Jay Horne here.
I have battled with myself as I have submistted my manuscripy to multiple agents, wondering who will be lucky enough to launch my great career.

How vain it sounds when written that way!

You might understand, if you had spent time traiing as a Navy Seal. Then spen years of your life as an EMT and being awarded the Star of Life for no good reaon, other that pity.

I have been hardened to endure loss, and then endured that loss.

Then I have sat still while my body withered and imagined a better world. Writing it.

I give you the epilogue and notes of my novel achievement which introduces you to all of my coming work.

A great piece of literature leaves one wondering. Would it be better if it were all actually this way?

Enjoy.

Epilogue

Outside of the barriers, the world had changed.

Most of the World’s magicians and philosophers describe the current shape of the planet as a giant “C”. Which is ironic because most of the scientists, geologists, and other professors ending in “ists” agree. Only they would spell it longhand.

The fact was, the World is mostly covered by the sea, but it always had been, hadn’t it? The only difference now was that all the land had been twisted back up together into Pangea when the great pyramid rose from the desert. It now stood so high that it touched the heavens, well, metaphorically speaking.

Who could know that all that dribble about the tower of Babel being cast down by the hand of God, were true?

Who could know that the hand of the God who’d done it might have been an apprentice druid from the Otherworld who was mucking around at a time that he should have been studying his Ogham Alphabet?

Either way, the rising of the great pyramid was a friendly signal to the inhabitants of the Otherworld, as the Druid’s entire universe had been calculated to resemble just such a structure.

In fact, the eldest Priests of the Sun were so certain of it that they had, at one time, built a pyramid among the branches of an ancient Beech tree in hopes that its reaching toward their own sun would eventually deliver them to their own great Originator, just so long as they didn’t over water it, that was. They too, would eventually be disappointed. As you can imagine, anyone who has ever been born has no business trying to climb back into whatever orifice they emerged from. I mean, that would only be common sense!

So, imagine their reaction when the Great pyramid of Giza ended up being only the tip of an unfathomable ancient endeavor, and it twisted up from the desert like a screw, drawing all of the continents together again in a giant dance.

A great pyramid at the center of a round world!

Well, that must mean that someone down there believes in magic! But in the Otherworld, science was only just being discovered.

Author’s Notes

First off, writing this compilation of short stories occurred over the span of a few years. Only after I had started submitting Tanner and the Hamper of Horrors as a standalone novella and began getting rejections from literary agents, did I start considering combining it with other books I had previously self-published in the horror genre.
It had been difficult getting any bites on works under 50,000 words, and most of my writing ends right around 30,000. I think it is because of the scant way I use my adverbs and adjectives.

Over the last ten years or so, I started using more narrative to allow actions and definitions to present themselves. Honestly, I think it was after I tried reading War and Peace and gave up about a third of the way through. I have probably gone from reading one or two fiction books a month to reading that number of books every week. Plus, articles, poetry and hair spray bottles when I forget the newspaper on the way to the shitter.

Also, I think the adversity in my life has attributed to most of my creativity. I think about the inspirational reading I did that contributed to this piece and wonder just how much shit Stephen King, Terry Pratchett, and Piers Anthony were putting up with in their own day to day’s. Their wives and families more than likely deserve a mention as well.

I am sure that there will be many people, especially fans of Anthony’s and the late Sir Pratchett’s, that are wondering if I plan on writing more in worlds so similar. The answer is, yes.

In fact, I wrote Twits Do It Better in a style that any reader of Pratchett’s will appreciate and recognize. Also, Arthur and the Otherworld, is a standalone novel in my opposing magickal land that is comparative to the Discworld. So, there’s that.

However, I do feel that I may venture into this strange and magical world of pop-up spots. Sir Terry did something amazing when he started his Discworld series and created round world from there. What I have done is start from the real world, in a sense. Will I dare to go into his old place? I don’t think it’s possible to do.
No one has done it because he’s so hard to hold a torch to. But I think I can use my new Death character, which is a blend of both Pratchett’s and Anthony’s version to help us reminisce some more in my future tales. Especially, if we manage to weave our way between a flat earth (the Otherworld) and a round earth (the World) once again.

Thank you, Reader! You deserve the biggest commendation. I am a true believer that reading makes you empathetic. Once, during an interview for a fire-fighting position, the only question that mattered if you got right was:

What is the one thing that will never change about public service? The golden answer was Empathy. Because without it, computers or trained monkeys could do our jobs just as well.

Read and learn to love others. We deserve it.

See ya on the next adventure!

______

To Be Released 2023