Episode 33: To-Do Lists, Book Launch Prep, and a Mini Vacation, Oh My! (includes chapter 6 of Song of Scarabs and Fallen Stars)

Hi there! I'm Lindsey Sparks, author of books featuring hidden worlds and twisted myths. Welcome to my weekly author's notes podcast! This episode was recorded on Monday, 3/21/2022, and I would love to share some of my reflections from this past week with you.

NOTE: I read chapter 6 of Song of Scarabs and Fallen Starsat the end of the episode. I read chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in the previous five episodes (ep28, ep29, ep30, ep31, and ep32).

CURRENT FREEBIES:
Echo in Time (free ebook through all retailers)
Starter Library for newsletter subscribers (ebooks and audiobooks of my series starters, and more!)

CURRENT WIP:
8 Days Until Release: Song of Scarabs and Fallen Stars (Fateless Trilogy, book 1) - preview on my website: https://www.authorlindseysparks.com/preview1
Revising: Blood of the Broken (Atlantis Legacy, book 5)

READING:
Echo in Time by me (for Read By The Author)
Song of Scarabs and Fallen Stars  by me
Zodiac Academy: The Awakening by Susanne Valenti and Caroline Peckham

WATCHING:
Severence

HIGH:
Friend Adventure
Paperback proof of Song of Scarabs and Fallen Stars

LAST WEEK'S OBSESSION:
Vinyl stickers

WACKY GOOGLE SEARCHES:
- radiation poisoning
- sci fi ventilator mask (respirator)

GOAL(s):
- pronounciation guide for audiobook
- finalize/approve paperback
- write up Song of Scarabs and Fallen Stars playlist w/ scene descriptions
- put up preorder for Fateless Trilogy Book 2
- set up FB ads for Song of Scarabs and Fallen Stars
- Revise three chapters of Blood of the Broken

LOOKING FORWARD TO:
Getting the book launch prep wrapped up!

JOIN MY READER GROUP: Lindsey's Lovely Readers
https://www.facebook.com/groups/lovelyreaders

JOIN MY DISCORD SERVER:
https://discord.gg/EH4XPY6djP

SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER:
https://www.authorlindseysparks.com/join-newsletter

WEBSITE: https://www.authorlindseysparks.com/
TIKTOK: @authorlindseysparks
INSTAGRAM: @authorlindseysparks
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/authorlindseysparks

