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Depths of Introspection
Honor: A Sci-Fi & Fantasy Anthology gathers twenty-two independent authors together in one project. What was the most rewarding part of building a collaborative collection like this?
It was really rewarding seeing how twenty-two different authors interpreted the theme of honor in such wildly different ways across sci-fi and fantasy stories, with their own styles and voices. Not to mention, the authors have our own group where we’ve been able to connect and grow together over time, bouncing ideas and strategies off of each other. It really grew into something quite sweet.
The editor’s note describes honor as “a multifaceted and beautiful enigma.” What aspects of honor interested you most while assembling the collection?
I was most interested in the gray areas of honor—where personal obligation clashes with societal expectation. It’s where the best conflict comes from. And I was most curious about how the other authors would formulate their narratives.
The range of settings is enormous, from grounded fantasy landscapes to distant planets and political sci-fi. How did you balance tonal variety while keeping the anthology emotionally cohesive?
Even if the setting is a distant planet, the core emotion—the struggle with honor—is universal, which ties everything together. I think with the theme being so interesting, it required depths of introspection by each of the authors that made all of us dive into the emotional side.
The anthology also features original art throughout. How did the visual element shape the reading experience, and how did you work with the artists to capture the tone of individual stories?
We really did work with some great artists for this anthology. I gave the artists specific emotional beats or imagery from specific stories to capture, rather than just a scene description. I thought it made the visual elements feel integrated, not just decorative.
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ALL FOR HONOR!
Honor is an exciting new anthology from Golden Griffin Press, featuring twenty-two SF&F authors. Each of them is a rising star in independent publishing in their own right, but we brought them all together to create this beautiful anthology.
Clocking in at nearly 200,000 words, Honor is packed to the brim with 22 new SF&F stories for readers to enjoy and maybe even discover a new favorite author–or twenty-two!
Not to mention we hired some amazing artists to fill this anthology with awe-inspiring sci-fi and fantasy art!
Honor
Honor is a big-hearted sci-fi and fantasy anthology built around one of those ideas that fantasy readers love to chew on: what does honor look like when the sword is heavy, the road is ugly, and the “right thing” costs something? Edited by Brittany and Z.S. Diamanti, the collection gathers twenty-two authors and lets them approach honor through dwarves, mages, soldiers, thieves, strange planets, living soil, trials, rebellion, sacrifice, and loyalty. The editor’s note frames it nicely: “The concept of honor is such a multifaceted and beautiful enigma.” That’s exactly the lane this book lives in.
What I liked most, as someone who loves fantasy, is that the anthology treats honor as something lived rather than preached. In “The Leacher,” for example, Zur’s magic is bound up in pain, labor, land, and invisibility. His victory isn’t a crown or a song, but a field of wheat and the private knowledge that he gave everything he had. That story captures one of the book’s strongest instincts: honor can be quiet, muddy, painful, and still deeply heroic.
The range is also part of the fun. One story can feel like classic secondary-world fantasy with spears, soil, and old grief, while another jumps into spacefaring duty, trials, and political responsibility. There are stories about rebellion and mercy, duty and defiance, thieves and warriors, grief and chosen sacrifice. That variety makes the theme feel alive instead of repetitive. The book keeps turning the gem in the light so every story catches a different color.
The characters aren’t just trying to look noble. They’re trying to protect someone, keep a promise, carry a burden, or stand when they’re afraid. For fantasy readers who love moral stakes as much as magic systems and battle scenes, that gives the collection a satisfying emotional weight.
Honor feels like a gathering around a long tavern table where every storyteller has their own world, scars, gods, monsters, and idea of courage. Some stories are grand and martial, others intimate and aching, but together they make a warm, earnest case for honor as compassion in motion. It’s the sort of anthology that’s especially easy to recommend to fantasy fans who like discovering new authors, because each piece feels like a doorway into a bigger world.
Pages: 769 | ASIN : B0GDNSQ8BV
Finding Purpose
Guard in the Garden follows a wounded dwarven guard who trades dragon fire for garden paths, where he discovers that tending friendships, grief, and love may be the bravest quest he’s ever faced. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
When I first got out of the military, I really struggled to figure out what my new mission and purpose in life were. It took me about 10 years to figure it out. It was a real struggle. And I know I’m not the only veteran who has gone through that experience. So, I thought it would make an excellent story to share, even if it was in a fantasy world.
