#MondayRecommends #NailArt #nails #Maniology #HelloManiology #ManiologyAmbassador #MomGoth10discountcode #writingprompt

Last week I didn’t post on Monday because blah blah blah. So here is my Shameless Self Promotion recommend and my nails for that week.

House of the Warrior Pimchan

Over the years, Marian Allen wrote a series of stories about The Warrior Pimchan published in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s SWORD & SORCERESS anthologies.

The roving Warrior Pimchan made one mistake: She saved the life of the All-Father, ruler of her country. As a reward, he gave her the guardianship of a mountain township, complete with a residence compound and two orphan children as slaves.

The only thing she wanted less than a fixed abode was fixed responsibility, especially responsibility for children.

Sadly for her, the thing the All-Father cares least for of all things is what anybody else wants.

In each story, Pimchan finds herself saddled with unasked for dependents and insoluble crises the All-Father expects her to solve, and solve to his benefit.

A final story, written just for this collection, brings Pimchan a reward she actually wants.

Excerpt:

Pimchan knew better than to ask why it was not a matter for the army. The All-Father must be aware of the situation, because he made it his business to be aware of everything that happened in every corner under his protection.

“Well,” she said, dryly. “What a surprising coincidence, that my chief of guards and I have been ordered out of our town for a week, just at the very time some force is needed in my chief’s home town. I wonder if the All-Father would be terribly angry if I took it upon myself to go look into the matter.”

A corner of the soldier’s mouth twitched, but he made no reply or sign.

“Could he not,” Pimchan said, and was then startled that she had spoken aloud, “just once, could he not simply ask me to do a thing? It isn’t as if I would refuse.”

But that was a question no one could answer.

This is a new book, and I was going to display it at InConjunction last week, so I did my nails to match my cover: Red, black, and gold.

This past weekend, I was at The Imaginarium in Louisville, but I didn’t feel like doing anything complicated AND it was scalding hot weather, so I did flames and a Phoenix, also red, black, and gold. I did gradients of three golds, the one on the bottom a green-gold that turned out looking like smoke and soot. I liked that. A happy accident, if you will.

No more overnights until next year. Whew!

A WRITING PROMPT FROM ME TO YOU: How hot is it?

MA