The Gold Piece Inn
Inspired by the great taverns in science fiction and fantasy: Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon, the Star Wars bar, and all of the fine watering holes in The Harp and the Blade. Located in a pirate port, The Gold Piece Inn is many things to many people--saloon, casino, bunkhouse, perhaps a brothel, certainly an orphanage--but one thing is certain, it is a tavern of dubious repute. The Harp and the Blade, John Myers Myers book, published in 1941 and out of print since 1981, one of my top 5 favorite books, was the greatest influence on The Book of Bastards. Every time I came to a fork in the narrative road, I took Myers Myers’ advice: “give them something they always want, a story of bawdiness washed down with a sip of moral justice.”
The Fist of God
The Fist of God is a mountain range that looms over The Gold Piece Inn. A great redwood Tree Faery has lived there for 10,000 years, seen it all, and is willing to bore anyone who passes by with stories of every second. We usually give her a wide berth. I invented The Fist from Black Mountain, a series of four peaks near Pt. Reyes Station. I stole the name The Fist of God from my friend Suzie Garbert. Standing on a bluff at Pt. Reyes National Seashore, near Chimney Rock, I conceived a world centered on Drake’s Bay, Crescent Cove in The Book of Bastards, complete with a lighthouse at the point and the Great Beach across the hills. It is my favorite place.
Faeries
Glandaeff, the setting for The Book of Bastards, is rife with faeries. Faeries? Yes. I have come to believe that people, especially readers, are significance investors, “significans.” Many years ago in a Florida swamp, I came to invest dragonflies with significance. A few years later, I discovered that bumblebees are fond of back rubs, ladybugs like a lift now and then, hummingbirds stare you down, leave you wondering. And butterflies, flit through life offering as much joy as you allow them to give. Faeries. Every one of them, faeries.
Welcome to The Gold Piece Inn, where you can drink, gamble, and play!
Or hide.
Cursed on the day the king is assassinated, Dewey Nawton is compelled to protect the widowed queen, but
protection means different things to different people (and different curses).
Kings have dictated every role Queen Dafina has ever played. Now, a halfling innkeeper assigns her the role of
serving lass. But is The Gold Piece Inn just another tavern? Could it be an orphanage? … surely, it’s not a brothel.
Oh yes, she’s fallen from grace, but will that stop her from leading a handful of pirates and a dozen bastards to
avenge her king and rescue Glandaeff’s faeries, elfs, and mermaids (and merbutlers!) from a brutal tyrant?
Dewey has a secret. Dafina has a secret. The Bastards have two secrets.
Is there even a sip of moral justice in all this bawdiness?
See you at the bar!
“Rich fantasy worldbuilding, gory battles, and the kind of thoughtful, character-driven story that makes
your brain whirl, your imagination dance, and your heart surge.”
- J.M. Frey, bestselling author of The Accidental Turn Series
“Riveting, intense plot of righteous vengeance with tongue-in-cheek banter ... settings that make you
wish they were real, characters you can't help but cheer for, and twists that keep you guessing!”
–Brian D Anderson, million-selling author of The Bard and the Blade
Hopeful tales of worthy knights, wizards, and druids emerged
from every festival and fair. Crazy rumors of renegade princes
and princesses popped up now and then, usually following the
narrative of one old myth or another. A favorite involved
peasants kissing toads and being transformed into royalty, but
most of the gossip followed the usual theme: orphans and
bastards, in out-of-the way villages unaware of their lineage,
being manipulated by unsavory halflings.
The Gold Piece Inn
Inspired by the great taverns in science fiction and fantasy: Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon, the Star Wars bar, and all of the fine watering holes in The Harp and the Blade. Located in a pirate port, The Gold Piece Inn is many things to many people--saloon, casino, bunkhouse, perhaps a brothel, certainly an orphanage--but one thing is certain, it is a tavern of dubious repute. The Harp and the Blade, John Myers Myers book, published in 1941 and out of print since 1981, one of my top 5 favorite books, was the greatest influence on The Book of Bastards. Every time I came to a fork in the narrative road, I took Myers Myers’ advice: “give them something they always want, a story of bawdiness washed down with a sip of moral justice.”
The Fist of God
The Fist of God is a mountain range that looms over The Gold Piece Inn. A great redwood Tree Faery has lived there for 10,000 years, seen it all, and is willing to bore anyone who passes by with stories of every second. We usually give her a wide berth. I invented The Fist from Black Mountain, a series of four peaks near Pt. Reyes Station. I stole the name The Fist of God from my friend Suzie Garbert. Standing on a bluff at Pt. Reyes National Seashore, near Chimney Rock, I conceived a world centered on Drake’s Bay, Crescent Cove in The Book of Bastards, complete with a lighthouse at the point and the Great Beach across the hills. It is my favorite place.
Faeries
Glandaeff, the setting for The Book of Bastards, is rife with faeries. Faeries? Yes. I have come to believe that people, especially readers, are significance investors, “significans.” Many years ago in a Florida swamp, I came to invest dragonflies with significance. A few years later, I discovered that bumblebees are fond of back rubs, ladybugs like a lift now and then, hummingbirds stare you down, leave you wondering. And butterflies, flit through life offering as much joy as you allow them to give. Faeries. Every one of them, faeries.
Welcome to The Gold Piece Inn, where
you can drink, gamble, and play!
Or hide.
Cursed on the day the king is assassinated,
Dewey Nawton is compelled to protect the
widowed queen, but protection means
different things to different people (and
different curses).
Kings have dictated every role Queen Dafina
has ever played. Now, a halfling innkeeper
assigns her the role of serving lass. But is
The Gold Piece Inn just another tavern?
Could it be an orphanage? … surely, it’s not a
brothel.
Oh yes, she’s fallen from grace, but will that
stop her from leading a handful of pirates
and a dozen bastards to avenge her king and
rescue Glandaeff’s faeries, elfs, and
mermaids (and merbutlers!) from a brutal
tyrant?
Dewey has a secret. Dafina has a secret.
The Bastards have two secrets.
Is there even a sip of moral justice in all this
bawdiness?
See you at the bar!
“Riveting, intense plot of righteous
vengeance with tongue-in-cheek banter ...
settings that make you wish they were
real, characters you can't help but cheer
for, and twists that keep you guessing!”
–Brian D Anderson, million-selling author of
The Bard and the Blade
“Rich fantasy worldbuilding, gory battles,
and the kind of thoughtful, character-
driven story that makes your brain whirl,
your imagination dance, and your heart
surge.”
- J.M. Frey, bestselling author of The Accidental
Turn Series
Hopeful tales of worthy knights, wizards,
and druids emerged from every festival and
fair. Crazy rumors of renegade princes and
princesses popped up now and then,
usually following the narrative of one old
myth or another. A favorite involved
peasants kissing toads and being
transformed into royalty, but most of the
gossip followed the usual theme: orphans
and bastards, in out-of-the way villages
unaware of their lineage, being manipulated
by unsavory halflings.
