Dowser 4: Bixi, aka ‘doom crosses our footsteps.’

I came upon this scene while putting together Bixi’s biography and it made me laugh. Flashback to Shadows, Maps, and Other Ancient Magic (Dowser 4)!! Click here for the reading order of the Adept Universe. Bixi most recently appears in Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0).

“Earthly delights.”

*side eyes Warner*

LOL!!!

Book cover by Elizabeth Mackey Graphic Design

A jet-black cat sauntered through the far archway. Its casual gait was insufficient cover for the cunning betrayed by its yellow eyes. Its sleek fur shone among all the gold of the decor, not a hair out of place.

Warner, still frowning at me, followed my gaze. Then he went utterly still and pale.

“A black cat in the heart of the guardian temple,” he murmured. He reached for a weapon that he didn’t actually have, then held his hands before himself, wary. “Doom crosses our footsteps.”

I snorted out a laugh. “What century are you living in?”

Spicy dragon magic — all apricots and smoky syrup — gathered around the cat along with a haze of golden light. The creature transformed amid a wash of intense magic, as the shapeshifters did. Then Bixi — doing her best Cleopatra impersonation — stood before us. White dress, gold armbands, heavily kohled eyes and all. She obviously didn’t have to stash extra clothing everywhere like Kandy did when she changed back from her wolf form.

Logically, I knew Bixi wasn’t actually Cleopatra, since she was supposedly only around seven hundred years old. But still, I wondered if there wasn’t some deep ancestral connection going on with the guardian of North Africa. And again, when did ‘seven hundred’ become an ‘only’? It was also interesting that the guardians seemed to decide what physical age suited them best. Suanmi was technically younger than Bixi but appeared to be a youthful forty-five. Bixi looked to be about my age at the most. My father Yazi, the third-youngest of the guardians, appeared to be thirty-five.

Warner dropped into a deep bow beside me.

“Hello, warrior’s daughter,” Bixi said, completely ignoring Warner.

“Hello, guardian.”

“What earthly delight have you brought with you this time?”

Warner started coughing — no, choking — beside me.

I reached into my satchel, fished around, and pulled out a simple yet modern, yellow-papered Sirene chocolate bar. As far as I knew, this was the only bar that the newly established company produced out of Victoria, on Vancouver Island. It consisted of a tasting pair made from 72 percent Ecuador and 67 percent Madagascar cocoa. It was a new purchase I’d acquired downtown last weekend at Xoxolat — a mecca of earthly delights that carried a vast selection of single-origin chocolate bars from around the world. I hadn’t even tried a single square of the Sirene yet, and I’d really been looking forward to it. Normally, I tried to distract chocolate-questing dragons with cupcakes or cookies, but in my haste to get Warner sorted out I’d forgotten to pack a box.

Bixi came just short of snatching it out of my hand. “I enjoy your visits, alchemist,” she said. Then, pressing the bar to her nose and smelling it through its wrapper, she sauntered off in the direction she’d come. Her thin, gold-strapped sandals made no sound on the stone floor.

Dragons had a strong sense of smell and great taste in chocolate. Though regrettably, they never seemed to have any around.

– Excerpt from Shadows, Maps, and Other Ancient Magic (Dowser 4)

Archivist Series: Kellan

The second of the illustrations I’ve commissioned from Nicole Deal for the Archivist series is a bit of a spoiler, so I thought I might as well include an excerpt from the first time Dusk lays eyes on Kellan as well (see below). Working with Nicole has been amazing. I love, love her take on characters that currently only live in my head. You can find Dusk and Sisu’s illustration here.

*Kellan Conall from the Archivist Series by Meghan Ciana Doidge. Illustration by* Nicole Deal.

You will find Nicole’s ridiculously gorgeous rendering of Kellan (and the twin wolves) tucked between two scenes in chapter 2 of Invoking Infinity (Archivist 1). It will be in full colour in the eBook version (unless your eReader doesn’t do colour) and grayscale in the paperback. The book releases on May 25, 2021 (SO SOON NOW!!)

