Helen B. Henderson's Blog, page 27

2022 Q : Quest #MFRWHooks

 

By definition, a quest is a journey that someone takes in order to achieve a goal or complete an important task. Readers journey with the hero or heroine and as they face their trials, the reader feels that they know the hero well. It is also a way for authors to introduce the reader to foreign settings writer and his readers can explore exotic places with the hero. In the case of fantasy, worlds from the author's imagination.

For generations, the dragon slayers of Darceth used their talents to explore their world, expand their knowledge, and share it with their village and others. That all changed when Head Slayer Caldar became the interpreter for the Goddess.

Below is an excerpt of Deneas' summons before the village elders and Caldar.

Caldar pinned Deneas with a stern gaze and stroked his gray beard. A sigh and, despite his short stature, he stretched himself to his full height. “Slayer Deneas, approach the council.” His voice held not sorrow, but another emotion with darker overtones. “A dream came to the Seer. He saw a dragon, and it took human form.” His finger stabbed toward Deneas’ chest. “Yours!”

Before she could protest the implied charge of witchery, he raised a hand to silence her. Fanaticism glittered in his eyes. “Slayer Candidate Deneas, you have been chosen.” The words boomed off the stone walls. “You leave in three days. Do not return until you destroy the evil creature devouring our land.”

Although she did not expect help from that quarter, Deneas searched the faces of her former teachers. Their stoic expressions offered no reprieve. Fire burned up her spine. She had done nothing to deserve this punishment. Not a single lamb or calf had been lost to a dragon in the two decades since her birth. Yet these men were sending her to a certain death.

End of excerpt

 

Sales Sites for Fire and Amulet at Books2Read.

 

To make following my posts in the challenge easier, you can find all my posts at 2022 AtoZ Connections. Just remember, the next day's post isn't live until midnight.

~till next time, Helen 

 

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

 

It's Wednesday, and the post is doing double duty. The list of #MFRWAuthors with excerpts is at MFRWHooks April 20th.

Starting Over

 

Over on the BooksWeLove Blog, I'm posting about Starting Over. Hope you'll stop by and check out the post.

~till next time, Helen

SPECIAL NEWS 

 Fire and Amulet,
a twist on a dragon shifter story is
on sale at Smashwords .

Save 50% with code YF47Y

2022 P: Playlist for Fire and Amulet

 

 

I admit I don't always listen to music when writing. Jotting notes in a doctor's office while waiting for your appointment or typing on a tablet in the wee hours of the morning isn't conducive to playing tunes. But that doesn't mean that music is not part of my writing life. Although each book tends to have its own playlist, certain songs trigger a mood or emotion so that the tunes transfer from book to book

 

For Fire and Amulet, an old standby, Celtic music where the lilting voices, flute and harp send my mind to a fantasy world where magic rules and dragon fly. On the player now is "Celtic Twilight" by Gabrielle Angelique.

Music for a quest, hopelessness, and loneliness is conveyed by the haunting piano solo played at the end of each episode of The Incredible Hulk.

"Twelve O'Clock High" -- a little haunting, a little thunder, the theme from the television series of the same name brings with it a vision of flight. Not of the B-17 bombers of World War II, but of a rust-colored dragon soaring in the clouds.

At first I thought only one song fit the bill for the following excerpt, Roger Whitaker's "The Last Farewell." Then I heard a few chords of "Unchained Melody" and that also resonated. Surviving a tornado was just the beginning. Deneas survives unhurt, but Trelleir suffers several broken bones. He cannot travel and Deneas cannot stay.

Deneas picked up her pack and straightened her weapons. “If I don’t return within two sevenday, I want you to go back. To your cave, to Leri and her kin, or to Geren in Nawddmir. Just don’t stay here once you can travel.”

Maybe eventually.” Trelleir waved a hand at the far mountains. “I’d like to see what’s beyond them.” At the obstinate expression on Deneas’ face, he added. “If you can’t return straight away, head for the cave marked by the split rock your mother wrote about in her diary. We can meet up there.”

Heartbeat after heartbeat, he waited for her to answer. In his own mind, he had decided to follow her wherever she went.

Except for the emotions crossing her face, Deneas stood silent. Her gaze fell to the ground, and she gave a heavy sigh full of sorrow, resignation, and ... desire?

  Sales Sites for Fire and Amulet at Books2Read.

To make following my posts in the challenge easier, you can find all my posts at 2022 AtoZ Connections. Just remember, the next day's post isn't live until midnight.

~till next time, Helen 

 

 

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

2022 O : Occult

 

Not all fantasy stories include the occult or the supernatural. Fire and Amulet has several occult aspects. When you think of the occult, seances and communicating with those who have crossed into the next plane of existence may come to mind.

A white apparition hovered in front of the ledge, blocking the way. Long dark tresses flowed in an invisible wind to reveal features Deneas knew well — those of her mother.

The spectre’s hand lifted, not in entreaty, but in warning. It drifted closer, forcing Deneas back from the edge. She took a step only to discover the wraith had floated up and behind her.