Transcript

0:01

Hi there. I'm Lindsay sparks. Author of books and include hidden worlds and twisted myths. Welcome to my weekly authors. His notes podcast today is Monday. March 21st. And I would love to share some of my reflections from this past week. With you. as usual. The freebies have not changed in the past. Like. Months. Multiple months. Um, so we still have Echo in Time, which is free through all ebook retailers and then, um, All of my first and series, um, that have multiple books in a series are. Are free for my newsletter subscribers. And, um, the. The audio books of Echo in Time, Ink witch, and Legacy of the Lost are also free for newsletter subscribers, um, and the link to join the newsletter and gain access to my starter library. Prairie is in the show notes. Okay. So currently I am. Working on, um, still. The same things. Um, just further along I am we're eight. Eight days away from the release of Song of Scarabs and Fallen Stars. Um, Which is the first book in the Fateless Trilogy, which is the third series in the Echo World. World after echo the Echo Trilogy and the Kat Dubois Chronicles. Um, so almost a week away, um, it's next Tuesday that it comes out. I'm so excited for the release. I have. So. So many of the like little final launch prep. Things to do, which I'll tell you about later. Um, so. This is not going to be like a super right. Writing revising week. It's going to be more of like a. It's the business side of the book. Publishing business, I guess it's just going to be very businessy this week. For me. But that's okay. Um, I knew that going into this, I always know that going. Going into a lunch. Um, so, um, I am still also revising a Blood of the Broken, which is the fifth Atlantis Legacy. Book, um, I am on chapter eight of. That one. I am a reading. This was kind of fun. I am actually reading right now. Um, I I'm reading, um, a Song of Scarabs and Fallen Stars, which I'm reading through, looking for audio book. Pronunciation, um, things terms that I need to give. Give my narrators because they have multiple narrators. The pronunciation guide. And I told them they would have that on. On the 24th. So I'm just going through the paperback proof, looking for. Um, that stuff I'm also looking just fine tooth. Comb making sure there's nothing. If there. Is anything that has slipped past my editor and my proofreader. I'm trying. To find those things. and I'm also looking for like fun dialogue pieces that I can use on Tik TOK or Instagram reels, um, to help promote the book. So that's what I'm reading. Um, A song of scripts and Paul and stars for, um, but it's really hard cause I keep just getting sucked. Into it and just reading it. So, I mean, I guess that's a good thing. But, um, not good, not good for my productivity. And accomplishing the tasks that I have set out for myself. I am also reading via audio book. Zodiac Academy, the first book, The Awakening by Susan Valenti or Suzanne Valenti. I'm not sure. And Caroline Peckham. Um, and there are a couple. Couple of PO. Popular Zodiac academy is really popular on. Tick tock it's um, like a. Right now. It's really striking me as like a grown-up. Harry Potter like college age, Harry Potter. Um, Kind of like how, um, the magicians was, but much more. I mean, it focuses on a pair of twin sisters. So it's more. Female focused. Um, and it seems like it's going to be more romancey I'm. I'm pretty sure it's extremely, romancey a little spicy. So. I feel like that was part of the reason that I started at. So I'm hoping it doesn't let me know. I do right now. There's a really annoying. To me, it's just not my preference. Um, I don't like bully stuff. So this. Um, been very bullyish. And have readers who assure me that, um, that doesn't. Last forever. And that it's worth it. If I can get past that part. So I'm hoping that they're not going to let me down. Um, we. We are watching right now. We finished the last season. Susan of billions and, um, we are now watching. severance, um, which is on apple TV. Um, Um, which we signed up for just so we could watch this, um, cause it looked really good. And then I think. We'll watch Ted lasso. probably starting tonight because we finished. All of the episodes that are out of severance, which was really good at total mind trip. there's only six episodes. Out currently. And it, I think that said it's nine episodes in the first season and it's already been renewed for a second. Season, which is great, but it is just this. The whole concept of this is that these people work. For this tech company. I think it's a. Tech company, we don't really know what the company does, um, called lumen. And. There were kind of, what's called a severed floor so that the people who work on that for our all supposed. Opposed to have the, have had this procedure. That causes it. So. So that, um, when they. Enter into their workspace. Um, their work personality takes over and then when they leave. The workspace, um, there. Um, personal personality takes. Over and those two personalities never crossed. So to the work. Personality. It's like they never leave work. In there. Mind, I guess. They don't know, they don't share any memories. There's no. Crossover anyway. Super interesting. Um, very like. Near future. I mean, it feels like present day ish. Sometimes it feels kind of eighties. Ish. I don't know. It's weird, but I'm pretty sure it's present day because they have smartphone. Smartphones. Um, but it's, um, a little bit like Saifai dystopian kind of black mirror. I would say very black. um, but, but not. Like a different. It's not an anthology. It's like at the same storyline. Through the whole thing. Um, yeah, so I'm really, I've