Chapter 3 introduces Nermel. He is a psychic goblin with a lisp. Please let me know if the lisp is hard to understand or if you can think of a better way to put his dialogue so it is understood by the reader. I went replacing s’s with th’s and f’s with ph’s when he is upset.

Just posted Chapter 1. Let me know what you think. I know I’m not perfect, That’s what I want an editor for. It’s funny how having read and reread this I keep finding things that aren’t quite right.

It’s long still, but there was so much I cut out and dropped. There was a whole bit where Voem finds one of the library helper spirits trying to tell him something by writing it in the mop water. But I dropped it because there isn’t room to explain how the helper spirits are keyed to the chief librarian, so only he (who is now dead) could have communicated with them clearly. Until the new chief librarian is anointed they can’t communicate clearly with anyone.

The spirit was trying to direct Voem towards a secret passage, The spirit had been trying to get Voem’s attention since the other librarians were ignoring it. The librarians had seen its motions but knew it couldn’t talk to them. They were too accustomed to the rules commanding the spirit that they didn’t realize there were other ways to communicate.  But this book is too long anyway. And I was still introducing characters...

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for goblins. A slightly less soft spot for orcs and ogres, and a callous dislike for elves. Especially once I started playing D&D. Everybody wanted to be a tall lithe beautiful elf (actually D&D elves were short, but that changed later) with magic powers and grace.

No one cared for the poor measly goblins. The runts of the Fae world and target of the other Fae’s mockery. Not strong, not powerful, not magical (usually) and definitely not beautiful. They were always the butt of jokes, losers of battles and cast out into the underworld or the darkest dankest reaches of the forest. It was racism plain and simple.

But as I played DM a lot, they were my people. And they had their reasons for what they were doing. Like most bad guys, they were only helping the evil overlord because he promised them access to farm land and fishing holes. The chance to mine and use the gold they found under the elven graveyard.

They were working for a better life for their people. Yet everytime some group of adventures came across a goblin camp, that was set up in the forest waiting for the apple harvest, out came the swords. No wonder they killed anyone they caught in their woods. The cider harvest depended on it!

So I took that approach to goblins and I carried it on into my book. The protagonists are goblins. Not drooling, snot running down their face and they don’t care goblins. Or stabby, blood thirsty, retarded goblins who are scared of books. They have a culture, a history, goals, traditions and aren’t any dumber than their rivals. They’re just smaller, weaker and disrespected. Just like I would be in a world where dragons and ogres exist.

I got to stop starting these posts so late at night...

More later, along with the prologue for your ridicule and comments.

PS: I don’t really know how this works. Do you readers send me comments through some procedure here or do I have to post an email address or something? How do I officially declare this started as a project to see if I can get pre-sales? If I build it, will they come? which reminds me, I need to rebuild my website...

PPS: I’m unofficially dyslexic (Because when I was a kid, if you could still get good grades they didn’t care.). So I will likely make a few spelling errors and words dropped in these kind of posts. That’s why I need and editor for my book. But I also like bad grammar sometimes. It’s the way I think. Which is why I’m not invited to proper speakers’ parties... That and the swearing...

I have been trying to get this published for many years now, trying both the professional route and the amateur one.

The professional route involved a lot waiting to hear back and schmoozing, which is hard to do if you don't have a lot of money or live in NY or LA. I did have an agent for a bit. But he got tired of his readers alternately loving and disliking the story. He also thought it was too long for a first time writer have much chance with, at 150,000 words. So after chopping it down to 130k then 115k. He dropped me.

I tried the self publishing route prior to that, after waiting multiple 3-6 months for replies. I printed enough for my friends and tried to get interest from others, but I hate marketing. I'm not good at selling myself. The whole process seems awfully vain. So I need a publisher but couldn't find one.

Which is why I came here. I think I can tease a few into supporting my book, and then the novel can speak for itself. Hopefully.

To quote Milhouse - "My mom says I'm cool." and so is my novel.

Back with more later. You want to hear about goblins don't you? OK. See you soon.