The next Valdemar anthology is Anything With Nothing, and “Good Intentions” will be in it. Pretty confident I can say that, even if I haven’t signed the contract, since I just accepted all the edits and sent them my bio.
It’s a Khaari story, for those of you wanting a Khaari story. For those of you not wanting a Khaari story, well, I hope you like it anyway.
Toecrusher also gets some time, for those who appreciate Shin’a’in battlemares.
For anyone who needs a reminder: Khaari is my Scrollsworn character, a distant relative of Lelia and Lyle (and Ivy), and in the spirit of June and Pride I will also say when I scoped her out I kept in mind that she would be Aro, and that this was true both before she became Kal’enedral and after. (I do not believe Khaari became Sworn because of an act of vengeance. Rather, she did so because it was a calling.)
None of this comes up in the short story (there wasn’t really any room for it this time, no convenient place for it to play out during the telling) but it’s part of how I write, the “stained glass” as I think of it. I construct backstory that frequently never gets into the actual story, a kind of stained glass, and then let that soft light shine onto the tale. Some things you may pick up. Some things you may not. It’s okay. I know it’s there.
The last two stories (“All Around the Belltower” and “Ghost of the High Hills”) have had stronger and better representation, largely because when I reach into the well for stories I am reaching for things that currently move me. But I also like to think sometimes we can just have representation. Like the stained glass.
That said, we are at an inflection point here in America where LGBTQ+ rights are being stripped away just as they were gaining ground. This is not okay. Ignoring it does nothing. Pretending it will get better does nothing. Telling people to shush and be quiet is not the answer. Organize, vote, donate. Go loud.
And do not let the bastards win.
