Travis Starnes

In the Shadow of Lions - Chapter 7

Valemonde, Empire of Lynese

Princess Isolde slipped through the oak doors, the hem of her gown whispering across the marble floor as she entered her father’s chambers. It was late, but she knew he liked to retire to his chambers after meeting with his advisors for one last time, to read over reports from his less public advisors.

She had spent the last several days working on plans of her own, but planning was over, and the time had come to actually talk to him ...

Concept Art - Country Roads Character Portraits

Since people liked this for the other stories, I added some for Country Roads as well.

We have Charlie, Hanna (short wavy hair), Kat (Longer Hair), Lyla and Chef

From the Top - Chapter 37

The hoopla didn’t die down, although I didn’t know if that was because this was more lasting, or that the show aired three nights a week during the first month of its run as it got through the auditions and all the prelims.

Tuesday’s episode featured parts of the interview I’d done with them, although mine was more truncated, I guess because they had to spread it over three weeks, while people like Candi—this was their only week on the show—so they could use up as much as th...

From the Top - Chapter 36

I was sad when Hanna and Kat had to go back to school, especially with Hanna mostly breaking out of her sulk by Saturday, at least enough to come see us play at the Blue Ridge. Mostly, though, I was looking forward to having my life be just a little bit more normal than it had been for the last month.

There were still weeks left of school, but I only had three, since I had to be in California by the eighteenth. I’d already talked to Dr. Wallace and started working out a schedule with ...

Triumph of Venus - Chapter 3

Devnum

`It was too cold to be out here,’ Lucilla thought as she strolled up the small, protected garden along the center of the right wing of the palace where she and Ky had spent so many hours together.

Gaius had practically pleaded with her to stay inside where it was warm, and where, coincidentally, he could have more scrolls and documents for her to read and approve, but she’d had enough. The meetings, audiences, and conferences were, if anything, getting ...

From the Top - Chapter 35

It took us just over four hours to get to Chapel Hill. We were quiet most of the way after I filled in Kat about everything that had happened, including revealing some of what she told me about Hanna’s relationship to Hanna’s mother. We’d already said just about everything we could say regarding Hanna’s relationship, and we were both worried about what Hanna might do.

She could be so irrational when it came to her relationships, it wasn’t hard to imagine her going off the deep...

From the Top - Chapter 34

Tuesday was the airing of the first episode of The Stage. They would have three more episodes that week with auditions from different cities, but Warren had called the producers and found out when my particular part was airing. I wasn’t sure if being on the first day was a good thing or not. On one hand, we’d be the first ones people saw, and maybe they’d remember us and judge everyone else against us.

On the other hand, maybe by the end of the four episodes scheduled this week, i...

In the Shadow of Lions - Chapter 6

William lifted his foot into the stirrup and swung himself up onto the horse’s back. The bay gelding shifted nervously beneath him, picking up on his rider’s unease. There really wasn’t a reason to be nervous, yet. Unless the scouts his uncle had sent with Pembroke were less skilled than advertised, William wouldn’t see his first taste of battle for a day or more, depending on how quickly they made the ride back south after crossing the northern ford.

And yet, now that he was on...

From the Top - Chapter 33

While the excitement on my first day back was wild, it didn’t take long for things to return to normal. Part of that is the high school thing of the latest drama always drowning everything else out, and the fact that my show wasn’t out yet. I think I helped it along by not being able to actually say anything. By the second day back, everyone’s attention had shifted off to some other drama, allowing me to kind of fade back into the woodwork.

And I was honestly fine with all that. I...

From the Top - Chapter 32

Wednesday, I was back in school … and back in the principal’s office; where, at this point, I might have spent more time than in actual classrooms. At least I didn’t dread coming to the office anymore. Dr. Wallace had been pretty good at working with me and hadn’t treated me like a leper, unlike the previous administration. I was pretty sure I’d taken care of everything he’d asked for, but he’d wanted me to stop back before returning to class, which meant sitting under Mrs. Morg...

Triumph of Venus - Chapter 2

Devnum

Lucilla sank back into the cushions of her chair as the last senator filed out of her office, blowing out a long breath in relief. The day’s meetings had tried her patience to its limits. Senator Alypius, that pompous windbag, had prattled on for nearly thirty minutes about the state of security for Rome in specific, and the empire in general. Amazingly, without ever offering any useful suggestions or even really getting to a point beyond ‘people are unhappy....

From the Top - Chapter 31

I couldn’t help but smile as the sign for the Wellsville exit came into view. I’d only been gone for a week and a half, but it felt like a lifetime. Even not counting the competition and all the insanity around that, Los Angeles was a weird place. I hadn’t realized it until now, but somewhere along the way, I’d become a small-town boy, which was wild because I’d only lived here for two and a half years. All I knew was, I didn’t mind going into cities for gigs, but I knew I’d nev...

From the Top - Chapter 30

I was one of the last contestants to make it to the theater, even though I was on the same lot the sound stage it was set up in was on. I’d been up late the night before making final adjustments, late to the rehearsal which had then run long as we tried to get everything ironed out.

Thankfully, I wasn’t so late as to get myself disqualified, and to give my two session musicians time to get here and start preparing. No one had gone on yet, but I knew I was in for it when one of the p...

Shattered Lands Concept Art (Sigil Edition)

Some of the banners that would be seen in the Sidorian Army Camp.  These includes the banner for the Duchy of River Mark (Aldric's Duchy), and the Baronies of Cloud Harbor (in River Mark),  Barony of Wyvern Hills (in River Mark, Sir Pembroke's Barrony, Barony of Everwood (in Iron Keep, Sir Alistairs barony), and Darien Coast (in Iron Keep, Baron Thornbrook's barony).

