2025 T: Threaten #MFRWhooks

     

In the challenge, T is for threaten. Trellier is a true dragon, the last of his kind. Everyone in his world is a threat, for dragons are to be destroyed. The except from Fire and Amulet deals with another threat, bandits. Trellier and Deneas have broken the bandits attack, but now have to escape and keep their young charge safe.

From Fire and Amulet: 

Trelleir turned and raced to the tree. Deneas was already at the front, throwing her weight against a branch. He did the same, and the tree tipped over the edge. Running leaps had them astride the log. A sharp bump and the front part of their makeshift sled lifted, threatening to dump its passengers. It thumped back down when Deneas laid flat and threw her weight forward.

From within the log came a lilting, “Whee.”

Faster and faster, their wooden steed slid. down the muddy slope. The wind whistling past his ears brought another sound. Deneas’ sharp, “Hold on.”

The sharp incline they had ridden down ended at a stone ledge jutting out of the mountainside. Beyond it lay nothing but open air. The log hit the flat spot, shuddered, and kept sliding. What seemed like wagon lengths below, white water rushed around jagged rocks. Unlike the earlier part of the ride, Leri didn’t make a sound as the log went airborne.

~till next time, Helen 

 

Buy the Tear Stone Collectors at Amazon and These Sites

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

And here is the linky list to the marketing for romance writers participating in book hooks.

2025 N : Names #mfrwhooks

    

In the challenge, "N" is for names.The inspiration for the post came from two sources: frustration at finding an 'N" topic and searching some character names. I have several techniques for names. A few thoughts and hints follow.

 - - an old stand-by for contemporary works is a baby name book, especially ones that provide a cultural connection

- - as shown in the earlier post for the challenge "J,” a technique is to take a name and change the spelling. Jon or John. A similar action was taken with the character, Haldric. As the lieutenant under the control of the cult-leader called the Parant he was Haldric. Then in Hatchling’s Vengeance the spelling was changed to Caldrih to represent his rehabilitation and leaving the cult.

- - a favorite resource is historic lists. They can be for a given country or heritage or a time frame. The names can be used with the original connection. For example, a Celtic name for a story set in Scotland or Ireland. Or, names that are immediately identifiable with a given time or culture, Vikings, Aztecs, the old west.

As a change of pace from resources, I thought I would share a couple of frustrations with naming. Both with my own work and in others.

- - sound alikes. A while back I attended a writers conference where the attendees gathered in small groups in hotel rooms to read the other's works. Which gives rise to a pet peeve, too many similar sounding names. The short story had John, James Jane, Javon, and Jake. You couldn't read The story aloud without your tongue tripping over the "J" names. The author’s excuse was that was the way the had named the children. The never accepted that reality does not always need to be followed.

- - Similarly are names that end alike. This was a problem with the Dragshi Chronicles. Almost every other name in the historic lists ended with "A" or "N."

Keeping trace of replicants and sound alike a series bible for each series or A spreadsheet tracking character names and characteristics for the stand-alone novels and shorter works.

~ I hope you enjoyed this excursion into my writing life. till next time, Helen 

 

Buy the Windmaster Novels at Amazon and These Sites

 

Buy Dragshi Chronicles at Amazon and These Sites

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

 

Hooked on Windmaster, A Treacherous Trail, #mfrwhooks

Freezing temperatures, storms of a generation, and inches of snow on Bourbon Street inspire a reprise of bad weather captured in one of my worlds of fantasy. In sympathy with those suffering from winter's rage, a snippit from Ellspeth and Dal on a rainy trail.

Excerpt from Windmaster:

Ellspeth’s world reduced to the shifting gray shadow that was Tairneach. Her eyes hurt from straining to see through the curtain of snow and rain that almost obscured the stallion. She rode with one foot scraping the rocks on the side of the narrow trail while her other hung over a thousand-foot precipice. One misstep and both rider and mount would plummet to the valley floor. The driving rain stung every spot of unprotected skin like a thousand cuts. Icy rivulets ran off her wide-brimmed hat. They sneaked beneath the collar of the lake seal cloak and ran down her neck. Waterlogged, her clothes sucked every ounce of heat from her body. Only where her legs lay against Cadno’s coat did she have vague feeling. Hours of riding in the howling maelstrom of cold and wet had dulled her mind to anything beyond the need to stay in the saddle.

Dal’s bellow penetrated Ellspeth’s consciousness. “This storm isn’t going to stop. Taer can’t take much more of this, and neither can we. There’s shelter not far up the trail.”

