Caroline Sciriha's Blog, page 7

In the Inner Lands, there are three ways sixteen-year-old Shael can get herself and her family killed—by looking like the enemy; by working with the enemy; by becoming the enemy.

When sixteen-year-old Shael unknowingly helps a mortally wounded thief, he entrusts her with delivering three figurines to the lord of her castle. Too late, Shael discovers that the figurines were stolen from the Hyllethans, her country’s feared enemies. And since she cut her fingers on the figurines while handling them, she is now linked to them. Any breakage or pressure on the clay is felt on her flesh.

Despite her reluctance to aid the enemy, Shael teams up with three Hyllethans to retrieve the figurines and break the connection. Shael is caught in the tussle for the thrones of the two lands. To avoid becoming a pawn—or dangle from a hangman’s noose—she has to regain possession of the figurines and face the unsuspected secrets of her lost past.

Three thrones. Two power-hungry mages. One girl standing in their way.

Exiled in Hylletha, sixteen-year-old Shael longs to return to the land of her birth but her brother Iysel, the new, terrifying mage-king of the Inner Lands, wants her dead. Shael’s very existence threatens Iysel’s right to the throne since she is the holder of the magical Gift of Touch, which is traditionally held by the monarch.

To ensure peace, Theis, the young man Shael loves, goes to Iysel’s court to negotiate the reunification of Hylletha and the Inner Lands under one ruler. But when Shael’s young foster brother is abducted and held prisoner in the Inner Lands, Shael has only her limited knowledge of spellcraft to help her stay out of Iysel’s reach, rescue her foster brother and make sure Theis doesn’t bear the brunt of Iysel’s rage.

Complicating matters further, Iysel has won the unexpected support of their wily cousin—the son of the king of a neighbouring land and an extraordinary mage—who has his own reasons for wanting to get hold of Shael.

The stability of the three realms lies in the balance. Faced by intrigue and betrayal from all sides, Shael must choose between protecting the lives of those she loves or taking up her role as princess and heir to the thrones to safeguard the welfare of the people.

She’ll be crowned queen—if she lives that long.

With her coronation fast approaching, Shael fears the debilitating effects of poisoning resulting from her stint in the dragons’ birthing grounds will make her unfit to rule. But this becomes the least of her worries when her brother Iysel turns up claiming he’s the true King of Hylletha as well as heir to Dragonia. Shael is determined to protect the realms from the merciless mage, but the documents that challenge Iysel’s right to the thrones have disappeared.

Protecting the realms isn’t the only reason for finding the missing documents. Proving Iysel’s duplicity is the surest way of saving Theis, the love of Shael’s live, whom Iysel has accused of desertion and treason.

With time running out, with assassins stalking her every move and her health failing, Shael sets out to unravel the tangled web of deceit and greed ensnaring her and the kingdoms. Unfortunately, the most obvious culprit isn’t always the only enemy.

Dawn of Purple and Grey, Days of Wind and Snow, and Night of Rites and Wraiths (The Hyllethan Gifts Trilogy) are available through Amazon either as individual books or as a Complete Series Box Set.

Till next time,

Caroline

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Published on August 04, 2023 20:53

G is for Griffin, and on author logos

Since we’re broiling in extra-high temperatures, I’m finding it difficult to find the energy to get much writing done. However, I did do something I’ve wanted to do for some time – which is get myself an author logo to use with my posts. The graphic design company sent me two. I like both, so I’m finding it difficult to decide which to use. I like the first one because it’s simple but I also like the second one especially because of the dragon intertwined with my initials. I would love to know which you like best.

Let’s go now to this week’s fantasy creature.

G is for Griffin

Today’s fantasy creature has its roots in ancient myths and legends.

The Griffin (or griffon, gryphon) has the head and wings of an eagle (and sometimes the eagle’s talons as front feet) and the body, tail and back legs of a lion. Perhaps because the lion and eagle are both majestic creatures, the griffin is considered an especially powerful and kingly mythological creature.

Griffins are remarkable in so many ways. A griffin’s claw is said to have medicinal properties and its feathers give sight to the blind.

