Jeff Ayers - Author
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Beware of spilling ink!
Skate is a thief, trained and owned by the local crime syndicate, the Ink. When she tries to burgle a shut-in’s home, she gets caught by the owner—a powerful undead wizard. He makes a deal with her: “borrow” books from other wizards in return for a place to stay.

Caught between her growing fondness for the wizard and her past with the crime syndicate, Skate doesn’t know where her loyalties lie. But she’d better figure it out, because there’s a new player in town, one whose magical hypnotism puts them all at risk.
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On the run!
Her mentor is dead, but he doesn’t have to stay that way. He’s left Skate a clue to bringing him back, and she and her friends are determined to follow it.

No sooner do they set out for unknown lands, however, than things get dangerous. Hot on their tail is the wizard Ossertine, furious over Skate’s part in her friend’s death and thirsty for revenge. Worse still are the attacks that come at night: dark, mysterious, and palpably evil.
​

In this race against time, magic, and implacable foes, Skate must rely on her wits and her friends to save not just her mentor’s life, but also her own.
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Writing. and fighting, and hugging the ferns

5/1/2025

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Skate 3
Progress continues on rewrites, though much slower than I would like. I've been unfocused and too easily distracted lately, but I hope to be back on the right track now. Can't say when it will be ready to send to publishers, but it will happen, rest assured.

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Bit of a slump in shows and games right now. I've been playing an inordinate amount of Balatro, and I've been spending a little time back in Tears of the Kingdom, which has mostly consisted of me gathering every cooking material I can and using none of it. Beyond that, I've taken a break from trying any new games, at least for now. 

I've been watching Sarah Paine videos on YouTube, which has replaced movie watching as my nightly ritual.

Miscellany
I accidentally broke my mower while trying to replace the pull cord, so it's back to the garage with that nonsense. I'm grateful for my neighbor, who let me borrow theirs in between all the storms. Summer's getting ever closer, and it cannot get here quickly enough!

That’s all from me, for now.

Tell your story!
– J. E. Ayers


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Writing and reading and video games and lawnmowers

4/1/2025

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Me, causing problems for characters I write.
Skate 3
Rewrites continue as I stitch together pieces of the story to cover what I've taken out; hopefully it comes out better looking than Victor Frankenstein's work.
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The world of Roshar has called me back, finally starting to finish Rhythm of War. I enjoy the odd, side characters more than the main cast for the most part in these books. I don't know why.

Rewatching Samurai Jack as I do the dishes each night. I haven't gotten to the new, renewed season yet, and I'm looking forward to that when the time comes.


I checked out Fire Emblem: Engage from the library for the Switch. It's fun, but it may be another instance of not being engaging (lol) enough to get me to renew and finish the thing. We'll see.

Miscellany
My yard is unmowed because my mower won't start, and I have no idea how to fix a small engine! I don't really want to mow the yard at all, but I recognize that it's a necessary thing to do. I really, really don't want to spend money on another mower. We'll see!

That’s all from me, for now.

Tell your story!
– J. E. Ayers


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Leave of House

3/5/2025

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Skate 3
Rewrites! Entire chapters have had to be scrapped, and now the task of stitching together what remains has begun. New chapters are in process now.
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I'm currently reading Danielewski's House of Leaves for the first time, and what a strange achievement this book is. From a reader's perspective, I'm intrigued and full of dread with every turn of the page. From a writer's perspective, I'm impressed by the creativity and layers of the story Danielewski's managed to craft.
I'm on to another read-through of Feast for Crows as well. That's mostly on hold until I can find my way through Leaves, though.

Games, games, games. Super Mario Wonder has been a fun rental from the library. I also checked out Octopath Traveler, but while it had a promising start, I found that it couldn't hold my interest for more than a few teammates' stories. I ended up giving up on that.
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Miscellany
After a dusting of snow this morning, I think we may finally be through the winter weather for the year. Now comes the rains, the growing grass, the bugs. My Japanese lessons through Duolingo continue, and I've found that I have even occasionally been able to form sentences to get a point across if I really get lucky. My pronunciation, I assure you, remains a horror.
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That’s all from me, for now.
Tell your story!
– J. E. Ayers
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Post and toast

2/2/2025

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Skate 3
A first pass through the manuscript is done, mostly consisting of notes of what to change. Larger work looms ahead, shifting of plotlines and merging and dividing of characters.

