I’m really happy to be a host for this book. I love interesting anthology topics, plus today’s post is by an author who is not only an up-and-coming talent, but a friend of mine! First, though, you know the rules! Let’s check out the book…
How far would Gandalf have gotten without Shadowfax? Where would the Vault Dweller be without Dogmeat? And could the Beastmaster been the Beastmaster without his fuzzy allies? Animal companions are more than just sidekicks. Animals can be heroes, too!
Found within are twenty stories of heroic action that focuses on the furries and scalies who have long been the unsung heroes pulling their foolish human buddies out of the fire, and often at great sacrifice-from authors both established and new, including Frank Creed, S. H. Roddey, and Steven S. Long.
Whether you’re a fan of Epic Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Science Fiction, or just animal stories in general, this is the anthology for you!
So sit back, kick your feet up, and find out what it truly means to be the Hero’s Best Friend.
Featured in Hero’s Best Friend: An Anthology of Animal Companions:
Joy Ward: “Toby and Steve Save the World”
Frank Creed: “Dusk”
Cassie Schau: “The Hunter’s Boy”
Steven Donahue: “Grit”
Jason Cordova: “Hill 142”
Herika R. Raymer: “Dook”..
Essel Pratt: “Brothers”.
Lisa Hawkridge: “Ezra’s Girl”.
S. H. Roddey: “Look What the Cat Dragged In.”
Steven S. Long: “The Wolf Sentinel”
Laura Anne Ewald: “Memorandum”
Cindy Koepp: “The Hat”.
Ian Hunter: “Scarheid in the Glisting”.
Steven Grassie: “The Masterless”.
David Wright: “Wind of Change”
Renee Carter Hall: “The Emerald Mage”..
Nick Bryan: “The Violet Curse”..
Lillian Csernica & Kevin Andrew Murphy:
“The Restless Armadillo”.
Douglas J. Ogurek: “Stuck on the Squigglybounce”
Sheila Deeth: “Passage”
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And now, check out Herika R. Raymer, author of “Dook”!
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Hello, Herika R Raymer here. Lately I have been referring to myself as a “speculative fiction bookwright, because I hope to get a book right”. Play on words yes, but for whatever reason the term “bookwright” appeals to me. It would figure that it is supposed to be more of a joke than a real term. Still, I like it – so I am using it.
What do I write? Right now, short stories mostly. I am hoping to get a singular work out, or at least submitted, before the end of the year. Looking promising, but it will take work to have it ready by the self-inflicted deadline. Recently I was delighted to be informed that a short story of mine, “Dook”, had been selected for Scott Sandridge’s anthology Hero’s Best Friend. Knowing that the theme was about the unsung sidekicks of the spotlight figures, it was encouraging to know that my story – written about ferrets – had made the cut. Incidentally, that is where the title “Dook” comes from: it is their laughter.
Why did I think of ferrets? Well, I knew that the first animals to be submitted would be dogs and/or cats and I wanted to write about another four legged friend. Instantly I remembered a friend of mine, whose namesake I used with permission (Amber), who had ferrets. I recalled their play and their movements, the amusing noises they made, and some of the stories she told about them. Clever creatures, I decided to do a bit more research on them. The stories I read were adorable and hilarious, and all gave me the general idea I needed to mold the ferrets of my tail – er tale. Amber and her ferrets were the protagonists, now to just give them a villain to thwart. It was a short story, so I make the motivation to overcome relatively straightforward – greed.
Want to know more? Please feel free to read the story and find out who Amber and her clever companions are trying to outwit.
Herika R. Raymer grew up consuming books – first by eating them, later by reading them. Her mother taught her the value of focus and hard work while her father encouraged her love literature and art; so she has been writing and doodling off and on for over 30 years. After much encouragement, Mrs. Raymer finally published a few short stories and has developed a taste for it. She continues to send submissions, sometimes with success, and currently has a collection of stories in the works. She is the Assistant Editor for a science fiction magazine and Lead Editor for a horror magazine. A participant of the voluntary writer/artist/musician cooperative known as Imagicopter, Herika R. Raymer is married with two children and a dog in West Tennessee, USA.
Her website is at: herikarraymer.webs.com
Her Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Herika-R-Raymer-WriterEditor/218450834882572?ref=ts&fref=ts
About the editor: Scott M. Sandridge is a writer, editor, freedom fighter, and all-around trouble-maker. His latest works as an editor include the Seventh Star Press anthologies Hero’s Best Friend: An Anthology of Animal Companions, and the two volumes of A Chimerical World, Tales of the Seelie Court and Tales of the Unseelie Court.
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/scottmsandridge
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/smsandwrites
Website/Blog:
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5772749-scott-sandridge
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I like “bookwright” Very cool