Griffins mate for life and if the partner dies, the other never searches for a new mate.

Griffins are often described as guarding the gold and precious possessions of kings. Griffins are also known to hate horses, perhaps because according to legend enemies riding horses stole gold from them.

The griffin appeared in the art of ancient Crete as far back as 1600s BC. It also features in Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy where Dante meets a chariot dragged by a griffin. Similarly, in Greek mythology, griffins pulled Apollo’s carriage across the sky. John Milton in Paradise Lost also mentions the griffin.

Some scholars believe the griffin is based on a real animal. The dinosaur Protoceratops looked similar to the griffin. Fossils of this dinosaur might have given rise to the legendary creature.

Some self-promo!

In the Inner Lands, there are three ways sixteen-year-old Shael can get herself and her family killed—by looking like the enemy; by working with the enemy; by becoming the enemy.

When sixteen-year-old Shael unknowingly helps a mortally wounded thief, he entrusts her with delivering three figurines to the lord of her castle. Too late, Shael discovers that the figurines were stolen from the Hyllethans, her country’s feared enemies. And since she cut her fingers on the figurines while handling them, she is now linked to them. Any breakage or pressure on the clay is felt on her flesh.

Despite her reluctance to aid the enemy, Shael teams up with three Hyllethans to retrieve the figurines and break the connection. Shael is caught in the tussle for the thrones of the two lands. To avoid becoming a pawn—or dangle from a hangman’s noose—she has to regain possession of the figurines and face the unsuspected secrets of her lost past.

Three thrones. Two power-hungry mages. One girl standing in their way.

Exiled in Hylletha, sixteen-year-old Shael longs to return to the land of her birth but her brother Iysel, the new, terrifying mage-king of the Inner Lands, wants her dead. Shael’s very existence threatens Iysel’s right to the throne since she is the holder of the magical Gift of Touch, which is traditionally held by the monarch.

To ensure peace, Theis, the young man Shael loves, goes to Iysel’s court to negotiate the reunification of Hylletha and the Inner Lands under one ruler. But when Shael’s young foster brother is abducted and held prisoner in the Inner Lands, Shael has only her limited knowledge of spellcraft to help her stay out of Iysel’s reach, rescue her foster brother and make sure Theis doesn’t bear the brunt of Iysel’s rage.

Complicating matters further, Iysel has won the unexpected support of their wily cousin—the son of the king of a neighbouring land and an extraordinary mage—who has his own reasons for wanting to get hold of Shael.

The stability of the three realms lies in the balance. Faced by intrigue and betrayal from all sides, Shael must choose between protecting the lives of those she loves or taking up her role as princess and heir to the thrones to safeguard the welfare of the people.

She’ll be crowned queen—if she lives that long.

With her coronation fast approaching, Shael fears the debilitating effects of poisoning resulting from her stint in the dragons’ birthing grounds will make her unfit to rule. But this becomes the least of her worries when her brother Iysel turns up claiming he’s the true King of Hylletha as well as heir to Dragonia. Shael is determined to protect the realms from the merciless mage, but the documents that challenge Iysel’s right to the thrones have disappeared.

Protecting the realms isn’t the only reason for finding the missing documents. Proving Iysel’s duplicity is the surest way of saving Theis, the love of Shael’s live, whom Iysel has accused of desertion and treason.

With time running out, with assassins stalking her every move and her health failing, Shael sets out to unravel the tangled web of deceit and greed ensnaring her and the kingdoms. Unfortunately, the most obvious culprit isn’t always the only enemy.

Dawn of Purple and Grey, Days of Wind and Snow, and Night of Rites and Wraiths (The Hyllethan Gifts Trilogy) are available through Amazon either as individual books or as a Complete Series Box Set.

Till next time,

Caroline

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Published on July 21, 2023 19:22

F is for Fae; and my writing process

Recently, a friend asked me about my writing process and I thought this topic could interest others too.

I describe it as the messy process of tricking my brain to write!

In my day job as a teacher and Head of Department of English, I am organised and plan my work rigorously and well ahead, but when it comes to writing, I’m messy, impulsive, and insecure. However, after writing eight books, three of which will never see the light of day, I’ve learnt to embrace this as part of the process which leads, hopefully, to something worth publishing.

Writing is hard. That’s a truism which I wholly agree with but not because of a fear of the blank page. In my case, it’s more because I need to trick my mind into sitting down to type words which I know others would one day read. That is scary, for me. My ‘trick’ is to tell myself that it’s only a 0-draft, a draft which is only there to get words on paper and organise my several plot and character ideas into some cohesive whole—nothing in other words which cannot and will not be edited. It works for me. While I always start with a plan before writing the 0-draft, as soon as I do begin drafting, the characters kick that plan out of the window and decide, as teenagers tend to do, that their way is much better. They’re usually right.

I tend to write leanly, so 0-drafts end up being around forty-thousand words long, half what the novel ends up being. This is great as it gives me loads of space to add flesh to the ‘skeleton’ and if I have to throw away scenes and drastically modify the plot during revision, deleting a thousand words or so doesn’t hurt as much as throwing away thousands of words. (Actually I don’t delete, just paste it on another document and save it in a ‘deleted bits’ folder. Sometimes I scramble through those deleted bits to find just what I suddenly need and am so thankful it’s already written ).

My novels braid magic, mystery and romance, but while going through the 0-draft to produce the next draft there’s always a point where I think the plot is not working well, that it’s bland, predictable, boring (pick your adjective; they all fit ). That’s when I stop and re-assess. My strategies? I use various, such as:

• re-read what I’d written before, hoping something pops where the plot seems to drag;

• do a free writing session where I get the main protagonist/s to give vent about the situation and their feelings for a love-interest, or about an antagonist. This tends to result in layers of thought, emotions and backstory ideas I hadn’t considered before.

• look at the plot from the point of view of a different character—primarily the antagonistic character and/or a minor character who has some undeveloped conflict in the plot. This strategy works each time. These pov inversions tend to reveal a rich treasure trove of material, such as backstory motivation, and very often twists which takes the plot and resolution down a different path, or even have at times resulted in a different, hidden, antagonistic character gaining prominence. And it works great on the level of plot: I hadn’t seen it coming, so it takes readers by surprise, too. Of course, it often requires some slight changes to foreshadow the plot twist, but if the building blocks were there (and they would be for my brain to have targeted that character) then the twist results in that so rewarding ‘wow, I hadn’t seen that coming!’

Ideas for plots and plot twists come from everywhere, usually when I cannot get to my computer. I’ve learnt the hard way not to trust my brain to remember something even if it seems so vivid at that moment. I keep paper by my bedside. I scribble the idea even in the dark, hoping I’m not writing over another idea, or a change of wording I’d thought of when I’m about to fall asleep. It’s (not) ‘fun’ in the morning trying to decipher what I’d have written. Daylight ideas are easier. We all carry mobile phones nowadays. I’ve emailed ideas to myself, and even recorded my thoughts—except those tend to be the more difficult to understand in playback.

Once I have a fairly decent draft, the editing process begins. I find that breaking up the manuscript into four chunks (roughly equivalent to 4 Acts in plot-terms) makes it easier for me. I’d much rather sit down to edit 80-page chunks than know I have around 320 pages to go through. Again, my brain thanks me for that ‘trick’.

It’s a relief to finally reach the stage when I am ‘happy’ enough with the work to send it to my critique partners. The feedback makes me ‘less happy’ but I’m so thankful for their honest, and sometimes brutal, assessment. My work is that much better as a result. After I make modifications based on their feedback, my next step is to trick my brain into thinking that I’m reading something ‘new’ – very difficult after having read and reread the draft several times. I’ve found two methods that work for me, apart from putting the manuscript aside for a few days, or better weeks: Firstly, I convert the doc to epub and upload it on my e-reader. I’m always shocked by how different it seems and how many corrections to the wording I end up doing during this stage. Another editing pass involves looking for filler words and ‘favourite’ repetitive words through the ‘Find’ option. This is a tedious but necessary process that eliminates so many unnecessary words. I’ve made a list of these words which helps me each time I am close to finishing off a novel. Currently, the list stands at 29 words, starting with –ly, very, saw, thought…

One of my final passes involves using the Microsoft Read Aloud option. This enables me to catch words I’ve repeated close to one another, whether the sentence/s are too long and convoluted, whether the words have the right cadence, whether the pace reflects the action…

The final pass (??) involves reloading the latest version back on the e-reader. If I can read chunks without the need to change (several) words, make character motivation clearer, strengthen setting etc, then it’s done!

Phew! This is turning into a long post, so now let’s talk about Fantasy Creatures…

F is for Fae

In my last post, I wrote about the elves; today’s letter leads to a similar type of fantasy character: Fae.

The Fae, or the Fair Folk as they are often called, are derived from Celtic mythology. On the other hand, elves, or the elven, call to mind Tolkien and Norse myths.

It seems to me that nowadays, stories tend to blur any differences that the two terms might have had in the past. But to me, though elves and fae are related concepts in that the beings are often depicted as having similar physical and supernatural characteristics, I consider fae as bordering more on the self-centred, the thoughtlessly cruel, the superficial or capricious. Do you agree?

Some self-promo!

In the Inner Lands, there are three ways sixteen-year-old Shael can get herself and her family killed—by looking like the enemy; by working with the enemy; by becoming the enemy.

When sixteen-year-old Shael unknowingly helps a mortally wounded thief, he entrusts her with delivering three figurines to the lord of her castle. Too late, Shael discovers that the figurines were stolen from the Hyllethans, her country’s feared enemies. And since she cut her fingers on the figurines while handling them, she is now linked to them. Any breakage or pressure on the clay is felt on her flesh.

Despite her reluctance to aid the enemy, Shael teams up with three Hyllethans to retrieve the figurines and break the connection. Shael is caught in the tussle for the thrones of the two lands. To avoid becoming a pawn—or dangle from a hangman’s noose—she has to regain possession of the figurines and face the unsuspected secrets of her lost past.

Three thrones. Two power-hungry mages. One girl standing in their way.

Exiled in Hylletha, sixteen-year-old Shael longs to return to the land of her birth but her brother Iysel, the new, terrifying mage-king of the Inner Lands, wants her dead. Shael’s very existence threatens Iysel’s right to the throne since she is the holder of the magical Gift of Touch, which is traditionally held by the monarch.

To ensure peace, Theis, the young man Shael loves, goes to Iysel’s court to negotiate the reunification of Hylletha and the Inner Lands under one ruler. But when Shael’s young foster brother is abducted and held prisoner in the Inner Lands, Shael has only her limited knowledge of spellcraft to help her stay out of Iysel’s reach, rescue her foster brother and make sure Theis doesn’t bear the brunt of Iysel’s rage.

Complicating matters further, Iysel has won the unexpected support of their wily cousin—the son of the king of a neighbouring land and an extraordinary mage—who has his own reasons for wanting to get hold of Shael.

The stability of the three realms lies in the balance. Faced by intrigue and betrayal from all sides, Shael must choose between protecting the lives of those she loves or taking up her role as princess and heir to the thrones to safeguard the welfare of the people.

She’ll be crowned queen—if she lives that long.

With her coronation fast approaching, Shael fears the debilitating effects of poisoning resulting from her stint in the dragons’ birthing grounds will make her unfit to rule. But this becomes the least of her worries when her brother Iysel turns up claiming he’s the true King of Hylletha as well as heir to Dragonia. Shael is determined to protect the realms from the merciless mage, but the documents that challenge Iysel’s right to the thrones have disappeared.

Protecting the realms isn’t the only reason for finding the missing documents. Proving Iysel’s duplicity is the surest way of saving Theis, the love of Shael’s live, whom Iysel has accused of desertion and treason.

With time running out, with assassins stalking her every move and her health failing, Shael sets out to unravel the tangled web of deceit and greed ensnaring her and the kingdoms. Unfortunately, the most obvious culprit isn’t always the only enemy.

Dawn of Purple and Grey, Days of Wind and Snow, and Night of Rites and Wraiths (The Hyllethan Gifts Trilogy) are available through Amazon either as individual books or as a Complete Series Box Set.

Till next time,

Caroline

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Published on July 07, 2023 20:19

The ABC of Fantasy Creatures: E is for Elf

As you may remember, I held a sale of the trilogy two weeks ago and I’m really happy with the result. Over 1700 people downloaded a free copy of book #1, resulting in Dawn of Purple and Grey reaching #1 in Sword and Sorcery and #1 in Epic Fantasy. It’s a great feeling knowing that the premise and the cover attracted so many new readers.

Now let’s talk about Fantasy Creatures…

Last week I uploaded on Instagram, Facebook or Tiktok the last creature with a name beginning with D – Demons. If you’d like to have a look at that, click here.

This week, the creature we’ll be tackling is one of my favourites:

E is for Elf

Thanks mainly to Tolkien, our mental image of elves is of a pointed-eared race of long-lived or immortal beings.

Elves are often depicted as cold and remote but ethereally beautiful with sharp senses, superior metal and craft skills, and supernatural abilities often due to their affinity with nature.

When I first drafted Dawn of Purple and Grey, I sub-titled it The Elven Gifts, but I realised quite early on that the word Elven would carry all the associations that Tolkien has tied to the term. That was something I didn’t want as my race was not quite Tolkien-esque. This led to the enemy race becoming the Hyllethans, meaning Children of Etha (Earth) in the Hyllethan tongue. The Hyllethans still have some of the characteristics associated with Tolkien’s elves, such as the pointed ears and their affinity with nature which enables them to develop particular talents, such as keener senses and the ability to influence nature, but they are not remarkably long-lived or immortal.

Some self-promo!

In the Inner Lands, there are three ways sixteen-year-old Shael can get herself and her family killed—by looking like the enemy; by working with the enemy; by becoming the enemy.

When sixteen-year-old Shael unknowingly helps a mortally wounded thief, he entrusts her with delivering three figurines to the lord of her castle. Too late, Shael discovers that the figurines were stolen from the Hyllethans, her country’s feared enemies. And since she cut her fingers on the figurines while handling them, she is now linked to them. Any breakage or pressure on the clay is felt on her flesh.

Despite her reluctance to aid the enemy, Shael teams up with three Hyllethans to retrieve the figurines and break the connection. Shael is caught in the tussle for the thrones of the two lands. To avoid becoming a pawn—or dangle from a hangman’s noose—she has to regain possession of the figurines and face the unsuspected secrets of her lost past.

Three thrones. Two power-hungry mages. One girl standing in their way.

Exiled in Hylletha, sixteen-year-old Shael longs to return to the land of her birth but her brother Iysel, the new, terrifying mage-king of the Inner Lands, wants her dead. Shael’s very existence threatens Iysel’s right to the throne since she is the holder of the magical Gift of Touch, which is traditionally held by the monarch.

To ensure peace, Theis, the young man Shael loves, goes to Iysel’s court to negotiate the reunification of Hylletha and the Inner Lands under one ruler. But when Shael’s young foster brother is abducted and held prisoner in the Inner Lands, Shael has only her limited knowledge of spellcraft to help her stay out of Iysel’s reach, rescue her foster brother and make sure Theis doesn’t bear the brunt of Iysel’s rage.

Complicating matters further, Iysel has won the unexpected support of their wily cousin—the son of the king of a neighbouring land and an extraordinary mage—who has his own reasons for wanting to get hold of Shael.

The stability of the three realms lies in the balance. Faced by intrigue and betrayal from all sides, Shael must choose between protecting the lives of those she loves or taking up her role as princess and heir to the thrones to safeguard the welfare of the people.

She’ll be crowned queen—if she lives that long.

With her coronation fast approaching, Shael fears the debilitating effects of poisoning resulting from her stint in the dragons’ birthing grounds will make her unfit to rule. But this becomes the least of her worries when her brother Iysel turns up claiming he’s the true King of Hylletha as well as heir to Dragonia. Shael is determined to protect the realms from the merciless mage, but the documents that challenge Iysel’s right to the thrones have disappeared.

