Helen B. Henderson's Blog, page 28
April 8, 2022
2022 H : Helwr
Maybe it comes from growing up on a farm, but non-human characters seem to insert themselves into the story. Horses, both the ordinary kind we ride in our world and the magical equines of the fantasy ones I have been privileged to write about, have done so the most. However in Fire and Amulet, a legendary winged predator called a helwr flew in and refused to leave.
There were several memories that inspired the helwr. Lying on the grass beneath a huge willow tree on summer days watching hawks elegantly soar on the thermals. Or the occasional eagle who left the river and came the mile inland to have a rabbit for dinner rather than the usual fare of trout.
Image by kamyk293 from PixabayAn excerpt of Karst's first meeting with a helwr.
“Vengeance on that stallion that lured my horse away,” Karst yelled to the large bird watching from its perch on a fallen tree. The bird’s black feathers blended so well with the shadows, only the dark orange of its eyes betrayed its existence...
The bird shifted from foot to foot. Karst couldn’t tell if the bird mimicked him or if there was another reason. A squawk and the bird stuck its head into a hole in the log. It came out holding a round green ball in its mouth. One claw held it while the bird tore off the hard covering to reveal a spongy inside surrounding a dark green nut. Three crunches later, the bird gave a satisfied croon, hopped down, and started scratching in the leaves. Four more balls were unearthed and eaten before the bird returned to its perch and preened its feathers.
So intrigued by the bird’s behavior, Karst almost missed the three white stones stacked atop each other that had been hidden beneath a pile of wind-blown leaves. “Yes,” he laughed. “Finally, a waymark. Hopefully, it points how to get out of these trees and the incessant green.”
The bird squawked a chastisement of having its rest disturbed.
Legend states that once a helwr adopts a human, the bonding was for life. When their companion dies, the helwr mourns at the grave for a period of time, then strikes out to find its friend’s kin, or depending on the manner of the human's death, their murderer. Karst found out the truth of the legend and a family secret is revealed.
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
April 7, 2022
2022 G : Ghostly Apparition
"G" was supposed to be for "Ghost. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines as ghost as "the spirit of a dead person." Which fits perfectly with one of the tales in Hearth and Sand: Stories From The Front Lines and the Homefront. In Echoes From The Valley, a soldier of yesteryear teaches the real meaning of duty when a Civil War bugler accepts the call for one of his descendents.
But that really doesn't match the theme of focusing on the new release, Fire and Amulet. Then I went through any of the fantasy worlds I created. Apparition fits closer as it doesn't have to be a ghost, rather "something you believe, imagine, or dream you see." So I decided to blend the two.From Imprisoned in Stone, Maerva's introduction to magic.
The moon reappeared from behind its filtering curtains of haze. No longer obscured, the low-hanging globe sent a shaft of white light streaming through the window. The beam moved up the wall beyond her bed, turning the darkness into a shadowed frame. Glimmering letters written by a ghostly hand resolved into words.
They are coming.
I can sense the presence of the Brethren.
They murdered my son... my wife.
They are coming–the ones who killed me!
A gasp escaped Maervas lips. There had been someone in her room... someone in unbearable agony. She strained her senses beyond her room to no avail. Only the sounds of the sea and the night reached her ears. Tears burned her eyes at the depth of the pain imbued in the frantic message. She blinked to clear her vision and the message vanished.
In Fire and Amulet, apparitions invaded Deneas' dreams and appeared within the flames of her campfires.
Image from Pixabay.
Wraiths danced in the smoke of a massive pyre, whirling, and writhing to escape the fire. Even with their features distorted in pain, Deneas picked out Geren and his new bride. Next, she identified the oldsters of Darceth who she and her mother helped feed. Betrys and Leri completed the circle. The screams of the dancers as dragon fire consumed them echoed in her ears.
Each burning figure pointed an accusing finger at Deneas. Why does the dragon still live?
Waves of anger and guilt rolled over Deneas, submerging her in their depths.
The spectre of a woman dressed in the white robe of the Goddess appeared in the heart of the pyre. A lace cowl covered her head, disguising her features. Sparks flickered in the intricate design, bringing it to life. She held up a hand and the flames died down until they only lapped around her ankles.
Sales Sites for Fire and Amulet at Books2Read.
For excerpts, and a free read of the first chapter of Imprisoned in Stone, click on the cover in the banner.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
April 6, 2022
2022 F : Favor
The letter "F" was chosen to cover two words, Favor and Free.
I would like to take the opportunity to ask for a favor of you, the reader. Two of the things authors cherish most are their readers and reviews. To those of you who have read my tales of fantasy and adventures in worlds of imagination, thank you. I hope they help you escape from your everyday lives and bring you a touch of joy. I hope you will consider leaving a review. If not of my books, at least leave one for your favorite author.
To those looking for well-written fantasies to read, I hope you’ll consider adding one of mine to your to-be-read list.
