Handbook for Mortals: Chapter 3: The Hierophant

When we last saw Zade, she was in Charles Spellman’s office, and he demanded that she tell him everything. I have to admit, that’s a pretty good cliffhanger. Does Charles know that she’s actually magic? If he does, why? If he doesn’t, how does Zade explain her act? Does he make a pass at her? Does he reveal that he is also a magician?  Let’s find out!

It took about a week for Human Resources to process my paperwork and get me set up as an employee.

Oh. That’s disappointing. I’m sure we’ll learn how their meeting went later, though, right?

Handbook for Mortals: Chapter 2: The Hermit

When we last saw Zade, she was reeling from her audition and celebrating the start of her new, “somewhat normal” life. as a performer in Las Vegas

Now, Zade is. . . still reeling from her audition. She’s waiting for Beth, the assistant from the last chapter, to bring her some contracts. She’s trying to keep herself from falling asleep, but drifts off for a moment.

“Hey there, Sleeping Beauty,” Cam said softly after lightly touching my shoulder and sitting down next to me. “It looked like you met everyone that works here today. The line to say hello to you after your performance resembled an autograph signing by a boy band. I don’t really know what the latest one is, but Backstreet, Five Directions, One Second of Winter, 98 Celsius, O-city, NSYNC Boys or Old Kids on a Curb or something like that.”

“Sleeping beauty?” I can’t tell if Cam is hitting on her, or if he’s just gay.

Handbook for Mortals: Chapter 1: The Magician

The chapter opens as Zade emerges from the theater, into the casino to which the theater is attached. Why she was in the theater alone is never explained, or mentioned again.

What she finds just outside the theater seems highly unlikely:

The cast and crew of the show must have totaled close to two hundred people and they were an overwhelming bunch—especially when they were all standing in the foyer of the theater.  I quickly tried to assess this large group who had been waiting on me.

Handbook for Mortals: Chapter 0: The Fool

The first thing we learn about Zade, our protagonist, is that

I’ve always envied those with normal lives

and goes on to tell us that her life has never been normal, and that she’d give anything to be normal. I’m not going to lie; I probably wrote something like this when I was 15, but in my defense, I was was suffering from clinical depression, and also I was 15.

Epigraphs! Four of them!

Before the novel officially begins, Lani has included no fewer than four epigraphs:

Some people are magic. . .While others are just the illusion of it.

– Beau Taplin

I imagine that this statement was intended to mean something along the lines of “some people are really awesome and worth knowing, but others just seem like they are and are actually not worth your time. Which I guess is true enough; I’m sure everyone has met someone who seemed really cool, but ended up being disappointing for some reason or another.

Foreword: It’s “Annie with an L”

Hello world. My name is Lani. It’s pronounced the way it ought to be pronounced, which is not “Laynee”  and is definitely not “Lanni”. It’s Lani, like “La, a note to follow so” combined with “Ni”, as in, the Knights who say that.

I’ve always been kind of confused when people assume it’s pronounced “Lanni” (or “Annie with an L”) because it honestly sounds kind of unpleasant. I used to wonder if there was anyone on the planet whose name is spelled “Lani” and yet is pronounced “Lanni,” but thanks to a recent publishing scandal, I have my answer.