The Skies of Lumea are restored, and nations across the world are celebrating. However, in the middle of a well-deserved vacation, a new evil reveals itself to Lola and her friends. Mikaboh – proclaiming himself the High Spirit of the One True Existence – brings forth armies of his ancient creations, the Bogba’el.
With tensions growing among the Spirit Order, Lola and her friends find themselves on a journey across the world to find clues from long-perished civilizations that might lead to a way to vanquish the newly-freed Evil Spirit.
I’ve gotta make a note to make book 2’s cover use a lighter background.. but here’s its title logo!
It may not have updated on all retail ends, but the listing price through our distributor has been dropped to $8.99 to make the paperback copy more accessible. – That is, if you prefer paperback books. The Kindle version is still much less expensive than the paperback version.
In the long run, I would like to have an ebook version that is available through more channels than the Kindle format. However, Amazon does offer a version of the Kindle reader for many platforms, including your desktop/laptop, smartphone, and tablets.
The Lola plush blanket.
Some progress has been made toward Book 2’s development. By “some” I of course mean that I have part of the plot outlined and am still gearing up to write the actual chapters.
Progress has been hampered by several factors, but I’m not going to go too far into that. Let’s just say my thumb tendon has started to heal, so I can ALMOST hold a pencil for more than a minute. Weird, unpleasant stuff but things are still in motion despite a few obstacles.
In the meantime, if any of my watchers would be willing.. Well, some publicity for Book One might help. Getting a book noticed is somewhat difficult if you A) Haven’t gone through a big publisher, or B) Are already famous enough to bring attention to it yourself. So, if you could reblog this reasons why The Empty Sky is worth reading, it would be a tremendous help.
- The Author
Lola is actually a real dog, and was the basis of the main character of this book series.
Lola is (as stated in the title of the books) a Buhund – which is shorthand for Norwegian Buhund. Buhunder are a spitz-type breed of dogs hailing from Norway that have been historically been used as herding dogs, all purpose farm dogs, and watch dogs.
They’ve very intelligent, protective and loving creatures by nature. Buhunder are also high energy dogs that require a great deal of attention and exercise. If you have the ability to meet such needs as a pet owner, the Norwegian Buhund may be the right dog for you. However, there are various breed standards that Lola does not meet, according to the AKC (taken from wikipedia):
Wheaten - Any shade from pale cream to bright orange, with or without dark tipped hairs; as little white as possible; black mask acceptable. Black - Preferably without too much bronzing; with as little white as possible. Areas where white is permissible: a narrow white ring around the neck, a narrow blaze on the face, a small patch of white hairs on the chest, white feet and tip of the tail. In the UK Wolf Sable is also listed in the Kennel Club Breed Standard.
Lola despite having the correct frame and temperament, is not the correct color.
Her coat is almost solid white, except for a brown marking around her right eye. As she’s grown in the past year, a few brown spots have appeared on the back of her ears as well. A Buhund breeder who I consulted for information on the breed also informed me that “her ears are too large” and that “her tail doesn’t curl correctly”. Aside from those minor details, she is the spitting image of the breed in terms of personality. Regardless of what any breeder or AKC official would tell me, there’s no doubt in my mind that she IS a Buhund – albeit one that doesn’t fit their standards. (It’s worth noting that I really do not like the AKC or the Puppies for Profit industry they encourage, so I really wouldn’t give much weight to their opinions or the opinion of a dog breeder backed by them.)
This can be my only clue as to why Lola was found abandoned on the side of a highway as a puppy, in close proximity to a puppy mill. She came with no pedigree, no papers; but that really didn’t matter to my family. What mattered to us was that she was so malnourished when we first got her that one of her ears couldn’t stand up.
That picture above is her as a puppy. She’s doubled in size since then, and her ear issue has long since resolved itself. It took a great deal of love and care, but she’s recovered from her time in the shelter. .. We still can’t take her to PetSmart on adoption day, however. She always freaks out because she thinks she’s being taken back to the shelter. Which is a little ridiculous because I’d never willingly send her back.
Seriously. Look at this monster. Would you ever give up something so zany and lovable?
Lola in her infinite wackiness has been a great inspiration to me, and has more than earned her place in our household. We all love her a great deal.
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