Stephen Monteith, World's Greatest Secret Author
@stephens.website
Self-published author, mostly sci-fi and fantasy with occasional forays into other fields. I also offer editing and beta-reading services. If you share A.I.-generated content, I'll Mute you; if you *create* it, I'll Block you. #ActuallyAutistic He/Him/His
Speak up. It works.
January 15, 2026 at 1:48 AM
Speak up. It works.
So are you. *smiles*
January 15, 2026 at 1:31 AM
So are you. *smiles*
...while I'm editing my "Trials" books for republishing.
Shout out to @sydneyscottauthor.bsky.social, whose books I will be reviewing for my website once it's ready to (officially) relaunch.
Shout out to @sydneyscottauthor.bsky.social, whose books I will be reviewing for my website once it's ready to (officially) relaunch.
January 15, 2026 at 12:44 AM
...while I'm editing my "Trials" books for republishing.
Shout out to @sydneyscottauthor.bsky.social, whose books I will be reviewing for my website once it's ready to (officially) relaunch.
Shout out to @sydneyscottauthor.bsky.social, whose books I will be reviewing for my website once it's ready to (officially) relaunch.
...trouble for it."
You may have noticed that I haven't given any physical descriptions of natives and remnants, other than that they're close enough that a half-native could pass as either. I'm not good at giving physical descriptions. That's something I suppose I should work on, especially...
You may have noticed that I haven't given any physical descriptions of natives and remnants, other than that they're close enough that a half-native could pass as either. I'm not good at giving physical descriptions. That's something I suppose I should work on, especially...
January 15, 2026 at 12:43 AM
...trouble for it."
You may have noticed that I haven't given any physical descriptions of natives and remnants, other than that they're close enough that a half-native could pass as either. I'm not good at giving physical descriptions. That's something I suppose I should work on, especially...
You may have noticed that I haven't given any physical descriptions of natives and remnants, other than that they're close enough that a half-native could pass as either. I'm not good at giving physical descriptions. That's something I suppose I should work on, especially...
...there will always be someone who resents him. As he tells his new associate Roni, "People will say that it isn't a problem, that they have no problems with natives and remnants marrying and having children, that it's been going on for generations, but...there's always someone who gives you...
January 15, 2026 at 12:43 AM
...there will always be someone who resents him. As he tells his new associate Roni, "People will say that it isn't a problem, that they have no problems with natives and remnants marrying and having children, that it's been going on for generations, but...there's always someone who gives you...
...kingdom that was built in the wake of the empire's destruction.
Seffin is half-native and half-remnant. Other remnants look down on him for having a native mother, and other natives mistrust him for having a remnant father. And while his features are such that he could pass for being either...
Seffin is half-native and half-remnant. Other remnants look down on him for having a native mother, and other natives mistrust him for having a remnant father. And while his features are such that he could pass for being either...
January 15, 2026 at 12:42 AM
...kingdom that was built in the wake of the empire's destruction.
Seffin is half-native and half-remnant. Other remnants look down on him for having a native mother, and other natives mistrust him for having a remnant father. And while his features are such that he could pass for being either...
Seffin is half-native and half-remnant. Other remnants look down on him for having a native mother, and other natives mistrust him for having a remnant father. And while his features are such that he could pass for being either...
...story that also counts as my main character's "pet peeve". In "The Trials of Seffin Phel", the Kingdom of Mer'cil is populated by two main groups: the native Cillians who have always lived there, and the remnant of the Fesheln Empire who conquered them centuries ago and still rule the new...
January 15, 2026 at 12:41 AM
...story that also counts as my main character's "pet peeve". In "The Trials of Seffin Phel", the Kingdom of Mer'cil is populated by two main groups: the native Cillians who have always lived there, and the remnant of the Fesheln Empire who conquered them centuries ago and still rule the new...
...eye while speaking is not necessarily disrespectful, but it can indicate that you see yourself above them or at least on their level.