known where my, my husband. And I have been speculating. What exactly is going on? Um, so we're really curious. To see what actually happens. Definitely has captured our attention. And okay. So my high, I don't have a low this week, which is kind of nice. Very nice. Um, my high this week. It looks no new lows, so that's good. Um, my high this week is I have. To two highs. Um, one is, um, I got the paperback. Proof of song of scabs and false starts. I don't have it out here. I have it inside because I'm reading. Um, to go through and look for the pronunciation guide and some quotes. Um, but it's beautiful. There's just. A couple of things I need to tweak on that. Yeah, so. And I'm just keeping an eye out. If there's anything else I need to tweak as I go through it. And then, um, I also, this last. Weekend. Um, on Saturday night I went away for just a short little lady. The strip with, um, one of my best friends and it. It was so much fun and so, so strange to be away from my children. Children, um, because that never happens. Um, And, but also like, Very blissful. To be 100% in charge of my time. And not have like nobody needed anything from me, which was really, really nice. Um, But I did miss. I missed my kids like crazy. So it's good to be home. One night was one night was enough. And then let's see here. So last week's obsession, I would say. I'm saying is vine. Vinyl stickers. And I'm going to explain that. So not in that, like I was just. Hoarding vinyl stickers or anything like that. But I, um, when we. We're on our little trip. Um, there were all these little, we went specifically to somewhere that has, it's a small town, but they have lots of like cute. It's a little bit touristy. But they have a lot of cute little shops and gift shops. And, um, just fun, fun. Little bakery. Curry and bookshops and stuff like that. and we. Um, There were so many of them had all these little, like little. Baskets, randomly strewn about the stores, um, of vinyl. Will cute vinyl stickers, just with funny sayings and stuff like that. Um, and I. I know those are super popular. People love to put them on there. Laptops and the water bottles and all the places. Um, but I was like, oh, that would be so much fun to do stickers for. More just like different things that have to do with my books. So, once. Once I'm done with this launch, one of the fun things that I'll work on. When I'm not writing. Um, is. Putting together, designing and, um, Stocking up on some fun. Vinyl stickers, um, that I can include when people order paperbacks. So I think that'll be really fun. Yeah. Okay. So I do have some wacky Google. Google searches. Um, just a couple from last week. And so the first one is radiation. I'm not okay. I get. That this is not actually like a wacky funny thing, but it is interesting. So radiate. Radiation poisoning. Is one of the terms I searched for and. And this relates to, um, where. Cora is in a blood of the broken. Um, So I had to research radiation poisoning and the symptoms of radiation poisoning. Um, I settled on queasiness and nausea. As it is one of the early signs of the. Type of, or the light level intensity of radiation poisoning. That at least doesn't immediately kill you. Um, but. It could kill you. Like you could get beat, have nausea for a. A few hours and you still may not die for a few days. So. That worked out perfectly for me. Um, so, we've got some radiation. Creation poisoning happening. And the other term that I searched for for writing purposes was scifi ventilator mask. Um, Which I didn't know what to call it. Um, But they're on a planet where they're not supposed to, they should not be. There. There, I guess. Well, like I gave that away. They're in an environment where they should not be breathing. Breathing the air. and so I needed to figure out. Just how to make this work. Um, Because for other reasons, they also can't use, obviously Cora is psychic. She usually uses. Her like psychic. Psychic energy, making forms like a Bumble around her head. but. That is not an option where in the current environment, Um, So, I had to give them some new Olympian tech. So. Um, it's not a ventilator mask. I have learned it is, would be called a respirator. Um, so they have some. Cool, low profile respirators that they're wearing over their. Mouth and nose. And so I got to figure that out. That was, that was good to know. Okay, so last week's go. I'm trying to get through these pretty quickly. Quickly, so we can read chapter. Six. Um, of song of scabs and fallen stars. Um, so last week's goals. I've failed. Spectacularly at pretty spectacularly. Um, so kit. Get at least seven chapters revised of. Blood at the broken. Which would have been one a day, obviously. I did three chapters. Not even not. Not even a 50%. but that's okay because I had a lot of stuff that I had to do, um, preparing for the launch of song of scripts. And fallen stars. And I think I've said this before, but I always underestimate how. Much little, little things, and they all add up that you have to do when you get. Ready for a book launch and especially a book launch at a scheduled and has like a pre-order setup. And. There's things you're trying to do. Um, On a specific calendar date. Um, so that has kind of taken over most of my work time. And. Um, as you know, my work time is super limited already, so. Um, check the song of scrubs and fallen stars, paperback. Proof and finalize the interior formatting that is. Almost completely. Done. Um, I'm still trying to figure out one little thing to. I get it. Um, Approved by the printer. Um, And I have a couple of tiny little tweaks that I have found in my. Read through of the proof that I just want to