Kyros Amphiptere, Author at The Third War

Author Archive

Kyros in Seattle for a week

I had to come to Seattle for some other business, so I’m taking this opportunity to hang out with my wonderful co-author, Orion. We talk every day via facetime when we are working, but it’s nice to see each other in person from time to time too.

Knowing us, we won’t get much work done. I’ll probably spend part of our time together fixing various computer / electronics problems she has. The rest of our time will be filled with talking about whatever topic strikes our fancy. We’ve had these meandering conversations about random topic ever since we met over 25 years ago. It’s one of my favorite things about getting to hang out with her.

Hello Boston!

Hey everyone. Kyros here. I’m in Boston for the next week doing research for book 2, Running to the Past. Orion and I figured that since neither of us had ever been to Boston before, one of us should visit and find out a little more about the city. Especially since James and Diana are going to be spending some time here in book 2.

I’m staying in an AirBnB in the South Boston neighborhood (Go Southie!). This is a great neighborhood and the people I’ve met have all been really friendly. I had lunch at a local restaurant/bar and casually mentioned to the waitress that I was doing research for a book about some people from Southie. As soon as I finished eating she dragged me over to a table of local women who were having lunch, introduced me and told me to sit down. I learned more in that one afternoon about the neighborhood, the people, and the culture of that area than I have in the rest of my trip combined. Yay for fortuitous connections! I’ve got lots of notes. Can’t wait to put them into the book.

A Glimpse Into Our World.

We’re hard at work on Book 2: Running to the Past. But we thought we’d share a little behind the scenes of what it takes to write a book like Dreaming of Xeres.

First, you would be amazed at the research we did during the writing of the book! Sometimes we’d spend days researching (aka: down the rabbit hole!) before we had all the pieces we needed for a scene or chapter. Some of the areas we researched were:

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Hornets

We wondered what James and Diana were like before Bryce came along and drove them apart.
Here’s just one of their adventures. Enjoy!

“Hurry up, Jimmy B! We don’t want your folks or your brothers to catch us with these fireworks! Your ma’ll skin both of us!” Diana hissed as she passed into the woods bordering the picnic area.

“I’m coming, princess,” Jimmy said, catching up with her. “I thought I saw someone.”

The girl shrugged. “Probably just Rory. He’s always following us.”

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Dreaming of Xeres Is Now Available

As of this morning, Dreaming of Xeres is available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback. It’s been a long road getting here and Orion and I would like to thank everyone who helped make this a reality. From David and Scott who provided financial support and encouragement, to our amazing beta readers, Kori K., Jeromy J., Leslee F., Toni K., and David W. whose feedback and attention to detail helped make the book better than it would have been otherwise. We’d also like to thank Laura LaRoche of LLPix Designs for her amazing cover artwork. We look forward to working with her again when we finish book two.

We hope everyone enjoys Dreaming of Xeres. Feel free to comment below and let us know what you thought of the book. Also, please take two minutes to write a review on Amazon to let other people know what you thought of the book.

Peace.

Coats, Hats, Scarves, And Gloves

Even after he managed to drive James and Diana apart,
Bryce proves how possessive he is of Diana. Enjoy!

“What am I supposed to do with this cowboy hat?” Jimmy Cavanaugh asked his little brother, holding up the battered straw hat.

Making a face at Jimmy, Rory said, “Personally, I’d throw it away, but maybe some kid will love it.” He looked around at the mostly sorted sacks and bags, piled full of cold weather clothing that the high schoolers had donated. “Toss it here. I have room for it in the top of this grocery bag.”

Jimmy tossed the orphan hat at Rory, but he misjudged the throw. The hat sailed over Rory’s head, landing in the hallway beyond him.

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The Cad

Evelyn mentions in Dreaming of Xeres that she and Cadwallader have a history of
antagonizing each other. We were curious how it all started. Now we know. Enjoy!

“The vendors room is just down the hallway,” the conference check-in clerk said, pointing to his left, “in the Fredericks Room.”

Evelyn thanked the man and began pushing her luggage cart past the easel sign reading, HypYesCon, Hypnotherapy Beyond No: Turning Skeptics into Clients.

Halfway to her goal, she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

“Good morning, Dr. Adams. Nice to see you again.” Evelyn smiled at the older man jogging to catch up to her.

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Bad Trip Into The Past

We were curious if Tessa was the first Xerian that Riley ever encountered. She wasn’t. When Jake was teaching him how to do regressions, he encountered his first Xerian without even knowing it. Enjoy!

“Bangers and mash?” Riley asked, lifting one eyebrow. “If Sully finds out, he’ll put you back on a diet. You know that.”

Looking at Riley sharply, Jake Adams said, “He did. He’s demanding I turn over a new leaf, but I’m having any of it this time. There’s only so much tofu and lettuce a man can take.” He raised one silver eyebrow at Riley. “You’re not going to tell him, are you?”

“No, I wouldn’t dare,” he said, laughing. “So, I take it you’re not getting many of Sully’s wondrous, gourmet meals lately?” Riley had partaken of enough of Jake’s partner’s lavish spreads and could sympathize with the man.

“Try none for the past three weeks.” Jake stabbed a sausage and took a bite. He closed his eyes and got a blissful expression on his face. “Aaaaah,” he sighed. Opening his eyes, he pinned Riley with a glance. “Enough about my culinary woes. What’s going on with that new client of you mentioned in your last email?”

Riley took a swig from his bottle of Drakes Hefeweizen before answering.

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Arrowhead

Ever wonder how Evelyn became Kier’s mother?
We thought you’d like to know how it happened. Enjoy!

Evelyn shifted nervously in her seat. The waiting room was chilly. It felt like any other anonymous doctor’s office. Not what she expected adopting a child from China. Around her, the other adoptive couples chatted nervously with each other.

But she was all alone, except for Maeve. When Keith and I started this three years ago, at least we had each other through all the paperwork, financial probes, and home visits. But after he died…. She didn’t want think about losing him. It had been a year since the Oakland police showed up on her doorstep to tell her that he’d died on a building site he’d been overseeing in L.A. They said he’d had a heart attack, then fallen several stories off the new LeRoux Worldwide Center.

She felt a warm hand on her arm, reminding her of Maeve’s presence. She turned to find her friend/receptionist/mother figure smiling at her.

“Brighten up, hon. Remember, you’re about to become a mother. You’re ready for this.”

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Hands Off

Riley is usually a level-headed guy.
But if you hurt someone he cares about, watch out.
You could end up like Aaron. Enjoy!

“Morning, Riles.”

“Rachel, you look like hell!” Riley said, rushing to take her backpack out of her hand. “What’s wrong with your arm? And where have you been? I called and called yesterday when you didn’t show up for school. Coach said you were sick.”

“Yeah, my dad would say that,” she said, twisting her locker combination in. She shrugged with one shoulder. “I just…tripped on the stairs. Sprained my elbow.”

When Riley placed a sympathetic hand on her good arm, she winced. He looked into her face sharply.

“Bullshit. I know you too well. You could run up and down those stairs blindfolded and never have a problem. What really happened?”

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