Hi y'all. Since the last time I posted, Beast Mage has gone through two revisions and a professional edit. Your feedback and comments made the book much better and I am grateful for them!

Aside from a professional edit, Beast Mage is coming to ebook, signed paperbacks and audiobook form (narrated by the legendary Travis Baldree). If you'd like to be the first to read/listen to the final, revised and edited version, you can check out the Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dsidd/beast-mage-a-monster-taming-fantasy-novel-and-audiobook

Mana Beasts Book #2 is being planned as we speak! I'm working to complete the entire series outline and will begin writing book two in April. I expect to post chapters for the continuation of the story this summer (2022).

And as thanks for reading, here's the original beginning of the story that was abandoned and rewritten. Think of it as a behind the scenes/ hidden feature!

Kellen opened his eyes. Stalks of dry grass framed a hazy blue sky overheard. He blinked several times, mind whirling like he’d just woken from a deep sleep. A sudden itching, poking spread across his back and neck. He rolled over and sat up, finding himself in tall grass swaying in a slight breeze. Bright sunshine cut through the thin veil of smoke overhead, already baking the top of his head. By the looks and smell of things, a wildfire burned somewhere in the distance.

Groaning, Kellen blinked and rubbed his face. He hadn’t meant to, but he suspected he’d dozed off in the field sometime after…

He struggled to remember what he’d been doing before he’d fallen asleep. Or for that matter, where he’d been before falling asleep. Feeling sluggish, he reached for the water jug he’d brought with . The autumn heat had him feeling thirsty and his face felt dry and sore from lying in the sun too long. Still trying to sort out the after effects of his power nap, Kellen continued to feel around for his pack.

It wasn’t there.

Kellen twisted around, concern growing in the pit of his stomach. His pack had everything he needed for a day hike: food, water, a rain jacket, a small first aid kit, a GPS and material to make a fire but —

A day hike.

Memory started rushing back but it only made Kellen feel worse. None of this made sense. He hadn’t been hiking in a mountain meadow. He’d been crossing a boulder field. As the pieces continued to fell in place, Kellen jumped to his feet.

Two days before — or something like that, it was still hard to be sure — he’d left the Henry’s Fork Trail Head for a solo weekend trip in the High Uintas. The more he thought about it, the more certain he was that he’d been exploring a boulder field when he’d….laid down for a nap?

Now, Kellen spun around and found nothing but rolling hills, swaying from the wind in the tall, dry grass. There wasn’t a boulder or a mountain in sight.

Swallowing his growing anxiety, Kellen rubbed the three-day stubble on his face and ran a hand through his short, sandy hair. He forced himself to look away from his surroundings, hoping to find his pack at his feet. A quick search confirmed it was nowhere to be seen. Praying it was just out of sight in the knee-high grass, Kellen started to circle the spot where he’d been lying.

Once he found his gear, it would be a simple matter of finding his location on the GPS. He’d probably just had too much sun and —

“Hello?”

Kellen let out a very unmanly shout of alarm at the sound of another voice, even though it sounded like a kindergartener and not at all threatening.

“Uh…hi?” He looked around, but couldn’t see the speaker anywhere.

“I’m… coming!” Came an answer in the same child’s voice. Kellen still couldn’t see anyone but heard the grass rustling off to his right. Maybe the kid was crawling?

"I can’t see you,” Kellen said. “Can you stand up?”

“I am standing up!” the voice said with childish exasperation. The rustling grass grew closer, accompanied by small puffs of exertion. Kellen wasn’t sure if he was about to meet a leprechaun or a talking baby. He took an involuntary step back as grass moved just beyond the spot where’d flattened it down.

A moment later, a small, round animal popped into the open. Expecting a person, Kellen jumped, then chuckled at his nerves getting the better of him. Although Kellen had never seen an animal like this before, he doubted it was dangerous. In fact, it looked like someone’s stuffed animal brought to life.

Thick, cream-colored fur covered a football-shaped and sized body, that was also its head. That, or the furry little animal was all head with four stubby paws, big, pointed ears and a short fox-like tail attached. It had large, almond-shaped eyes that begged for it to be picked up and cuddled.

“Hey there, little fella,” Kellen said. He leaned forward and held out a hand, delirium temporarily forgotten. “It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you.”

The football fox jumped up and down, like a dog greeting its owner after a long day. “Yay! I found you!”

Kellen shouted in alarm and stumbled backward, falling hard on his butt. It was the same child’s voice. Coming from the fox. Scrambling to his feet, Kellen ran for his life.