Greetings and fairest of salutations, my fine, creative, and lovely friends!
Morgan here! <3 I apologize for the lack of updates on my latest projects (although I think on the fun and collab front, I have been doing decently, ha!) But, I promise, there are several in the works. And you can find out all the latest information before everyone else AND help support these grand endeavors by joining my Patreon! YES! I NOW HAVE A PATREON! =D
I call all my patrons my stars and we have a galaxy of supportive, fun, kind, and creative nerds. 🙂 And you can join this as a celestial being today in addition to awesome literary works and projects of mine. I will work hard to make you all proud!
Now, as a well-deserved treat before the holidays, a time of frenzy, fun, family, and friends, here is an exclusive SNEAK PEEK AND THE FRONT COVER IMAGE REVEAL for my latest book, a companion to my new adult (17+ series): “Before and After,” a collection of character bios, interviews, author behind the scenes, incredible fan art, and tons of short stories that happen before or after the main story, hence the title, lol!
I hope you will enjoy. OUR PLAN is to have the book released for EARLY WINTER of 2022! More news will come once I have it! You can also join my social medias in the blue cherry blossom on the right side under the title cover. I have an INSTAGRAM now too if you are interested: HTTP://instagram.com/morganscomnick88
And, without further ado, the cover is once again done by the awe-striking Suzy Zhang and sneak peek I promised! Your thoughts and support are so grateful. ^___^
*Please note that this book is rated NEW ADULT (17+). There may be some words and jokes that are for older readers.
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SNEAK PEEK:
Training Video Q and A Interview, Part #2:
“Hello, friends. This is Morgan here. Each year, I go back to the middle school and high school that nurtured me. It is an honor to speak to the next generation, sharing my knowledge about books, the publishing process, and my experiences as a writer. I love making it interactive and thinking of new ways to give back to my world, incorporating all my hometown has given me into the magical lands I created.
“One component I did the last time I visited in 2019 before Covid was asked the high school students to pretend they were accepted into either The Hunters and The Bringers organizations. Then they asked a question they would want to be answered on their first day of orientation. Their responses were excellent.
“Half of them were placed as the bonus feature in the back of the second book in the Duology of the series, Monsters and Mortals. I had Val, Jeremey, Galen, and Kesler run the show as a training video. It was getting a tad long, so I decided to split it into two parts. Part two is now here!
“If you want to read part one, you can read it in the back of Monsters and Mortals. Yet, for now, let’s continue with part two! If you recall, Val tackled Jeremey to the ground because he said something perverted, as usual. They did just reveal the name of the new organization: Chowa Altor.”
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*Val and Jeremey untangle from each other and dust themselves off. Val is giving him an enraged pucker when he is fully standing. Jeremey shrugs, giving her an aloof, lazy grin, stuffing his hands in his pockets.*
*Galen grumbles about the fight being finished, rolling his eyes before getting a pistol from his weapons bag to admire. Kesler refocuses the camera, scrambling to get the cue cards back in order with nervous energy. Finally, he finds the one he needs and reveals it so Val can see it.*
Val: *Clears her throat, trying to look professional again* “My apologies, comrades. This just shows that even when we disagree or things go awry, we have to stand up and keep pursuing in order to do our job. That is what is important in the long run, right Brother Darington?”
Jeremey: “Of course, brilliant Agent Hemmingway.” *Winks at her*
Val: “Our next question is a fun one: ‘Will I get to meet the president?’ *Smiles* “That is a nice goal and I will admit, I have met him two times to discuss the aftermath of some catastrophic monstrum attacks. He was a very kind and cool gentleman. Yet, it isn’t common for field agents to get this opportunity. You see, I am honestly not sure if the president knows much about the world we are assigned to protect. The secretary of defense is aware and works with Chief. We always get a spiel on how and what we need to keep classified.”
Jeremey: “Oh, The Commander and Chief wear the coolest shades. That’s truly thanks to you.” *Gives a cool smirk to the camera*
Val: “Oh, our next question is an important one: ‘How do we rank monstrum, from toughest to weakest? How many species are there?’ There are easily thousands upon thousands of individual types. And that can be by country! I know there are ninety-four different categories for monstrum. They then break apart from there. It is really fascinating. We could have an entire class on just that. If you ever want to learn more outside your research or assignments, there is a massive library and database on as many monstrums as you can fathom. Or, you can reach out to a base in another state or country.”
Jeremey: *Raises hand in the air and hops up and down* “Ooh! Ooh! Pick me, sensei! Please let me explain the ranks. Sweet teacher, I know the answer!”