And as an enticement (or outright bribe) a special gift. Click on the FREE READS button in the sidebar for your choice of a science fiction, fantasy, or scifi romance short story.
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
April 5, 2022
2022 E : Escape #MFRWHooks
I have a problem. In most of my tales, the fantasy element fights with the romance. One book is classified as fantasy-romance and the next book in the series is romance-fantasy. In both cases, there has to be sufficient action to keep the hero and/or heroine in serious danger. Some authors don't kill any characters, especially ones they like. I do, with a caveat. No matter whether the story is truer to fantasy or to romance, I like happy endings. What good is escaping the worries of the real world if the imaginary one is just as depressing.
An excerpt of an escape in Fire and Amulet. To set the scene, a young girl running away from her kidnappers literally falls into Trelleir's arms. Before he and Deneas can return the girl to her village, those who took her block their way.
Image by PoldyChromos from Pixabay
In the deepest part of his soul, Trelleir vowed if there was no other way than transforming, he would save Deneas, no matter the cost.A tree balanced perilously on the edge offered a possible, albeit dangerous, plan. He leaned down and whispered into Leri’s ear. “When I say, ‘Go,’ you run to that log and climb into the hole in the middle where the branch is missing. I want you to scrunch down and hold on real tight.”
“Okay,” came back the wavering response.
“Ready ... Go.”
Leri hesitated, then raced towards the tree.
In the few heartbeats it had taken to give the instructions, the bandits coming up the trail had approached within a wagon length. The tableau of Deneas and the other group hadnt changed. Trelleir faced the newcomers. One side of his mouth twitched up in a rueful smile. This could be fun, he thought, if I took on my dragon form. I wonder how these footpads would fly without wings. All it would take would be a twitch of my tail to find out.
"Hey, old man, give us the girl and we might only break an arm."
With no way forward or to retreat, an unusual means of escape is needed.
Trelleir turned and raced to the tree. Deneas was already at the front, throwing her weight against a branch. He did the same, and the tree tipped over the edge. Running leaps had them astride the log. A sharp bump and the front part of their makeshift sled lifted, threatening to dump its passengers. It thumped back down when Deneas laid flat and threw her weight forward.From within the log came a lilting, "Whee."
Faster and faster, their wooden steed slid down the muddy slope. The wind whistling past his ears brought another sound. Deneas sharp, Hold on. The sharp incline they had ridden down ended at a stone ledge jutting out of the mountainside. Beyond it lay nothing but open air. The log hit the flat spot, shuddered, and kept sliding. What seemed like wagon lengths below, white water rushed around jagged rocks. Unlike the earlier part of the ride, Leri didnt make a sound as the log went airborne.
Image by Photorama from Pixabay
Trelleir reached out and grabbed the child's flailing hand. His other hand clamped onto a branch in an iron vice.
The sense of flight ended. The front of the log hit the water, then dipped beneath the white foam. Trelleir didn't have time to warn Leri to hold her breath before a wall of water curled above them, submerging the log ... and its riders.
Sales Sites for Fire and Amulet at Books2Read.
To make following 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
Since it's Wednesday, this post is doing double duty. The rest of the Book Hooks hop is at http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com
April 4, 2022
2022 D: Deneas
Deneas was actually introduced in last year's A to Z in April Challenge. The post A + E equals D tells how he got her name as a combination of her father's and her mother's names.
Image by ArtSpark. From Pixabay.Deneas was trained as a dragon slayer. First at her mother's knee, then later after her mother's death, Caldar, head of the town council, took over Deneas' education.
She is the daughter of Adais, a slayer and Eneae, a chieftain’s son.
Physical Description
Deneas has long hair, usually worn in a braid, tied with a leather thong. Her hair reflects her heritage. It is dark brown in winter, matching her mother's hair color. In summer, it lightens until it appears white, the hair color of her father.
More About Her (Secrets or Public)
Although sworn to the service of the volcano goddess, Deneas didn't really believe in the dark haired god with an ivory trident. Having felt the back of Caldar's hand on more than one occasion, she kept her true beliefs to herself.
Excerpt
Deneas opened her eyes to a darkness unbroken by even the faint glow of the crescent moon. Unease permeated her being. Her mother’s presence filled the empty house. The echo of words hung in the air, elusive and refusing to be captured. Her finger grazed her cheek where warmth from the light touch of a kiss still lingered.
The dream was obviously a warning, but of what remained unknown. The nightmares had been coming more frequently since the new moon, growing stronger each night. “Tonight’s was the worst.” Although she didn’t mean to do so, the words came out in a whisper.
I hope you enjoyed this introduction to Deneas. Find excerpts by clicking on the Fire and Amulet cover in the banner.
Buy Links 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
April 3, 2022
2022 C: Caldar
No picture is available for Head Slayer Caldar, leader of the Council of Elders of the village of Darceth, and interpreter for the mountain goddess. From what I've learned of his personality, the lack of either portrait or statue is not from lack of interest on Caldar's part. Rather no one with the appropriate skill lives in Darceth. Word spread throughout the caravans that Caldar would not pay for services rendered, but would instead confiscate the portrait. And if the artist complained, the village elder would consign the poor wight to the Goddess' chamber of justice.
