Helen B. Henderson's Blog, page 29

COVER REVEAL -- Fire and Amulet

 
With the ending of The Windmaster Novels, I had to escape my earthbound ties. The result was the fantasy, Fire and Amulet. Revealing the simple and elegant cover by Michelle Lee of Stardust Creations.   

 

  BREAKING NEWS

Can't wait for the story? Get Fire and Amulet in paperback at Amazon. Available Now at Amazon. Or if you prefer digital, ebook available April 1st.

 

 

Trelleir is a true dragon. 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. 

Ebook Coming April 1st.

~till the next time. Helen

Spring, Weather, and Ping Pong

 

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

~till next time, Helen

BREAKING NEWS 

 Fire and Amulet,
a twist on a dragon shifter story is
now available in print at Amazon.
Ebook coming April 1st.

2021 MFRW Challenge Observations #MFRWHooks

 

Someone flipped the calendar to read 3/22/22.  Wait...It can't be spring already. I'm working on guest posts and interviews for the release  of Fire and Amulet as well as getting a jump on the A to Z in April Challenge which this year will feature the characters and world of it as well. Looking up a past blog post I realized I never did a summary of what began as the MFRW 52-Week Challenge, then shifted to a monthly topic. Links to the 2021 posts by alphabetic title are below with the official topic in parentheses. Again, congratulations to the other authors who participated. And to our readers I hope you enjoyed our revelations whether they be personal or about the writing life. If you came here from the BookHooks, thanks. If not, check out the other posts.

 ~till next time, Helen

 

Cause, Not Just For A Day (What issue/cause you care about that finds its way into your writing.)

Dark Days, Dark Actions (How different seasons affect your writing)

Don't Like The Cold? Move (Inventive ways you've found to keep warm)

Journeys In Real Life (Real life events that have inspired your writing) 

Journeys In The Real World (Real life locations you have used in your books)

Lottery for Life (An event where Luck played a part)

No Muss, No Fuss (Describe a perfect weekend getaway)

Perfect Union (Describe the perfect wedding)

Scared. Escape Needed (Share a scary story you've experienced, read, or seen)

Smoke and Flames (Name the ways an important dinner has failed)

Sweeter Than Candy (Sweet ways to say I love you)

Time To Live (You can go back in time for only one day. Where/when would you go?)

2022 A-Z Theme Reveal

  

 

This post is supposed to set the theme for the April AtoZ challenge. Doing a post a day is difficult when you have a new release, are a 24/7 caregiver, and run a household. All the while when trying to get a new project underway.

The posts for the 2022 Challenge will showcase the characters and world of the April 2022 release, the fantasy romance Fire and Amulet

A few thoughts on my approach. Since I did the AtoZ in April Challenges in 2019, 2020, and 2021, I didn't want to duplicate the previous year's posts. The world event called Covid-19 or the novel corona virus still permeates the world. It made focusing impossible, stole the energy to write, and chased the muse away. However, I'm going to give 2022 a shot.

Here is the master list of blogs joining me in singing the alphabet song. 

~till next time, I'm off to start singing the alphabet song. Hope you'll join me April 1st for "All That Has Gone Before" Helen

Changing Times

Over on the BooksWeLove Blog, I'm posting about how technology had changed since I first became a writer. Hope you'll stop by.

~till next time, Helen

2022 V : Volcano For A Goddess

 

 

 

 Axxx

xxx

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

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

 

It's Not Spring So Why Am I Cleaning

 

Over on the BooksWeLove Blog, I'm chatting about spring cleaning of yesteryear and today.  Hope you'll stop by and be inspired to start your spring cleaning early.

~till next time, Helen

Ring In The Season

I'm posting today on the BWL Authors Blog. Normally at this time of year, posts tend to reflect the holidays so I chose to reveal some of my favorite songs. Hope you'll stop by and Ring In The Season.

SPECIAL NEWS - Book We Love Publishing has a holiday sale on. All their books, including the Windmaster Novels, are 50% off at Smashwords. A book under the tree is a great gift.  But act quickly, for the sale ends on Christmas.

~ till next time, Helen 

 

Hooked on Windmaster Golem, Morning After #MFRWhook

Magic animated the golem. Can someone without powers stop them?
 

A snippit from Windmaster Golem. To set the stage, this takes place the morning after Relliq tried to kill Brodie. Despite spending the night worrying about who broke his spell and whether the archmage would come to punish him, Relliq hasn't learned his lesson and tries another spell which results in another first meeting.

