A Cast of "Ruthless" Characters

Good morning!

I'm happy to announce the release of Ruthless by Ed Calkins the Steward of Tara, the very first BryonySeries novel that I didn't write (may there be many more).

The book is now available from Amazon, and we are celebrating its release with a virtual one-hour party from 7 to 8 p.m. on Calkins Day (Feb. 13).

The party is free but you must register for the Zoom link and menu. 

Yes, menu.

Chef Tim will give three demonstrations that will allow you to enjoy chef-created refreshments during the party. No cooking is involved; you only need to have a few, simple, common, key ingredients ready.

Register here: bryonyseries.com/registerforcalkinsday.

Although you'll find the description for Ruthless on Amazon, you should know that the novel is a book of literary nonsense. Think Lewis Carroll for adults.

On the first (and maybe even second) read, Ruthless seems all over the place. 

But it really has a well defined structure, and the pieces come together nicely, leaving the reader wondering if Ed will write a sequel (the answer is yes; he is already working on it, having been bitten by the vampire muse).

The book parodies vampire lore, Irish lore, time travel, kink, politics, abuse, death, dyslexia, religion, the newspaper delivery industry (to name a few) and really extols the values of creativity, self-esteem, friendship, and true love in ways that aren't immediately apparent but are very sweet by the end of the story.

The characters are very, very human, and I found myself connecting to them (even the ones that didn't appeal to me for a while) as I moved through the pages.

For the most part, Ruthless simply expands the Ed Calkins perspective of the BryonySeries trilogy. In places where it deviates (and deviates significantly), the reader must remember that Ed as Steward of Tara is an unreliable narrator. Therefore, anything he says/writes can't be trusted as truth, since he lives so much in his own imagination.

As with all the books in the BryonySeries, you can read Ruthless as a standalone. Meaning, you don't have to be familiar with the other books to read this one.

With that, I give you "A Cast of Ruthless Characters":

NEW CHARACTERS:

Ed Calkins: The lead role, of course, is Ed Calkins, the Steward of Tara, in several incarnations: the character he created for himself (of which I further modified for the BryonySeries), elements of his real self, and the further development of all of these. As one beta reader commented, "He's died four times, and I'm still in the first chapter."

Nalla: Ed's angel wife. I knew immediately this was based on his real wife, Nancy. And she really does sing in her sleep. 

Rick: Ed's son (and he really does have a son).

Rick's Hot Wife: I only know this character has red hair and seems really nice. Other than her nickname.

Rick's two young daughters: One of them, Michaela, becomes a vampire slayer in her teens with a weapon Rick designed for her. She's destined to put her grandfather to rest when the time comes.

Trudy: Last name not given. She is a bipolar, auxiliary police officer for Beulah County (Munsonville is in Beulah County). She's also a professional dominatrix and a poet. Except she's given up the former because she's sort of in a relationship now. She's the ex best friend of Ed, and she's convinced she shot him - except she can't remember it. And she's scared of the repercussions.

Bathrobe: Trudy's love interest.

Sheriff Matt: Trudy's boss.

Dr. Roslyn: Trudy's childhood psychiatrist who lost her license for abusing kids. She's now a vampire.

Arkiens: A leprechaun and a were-goat who impersonates Satan and speaks with a thick Irish brogue.

The Inquisition: They debate over Ed's dying body on how to manage his eternal fate.

Ramon (and the other brownies): Ramon is the leader of a group of brownies who hang out with Ed in his van, roll newspapers, and clean houses for seniors living in trailer parks.

Ruthie and Millie: Two of the members of Ed's verbal harem. Members of WriteOn Joliet might recognize Ruthie from one of our flash fiction nights. I put her in my werewolf book and, by a strange and fantastical coincidence, Ed placed her in Ruthless.

Knights of the Red Branch: Often discussed, but their appearance is for the sequel.

Members of Ed's self-help group: They attend his wake and share their memories

The Goddess: Me 

Father Chokey: the priest who abused Ed as a boy

Malcolm: Ed's high school chess rival. They play a tense chess game for Trudy's hand.

New Medicine: The brownie who claims Trudy.

O'Murray: A king in Ed's imagination.

Boris: The owner of a bar Trudy used to manage.

Marci: A merrow (mermaid) that's Ed's secretary for one of his incarnations in his imagination.

Vita Vernon: head of the vice department in Detroit.

Jake Noble, Robert: Ed's bosses at the news agency

Mary Steward: a vampire with ties to organized crime

Tommie Gun Ton, Tommy the Gun, and Hank the Lobster: members of the vampire mafia

Also, assorted leprechauns and their human daughters, sprites, pixies, and other creatures. Oh, and the Magi.

And lots and lots of mirrors.

RETURNING CHARACTERS:

Glorna: A wood sprite who assumes several identities. One of those is now dead (You'll know who this is if you've read Staked!). He's also the caretaker of a child in an electric womb. And he loves spaghetti westerns so he impersonates John-Peter (down to the red hair and green skin) impersonating Clint Eastwood.

Eircheard: Owner of a pawn shop in Jenson (therefore, wealthy) and a leprechaun.

John Simons/John Simotes: He works for Ed in the newspaper delivery agency Ed manages. But in reality, Ed works for John, as he covers John's nighttime vampire activities and has been commanded to make a changeling son for him.

Melissa: 1970s teen girl obsessed with John in all his forms.

Henry Matthews: A dandy vampire who explains Deep Time Psychosis to Ed and how that's part of his destiny.

Dr. Abner Rothgard: A specialist in vampire health issues

No. 42/Angela: The brownie-raised and brownie-educated human girl that was swapped for the changeling.

Aodhan: A winged creature in Ed's imagination and good friend of Glorna's.

Quick confession: My new literary crush is Glorna. I love how Ed developed him. Not sure when the "crush" developed, but I finally realized it was there after Glorna said for the third time, "Mighty fine horse, ma'am," in the hanging scene.

Although editing a nearly 150,000 word novel by a dyslexic author was a nightmare (you have no idea), I am eagerly looking forward to the sequel.

Expect some typos. But Ed said people might not believe he wrote it if it didn't have typos. 

Typos, he claimed, is how readers will know its authentic.

Have a great Monday!

Illustration by Nancy Calkins for "Ruthless."