Elizabeth Jane Morgan

I had hoped to end 2024 with the news that I had finished Silver Crescent. Alas, it was not to be. I completed my latest draft right before Christmas. It’s almost there. I’m reading through it one more time, to make sure I’ve caught all the typos and fixed any plot holes. Out of thirty-four chapters, I’ve finished thirteen. I don’t think it will be much longer and then you can all finally read Silver Crescent.

On November 9th, I got to attend a library opening in San Diego. My oldest brother is a librarian and he was chosen to run it. It’s a beautiful building. It’s one story and they made good use of the space. You walk in and you’re immediately amongst the bookshelves and you can browse to your heart’s content. Off to the left of the main area is a conference room for meetings. To the right is a couple of private study rooms and a computer room, which has both a 3D printer and a sewing machine. Outside is a play area for kids, with lots of grassy mounds for them to climb on. When I saw it, there were at least half a dozen easels set up on the side with children finger painting. Overall, it’s a wonderful new library.

There were so many people there, it was hard to move around. It was a good turnout. It was a pleasure to see the public so enthusiastic over a new library. I’m glad my brother invited me over to attend the grand opening. I wish the library success with its mission to serve the public and inspire everyone to read and learn.

Happy Halloween, everyone! To celebrate the season of witches, I’d like to share with you a passage I’ve been working on for the last few days. I’m still debating whether I like the new scene or not. For a bit of context, Penelope, Mag, and Artie are in Elton Castle, talking with Hugo, the troll scholar who is also the caretaker of the castle. Hugo is explaining how to repair books with magic. Enjoy!

We stepped into the library. Hugo had done a lot of work already to fix it up, but it was still a mess. Most of the bookcases had toppled over and torn and battered books littered the floor, but right in the center of the library were a couple of upright bookcases, a table, and a few chairs. Books filled the shelves and, judging from their pristine covers, were well cared for.

“I love what you’ve done with the library, Hugo. Did you restore these yourself?”

“I’ve always had a unique affinity with books. It used to drive the other trolls mad.”

“What do you mean?”

“Here, I’ll show you.” Hugo picked up a small, blue book. It was faded, the binding was peeling, and the pages were water damaged. Cradling the book in his strong arms, he waved his hand down the length of the spine. “Beredan.” It glowed purple for a moment, before the binding snapped into place.

With one hand, Hugo opened the book. I could see the drooping, water logged pages, but I couldn’t make out the writing before he waved his hand again. “Tokelen.” I watched, amazed, as water began to seep up out of the paper. It was like something was drawing the water out, leaving the pages dry once more. Hugo tipped the book forward and the water pooled at his feet.

He wasn’t done yet. Closing the book, he waved his hand over the cover. “Ernafen.” Purple light radiated out. I averted my eyes before it dazzled me. When it had faded and I was able to look again, I saw that the book had been restored. It looked as flawless as the day it was printed.

“That was amazing, Hugo,” I said, awed. “Is this why the golden dragon is after you?”

Hugo slipped the book onto a shelf and nodded. “I believe so. I can do this with almost any ruined book. The golden dragon did his best to stamp out all knowledge during his first reign of terror. We can’t let him do it again.”

“As fascinating as this is, could we please get back to the silver crescent?” Mag said. “You said you had a book that explained it.”

“Forgive me, Mag, you’re right.” Hugo made his way to the table in the center of the library. “Step carefully now. The book we want is right this way.”

“What kind of books have you restored?” Artie asked. “I’m guessing all historic tomes and illuminated manuscripts, right?”

“A few, yes, but I’ve also uncovered quite a few fiction novels. Did you know that Queen Winona had a fondness for romance books?”

“Really? Aren’t those your favorite as well?” I asked, as I browsed through the titles.

“They are, but who doesn’t love a good romance? Ah, here it is!” Hugo pulled a thick green book off the shelf.

“A Dragon’s War: Tales of the Past,” I read. “By C.M. Aude. Cessala and Maude again.”

“Yes,” Hugo said as he flipped through the pages. Perched on his nose were his reading glasses. “After defeating the golden dragon, Maude and Cissy had quite the illustrious career as writers. Didn’t they tell you?”

“No.”

“You might want to ask sometime. They’ve written at least a dozen biographies, all centered on the golden dragon war.” Hugo continued to search through the book. “Here it is.” He turned the book around to face us. The right-hand page contained text, while the left showed a portrait of the silver crescent necklace.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, running my hand down the page.

“Princess Marian drew it as a young woman,” Hugo said.

Dragons are cool. I’ve always thought so, ever since I first started writing. Some people ask me why I love dragons so much. It’s because of my brother, who also loves dragons. I would try to tell him about my story ideas, but he was never interested. So, I started to look at what he liked and I found that I liked dragons as well. What’s not to like? They’re big and impressive and magical. They can fly and breathe fire. They’re the ultimate fantastical magical creature. Maybe that’s why I made one of my main characters a dragon. In my opinion, Mag is the epitome of everything I love. Magic.

I read a lot of young adult books that all seem to have love triangles. I understand why authors throw them in. It’s a way to add tension and mystery to the story. Who will the main character wind up with? It’s such a compelling subplot, except that it’s not. In most cases, I’ve found that the author has written themselves into a corner with the dreaded love triangle. In every instance, someone is going to be disappointed.

Every reader is going to have a preference between the love interests. If Mary is trying to choose between Steve and Bob, some people will like Steve and others Bob. The problem is when the writer choses who Mary is going to be with. Unless one choice is completely unsuitable, either Steve or Bob fans with be angry. You can’t satisfy everyone.

That’s why I don’t have a love triangle in Silver Rose or Silver Crescent. It’s just not worth it. I know exactly who Penelope is going to wind up with, so it’s a waste of time for the readers to try and pretend otherwise.

I know everyone is eagerly anticipating the release of my new book, Silver Crescent. Thank you all for your patience. I can now confidently say that I’m finally approaching the end. I finished my latest draft in early July. It’s been a long journey, but I’m happy with the final results. In my opinion, the story has turned out beautifully.

I asked my parents, one of my brothers, and my two aunts to read it and give me their honest opinions. So far, only my dad has gotten back to me. He gave me his highest praise. “It’s okay.” That’s how he describes anything he likes. Once I hear back from my other beta readers, I’ll take a look at their feedback and then decide how to precede. Now, I just have to decide: traditional or self-publishing.

Thank you to all my readers who have stuck by me while I write.