STAR OF JUSTICE
by Robynn Tolbert
Published by Splashdown Books
ABOUT THE BOOK
She joined the knighthood for the scholarship program.
A thwarted assassination attempt drags Caissa Ocren into a secret war between elemental spirits and dragon worshippers. More accustomed to solving puzzles than wielding swords, she undergoes a crash course in survival from a mercenary minstrel, a shape-shifting druid, and a legendary spirit warrior.
An ancient book may hold the answers she seeks, but understanding requires the memories of a wizard. With time against her, Caissa faces the hardest lesson of all – how to serve when the cost is her life.
Readers, buy your copy of Star of Justice today!
AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR FEATURE AUTHOR
I wrote Star of Justice about eight years ago, when my day job instituted a “summer hours” program. Work an extra hour four days a week and get four hours off on Friday. Excellent, but what to do with those four hours? I had no friends. I had no internet. I had no cell phone. I decided to write a book. I’d started lots of books in college—twenty years earlier—so that wasn’t a concern.
I wrote four hours a day every Friday. I enjoyed it. I’d never finished a book before, you see. Started lots of them, but finish? No. This one I thought I could finish, if I just kept plugging away.
A month passed, and one of my dogs was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Didn’t know dogs could get that until he did. We started the various medications to ease his discomfort and prolong his life. Writing became a way to avoid listening to him cough.
Another month passed, and Mom was diagnosed with precancerous cells in her remaining breast. She’d had a breast removed because of cancer years earlier, so we were watching for it. The surgery was scheduled for early November. I would drive out to her farm every Saturday and read her the pages I’d written during the week. It became important to finish the book before that surgery date. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wanted her to know I’d completed one book, just in case.
I wrote every minute I wasn’t at work or in bed. My back hurt. My eyes hurt. My head hurt. I gained weight: a lot of eating takes place in my story, and it’s rude to let people eat alone.
The dog’s coughing worsened. Mom’s surgery date loomed.
The day before she went in, I finished the book. I like to think I finished it well. Mom certainly enjoyed it.
Her surgery went splendidly, and she came out with two new breasts created using her own tissue (a technique called a tram-flap, but that’s another story). My dear dog Wicket took The Long Step once I understood that his congestive heart failure would kill me before it killed him (it nearly did that winter when my over-stressed immune system broke down and left me vulnerable to every contagion that crossed my path). I put my finished book into the proverbial drawer and moved on with my life.
Looking back, those things that seemed determined to knock me off course were the very things that kept me on the path to completion. Ultimately, they set me on the path to publication.
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Thank you, Robynn, for sharing with us today.
Guest Question: What trials have unexpectedly helped you achieve your goal?
ENTRY RULES Readers, leave your email address (name at domainname dot com/net) along with your answer to the question for your chance to win a FREE eBook copy in the format of your choice of the book featured above. If you do not answer the question, and your email address isn't provided, you will not be entered.
This week, the contest is open to anyone worldwide.
