Do you offer reader engagement?
Of course. Here are the details. Anyone who wants to follow the series and ask questions is welcome to register.
Is this story a western?
No. There are no guns. There are no shootouts. The Last Coffle is low fantasy set in an Appalachian-adjacent world. This gives the story a North American vibe and makes it more relevant to the North American colonial experience.
Is this story about child slavery?
No. Child slavery is touched on in the incident that launches the story, but after that it vanishes. The storyline involving the children is about magic, wonder, and found family.
Is this slavery porn?
No. I promise that no slaves were whipped in the creation of this story. This story is not about slaves in the traditional sense. It is not about the North American slave trade. Slavery here is a metaphor. It’s about how the choices we make serve to enslave us.
Is this story spicy?
No. There are adult themes, closed doors, and suggestions, but I am doing my best to keep the sexuality approachable.
Is this romantasy?
It is not. Romantasy requires a happy-ever-after or happy-for-now ending for the protagonist and their love interest. One of the storylines in this tale is a charming love story, but it does not involve the protagonist.
Does this story have vulgar language?
Some early narrative drafts of some chapters do have swearing and some of it is anachronistic. However, I am working with critique partners familiar with Appalachian/Afrolachian dialects to come up with some creatively colorful words to replace many of the worst with unique new words and turns of phrase.
Is this dystopian?
That depends on whether you consider the world we are living in right now dystopian. In the world of The Last Coffle, everyone is enslaved by the wealth and the powerful. Is that dystopian?
Why is a Canadian writing about Appalachia?
The Appalachian mountain range extends into Canada. My family on my mother’s side first settled in that region in the 1600s. So I consider myself an honorary Appalachian.