K is for Kelpie, plus upcoming sci-fi fantasy series
What do fire, space travel and having memories that don’t belong to you have to do with each other? It’s not a trick question – it’s the What If? which led to my forthcoming series: The Firedance Chronicles. I’m excited to say that I’m finally about to send the first book—Firedance—off to my editor. I’m aiming for an early 2024 publication date.
The protagonist of Firedance is seventeen-year-old Maia. At the beginning of the book, Maia is looking forward to becoming invested as the Goddess of Light’s newest Sentinel. She hides her ability to not get burnt by fire as well as to release fire from her skin since these traits mark her as abnormal, a demon’s child. She is focused and hard-working, but cold to pleas for kindness, bending of rules and ‘family’ problems. She knows that some of her dreams—or are they nightmares?—might actually not be a figment of her imagination. But how can she find out why she remembers experiences she’s never had in these 17 years? Her greatest fear is being found out and condemned to death as a demon’s child.
When creating characters I fill in a chart with their characteristics. I thought you might like to see Maia’s.
In reality, my handwritten copy is much messier than what you can see, with multiple rubbing offs and overwriting! As you can see, too, I’ve only included half the chart as revealing how the character changes at the end would reveal too much of the plot 
There are no fantasy creatures in the first two books of the Firedance Chronicles which I’ve written so far—unless you count creatures that are mentioned in passing that might appear in future books. So in today’s ABC series of Fantasy Creatures, I’m going to focus on a creature found in Scottish folklore: the kelpie.
K is for Kelpie
Kelpies are water creatures that can be found in Scottish freshwater lochs and fast moving rivers. Kelpies can shapeshift and often take on the form of a human or a beautiful horse or pony. However, beware attempting to catch one of them in the form of a horse and riding it. The creature’s magical back will not allow riders to dismount and it will gallop into high water and drown them. Their victims are then eaten.
Kelpies are also known to have the power to summon floods to drown their victims.
A Kelpie’s weakness is its bridle as whoever manages to get hold of it will be able to control the creature. This is a great advantage as kelpies are stronger than ten horses.
References: https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Kelpie/; https://mythus.fandom.com/wiki/Kelpie
Some self-promo!
When sixteen-year-old Shael helps a mortally wounded messenger, he entrusts her with delivering to the queen three magical statuettes stolen from the Hyllethans, her country’s feared enemies. But Shael accidentally cuts her fingers while handling the statuettes and magic links her to them—any breakage or pressure on the clay is felt on her flesh. Shael’s fate is now inexorably tied to the Hyllethans, the statuettes, and the political turmoil in the land.
If you like magic, enemies to lovers, twists and turns, harrowing escapes and family drama, then you’ll enjoy The Hyllethan Gifts Trilogy.
Dawn of Purple and Grey, Days of Wind and Snow, and Night of Rites and Wraiths (The Hyllethan Gifts Trilogy) are available through Amazon as ebooks and paperbacks or as a Complete Series Box Set in ebook format.
Till next time,
Caroline
