mellotron_breakfast

You can get the entire Dylan Madeley ebook collection on Itch for $5, until January 5th.

Not sure you want all five? Maybe you only want the three that give backstory for upcoming release The Last Gift-Knight. Fair enough; until January 5th, each title is available at a 75% discount.

Still, you might like the short, punchy, and timely Their Village, Their Fortress. At that point, you're picking up 4 out of 5, and may as well grab all 5 for $5.

Well, they were in last place last season. Won the American League pennant. Comeback story of the year.

Still admittedly F-bombs dropped tonight. I would rather just move on from that disappointment.

Last day here, four and a half hours to go before I'm headed home.

Dogs get the last dinner before I go away in about thirty. One final vacuum of all 3 house levels done, but that happened this morning, so it might not be easy to tell by the evening that it used to be clean.

Most of my focus is here, on links like these, where my work is part of the sale from Aug. 23rd to 25th:

https://indiebook.sale

https://itch.io/b/3244/narratess-indie-sale-aug-2025-short-novels

https://itch.io/b/3239/narratess-indie-sale-aug-2025-fantasy-2

While work is on in the background, baseball on the big giant home theater TV and 4K speaker system, and dog walking should occur after their dinner. The rest of my evening well scheduled out...

Picture it, the way that I can't.

From the other end of an interlocking brick driveway, a real estate agent beckons you to a home in the newest, rapidly built development.

Weird roof and wall angles that would probably give Lovecraft a nightmare about something something non-Euclidean geometry.

Ornamental pillars framing every front doorstep.

Stucco, as far as the eye can see.

You can predict how it will be years from now.

Weeds poking out from between the bricks of an uneven driveway. Yards and yards of hastily applied stucco peeling off in the blazing sun. Inside the home, one would observe stains in the popcorn-treatment ceilings where dubious fluids are seeping through from the upstairs bathroom, sometimes dripping directly on to the dining room table.

But that's not your problem, because all those years ago, you gestured dismissively at that real estate agent. Then you walked away.

Amazon preorders have now opened up for the latest one-shot novella in the extended series, "Their Village, Their Fortress".

Stay tuned for the big cover reveal at a later date.

Summary

When a calamitous new weapon fells a fortress once considered invincible, one soldier rides home to deliver the terrible news. This journey is against orders, but he insists no village is too small to be warned of what's coming, even if he's not sure what they can do. He delivers an impassioned call to action, daring them to try. Reconnecting with his community involves reconsidering why he left it, and what he might regret having left behind; but he soon faces scrutiny when they realize something about his appeal doesn't add up.

Join the struggle of eclectic villagers as each decides their answer. Each confronts what's happening however they must, journeying through their emotions and sometimes delving into their personal histories to reconcile themselves. Each resister's specialties enrich their efforts to scrape together a victory from what's on hand. The events to follow reveal not just how they will fight, but why.

Their truth, their skills, and their efforts enable them to resist—but even if they believe, can a hastily-prepared volunteer militia of farmers defeat a battalion of trained soldiers?

Four questions, open ended answers.

The next author interview.

The interview never answers the question it begins with, but that may be one of the least complicated parts of the text.

Jarek is given a sentence in his previous appearance which is restated at the beginning of this book to catch a new reader up. The ones he wronged most present to him in clearly understood language what they expect him to do, and a generous length of time to bring himself to agreement, though they don't elaborate what will follow.

Had nothing in the sequence of events become super complicated after that, the question would be easily answered by observing how the book ends (which I won't spoil here). Some might even say the new answer is not much different from the original one, but there are many things I would let the reader judge.

If you're still lurking on Twitter and have any engagement, sharing this thread of mine may help. Or it may not, but if it doesn't, that wouldn't be a function of you having shared it.

The owner of the very sword appearing on the Redemption of Jarek book cover is holding vigil for a worthy cause. Please consider donating.

https://boarstooth.net/new-events/2018/3/29/a-knight-of-vigil-2018-eswpt-w4t5r

[Image description: On a rich black background, a longsword stands on its point in front of a cluster of wheat. Title text at the top reads The Redemption of Jarek. Author name at the bottom reads Dylan Madeley.]

THE REDEMPTION OF JAREK, the seventh and standalone book in its extended series, debuted on December 14, 2022. The book will be available for Kobo, Nook, and Kindle, with paperback editions on Barnes and Noble and Amazon online distribution.

As different vendor links become live, they will be added to the following universal link:

https://books2read.com/the-redemption-of-jarek

The story is told in a three part structure, beginning and ending with the personal journey of the titular character.

Much of Jarek’s youth revolved around making him fit for the throne, but one terrible day in adulthood finds him defeated, humiliated, and banned from the capital. He may only return upon complete surrender. Once home, he faces a trial by his commanders, though they are also fugitives by decree. Their land is a former province cut off from royal support, only kept free by the number of soldiers loyal to Jarek; but he swore to uphold the terms of his defeat, never to attack the capital.

As every illusion Jarek lived under is falling apart, he receives a visitor who tells him how the people of his land have suffered under his oblivious and unsustainable decision making. He faces a choice: drink himself to death while everything falls apart or change his land for the better. The latter might be impossible.

Just as he makes his choice, strangers arrive from a part of the world unknown to him, seeking a free and peaceful life, warning of a tyrant who pursues them. The story of their homeland is told in the second part. One man’s insecurity combined with his greed sees him betray people who believed they were his allies. He desires a great empire that he wishes his father had pursued, but this drives his transformation into something else–or, the persistent appearance of something he can never truly be.

But his former allies have no time to consider why he did this to them, not that they are to blame. Those who survive will each lead their people in a form of resistance suitable to their ways. Some will take to the battlefield, seeking justice, or vengeance. Some will search for a new home, challenged to leave no one behind, but they may flee into the waiting arms of a different danger. And some will do another thing altogether.

And the third part brings everything together. What is Jarek willing to do? Will anything ever be enough?

(The book functions standalone, or as a tangential sequel to The Fate of Lenn.)

I am happy to have been able to release this before the end of the year. If you have the ability to buy a book and have considered supporting what I do, but have put it off until now, this series-ending book is where I could really use your support, especially as I am still struggling to be hired and I have exhausted my savings from having sold a new laptop to pay the cover artist and the formatter properly. Any sharing also helps; not every form of support comes out of a wallet.

It's the first day after my job's end. The first day of the rest of my life, one might say.

You can help me between one job and the next by supporting my newest books, both released within the past year. I will link them in this thread.

"Prince Ewald the Brave" (May 2021)
A petty and abusive ruler gradually pushing out wise counsel would no doubt wreck the world with foolish decisions approved by an echo chamber of yes-men. His diligent son learns what leadership is supposed to be, yet this alone would not be enough. Prince Ewald needs allies, but it's still uncertain what they can do against the world's most powerful man.

https://squareonecomics.com/dylanmadeley/prince-ewald-the-brave/

"The Fate of Lenn" (September 2021)
A well-regarded, melancholy leader struggles with a deteriorating situation in his homeland while his neighbors yearn for freedom from a powerful rival. Can he save someone else's world let alone his own? He feels morally obligated to try. This is the story of Lenn walking the path of his fate and encountering many others along the way.

https://squareonecomics.com/dylanmadeley/the-fate-of-lenn/