Chattering teeth made a reply impossible, so she just nodded. Even that slight movement threw her numbed body off balance. Fighting not to fall into the abyss, Ellspeth dropped the reins onto Cadno’s neck and wrapped nerveless fingers around the saddle horn to let the colt pick his way across a stream of water rushing over the rock-strewn path. The crunch of ice beneath his hooves reminded Ellspeth of the snap of the Sea Falcon’s canvas in a stiff wind. If I can stand on the Falcon’s deck, I can stay in this saddle. She clenched the leather horn tighter with a renewed sense of determination.

~ * ~

Hooked On Fire and Amulet, Submerged, #mfrwhooks

A few lines from Fire and Amulet using the BookQW "Melt."

To set the stage, Deneas and Trelleir, with their small charge in tow, escape a band of footpads by riding a tree trunk down the steep slope. However, they were not able to stop before being launched airborne. Their improvised ride lands not on the shore of the river, but in the water.

Excerpt:

Rage that he was an air dragon and not a water one surged through his body. While the fire did nothing to warm his body or melt the wall of glacial ice around his soul, it broke the paralysis caused by the repeated traumas. His mind cleared. Dragon senses showed not only the lighter color of the life-giving air far above, but the dark line of the log ... and a chance for survival. The need to reach the surface overwhelmed Trelleir. He struggled against the current to be dragged across an outcropping’s sharp edges.

Agony replaced all thought. Instinct took over. Like bark peeling off a branch, a layer of his spine rolled down to form a tail. His feet lengthened and pushed off his boots.

The scream of abject fear that pierced his mind shattered his control over his transformation. It could only have come from the white-faced Leri who struggled in his grip. Bubbles escaped from between her lips. One last wiggle and she went limp. I will not lose this one, Trelleir vowed.

~ * ~

Having a slayer as a friend is dangerous when you’re a dragon.

Available in Ebook or Paperback at Amazon
Additional sites at Books2Read

AND DON'T MISS, Fire and Redemption, Book 2 of the Tear Stone Collectors.

The rest of the hop is at http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com

Hooked on Fire and Amulet, Wild Ride #mfrwhooks

 A few lines from Fire and Amulet. To set the stage, Deneas and Trelleir, have just rescued a kidnapped child from a band of footpads and are trying to escape. They can't go forward ... or backward. The only option is over the down the mountainside.

Excerpt:

Trelleir turned and raced to the tree. Deneas was already at the front, throwing her weight against a branch. He did the same, and the tree tipped over the edge. Running leaps had them astride the log. A sharp bump and the front part of their makeshift sled lifted, threatening to dump its passengers. It thumped back down when Deneas laid flat and threw her weight forward.

From within the log came a lilting, “Whee.”

Faster and faster, their wooden steed slid down the muddy slope. The wind whistling past his ears brought another sound. Deneas’ sharp, “Hold on.”

The sharp incline they had ridden down ended at a stone ledge jutting out of the mountainside. Beyond it lay nothing but open air. The log hit the flat spot, shuddered, and kept sliding. What seemed like wagon lengths below, white water rushed around jagged rocks. Unlike the earlier part of the ride, Leri didn’t make a sound as the log went airborne. Trelleir reached out and grabbed the child’s flailing hand. His other hand clamped onto a branch in an iron vice. The sense of flight ended. The front of the log hit the water, then dipped beneath the white foam. Trelleir didn’t have time to warn Leri to hold her breath before a wall of water curled above them, submerging the log ... and its riders..

~ * ~

Having a slayer as a friend is dangerous when you’re a dragon.

Available in Ebook or Paperback at Amazon
Additional sites at Books2Read

AND DON'T MISS, Fire and Redemption, Book 2 of the Tear Stone Collectors.

Old Friends

The topic for this week's post is "Ever Read A Book More Than Once?"

Old friends you have not spoken to in years, but when you meet again it is as if no time has passed. Some books are like that. Just seeing it on the shelf or knowing it is in the box of keepers in the corner gives a feeling of comfort and familiarity. Some books you read to relax, other to lose yourself in a fantasy world or join the characters in their adventures.

Now to the topic. I won't pick a single book as the most read, and you can't make me. Louis L'amour's Sackett series and Anne McCaffrey's Pegasus/Tower and Hive series are like old friends. Several of the books were so well-worn that a second copy had to be picked up. That's not to say I keep every book I've read or reread. some were parted with after a move or other enforced clean-out.

