A combat pilot and his magically-inclined mechanic discover the limits of loyalty, love, and friendship when they’re tasked with tracking down magical artifacts popping up around WWI’s Western Front.
Title: The Shards of Lafayette: Drops of Glass Book 1
Author: Kenneth A. Baldwin
Pages: 380
Genre: Historical Fantasy
1918. France. Reports of unexplained rogue attacks have come in from both sides of the Western Front.
When Marcus Dewar is tasked with investigating the aerial bombardments, it’s not because of his aviation record. To make a name for himself, he will have to escort his best friend, a woman named Jane Turner known for her witchlike repairs on damaged aircraft, through some of the war’s most dangerous battle zones.
But when they learn the rogue pilots seek out arcane devices filled with magic powerful enough to alter the war, it will take more than some hedgewitch tactics and smart flying to return with their lives.
And in a conflict that values human life so little, that’s the least they have to lose.
The Shards of Lafayette: Drops of Glass Book 1 is available at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Drops-Glass-Magic-Shards-Lafayette-ebook/dp/B0C42B144X .
Book Excerpt
Smith nodded and took them off.
“I Convinced Mustermann to leave them here as a sign of good faith.” Smith’s eyes glossed with a peculiar sheen. He laughed to himself and whispered. “I’ll be damned, but they work.”
I stared, grasping now for the first time the importance of Smith’s experiment.
“You watched the fight through the goggles?” I asked.
“Hardly thought to grab them when the bomber showed up, but I’m sure glad I did.”
Marcus squirmed beside me.
“What do you mean they work?” he asked, a trace of anger on the edge of his voice.
“I mean that while Private Whiskey pulled his risky spiral, it just so happened to coincide with the German’s bottom gun jamming.”
“How do you know?” Marcus stammered.
But we all knew, at least after the fact. The bloated pause before Lufbery opened fire—a gun jam would explain it. A flash of sympathy for the pilots raced through me. How they must have panicked when they realized…
“It’s just like Mustermann said,” Smith replied, tossing the goggles brusquely to Marcus. “There’s something inside of you that goes off. And as you believe it, the plane gets a bit of a glow to it. Like the glow of a Christmas tree from down the hall after too many drinks. Hazy like, almost blurry. It’s like you could swear someone was shining a blue flashlight on the jammed gun.”
I turned to Marcus. Part of me wanted to flaunt how I’d been right, that the magic was real, but the danger of the immediate situation cut the wind from my sails. Instead, I hoped he would at least see reason. He saw red.
“Luf downed that plane because he’s the best pilot we have.”
Smith raised his eyebrows.
“Best American pilot, you mean.”
“Best Allied pilot.”
“Not by the numbers,” Smith said flatly.
“Then forget the numbers,” Marcus spat back, his voice raising.
I furrowed my brow.
“Marcus, you have to start believing. Why else would the Germans send a bomber after Mustermann if not to keep him quiet? These goggles are important. This mission is important. They must be on to something.”
“On to what?” Marcus asked. He shook his head “What? Blue flyers and special goggles? Smith, what if this is all part of a larger cup and ball routine? If I were Ludendorff, one of my top priorities would be finding a way to make the other Allied commanders lose faith in General Pershing. Isn’t this type of goose chase exactly the thing to accomplish that?”
“You think the Germans would sacrifice a Gotha bomber in a show of pageantry? Have you lost your mind?” I asked incredulously.
“I appreciate the point you’re trying to make, Marcus. But like it or not, she’s right.” He looked at the goggles with a faraway frown. “It’s too many validations. I don’t know if those goggles are some kind of military innovation or if they’re the product of some devious enchantment or what, but they worked for me just now. Could it be that the Gotha had some type of technology synched up with these goggles to show me what I expected to see? Maybe. But that’s not technology our government has any idea how to replicate.”
“But, sir—”
Sharp shouts from Dupont and Atkins cut short our conversation. Calls for help mixed with rudimentary commands in German.
“This day keeps getting better,” Smith said as he peered through the trees toward the wreckage. “The pilot survived.”
– Excerpted from The Shards of Lafayette: Drops of Glass Book 1 by Kenneth A. Baldwin, Eburnean Books, 2023. Reprinted with permission.
Kenneth A. Baldwin writes stories that blur the lines between history, magic, dreams, and reality. He loves finding oddities in history books with unbelievable tales or unexplained phenomena. His first series, The Luella Winthrop Trilogy, takes place during just such a time when late 19th-century Victorians struggled to balance a surge of occultism and never-before-seen scientific advancements.
Before he started writing novels, Kenny paid his way through law school by writing, performing, and teaching humor. You can still catch him on stage or in corners of the Internet that feature sketch and improv comedy. Now, he lives nestled under the Wasatch Mountains with his wonderful wife, sons, and Golden Retriever.
Interview:
Where are you from?
I grew up in Ventura County, California. But after living abroad for a few years, I settled down in Utah. The mountains got a hold of me here, and I can’t escape them now.
Tell us your latest news?
I’m really excited because I’m wrapping up the publication process of my next novel, Strands of Fire. It’s the second in a WWI fantasy trilogy called The Shards of Lafayette. This last one was a struggle for some reason, but I stuck with it, and I’m really happy with how it’s turning out.
When and why did you begin writing?