Val: *Bites lip* “Go ahead.”
Jeremey: “Ranks: so, monsters are ranked by how powerful they are with a complex system that is way above my understanding. It goes from one to ten. Don’t worry if you can’t nail the formula; your only goal is to know the levels of specific monsters and how to handle them. Like my darling said, research is key.
Jeremey: “A level one is something more annoying, like a needle blight, an animated, walking blade of grass. They increase from there, and magic, physical strength, and size are factors. The infamous lamia incident in which the incredible Agent Hemmingway and I teamed up fairly recently was level nine, which is insane. The only thing higher than a nine is an ancient being, such as a dragon. Yep, dragons are real. They don’t wake up often, but yeah, it’s an intense workout.”
Jeremey: *Leaps up again and does jazz hands, goofy pride glowing on his face* “How was that?”
Val: *Arches eyebrows and nods* “Slightly impressed. Good job, Jeremey.”
Jeremey: *Beams from the praise* “Yeay! My mistress complimented me! Now, on to the next question: ‘What do I wear on the job?’ That’s easy to explain. You always dress to impress! *Snaps, turns, and models all his angles, doing different expressions with his face* My boys Tom Ford, Brioni, Armani, Michael Kors – they will accent the fineness that is you. Gucci is the only way to go for your watch needs, and get yourself some Ray-Ban shades; they will be your best friends. Ladies, you be your beautiful, unique selves. I love a woman who dresses in what makes her happy.”
Val: *Stares at him with an open mouth* “I can’t speak much about men’s clothes, but although Mr. Darington is obsessed with fine fashion, which is acceptable, I don’t feel like that is the norm. Normally, we have to rush to a scene. The quicker you get to the scene, the more lives you save. As long as your clothes are functional and you don’t mind your outfits potentially getting ruined, ripped, covered in guts, goo, and blood, it’s all good. The most important part is to put on your evil protection spray like a suit of armor and have your armband somewhere on you. Then, boom, you’re combat-ready. *Salutes cutely to the pretend audience*
Kesler: *Mumbles timidly behind the camera voices* “Oh, ah, I don’t know how to handle this.” *Flashes card*
Val: “Tell me about Area 51.” *Five seconds of silence*
Val and Galen, off-screen: *Deadpan, firmly, at the same time* “Classified.”
Jeremey: “Just don’t be a dummy and Naruto run over there. People…”
Kesler: *Pipes up* “Oh, Mr. Darington, we have some questions for The Bringers now.”
Jeremey: “Oh, hell ya. It’s the Jeremey show. Get ready, my friends.” *Blows kiss*
Val: “Good. Now I can take a break from all your lunacy.” *Begins to strut off, pauses, then turns around to walk backward, giving Jeremey an ‘I’m-watching-you’ sign.*
Jeremey: *Shrugs and whispers* “I get a good bounce from both sides, sweetheart.” *Wrings hands together excitedly and bends down like an umpire* “All right, Kesler my boy, swing those questions at me!”
Kesler: *Blushes behind the camera, frantically lifting the card up so Jeremey can read it*
Jeremey: “‘How do we turn monsters good? What is our succession rate? What chemicals are used?’ Ooh-la-la, a three for one to start! Awesome. Well, to be fully honest, we haven’t successfully converted a monster to be completely good. With the more intellectual beings, we have made deals with them to stay in their territories. There has been some good progress on calming techniques, but most of our purposes have been for gathering data in order for tracking, stopping their rampages, and taking safety measures. Like spider silk helped inspire our webbing tools, such as electric web and magic suction balls. Then mermaid tears can calm a blinded fury monster down a hair. Sadly, chemicals are used and different monsters react to things in a variety of ways, just like humans. We do try to use natural remedies like the Wiccans and wise herbalists of old; they knew their stuff. Madame Edric has given Father Stillman a ton of advice on these matters, too.”
Galen: *Leans over and mumbles to Val* “Madame Edric might be a traitor, giving information on healing to pansies.”
Val: *Elbows him hard in the ribs* “It’s not wise to be mean to a Wise Woman.”
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That is it now for the sample. 😉 I hope you all enjoyed it and look forward to the new book. I know I am thrilled to be sharing it with all of you! 😀
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being radiant beams of light that keep going and make the worlds I lovingly craft truly possible! 🙂
Please have a safe, thankful, and warm Thanksgiving. I am so looking forward to some Christmas cheer coming up with all of you!