Reading and Writing Buddies

 

 

Over on the BooksWeLove Blog, I'm introducing a couple of my reading and writing buddies. Hope you'll stop by and meet Pepper and Tighe.

~till next time, Helen

There's still time to get

 Fire and Amulet,

for half-off at Smashwords.

Meet The ArchMage Lord Dal #mfrwhooks

Continuing the new series of posts introducing some of my favorite people (or people I love to hate) from the sword and sorcery romantic fantasy series, the Windmaster Novels, you are invited to meet Lord Dal.

Physical Description

In Windmaster Legacy, Dal is in his early thirties. Even though men from the M’twan Mountains run to long in the leg, Dal is a full head taller than many of his kin. The scars on his forearms from practice blades and actual battles tell of his experiences as a mercenary trained before his powers asserted themselves.

Dal's black hair is short on sides and falls to just below shoulder in back. Besides his muscular frame which hints at his true strength, one of the first things many people notice about him are his light brown eyes that tend to sparkle with an internal amusement.

Desperate to get her goods undercover before the heat ruined them, Ellspeth searched the bustling docks. She focused on a man. Not because he busily shifted crates, but because he lounged against a barrel placed in the shade.

His clothes seem of good quality. Maybe he’s a local tradesman. After a second look at the well-worn loose breeches, tight vest, and leather neckband, she corrected herself. Or, the younger son of a chieftain from the Mtwan mountain region. A few quick steps took her to the loafer who watched her approach, amusement sparkling in his light brown eyes.

“You look strong. I will pay you ten coppers for the day. That is double the going rate. Payment when Sea Falcon is unloaded.”

Accustomed to an immediate response from her crew, Ellspeth’s fists clenched at his insolent stare when he ignored her and took another bite of his meat roll. His gaze holding hers, he raised his earthen mug in salute. “Do you even have ten coppers?

 

Background 

Dal is the younger son of a mountain clan. His friendship with Fraunces, King of the Second Kingdom, started when Dal presented him with one of the favored horses from the Mtwan mountains that he had captured and broke to bit and bridle.

More About Him (Secrets or Public)

Dal became the last surviving member of the wizard’s council when a rogue mage murdered everyone on the Isle of Mages. However, even before every other trained wizard died, Dal was the head of the council.

I hope you enjoyed this introduction to Dal.  Find excerpts by clicking on the cover in the banner. For more of Windmaster Legacy, find the information below.  

Buy Links: One click to ebook sellers
Paperback at Amazon

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&nbs

 

2022 Z : Zoology

 

Certain letters of the challenge are harder than others. The letter "Z" is one of them. The most common "Z" word that comes to mind is Zoo. I used that for the 2020 challenge Z-word. This time instead of focusing on my favorite place to take photographs, you are invited to meet some of the creatures that inhabited Deneas' world.

Cats 

Several species of large, cats stalk the land, especially at night. A single swipe of a paw could hamstring and bring down a rambler or disembowel a man. An excerpt of a camp invaded and Deneas' encounter with one of the. lethal felines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An ominous growl echoed in the night. A heartbeat later, a second, closer one, came from where a pair of green eyes glowed from on top of the wall. ...

Slowly, so as not to encourage an attack before she was ready, she stirred up the coals, sending the orange flames higher. What had been almost invisible except for the unblinking jewels of its eyes now resolved into a large, spotted cat. Deneas weighed the stick in her hand. One swipe of the creature’s massive paws would break the wood in two.

Helwr 

The aerial hunters of legend are showcased in the 2022 challenge post, H is for Helwr.

 

Ramblers

Herds of shaggy beasts called ramblers roamed the plains, leveling anything in their path. Not even knives or arrows matched the killing power of the young bulls’ horns and hooves. The adult males who ruled the herd stand taller at the shoulder than a grown man ruled the herd.  Their horns were longer, sharper, and more lethal.

American Bison, aka Buffalo, were the inspiration for the ramblers. My first introduction to them, other than on Saturday morning westerns, was a grade school class trip to a family farm who had several bison. Later, I saw a small herd of them on a regular basis at a buffalo ranch near my family farm.

Another inspiration for the ramblers was Bronco, a cow-buffalo cross. He could be exasperating and frustrating. Usually by breaking out of the pasture when you want to go somewhere such as high school graduation. And of course, he refused to respond to the usual call of clanging a wooden spoon against his feed bucket.

This is the last post in the challenge. I hope you've enjoyed the trip to the world of Fire and Amulet. To make following my posts in the challenge easier, you can find all my posts at 2022 AtoZ Connections.

Fire and Amulet  Buy Links

Ebook:  Books2Read  Don't see your favorite site. Check back on the Books2Read page for additional sale sites as they are added.

Paperback:  Amazon

~till next time, Helen 

 

 

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