Author’s Notes

A number of years ago, I wrote fantasy and science fiction short stories under another name. Anlin and Faulk arrived in my head at that time, but their story was too much a love story to fit into what I was then writing and the plot was too complex to be contained in the space requirements for short fiction. So, I tucked notes and snippets of conversation into a file on my computer and went on to other things.

Recently, the couple again started yammering in my mind, “Write our story.” They became quite insistent—I admit I don’t think conversations with characters are in the least weird—and so I succumbed and here is their story. To write it, I had to abandon the strictly historical background I enjoy and build my own world.

The structure of Fallucian society is obviously based on the medieval feudal system. I have used some of the terms and attitudes from that period to reinforce this similarity. Rennish society, however, is completely imaginary. In it, I have tried to show how people with the best of intentions can create something horrible when they are convinced of the rightness of their vision and feel under attack.

Anlin and Faulk are products of this environment. Anlin was horribly emotionally damaged by her years of servitude in Rennic, but she continues to have a solid and unshakeable core. Faulk is a seasoned warrior who will do what is expedient. He, nonetheless, still clings to the modest—but to him, impossible—dreams of having his own land and finding someone to love who will love him in return.

Since both Anlin and Faulk are without magic, they are considered “lesser.” Neither would have imagined they would become part of the events that would shape their world.

Thank you for purchasing Song of the Nightpiper. I hope you enjoyed the tale. Please consider leaving a review on your favorite site to help guide others in their choice. I also love hearing from readers, and you can reach me through www.hannahmeredith.com. On the next page I have a list of other books that are available. None of them contains magic, but I hope the stories are still in some way magical.

Thanks for reading,

Hannah