Invisible fingers gripped Deneas’ arm — and tugged.

Another part of the definition of occult pertains to a secret disclosed or communicated only to the initiated. To the residents of Darceth, the volcano that loomed over the village was the hoe of a dark-haired goddess who bore an ivory trident. Fingers of fire marked openings to the tunnels where the residents of Darceth believed the Goddess held court. The fountain of flame that rose above the peak and mingled with the columns of smoke meant the Goddess was in her house ... and not pleased.

Those who were trained since childhood as dragon slayers were supposed to be the chosen ones, the initiated who would protect the village, and be the servants of the goddess. The secret of appeasing the goddess and interpreting her visions was given to Caldar, head of the council of elders. And he kept the information close, not even sharing it with the slayers.

To make following my posts in the challenge easier, you can find all my posts at 2022 AtoZ Connections. Just remember, the next day's post isn't live until midnight.

~till next time, Helen 

 

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

 

2022 N : Nothing

 

This is going to be the shortest post of the challenge. "N" is for Nothing. I don't normally suffer from writer's block. But there were a few letters in the challenge that refused to cooperate. "N" is one of them. Hence, the title, "N" is for Nothing.

There were no character names beginning with "N" that I could do a character showcase. If you scan the map, villages are few and far between. And often unnamed. An exception is Nawddmir.

Unlike Darceth, Deneas' home, which is on the dry side of the mountains and surrounded by desert, Nawddmir is on the wet side. Those fortunate enough to escape Caldar's rule find sanctuary in Darceth.

 

To make following my posts in the challenge easier, you can find all my posts at 2022 AtoZ Connections. Just remember, the next day's post isn't live until midnight.

~till next time, Helen 

 

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

 

 

2022 M : Misrepresentation

 

With the ending of The Windmaster Novels, I had to escape my earthbound ties. The result is the fantasy, Fire and Amulet. Welcome to a new twist on a dragon shifter as you're invited to meet one of the characters -- Trelleir. And as for the title, Misrepresentation? Trelleir is not what he seems.

Physical Description

In human form, Trelleir is slender and very tall for a human. He has short dark hair with red highlights. In dragon form, his hide is rust-colored. The irises of his dark red eyes can appear to have flames in them.

Background 

To most of the citizens of Darceth, Trelleir is nothing more than a solitary scholar who lives in a cliffside dwelling on the opposite site of the valley. Several of the residents including the two blacksmiths are proud to call him friend. One who does not consider Trelleir one is Head Slayer Caldar. Over the years, too many of his plans were thwarted, either openly or through some other means. And Caldar is not someone who takes frustration well.

More About Him (Secrets or Public)

Trelleir has a secret. He is a dragon whose earth magic allows him to take on human form. The last of his kind, he longs for companionship. Even if it is only that of a human. However, the one he has chosen to spend eternity with has to overlook the fact Trelleir is a dragon -- and a sworn enemy.

If this post and the ones that came before intrigues you,  the rest of the story of Deneas and Trelleir is at Books2Read. 

 Sales Sites for Fire and Amulet at Books2Read.

To make following the hop easier, you can find all my posts at 2022 AtoZ Connections. Just remember, the next day's post isn't live until midnight.
~till next time, Helen

 

 

 

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

2022 L : Landscape

 

What is a world? It is the flora and fauna, and the landscape they life in. Zoology will talk about the one, and this post the mountains, desert, plains and storms that move through them. 

The center of the continent and where Deneas begins her quest is a desert of fine, dry sand dunes surrounding the village of Darceth. A volcano dominates the ring of mountains that encircled the desert.

Image from Pixabay.

Inspiration for the field of boulders was Hickory Run State Park in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. The field's boulders range from less than 3-foot (0.91 m) to more than 30-foot (9.1 m) in length. The gritty, yellow powder blowing across the expanse of reddish yellow boulders burned the eyes and throat and left behind a metallic taste. Another difference is that the Pennsylvania field of boulders was created by glacial action. Boulders in the fantasy world were stacked by a storm.

 

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

 A landscape is not just the ground below but also the heavens above. Deneas learned the constellations at her mother's hand. The information served more than just the purpose of obtaining knowledge. As a dragon slayer, she had to know the dragon's domain. If a star was missing from a constellation, it could mean a dragon on the wing. Serth the Mountain Goat was named for the four points of its antlers. To identify Grafanc the Cat, you had to find the strings of minor stars hanging from the three bright points of each claw.

To add a touch of fantasy to the story, in pursuit of Deneas Karst comes across a log cabin in a meadow of singing grass.

His steps cautious to avoid any serpents or other creatures hidden in the grass, he fixed his gaze on a jagged peak and headed out. The grass weaved behind him. Except for a low hum when the stalks swung past each other, no sign of his passage remained. The sound reached Karst’s subconscious and he found himself walking in time to the rhythm. Even when he took a break, he still heard the vale’s music. Only not with his ears, but with his soul.

And the flip side of the meadow.

