Longtails: The Storms of Spring hits shelves on April 24, 2018. That may seem like a long time from now, but I can guarantee it will be here before either of us is willing to admit it. With that in mind, I’m hoping to post some sort of fun update about the book every week from here on out. This might be anything from maps of the world or various towns, to character reveals and bios, or even, as we get closer to release, short stories from the world of Longtails!
That being said, let’s start with some basics. Namely, who are the Longtails anyway?
History of the Longtails
The mice did not always live in the prosperous and, more importantly, safe city of Verden, found at the heart of the Mouselands. Long long ago, they lived far to the North, in a war ravaged land, dangerously close to running out of food and livable land. The singular ruler of the mice, Queen Ganafeila, had chosen five mice to journey South in order to find a new home for their people. Most mice were trained for battle in this time, because war was all they had known for many generations. But it was strongly believed, and has since been disproved, that the strongest warriors were those with the longest tails. Thus, the five warriors with the longest tails, were chosen for the mission and the band of mice was called the Longtails.
These five mice traveled South for nearly four seasons before finding the derelict human city of Verden. They claimed the city and slowly moved the rest of the mice Southwards. Queen Ganafeila, old as she was, did not survive the journey. Rather than establish a new ruler, the five members of the Longtails created a new governing body known as The Council of Five. Though the members have changed over the years, The Council of Five still rules over Verden as well as the Longtails.
Nowadays, the Longtails are a large organization, made up of many smaller bands, usually consisting of four or five mice, who venture out on assigned missions to better the lives of the mice living in all the Mouselands. We’ll dive further into what makes up a band and what sorts of missions they take on in a future update!
The Longails Crest
The Longtails sigil or crest has changed slightly over the years, with newer versions being sketched by new members of the council or higher up band members. Below is a concept sketch for one of the more recent designs.
The Longtails Code
When inducted into the Longtails, mice are made to memorize the Longtails Code, but in truth, most young mice with a sense for adventure learn it as part of their first words and sing it obnoxiously at the dinner table as mother mice try to force them to eat their peas and sunflower seeds.
The Code is as follows:
When adventure calls, and danger is near
The Longtails rise, have no fear.
Swords, shields and magics abound
will help them do any task to be found.
Ears up, dear mice, for night will fall,
yet still you’ll hear their mighty call.
For Longtails keep the darkness at bay,
and morning will rise again this day.
So when you hear the Longtails call,
be bold and true and brave.
Answer the call. Whiskers and all.
The longest tails forever wave.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this update! Next week we’ll get to know our main character a little bit! If you haven’t already, head on over to Facebook and like the Longtails Facebook Page. Link below. Something you’d like to see in the updates? Character bios? Maps? Short stories? Or behind the scenes author stuff? Let me know in the comments. Longtails is out April 24! Let’s spread the word and answer the call!
Longtails 