The Law of Armelith came from a simple concept: a Western story about the white hat and black hat tropes trading roles by the end (heroes wear white hats and villains wear black hats so the viewer of a Western movie can easily identify them).
I deleted and restarted this story two or three times until I could force out a finished draft. I didn’t have as extensive prep or planning as I did for the Ravenshore novels, so I do feel this one is weaker and needs more work. But I don’t want to influence beta reads too much so here’s a quick summary to pique your interest.
Plot: Winstead travels the most dangerous region on the continent to learn about her country’s law magic and why it didn’t protect her sister, guided by an exiled criminal con man. Ambrose is shipped there for a crime he shouldn’t have been able to commit.
Setting: an Arctic frontier cut off from civilization by a wall of chaos magic, accessible by train only once a year, used as a prison for Armelith’s worst and guarded by knight-gunslingers.
Themes: whether redemption and forgiveness are possible for heinous crimes; survival and the toll it takes.
Cool stuff: gun magic, law magic, sabretooths and mammoths, the secret at the heart of Armelith, a handsome devil.
ANY feedback would be helpful! I’m posting beta/draft chapters on Patreon and if you’re interested in reading and telling me what works or doesn’t work, I’d love to hear from you.
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