Protecting the realms isn’t the only reason for finding the missing documents. Proving Iysel’s duplicity is the surest way of saving Theis, the love of Shael’s live, whom Iysel has accused of desertion and treason.

With time running out, with assassins stalking her every move and her health failing, Shael sets out to unravel the tangled web of deceit and greed ensnaring her and the kingdoms. Unfortunately, the most obvious culprit isn’t always the only enemy.

Dawn of Purple and Grey, Days of Wind and Snow, and Night of Rites and Wraiths (The Hyllethan Gifts Trilogy) are available through Amazon either as individual books or as a Complete Series Box Set.

Till next time,

Caroline

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Published on June 23, 2023 18:14

The ABC of Fantasy Creatures: D is for Demon

The word ‘demon’ triggers a negative vibe, perhaps because it calls to mind Satan and his cohorts. This might be one reason why this creature is not commonly found in fantasy.

Demons in fantasy can be less super-evil but most are flawed characters that personify some negative trait/s or prey on other characters’ weaknesses. They are often depicted as immortal.

In my current work in progress, the Firedance duology, my heroes are mistaken for demons hundreds of years before the start of the story because of their otherworldly traits which involve the ability to push fire out of their skin and not get burnt by it.

If you don’t wish to miss any of the #fantasycreatures series, please Follow me.

My epic fantasy trilogy – Dawn of Purple and Grey, Days of Wind and Snow, and Night of Rites and Wraiths – is now available for pre-order as a box set at the special price of $1.99.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #amreading #epicfantasynovels #epicfantasybooks #FSFbookclub #epicfantasy #fantasycreatures #booktok #fantasy #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #bookreview

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Published on June 18, 2023 01:47

The ABC of Fantasy Creatures: D is for Dryads

Are you looking for a summer read? It’s e-book SALE TIME! On Sunday Dawn of Purple and Grey will be included in a virtual fair. I’ll be uploading the link as a comment tomorrow. But if that isn’t enough….

From yesterday till Monday, the e-book version of Dawn of Purple and Grey (book 1 of The Hyllethan Gifts Trilogy) is FREE; book #2 Days of Wind and Snow is reduced to 99c and, if you’ll like to have the whole set, The Hyllethan Gifts Trilogy is out on pre-order for the special price of $1.99.

Don’t miss out. The Hyllethan Gifts Trilogy has never been so low priced.

Now let’s talk about Fantasy Creatures…

In the last newsletter, I tackled D is for Dragons and in the intervening week I uploaded a post on Instagram, Facebook or Tiktok with a second creature starting with D—D is for Dwarves. If you’d like to have a look at that, click here.

Today’s creature also starts with D: D is for Dryads

Dryads derive from Greek mythology and are nature spirits / nymphs who live in trees. These creatures are often depicted as young, beautiful, shy women.

The word dryad used to refer to oak tree nymphs as the word drys (from where dryad originates) means oak in Greek. In fact, one can find various names for tree spirits that inhabit other types of trees, but nowadays the word dryad is used to refer to any tree spirit.

Dryads are long-lived creatures—they are sometimes depicted as immortal or as living as long as the tree they are connected to. Trees connected to tree spirits are often seen to be found in sacred groves.

Some self-promo!

In the Inner Lands, there are three ways sixteen-year-old Shael can get herself and her family killed—by looking like the enemy; by working with the enemy; by becoming the enemy.

When sixteen-year-old Shael unknowingly helps a mortally wounded thief, he entrusts her with delivering three figurines to the lord of her castle. Too late, Shael discovers that the figurines were stolen from the Hyllethans, her country’s feared enemies. And since she cut her fingers on the figurines while handling them, she is now linked to them. Any breakage or pressure on the clay is felt on her flesh.

Despite her reluctance to aid the enemy, Shael teams up with three Hyllethans to retrieve the figurines and break the connection. Shael is caught in the tussle for the thrones of the two lands. To avoid becoming a pawn—or dangle from a hangman’s noose—she has to regain possession of the figurines and face the unsuspected secrets of her lost past.

Three thrones. Two power-hungry mages. One girl standing in their way.

Exiled in Hylletha, sixteen-year-old Shael longs to return to the land of her birth but her brother Iysel, the new, terrifying mage-king of the Inner Lands, wants her dead. Shael’s very existence threatens Iysel’s right to the throne since she is the holder of the magical Gift of Touch, which is traditionally held by the monarch.

To ensure peace, Theis, the young man Shael loves, goes to Iysel’s court to negotiate the reunification of Hylletha and the Inner Lands under one ruler. But when Shael’s young foster brother is abducted and held prisoner in the Inner Lands, Shael has only her limited knowledge of spellcraft to help her stay out of Iysel’s reach, rescue her foster brother and make sure Theis doesn’t bear the brunt of Iysel’s rage.

Complicating matters further, Iysel has won the unexpected support of their wily cousin—the son of the king of a neighbouring land and an extraordinary mage—who has his own reasons for wanting to get hold of Shael.

The stability of the three realms lies in the balance. Faced by intrigue and betrayal from all sides, Shael must choose between protecting the lives of those she loves or taking up her role as princess and heir to the thrones to safeguard the welfare of the people.

She’ll be crowned queen—if she lives that long.

With her coronation fast approaching, Shael fears the debilitating effects of poisoning resulting from her stint in the dragons’ birthing grounds will make her unfit to rule. But this becomes the least of her worries when her brother Iysel turns up claiming he’s the true King of Hylletha as well as heir to Dragonia. Shael is determined to protect the realms from the merciless mage, but the documents that challenge Iysel’s right to the thrones have disappeared.

Protecting the realms isn’t the only reason for finding the missing documents. Proving Iysel’s duplicity is the surest way of saving Theis, the love of Shael’s live, whom Iysel has accused of desertion and treason.

With time running out, with assassins stalking her every move and her health failing, Shael sets out to unravel the tangled web of deceit and greed ensnaring her and the kingdoms. Unfortunately, the most obvious culprit isn’t always the only enemy.

Dawn of Purple and Grey, Days of Wind and Snow, and Night of Rites and Wraiths (The Hyllethan Gifts Trilogy) are available through Amazon either as individual books or as a Complete Series Box Set.

Till next time,

Caroline

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Published on June 09, 2023 19:29

The ABC of Fantasy Creatures: D is for Dragons

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Published on May 26, 2023 19:40

The ABC of Fantasy Creatures: C is for Centaur

A centaur is a popular figure in fantasy, derived from Greek mythology. Centaurs have the torso and face of a human and the body and legs of a horse. Centaurs are often depicted as fierce fighters and considered as wild and untamed as wild horses.

If you don’t wish to miss any of the #fantasycreatures series, please Follow me.

My epic fantasy trilogy – Dawn of Purple and Grey, Days of Wind and Snow, and Night of Rites and Wraiths – is Free through Kindle Unlimited.

#writingcommunity #amwriting #amreading #epicfantasynovels #epicfantasybooks #FSFbookclub #epicfantasy #kindleunlimited #kindleunlimitedfantasy #fantasycreatures #centaur

Dawn of Purple and Grey

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Published on May 18, 2023 08:19

C is for Chimaera

Night of Rites and Wraiths has just received its first review and it’s a five-star. Thank you, Therese! There’s nothing more encouraging for a writer than knowing that the work is being read and enjoyed.

I’m also currently working with the formatter to issue an e-book boxset of The Hyllethan Gifts Trilogy. If you’re anything like me, once I start a series, I like to read the books back to back, so boxsets are so convenient. I’m aiming for a July launch for that, with the possibility to pre-order, but I’ll keep you posted.

Now let’s dive into another Fantasy Creature in the ABC series.

Today’s creature is:

C is for Chimaera

The chimaera is a fascinating, and terrifying, fire-breathing creature which traditionally has the body and head of a lion, another head—that of a goat—protruding off its back and a snake for a tail. In fact, the word chimaera is now loosely used for any monstrous creature composed of the body-parts of several creatures.

