’s length blowing and spiraling detritus.
Dressed all in black leather accessorized with silver studs and chains, the rider was muscled and bearded. Large hands gripped the handlebars, tattoos across each finger and wrist. The jacket hid many more inked designs all over his body but bore the emblem of the gang’s name. His hacking smokers cough broke the midnight stillness and he spat on the ground. Another night of drinking and perceived nuisance under his belt, he smiled. His bike gang had a reputation and did everything they could to uphold it. Tonight, was no different. A brawl ended in a trashed downtown bar, with bottles smashed, knives drawn, and blood splattered on the floor. His compatriots made a hasty exit riding in a different directions to avoid capture once sirens were heard.
He switched off the motorcycle engine and silence descended in the alley, a low rumble of traffic on the highway across the hill the only sound. There were no lights on in the houses backing onto the alley, but he knew a few eyes were watching him. His neighbours were too scared to approach him, his attire and appearance deterring any interference or conversation. As he pushed the bike into a dilapidated garage a mewing sound to his right made him stop. It was too dark to see where the source of the sound came from, and from what. Flicking a light switch the garage flooded with light making him squint and blink. One his eyes adjusted he looked round the cluttered garage, full of bike parts, beer cans, posters and scattered tools. Standing still he waited for another sound and didn’t have to wait long. Another stronger mewing sound allowed him to focus on a direction. He crouched down, peering into the shadows and lifting garbage and spare bike parts to one side. Two wide blue eyes peered back at him from under a discarded pizza box.
Holding out one hand, the man coaxed the little creature from it’s hiding place. A bundle of dirty cobweb covered black fur crept toward him. The kitten fit in the palm of the man’s hand, where it could easily be crushed in a second with little effort. Cupping his hand, the man lifted the kitten up toward his face. They contemplated each other for a moment – giant and miniature. The kitten mewed again and tipped its head to one side. The man’s grin revealed broken teeth and a gold filling.
“Where did you come from, you little runt?”
With no answer, the man closed the garage door, grabbed his keys and walked through a doorway into a patch of brown dirt. A fire pit with old deck chairs surrounding it and more discarded beer cans and bottles littered the area. No grass could survive the scuffles, play fighting and urinating of the gang’s party nights. Unlocking a door, the man carried the kitten into a dim and untidy kitchen. Take out cartons and boxes were on every surface along with more alcohol containers, some full, others empty or half full. The room’s aroma was of stale beer, sweat and something indiscernible. Swiping his arm across the table, the man placed the kitten down and pulled open the fridge door. The interior light pierced the dimness showing dust and dirt on every surface. Pushing items aside the man found a carton containing chicken and pulled it apart before placing it in front of the animal. It sniffed, licked and then ate the offered morsel. Then looked up for more.
“Hungry then eh? Here have some more.”
Guileless eyes watched the man place more shredded chicken on the table, and once again it was eaten with relish.
“Now, what do I do with you?”
The kitten brushed up against the man’s hairy knuckles and mewed as he placed a dish of water beside the kitten. He watched as it lapped the liquid, then used its paws to wash its face.
“Now, that’s darn cute – shit what am I doing?”
Unable to put the small creature back out in the alleyway to fend for itself, the man took it to bed with him, where it curled up against his tattooed neck, began to purr and slowly fell asleep. That night both lives changed – a safe haven for the kitten and a softness entering the man’s brutish heart.
As writers and bloggers, we are interested in knowing where are followers hail from. You will see on my blog there is a flag counter on the side bar. This enables me to see where my blog is read. There are also several other options on the site, that allow me to know the number of visits per country, and how many visitors from each.
For example, in 2022 – 206 different countries have visited my site
Why should we track our blog readers?
1. Understand Your Visitors Better
Tracking blog traffic sources can help you figure out where your visitors are coming from and which platforms, they use so you can learn more about them and send them targeted messages.
2. You Can Measure Your Market Campaigns
If the goal of a campaign is to generate traffic, you can track the different traffic sources to see how effective it is.
3. For Best Results, Concentrate on Channels
You can improve your results by concentrating more on the channel that brought the most traffic to your blog.
4. Topics for New Content
People from various channels may be interested in different topics, so reviewing your traffic sources for each blog will help you come up with new content ideas.
5. Identify Traffic Gap
You can look for channels that aren’t performing well and can optimize them.
As we come to the close of the year – 2022 – I would like to know what you would like to see on this blog in 2023. I can keep the same regularly themed twice weekly posts, or do something completely different. I am always looking to engage readers and writers alike in my blog community.
Shall I continue with Bibliophile Collective Tuesday’s and Wordsmith Collective Thursday’s or change it up?
What do you want to see, read, interact about?
Is there something I have not covered or included you wish I did?
Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers 