D. Lieber's Blog, page 18

Romanian Wizards of Folklore and Legend

Welcome to the Vade Mecum, a sort of guide book to the fanciful and curious worlds of D. Lieber. In this blog series, D. talks about all the little bits and bobs of research information she stumbled upon while writing her books. From folklore to mythology to science and history, it all finds a place here. This time on the Vade Mecum, I'm going to talk about the hultan (pronounced whOOl-tahn), powerful sorcerers from Romanian folklore. I don't know if it's correct, but I use hultan as both...

The Fearsome Romanian Zmeu

Welcome to the Vade Mecum, a sort of guide book to the fanciful and curious worlds of D. Lieber. In this blog series, D. talks about all the little bits and bobs of research information she stumbled upon while writing her books. From folklore to mythology to science and history, it all finds a place here. On the first ever edition of Vade Mecum, I want to talk about the Zmeu (pronounced Zzmeh-oo), the fearsome shapeshifting dragon from Romanian folklore. According to my research, the zmeu is...

Once in a Black Moon cover reveal!

I'm thrilled to reveal to you the cover and blurb of Once in a Black Moon! YAY! Once in a Black Moon is a time travel fantasy romance, which will release March 3 (but is currently available for preorder). I can't tell you how very excited I am about this upcoming release! This book has it all: Mounties, fae, wizards, shapeshifting dragons, First Nations and Romanian folklore. Oh my gods, so so so much research went into this. You have no idea (historical novels—even the fantasy kind—are super...

Michelle E. Lowe Character Interview

This is a character interview written by Michelle E. Lowe with Pierce, the protagonist from her #steampunk #fantasy Legacy (book one of a six-book series). A thief, a lover and a toymaker; drawn together by fate, unlikely champions against a powerful and remorseless enemy. When not fighting each other, they must confront a powerful lord and end his plan to unleash global violence. No problem. But behind the scenes, the immortal trickster is manipulating men like puppets, changing history for...

Teslacon 10: Murder on the Orient Express

Phew! That was a journey! I had so much fun at #Teslacon 2019. A big thank you to everyone who made this Teslacon the best yet. I was so pleased to see so many writers at my panel/discussion. It was heartwarming when the attendees started trading best practices with each other. WRITERS UNITE! I wish I would have taken a picture of everyone, but, alas, I did not think of it. I did, however, take photos with some of the people who stopped by to chat with me at my table. It was great to meet you...

Leopold Borstinksi Author Interview

Welcome to Ink & Magick. I'm your friendly neighborhood witch. What kind of spell can I get for you (or your character) today? I think you should conjure up a heart for Jake Adkins, my private eye anti-hero of my latest noir novel. This is a guy who would be a much better person if he only had some old-fashioned courage and discovered a backbone. Tell us more about your #noir #crime novel, The Case. One Private Eye. One Case. One sackful of trouble. When Jack agrees to take a package across A...

Joseph Carrabis Author Interview

Welcome to Ink & Magick. I’m your friendly neighborhood witch. What kind of spell can I get for you (or your character) today? Hmm...few ever offer me their magicks, usually they’re asking magicks of me. What magick would I be gifted with? Le Guin showed us that asking for a thing doesn’t put boundaries on how that thing is achieved. I will ask that you weave a spell that lets all asking of magick to know all that happens for that magick to be, then giving them the choice of still asking or n...

Russia Research Trip Day 11

Monday, October 21, 2019 8:27 p.m. St. Petersburg, #Russia Viking ship Rurik This morning, I finished up my souvenir shopping. I found all the things my family asked for and more. WIN! In the afternoon, I went on the St. Petersburg by Water tour, which was an open-air boat tour up the Neva and some of the canals. But before we got to the other boat, we stopped at the Savior on the Spilled Blood, which is a cathedral built on the exact spot where Alexander II was assassinated by terrorists. It...

Russia Research Trip Days 7 to 10

Day 7 Thursday, October 17, 2019 #Russia, Viking ship Rurik Last night, I got food poisoning. You can very well imagine what I was doing for the next fer hours without me being descriptive. The ship was supposed to go to Kizhi Island, but the waves on Lake Onega were too dangerously high, so we sailed on. I only know because of the loudspeaker announcements. The doctor on board tried her best to care for me, but it seems she had many people to care for… Day 8 Friday, October 18, 2019 Russia,...

Sarah Ashwood Author Interview

Welcome to Ink & Magick. I'm your friendly neighborhood witch. What kind of spell can I get for you (or your character) today? For me, a spell to make me less tired and to ease my back aches as I go into the third trimester of this pregnancy. For the main character in Aerisian Refrain, Annie, a spell to help her understand how she passed from Earth to the parallel world of Aerisia would be great—especially if it also helped her understand what her role is in this new world. For your back ache...