Helen B. Henderson's Blog

4 DAYS TO GO

COUNTDOWN TIME to the Books By The Arch Signing Event, DruryInn Plaza By The Arch,  St. Louis, Missouri. The Dragshi Chronicles, Tear Stone Collectors, and the Windmaster Novels will all be there along with a few other of my works. 

Friday Evening Schedule, October 10   Open to the public

Meet the Authors Speed Dating:  6-7
Meet And Greet:  7-8

 

Signing Event: Saturday Schedule, October 11  

VIP Early Admission - 11-12
General Admission -  12 - 3:30  (FREE)

Weren't able to snag a VIP ticket? General admission is FREE! All you need is a love of books. 

 

For a sneak peak to the worlds of imagination, click on the cover or the pull-down menu above.

Hope to see you in St. Louis. Be sure to check out the list of the other attending authors.

 

Books by The arch VIP ticket contest

Looking for a fun time?

Want to meet new  authors?

Be treated like a VIP?

 

Win a VIP ticket to Books by The Arch.

To enter, just leave a comment below. All it takes is your name and email address.

 

Then come to the Drury hotel at The plaza, St. Louis Mo on Oct 11, 2025 for early admission and a swag bag.

 

Winner will be chosen at random from those who comment. Contest ends sept 10th so enter now.

PS be sure to leave your email address so the ticket can be emailed to you by the event manager

 

 

Pre-Order Closing Soon

*** PRE-ORDER LAST DAYS  ***

Order to be sure the books will be available, then come to the Drury hotel at The plaza, St. Louis Mo on Oct 11, 2025 to get your books and see a great lineup of authors ready to sign your purchases. The form is here. 

Can't wait to see everyone there. Romantasy, Fantasy and more.

 

 

 

 

Pre-Order Open

As an aid to those who want to pre-order books for Books By The Arch in October, you can now pay by PayPal. The updated form is at here. 

Order to be sure the books will be available, then come to the Drury hotel at The plaza, St. Louis Mo on Oct 11, 2025 to get your books and see a great lineup of authors ready to sign your purchases.

Can't wait to see everyone there. Romantasy, Fantasy and more.

 

 

Signing in St. Louis

I’m am so excited that I am one of the authors attending the Books By The Arch Signing Event.

11 October 2025 

Books By The Arch
DruryInn Plaza By The Arch,  St. Louis, Missouri

(More on the schedule of events including the special Meet The Authors here. Check back on this blog for an opportunity to win VIP tickets.) 

Use the preorder form link below to order your desired book and to ensure I have it available for you at the event. The Dragshi Chronicles, Tear Stone Collectors, and the Windmaster Novels will all be there along with a few other of my works.  #fantasy #romantasy #dragons #magic #sciencefiction

Pre Order Link: http://bit.ly/3Umpt8r 

For a sneak peak to the worlds of imagination, click on the cover or the pull-down menu above.

Hope to see you in St. Louis. Be sure to check out the list of the other attending authors.

 

Hooked on Imprisoned In Stone, dread #bookqw #mfrwauthor

 
Showcasing magic of a darker kind, Imprisoned in Stone, a snippit using the #bookqw DREAD.

To set the stage, Dylan's soul is bound to a stone monument. It is the time of binding and Cuhlwich, head of the brings up a vision from Dylan's past.

Excerpt:

A berserker fury flared in Dylan’s mind. He struggled against his bonds. The bolt of flame he cast touched the shimmering chains and exploded into nothingness.

“There is no escape for you,” Cuhlwch said with a laugh. “I have no preference for an eternity without release. It is just that killing is easier than binding, and I tire of these visits. But there is one thing I will do for you. A sentimental request from my great-grandfather.”

With swift steps, Cuhlwch crossed through the circle of hooded figures and picked up a shard of sandstone. He walked back and brandished the rock in front of the black obelisk... in front of Dylan. “Come, wizard,” Cuhlwch snarled. “Don’t you want to see your wife again? I can show you Ethne.” He whispered a command and the stone’s flat surface turned into a mirror.

The reflection of the trees overhead faded. Now a small creek separating a pasture from an apple orchard appeared. Sunlight danced over a pond. Dread filled Dylan’s heart. He knew the place. He had built the dam across the creek and lined the narrow watercourse with rocks he found while plowing the field.

Cuhlwch tilted the rock and the static image came to life.

 

 

**  END OF EXCERPT *** 

Purchase Imprisoned in Stone at these sellers  

 

~till next time, Helen

 

Stosh's disguise

 

Disguises can be achieved in various ways. Trelleir used magic to hide his dragon form. Unless he chose to reveal his true self, all anyone saw was tall, thin man, a scholar who was totally unskilled in the handling of weapons. In reality, his abilities with a sword were impressive, even more so when supplemented by dragon strength.

In Dragon Destiny, Anastasia donned a physical disguise that of a teen-age boy so that she could attend the Ceoltier Guild, the disguise was necessary because only new could study at the guild and be the historians and jurists. The masters and students all knew Anastasia's true gender, but didn't care. Anastasia, or Stosh, her cover identity was one of them. 

However, no disguise is perfect as seen in the following excerpt. To set the stage, Anastasia is at the Ceoltier's Guild and is lonely. Adding to her melancholy is her part in the death of a man. 

Excerpt:

Anastasia put a finishing touch on the sketch of the high peak on the easel and laid the charcoal stick down. Aches in her fingers reminded her of how long she had been at work. Her quarters on the top floor of the building offered more benefits than the bright, autumn colors of the Revarn Mountains in the distance. The buzz of speech drifting up from the open windows of the eating hall caught Anastasia’s attention. A familiar voice sent her racing to the other side of the room and the window that overlooked the courtyard. Down below, a dappled brown horse stood at the rail.

“Uaine’s here!” Anastasia cried. Throwing on a faded apprentice tunic, she ran down the stairs two at a time until she caught herself on the locking bars of the front door. A tug and the heavy wood panel swung open to reveal a changed Uaine. No longer the beardless youth of her first acquaintance, a muscled, self-confident male stood before her.

“It is good to see you, Anastasia,” Uaine said. He picked her up and swung her around in an abundance of exuberance.

She felt a warmth creep up her back. The power of his arms brought back a reminder of another embrace, one now seasons past. Branin was far away, Uaine was here.

A cough broke the direction of her thoughts. “I don’t want to intrude on old friends reuniting after several seasons apart,” Vivel’s wry tone said. “However, two male apprentices embracing on the front steps might set tongues wagging.”

The emphasis on male reminded Anastasia of the slip of her disguise.

“Sorry.” Anastasia wriggled out of Uaine’s grasp. She bowed to Vivel. “Master Cuisle is in the eating hall with the other masters. Would you like me to take your bag to your room?”

“Thank you, Stosh,” Vivel said using Anastasia’s apprentice name in gentle reminder of her place at the guild hall. “Cuisle has called a cloak ceremony for dinner tonight. You are dismissed from your lessons until then.” His gaze turned stern. “And dressed appropriately.”Uaine draped the carry strap of his bedroll over his shoulder and picked up Vivel’s travel sack. “I’ve got it. Just show me where to go, Stosh.”

The sparkle in his eyes awakened a long suppressed feeling. Grabbing his free hand, Anastasia pulled him toward the stairs.

 ~ ~ ~

 I hope you enjoyed this excerpt. ~till next time. Helen

 

Find Dragon Destiny at Amazon /  more sellers .

More Excerpts, reads of the first chapters, and buy links for the rest of the Dragshi Chronicles is here.

 

2025 Challenge Reflections

Thank you for visiting Journey to Worlds of Imagination during the 2025 Blogging from A to Z in April Challenge. To reflect on the past thirty days, it was a challenge that I hope to revitalize my fiction work-in-progress, Fire and Legacy, the next book in the Tear Stone Collectors fantasy series. Adding to the uniqueness of finding a topic was not duplicating thoughts from any of the previous ones. Surprisingly, the letters that normally give me trouble such as Q, V, X, Y, and Z were relatively easy. ”N” which should be easy refused to cooperate.

If your followed along, thank you. If a topic interests you, the link to each day's post follows. Most topics contained an anecdote from real life, fantasy worlds, of excerpts from the Windmaster Novels, the Dragshi Chronicles, Imprisoned on Stone, and the Tear Stone Collectors.

Archaeology
Blue Sky
Cave and Caverns - in real life and fantasy worlds
Disguise
Event-New Orleans an exciting reader signing event. More info to come.

Freedom
Guilds
Holidays
Islands
Jon or John - same name, different characters

Kimeshi - emergence of a dragon
Libraries - recollections of libraries
Matawan - historic town, historic house museum, and my books
- trouble with characters’ names
Obsidian - statues on black stone

Passengers
Query - writing experience
Rivers - real and fantasy
Sailing - seas, sailing, and storms
Threat - not even a dragon is safe
Underwater - escape from beneath the waves

Vigil
Wall -battle from the ramparts 
X-ray - the call sign, not the machine
Youthful Characters
Zealot- dragons and magic, search them out

2025 Z : Zealot #mfrwhooks

     

In the challenge, "Z" is for zealot. For the purposes of the post, the definition of a zealot is a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.

A zealot has appeared in the fantasy worlds of the Windmaster Novels and of the dragshi. The brethren in Imprisoned in Stone was a fanatical cult determined to rule the world by any means possible. Blood sacrifices, curses and dark magic were their primary tools. Anyone with even a hint of power were forced to submit or be killed. in Dylan's case, for healing without payment in disobedience of the brethren's rules, his soul was imprisoned in stone.

The dragshi had their own zealotry to deal with for not everyone appreciated the rule of the draa person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.on lords. Those without a dragon soul twin hated those who did. Not just because the dragshi had power, wealth, and respect, but because they were different. One such group was Groslom and his descendants. The tale of one descendent, Pyrell, is told in the novella "Forever Bound" in First Change. 

In Windmaster, a cult of clerics determined to rid the world of magic were not going to stop with the deaths of anyone who had even a hint of magic. It didn't matter if they were innocent and had no magic themselves, the friends and families of a wizard were also marked for death. The clerics planned - to raze any place associated described a mage.

The following excerpt from Windmaster illustrates the depth of their hatred. To set the scene, Ellspeth arrives on horseback at her ship to find her way blocked and  stopped her horse in the shadows of the alley’s entrance. From her height she could see a squad of mercenaries gathered at the water’s edge. Craning her neck, she saw a row of  armed men in the guild colors of the House of Cszabo filling the dock. Several squads of mercenaries stood at ease in the patches of shade around the edges of the square. Nearest to her, a dozen unaffiliated sailors blocked the entrance to the alley. Even worse, a ranking member of her house council stood on the dock. And his companion? A cleric of the Oracle of Givneh.

Captain Ellspeth,” her kinsman dismissed her with a wave of his hand, “byorder of the House of Cszabo I am taking command of Sea Falcon.”

“Falcon is my ship. If it goes anywhere, I will be at the helm.”

 “Enough of this.” Another’s imperious voice broke in.

Ellspeth shifted her focus to locate the speaker and settled her gaze on the face beneath the brown cowl.

“That ship needs to be purified. It is tainted by magic.”

“You want to take my ship because I gave passage to a wizard?”

“It is tainted. It will be purified... as will the crew.” Each word spit out, the tone demanded immediate, unconditional obedience.

Without looking Ellspeth could sense her crew preparing for battle behind her. Her own sword’s weight felt comforting across her thighs.

Read Windmaster to see if Sea Falcon sets sail and who would be at her helm. 

I hope you enjoyed the challenge posts. ~till next time, Helen  

To find buy links, click on the covers in the banner or use the pull down menus, or find me on Amazon.

If you're following other blogs in the challenge, here's the master list of the other participants.

 

2025 Y : Youthful Characters

 

 In the challenge, Y is for youthful characters. The actual inspiration for the topic came from the antics of my nieces when they were young and now their children. And it brought memories of oldsters (who at the time are now 25 years younger than I am now) whose favorite saying besides "Back in my day..." was "Youth is wasted on the young."

Those sentiments may not creep into my writing, but one of the requirements for today's authors is to ensure that the characters change. And sometimes that means to grow from childhood to adulthood, or to transition through various stages of adulthood with their varying lifestyles and responsibilities. 

This particularly evident in a series.The character of Anastasia of Clan Miller who started as a young woman in the first book of the Dragshi Chronicles. Then in later volumes, her youth is left behind and she became a mother and a leader of her people.

Lady Ellspeth of the House of Cszabo, captain of Sea Falcon, had already left her youth behind and was an accomplished leader at the start of the Windmaster Novels. However, while there is no youthful transition to adulthood, her later years are recorded in the successive volumes and sees her childhood through that of her children. It also sees her taking on new leadership roles as she and the archmage Lord Dal fight to same the future of magic.

From Hatchling's Mate, an excerpt of a young Talann's escapade with his father's enspelled sword, Mt'Wan Comraich. And the occasion is of another change ... the presentation of Mt'wan Comraich from the older dragon lord to his son.

The leader of the dragshi lapsed into silence. A break Talann appreciated while he tried to make sense of the formal presentation in such unofficial surroundings. “I gather my ownership, however temporary, will not be made common knowledge?”

“Told you,” Anastasia chortled. “He’s quick.”

“No, not common knowledge,” Eirwen answered. “Vivel knows of our plans this day. As do Liam and Dealan. We thought it would ease their worries for Lexii.”

“They are quite fond of you,” Anastasia said with a wink. “In fact, I believe Dealan’s exact words were that while she appreciated the extra protection of her daughter, she lamented the fact that Mt’wan Comraich would have made a fine groom gift for your wedding.”

The groan that escaped Talann broke the tension in the room. Branin’s chuckle further lightened the mood. “Trust who you wish with, whatever knowledge you choose. I know Glyn and Kynan will keep the confidence.”

One last objection surged forward. “How do you know I can use Mt’wan Comraich?” Talann pressed.

A memory filled Talann’s mind. Obviously sent by his mother, he watched two young boys playing marbles and bones, The darker haired of the two maneuvered the glass balls with the fingers of one hand, while the other hand rested lightly on the hilt of a sword almost as tall as the youth.

“I remember every resident of Cloud Eyrie searching.” Anastasia’s lips pursed before twitching into a smile. “While the entire time you and Kynan were in the storage room hidden behind a mesmer. And you had no training in the illusion capabilities of your father’s sword.”Branin’s grip tightened on Talann’s shoulder. “No, son. While you are not battle tested with the protector of Mt’wan, I know I place it in good hands.”

A resigned sigh escaped from Talann. He could not fight Eirwen, let alone his parents. His hands rose of their own accord and wrapped around the jeweled hilt. In a smooth movement, he flipped the sword upright into a salute to his father, then to his mother. “I will honor both the spirit and the right of the protector of Mt’wan.”

Talann appeared on the cover of Hatchling's Mate, one of the Dragshi Chronicles. And for a fun addition, an early image of me. (I am the older one on our Shetland pony. One of my adventures with him was to to ride bareback. The  "whoa, whoa, whoaaaa" was followed by a thud as I slipped off the galloping pony onto the only rock in the plowed field.

The challenge is almost over. I hope you enjoyed the insight into Talann's youth.

~till next time, Helen

Buy Hatchling's Mate at Amazon / Barnes&Noble /  Kobo  / and these stores  

 If you're following other blogs in the challenge, here's the master list of the other participants.