`Warrior Girls‪'‬

For a long time this was my only novel which got consistent downloads. Before Smashwords merged with Draft2Digital it had many thousands of downloads.

I got sick and tired of revising "Amada's War", my first novel. I started writing that book in an affected style, being interested in the rhetoric of Conrad, Joyce, Lowry etc.  Then came the endless revisions and attempts to improve it. The plot in "Amanda's War" is the most intricate contrivance found in any my novels.  Influences from John.Buchan, and some Ian Fleming, perhaps a little Le Carre can be found in "Amanda's War."

Then in "Warrior Girls" I gave up on fancy rhetoric, threw away the Thesaurus, and wrote in a lively, bouncy, unaffected style. The plot is much less convoluted than what you find in "Amanda's War".  The influences of Tolkien and Robert Jordan, perhaps a little L. E. Modesitt came to the forefront. Instead of CIA spies you get the usual Fantasy paraphernalia: a daring escape from a city while chased by armies of evil enemies, slogging over rough country protected from blizzards and arctic cold by only woolen cloaks, tarps, campfires etc.  You have the struggle to stay alive while tramping over frozen landscapes, stopping occasionally at taverns and inns full of colorful or dangeous characters, then back on the road to meet up with witches, wolfpacks, perilous escapades etc.

The kingdom of Avallonia has been decimated by never ending wars. Men are scarce because most of them perished in these wars. Lots of single moms with lots of kids are left to fend for themselves in a very hostile world. Sometimes, when you're struggling to survive, perhaps at your wits' end thinking of ways to make it, it's best to think big and even entertain plans for bold adventures. What have you got to lose except the chains holding you down?

"Warrior Girls" is the prequel to "Single Moms".  Last time I looked at "Single Moms" I got the impression that the ending would either need a complete re-write or else it would remain as it was.  I wasn't about to do a complete re-write so it remains unchanged from what it was when written years ago.