Where Have All the Elves Gone by Christian Warren Freed

GUEST POST
How Did This Happen?

People ask me this all the time. Are they expecting some miraculous answer? A glimpse into perfection otherwise unachievable? Beats me and I never had much of an answer. You see, I am a pragmatic man. Simple in most regards. I spent a career in the active duty army, fought in a few wars, and retired to write. Certainly the inspiration comes from that, but where did it all begin? Lean forward and I’ll tell you. Way back in the late 70s- 1970s for you youngins, my father took me to see the original Star Wars at the drive in. Now don’t go getting all crazy on me, I was only 4. A few years later I got to see the Ralph Bakshi Lord of the Rings movie and I was hooked. That’s it. All it took. I devoured everything I could, made a valiant effort to read the Fellowship of the Ring in 1^st grade- I know, I know, and started making goofy little comic books. That led to winning the student of the month award for writing a really bad- I mean bad- horror novel in 10^th grade. Between you and me, I try to find it to burn every time I go back to visit my parents but my mother has that thing squirreled away. Oh well, one day. Joining the army slowed things down and I only wrote one book over the next decade. It wasn’t until I went to Afghanistan in 2002 that I decided to start writing for real. Armies of the Silver Mage was born in the doldrums of down time between getting shot at and chow.

Two more wars and another pair of books later and I was rolling. 

I’ve been retired for seven years now and have written over 20 novels. Even won an award from the L Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest a while back. My Hammers in the Wind has been the overall #1 free book on Amazon 4 times. So I guess that means I am on the right track. Funny how a pair of movies way back when could continue to have to much influence today.
ABOUT THE BOOK

Urban Fantasy / ParanormalDate Published: April 1, 2018Publisher: War Fighter Books
Everyone knows Elves don’t exist. Or do they? Daniel Thomas spent years making a career of turning his imagination into the reality of best selling fantasy novels. But times are tough. No one wants to read about elves and dragons anymore. Daniel learns this firsthand when his agent flatly says no to his latest and, what he deems, to be greatest novel yet. Dissatisfied with the turn to zombies and vampire lovers, he takes his manuscript and heads out to confront his agent.
His world changes when he finds his agent dying on the floor of her office. Too late to help, he watches as her dead body disintegrates into a pile of ash and dust. Daniel doesn’t have time to ponder what just happened as a band of assassins breaks in, forcing him to flee to the Citadel and the home of the king of the high elves in order to survive. Daniel soon discovers that all of the creatures he once thought he imagined actually exist and are living among us. His revelation comes at a price however, as he is drawn into a murder-mystery that will push him to the edge of sanity and show him things no human has witnessed in centuries.
EXCERPT
“There is movement down the hill to the right,” Guilt interrupted. “Where?” Daniel slipped the night vision over his eyes and followed where Guilt pointed. Nine figures, taller and bulkier than elves or dwarves, stalked through the planted bamboo grove running from the central plaza up to the aviary. Humans! He let the thought slide, finding it entirely too comfortable in making such a proclamation. Still, the question of what they were doing and who they were remained. “I didn’t think there were any humans involved.”“Xander has a few remaining. The ogres took care of most of them. There should not be any others here,” the gargoyle snarled. Unlike the other races, he could see perfectly at night, so he noticed their armor, their guns, and their distinct manner marking them as government agents. The temptation to fly away and not look back grew stronger. Dealing with the king and queen was one matter, one he had no qualms with facing, but the government took matters to new levels. Too many of his kind withered and died under federal interdiction while being blinded by false claims of protection. He had no trust in the men darting through the trees but didn’t want to risk a confrontation with them either.“It is DESA,” he said, backing deeper into the shadows. Sara asked, “What’s DESA?”“A clandestine government department answerable to no one,” the gargoyle divulged. “The Department of Extra Species Affairs. They hunt us, contain us, and regulate everything our species does. They are very bad people.”Daniel had never heard of them, but that didn’t really surprise him. In Afghanistan, he’d worked with more people that officially didn’t exist than he could have imagined. There were government departments by the dozens he’d never heard of before the war, and that frightened him. People that don’t exist can get away with anything. No wonder these guys hate humans so much. We’re still hunting them, still trying to be the overlords.  “Do we engage, or will they ignore us?” he asked, suddenly more concerned with their chances of getting to the princess. Once again the tables had turned, leaving him with the wrong cards.
“It is bad enough they are here; do not risk open confrontation with them unnecessarily. It is a fight we cannot win.”
About the Author

Christian W. Freed was born in Buffalo, N.Y. more years ago than he would like to remember. After spending more than 20 years in the active duty US Army he has turned his talents to writing. Since retiring, he has gone on to publish 17 military fantasy and science fiction novels, as well as his memoirs from his time in Iraq and Afghanistan. His first published book (Hammers in the Wind) has been the #1 free book on Kindle 4 times and he holds a fancy certificate from the L Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest.
Passionate about history, he combines his knowledge of the past with modern military tactics to create an engaging, quasi-realistic world for the readers. He graduated from Campbell University with a degree in history and is pursuing a Masters of Arts degree in Military History from Norwich University. He currently lives outside of Raleigh, N.C. and devotes his time to writing, his family, and their two Bernese Mountain Dogs. If you drive by you might just find him on the porch with a cigar in one hand and a pen in the other. You can find out more about his work by following him @ https://www.facebook.com/ChristianFreed or on Twitter @christianwfreed.
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