also tweak slightly. but I had already, already gone through the proof. And mostly finalized it. So it is, I should have it. I'm going to resubmit it today after this, and then hopefully it will be. I'm ready. Um, in another day or two, And just not do this at all. Right. Up the song of scarves and fallen stars playlist with scene description. So I still just have. The, I just haven't created, I have not put. At the document together, which is what will be available to newsletter subscribers. Um, after the book launches. Which is each song. We'll have with it, like a little paragraph describing the scene that to me, it goes with, or the character or whatever kind of theme. It is tied to in the book. Um, so I need to put that together still. Um, okay, so this week, My goals are the things. That I didn't do last week. So I need to do the playlist with scene descriptions. And I. I need to finalize the paper back, um, finalized, finalized. So I already. Finalize it, but I used to like final, final stamp of approval. Like get it. In route to being published, um, imminently, I need to finish the pronunciation guide. For, Of the. Audio book. Um, and I need to. To lots of little things. These, these are all the little things I need to set up. At the pre-order for book two, which I want to have that pre-order live. just before book one goes live. So when people get book one and want book two, They can order that. Before they forget about it. Um, and I need to set up. Some Facebook ads for the launch. And. This is the launches, like I said, um, Not this, not tomorrow. But next Tuesday. And I would like to, but I'm. Not like setting this up as a hard goal. Um, if I can revise. Three chapters, a Blood of the Broken. Um, near the end of the week. And. Over the weekend. I should have some mornings when I actually get some writing time. if I, if I have the time, I'd like to do that, but that is like, The last thing on my list. Okay. And I am looking forward to, um, Um, it's just getting the book launch all wrapped up and moving on. With my life. I'm going to the next book, which is always what it is onward. To the next book. So, um, let us. Go ahead and move into. Um, the reading of a continuing Song of Scarabs and Fallen Stars the preview. So last week I read chapter five. Which was Lexus first chapter. And this week I am reading chapter six, which. Which is cats first chapter. So. Here we go. Ah, Song of Scarabs and Fallen Stars chapter. For six cat. Lips pursed into a permit. Frown. I flipped a fourth card. From the deck of tarot cards, adding it to the three cards already laid face up. On the small patch I had cleared on the dining room table on the dining table in front of me. Half of finished sketches, lay scattered around the terror. Taro cards, the fruits of a brief, but productive, manic drawing session. Scowling at the partial taro spread. I took a gulp of whiskey. Breakfast of champions. Then set my empty glass down with. Thunk. I flipped another card, the motion jerkier. Um, oh, I should probably like give a language warning. This is a cat chapter, which means it is not safe for. Non adult. Ears or work. Yeah, not safe. Safe not safe for work. Bad language. And some mild. Adult content, I guess. Mother fucker. I'm muttered. I flipped another card and. Slapped it down. Mother fucking mother fucker. When. I flipped to the next card. I didn't even bother laying it in the spread on the table. With the others I held at pinch between my fingers and glared at the image displayed on its face. The taro card quivered. The star. Our card displayed tar set, nude kneeling at the edge of a. Pool of water, surrounded by Palm trees and sand arms extended over the. Pool and water dripping from her cup tans. Seven stars. Hung above her in the Twilight sky, looking like silver asterisks. near the horizon in the place of an eighth star. Black scarab hovered its wings flared up and around. Its wings flared up and around a golden disc. Upright this card represented hope and creativity, which seemed fitting for. but upside down as the card kept appearing. The star suggested loneliness and defeat. The spread. Of cards was the same as before. The same as always. The silence, filling the cabin, graded on my nerves, the endless falling. Bling snow outside muffled, all the noise of the surrounding world. A world that had become far too quiet. We may have vanquished the enemy. But they had left brutal scars on the earth. Growling. I unleashed my frustration on the useless taro cards. Shoving them off the table with a violent sweep of my arm. Several. Several sheets of paper, fluttered to the hardwood floor, covering some of the cards. With a harsh scream. I shoved my chair. Back and stood part way. Another angrier arms sweep sent. More sketches flying. Along with my empty whiskey glass and a few discard. Carded pens. The glass smacked against a cabinet door than rolled on its side down the length of the aisle between the kitchen island and. The row of cabinets. A couple of sheets of print. A couple. Sheets of paper. Made it all the way to the rug in the living room beyond. Beyond the far end of the table. Reading hard. I leaned. And forward my palms planted on the tables, smooth Oak surface. I had been raw and on edge since that final showdown with the net chairs, like. The colossal force I had channeled had overloaded my synopses and singed. My nerve endings. The smallest things set me off these days and the most, my new use of my powers exhausted me. Nick had brought me here to this cabin and the remote Alaskan wilderness. To give me a chance to recuperate and peace. I had. No idea what was going on out there. In the rest of the world. Though