To The Reader...
This is not a trigger warning.
Starting a new book is like starting a new adventure, and when starting a new adventure it would be unwise to think there will not be dragons. We will never know what will be encountered when we set out, but to be brave we must set out anyway. There will always be dragons, and I wish you luck should they cross your path.
The geography in this book is relatively based in reality, though I have taken liberties. Tell City is a real place, in the real state of Indiana, and it does sit along the banks of the mighty Ohio River, which has flooded. But I highly doubt the city has a magic oracle or has been attacked by gods. I’m fairly certain I made that part up. Santa Claus, IN is also a real place, and I do believe Mr. and Mrs. Claus spend their summers there, but I have no proof.
The places in this book are real places as a reminder that magic can still happen in our world. This is the importance of the contemporary fantasy genre. Mythic tales have always served as the door through which humans and gods interact, safely within a dreamscape.
Books are portals. Even if the people and events inside are all fictitious, the magic of it all is real.
Yours truly,
Kaylin R. Boyd
