I live in a fascinatingly chimeric city. In every corner of Prague, you’ll find something unusual, something a little…skewed. I’m going to share a few pictures here – don’t expect anything much [you can never get the *really* good stuff on camera] – it’s just for fun because it has seriously been such a crap week, but that’s not all that’s in this post. I’m also posting sample chapters of a book, and letting you know what’s going on with me and my future posts about the fate of the world (there will be more – dun dun dun…!). And I’m also going to link the creepiest but most fascinating articles I’ve read this week.
But first…a few quirks of Prague…
This past Tuesday, the tram’s door button was giving the impression of an alternate universe where the trams get tipsy.
One would expect such a crooked sign to open a door onto a different world, but nope. Same old one. Unless there’s something oddly off…wait, what’s that…?
Another drunk tram with an Igor slumping his way through its center [Igor = stock character lab assistant to Gothic-style villains]:
Then there are children’s paintings in cafes of fairy princesses holding their pig-tailed nemesis’s decapitated head, with the blood dripping out of the neck and everything…alright, so in reality it’s probably just a really awkward purse. (One of us should have purchased this masterpiece, but my inner circle is on a tight budget):
And, of course, don’t forget the people walking around with wings…
And I didn’t get pictures of the tram driver with shining demon horns, or the drugstore cashier with bright blue hair, or the woman in an evening gown and furry fox ears, or the dudes striding around in full battle gear and long capes and swords…
You never know what you’ll meet…just around a Prague corner.
And speaking of blue hair…
Book recommendation!
I offered to share sample chapters for a fantasy author I know, so check the link out below 🙂 I haven’t read the book itself, or else I’d include a review like I usually do in my newsletter, but it has great reviews so far!
Being sired by a Madrid is supposed to be a blessing, but for Tempest, it’s a curse that leaves her orphaned, penniless, and enslaved to a blood thirsty crown on the brink of war.
Found too unruly to become a ward of the court, she’s thrust into the care of the King’s Hounds – the assassins and warriors responsible for protecting the kingdom. Driven by rage and an oath to avenge her mother’s memory, Tempest throws herself into training.
But becoming the first ever female assassin isn’t enough. Now, she must obtain the heart of her kingdom’s most feared enemy – the jester – a deadly shapeshifter hidden in a land twisted by myth and darkness.
For those of you who liked my post last week offering hope in a hopeless world, I’m going to revamp it and also start a series of them on Medium sometime soon, focusing on how our world could look decades into the future, so watch this space and I’ll let you know when to shift over there. I’m going to frame it as a story set in the future, where a girl lives in a world that could be ours. I’m excited but scared at the same time.
As for my books, you all know I write frigging epics with a meaty lot of stuff going on, so that takes time! My next one set to publish jumps all over the age scale with its points of view, one a woman who’s 40, another a princess who’s 25, and two perspectives from boy and girl twins who are 11. Neither I nor my writers’ group like reading from the POV of children, but these…they’re just cool 😀
Uber-fascinating articles I read recently!
Here are the most fascinating articles I’ve read recently [but be warned; they’re all also potentially freaky!]:
- Aphid-munching beetle could help save hemlock forests – I always find this stuff uber-creepy – introducing or genetically altering insects to battle pests. I mean, imagine the implications if it gets out of control! But I also find it incredibly fascinating.
- Part spider, part scorpion creature found – I should have been a paleontologist – I love this sort of stuff!
- Similar is this one: Ancient arachnid erection enshrined in amber
- The dead speak! Scientists recreate voice of 3000-year-old mummy
- Tiny organs grown from snake glands produce real venom – “Researchers have been creating miniorgans—or organoids—from adult human and mouse stem cells for years. These so-called pluripotent cells are able to divide and grow into new types of tissues throughout the body; scientists have coaxed them into tiny livers, guts, and even rudimentary brains. But scientists hadn’t tried the technique with reptile cells before.”
- How a chunk of human brain survived intact 2600 years
- Why did a 420,000-year-old human ancestor collect feathers in Isreal?
As usual, if you want to support me and get sneak peeks into my works-in-progress, you can join my patreon page. Or sign up to my newsletter for free to get updates on books and free short stories.
Owner of two cats and huge dreams and author of any kind of love story so long as wild stuff is going on...
Sonya Lano 
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