To see what started Relliq's angst, check out "Dark." 

Anger at his failure raised his pulse. His magic surged out of control. Across the room, tinder laid out on the hearth for the night’s fire burst into flames. Surprise at the strength of his power shocked Relliq. The fire in the hearth flickered into nothingness. Grasping control of the spell, he encouraged the glowing coals to relight. 

For a candlemark he sat and pondered the dancing flames. Contrasting thoughts danced with each spark that flared up the chimney. Ysbail always preached keeping emotions under control, he mused. The ease by which I brought fire to cold wood proves she is wrong. Anger boosted my abilities.

Now just learn how to control them, reality added. 

A snatch pulled a bowl from the shelf. He had bartered a love potion for the bowl from a caravan passing through town. “Which will have an unexpected surprise attached to it,” Relliq laughed. “The wielder of the potion may find achieving his desire is not the pleasure he expected.” 

The sound of his voice returned Relliq’s focus to why he wanted the bowl. Untouched by food or drink, it was perfect for casting a spell. A splash of water to form a mirror and to consecrate the vessel and he whispered an incantation. 

“Nothing happened,” he snarled. There is no anger, no surge of pleasure or lust, he realized. Once again he called forth the rage that he could not control the living fog. 

“Vision near, vision far,
Show me a caster of power.”

The water in the bowl shimmered. A solid wall of stone replaced the reflection of the room around him. Relliq leaned in closer. What had appeared as the mortar between stones now revealed itself as the outline of a door. The perspective shifted to the other side of the wall and the slender figure whose arm raised as if to knock on the hidden door. 

At first he thought his spell had centered on the man from the night before. “No,” he hissed. “It’s not the smith. The image isn’t the chamber room of the wizards’ council. It’s not any place I’ve seen in my scrying stone.” A ray of sunlight penetrated the gloom of what he realized had to be a narrow alley. Braids of brown hair formed a crown in which crystal pins danced. 

“A woman,” Relliq breathed. “Look up. I need to see your face.” As if in reply to the command, the woman looked skyward.

~ * ~

And don't miss the holiday special. The entire Windmaster Novels series is only $1.50 at Smashwords.

Paperback: Amazon / Barnes&Noble /

Ebook: Amazon / Kobo / More ebook stores

Hooked on Windmaster Golem, Bookqw Dark #mfrwhooks

 Magic animated the golem. Can someone without powers stop them?
 

A snippit from Windmaster Golem using the Book Quote Word, DARK. To set the stage, Relliq is not happy with his assignment as apprentice to a village healer. While she is out on a mission of mercy, he experiments with magic.  The result is the first encounter between competitors for Kiansel's affection.

Relliq threw more magic into the spell. A man appeared. Tall and wide-shouldered, he strode with confidence along at steep trail. Gray ropes snatched at his legs. The air around the figure thickened and within a heartbeat became an impenetrable haze.

Now the liquid in the bowl once again showed its true nature. As he had just moments before, Relliq searched his memory for the means to use and control the spell. A pairing came to mind. “Night be dark, light be gone, mist turn into a living fog,” he hissed.

What had been a haze thickened and pulsed in a rhythm that mirrored a heartbeat.

Relliq’s lips parted. He leaned closer to the bowl. The shadowed man fell, rose to his feet, shambled a few paces, fell again, then on hands and feet crawled through the swirling mass. Movement ceased when the figure placed his back against a sheer rock face.

The liquid in the bowl shimmered, then exploded. Sparks flew around the room, landing on the table, the floor, and in Relliq’s hair. Slaps put out the embers that burned his skin and clothes. Remnants of the shattered spell danced along the bowl’s rim as glowing sprites. After a frenetic dance, they merged and flared into a solid flame. A shriek at the pain in his hands and Relliq threw the bowl against the wall. Fire flowed down the wall where the blood droplets touched the stone.

His hastily whispered dispersion spell touched the flames which flickered into nothingness to cast the room into darkness. A single moonbeam pierced the gloom and moved across the room to pin the doorway in a spectral glow.

~ * ~

And don't miss the holiday special. The entire Windmaster Novels series is only $1.50 at Smashwords.


Paperback: Amazon / Barnes&Noble /

Ebook: Amazon / Kobo / More ebook stores