How’s that for a post title collage? Or is it a mashup? Well, regardless, we’ve got lots to talk about, so let’s get to it!

We hope your Thanksgiving went well, and that Black Friday wasn’t too crazy for you. Unless you’re into that sort of thing. For me, I stayed local at the coffee shop putting some words down on a short story I’m working on for the Darkest Shadow, Brightest Light anthology coming soon. You can follow the drafting of “The Banner Yet Flies” in my #Necrolopolis subchannel on the Three Ravens Discord channel. (Invite code here. Click for access to fun and mayhem! https://discord.gg/MnudPRR9G5).

I’ve been having fun with Bing AI art generation for storyboard ideas, and it’s come up with a few good ones for this story. Here is Dame-Lieutenant Melisande of the Order of the Emerald Garland and the order’s youngest dame-in-training, Squire Jenessa. Expect big things from her as the story progresses.

“B-b-big?” Jenessa stammered. She clutched her spear so tight Melisande feared the haft would break.

“Easy, Squire.” Melisande raised a hand and tried to soften her hard features into a smile. “It’s just the author blathering about his plans for us.”

All around, the bells of Illune’s gatehouses clanged again and again, iron notes of warning loud enough to wake the dead.

Melisande clasped her hands behind her back. “And I fear it bodes ill. Rouse the dames—while we still have time.”

Enjoy the rest and ten other amazing tales of darkness in the light, coming soon!

Now, on to other things!

Special Ed is Out! Why Aren’t You in Class?

The room was buzzing. Journalists, reporters, camera operators and sound techs. Something big was coming. Something big, big and scary — mega-scary. Special Ed stood behind the podium … shaking.

A journalist roared, “WE NEED YOU TO SAVE US! CAN YOU DO IT?”

Special Ed wished his answer was, “Yes, of course I can.” He wished it wasn’t “No, I haven’t got a clue.” But that’s just what he was feeling. Clueless.

He took a deep breath. He said, “Something is racing toward Earth that will devour our planet. It’s coming from some far corner of outer space — and it’s much, much bigger than Earth. It’s so big, I call it Megatroid. And it’s hungry.”

The burning question in the room and in Special Ed’s heart: Can he and his special pals, AmberII and WillowII, save the planet from this giant — this hungry giant — that wants to … eat us alive?

To find out — the only way to find out … read on!

The voice pounded a question into Special Ed’s sleeping head: “What is the world’s deadliest snake?”

Meanwhile, in far-away Singapore, three of the city’s beloved otters had been devoured by a gigantic, three-headed serpent. Two of them were bitten by poisonous fangs, and the third was squeezed by powerful coils … before disappearing into the serpent’s mouth.

Special Ed no longer felt sleepy. He muttered, “I may be special. But I know I’m specially scared of snakes. I don’t like ‘em.

Like ‘em or not, Special Ed was about to learn that the world’s deadliest snake isn’t a cobra or a python — it’s Hydra-Serpent! He and his special pals, Amber and Willow, were about to take on their most dangerous mission yet — kill the Hydra-Serpent before it kills and eats every animal on Earth.

And, as Amber and Willow reminded Ed, “Humans are animals.”

Hydra-Serpent didn’t stop at Singapore. It ate critters and people from Singapore to San Francisco, Maine to Maryland, Newfoundland to New Zealand. Where would it strike next? No one had a clue.


Will the three Specials save the animals (including the human animals) from this deadly creature? There’s only one way to find out — Read on!

Audiophiles, Rejoice! Cogs & Cutlasses is Here!

For your listening pleasure:

Steampunk—just corsets and monocles? Not today!

Gear up for high-flying heists, cutlass-clashing duels, and steam-powered mayhem. From gritty alleyways to sky-high airships, this anthology throws you into the heart of adventure—where pirates rule, danger lurks, and only the bold survive.

So, tighten your goggles, grab your cutlass, and hold on tight.

Coming Soon — Shadow Lands by L.A. Behm II

Jesse Salazar has been a lot of things in his life – infantry Marine, husband, and priest.

Now he spends most of his days re-inhuming the walking dead and other things that go bump in the night.

Ordered to take a vacation, he does.

Only his boss probably didn’t mean for him to go to another realm, ruled over by ancient Akkadian gods, where he finds answers to a hundred-year-old mystery.

Will he be able to rescue other survivors and, more importantly, bring them home?