I supposed, I would find out today when we met with the NetJet. plan later. When we met with the nudger RET clan. Leaders. At the Oasis, it would be my. First time revisiting the scene of the battle. I straightened and reached out to my right to snatch the half full whiskey bottle off. Off the end of the counter. I yanked the stopper free, took a long pole. Of the burning Amber liquid. Then stuffed the stopper back into the neck of the bottle. Rage bubbled up boiling over. With a horse, how I chucked the bottle across the cabin. It. Hurdled toward the picture window in the living room. I hadn't actually intended. Tended to throw the bottle at it, but that's where it was headed. And part of me gleefully anticipated the impending explosion of glass. The bottle froze feet from smashing into and likely through. The window. It hovered in front of the glass, the idyllic winter Wonderland. And displayed beyond remaining undisturbed by my tantrum. A delicate. Sukkot vine of iridescent art coiled around the neck of the bottle. The other end of the vine rooted in the floor. And the entryway beyond the corner of the living room, the cabins front. Front doors stood open. Nick stuffed inside holding an arm full of fighter. Nick stepped inside holding an arm full of firewood. His tall, imposing figure, framed by a serene snowy backdrop. The early morning light tinted the snow behind him. Rose gold. He had been out since I woke up some 40 minutes ago. Now I. I knew where he'd been chopping wood. Sometimes he needed physical activity to. To expel his frustration. I wasn't oblivious. Enough to think. I wasn't the root source of most of that frustration. Nick stomped his boots on the entry rug and scanned the chaos on the floor around the table before fixing his attention. On the hovering. Bottle. Grim expression, hardened, his stunning angular features. Features. At his direction, the vine lowered the whiskey. Bottle gently setting it on an end table beside the couch. The thin vine unwound from around the neck of the bottle and withdrew. True fizzling away in a glittering mist. Nick took another step into the cabin and kicked the front door shut. I thought we talked about this kitty cat. He speared. Feared me with his pale blue stare. One eyebrow elevated. It would seem you and I have different definitions of the word. Rest. I raised my right hand. Thrusted out in front of me and flipped in the bird. The corner. Corner of Nick's sinful mouth tensed, and he narrowed his eyes to irritate. Irritated slits. And the same heartbeat, a new vine of art snuck up from the heart, from the floorboards at my feet and snaked around my outstretched. Wrist. Nick tutted. And shook his head. Such crude manners. Somebody should really teach you a. Lesson. My stomach did a little flip-flop at the dark promise. In his words. I tugged my arm attempting to pull free from the vines. Hold. But it was useless, like being cuffed. In an iron manacle. Before that final, no holds barred. Battle with the net GERS, I easily would have been able to shatter the AAT vine with focused thought. But at the moment, the task was utterly impossible. Nick. Crossed the living room to the oversized hearth in the far wall, taking his time. Time. Letting me struggle. He crouched and sat down. The firewood stacking it in a neat little pyramid and the recessed cubby beside. The fireplace. By the time he stood and faced me, I had stopped. I'm struggling. I couldn't break free, not in my current state. I assumed that was the whole point of his little display. I have power. And my lack thereof. Nick wanted me to face my weekend state to acknowledge the. The lingering effects of the battle. The war was over, but the. Trauma from the fight lingered in my body, in my soul. Nick crossed his arms over his chest and stood in front of the hearth. Simply staring at me. His eyes trailed, leisurely down. The length of my body taking in the baggy sweats. And t-shirt I had taken from his dresser. When I crawled out of bed. When his gaze finally. Finally returned to mine, his pale eyes. Glinted dangerously. Since you seem to be incapable of resting on. Your own. He said, Slowly stocking toward me. He unzipped his checked wool coat and shrugged out of it. It shedding his lumberjack disguise and tossing the coat aside. Like it contained. The last shreds of his civility. It falls to me. To make. You rest. I gulped a zing of anticipation shooting down my spine, striking my core. I licked my lips, my chest rising and falling faster than. Than before. Another vine of art shot out of the floor and captured my. Other wrist. Those twin vines holding me captive, pulled my hands. Down and dragged me backward. Toward my abandoned chair. When the back of my right calf hit the wooden chair leg. Two more odd vines. Burst up from the floor and coiled around my ankles, climbing up my calves and around my knees. They forced my knees to bend and I rest. And I resisted. For only a few seconds before dropping into. To the chair. As soon as I sat to the vines. Vines holding my limbs latched onto the arms and legs of the chair. Restraining. Bring me. I instinctively struggled against my bindings, but. By the time Nick reached me, I had fallen still. His heated. Hyper-focused gaze RO roved. His heated. Heated hyper-focused gaze road up and down my body. He was hunger need. Desire. And he was just a little bit scary. I watched him motionless save for the rapid rise and fall of my. Chest. I had a rough idea of where this was headed. But Nick could be extremely creative. I could only imagine what he had planned for me. The only thing I knew for. Sure it was that I would love every damn second of it. Nick leaned. And in