Image by Pitsch from Pixabay
Throwing off the cover, Karst rose. A tug lifted the lock bar from its brackets, and he swung the door open. No rain fell, but a thick fog rose from the field making it difficult to tell where the ground ended, and the sky began. Any plans to head out with first light disappeared. The gauzy, smoke-colored curtain covering the field felt wrong, and although he knew he should leave, he heeded the unconscious warning and stayed within the safe confines of the logs. One thing remained the same as the night before — the alluring hum of the wind through the grass.

 

Sales Sites for Fire and Amulet at Books2Read. 

 

To make following my challenge posts easier, you can find them all at 2022 AtoZ Connections. Just remember, the next day's post isn't live until midnight.~till next time, Helen

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




 

2022 K : Karst #MFRWhooks

 

Introducing some of my favorite people (or people I love to hate) from the fantasy, Fire and Amulet, you are invited to meet Karst.

Physical Description

Karst is good looking enough that he should catch every woman's attention. The problem is there aren't many unattached women of proper age in Darceth. The village is small and isolated so that everyone knows everyone else.

Even though his father is the head dragon slayer, interpreter for the Goddess, and leader of the Council of Elders, Karst's arrogance has most townspeople avoiding him. As does his reputation as the town bully.

 

Background 

Officially a slayer, Karst avoided the worst of the training. As a result, his fighting skills were not perfect. It didn't make a difference whether his sparring partners used staff or sword to win. They seldom won more than once as Karst would use his influence with his father to punish those who humiliated him.

Karst wants to achieve power because so doesn’t have to work, but can’t because his father as Head Slayer won’t give up any power or allow Karst to do anything. Until he sends Karst out on the quest to kill Deneas and Trelleir.

More About Her (Secrets or Public)

Karst's greatest fear is being sacrificed to the Goddess like others who disappointed or crossed his father

 

I hope you enjoyed this introduction to Karst. 

If this post and the ones that came before intrigues you,  the rest of the story of Deneas and Trelleir is at Books2Read. 

 Sales Sites for Fire and Amulet at Books2Read.

To make following the A to Z Challenge easier, you can find all my posts at 2022 AtoZ Connections. Just remember, the next day's post isn't live until midnight.

~till next time, Helen 

 

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

Since it's Wednesday, this post is doing double duty. The rest of the Book Hooks hop is at http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com

 

 

2022 J : Journalling

 

For some reason, each time I start to think of topics to fit the letter "J", the words that comes to mind most often are "Journal" and "Journalling." The 2020 post covered the benefits of journalling. The following year, journalling showcased the physical item rather than the act. Which brings us to 2022. Same word. Different approach.

Image by Pashminu Mansukhani from Pixabay

Like many explorers, the slayers of Darceth record their travels and experiences in a journal. These personal volumes could be shared with a good friend. Deneas' mother, a slayer in her own right, hid her journal to prevent its confiscation by the town elders. She knew that her time on this side of the veil was limited and wanted to leave Deneas the journal as her heritage.

Old Friend,

A portent of the future came in a vision and my fate is cast. I ask a boon of you. Please do not take vengeance on those who condemn me to the Goddess’ care. The town is innocent, as is Deneas. I entrust you with my most precious belonging, my daughter. Guide and protect her until she can do so on her own.

Forgive me. I could not accept the gift you offered. Despite our divergent paths, I treasured your friendship and will always do so.

Adais

Not everything written needs to be an apology or a poignant farewell. The last entry Deneas put in her journal was  the simple statement. Going to brace the dragon in his lair. Goddess, help us all.

 

 Sales Sites for Fire and Amulet at Books2Read. 

 

To make following the hop easier, you can find all my posts at 2022 AtoZ Connections. Just remember, the next day's post isn't live until midnight.

~till next time, Helen 

 

 

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


 

2022 I : Indecipherable

  

I originally wanted to use the word "undecipherable" for the post. But the letter "U" was already taken. So "indecipherable" got the nod. What is the difference?

For the purposes of this post, indecipherable is impossible to decode, read. While some references have undecipherable as a synonym, they can also clarify that while one is impossible to read, undecipherable is merely difficult.

In Fire and Amulet, the dragon slayers keep a journal. These are discussed in tomorrow's post, J : Journalling. Deneas's mother used a double encryption for her thoughts and notes. Not only did she write it in a personal code, but used a language that no one in in the village knew. 

Karst put a lot of thought into not only the entries in his book, but into the code he used. If the book fell into his father's hands, he wanted to make it as hard as possible for the elder councilman to read. Among the reasons for the security was to protect his new found friends, Clan Vreis. The pages also captured something even more precious. It was not details to a water source, or the way through a mountain pass. But the location of his mother's cabin.

Later, after the helwr adopted Karst as its master, Karst recorded any commands he didn’t want to forget. That information could never fall into his father's hands as it would turn the loyal bird into a lethal weapon. 

 

 Sales Sites for Fire and Amulet at Books2Read.

 

To make following the hop easier, you can find all my posts at 2022 AtoZ Connections. Just remember, the next day's post isn't live until midnight.

~till next time, Helen 

 

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