Tag: King Ryons

‘Watches of the Night’–a Song for King Ryons?

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My editor, Susan, wanted me to see this: first a poem, Watches of the Night, and then a song, Jesus, Draw Me Nearer, performed by Keith and Kristin Getty.

It’s beautiful, and full of echoes of the Book of Psalms. But to Susan it also brought to mind a character in my Bell Mountain books–Ryons, the slave boy who is rescued from human sacrifice to become, by God’s grace, the King of Obann.

Ryons doesn’t want to be a king. What does he know about such things? He has hardly had a proper childhood. He hates sending men who love him into battle, and they might not return. He’s terrified of some of the things he has to do, some of the places he has to go. But what he learns is faith and obedience, and going on when you’re too scared to go, and following God’s angel when you don’t know where he’s taking you.

I am very humbly glad that anything I could write might be linked to such beautiful and prayerful music as this.

But I tell you right up front, it wasn’t any literary genius of mine, but only writing what God gave me. To Him be the glory!

‘The Temple’ Now Available in Kindle

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Product Details

Wahoo! We did it! The Temple, No. 8 in my Bell Mountain Series, has gone on sale in time for Christmas.

So far it’s only in Kindle, but it won’t be long before the paperback is ready.

Meanwhile, this is brand-new, hot off the press–and it needs people to read it and review it. Who will be the first?

Come on–doncha want to find out what happens when King Ryons’ little army gets to the Thunder King’s huge and terrible fortress at Kara Karram? That is, if they get there at all. But you can read the full blurb when you click “Books.” And dig that cover by Kirk DuoPonce!

The Largest Land Mammal Ever

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From the BBC series, “Walking With Beasts”

Hi! Mr. Nature here, with the biggest, hugest land mammal ever to live–Baluchitherium. It’s also known as Indricotherium or Paraceratherium, but I’m sticking with the old name as I first discovered it in Roy Chapman Andrews’ books.

Anyhow, this baby is a whopper. The males were 18 feet high at the shoulder. This animal was a member of the rhinoceros family. So where’s the horn? You ain’t gonna tell me a Baluchitherium needs a horn, are you?

This is the great beast that King Ryons rode to the rescue of the city in Lee Duigon’s immortal classic, The Thunder King. Uh, wait a minute… that’s me. And it’s bad form to brag. Sorry! I seem to get carried away whenever I think about Baluchitheres.

No one has ever found a trace of any mammal bigger than this one, except for whales and they don’t count because they don’t live on the land. Baluchitherium was big enough to be a dinosaur. Big enough to squash your car like a bug.

Behold the works of the Lord, what wonders flow from His hands! Bob Bakker, the famous dinosaur scientist who, more than anyone else, convinced us that dinosaurs were active, warm-blooded creatures and not overgrown stupid mountains of flesh that had to float around in swamps, once told me it was one of his greatest pleasures to contemplate the joy and pleasure God receives from His creation.

There are still some scientists with their heads screwed on straight.

An Interview With One of My Characters

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I’ve seen other authors do this, so I thought I might try it myself. So I wangled this interview with Fnaa, a supporting actor in my Bell Mountain series. Fnaa is only ten years old when he first appears in The Fugitive Prince, so cut him some slack. (Note: I have never before interviewed a fictitious character, but I am told it’s a nice skill to have if you want to work for The New York Times.)

Q: Fnaa, mostly what you do is impersonate King Ryons. In fact, you’re a dead ringer for him–even I can hardly tell the two of you apart.

Fnaa: Well, you should learn how. We don’t want to get stuck because you forgot who’s who.

Q: What’s it like to have a whole city full of people thinking you’re the king–when you aren’t? [long pause] Do you want to stop fidgeting and answer my question?

Fnaa: The little girl who’s a prophet or something, she said I could do it. She said God wouldn’t mind.

Q: But all those people cheering you–isn’t it kind of overwhelming?

Fnaa: What’s ‘overwhelming’?

Q: It means ‘too much to take in all at once,’ overpowering, awesome–

Fnaa: [Rude noise] I know what it means! It’s fun to take the tax money and throw it back to the people on the street. They really go for that! And it’s fun to call those high-and-mighty big shots names like ‘Fatty’ and ‘Baldy.’ Yes, I love all that–but it’s not like I want to do it all the time. Let King Ryons be king for a while.

Q: Didn’t you feel a bit guilty, allowing that good man, Prester Jod, to go on thinking you were King Ryons?

Fnaa: I’ve got to go now.

Q: But we’ve only just started the interview–

[Fnaa ducks back into the book and disappears. He makes one last comment: “If people want to know about this stuff, they ought to read the books! Why don’t you sell them some of your books, dummy? And that was that for the interview. ]

Fun With Videos: Mongolian Throat Singing

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All right, all right–I’m having fun posting videos, now that I’ve figured out how to do it. Eventually the novelty will wear off.

Meanwhile, get a load of this–Mongolian throat singing. Is this cool, or what?

For those of you who’ve been reading my Bell Mountain books, this is what the Ghols sound like when they sing. Just close your eyes and imagine you’re King Ryons, riding with his loyal Ghols around him.