Last week I was having some issues with Createspace shifting some of the features on my cover for the paperback version of Revenants. I contacted their customer service, and within 24 hours, they had emailed me back to tell me that everything looked fine on their end. And then they sent me a free proof to look over. How cool is that?

It showed up on Monday, and I spent the next 24 hours wandering all teary eyed and with a stupid grin on my face.

Even though the book clocks in at 171 pages, it’s a bit on the thin size, so I decided to make a 5X8 version to see how that would look. It’s still a little small – only 230 pages – but it’s a bit sturdier, so I’ll probably be going forward with that version for the paperback instead of the 6X9.

In the mean time, I have another giveaway going on for Revenants for those that might be interested. You can enter to win one of 10 copies of the ebook by going here and then entering in your email and what ebook file type you would prefer. The give away ends this Sunday, so hurry up and enter while you still can!

And now, let’s get on to the fun stuff, shall we?

It’s WIPpet Wednesday time again!

I was going to share some more from the next part of The Undying Ones, Elusion, but then it occurred to me that anything beyond the snippet I shared last week might be considered spoilerish. So we’ll just have to stay away from that for a few months.

So today, I’ll be sharing more from The Broken Man instead. In this snippet, Graves is teaching Cressida how to use her abilities for more than just divination – something she never got to learn since she was never able to attend Ilvermorny. Since today is the ninth of August, here are 17 paragraphs.

Graves guides her through the pronunciation of the spells first, syllable by syllable, until she’s gotten it just right. Then he lends her his wand and shows her how to point it and channel her magic through it. It’s pointless, since his wand is only a copy, and it’s not like she has her own want to use, but she supposes that it’s good practice for if she ever needs Mama’s wand for something.

Next up is Anapneo, followed by Ascendio. By the time the sky is turning pink beyond the windows of the train car, Graves has also taught her Colloportus, and Colloshoo. “Never get them confused.” He warns her. “One unlocks, the other will stick your feet to the ground. It was… quite a popular trick at Ilvermorny.”

Cressida smiles at that, wondering if he was the one casting it, or the victim. Probably a little bit of both. Her earlier exhaustion has abated and she’s eager to learn more. In the mirror behind the bar she can see her cheeks are pink with excitement and her eyes are flashing brightly with her new found knowledge. “Anything else?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Oh hooey. There’s still plenty of time to learn another spell or two.”

He chuckles at that, a low sound husky sound that makes her body tingle. “It’s nearly morning. See, the dream is fading.”

He’s right, she realizes with a start. The Blind Pig is a shadow of it’s former self. Everything is turning gray and misty, and the walls are almost translucent. “Damn.”

“While I can sleep the day away, you don’t have that luxury. You need at least a few hours of sleep in order to be functional.”

“Right. Well, until tomorrow then, Mister Graves.”

“Until tonight.” He corrects her. “Percival.”

“Percival.” She’s known all along that that is his real name, of course, but it still pleases her that he’s giving her permission to use it.

“Oh, and Cressida?”

“Yes?”

“Wear something more practical.”

Any pleasure she felt abruptly dies, shrivelling up like a fallen leaf. “Yes, sir.”

“And while we’re at it, let’s go someplace a little less distracting… shall we?”

“Well, aren’t you a flat tire.” She grouses as she starts to slip away, fading from his memories like a ghost. “Fine. I’ll see what I can dig up.”

I gotta admit, using the roaring twenties as a setting can be a lot of fun sometimes. The slang is just so unique!

To read more WIPpet Wednesday snippets, go here.