I haven't, because these are WAAAAAY outside their wheelhouse.

I'd love to partner with a publisher, but none have shown interest, sooo . . .

This would be another fine art cover, interior layout via Reedsy, and no illustrations (no budget). I'm not considering anything like Kickstarter -- because a successful KS requires a budget.

Opinions? Advice?

2/2

martial skills. Sultan al-Salih acquires him, he's assessed and assigned to the elite Bahriyya regiment under Aktay. He rises quickly to be Aktay's second, and by Mansura he's got the skills and the reputation to back it up.

What I think happened: Baibars was older than a child when he was captured, possibly 19 or 20; he already had experience fighting the Mongols, some scars, and a violent disposition. Al-Bundaqdari buys him, recognizes a diamond in the rough, and converts him while sharpening his already formidable

Addendum: I have a sneaking suspicion, totally unfounded of course, that his early life and service are propaganda devised in his lifetime to make his usurpation more palatable, overall.

about 5 years. So, who puts a newly-minted Mamluk in command of an elite regiment in 1250? Was he already trained by the time al-Salih takes possession of him? Was he already a formidable warrior when he was captured in Crimea? The military-school-child-prodigy thing makes no sense.

Thanks!

bring the crown prince, Turanshah, to Egypt). So, he's approximately 27 at Mansura. But, and here's where I get confused: he's not captured and enslaved until sometime around 1242 CE, and not transferred to al-Salih until 1245 or so (perhaps even 1247). Training in the Bahriyya regiment takes

Please do!

I hear you, buddy. All we can do is the best we can, despite the world's ills and evils. Tell the story in spite of All The Things. And, as a dear friend would have said: "Swords together!"

Thus, I dither and condemn myself for doing nothing.

What if D is the one that touches fire, but I ignored it to work on A? All of this going a mile a minute. In the past, I could prioritize eventually by telling myself "paid work first".

But none of this is paid. It's all speculative. No one's waiting for something from me.

This is my brain, today: it's paralyzed by indecision. I have four open tabs, four projects I *could* work on, but I'm not working on any of them because I'm terrified of making a wrong judgement call. What if I work on A and should have been working on B? What if C is just a waste of time?