Paris

Like so many other people, I am shocked and saddened by what's happened in Paris. My thoughts are with the victims and their families, and with all the good people of France.

In case anyone was wondering: Willow actually lives in western France, a good distance from Paris. However, she has family in Paris, and she was worried about them for a while. Thankfully, they're okay, but she's quite shaken.

I was concerned about Calomiel, the artist who drew my new avatar, because she lives in Paris. I contacted her as soon as the news broke, and she was actually at home that evening, so she's fine. I hope her friends and family are okay too.

May the French people stay strong, and not let fear and hate dominate their thoughts and deeds. May the ones who planned this horrible night be brought to justice. And I hope we someday learn, once and for all, that no cause is worth spilling innocent blood for, now or ever.

little gold bear on Friday the 13th (eek!)

So what happened to our little gold foil covered milk chocolate bear? Find out after the cut!

Willow Wednesdays: Art To Play!

Welcome to Willow Wednesdays! Featuring art by Willow, the cover artist for the Monkey Queen series, with her kind permission! Read on after the cut!

introducing...the new me! (sort of)

I said this would be happening on Sunday, and here it is! Calomiel has finished the art for my new avatar!

If you missed Sunday's post: Calomiel is a talented French artist and photographer! We've been interacting on Facebook recently, and I thought her style would work for my avatar. I was right! (And I should also add that she's very nice and lots of fun to work with!) Find out more about her at her blog, where you can also read her delightful BDs/comic strips and see her GIFs and process posts! It's in French, but it's worth the effort to translate, and you can enjoy her art regardless; as she says in her header, "Comics are the universal language". And Calomiel? Merci pour ce merveilleux nouveau avatar!

do I have to blog this all over again?

We'll start this Sunday catchup with news that I actually mentioned on Facebook earlier this week: My tentative writing plans are in place for 2016. These include three more Monkey Queen books (not counting Redblade, which will hopefully debut in the next few weeks), and the first three books in a new series. It'll be fantasy adventure, set in the same multiverse as the Monkey Queen stories. Since I won't be writing just about Michiko and Beth, I've changed the name of my Facebook page to "Robert Dahlen - writer". If you're on Facebook, please like my page; I try to update or share there every day, and I'd love to hear from you, here or there!

More, including spoilers and an artistic surprise, after the cut.

little gold bear who had his left shoe stolen

Well, shall we check in after the cut to see what happened to the little milk chocolate gold foil bear? Yes, we shall!

Willow Wednesdays: Safe Journeys!

Welcome to Willow Wednesdays! We're featuring art by Willow, the cover artist for the Monkey Queen series, with her kind permission! Read on after the cut!

Big news for those of you in France who have not yet picked up Willow's debut novel The Journey Of Earth - it's now available to buy online through the French Amazon store!  Click here to get your copy! You can also get one direct from Willow; just contact her through her Facebook or DeviantArt pages. I wish my copy would get here... Anyway, here's another lovely drawing of Earth and Moon to celebrate!

Art © 2015 by Willow. All rights reserved; used by permission. You can view Willow's extensive gallery on DeviantArt, see her works in progress by liking her Facebook page, follow her on Twitter, and buy prints and much more at her Society6 webstore, including exclusive Monkey Queen items!