Jack Poignet

As a consolation, there'll be a new chapter of Light Bringer out on Sunday. Actually there's two in the pipeline and for some reason I now can't change the publishing date of the first to a sooner date... Oh, well, that's one way to force me into a proper one week publishing rhythm.

BTW. The next chapter might actually take a whole week to write... It's Eurovision time in the civilized world again, so I'm way too busy following that. What song could possibly win this year, hmmm? Somehow I have the urgent need to learn Swedish. Bara bada bastu...bastu...

Oh no, this is the third chapter in a row that made @Philippe angry 😱 Guess I should limit the screen-time of the witches or vampires 🤔 But as this is a romcom, I‘m afraid the honeymoon phase is almost over and the tragic part is about to hit us …

Please note that the spell just backfired... now, she'll tell what she knows. (Sorry, but that really needed to be put in a different chapter because oh, the things she'll say... )

The doors to the throne room opened before they even reached them, the heavy oak groaning a reluctant welcome. Rafael sat in his chair, flanked by two guards whose stillness mirrored his own. The surrounding air felt different – taut, charged, a barely contained explosion. His gaze swept from Gabriel’s taut shoulders to Ray’s wide, uncertain eyes, then snagged on the figure cloaked in shadows standing just behind them. The Steward’s breath hitched, a sharp, audible intake. Every line of his

I suspect it‘s not the server but has something to with all the ads and possible reroutings to get localised ads… Just thought I‘d let you know. Anyway, thanks for all the good work on here. I greatly appreciate this platform 🤗

Thanks a lot for commenting 🤗

The private dining room was quiet, golden with late morning sun. The long table bore the remains of a well-meant breakfast—tea, toast, a few bruised berries, and at least one untouched boiled egg that looked like it had been judging Gabriel all morning. He sat slouched in his chair, mug in hand, staring into the middle distance like a man who had seen things. Ray lounged beside him, barefoot and smug, with jam on his toast and absolutely no shame. Muriel had taken the seat opposit

Thanks. I've added a trigger warning to this chapter. I normally don't do that, but this might still be too real for some readers.

Massive Spoiler Alert! Do not read if you don't want to know.... She is pregnant, but the child will only be born at the end of this novella. The Child is Lucien Noir (as often mentioned in my “Shadow’s Reach” story). When I initially got stuck writing “Shadow’s Reach”, I added a prologue… which turned into a full 100k+ novel about Lucien Noir, ancestor to Jacques from Shadow’s Reach. That “prologue” novel also had a prologue… which now is going to be this novella. I took great pains not to give it a prologue itself Because Light Bringer covers a whole life, the novellas are split into “Before Birth” “Childhood”, “Teenager”, and “Adult / Death”. Each should contain a different story but all are connected. Each novella works as a separate story. Especially Teenager and Adult are quite fleshed out already

March 21, 1788 "Fire! On Chartres!" They heard the cry, sharp with terror, slicing through the early afternoon air. A dense, rapidly darkening column of smoke boiled skyward, thick and ominous against the pale blue over New Orleans. Even from this distance, a low, guttural roar began to reach them, the sound of a beast awakening. "Our home!" Amélie gasped, and they broke into a desperate run, shoving through the sudden bedlam erupting in the narrow, unpaved streets. Hearts pound

New Orleans, March 1788. In the roaring fires of the burning city, a boy is conceived. A child of magic, foretold to be too un-conforming, too powerful, threatening to overthrow the balance of power. Can his parents protect the unborn while rebuilding their home from the ashes? The historic background of "Shadow's Reach", split into four Novellas. This first novella spans the time from conception to birth of Lucien Noir and the construction of Maison Noir.

The next chapter will contain a bit of history / lore. That's always tricky to write in an entertaining way. I'm also not sure yet about other visitors that I might have to cut from the story, they really don't do much yet... But I promise the next chapter will be out next week. Monday or Thursday are my most likely days for publishing.

They'll be mentioned in a little history lesson next chapter. To be published either coming Monday or Thursday.

Oh, if things only were that simple...

I just added "Act x - " to every chapter name and posted a new chapter "when the going gets tough..." Changes to older chapter are normally minor and never require a re-read. Sorry if I caused confusion, I'll try to avoid stuff like this.

The woman smiled, radiating benevolence, and opened her arms wide. “My, sweetheart, how you’ve grown,” she said, her voice smooth as velvet over broken glass. “And you haven’t changed all that much, have you? I still remember you sucking your cute little thumbs. Now look at you. All grown up… sucking dick.” The words cracked through the throne room like a whip. Gabriel didn’t move. He just smiled politely. Yes, that’s how people described Mother. Rafael’s face

Thanks for commenting. Everything will become clearer as the story continues.

Of course she’s not her sister 🤪

FYI: It’s probably unrelated to this specific topic, but loading times for a GA page in Germany (mobile or FTTH) are usually quite long, sometimes even over a minute. I was in the USA a few months ago and - using the same devices - it worked perfectly fast there.

Gabriel’s fingers trailed lazily through Ray’s hair, stroking behind his ear in slow, rhythmic circles. The room was quiet, bright with afternoon sunlight and the kind of hush that only followed deep, contented sleep. Ray lay curled against him, tucked half under Gabriel’s arm like he belonged there. Like he had always belonged there. He sighed. “You’re just begging for it,” Gabriel murmured. “I’m not,” Ray replied, voice slurred with lingering drowsiness. “Oh, come on. You absolu

There‘ll be a surprise concerning the witches at the end of the next chapter. Just a quick timeline reminder: Meet - night in cave - wander around, meet vampire, drive to village - fumbling night with Gabe - next day - night meeting with Vampire delegation, run and shift, - day walk in village (now) so we already had three nights at this point

Gosh, can‘t I really just introduce a tragic, innocent little child to show off Gabe‘s awesomeness? Oh well, you’re right, little Timmy might return … but he‘s of no interest for the witches.

This chapter is a bit wordy. The next ones should be more to the point again. Promise!

After the heavy door clicked shut, Gabriel remained alone in the sunlit Tower room with his sleeping wolf pup. The silence felt different now—no longer stunned, but humming with a private, possessive energy. Gabriel lay sideways on the rug, marveling at Ray, his gaze refusing to leave the creature curled trustingly near him. Mate. The word echoed in his mind, settling from a wolf’s primal scream into a conscious human certainty that was both terrifying and exhilarating. He st