*** MILD SPOILER ALERT ***

Though he was some sort of shapeshifter, the stranger looming over a temporary workbench in the middle of what was going to be the main kitchen was definitely not Bethany. He was working with some sort of tool — sanding, maybe?

He looked up as I entered, instantly and steadily meeting my gaze. The plastic sealing the doorway fell back into place behind me.

The air was slightly dusty. Bright pockets of light from work lamps set around the large space gave the room a bright white glow. The sounds of Sisu, Neve, and Lile chattering away in the dining room filtered through more thick layers of plastic encasing a doorway on the wall to my left.

I recognized the stranger, though I’d never met him. In his late twenties, he was the spitting image of his sister, Gitta — and yet somehow looked nothing like her at all.

Kellan Conall.

Tall, broad-shouldered, and so well muscled that his T-shirt had to be cutting off his circulation at the upper biceps, he was one of the largest men I’d ever seen. And I knew plenty of warrior dragons, as well as the treasure keeper of the guardian dragons — Pulou. Though not as tall, Pulou had a body like a grizzly bear’s from the neck down — and looked the part as well, thanks to the enormous mink fur coat he always wore.

Kellan’s hair was dark brown, his skin a lighter brown. And his eyes were the same strange golden-green as the twins. Magic flared in those eyes as he took me in, staring at me as forthrightly as I was staring at him. His nostrils flared as he turned off and set down the tool he’d been wielding.

The sound in the room faded, including the chatter from the dining room. The moment seemed to physically stretch before us, as if some sort of spell had been triggered. Yet the warm but completely disconnected sensation I was feeling wasn’t magic. At least nothing remotely conventional.

“Dusk Godfrey,” I finally said. Was it possible to feel heavy, as if I was rooted to the plywood-covered floor, and yet lightheaded at the same time?

Apparently, yes.

He grinned, revealing white teeth. But the expression did nothing to soften all the hard planes of his face. He looked as though he could run through a brick wall, through multiple brick walls, without getting a scratch, let alone faltering.

That probably wasn’t a particularly attractive quality to anyone except for myself … my hormones? My magic?

And yes, I was still staring at him. And he at me.

“My employer,” he said. His accent was lilting yet still deep, as if his voice or the words themselves were pulled from the depths of his being.

There was something seriously wrong with me.

“Kellan Conall,” he said, pulling off his gloves.

– Invoking Infinity (Archivist 1), Chapter Two

***

Are you new to the Adept Universe? Click here for the reading order. Or click here for the Welcome! sequence.

Archivist 1: cover reveal and synopsis

Ahem …. it has come to my attention that I never officially revealed the cover or synopsis for Invoking Infinity (Archivist 1). So … just in case anyone missed it, here is the glorious cover designed by Damonza.

Synopsis: I’d given myself and Sisu twelve days to get settled into our new life before tackling my first official day as the head archivist of the magical archives at the National Museum of Ireland.

Our new kitchen was under construction, with the electrical and plumbing upgrades in the main rooms of the estate well on the way. I knew how and where to buy groceries, and had arranged a tutor for Sisu.

Totally under control.

Perfectly planned and executed, my to-do list had held strong through our transition into living among the Adepts of Dublin. With our secret identities firmly in place.

And then someone started releasing magical artifacts into the city, wreaking havoc on the witches and the werewolves. With me stuck in the middle, trying to sort it out with as few fatalities as possible. All while neutralizing the misused artifacts in question.

Thankfully, I was a quick learner.

And pretty damn indestructible.

Though the guardian dragons weren’t going to be pleased by a few of my more creative choices when it came to the care and keeping of magical … well, magical anything. But that was my job.

Even, as some might say, my vocation.

I was the Archivist of the Modern World, after all.

