Journey to the stars and worlds of imagination: Thirteen Visits, Real, Virtual, and to Worlds of Imagination

This Thursday Thirteen features places I have been to or lived at. Some are places that I want to visit, but to date have only been there in the virtual world. To start off the list are places in the worlds of imagination featured in my novels.

TAREKUS (pronounced tar e koos - tops the list of places I want to visit. In one way I have. I journeyed to the ancestral land of her kin with my namesake Eilidh and also virtually roamed the land. In the center of the hinterland, running north-south, is a wide swath of veldt and at its heart a great, raised plateau of red rock. Tarekus is home to many strange animals including a small bear that only eats the leaves of one tree and long-necked animals called by tree-trimmers that eat the tender leaves off the top of trees. (Windmaster Legacy)

Image courtesy of Pixabay
Field of Boulders - an expanse of reddish yellow boulders provided hope as a respite from the heat. The clumps of squat trees that marked an ancient path offered no shade. The gritty, yellow powder blowing across the desert burned the eyes and throat and left behind a metallic taste. (Fire and Amulet)

Site was inspired by Hickory Run State Park. Boulder Field has been here, mostly unchanged, for over 20,000 years.The rocky landscape of Boulder Field is a National Natural Landmark and state park natural area. The site appears striking not just because of its flatness and the absence of vegetation, some of the boulders are 26 feet long.
Glaswellt – a river hamlet periodically terrorized by water lizards who come upriver. (Imprisoned in Stone)
Bleve Aibheis – it would be a beautiful place to visit if it hadn't been taken over by the Brethren. Besides being protected by a dome of magic the largest building is the Brethren's Hall. Those daring to brace the heart home of the Brethren enter from a walled courtyard at the foot of the cliff. The arms that seem to reach out of the rock are the private quarters of those who would control all magic. (Imprisoned in Stone)
The great courtyard where
pilgrims and students are welcomed.
Courtesy of Pixabay.
Temple of Givneh - besides the great courtyard where the faithful gather before entering, the library of ancient knowledge would be a favorite haunt of mine. Especially once I mastered the spells to light the wickless lanterns so I can explore the endless halls. (Windmaster, Windmaster Golem)
Dragon Temple, southern continent - Inspiration for the mating site was Machu Picchu. It was easy to envision the dragon queen on the top level with the potential suitors flying up to her and dropping a fish at her feet. Another aspect of the site came from the ancient Inca lands. The hieroglyphs on the stellae, a collection of large stone panels at he foot of the temple, record the history of the true dragons. The glyphs show dragon mating flights, however they also come with a warning of the deaths of suitors. (Hatchlings Curse)
Eruichin - One of the fun things about writing the Dragshi Chronicles was the variety of lands which ranged from the Scottish highlands, to tropical islands, to the oriental culture of the land ruled by Empress Mirabeesh. Beyond the virtual visits, time spent in person in Tachikawa, Japan, helped to create the history and culture. (First Change, Hatchlings Curse)

Mount Fuji, Japan
Courtesy of Pixabay
Mount Tagachim - There were two sides to the volcano. A narrow trail leads up one side to a thick ice field. The other branch of the trail winds through a forest of stunted trees to end at a rocky ledge overlooking a volcano's lava pool. You can see the inspiration. Although I made a visit to Japan, I didn't do the pilgrimage. (First Change, Hatchlings Curse)

The home of the mountain god, Tagachim, has two inspirations. The first is Mount Fuji. Mount Pinatubo on the Philippine island of Luzon where I spent time as a child helped visualize the site.

A note: My time on Luzon was before the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, which according to the U.S. Geological Service was the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, which was a good thing because it impacted the area near where I lived.
ReAnimation Cabin - While the mountain retreat written about as the site of the match between a living human and a recov is fictional, there is a real cabin in the woods with fireplace, porch overlooking the lake, and both a rocking chair and swing to help wash away the stresses of today. Click on the FREE READS button in the sidebar to download the short story, Recov.
Beyond the Stars - A journey to the stars requires decisions: destination and more importantly, transport. Millennium Falcon, Enterprise C, or the Firefly class vessel, Serenity. Or maybe I'll journey with First Officer Wes Roberts on the space liner Halcyon. But there be pirates wanting to hijack the Halcyon. (Hearth and Sand)
Beyond the Horizon - travel on a wind-powered ship. It is not the destination, but the journey that is important. To be honest, I don't like the deep blue. But several of my characters do. Before they were even a twinkle of imagination, I took a sail off the coast of New England. There was a magic in the snapping of the ropes an the slap of the waves against the hull.
Hearthome - A dream would be to spend time exploring the land of my ancestors, Scotland, with side trips to Ireland and Wales.

Photo by Emily Roesly at Morguefile.com
Isle of Mages - there are two ways onto the isle. By land, those who are invited by the archmage or his lady cross a shimmering bridge which is made visible by magic. The other way is more treacherous. The waters around the isle are guarded by denizens of the deep. Other than the sheltered dock, the ocean side has wind-swept cliffs and rocky shoals. (The Windmaster Novels)

I hope you enjoyed this Thursday Thirteen. I hope you will come back again. If any of my published titles intrigue you, click on the cover in the banner or for the series, the pull-down menu for blurbs, excerpts, a free read of the first chapter, and of course, buy links.

~till next time, Helen

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