~till next time, may you find many old friends hidden on your shelf. Helen

2024 C: Convocation #mfrwhooks

 

In the last post, B : Building, you were introduced to the site of the convocation. In this one, you get to witness part of the convocation welcoming ceremony. What makes it even more special for Karst is the participants: Brial and the young Telyn who was making her first ever presentation.

From Fire and Redemption:

Feldt moved to the center of the immense terrace and raised his hands. A low rumble rolled across the crowd and an anticipatory silence fell over the crowd. “Welcome to the convocation of the clans.” The caravan’s leader boomed from one end of the gathering to the other. “A time to renew old relationships and make new friends. A time for dancing and marriages, greetings and farewells, and planning for the future.” He waved to the set of steps at one side of the stage and then to the other.

Eight girls ranging in age from having seen twenty cold seasons to just showing the first signs of womanhood were escorted to the edge of the stage. Telyn and Brial stood on the bottom step on the side closest to him.

A single note from a horn silenced the crowd. Like everyone else, he held his breath. It felt like a communal prayer of hope for the girls’ successful evening.

A young woman halfway through her second decade climbed the steps on the far side of the entrance, then marched with an elegant step to the first of the statues and the stone bowl at its feet. Turning, she faced the sea of watching faces. “From the heights to the sand. Clan Llanrug is in attendance.” A dip of her torch and a flame exploded into existence within the heart of the bowl. She moved to the larger stone circle and laid her torch in a slot on the raised edge so that the sparks fell into the dark pit.

Three heartbeats later, a blond woman whose hair sparkled in the torchlight climbed the opposite side of steps and repeated the process of announcing her clan, calling out their battle cry, and starting a fire at the feet of one of the statues before placing her torch on the wall. Shadows from the firepits danced along the building’s façade. Younger and older girls, some dark-haired, others blond, presented their fires. Soon only one bowl remained dark.

Telyn climbed the last step and entered the light. A deep breath and she lifted her torch so that the shadows danced on the statue behind her. Her voice carried to the crowd. “Iron to hand, iron to the road. Clan Vreis is in attendance.”

~till next time, Helen

 

 

Fire and Redemption Available At These Sites (If you favorite site isn't listed, check back. More are being added.)

 

 

 

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

Since it's Wednesday, this post is doing double duty. The rest of the Book Hooks hop is at http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com

On The Shore, Hatchling's Mate #wewriwa #SundaySnippit

 

  

​ 
Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Visit the other participants on the list and read, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

​Today's excerpt is from the fantasy romance Hatchling's Mate. To set, the scene, To set the scene, against all orders, Talann attempts to swim across a flooded river to save women and children stranded on a hill. (Crossing Halted).  His ribs are broken by debris. (A Question Answered)  Some help arrives (Unexpected Help), but it isn't enough. (Dive Deep) The crossing continues with unexpected help from dragonkind. (Crossing Continues)

After following the crossing for so long, it wouldn't be fair to you, the reader, not to tell you Talann's future ... at least for now.

And now the Sunday Snippet.

* * * *

Excerpt
 
Gathering strength, Talann pushed back the redness still clouding his consciousness. One by one, other sensations penetrated his awareness. An iron grip suspended him above the waves, high enough to breathe, although spray stung his eyes. Movement replaced the feeling of weightlessness. Mud sucked at his hands. Pebbles scraped his knuckles and snatched at his feet. Huffs of breath in his ear let Talann know the price of the effort being made to shift his not insubstantial frame up the bank. ...

Muirea laid Talann on the ground beneath a tree with the effortlessness of a woman placing a babe in a cradle.

* * * *

Although safe for now, it is not the end of Talann's experiences with the river. He is still trapped on a hill that is rapidly being flooded by the rising waters. Be sure to read Hatchling's Mate for the next chapters.

Buy Links: / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / More Sales Sites 

Visit the Dragshi's page for more on the Dragshi Chronicles.

​I hope you like the snippet I shared for Talann / Glynnes this week. Be sure to read the other Weekend Writing Warriors blogs and the #SnippetSunday authors for more great reads. 

~till next time, Helen

5Crossing Continues, Hatchling's Mate, #wewriwa

  

​ 
Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Visit the other participants on the list and read, and comment on their posts. And don't forget to visit the  Sunday Snippet group for their teasers.