Invoking Infinity is the first novel in the Archivist series, which is set in the same universe as the Dowser, Oracle, Reconstructionist, Amplifier, and Misfits of the Adept Universe series. While it is not necessary to read all the series, in order to avoid spoilers the ideal reading order of the Adept Universe begins with Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic (Dowser 1).

Reading order of the Archivist Series:

Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0)
Invoking Infinity (Archivist 1)

RELEASING MAY 25, 2021

PREORDER NOW

– AMAZON – APPLE BOOKS – KOBO – BARNES & NOBLE – SMASHWORDS –

Adept Universe Bible: Pulou

Pulou: guardian dragon. Aka one of the nine. Territory: Antarctica. Appears to be in his mid-50s, but is actually over 500 years old. Short-cropped, thinning dark brown hair. Huge (as a bear). British accent. Continually wears what appears to be a full-length fur coat, which is actually a manifestation of his specific guardian power – aka the treasure keeper. He can retrieve any item stored within his treasure trove via the inner or outer pockets of the coat. He can also create portals, some temporary, some permanently anchored. Oversees the archivist dragons. According to Jade, his magic tastes like heavy cream with hints of black tea. [Frequently used] object of power: a golden short sword with a large emerald in its guard (destroyed by Jade in Dowser 9).

Resides in the Nexus. Blossom is his personal brownie.

Pulou first appeared in Trinkets, Treasures, and Other Bloody Magic (Dowser 2), then again in Dowser 3, 4, 5, and 6. He is mentioned in Dowser 7 (and pivotal to the plot), finally shows up in Dowser 8, and gets into a brawl with Jade in Dowser 9. He also makes a cameo appearance in Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0).

Pronunciation: Pew-Lou (though I tend to pronounce it Pew-Lau, as in Loud – MCD) or click to listen to audio.

Pulou. Dragon. The Guardian of Antarctica. Treasure Keeper. Wears a multidimensional coat and can open a portal to anywhere in the world. Has a habit of collecting magical objects that don’t belong to him, using the moral high ground as justification. Hates raw fish, but will steal all the prawn tempura. *Sketch by* Memo.

Pulou. Dragon. The Guardian of Antarctica. Treasure Keeper. Bit of a stickler for the rules, as dictated by him. Definitely not a fan of being punched in the face with the instruments of assassination. Chews fine chocolate, even after being told nicely that he should ‘suck it’. Sketch by Memo.

The muse is not monogamous.

Me: Okay, I’ve given my brain (and foot) a rest, time to write. Time to work on Archivist 2. It’s going to be fun and the ending kicks ass. Hard.

Also me: Totally. See I have my notebooks and I’ve skimmed the paradigm/outline. I’m going to write all the words today. And be more playful. I like the idea of being a bit more playful … Oooo, what about that idea I had about the new series/universe?

Me: Well, jot down a few notes, then get back to Archivist 2.

Also me: [two hours pass]: I have a complete origin story and a basic outline for the beginning of book one.

Me: Book 1??? I’m supposed to be writing Archivist 2! And if not, then Amplifier 5, or Misfits 2, or … or …

Also me: And now I need to reread Hitchhiker’s Guide to the –

Me: WTF??!! No.

Also me: But there are these fun touchbacks to –

Me: Absolutely not.

Also me: Lunch time! I promised I’d make sandwiches for Michael. *whispers* And in the afternoons I’m allowed to work on whatever I want, rules are rules.

Me: *inarticulate screaming*

First words inked on Waypoint 42. Series name subject to change.

Well … at least I’m writing something.

Burgundy 0.5 – a snippet

I’m dusting off a short story idea for Burgundy in the hopes of having it ready to read by the last Thursday in April aka when I send out my newsletter. No promises – Archivist 2 should be my priority – but I’ll try.

What I adore about tackling a Burgundy POV tale is that she is the ultimate sidekick. A quarter witch who is specializing in healing? What the hell is she doing hanging out with a necromancer and a vampire?

How about a snippet to help celebrate a sunny Friday afternoon?