I just finished writing a new section for one of the "Trials" stories that involves a popular fruit, tumfruits. Why is it popular? You'll have to read. *winks*
I just finished writing a new section for one of the "Trials" stories that involves a popular fruit, tumfruits. Why is it popular? You'll have to read. *winks*
January 15, 2026 at 12:39 AM
...eye while speaking is not necessarily disrespectful, but it can indicate that you see yourself above them or at least on their level.
I just finished writing a new section for one of the "Trials" stories that involves a popular fruit, tumfruits. Why is it popular? You'll have to read. *winks*
I just finished writing a new section for one of the "Trials" stories that involves a popular fruit, tumfruits. Why is it popular? You'll have to read. *winks*
...not necessarily a problem for them if a woman chooses a particular job, the power still resides with the men.
A bow is a gesture of respect, and how much of one is given indicates the level of that respect. To bow one's head while talking to them is a show of humility. Looking them in the...
A bow is a gesture of respect, and how much of one is given indicates the level of that respect. To bow one's head while talking to them is a show of humility. Looking them in the...
January 15, 2026 at 12:37 AM
...not necessarily a problem for them if a woman chooses a particular job, the power still resides with the men.
A bow is a gesture of respect, and how much of one is given indicates the level of that respect. To bow one's head while talking to them is a show of humility. Looking them in the...
A bow is a gesture of respect, and how much of one is given indicates the level of that respect. To bow one's head while talking to them is a show of humility. Looking them in the...
...regarded. It's all more a question of what you *can* do than what you *should* do. Native Cillians tend to respect people for how much they can do for themselves. The Fesheln remnant, of course, make up the nobility and the church leadership, which are both quite patriarchal, so while it's...
January 15, 2026 at 12:36 AM
...regarded. It's all more a question of what you *can* do than what you *should* do. Native Cillians tend to respect people for how much they can do for themselves. The Fesheln remnant, of course, make up the nobility and the church leadership, which are both quite patriarchal, so while it's...
...clothes he wears that influence which one people think he is. A fine doublet and hose make him appear more like a remnant, while a plain tunic makes him look like a native.
As far as gender roles go, there's nothing *too* specific about how the differences between genders are viewed or...
As far as gender roles go, there's nothing *too* specific about how the differences between genders are viewed or...
January 15, 2026 at 12:35 AM
...clothes he wears that influence which one people think he is. A fine doublet and hose make him appear more like a remnant, while a plain tunic makes him look like a native.
As far as gender roles go, there's nothing *too* specific about how the differences between genders are viewed or...
As far as gender roles go, there's nothing *too* specific about how the differences between genders are viewed or...
...giving them more power and opportunities than the remnant nobility is willing to. But, obviously, working for a criminal comes with its own set of issues.
Seffin's physical features are...let's say "balanced" enough that he could pass for being either a native or a remnant. It's usually the...
Seffin's physical features are...let's say "balanced" enough that he could pass for being either a native or a remnant. It's usually the...
January 15, 2026 at 12:35 AM
...giving them more power and opportunities than the remnant nobility is willing to. But, obviously, working for a criminal comes with its own set of issues.
Seffin's physical features are...let's say "balanced" enough that he could pass for being either a native or a remnant. It's usually the...
Seffin's physical features are...let's say "balanced" enough that he could pass for being either a native or a remnant. It's usually the...
...character, Seffin, is half-native on his mother's side and half-remnant on his father's. This makes it hard for both sides to take him seriously. That's a big part of why he went to work for Arka Subo, one of the biggest crime lords on the whole continent. Arka employs a lot of natives...
January 15, 2026 at 12:34 AM
...character, Seffin, is half-native on his mother's side and half-remnant on his father's. This makes it hard for both sides to take him seriously. That's a big part of why he went to work for Arka Subo, one of the biggest crime lords on the whole continent. Arka employs a lot of natives...
...new kingdom was formed, but it's still ruled by a remnant of the Fesheln who had colonized it. The Fesheln remnant and the native Cillians do not live entirely peacefully with each other. The remnant still rules, and the natives are still second-class citizens in their own country.
The main...
The main...
January 15, 2026 at 12:33 AM
...new kingdom was formed, but it's still ruled by a remnant of the Fesheln who had colonized it. The Fesheln remnant and the native Cillians do not live entirely peacefully with each other. The remnant still rules, and the natives are still second-class citizens in their own country.