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I've found myself very interested in Professor Sarah Paine's lectures on Dwarkesh Patel's channel on YouTube. I don't have a particular interest in military history, but the insights into the US foreign policy mistakes of the past are fascinating. It doesn't hurt that the professor is an engaging lecturer, and obviously widely read in her field.

Aside from my own work, I've been continuing my way through Martin's Storm of Swords. As a book series that I read not only for pleasure but also as a lesson in the craft, I am consistently impressed by GRRM's work.

Civilization VI continues to entertain, as does Slay the Spire. With the reintroduction of adventure mode to Dwarf Fortress, there will be no lack of games to play in my household.

​
Miscellany
Winter weather seems to have taken a break from us, for now. February sometimes brings us more snow, so we'll see if that happens this year. I dread the return of spring, with all the pollen and rain, and even more the heat and mowing and bugs of summer. Winter is my season, and I'm a little sad to see it on the way out, as I am each year.

That’s all from me, for now.

Tell your story!
– J. E. Ayers

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Beginning the fixing, hoping for snow

1/3/2025

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Skate 3

I’ve let it marinate long enough, and January marks the official start of revisions on Rag & Bone, book 3. Many changes, deletions, additions, and rewrites await. I’ve got a timetable in mind for how long it will take that I am absolutely NOT sharing for fear that I’ll disappoint by missing my own deadlines. It’s on the way, and that’s enough for now.

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I enjoyed Mufasa, though I think the music was my favorite part, especially the number about wanting a brother. I’ve rewatched Fellowship again because it’s like going home every time I see the Shire. I’ve recently been introduced to NBC’s Abbot Elementary, which has been out for a while at this point, and I’m liking that quite a bit. Cowboy Bebop continues to stand the test of time.
And speaking of standing the test of time: in gaming, Civilization VI has been sapping my productivity at an alarming rate (don’t worry – it won’t affect Skate!), and I got the Batman Arkham collection on the Switch for Christmas; revisiting those games has been enormous fun. The goal of the games seems to have been to make you feel like Batman as he does Batman things, and they knocked it out of the park.​
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Art for Sid Meier's Civilization VI.
I’m still in Westeros in books, making my way through Storm, and I’m coming up on THAT chapter. Not looking forward to it.

Miscellany
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Some of the notes from Wicked still keep rumbling through my head at odd times. School starts back again next week. It’s meant to be bitterly cold next week; I don’t know if we’ll get any flakes out of the deal, but I’m hoping to get some before the season leaves again. That’ll have to be enough, because I still haven’t gotten that darn weather machine working.

That’s all from me, for now.

Tell your story!
– J. E. Ayers
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Fantasy books for them what don't know if they like fantasy books

12/10/2024

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I wrote up a list for Shepherd, a website about books by people who love them. If you're interested in seeing what authors have to say about stories and writing, you should go check it out.

​Here's my list!

​-Jeff
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Pies and Witches

12/1/2024

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Skate 3
I hesitate to announce anything for fear of being misconstrued, but here it goes: I have a first draft done of the third Rag & Bone book. This is a VERY rough draft, and I do not expect to have anything worth sending to the publisher for months from this point, but I do have something done. Current projection from me is that I should have a draft ready to give Thinklings by the end of May. Here’s hoping!

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Saw both Moana 2  and Wicked at the movie theater during Thanksgiving break. Each deserves a whole entry to discuss, but each will have to settle for a dinky little paragraph instead.
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Image belongs to Disney. All rights reserved.
​Moana’s sequel was very fun – I was happy to see familiar faces, and I greatly enjoyed meeting new people. The music was fine, though it did feel lacking something that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s presence brought to the first installment. No complaints, but his absence was felt. My biggest complaint with the movie is the hook (lol) for an 
obvious sequel to the movie at the end. I feel like it wasn’t necessary, and it does color my memory of the whole project as a result.

Wicked… listen, I knew for years that this was huge in the stage musical world, and having seen it on the big screen, I can finally say I understand why. The music, the story, the performances – I feel like I’ve been missing out for decades for not knowing anything about this sooner. I went in totally ignorant of everything but the basic premise (what if the wicked witch from that movie in the forties wasn’t really bad?) and the fact that Idina Menzel was involved somehow in the original. Having seen the movie exactly one time, I cannot recommend it highly enough. If I had the money and time, I’d go see it again.