A newly inked page from my Moments of the Adept Universe notebook

Now here I was, necromancer unaccounted for, and trapped in a sealed circle with a wounded vampire — magic that I was only powerful enough to hold because I’d used a premade spell to trigger it.

Two things were about to happen.

The ghoul would break through the shoddy circle, killing me to get to the vampire.

Or the vampire would wake, possibly tearing out my throat and slaking his thirst as injured, fledgling vampires were reportedly known to do.

So …

Dilemma.

– Burgundy POV, Moments of the Adept Universe 0.4, first draft

Hikes, baby goats, and other random updates.

After almost a year, Michael and I finally forced ourselves to leave the property/immediate area and do a proper hour and a half hike at Ruckle Park on Sunday. We’d been in the habit of hiking almost every Sunday for a good portion of 2019 into 2020 but got derailed by Covid19 and the fact that we are really, really bad at taking days off. Well, full days off. We are particularly skilled at pushing ourselves too long/far and then collapsing on the couch for a half day.

That is a pro/con of loving what you do for a living, I suppose. It doesn’t seem like work, but if you do it seven days a week, and therefore get little else done on the day you (occasionally) take off, you forget to at least go for a walk!

Anyway, I have no pictorial evidence but we saw two baby goats hiking the trail yesterday. Two and half months old, hiking with two adults and a six-year-old girl. Yes, like dogs. Nigerian Dwarf goats. They were insanely cute, nibbling on everything and not even sparing us a glance despite all our cooing.

Sunday, April 11, 2021. Ruckle Park. Salt Spring Island. A fallen, weathered arbutus tree, looking toward Pender island (far left) and Washington State (center).

The writing has stalled a bit. Not surprising because the constant headache had been really bad (spiking from the Estrogel and then back to being on nothing for two weeks) and therefore I had to focus as much as possible on getting Archivist 1 into the editor. For me, especially when I’m not feeling great, writing needs to be a daily activity so I can maintain it through deadlines, stress, etc. So now I have to either force myself back into it – maybe write something fun and frivolous – or just start writing a random scene for Archivist 2 even though I don’t have the novel perfectly plotted yet – I do have the opening, the midpoint, and a KICK-ASS ending all worked out, so it really shouldn’t be a problem sinking back into it.

Except, I’ve also been crazy neglectful of the other part of my job (for like over a year now) – marketing. And marketing, which I’ve been setting up/doing for a few days now, is a completely different mindset than writing. For me, at least. So I’m sort of blocking myself.

Anyway (x2) that is the long version of saying that I’m doing a marketing push on the Dowser Series specifically and the Adept Universe in general for the next four or so weeks, and any shares/likes/etc are greatly appreciated if you see any of my posts on your social media feeds.

And, it is possible, that there won’t be a new freebie short for April. I’ll try, but no promises. I’ll at least do a giveaway of some sort.

Okay … back to hoping the muse comes calling …

Have a lovely week!

Archivist 1: A collector of rarities

“Doran isn’t going to attempt to harm me,” I said calmly. “I’m a valuable asset. And he isn’t stupid.” My blood was also poison to him, if he could even sink his teeth through my dragon hide. He’d only claimed two hundred years though, so I didn’t think he was powerful enough to do so. Yet.

I, however, could skewer him through the heart with an exceedingly powerful bone blade before he even saw me lunge forward.

Not that I went around stabbing magical beings in the heart.

I was a collector of rarities after all.

– excerpt from Invoking Infinity (Archivist 1), Chapter Five, fourth draft

Archivist 1: update and excerpt

I just finished my first full pass on the story editor’s notes for Invoking Infinity (Archivist 1). Next, I’ll do another complete pass, smoothing the prose and making certain I haven’t inserted anything strange (i.e. continuity errors, etc) while working through the editor’s suggested changes/additions.

The book is now 104k. That’s long. I prefer to stay under 95k myself. But, the editor hasn’t recommended any cuts. Yet.

To celebrate getting through the last two weeks (which have been seriously, seriously rough for me headache-wise) I thought I’d share an excerpt from Chapter One and Dusk’s first day of work. I hope you enjoy it!