looming over me. He set his hands on the arms of my chair directly behind my elbows and bent his arms sinking deeper. Into my personal space. Low, rough noise rumbled in his chest as he nuzzled the hollow of. My neck. His nose barely skimming that sensitive flesh. The art vines, twining around my legs. Crept. Higher inching up the insides of my thighs. They forced my knees. Apart, they forced my knees further apart until the outsides of my legs were flush against the chairs armrests. Nick pulled. Back enough that I could see his achingly beautiful face. His gaze his. Skimmed over my features, dark lust burning in his pale irises. his face was naked of his signature piercings. But his neck displayed the goddess ISIS tattoo. But his neck displayed the goddess ISIS tattooed and black ink. Her wings outstretched to embrace him. I had done that. Marked him. My ink stained patches of his skin. All over his glorious body. A small possessive. Assessive smile, curved. My lips. You. You want me to punish you? Don't you? Nick said his voice alone. Low per his attention, lingered on my lips before returning to my eyes. Do you want pain? Or pleasure. He licked his lips as they curved into a slow wicked. Wicked grin. Or both. I, my voice caught in my throat, my heart. Hammering and my whole body flushing. Don't get me wrong. My sexual tastes were far from vanilla. But Nick. Was every other fucking flavor in the ice cream shop. And he made me. Feel like an inexperienced young Virgin, at least once a day. I want, but next focus abruptly straight. Strayed away from me. And my words, faltered. He felt still absolutely. And completely even his aunt. Fines ceased their slow incessant creep up my body. I watched as a desire blood from his eyes. As his eyelids open. Wider. As something that looked a hell of a lot, like fear. I took root in his shocked stare. What. I craned my neck to see what had captured his attention. Something. On the floor. But all that was down there where my scattered tarot cards. And the dozens of half-finished hastily, sketched drawings. Straining the muscles and tendons in my neck, I glanced from Nick to the drawing. I thought. Thought had captured his attention and back. What is it? The art vines are straining me, vanished, leaving me startlingly. Free to move. I twisted my wrist, increasing the blood flow to my fingers. Next stepped away from my chair and crouched to pick up the sketch. What is this? I scanned the drawing. It was one of the first I had done this morning. Like all the others. It was one of the first I had done this morning, like all the others that featured a wing scarab, holding a circle over a Ted. And it's buggy pincers much like the scarab on. On the star card. Aesthetically this particular rendition. Of the winged scarab was very much in the style of the ancient Egyptians. It's a drawing. I said, dryly. Duh. Nick didn't react to the sarcasm. Chasm dripping from those three words. It wasn't like him to ignore my pokes. And prods. He liked it when I gave him shit and he enjoyed dishing it back out even more. And he's settled in my belly, replacing. The need Nick had stoked just moments ago. Nick. Locked eyes with me. Why did. You draw this cat. The paper shivered as he shook the drawing. For emphasis. He called me cat. Not. Kitty cat, just cat. This was bad. Bad. My brow furrowed and my lips parted again. I looked from Nick to the drawing and back, I searched his eyes trying to understand why this sketch had shaken him so badly. I didn't get. It. I was trying to find her set. I admitted. He was going to love that, especially after I had promised not. To even try to use. My powers when I was alone. Lately. I had a bad habit of ending up unconscious when I pushed myself. Too hard magically speaking. A bitter laugh, bubbled. Bubbled up from my chest and I flung a hand gesturing to the rest of the unfinished sketches, littering the floor. Each displayed some variation of the same scarab. Symbol in different artistic styles. Clearly I'm broken. I added my shoulders slumping as I lowered my arm, I give up. Up. You win no more powers. All rest. Nick ignored my admission of defeat. Which was unlike. Like him. His eyes remained, locked on the drawing in his hand. Do you know what this represents? His gaze flickered up, meeting mine for a fleeting moment before returning to the sketch. This symbol. I shook. Shook my head frowning, as I studied the drawing more closely. I mean. Other than the sun, right? That's what the scarab is holding the sun. Done at next minute nod. I continued. So maybe it represents RA or a moon or. Or another of the divine manifestations of the sun. Nick finally tore his stare away from the drawing. His eyes locked. With mine once more. Tom, he said, Naming one of those solar gods. It represents. Tom. I shook my head slowly willing. Unwilling or unable to make the necessary mental leap quickly as fear. Iced through my veins. Tom was a measure. Myth. A legend. He was our version of the boogeyman said to hunt. Naughtiness charrettes and kill them in their sleep. And I had drawn. His symbol. Over and over. While trying. And to find tar set. I swallowed roughly. But I cleared my throat and held Nick's haunted stare. There, but Tom is a myth. He's not real. Yeah, sure. Nick said. But despite his quick agreement, his voice lacked conviction. Whatever you say, kitty cat. Okay. That's it for chapter six of Song of Scarabs and Fallen Stars. I will read chapter seven, um, next Monday, the day before the book releases. So, um, that's it for. This week, Thank you so much for listening. Um, and I'll be back next week to ramble some more and to. Reach chapter seven until then happy reading.