The main...
The main...
...comparing someone to a sampol is often insulting. However, some people are able to make pets of them. Why? I can't tell you just yet. It's a surprise. *winks* You'll have to wait until my stories are republished.
January 15, 2026 at 12:31 AM
...comparing someone to a sampol is often insulting. However, some people are able to make pets of them. Why? I can't tell you just yet. It's a surprise. *winks* You'll have to wait until my stories are republished.
...always a different project to work on.)
And speaking of creatures I've created, my *current* project introduces us to the sampol in the first book. The sampol is something of a cross between a squirrel and a small dog. They tend to avoid humans, so they're seen as cowardly creatures, and...
And speaking of creatures I've created, my *current* project introduces us to the sampol in the first book. The sampol is something of a cross between a squirrel and a small dog. They tend to avoid humans, so they're seen as cowardly creatures, and...
January 15, 2026 at 12:31 AM
...always a different project to work on.)
And speaking of creatures I've created, my *current* project introduces us to the sampol in the first book. The sampol is something of a cross between a squirrel and a small dog. They tend to avoid humans, so they're seen as cowardly creatures, and...
And speaking of creatures I've created, my *current* project introduces us to the sampol in the first book. The sampol is something of a cross between a squirrel and a small dog. They tend to avoid humans, so they're seen as cowardly creatures, and...
...dragons that fly, dragons that crawl, and yes, dragons that swim. I don't have anything specific in mind for the swimming dragons in that story just yet, but I will by the time I get back around to writing it. Currently working on a different project. (In case you hadn't noticed, there's...
January 15, 2026 at 12:31 AM
...dragons that fly, dragons that crawl, and yes, dragons that swim. I don't have anything specific in mind for the swimming dragons in that story just yet, but I will by the time I get back around to writing it. Currently working on a different project. (In case you hadn't noticed, there's...
...desk, waiting for me to get around to it.
I haven't done much with aquatic animals, either real or imaginary. But remember when I said above that dragons always show up in my fantasy projects? I once sat down and drew some variations on a dragon design for one of my stories; variations for...
I haven't done much with aquatic animals, either real or imaginary. But remember when I said above that dragons always show up in my fantasy projects? I once sat down and drew some variations on a dragon design for one of my stories; variations for...
January 15, 2026 at 12:30 AM
...desk, waiting for me to get around to it.
I haven't done much with aquatic animals, either real or imaginary. But remember when I said above that dragons always show up in my fantasy projects? I once sat down and drew some variations on a dragon design for one of my stories; variations for...
I haven't done much with aquatic animals, either real or imaginary. But remember when I said above that dragons always show up in my fantasy projects? I once sat down and drew some variations on a dragon design for one of my stories; variations for...
...Trek and Star Wars, so when I say I did "quite a bit of worldbuilding", I mean I created whole alliances and empires. I made spaceships out of Legos and drew what I had created. I never got around to making stories for any of it, though. It's all currently sitting in a file folder in my...
January 15, 2026 at 12:29 AM
...Trek and Star Wars, so when I say I did "quite a bit of worldbuilding", I mean I created whole alliances and empires. I made spaceships out of Legos and drew what I had created. I never got around to making stories for any of it, though. It's all currently sitting in a file folder in my...
...your story: because they're *awesome*. As such, I'm sure I'll be writing stories about them at some point, maybe with some other now-extinct animals, like mammoths and megalodons.
As for aliens, I once did quite a bit of worldbuilding for a sci-fi series. I was practically raised on Star...
As for aliens, I once did quite a bit of worldbuilding for a sci-fi series. I was practically raised on Star...
January 15, 2026 at 12:28 AM
...your story: because they're *awesome*. As such, I'm sure I'll be writing stories about them at some point, maybe with some other now-extinct animals, like mammoths and megalodons.
As for aliens, I once did quite a bit of worldbuilding for a sci-fi series. I was practically raised on Star...
As for aliens, I once did quite a bit of worldbuilding for a sci-fi series. I was practically raised on Star...