I’ve wanted to write since I was a kid. I’m sure it came from a love of good stories. When I got older, I focused more on playwriting and then I got a job writing promotional ads for TV, radio, digital, etc. I was in a sketch comedy group for a long time and taught comedy writing at a university for a little bit. But there’s something about novels that has always called to me. I find finishing a good novel more rewarding than finishing any other writing project. I tried to write my first novel as a teenager. Let’s pray that the manuscript never sees the light of day because I’m sure it was awful. I published my first book, The Crimson Inkwell, by myself in 2019.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
The practical side of me would say when I first cut a paycheck just by writing words. But being a writer is different than being a novelist or a short story writer. I’m not sure there was a moment that it really hit me, but one day I did look around and realize how much of my conscious thought was devoted to putting ideas down on paper. Trying to imagine life any different makes me laugh.
What inspired you to write your first book?
My first novel takes place in Victorian England, an era of history that I just love. The scientific progress and the spiritualist revival form an amazing intersection for storytelling purposes. I wanted to use that backdrop to pen my own theory and approach to magic.
Do you have a specific writing style?
I outline. Then I agonize over my outline, start writing, and agonize over how to revise my outline. I go on a lot of walks and think and think and think. Since my books take place in historical settings, I also do a lot of reading and research. At times, it feels like I’m making a soup, just putting all these different sources and ideas in my head and then tasting to see if it’s done yet. When I feel confident about the outline and how it serves the themes I’d like to explore, the actual typing words part doesn’t take too long.
How did you come up with the title?
My latest series, The Shards of Lafayette, gets its name from a volunteer squadron of combat pilots in WWI. Before the United States entered the war, this group of guys left behind their lives and volunteered for the French Foreign Legion. Because of the United States neutrality at the time, they couldn’t call themselves an American Squadron, so they chose a symbol in the Marquis de Lafayette, who also left his life behind to help the United States win its independence. The whole magic system of the book is based on the courage and unique characters of pilots like those guys. So the Shards of Lafayette are like bits of magic all over the Western Front. The first book, Drops of Glass, stems from a magical device owned by the two protagonists, a pair of glass marbles made as protection charms for one another.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I hope that readers will reflect on the power of friendship to pull through even the darkest times. The relationship at the heart of this novel will challenge some people, I think, because they will have an itch to push it in certain directions. But I consider friendship to be one of the most beautiful aspects of the human experience.
How much of the book is realistic?
My books are historical fantasy. But I want to use history as more than an aesthetic backdrop. I strive to write historical fiction that is difficult to definitively disprove. Or if that’s not possible, fiction that at least blends into the history so well that it feels plausible. I know that sounds silly from a fantasy novelist, but I’m serious. At one point I was on a Belgian real estate website looking up historical details of a manor in Ghent to identify the family that owned the building in 1918 so I could cross-research them to find out whether they were friendly to the Kaiser or not. The manor was only in one chapter. I think I went too far in that one. But many of the novel’s characters are based on true figures, and the chronology is pretty true to the historical timeline.
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
There’s a lot of me in this book. I never served in the military, but I’ve had experiences living far away, cut off from family, friends, and home. The relationship between the main characters is one huge bundle of the blessings and difficulties from many of what I consider to be the most important relationships in my life.
What books have most influenced your life most?
It’s hard not to start with Lord of the Rings because it was simply the first fantasy series I read. But there are a lot of other books that helped me fall in love with historical fiction. I read Mara Daughter of the Nile when I was thirteen, and it made ancient Egypt come alive in really vibrant ways. I read the Count of Monte Cristo at least five times in high school alone. The Princess Bride taught me that literary voices could be funny. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Les Miserables. The Scarlet Pimpernel. The Old Man and the Sea. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
It is very hard to pick just one, especially because some writers don’t do much mentoring other than having a great book out. If I could combine Ernest Hemingway, Neil Gaiman, and Jane Austen into one person, I’d pay just about anything to take them to lunch. But I’ve also learned from writers of many disciplines. I studied screenplays for a long time and found immense worth in learning story and narrative structure from Alfred Hitchcock and Christopher Nolan. I consider David Whyte poetry essential reading for writers even though it says very little about writing.
What book are you reading now?
I’ve got a few. I’m researching espionage in Holland during WWI, so I’ve got a fascinating book on that. I’m also re-reading Wicked because it’s kind of a moment right now and Gregory Macguire’s no slouch. I just finished Babel by R F Kuang. What a book that was.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
The geek young boy inside of me has been all about Pierce Brown’s Red Rising series, and it’s picking up a lot of steam. It’s a massive sci-fi war series with a lot of dramatic, Shakespearean style narrative wrapped into it. I also read just about anything from Susanna Clarke.
What are your current projects?
Right now, everything is wrapped up in finishing the Shards of Lafayette series. Book two, Strands of Fire, comes out in February. Book three, is slated to come out February 2026
Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members?
I adore my email subscribers. I’ve got a weekly email I put out to wonderful people from all over the world who have, for some reason, decided they wanted to hear more about my writing. This group of people is always there, ready to help with beta readings, extra proofreading, leaving reviews, and generally just caring that my books happen at all. I was shocked when I first got to know some of these individuals by how generous and gracious they were.
What would you like my readers to know?
If your readers usually wouldn’t go for a military fantasy set in WWI, I’d ask them to give it a shot. Many reviews have come in by readers who were completely surprised by the treatment of the setting. For example, I don’t have a single scene in a trench.That’s particularly unusual for WWI fiction. Some readers have even referred to it as a cozy war story. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but it does focus on the people, their friendships, their experiences, and the magic of humanity that insists on persisting despite the war.
Website & Social Media:
Website ➜ www.kennethabaldwin.com
X ➜ http://www.x.com/kennethabaldwin
Facebook ➜ www.facebook.com/kennethabaldwin
Goodreads ➜ www.goodreads.com/kennethabaldwin
No comments:
Post a Comment