It’s been a long two years since I left the country and I’m ready for the break. Now that I’ve finished Neophyte and have started the submissions and agent queries, I feel like a head-clearing trip before I dive into the publishing challenge is in order.

It all starts in Trier, which sounds like a great blend of classical ruin (Roman baths) and medieval fortifications. The transition from ancient history to medieval and the effect it had on the larger population is a real point of interest to me right now as I seem to create worlds that have gone through that shift and are living in the bones of whatever kingdom or hegemony came before.

I’m also anxious to see the reconstruction in Dresden and the Museum Island in Berlin. I bought some German language lessons and uploaded them to my ipod. Hopefully, by the time I land I’ll be able to do more than order coffee though that’s really all I need.