The Halberd

The Halberd A retelling of Beauty and the Beast

On Kindle $2.99
In paperback $6.99 + shipping

The Halberd is the third in a series of retellings of Beauty and the Beast; along with Be Our Guest and White Elephant, it is part of Beasts of Ayutthaya: Three retellings of Beauty and the Beast. Phang is in love with an elephant, Naresuan, in 18th century Thailand. She is a mahout, an elephant trainer, while he is a white or albino elephant, the most royal of the royal. It is a turbulent time in Thailand, with King Taksin the Great reuniting the Siamese yet losing his mental stability. Enemies conspire to keep them apart. In modern Ayutthaya, a young boy finds a halberd, an ancient weapon used by people who fought on elephants. Relics of the ancient capital stir up everyone's imagination.

I was at the doctor's office today, April Fool's Day, and the nurse asked me what I was going to do today. Well, I said, I was trying to publish a book, but you can't publish a book on April Fool's Day. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" she asked me. Nobody in that small town (Abingdon Illinois) even dreamed about publishing books, or if they did, she hadn't heard about it. She thought it was a joke.

It wasn't. I published The Halberd last night on kindle and will publish the paperback tomorrow. It's taken forever. It is the third of three retellings of Beauty and the Beast.

I wouldn't want an April 1 pub date on it. People will look at it and waver - Is this serious? Is it a huge prank? It'll be a distraction.

But April 2 will work just fine. It's taken forever; it can take one more day.