Last week I sent out a short fable (Acana’s Smile) to the mailing list. Yes, I know I need to be working on Other Things, but every now and then one needs a break. Also, I wanted to get it down while the image/notion was fresh in my mind. I also remember where the story came from and I don’t always know these things.

I was thinking about Madam Mim. Or more specifically, her duel with Merlin over Arthur in the movie version. I mean, I’ve read The Once and Future King and, as much as I hate to say it, the movie version of the duel was better. Why? Because Mim was a far more interesting character than she was in the book. There was a sort of fun-loving evil in the movie Mim that was totally lacking in the other Mim, who was there to be a threat but was pretty much a cipher otherwise.

Which got me thinking about magical duels in general and what it might be like to see it from the other side. Maybe things were more complicated than they appeared. So Acana’s Smile, which has nothing to do with Merlin or Mim or even Arthur, other than the initial seed. It, as usually happens, became it’s own thing in the process.

And now for something (almost) completely different. Among my many writerly duties is writing book descriptions for works of mine. Primarily, to give potential readers(one hopes) a hint of what’s going on inside. Since I don’t claim to be a master marketer (Yes, thanks again Captain Obvious), I was curious to get some feedback. So I’m going to post the latest version from All the Gates of Hell and ask the obvious question, whether you’ve read the book or not, would this get your attention?

“Ever get the feeling You might be in hell?

What if you were right?

What if that wasn’t the worst part?

Thanks to one misguided good deed, a young legal aid named Jin Hannigan discovers the truth. Her small town where nothing much ever happens? Yes, it’s hell…well, one of them, and no, that isn’t the worst part.

In the pantheon of gods, the Goddess of Mercy has a crucial role. She must decide who is worthy to advance on the Wheel of Life and Death…and who is not. Now, standing before the Gates of Hell, Jin learns the secret she kept from everyone, including herself—She is the Goddess of Mercy, she has a pile of work to do, and she’s way behind.

It’s only the fate of the entire cosmos. No pressure.

Her job aside, Jin has no idea why she chose to abandon her responsibilities and incarnate as a mortal without any memory of her true self. Jin needs to find that reason before her past finds her.

A delightful tale with twists, turns, and—surprise—a few laughs along the way.”

Why not come along?