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I stand with the help of giants.

Many people have helped me along this journey.
Quote: "To give real service, you must add something which channot be bought or measured with money." - Douglas Adams

Land Acknowledgement

"I acknowledge that the lands and waters where I live and write are located on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, which includes the Mississaugas of the Credit and the Chippewa Peoples.
This region is covered by the Williams Treaties. For generations, Indigenous peoples have stewarded the unique moraine ecosystems and headwaters of this area, recognizing water as a sacred, living entity that sustains us all.
As treaty people, we accept our responsibility to respect the history of this land, to honour our relationship with our Indigenous neighbours, and to actively protect the health of our local watersheds and natural environments for the generations to come."
Lake Wilcox, Richmond Hill, Ontario
I have not been alone on this journey. Many have helped me along the way. I have been inspired. I have been humbled. I walked in the footsteps of giants to give me the strength and experience to walk alone.
- D.M. De Alwis

Editors

  • Main-go-to Editor: Elise Abram, Author, Entrepreneur & Educator (EMSA) (POS, Editor)
  • Lisa Gurusinghe, Developmental Editor & Confidant (IOD, in draft)
  • Cover Designs, Interior Layouts, & Copy Editing: D. Corlosquet (a.k.a. me, myself, & I)
  • Final Copy Review & ARC: K. Corlosquet, E. Corlosquet (Kidlit)

Illustrators & Images

  • Rohan Corlosquet, Illustrator, Which Feeling and Best Friends
  • Chris Ho, Illustrator, Art Teacher (@algebutter), Cover design and illustrations for The Eyes of Ess-Vaha
  • Luke McAnuff, Artist for cover motif on A Water Horse
  • Aruni Yapa, Photographer, (Starla Brand Photography, @starla.brand.photography)

Myths & Samsara Podcast Guests

  • Eunah Park Hunter, BFF, Patron Saint
  • Lisa Gurusinghe, BFF, Patron Saint

Mentors

  • Anuja Varghese (BIPOC Writers Connect - Writers Union of Canada)
    • CHRYSALIS, Governor General Award of Canada 2023
  • Brittany Smith, writing coach, Firefly Creative Writing
  • Kim Abrahamse, writing coach, Firefly Creative Writing
  • Susan (Deepam) E. Wadds (Blue Pencil, WCYR)
  • Lynne Levy, Product Leader, Mentor & Coach—whose guidance led to my kickstarting this journey!

Beta Readers

  • Bridget Butt, Music Teacher Extraordinaire, Avid Reader (POS, rounds 1 & 2)
  • Kevin Stevens, Engineer, BFF, Avid Fantasy Reader (POS, round 2)
  • K. Corlosquet, Pre/Teenager (POS, rounds 1 & 2)
  • Ruchira Wickramasinghe, GP, Avid Reader (POS, round 1)
  • Meghan Jenkins, Author (IOD, in draft)

Sensitivity Readers

  • Richie Byrnes, Guitar Teacher Extraordinaire, A Water Horse
  • Shashi Tuteja, Author, A Lion's Head
  • Aarushi Nigam, Filmmaker, A Lion's Head

Early Concept/Chapter Readers

  • Kushan Fernando, Project Guru (POS, early drafts, synopsis, agent letter, pitches)
  • Dinush Lankage, GP (POS, early drafts, pitches)
  • Laki Seerasinghe, Entrepreneur & Educator (Student Scholars, POS, early drafts)
  • Manel Gunaratne, Accountant (POS, early drafts)
  • Writer Group People mentioned below.

Writing Groups

A forest trail, Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Special Mentions

A Lion's Pride is also the title of the fourth book in P.L. Stuart's The Drowned Kingdom Saga, published in 2024. This book received the Bronze Medal Winner in the Fantasy category for the 2024 Reader Views Literary Awards. P.L. is also an established Canadian Indie author with a successful YouTube Channel and Blog. Do check out his series, which is more King Arthur|Medieval than Mythology of Ancient Asia.

I am sincerely grateful to P.L. for his early advice and support. The use of the title came about independently. Other authors using the same or a similar title include Mark Iles, Amy Kortuem, Marsha Canham, and Morgan Llywelyn; there's even a Harlequin novel with this title.

Media & Organisations

I couldn't have gotten this far without the support of these organizations.

  • Writers Community of York Region, WCYR
  • Richmond Hill Public Library
  • King City Library (Write Now)
  • Aurora Public Library (Writer's Group)
  • Vaughan Public Libraries
  • Gary E. Johnson, Author, Radio Show Host
Interview for “Writers for Readers” to publishing on Wattpad
Gary E. Johnson interviewed me for Writers for Readers, a radio program hosted by 102.7 CHOP FM.
The Erudite BookwormDiliny M. De Alwis

Sideline Supporters

I would like to express my gratitude to my supportive family, friends, and strangers who have trusted my vision and rooted for me from the sidelines.

  • S. Corlosquet
  • D. & S. De Alwis
  • S. & M. Suriarachchi
  • S. & T. Dearing
  • E. Hunter
  • M. Pandith-Irwin
  • K. Fernando
  • Rohan De Alwis, Podcaster IdealIsland

Book Sellers / Distributors

  • Indigo Newmarket, Newmarket, Ontario
  • Bookshop.org
  • Blue Heron Books, Uxbridge, Ontario
  • Amazon.com
  • Ingram Spark
  • Draft2Digital
  • Inaudio
  • IAX Audio (Audiobooks)

Software

  • This site is built on ghost.io with the use of Stripe.
  • Book covers, animations, and YouTube shorts produced in Canva. Where possible, I give credit to artists and illustrators. Images from Unsplash.
  • Podcast recorded using Adobe Podcast, GarageBand, and Canva with post-production editing out of 'um'/'likes' by Descript AI.
  • Canva, Adobe, Chat GPT, and LivingWriter generated AI-generated content used minimally in promo materials.
  • Interior design of books via Pages.
  • Amazon.com, Ingram Spark, Draft2Digital without which none of this would be possible.
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The Erudite BookwormD.M. De Alwis
Ahasae Tharu Publishing