P is for Phoenix
Hello! Today’s fantasy creature is one of my favourites. Phoenixes are associated with many positive aspects of life, so it’s no wonder that they have appeared in innumerable novels.
The phoenix is a beautiful, large bird, similar to an eagle, usually having golden-red feathers and a long tail. It is often associated with the sun. Phoenixes are believed to live for several hundred years, and one of the phoenix’s most well-known characteristics is its ability to die and be reborn from its ashes. As such, the phoenix has become a symbol of renewal and resurrection, hope and the possibility of a fresh start, the cycle of life and immortality.
Perhaps one of the most well-known phoenixes in modern fantasy novels is Professor Dumbledore’s Fawkes. Fawkes’s tail feathers provide the core of the twin wands that are key to the Harry Potter story; Fawkes too plays a key role in helping Harry Potter defeat the Basilisk and his tears’ healing properties come into play too. After Dumbledore’s death, Fawkes flies away and sadly we never get to know what becomes of him.
References: https://mythopedia.com/topics/phoenix ; https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Fawkes
In my work so far, I have only depicted a human style of phoenix where a character dies and is reborn. In both the short story Shades of Red and Wolf and in the Fire Dance series, the protagonist is faced with the element of resurrection and therefore the stories tackle the intriguing aspects of how this affects family relationships, memory, age differences, care of newborns…
If you’re interested in knowing more about Fire Dance, I was recently interviewed about this new release. You can read the interview here.
Books You Might Like
For lovers of all things fantasy… FREE BOOKS
A young man determined to protect his girl… A teenage boy offering prophecies… and a series of unexplained events.
A ghost story with suspense and sweet romance set in a Greek mountain village (full-length novella)
A young man determined to protect his girl… A strange boy offering prophecies… and a series of unexplained events. Lefteris and his darling girl, Evgenia, live a quiet and happy life together in a mountain village in Zagori, Greece. One day, as Lefteris crosses an old stone bridge, he meets a strange boy who warns him that Evgenia is in danger. What follows is a series of astounding events as the boy’s prophecies of mortal danger continue, and Lefteris does his best to protect his girl. Now, he considers reverting to his old ways of solving all differences with his fists. Will he allow himself to resort to violence? How does the mysterious boy on the bridge fit in all this? And why does he refuse to meet Evgenia? Could it be that he is not of this world?
“A magical, quaint setting in rural Greece where you’ll meet relatable characters and lose yourself in a story full of love, magic and suspense.” ~MariaM, Amazon US reviewer
“From the outset I was drawn into this story and left intrigued throughout, I couldn’t get through the pages quickly enough!” ~Amy T., Amazon UK reviewer
“You can feel the love between Lefteris and Evgenia emanating from the pages of this book.” ~Jean Symonds, Amazon UK reviewer
Do you enjoy suspenseful, non-scary ghost stories? Escape to a Greek mountain village today and lose yourself in this fabulous, awarded novella!
When legends come to life, so do the monsters . . .
If you like fast-paced novellas, engaging mysteries and innovative fantasy, then you’ll love this insight into Bronwyn Leroux’s engaging new series.
When legends come to life, so do the monsters. . . What is the Council hiding? After they divulge an ancient legend, Aiken can’t shake the feeling something’s off. No heroic outcome. No hint of what the mystical box imprisons. And what legend concludes with dire warnings of an apocalypse? As enclave life makes demands on his time, Aiken hunts for survival instead of answers. It’s a choice he’ll regret. When fate intervenes, Aiken’s life spirals out of control. With the legend come to life, his village under attack and no sign of reprieve, can Aiken prevail before the world ends?
And many more FREE books…
Other books you may like…
In 1900 a massive hurricane wiped out Galveston, killing thousands and leveling the island.
One building survived, the Dark Waters Inn. The proprietress made a deal with the angel who watches over Texas . . .
Over the years the island rebuilt. But Dark Waters remains untouched, haunted by a ghost whose successive granddaughters continue running the inn. Macey Davenport shows up late for her grandmother’s funeral and suddenly finds herself the new owner of a very special place.
Cord Dupree is a lonely highway patrol officer in West Texas. One night, he pulls over a werewolf . . .
Suddenly Cord finds himself promoted, handed a silver badge tied to the ghost of an old Texas Ranger. His job now is to serve as the living half of a paranormal law enforcement team stretching back to the 1800s.
When Cord and his partner become guests at the Dark Waters Inn, old ghosts are reunited and romantic sparks fly in the land of the living. But a secret organization keeps tabs on the paranormal in Texas. When guests start showing up dead in Galveston, it will take Cord, Macey, their ghosts and Bogey the dog to figure out whodunit and do something about it.
Grab all five books in the complete Dark Waters Inn series with this box set:
A Bite for Dinner
Paws for Lunch
A Breakfast Tail
A Nosey Brunch
Snacks for Packs
I’ve made enemies of the wrong people and they’re coming for me.
My name’s Rekia and I’m wanted dead or alive.
A normal day for me is hiding thieves and criminals in alternate universes where their pursuers can’t find them.
On my latest assignment, I ran across a plot between two powerful worlds.
If left unchecked, it could destroy all worlds, including my own.
I can’t let that happen.
My enemies put a price on my head, but I never go down without a fight.
Now, I’m coming for them. I’ve gathered a few friends and we’re hunting.
If I die, I’m taking a few hundred of them with me.
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.
A terrified girl with a deadly ability. A penniless soldier who loves her. A lord with the power of life and death over them.
For seventeen years, Maia, a promising acolyte of the Goddess of Light, has hidden her unholy ability to conjure flames. But when she performs in the temple’s Summer Solstice ceremony, the Emperor’s envoy, Lord Quei, tells her he knows her secret. Quei threatens to enslave Vane, the young man Maia loves, and execute her as a demon unless Maia recovers coins that were stolen from him. He claims these will reveal Maia’s true nature and restore their memories of who he and Maia were in previous lives.
To save herself and Vane, Maia goes against her principles and resorts to deceit and thievery in her search for both the coins and the truth about her fire. But if what Quei says is true, the coins will destroy her beliefs about who she is, the nature of her world, and even worse, Vane’s trust and love.
How do you choose between protecting your family or following your heart?
Maia, her family, and Ryse, the love of her several lives, are desperate to reach their spacecraft and return to their home planet. Only Ryse’s presence there can prevent a devastating war from erupting. But Maia’s heart is torn: the spacecraft is too small to take them all and leaving means abandoning family members in a land ravaged by conflict and rebellion.
Their plans are further thrown into disarray when they attract the attention of General Dardarin, who suspects they are enemy spies.
With the enemy armed with alien weapons, with the rebellion entangling Maia in its web and with Dardarin following their every move, Maia races against the clock to find a way to protect all those she loves on both worlds. Even if it means sacrificing her happiness and her centuries-long love for Ryse.
Colours of Fantasy (FREE DOWNLOAD)
Not enough time to read, but love fantasy?
Colours of Fantasy is an anthology of short stories that range from magical realism to sci-fi fantasy. They are short enough to be easily read while commuting or during a lunch break. Read about paintings that are truer than true-to-life, or the heart-wrenching decision Poseidon’s human son-in-law has to take, or perhaps you’ll prefer a glimpse of life after an apocalypse, or a story about a space pirate with an uncomfortable past.
And if you like longer reads, Colours of Fantasy gives you a taste of Book One of two series: The Hyllethan Gifts Trilogy and Fire Dance Chronicles.
Till next time! Wishing you a great two weeks with a good book!
Caroline