Miscellany
I got to play a card game I haven’t played in over a decade with friends, some of whom I haven’t seen in just as much time. Pies and ham were enjoyed in amounts that could conservatively be called copious. Minecraft calls again. I, like the children, do indeed yearn for the mines.
​

That’s all from me, for now.

Tell your story!
– J. E. Ayers

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The one where I mention two different birds

11/11/2024

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Skate 3
I’m nearing the end of Skate 3’s first draft; I am confident reporting that my plan is to be done with the first draft before Christmas – keyword being “plan,” and we all know what Robert Burns had to say about those things. Still, it looks likely. My trip to New York slowed down progress, but not so much that we’re thrown off of that goal yet.

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I finished watching HBO’s Penguin, and let me say, the biggest of Oofs. The finale was brutal. Good, but I’m gonna be recovering from that for a while. HBO’s now got the Dune universe series coming out next week, and I can’t imagine passing on that. I’ve also been watching Disney’s Owl House with my son, and that’s been a delight. I particularly enjoy Hootie; there’s something very fun to me about a tertiary, silly character in animated movies and shows.
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As far as games go, I’m back in the throes of a Dwarf Fortress season. Send supplies and well-wishes.
​

As usual, I’ve found myself drawn – again – to Westeros and another read through 
of Clash and Storm, the latter of which is

often called one of the crowning (ha) achievements in modern fantasy literature, for good reason. I’m also re-reading The Devil in the White City for class, and I always appreciate Larson’s prose. I’m not one for non-fiction as a rule, but he makes it entertaining to read, and that’s an achievement all its own.
Miscellany
My town had ANOTHER tornado, but this one didn’t hit my house. The Razorbacks are struggling in football, as ever, and, as ever, there’s always next year. I got to meet Lin Manuel Miranda in New York for a surprise listen-party of his Warriors album! He was very kind.

That’s all from me, for now.

Tell your story!
– J. E. Ayers
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Whoops, there was a tornado

10/1/2024

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Absence
Near the end of May, a dang ol’ tornado hit our neighborhood. Without power and down a window for a while, there’s been a lot going on at the house. That made it hard to get much of anything done, including keeping everyone informed on what was going on. Sorry about that. Things are more or less back to normal now that the school year has started, so I don’t expect to be so silent going forward. Again, sorry. I blame the tornado, and you should too. That thing was a real jerk.

Skate 3
Despite it all, progress continues on Skate. I’m not going to give any dates regarding when I expect a first draft to be done, but I do have a personal date that I expect to reach that goal. We will see if I meet it or not, but I’m notably closer than I was five months ago.

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Current video game obsession: Sid Meier’s Civilization VI. I picked it up from the Switch store for ten bucks, and that was a solid purchase. I loved Civilization V, and VI has been quite fun to get a handle on.

There were a lot of movies over the summer, but the one that hit me the hardest was one I wasn’t expecting, Inside Out 2. I note at this point that there are a lot of sequels in this section, a trend that continues with HBO’s Penguin, a sort of tie-in TV sequel for The Batman. It’s been good so far, and I expect it will continue.

Oh, and of course, there was House of the Dragon. I am excited by good fantasy, and that show hasn’t gone the way of Game of Thrones just yet.

Miscellany

I went to several author events over the summer. Follow me on Threads and Instagram if you’re wanting to see pics of those places, and the former especially if you also want to see all the dumb stuff that pops into my head on a daily basis.

That’s all from me, for now.
Tell your story!
– J. E. Ayers


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Bookshop dogs

5/2/2024

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Skate 3
Working, working, working. Maybe half done with a first draft, tons more work to do. No real news here.
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I’ve been playing old games recently. There’s something comforting in the pixelated, point-and-click simplicity of the first Baldur’s Gate on the PC (Enhanced Edition on Steam for updated graphics and bug fixes, but still), the sprawling 4X fun of Civilization V, the blocky jumping and flying of Super Mario World – these are evergreen to me, never worth scoffing at, always fun in their seasons and times.

I’m halfway through Sanderson’s Rhythm of War, and I’m fully engaged with the plot and characters. It’s been a while since I’ve visited Roshar, so it took some time for me to get reacquainted with everyone, but I’m there now.

Miscellany

Other projects are in the works, not just Skate. Nothing to announce there, but I’m writing, writing, writing. With summer coming on, I hope to visit some bookshops. I went recently to a new one in the region, Fox & Fable. Here’s a tip for any shop owners: Get a friendly shop dog.
That’s all from me, for now.
Tell your story!
– J. E. Ayers
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