Flightless Party Favors

Thanks for your interest in Flightless! I want to offer you several party favors.

Flightless writing soundtrack

When I work on a writing project, I like to build a soundtrack that fits the mood of the story. Video game soundtracks work well because they’re atmospheric but designed to fade into the background.

This one fit the bill for Flightless.

I have probably put in 500 hours listening to the Divinity: Original Sin II soundtrack on repeat. Perhaps ironically, I have never played the game, although I reckon I should. I hear it’s good.

There are two songs in the linked YouTube video that have words, so I created an instrumental-only audio file here.

Support the artists by downloading the original soundtrack here.

While the whole soundtrack fits the vibe of Flightless, here are some YouTube timestamps that make me think of specific scenes:

Chapter 4 (the escape): 6:19
Chapter 6 (the letter): 37:47
Chapter 11 (the bargain): 20:18
Chapter 15 (gliding): 1:39:10
Chapter 18 (the bath): 1:19:43
Chapter 22 (the friend): 9:48
Chapter 23 (the plan): 12:05
Chapter 25 (the family): 43:51
Chapter 26 (the box): 1:08:24
Chapter 27 (the confrontation): 14:08

Chapter 30 (the knife’s edge): 1:16:15
Chapter 32 (the crumbling): 1:28:14
Chapter 35 (the sanctuary): 1:41:44
Chapter 36 (the gathering): 1:43:52
Chapter 37 (the beneath): 17:36
Chapter 41 (the fight): 24:07
Chapter 43 (the father): 1:24:04
Chapter 45 (the launch): 1:30:36
Chapter 46 (the aftermath): 51:45

I recently discovered “Revolution” by The Score, and while I can’t write to anything with lyrics, the words of this song seem very on point for Flightless! So, I suppose it’s the theme song for the book, in my own mind.

Flightless concept art

One of the species I invented for Flightless is called “gliders.” (“Adlapsian” is their species’ formal name.) Imagine someone wearing a base jumping suit, or perhaps a flying squirrel (just not rodent-like). They can glide but don’t have powered flight. I called the flaps of skin “glidesheaths.”

Figuring out gliders’ anatomy and what the heck they’d wear really through me for a loop. You wouldn’t want tight clothes in case you had to glide with little warning. So, I commissioned some concept art from Rachel Conley to help me understand what I’d created.

*clothing concepts; Riff’s outfit is closest to the third figure*

These thoughtful drawings would become foundational for my exploration of the characters, what they wore, and how they moved around the world.

I also drew a map on the giant white board in my office as I wrote to help me keep a grasp on where everything was in my setting: the city of Quilia.

These sorry scribbles became the final drawing that’s included in the book’s interior:

While I drew this in a sketchbook and cleaned it up with Photoshop, I like to think the character Sal drew it, and it sits rolled up in his back room.

Flightless-themed mocktails

Would you like to toast Flightless in style? I’ve created three themed mocktails, one for each of the species in the book.

First is Ascension, the elevated drink of the Divians, the high-class flyers who rule over society.

Ascension mocktail recipe: 1 oz pear juice, 1/2 oz elderflower syrup, 1/4 oz lemon juice, 1-2 drops anise extract, pinch edible glitter, top with sparkling mineral water, stir gently and serve with a thin pear slice. Served at Divian dinner parties, the six ingredients represent the six wings of Altair. Luminous, distant, and divine.

Next is False Lift, the drink that represents the Adlapsian gliders, like Riff and many of his friends.

False Lift mocktail recipe: 1 oz white grape juice, 1/2 oz lemon juice, 1/4 oz honey mixed with water (equal parts), 3 fresh mint leaves, pinch of ground cardamom, pinch of ground ginger, shake and strain over ice, top with sparkling water. Beloved by gliders in the hot and humid city of Quilia, this drink is cool and spiced to give a fleeting sense of lightness. Aspiration in a cup.

Finally, we have the Ground-Bound Bitter, an affordable beverage for low-class Solumians like Vada.

Ground-Bound Bitter mocktail recipe: 1 oz grapefruit juice, 1/2 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz molasses or brown sugar simple syrup, 2-3 dashes non-alcoholic bitters or strong brewed black tea, pinch sea salt, top with sparkling water, stir over ice. This drink is sharp, earthy, and cooling, with a hint of salt and dark sweetness. Flyers never touch the stuff.

Pick up your copy of Flightless

Join the heist and cheer on the revolution. Order Flightless from your favorite independent bookseller or buy via the links here.

And if you want to read more, I’m also the co-author of Unrelenting and Undeniable, books one and two of The Grigori Cycle supernatural thrillers.

Cover of Flightless: Riff is front and center. He is a man with "glidesheaths"--flaps of skin extending from his arms and sides to help him glide. And he's showing off, gliding through the air. He wears a red hood and brown tattered clothing with patches galore and a knife in his boot. In the background is a beautiful sunset sky and a few "Divians" or flyers--people with wings. Below him is the City of Quilia, a town with red roofs and towers abutting a bay of blue water. The blurb at the bottom says, "This was the book I needed... intimate, sweeping, and full of flight." -Mary Robinette Kowal, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Calculating Stars

A woman stares straight ahead with intensity, head tilted slightly down. She has pale skin and blond hair that, as it drapes over her shoulders, seems to meld into the magical, mystical smoke that arises on both sides of her. Centered over her is the figure of a woman, white and shining. The backdrop is a steely blue, interrupted by a detailed, geometric symbol etched in black. At the top are the authors' names: Jes Honard & Marie Parks. At the bottom is the title: UNRELENTING, and the words "Book One of The Grigori Cycle"

A woman looks into the viewer's eyes, her head tilted slightly up and to the side. Her dark, wavy hair cascades over her shoulders. Her hands are lifted up, and light and smoke pours from them--magic. Behind her is a dark red backdrop interrupted by a detailed, geometric symbol. At the top are the authors' names: Jes Honard & Marie Parks. At the bottom is the title, UNDENIABLE and the words, "Book Two of The Grigori Cycle"