Felton’s healing feels very incremental and grounded. How did you approach writing recovery in a fantasy setting?
A lot of what Felton goes through, I have experienced myself. Therefore, I was really able to tap into the emotion through reminiscing on my own experiences.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Some of the most important themes in Guard in the Garden are finding purpose in unexpected circumstances and hope at the end of the day.
Where does the next book in the series take the characters?
Funny enough, Guard in the Garden is in a series called the Fables of Finlestia that explores stand-alone stories in the same world. Even cooler, there are a lot of character crossovers, easter eggs, and cameos between this series and my Stone & Sky series, which also takes place in the world of Finlestia.
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Embark on a wholesome journey of healing and self-discovery. A cozy fantasy tale of forging new friendships and overcoming fears. A quiet quest of family bonds and budding romance.
From dragon fire to garden flowers …
Felton Holdum spent his entire life training to become one of Galium’s elite dwarven warriors. When a bloody battle leaves him injured, he has no choice but to move into his eccentric twin aunts’ quaint home in the town’s quiet Garome District.
With his life of military service seemingly over, the captain of the city guard gives Felton his only chance at a fresh start in the new life he never wanted.
But when a human woman barges through his front door, the grumpy dwarf starts to wonder if there is more to life than war. The sunshine woman invites him to visit her garden, where Felton gains a new nemesis and a new purpose in life.
Take a walk through the garden and see what magic awaits.
Come enjoy the hospitality of the whimsical Garome District. Meet new friends as you sample new breads at the bakery, play a game of Castle Brick at the tavern, and taste homemade pies during the annual pie baking contest at the Fall Festival.
Guard in the Garden
In Guard in the Garden, Felton, a dwarf warrior still limping through the aftermath of the Battle of Galium, survives a dragon attack that costs him his garvawk partner, Honor, and leaves him marooned in a healer’s ward with grief that won’t stay politely in the background. When he’s finally released, the city guard assigns him to the quiet Garome District, where “protect” is mostly theoretical and “serve” turns out to be the real work. There, he’s pulled, sometimes gently, sometimes by sheer neighborhood gravity, into a small ecosystem of bakers, smiths, pie contests, and, crucially, Tilli and her bold little daughter, Lili, whose garden becomes a place Felton can learn to inhabit again, one ordinary day at a time.
What I loved first was the book’s texture. The author’s best trick is how he lets coziness do real labor. Felton’s nightmares are not decorative angst; they’re repetitive, humiliating, bodily, always the same cruelty of needing to save someone and feeling too weak to do it. And because the setting is so warm and neighborly, those moments land harder. The soft scenes don’t cancel the dark ones; they make them legible, the way lamplight makes a bruise easier to see.
I also kept getting ambushed in the best way by how funny and tender the relationships are. There’s a whole showdown where Felton tries to assert himself as the “real guard,” only to discover the garden’s actual enforcer is Templeton the tortoise, who resolves the standoff by aggressively nuzzling Felton’s beard like it’s the finest pillow in Finlestia. Later, the greenhouse becomes a quiet altar of hope: Tilli has Felton plant “special seeds,” and the act feels small until you realize small is exactly the point, tending, waiting, letting something live because you keep showing up for it. By the end, the book doesn’t chase a grand battlefield catharsis; it chooses a steadier bravery: Felton declines the pull back into wild glory because he’s finally found where he belongs, and he’s brave enough to name love as his dream.
Guard in the Garden is for readers who want their fantasy to feel like a hearth instead of a hurricane. Reading looking for cozy fantasy, slice-of-life fantasy, healing fantasy, found family, gentle romance, and for anyone who appreciates a story where recovery is incremental, stubborn, and still worth celebrating. If you enjoyed Legends & Lattes (or the way Becky Chambers makes kindness feel substantial), this will scratch a similar itch, only with more dirt under the fingernails and a sweet, persistent ache behind the smile. Guard in the Garden is proof that the bravest thing a warrior can do is learn how to live, one ordinary, luminous day at a time.