In the Shadow of Lions - Chapter 5

Sidorian Army Camp, Doree River, Empire of Lynese

The sounds of men and beasts could be heard well before William, his uncle, and the small force that traveled with him crested a hill to see the sprawling encampment of the Sidorian army. Situated on a vast plain surrounded by gentle hills, thousands of tents and pavilions formed an orderly grid, with larger elaborate pavilions at the center marking the locations of the nobles and commanders. Flags and banners bearing th...

From the Top - Chapter 29

I dragged myself down to breakfast the next morning, my limbs heavy and sluggish. Things might have ended well, but the stress from the previous day, with Amanda going to the hospital and spending most of the day thinking I was going to have to do it on my own had taken its toll on me, apparently. Even with winning, I’d tossed and turned all night.

Cole was already up when I made it down to breakfast, along with a handful of the other performers. He gave me a nod as I headed to the co...

From the Top - Chapter 28

Throughout the day, I’d tried to get Amanda to practice, and she always had something better to do. I’d tried to practice on my own, but there was a limit how far I could improve things without her. A duet was all about keeping everything tight, working as one singer. it was more than just harmonies, it was timing and energy levels. If you seemed out of step with your partner, even if the song itself was matching, you’d fall flat.

And if that happened, we were both going home.

The Triumph of Venus (Imperium #6) - Chapter 1

Daramouda

Inside their temporary headquarters, in the same building where their adversary had commanded from a few weeks previous, Ky stood with his hands clasped behind his back, surveying the gathered legates. The large stone building still had damage from the battle for this city through which he could see the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean. The openings let in the chill of a southern Gaul winter, but it was still much better than their other choices.

Th...

From the Top - Chapter 27

It was late when we got back to the cast house, and I was ready to just go crash, since the whole thing was going to start all over again the next morning with another challenge. However, a producer stopped me before I’d even gotten to the stairs, asking me to head out to the production guest house for my interview.

They’d slowly been calling in contestants over the last two days to do these interviews, which they said were for creating additional video packages for them to be able ...

Cover Reveal - From the Top

The Veilguard Saga Concept Art

A picture of the new friend, who maybe we'll learn more about.

The Threads of Destiny - Chapter 3

Osric plunged deeper into the forest, pushing himself as fast as he could without breaking his neck by stumbling over a root or stone. He was still in the section of the forest familiar to him. He’d wandered through this section many times over the years, but that had always been in the daylight. Things looked very different in the pitch-black. Maybe if he had a torch or lantern to guide him, he would recognize his landmarks, but he dared not light anything. Not with those men out there, se...

From the Top - Chapter 26

I sat in the living room of the competition house, plucking away on the banjo that had been loaned to me to practice with. The fast-paced melody of her song flew from my fingertips as I tried desperately to get the tricky fingerpicking down.

I’d spent the entire afternoon working with JoDee and felt like I’d learned more in an hour than I had in years of practicing on my own. She was a wealth of information, so much so that it felt like my head was going to explode when we finished,...

In the Shadow of Lions - Chapter 4

Starhaven, Kingdom of Sidor

Three weeks after the coronation, William found himself walking up the gangplank of a massive ship, hugging himself tight against the chill winter air. William had thought he’d have more time before his father shipped him off to Lynese, what with ice still floating in the harbor, but a few days ago, Edmund had declared that it was time for him and his Uncle Aldric to get started.

“The Lion’s Prideis the most powerful ship...

Shattered Lands Concept Art

We didn't meet him directly, but since he was mentioned, I included a picture of Baron Garris Sinclare, of the Barony of Stormhaven, in the Duchy of Iron Keep.

Character/Place Lists

Would it be helpful to have a list of all characters/places/whatever else I keep in my story bible for you to access. It would probably be on my website, because it would be easier to keep updated, or is it not that hard to keep up with who's who? (Some of the stories, Taylor and Country Roads in particular, have a lot of characters, but I feel like Shattered Lands is going to end up with a ton of duke so an so, baron such and such

From the Top - Chapter 25

We were just finishing breakfast when one of the producers, a short guy with a Bluetooth headset perpetually attached to his ear, came hustling into the room.

“All right, everyone, let’s gather in the main room in five minutes,” he announced, before spinning on his heel and rushing back out.

A collective groan rose up from the group seated around the two large dining tables. Most seemed blurry and a little hungover from all the partying last night. Breakfast might have helpe...

From the Top - Chapter 24

The house was … quite the experience. While I was the youngest by a good couple of years, everyone was still fairly young, with the oldest contestant topping out at twenty-nine. It wasn’t hard to imagine what would happen when young and generally attractive people were all thrown in a mansion together. Especially, with the massive bar stocked with a mountain of alcohol.

On the plus side, the house was amazing. “House” was actually an understatement. “Mansion” was a much more...

The Veilguard Saga Concept Art - Character Portrait

For Talia Penrose, The new character added into Chapter 1.

The Threads of Destiny - Chapter 2 (Rewritten 12/30/23)

The general flow of this chapter is the same, and although new elements are written, they are generally not present in this story (although the exact way things worked out in individual instances is different, the outcomes are generally the same with everything)

Chapter 2: A Stranger’s Interest

After the excitement of finding the ring and his discussion with Elder Miriam, life returned more or less to normal. It had been nearly a month since he found the ring in...