​Today's excerpt is from the fantasy romance Hatchling's Mate. To set, the scene, To set the scene, against all orders, Talann attempts to swim across a flooded river to save women and children stranded on a hill. (Crossing Halted).  His ribs are broken by debris. (A Question Answered)  Some help arrives (Unexpected Help), but it isn't enough. (Dive Deep)

The crossing continues with unexpected help from dragonkind.

And now the Sunday Snippet.

* * * *

Excerpt
 
A glow, like that of thousands of fireflies enveloped his body. Confusion did not affect his eager grasp of the potential savior. No human, not even the dragshi had that kind of magic. The ancient ones, the true dragons, controlled such power, but they did not usually help un-bonded humans, only their own kind—and the dragshi.

Dragon-sent energy warmed—and healed—Talann’s body and soul. Could he be a dragshi after all? His pulse sped and frozen muscles thawed. Where before the surface appeared unreachable, within two heartbeats he breached into life-giving air.

Long gasps drew breath deep into his lungs. The burn lessened to be replaced by anger. He could not move. A wave washed over his head, then another.

* * * *

Buy Links: / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / More Sales Sites 

Visit the Dragshi's page for more on the Dragshi Chronicles.

​I hope you like the snippet I shared for Talann / Glynnes this week. Be sure to read the other Weekend Writing Warriors blogs and the #SnippetSunday authors for more great reads. 

~till next time, Helen

Hooked on Fire and Amulet, Last #MFRWhooks

Having a slayer as a friend is dangerous when you’re a dragon.

To get in the mood for the upcoming release of Fire and Redemption, a few lines from Fire and Amulet using the Bookqw "Last."

To set the stage, Trelleir has abandoned his home to join Deneas on her quest to slay a dragon. His cave is sealed to prevent the villagers entering, so he guides Deneas through the underground passages of a hidden exit.

Excerpt:

The circle of pale light that marked the end of the latest tunnel grew larger with each step. It provided just enough brightness to silhouette Trelleir’s frame. “Not long now,” he said.

Deneas barely heard the encouragement above the low rush of water. She breathed a sigh of relief. If it hadn’t been for Trelleir’s stolid support, the journey through the interminable darkness would have been unbearable. Softly voiced directions in her ear and his hand on hers guided her around one last series of stone pillars and onto a narrow ledge. “It will take a moment or two for your eyes to adjust.”

Repeated blinks cleared away some of the haze. Several more revealed that the world outside wasn’t shrouded in fog, she was looking at it through a living curtain of water. The tunnel opening was behind a waterfall. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

~ * ~

Available in Ebook or Paperback at Amazon
Additional sites at Books2Read

 

Hooked on Windmaster Legend, #bookqw Second, #MFRWhooks

A forbidden love. An impossible quest. The accusation of witchcraft. Can love survive?

A snippit from Windmaster Legend using the Bookqw "Second." To set the stage, Iol arrives at his first command. However, Loch Bird isn't at her berth.

Excerpt:

A pinprick of light flickered in the darkness. Iol stared at the void beyond the dock. His intense watch resulted in capturing a second and a third flash, but he was unable to see the source.

The moon rose above the trees, limning the clouds with a dull glow. Its light showed a distant shadow that solidified into the recognizable shape of a hull. A breeze caressed Iol’s skin. Any stronger and the waves would push Loch Bird shoreward, smashing into the docks. Looking at the sky, Iol estimated he had only two candlemarks until the winds shifted towards Berife. And with the change, they would shove the vessel farther away from the shore.

Iol envisioned an even worse scenario. His ship caught in one of the north-south currents until she went aground against the rocks at the far end of the lake. Each wave would crash the ship again and again until nothing was left but splinters. I won’t lose my first command. Not before I even get aboard her.
He stripped and dove off the end of the pier. The shock of water still cold despite the summer heat stole his breath. He stripped and dove off the end of the pier. The shock of water still cold despite the summer heat stole his breath. 

~  ***  ~

Purchase Windmaster Legend at Amazon or these sellers. And don't miss the rest of the Windmaster Novels. Find more on the entire series from the pull-down menu above.

 

Hooked on Windmaster Legend, #bookqw Detail, #MFRWhooks

 

A forbidden love. An impossible quest. The accusation of witchcraft. Can love survive?

A snippit from Windmaster Legend using the Bookqw "Detail."

To set the stage, when Pelra takes a friend shopping for a pair of promise tokens, she is overcome with the desire to purchase a set herself. But there are many problems with her her dream of a wedding.

