Cynus

Thank you! I love all these insights into the writing, and I appreciate all of them. It's always good to see my characters from a new perspective. I appreciate your continued commentary. Unfortunately, like many things, the illegality doesn't seem to change its frequency much.

Hopefully, we'll keep you hooked in this one as we did in "Fearless". I definitely took a different turn here, and approached it in a new voice for Zane as opposed to Clint, so will it hold up? I guess we'll see.

I suppose you'll just have to read and find out.

WOOHOO! 7LB CLUB! I am honored by your compliments and thank you for them. It was a nice pick-me-up today, and one I definitely needed. I appreciate all of your points, and I'm grateful to count you among my readers.

Thank you!

Amen! Misleads are my favorite thing to read, so I try to write them as well. I don't know that I've accomplished it as often as I'd like, but I'm glad that they work on occasion. The scene between Clint and his Dad is one of my absolute favorite in the story. Thank you.

It's certainly a logical guess. (No free spoilers )

I like to think that, if a family dynamic is already healthy when one parent dies, that death can force people closer together in an "all we have now is each other" sense. This is what I was going for here, anyway. I've seen the dynamic occur like that, though it's definitely rarer than the alternative. But I'm also pretty certain this is the only time I've written a family with this type of close bond, heh.

I'm glad I've been able to keep you on your toes. Though I would've enjoyed the ploy you mentioned as well, XD.

Sweet! Just don't get a brain freeze, okay? I'm glad you're enjoying it this much!

I agree with your perspective on themes, and I appreciate the compliments. I especially like what you say about how stories can help us deal with the heavy things we face in life, because that has definitely happened a lot with me.

I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thank you for the kudos.

Creating Clint's Dad was one of the simple pleasures of this story. He's one of my favorite parent characters in all my works.

Thank you so much for the comment! I'm sorry I didn't respond to this earlier, I must've missed the notification. Ethan was directly inspired by someone in my life, and he always had a hard time making friends, so I can't say I entirely blame you. :-) I'm afraid I'm not quite cool enough to be @Cia, but that sounds like quite a fun story.

I appreciate the kudos! While this story was released after "Rivers of the Dead", it was written much earlier. "Shadow Honor" is actually the third novel I ever wrote. It was always intended to be a series, and in my younger hubris at the time I thought I could get it published the traditional way. Once I was rejected, however, I shelved it and its series to work on other things. I finally decided to revisit it, and ended up with it attracting enough attention that I decided to pursue the rest of the series (which is what I'm working on right now). Book 3 should release pretty soon once I get a chance to finish applying all the edits I'm behind on. I have thankfully been blessed with some great editors who have taught me a lot over the years, is how I've managed to avoid having as many mistakes as I could have my writing. Only "Shadow Honor" was written years ago, while book 2 was written earlier this year. Hopefully you'll enjoy the series!

Thank you for the comment! I am glad that he has interested you.

The tattoos were actually the original inspiration for the story. Chapter 2 was the first chapter I wrote, because the scene of Styx gliding around the cavern was the scene I really wanted to write.

Yeah, my dad wasn't to keen on my fifteen-year-old gay hormones leading me around by the balls either. XD

As it should be, when faced with death. I was having a conversation with a dear friend just the other day about the ways we approach death in our modern society. We fear the inevitable so much that we often fail to embrace that our loved ones are simply on their next adventure, wherever it may be. It's better to embrace change with an open heart and a smile whenever we can, and what greater change is there than death? Though my characters do not always follow that philosophy, and indeed if they did I wouldn't have a few of my stories at all.

I'm sure Caleb appreciates your empathy on his behalf.

This is really useful information! I'll have to take that into account if I ever approach this subject again.

Thank you so much! I appreciate your words and your perspective, and thank you for sharing that quote as well. I have similar feelings regarding tragedy, and it's my favorite tool to use in my literary toolbox.

Definitely true.

I am lost without myself. This is as true for me as you. Not so much the my, but the self is always true. Are you? What self would cheat and lie, look destruction in the eye and spit in face of all creation? Surely not I, nor mine? But I lie, And I cheat, and I spit as I stare into the chaos, swirling chaos in the distance . . . The path of most resistance. Where the cyclone tears asunder, every careful dream and wonder, every hope and madness that I could 'er achieve.

I'm sorry it didn't work for you.