Physically, Caldar is not an impressive example of manhood. He is short, portly and gray-bearded. As far as personality, he exudes righteousness and struts with arrogance. Although he is the head slayer, he makes no attempt to achieve the conditioning he requires of others. Of course, he is used to bullying people to get what he wants rather than earning it.
Courtesy of Pixabay
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
April 2, 2022
Fire and Amulet - A Gift
Having a slayer as a friend is dangerous when you’re a dragon.
A gift of the first three chapters from Fire and Amulet. Click on the button below to download.
Then when you're ready for the rest of the tale,
In Ebook or Paperback at Amazon
Check back at Books2Read for additional ebook sites as they become available
April 1, 2022
2022 B: Blacksmith
It's a short week for the A to Z in April Challenge. B is for blacksmith. Meet Brodie from Windmaster Golem and Gelem from the upcoming release, Fire and Amulet. Their physical descriptions are similar. Both are tall men with strong hands. Geren has long, straight dark hair always worn tied back with a strip of leather. Brodie has intense brown eyes.
Image by thewaitingexperience from PixabayAlthough both work with metal, what they do with it is different. Geren primarily works with iron to create horseshoes, hooks, and wagon wheels. He is also an inventor. Geren, his bride-to-be, and his father have escaped from Darceth. The excerpt takes place in a narrow, high-walled defile and shows one of Geren's creations. Although it is not wide enough for wagons to be put into a circle, Deneas and Trelleir watch as they are.
A man standing at the head of a team of horses lifted the lead rope, and the horses sidestepped in perfect unison. The wagon tongue swung with their movement and in response, the wheels rotated so the wagon turned with no perceptible forward motion.
Besides creating the usual items of iron villagers need, Brodie is also a master weaponsmith. Among his special creations were the hilts and blades that when joined with a particular element such as a polished stone or gem formed the daggers for mages as they came into their powers. While the making of weapons and horseshoes are one magnitude of smithing, Brodie's affinity for metals also allowed him to work with silver to create jewelry or engrave runes onto weapons.
Image by rygudguy from PixabayAn excerpt relating to the making of one special journeyman dagger.
Drawings of the blades he had designed for the soon-to-be vetted mages lay scattered across the workbench. His gaze fell on the rendering of the knife he felt would become Kia’s. The blade itself was in the annealing oven cooling from the final tempering. He had seen little of her in the two sevenday since their arrival at the isle. He had been busy getting the weapons ready for the future mages, and she with her lessons.
Sketch in hand he opened the drawer holding the trinkets and gems meant for the hilts. Unlike the other sketches, the space for the element remained shapeless. None of the bits and pieces or any of the stones matched the signature he saw in the iron. Runes for power and wisdom had already been etched into the metal and gleamed from the page in reflection of the energy embued by symbol and meaning. He didn’t know what the key to unlocking the dagger’s power would be, only that there was nothing to mate with the blade. “I’ll know it when I see it,” he muttered.
To meet Brodie, click on the cover Windmaster Golem in the banner for excerpts, a free read of the first chapter, and buy links. For Gelem, click on the buy links below.
Paperback: Amazon
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
March 31, 2022
2022 AtoZ Connections
Thank you for visiting Journey to Worlds of Imagination during the 2022 A to Z in April Challenge. To make following along easier, the link to each day's challenge will be added to the appropriate letter as the month goes on. Remember there is no challenge post on Sundays and the link will not go live until the actual date.
All That Has Gone Before
Blacksmith
Caldar
Deneas
Escape
Favor
Ghostly Apparition
Helwr
Indecipherable
Journalling
Karst
Landscape
Misrepresentation
Playlist Behind Fire and Amulet
Quest
Rahu
Shepherd
Truth
Unfamiliar
Working Dogs
Xtra
Yxx
Zoology
~till next time, Helen
2022 A: All That Has Gone Before
Normally "A" is a very easy letter to create a post for. However, this year I drew a blank. The only two topics that even remotely interested me were meet the character interviews for Anastasia or Adais. One character was not from Fire and Amulet and to write about the other would reveal too many secrets too soon.
The 2021 topics focused on the characters and settings of two fantasy romance series, the Windmaster Novels and the Dragshi Chronicles, with a touch of the writing life tossed in for variety.
The dragshi are more than just a man or woman. Each are two beings–one a dragon, the other a human–sharing one body in space in time and able to change forms with the other at will. Their world and the adventures of the dragon shifters are recorded in the Dragshi Chronicles.
The 2020 topics went beyond the two series to include other genres, thoughts on the writing life, and a touch of something about me tossed in for variety.
If the topics sound intriguing, click on the date for lists of the 2019, 2020, and 20R21 topics. To make following the 2022 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.
