Introducing Either One’s Devoted Grandmother – Available Now!

It’s somewhat ironic that we’ve reached the final stretch of the Everyone’s Child series. Because I only feel like I’ve really connected with this series during the last two installments. You could say, this one took some time to warm up.

It could be because I pulled this project from so deep in the depths of my archives when I started working on it that all my original thoughts had long since cooled. It could also be because this series is just so different from everything else I’m working on right now. I haven’t done a lot of medieval-style fantasy of late. And when I do, it usually involves familiar characters.

I also think my writing style transformed a bit around the time I started this series. And on top of that, I tried some new things I hadn’t really done elsewhere. All of these combined for a rocky start. Though I’m pleased to say I’ve grown quite attached to this world and its characters.

I’m not sure I’m ready to say goodbye.

Luckily, we still have a little while before I’ll have to – and I’m grateful for that. Especially since I have a lot of interesting things I can easily share about this particular installment of Everyone’s Child to whet your appetite for more!

The Subject Matter Has Evolved

When I first started Everyone’s Child, the primary focus was exploration. Elayith’s quest required her to seek the hidden spaces of the world, and I used that journey to introduce the world she lives in to the reader.

I admit that I was inspired by Time Team around the time I started working on this series. Archeology isn’t a new study, but it has evolved a lot. Modern archeologists take a meticulous and logical approach to their finds. But when archeology was young, it had more to do with interpreting the world based on the observations at the time.

I wanted to tell a story about the parts of the world that were old while society itself was still developing. Kind of like what the Romans would have been interested in during their day.

But now that those hidden crevices in the world have been uncovered, the story has changed. Elayith and her companions have discovered a great deal of secret knowledge, so now it’s time to see how that knowledge will impact the greater whole.

As a result, the second three installments of Everyone’s Child focus heavily on the current civilization and the factions that rule it.

There are three that have emerged from the ether to vie for dominance. These include the council of the mage conclave, the monarchs who rule the individual kingdoms within the world, and the Watchers, who observe from afar and make nefarious attempts to influence the decisions of others.

Each faction responds to the information Elayith carries with her in a different way. Some regard it as a welcome change and some regard it as a threat. How they respond when those ideas clash will shape the future the entire world adopts as well as the outcome of the story.

Ties to Elsewhere

I’ve been careful not to mention this because I’m always worried about spoilers. But we’re far enough in the series now that I can safely reveal how it connects to my other novels.

It’s not really a secret that all of my work takes place in one giant multiverse. The connections aren’t really obvious yet. And I’m careful to write each series so it can be enjoyed without having to read all the others. (That feels unfair.)

Still, devoted readers have probably noticed some of the Easter eggs that reveal this series’ connection with others.

First and foremost, there’s the hourglass, a key feature of the story. It is, indeed, the same hourglass from Eternity’s Empire. Making this a very indirect sequel. I plan to write a far more direct sequel for Eternity’s Empire at some point in the near future. But one thing it won’t address is the ultimate fate of the hourglass – which can be seen here.

There is another story that bridges the gap between where Eternity’s Empire left off and explains, partly, how the hourglass got here. But it hasn’t been written yet. (And in fact, I’m not sure when it will be.) But echoes of that unknown story can be found all throughout the Watchers’ keep. (Laying seeds for the day I finally get to reveal more secrets.)

Last, but certainly not least, in a very roundabout way, Everyone’s Child has loose ties to Dream Things True. There are strong hints from Lucifer in that series that he and his siblings survived a dramatic and devastating war against another god-like faction. Having to hide from them is, in fact, the reason he’s banished to hell.

It’s possible Everyone’s Mother is one of the gods who belonged to that faction…

Either One’s Devoted Grandmother is Available Now!

Elayith has made her choice.

When faced with the influence she could wield over the world, she has chosen the voice of reason. This drove her to side with the mages at the start of the Kingdom Convocation – and it drives her to fight by their sides when they take up war against the dangerous Watchers, a rogue faction of mages that wields the power with destructive and dangerous consequences.

But it seems Elayith would have had to take up arms against the Watchers someday anyway. For they hold within the core of their cult order the artifact her mother has tasked her with collecting. For the world will not be safe from a sudden and explosive end until the hourglass is removed from its surface and banished into the void from whence it came.

As the eve of the battle arrives, however, the mage’s ally kingdoms dissolve into petty bickering, an old enemy rears its ugly head with new power – and an assassin stalks the heroes from the shadows. The only potential light in the growing darkness is a mysterious ally embedded in the enemy ranks and connected to Elayith via an old but solid string of fate.

Can the goddess avatar fight her way to the center of the enemy’s keep and spirit away their treasured artifact? Or is the world doomed to suffer the Watchers’ Ultimate Purpose?

Grab your copy now!