Leather-covered sketchbook (aka Infinity) created by Mille Cuirs. Ink: Caroube de Chypre by Jacques Herbin. Fountain pen: Parker Sonnet Ciselé Silver

I stepped through the door. Energy clung to me, trying to taste my magic, then slid off when it couldn’t gain purchase.

Like I’d said, it was difficult to ward against a dragon. We were magic, descended from demi-gods. Not that it couldn’t be done, but the witch who’d built the wards would have needed to have known that dragons existed in the first place. Outside of morality tales and mythology, of course.

The boundary wards yielded completely. My front foot landed on a worn rug set just inside the door to protect the oak hardwood. And the buzzing of all the magic objects on the shelves increased.

A wide grin swamped my face.

This already felt like home.

Literally. The library at my mother’s estate was filled with tiny touches of energy just like —

Something slammed into the side of my head, getting instantly tangled in my already wild hair and obscuring my eyesight. Tiny claws tried to hook into my skin, failing but then finding hold on my bottom lip. The creature latched onto my right upper canine and started nibbling and suckling.

Yes. On my tooth.

I laughed.

Still balancing the coffee and cinnamon buns in my left hand, I gently attempted to pull the creature off me. It clung with a tenacious strength that was usually only reserved for the starving.

And since going for my teeth was a bit of a clue as to what I was dealing with, this creature did have a rather specialized diet.

I managed to transfer its front claws from my lip to my forefinger, tugging it away from my teeth so I could peer at it. It assessed me with wide, dark-orbed eyes.

An imp of some sort. A wide classification for magical creatures — with or without wings — that ranged in size. Smaller than brownies but larger than pixies. This imp was the length of my forearm. Its eyes dominated its light-gray skinned face, except for the overly large mismatched teeth of its lipless mouth.

“That wasn’t nice,” I said teasingly, holding it loosely so I didn’t accidentally crush it. “You could have said hello.”

The imp narrowed its eyes at me, then it chittered discontentedly. It was unlikely it understood English, or spoke any language I could understand, but my tone should —

The imp sprung free from my grasp, attempting to launch off the coffees and Tupperware balanced in my other hand as it made its escape.

Four lattes in large paper cups and plastic lids didn’t make for a terribly stable surface.

Scrambling for footing, the imp leaped for the nearest shelf.

The lattes slammed into my chest and shoulder, lids flying off, and dumping hot coffee all over me.

Shrieking — even a dragon wasn’t completely impervious to heat — I lost hold of the cinnamon buns as well.

Hot liquid soaked into my hair and sweater, scalding the skin of my neck and collarbone, then dripping down my plaid skirt, all over my favorite brown boots, and the rug.

The imp watched me warily from the shelf at eye level to my left. It chittered quietly, disconcerted.

“Yeah, that also wasn’t nice,” I said sighing.

– from Invoking Infinity (Archivist 1), Chapter One, fourth draft

RELEASING MAY 25, 2021

PREORDER NOW AVAILABLE

– AMAZON – APPLE BOOKS – KOBO – BARNES & NOBLE – SMASHWORDS –

***

In other news, guess who didn’t actually hit publish on the paperback for Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0)? Ugh, me! I’m sorry. It should be available very soon.

Discussion thread: In Less Than A Moment (Kandy 0.5)

I just dropped In Less Than a Moment (Moments of the Adept Universe 0.3) (aka Kandy 0.5) into the inboxes of my newsletter subscribers, and as promised, I actually remembered to start a thread where you could discuss all the secrets it reveals as a group.

The novelette (15k+) cracks Kandy’s background wide open – a large piece of the puzzle leading to the events of the Dowser series, as well as the upcoming Misfits 2. Yep, the Kandy stories are most definitely prequels to the second novel of the Misfits of the Adept Universe.

Click here for Kandy’s bio and sketches.

Click here for the discussion thread for Kandy 0.25.