Excerpt:

Pelra casually flipped through the sketches to see if one matched her vision, but none had a ship worked into the leaves. The only trees in the book ended in a leaf, not a stylized ship. If she wanted a tree, it would have to be custom made. Fighting back her disappointment, she looked at the gold rings, but her gaze kept returning to the wooden tokens on the wall. One ear tuned to Analese’s final arrangements, she gently turned over one of the wood pieces. To her surprise, the other side was not blank, but held a detailed carving of a horse. I don’t know why he hides the designs, but now that I know…

Three pegs down she turned over a pair of bone squares. Her breath caught. Her action revealed an engraved tree, with the carving highlighted by a dark blue ink. And like the tree in her vision, the leaf on the end of both branches was a stylized ship.

Why do you need a promise token? reality argued. Now the tone became strident. Let alone one with a ship instead of a leaf.

Pelra refused to acknowledge the nagging worry. She hadn’t picked out a mate, let alone asked him. What if he refused?

Propriety brought up another problem. How could she go against the custom of the man making the proposal? But in her heart, Pelra knew that any man she chose would not allow an out-dated tradition to prevent their handfasting.

~  ***  ~

Purchase Windmaster Legend at Amazon or these sellers. And don't miss the rest of the Windmaster Novels. Find more on the entire series from the pull-down menu above.

 

Hooked on Windmaster Legend, #bookqw Strong, #MFRWhooks

A forbidden love. An impossible quest. The accusation of witchcraft. Can love survive?

A snippit from Windmaster Legend using the Bookqw "Strong."

To set the stage, Iol stands before the ruling council of the House of Pirri to present proof of his completed task.

Excerpt:

“Objection.”

Iol watched red darken Faeld’s neck. He had never seen anyone silence the councilman before.

“I object to this man’s testimony,” Faeld yelled. “By point of order, this man is not of Cszabo. He has a known history of bearing false witness, even under oath. Not only that, he is suspected of multiple attacks against our house including one in which I personally witnessed.”

Despite the murmurs supporting the request, the oldster sat stone-faced, then gestured Leod to continue. “Honored councilmen of the House of Cszabo, my ship, Cluaran Lèana, sank because it was sabotaged by Iol so it wouldn’t survive the storm that Pelra brought up. The charge of murder should be upgraded to kinslayer. Pelra was involved, I am her kin. Since Iol is a co-conspirator, that makes him a kinslayer.

The urge to scream, “Liar,” was so strong, Iol had to fight to keep his face impassive. I will have a time to rebut the accusations. Whirlwind thoughts of how to counter the lies swirled before disappearing into a black void. There was no defense he could raise. Not even the fact he was on the other side of the continent didn’t matter when magic was accused. He tried to read the council’s reactions. Why are they even listening to Leod?

Leod’s smirk and the corresponding looks of guilt on two of the councilman’s faces provided the answer. He’s bribed them. The hatred on one of the other councilmen gave another reason. Word of the petition for a handfasting must have leaked out. And the councilman was known for his hatred of Pirri. 

~  ***  ~

Purchase Windmaster Legend at Amazon or these sellers. And don't miss the rest of the Windmaster Novels. Find more on the entire series from the pull-down menu above.

 

Dive Deep, Hatchling's Mate #WeWriWa, #SnippitSunday

 

​ 
Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Visit the other participants on the list and read, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

​Today's excerpt is from the fantasy romance Hatchling's Mate. To set, the scene, To set the scene, against all orders, Talann attempts to swim across a flooded river to save women and children stranded on a hill. (Crossing Halted).  His ribs are broken by debris. (A Question Answered)  Some help arrives (Unexpected Help), but it isn't enough.

And now the Sunday Snippet.

* * * *

Excerpt
 
Handhold by handhold, he moved along the muck. His lungs burned until the need to suck down anything, even water, overwhelmed. Only his steel-tight grip on his will prevented giving in and he blindly fought toward the next purchase. The filtered daylight did not reach the black object in front of him enough for a clear identification. He couldn’t tell if what blocked his path was the bank he sought, or he feared, a boulder with raging water on the other side.

* * * *

Buy Links: / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / More Sales Sites 

Visit the Dragshi's page for more on the Dragshi Chronicles.

​I hope you like the snippet I shared for Talann / Glynnes this week. Be sure to read the other Weekend Writing Warriors blogs and the #SnippetSunday authors for more great reads. 

~till next time, Helen