“You can trust me to serve your best interests,” said Carlo.
They returned to their companionable silence as they delved back into books. There was unfinished business in Venice—his family and the library, but there was unfinished business in the Abyss as well. Carlo didn’t know what Isis knew about Lucy’s ba, but he was going to find out.
Carlo allowed himself the luxury of not worrying about the future. He would think about it when it arrived, and not a moment sooner.
Thank you for reading The Vessel of Ra.
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The second book in the series, The Pawn of Isis, is available right now at https://tinyurl.com/y83evnoq
Acknowledgements
January 8, 2019
Here we are again. This is the second version of The Vessel of Ra, newly formatted as I embark upon my career as an indie publisher. Parts of the original acknowledgements apply, and I’ve reproduced them here as they appeared in the September, 2017 volume.
I once wrote a story in which a supporting character named Errol Klaereon appeared. Puzzled by the main character’s actions, I asked a particular question to myself: “How did he turn out like this?” Errol Klaereon whispered in my ear and said, “Come here. Let me tell you a story.”
That was 2002. You haven’t met Errol Klaereon yet, or the person I asked that question about, his cousin Stephanus. The story you hold in your hands is about Lucy and Octavia Klaereon, Drusus Claudian, and Carlo Borgia, grandparents of those two cousins. Because this story just kept stretching.
The mustard seed of the story that would become The Vessel of Ra was planted in 2002. I have to thank the online Harry Potter fan fiction community at the Sugar Quill for supporting me. During this time I was writing thinly disguised original fiction and they still kindly posted it on their site. So many people who nurtured me and gave me help come to mind as the Klaereons wormed their way into my subconscious. I want to thank Yolanda Joosten and Catrina Horsfield for their enduring support to this day. Julie, Sweeney, J.K., Katie, Chris, and Zsenya were important readers in the development of the Klaereons, and I’ve used their names from the site, because that’s how I knew them best and remember them most fondly. Of course, J.K. Rowling gets many thanks for inspiration and creating a fandom where I could stretch my fiction-writing skills again after writing a PhD dissertation.
As I moved through the years writing various incarnations of what will now be the fifth book in the story of the Klaereons, I have to thank some friends for their unwavering support. Mark McKibben and Michelle Weinard McKibben helped in certain stages of the story’s development. The gaming group, which helps me explore the world of the magical families, also deserves some thanks. Curtis Mitchell, Michelle Herder, Alan Ott, Aric Stewart, Lisa Martincik, and Daniel Crawford, in addition to Mark and Michelle, have helped me think through how the Klaereon world works.
When I went to Viable Paradise in 2009, my fellow workshop attendees were most kind and helpful. Thanks to all of VP 13 for their help, and a special shout out to instructors Debra Doyle and Laura Mixon, who understood that Edward Gorey vibe I was going for.
Similarly, I have to thank the workshop participants of Taos Toolbox 2012, especially those of you who came to my room and helped me with Klaereon cosmology during a plot break. Taos was a great experience in my growth as a writer, and I want to thank Nancy Kress and Walter Jon Williams for their topnotch instruction. I particularly want to thank Walter Jon Williams for asking me, “Why don’t you write the first book first?” I hemmed and hawed for a time and finally said, “Yes, I will write the first book first.”
Parts of The Vessel of Ra have been read and critiqued at other workshops. The unofficially titled “Eric’s Workshop” and the Paradise Icon writing workshop have read and commented on certain portions of the book to its benefit. So many people. So grateful.
Thank you to the fine folks at the Raptor Center at Kirkwood Community College, who gave me all the ins and outs of what it might be like to be a falcon.
Heartfelt thanks to the people who have done the hardest writing work: reading the entire manuscript. Many thanks to Lauren Teffeau, Miranda Suri, Chris Cornell, George Galuschak, and Chia Evers. Their feedback has been solid and true. Special thanks to Team Pitch, Miranda, Chris, George, and Debbie Goelz, who took me on the journey that ultimately connected me with my brilliant agent. Thanks to my fellow Unreliable Narrators, Chia, George, and Chris, who keep me excited about genre fandom and fiction.
Of course, I always save the most special person for the last mention. That would be thanking the one person who has been by my side for thirty years, as part of one of the great love affairs of the 20th and 21st century. Bryon, my husband, lives and breathes these stories with me. His enthusiasm for my work, when my own has flagged or been diluted, has kept me going. The greatest gift he has given me over and over, every new day, is the sense of wonder, imagination, and child-like belief that keeps me writing.
And so you, dear reader, now hold the first part of the story of Lucy Klaereon in your hands. To echo my inspiration, I close with these words. “Come here. Let me tell you a story.”
I want to thank my new team, who have helped me self-publish this book: J. Kathleen Cheney, who gave me my new cover (and by the way, who writes expert fiction of her own over at http://www.jkathleencheney2.com/ and Michele Maakestad, who does the interiors of the book, a job which looks deceptively easy, but calls for major expertise. You can find out more about her work at https://www.behance.net/mmaakmbef2b. Catrina Horsfield is responsible for the Mistraldol Logo, the banner under which I will be publishing from here on out. She’s also very good at covers and graphics of all sorts, which you can learn about here: http://grumpykitty.com/ . I am sure all these talented women would love to hear from you if you are a fan of their work.
About the Author
Cath Schaff-Stump writes speculative fiction for children and adults, everything from humor to horror. She is the author of the Klaereon Scroll series, the most recent of which is The Pawn of Isis, coming in March, 2019. Cath lives and works in Iowa with her husband. During the day, she teaches English to non-native speakers at a local community college. Other recent fiction has been published by Paper Golem Press, Daydreams Dandelion Press, and in The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk. Cath is a co-host on the writing and geek-life fan podcast Unreliable Narrators. You can find her online at Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, @cathschaffstump, cathschaffstump.com, and unreliablenarrators.net
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