From the Author's Desk: You asked, Troyan Answered.

It feels like just yesterday I was nervously hitting publish on The Storm Vengeance, book seven of the Chronicles of Storm. I can still remember the jitters, the last-minute checks, and those pesky little doubts that always sneak in right before release day.

And now here I am again, staring at those two magic words on my screen: The End. The first draft of book eight is done! I’m happy. Finishing a book is always an achievement. But I’m also a little sad. Another adventure is over.

Writing a book really is an adventure because for weeks, you live alongside your characters, experiencing every twist and turn with them.

Here is the interesting part… Book seven took me almost six months to release. The first draft alone took over four months to finish. This one? Less than two. Not because I suddenly got faster, but because life had other plans last time—health challenges, family ups and downs… those days when the characters are calling, eager to leap onto the page, but life keeps saying, “not today.”

The good news is I’m back, and soon I’ll be diving into edits with my wonderful editor. I can’t wait to share what’s next for Declan and Troyan.

You Asked. Troyan Answered!

In our Facebook Readers’ group, a brave few dared to ask Troyan some questions… and against all odds, he answered.

Prepare to witness a thousand years of experience, a dash of undead humor and more eyebrow-arching than any mere mortal can handle.

Question 1: How many “embarrassing” tales can you tell us about Declan? ~ Helen V.

Hmm… A good question, Helen… Embarrassing for whom, though? Me or that little troublemaker? Me—plenty. Declan—not so much.

From the moment Declan recovered (more or less) after losing his biological family, none of us at Chateau d’Arnelle knew a moment of peace, and no one was safe from his pranks. He was a Child of Air through and through, even before his element took him over. Fast, clever, with boundless energy—he made all of us chase him around the estate and the surrounding forest more than once.

I can’t even count how many times I ended up facing furious Claude Arnelle because I managed to lose his adoptive son in the underground passages, or I wasn’t fast enough to stop him from sneaking into the vaults.

Yep, you heard me right. I, with my vampiric speed, was too slow compared to that boy. He knew every room, every hidey-hole and every corridor and passage in the castle, including those that were too narrow for an adult man to pass through, especially for a man my size.

One of his pranks nearly turned him into a full-blown Child of Air before his time. Luckily, I was there to stop it from happening.

Yeah, I know… the irony isn’t lost on me. Nearly two decades later, I was the one who unleashed the power of elemental Air in him after all.

Anyway… That time, I was actually fast enough for once… I remember that day as clearly as if it had happened just yesterday. I’d been searching for Declan for half an hour, but no matter where I looked, I couldn’t find him anywhere. I had checked every room in the castle, every passage in the basement, and even gone to the forest. Nothing. It was as if he had vanished from the face of the Earth.

With my sculp prickling from shame, I was just about to enter Claude’s chamber and endure the verbal beating (and the relentless sting of his undying sarcasm) for losing his boy—again—when a soft sound reached my ears. I sharpened all my senses to the limit, and then I heard him… By that time, I could recognize the sound of Declan’s footsteps and the quick thuds of his heart even in a crowd of hundreds. I rushed out of the castle and halted in the middle of the courtyard, searching for him.

Needless to say, it took me a few seconds to find him, squinting at the sun. My eyes were watering from the blinding light, and everything was too bright and too jarring for my vampiric senses. I’ll bet you anything, the little troublemaker knew that and counted on that. When I finally saw him, I thought I was going to die on the spot from sheer terror.

The boy climbed to the tallest tower of the castle and stood on the edge of the crenellation with his arms spread wide, as if he were going to fly. And knowing him, I had no doubt that was what he was planning to do.

Oh, Helen, I don’t think I had ever run that fast in my entire life… And with all my speed and strength of a hundred-year-old vampire, I didn’t get there in time. A second too late… Declan raised his arms and jumped from the edge of the tower. I don’t think I recognized my voice when I shouted his name. Without thinking twice, I vaulted over the crenellation and dove after him, only to see him soaring in the air with two ethereal wings shining behind his back.

Yes, you heard me right. He was flying. I was falling…

The next thing happened so fast that I didn’t have time to think.

I saw something that made my silent heart jolt with fear. In his right hand, Declan was clutching a glowing feather, and I recognized it for what it was right away—an artifact Claude had deactivated just yesterday—a feather from Daedalus’ Wings…

Oh, and the side effect of that artifact was deadly.

How Declan knew about its existence, or how to find it in the giant vaults of the House of Arnelle, in the first place? I had no idea, and at that moment, I had no time to ponder it.

“Danie!” I cried, streamlining my body toward him.

The boy glanced up at me, and the look of pure elation on his face nearly ripped my heart out. Then, his beautiful wings burst into flames, burning his arms and back before vanishing. He cried out in pain and horror and started to fall. At that moment, I finally reached him and pulled him to my chest, twisting in the air to protect him from the brutal impact.

When we hit the ground, I think I broke every bone in my body. For a moment, everything went black. When I came to, I was lying sprawled on the grass, bleeding, hurt and helpless. Declan was leaning over me, his giant blue eyes staring at me with fear and concern. Blisters of burns covered his hands and arms, but he didn’t seem to care. The artifact lay on the ground next to us.

“Ahh… you little simpleton… don’t you know? Humans don’t fly…” I moaned, waiting for my vampiric healing to kick in so I could get up, heal him, and then kick his little ass. “You would have died! And Claude would have killed me right after so I could keep you company in the Nav.”

“But I flew… Didn’t you see me flying?” Declan asked, twinkles of excitement in his eyes. “It was worth it… Mark my word, Troy, one day, I’ll be flying. I know that for sure… You’ll see! And when it happens, I promise I’ll teach you how to fly, too.”

“Yeah,” I snorted. “Assuming I’ll survive that long with all your pranks.” Feeling a little better, I sat up and hugged the boy, just happy to see him alive. He wrapped his arms around my neck, hiding his face in the crook of my shoulder. “I swear, Danie, one day you’ll be the death of me…”

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, but I knew he was anything but…

So, yeah… Thanks to Declan’s pranks, I ended up in plenty of embarrassing and awkward situations. But every time he encircled my waist with his arms, hiding behind my back from his father’s displeasure, or sobbed quietly on my shoulder, awakened by a terrible nightmare, all my grievances were forgotten, and all I wanted was to protect him, to keep him safe and happy.

Today, tomorrow and forevermore...

Question 2: How’d you get to be so cool? ~ Steven S.

A millennium of practice. Being undead gives you plenty of time to work on your mystique. You should’ve seen me in the 1300s—absolute disaster. But after centuries of refinement, I’ve come a long way. Honestly, if one can’t master dignity, wit, and the art of a properly flexed muscle in a thousand years, then what’s the point of immortality?

Question 3: What are you wearing under that ‘sheet’? ~ Cassidy R.

A proper vampire gladiator wears only two things—confidence… and enough mystery to keep you guessing. But if you must know, the tunic is the least impressive part of the ensemble and everything beneath it is between me and the gods. 😉

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Welcome to the Salamanderverse!

The Storm Mystery, the second book in the Chronicles of Storm series is now on Audible!

This one clocks in at nearly 14 hours of nonstop adventure, danger, and magic, once again brought to life by the incredible Steven Barnett. His narration makes the story feel epic!

If you’ve been waiting for the next chapter in the series, it’s here. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!