“Are you going to write another one?”

That’s the third most common question I get. Thing is, I already did. “The Smugglers of Tighpool” is a collection of short stories of people around the world of Esper whose lives have been changed one way or another by William Whitehall’s adventures. Strictly speaking, it’s not a sequel, as neither William nor his friends show up in these stories, but the connections are clear, and in some cases close. Also, some of the new characters will be showing up in the second book of William’s adventures, so this is a great way to get to know them first.

So who are they? In the first story, which shares its name with that of the book, Leith Ransom is a bored teenager forced to follow her father in his job–as a smuggler. When a buyer doesn’t show up, John Ransom gets in over his head, and it’s up to Leith to save the cargo, the ship–and their freedom.

Lucy Robey–aged eight–and her mother are sheep farmers in the foothills of Azuria, trading sheep to the dragons for iron. Mearah Robey falls deathly ill, and Lucy must hurry to the nearest town for medicine. But bandits lurk in the area, and Lucy becomes their latest victim, losing her dog as he defends her. Knowing how valuable herding dogs are, Lucy must work quickly to save him–and maybe the town as well.

Hamish Slovik lost any chance of inheritance. Not knowing what else to do, he left his family and signed up for the Guard. The experience is not what he expected, and on his patrol exam he suffers one humiliation after another. When his big mouth gets him captured, he faces a dilemma that seems to lead to death no matter what he decides. With nothing left to lose, Hamish makes a huge gamble–because if he doesn’t, it’s not just his life on the line.

I wanted to write these stories to give readers a glimpse of what has changed in the Kingdom of Esper since William’s great discovery. A world this big is too much to fit into one book, and short stories seemed the best way to fill the gap.

But don’t worry…William and his friends will return in 2018 with even bigger adventures than before.

“The Smugglers of Tighpool” will be available for free download directly from the back page of “The Defender of Rebel Falls”.