The short version: I wrote a horror story to go along with my fantasy novel, The Cat in the Cradle. How’s that for genre bending? You can download it from Smashwords in every conceivable format besides paper, but feel free to print it out if you like.

The long version: I enjoy dropping hints in my books about other places, other adventures. Ideas occur to me that have no place in the current narrative, and it gives me some release to at least leave a nod to them. The Cat in the Cradle makes mention of a handful of such tangents, Nikolai’s origin chief among them. What sort of experience would compel a person to shed the last vestiges of their humanity? Not a very pleasant one, I have to admit, but the most interesting stories are unpleasant. Besides, it’s almost Halloween, the perfect time to celebrate the grim and gruesome.

I asked Andreas for a rough sketch I could use for this story, but of course he went above and beyond and created a cover worthy of a full blown novel. He’s crazy, but that’s why I love him. If you want to see more of his art, stop by his website or his blog.

Flesh and Blood is part of the Loka Legends series, and fits best between The Cat in the Cradle and From Darkness to Darkness as an intermission between books. It’s bundled together with Finding Fire, plus a collection of sketches and concept art related to the series. All of these can be downloaded from the following retailers: Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, iTunes/iBooks, and all other formats.