Pages: 298 | ASIN : B0DDJTWLL1
Never Lose Hope
Stone & Sky follows an unlikely hero in a realm where darkness and chaos loom, who is determined to save his town and the world from an immediate orc threat. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
To be honest, I had been seeing a lot of darker fantasy books in recent years, and I missed the classic style fantasy where heroes have to work together to overcome unlikely odds. I missed the fun and adventure. I wanted to write something that readers of all ages could enjoy together. I also wanted to tell a story that reminded readers to never lose hope.
Can you share insights into the development of Orin’s character and what aspects of his personality you believe resonate most with readers?
You know, it’s funny. Orin is in a hard spot when the book starts. Having been in the military and knowing what it feels like to be out of the fight while your brothers and sisters are still serving–it’s a tough feeling. The love for his brothers and sisters drives him to get home, but in the midst of that, he comes to find that there are other people who will love him and fight alongside him, even if he faces life without his griffin. It’s been really fun to develop that in books 2 and 3 (both coming soon).
Your book is noted for its rich world-building and character depth. What challenges did you face in creating such a detailed and immersive fantasy world?
Some of the interesting challenges came with the aerial combat and the abilities of the flying mounts that the different people groups ride. For example, I had to set very specific rules about abilities for wyverns and griffins. We also have pegasi that the elves ride, and I made up these really cool panther creatures with bat-like wings (called garvawks) that the dwarves ride. Each group of people had to have ways of interacting with the different flying beasts. How do they husband them? How do they train with them? How would each mount’s aerial abilities be different? It was a fascinating exercise in imagination.
This is book one in the Stone & Sky series. What can readers expect in book two?
So glad you asked. Book two in the Stone & Sky series is called Stone & Tide and is planned for release on 6 FEB 2023. The epilogue of Stone & Sky leaves readers with a bit of a tense cliffhanger, but we absolutely get some resolution on that in Stone & Tide. Book one kept us in the land of Tarrine (one of the lands in the world of Finlestia), but in the second we’re sailing across the sea to the mysterious land of Kelvur (the place from which our villain hailed). Definitely expect more friendship development and epic battles, but Kelvur holds many secrets that our protagonists must uncover.
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Orin is a sworn protector. As a stalwart member of the Griffin Guard, he’s proud to protect the kingdom against a dreaded nation of orcs. But when the fires of war burn bright from the north, his entire squadron falls to deadly wyvern riders, leaving the devastated Orin bloody and alone.
With his squad dead, Orin has his mind set on saving others from the same fate.
Teaming up with a local huntsman’s family, Orin and his new friends must push themselves past their limits to face mysterious dangers and ancient magics. Shocked to discover the orcs’ secret weapon, the lone guardian’s last chance to save his home could require the ultimate sacrifice.
Come fly away on griffin-back!
Fly off to the world of Finlestia in this epic fantasy story for readers looking for adventure, magic, and just plain fun; a tale where friendships must overcome insurmountable odds and remind readers to never lose hope.
Buy Stone & Sky to join the battle today!
Stone & Sky
In Stone & Sky, the inaugural book of the The Stone & Sky Series by Z.S Diamanti, readers are invited into a world where darkness looms, and chaos threatens the realm. The novel transcends typical fantasy tropes by transforming orcs from distant threats into immediate realities, compelling readers to contemplate the potential for salvation in such a world. Orin, the protagonist, emerges as a beacon of hope, striving to save not only the town of Whitestone but the world itself.
Diamanti’s skill in worldbuilding is a standout feature of this series. The vividly crafted settings, memorable characters, and intricately woven tales within the narrative are testament to this. The world of Stone & Sky is portrayed with a vibrancy that lingers with the reader, imbuing a sense of realism rarely achieved in the fantasy genre. Orin is portrayed with a charismatic depth that leaves a lasting impression. His journey, marked by the burdens of his past and the uncertainty of his future, resonates deeply. The supporting characters, with their rich complexities, contribute to a narrative tapestry that is as engaging as it is intricate. The interplay of secrets and mysteries within the story propels the narrative forward, making the book difficult to put down.
Stone & Sky is especially enchanting for fantasy genre enthusiasts, though its unique appeal may captivate a broad spectrum of readers. The fluidity of Diamanti’s writing effortlessly carries the reader through the chapters, with a narrative that is constantly engaging and far from monotonous. This book is a commendable choice for those seeking an immersive escape into a well-crafted fantasy world.
Pages: 446 | ASIN: B0C5S7MSCH