The original chimaera derives from Greek mythology. In the Iliad, the King of Lycia orders the hero Bellerophon to kill the Chimaera, secretly hoping the monster will rid him of Bellerophon. But Bellerophon does manage to kill it with the help of the winged-horse, Pegasus. He kills the chimaera by driving a lance into the beast’s throat. It chokes on the metal which liquefies in the beast’s flames.

An interesting take on turning one’s opponent’s weapons against them! Don’t you agree?

Some self-promo!

In the Inner Lands, there are three ways sixteen-year-old Shael can get herself and her family killed—by looking like the enemy; by working with the enemy; by becoming the enemy.

When sixteen-year-old Shael unknowingly helps a mortally wounded thief, he entrusts her with delivering three figurines to the lord of her castle. Too late, Shael discovers that the figurines were stolen from the Hyllethans, her country’s feared enemies. And since she cut her fingers on the figurines while handling them, she is now linked to them. Any breakage or pressure on the clay is felt on her flesh.

Despite her reluctance to aid the enemy, Shael teams up with three Hyllethans to retrieve the figurines and break the connection. Shael is caught in the tussle for the thrones of the two lands. To avoid becoming a pawn—or dangle from a hangman’s noose—she has to regain possession of the figurines and face the unsuspected secrets of her lost past.

Days of Wind and Snow

Three thrones. Two power-hungry mages. One girl standing in their way.

Exiled in Hylletha, sixteen-year-old Shael longs to return to the land of her birth but her brother Iysel, the new, terrifying mage-king of the Inner Lands, wants her dead. Shael’s very existence threatens Iysel’s right to the throne since she is the holder of the magical Gift of Touch, which is traditionally held by the monarch.

To ensure peace, Theis, the young man Shael loves, goes to Iysel’s court to negotiate the reunification of Hylletha and the Inner Lands under one ruler. But when Shael’s young foster brother is abducted and held prisoner in the Inner Lands, Shael has only her limited knowledge of spellcraft to help her stay out of Iysel’s reach, rescue her foster brother and make sure Theis doesn’t bear the brunt of Iysel’s rage.

Complicating matters further, Iysel has won the unexpected support of their wily cousin—the son of the king of a neighbouring land and an extraordinary mage—who has his own reasons for wanting to get hold of Shael.

The stability of the three realms lies in the balance. Faced by intrigue and betrayal from all sides, Shael must choose between protecting the lives of those she loves or taking up her role as princess and heir to the thrones to safeguard the welfare of the people.

Night of Rites and Wraiths

She’ll be crowned queen—if she lives that long.

With her coronation fast approaching, Shael fears the debilitating effects of poisoning resulting from her stint in the dragons’ birthing grounds will make her unfit to rule. But this becomes the least of her worries when her brother Iysel turns up claiming he’s the true King of Hylletha as well as heir to Dragonia. Shael is determined to protect the realms from the merciless mage, but the documents that challenge Iysel’s right to the thrones have disappeared.

Protecting the realms isn’t the only reason for finding the missing documents. Proving Iysel’s duplicity is the surest way of saving Theis, the love of Shael’s live, whom Iysel has accused of desertion and treason.

With time running out, with assassins stalking her every move and her health failing, Shael sets out to unravel the tangled web of deceit and greed ensnaring her and the kingdoms. Unfortunately, the most obvious culprit isn’t always the only enemy.

Dawn of Purple and Grey, Days of Wind and Snow, and Night of Rites and Wraiths (The Hyllethan Gifts Trilogy) are available through Amazon.

Till next time,

Caroline

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Published on May 12, 2023 20:00

The ABC of Fantasy Creatures: B is for Banshee

A banshee is a female spirit—appearing in various forms, such as that of a young, middle-aged or old woman—who is screaming or wailing. She is often shown wearing a grey cloak and having long pale hair and a pale complexion. Her eyes are often red from continuous weeping but at other times, her face is shrouded.

Banshees are not always seen. But even just hearing the sound of her crying is a bad omen, as it signals the forthcoming death of the person or a member of their family.

This mythological creature derives from Irish folklore.

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