OctPoWriMo 18 - The Princess and The Dragon

Image by SilviaP_Design on Pixabay

Once upon a time a princess dreamed
And, deep within her heart, desires gleamed
For more than princesses are meant to gain,
For something unexpected, not mundane.

Kissing frogs is fine for other girls—
More her style were lions, tigers, bears.
She ruined many petticoats before
Her parents let her wear trousers and drawers.

She met a dragon in a darkling cave
And, where a knight would send it to its grave,
She bowed and offered friendship to the beast,
And from a curse thereby it was released.

The scaly creature faded rapidly,
Transformed into a girl who smiled bashfully.
The princess wrapped her cloak around her frame
And smiled and sweetly asked her for her name.

Now, together they explore the land,
Side by side and often hand in hand.
Minstrels far and wide sing of their deeds,
How everything they do always succeeds.

OctPoWriMo 17 - Wondrous Things

Today's prompt is fantasy "And the Dragon Chose..." I wrote an alouette today as I've never tried this form before and it sounded fun.


Wondrous Things

Elves and pixies tease;
Magic’s on the breeze;
Wizards, witches, warlocks chant,
Weaving wondrous things
As, upon soft wings,
Fairies swoop and sing and dance.

Come into the trees;
Fall upon your knees;
All around, mages enchant,
Wrapping unseen strings
On their new plaything;
Now you stand and join the dance.

The Pocket Watch: A Wholock Fanfic

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a big geek. I love fantasy stories. That's why I write fantasy. That's also why I write fanfiction. Sometimes I like to create my own world and characters, but other times, I like to play around in someone else's sandbox.
I challenged myself to write the following drabble/flash fiction in exactly 100 words.

§•§•§

"Sherlock, what's this?" John turned the pocket watch over, his fingers caressing the circular patterns on the silvery surface.

"Hmm? What's what?" Sherlock didn't look up from his book, his eyes skimming the page at an amazing rate.

John frowned. "Souvenir from a case, is it?" He tossed it into Sherlock's lap, rudely interrupting his reading.

His face a study in affront, Sherlock fastidiously set aside his book and picked up the ornate timepiece. After a moment of study, he tossed it away with an annoyed huff. "Honestly, John. It's just a watch. Boring." He pointedly returned to his reading.

Review of Windrider by S.A. Bolich

Windrider by S.A. Bolich

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Just as wonderful as Firedancer. I blew through it in a couple of days and I want more.

I love how, while the Firedancers use dance to control the Flame, the Windriders use song to control the Wind. I'm intrigued to see how the Seaborn work. (Gotta wait until spring. Boo.)

Like the previous book, the world and characters are wonderfully real. I especially enjoyed getting into Sheshan's head this time, and learning more about Clan Heshth, and by extension, what it means to be a Windrider, and how they are treated by those they try to protect. Some thought-provoking stuff here.

The writing is clean and mostly free from errors, which makes for an easier read. I highly recommend this book. Although, for continuity, I would read Firedancer first.



View all my reviews

Review of Grace Under Fire by Frog and Esther Jones

Grace Under Fire by Frog Jones and Esther Jones.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


One day I was surfing the 'Net and I decided to Google my own name for fun. I wanted to see what I would find. I found a blog written by a woman named Esther Jones and her husband Frog Jones. I was intrigued to discover that, like me, Frog and Esther are writers. Not only that, they write my favourite genre: fantasy. I had to read their debut novel, Grace Under Fire. I would have been very disappointed if it hadn't been good. I was not disappointed.

The story is written in first person POV with two narrators, which could be a confusing mess, but isn't. The two voices are distinct and clear. Grace is a wonderfully interesting, well-rounded character. We are given glimpses of her backstory: just enough to make me want to know more. Robert sounds like the teenager he is; the most important thing in his life is the girl he's crushing on. That is, until he meets Grace and ends up in the fight of his life.

There are some heavy themes here. On the personal level, Robert learns that angry, thoughtless revenge can have far-reaching, unintended consequences. On a more global level, summoners are illegal just because of who/what they are, and are arrested for existing.

I loved this book, and cannot wait for the next one in the series.

Find Frog and Esther at jonestales.

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Review of Brigitta of the White Forest by Danika Dinsmore

I really enjoy a good solid quest story, where an unlikely--even unwilling--hero goes on a journey to find the talisman or magic needed to save the world. Brigitta of the White Forest is such a tale.
The writing style is engaging and professional, drawing the reader in and holding attention. The main characters, Brigitta and her little sister Himalette, are very real; they act just like real sisters. Although, I have to admit that my favourite character is Minq. I love his ears!


There's nothing really new here, except that the main characters are winged faeries, which is interesting, but doesn't really add that much to the plot. That's okay, though, as it is a good solid plot and is written in an enjoyable style. Sometimes you don't need anything new.


All in all, I recommend this novel for fans of fantasy.

Review of The Dragon and the Crow by T. B. McKenzie

I won The Dragon and the Crow by T. B. McKenzie in the first challenge of Rachel Harrie’s Writing Campaign. Sometimes, it was difficult to put down, while at other times, I found myself setting it aside and taking a moment just to process what had just happened. The story is fascinating and the twists and turns kept me interested all the way to last sentence—which was a shocker.

Usually, the main character of a fantasy story is some of kind of “chosen one” with “power the dark lord knows not.” In The Dragon and the Crow, Brin lives in a world where everyone has magic—everyone but him. This is an intriguing concept, turning our expectations on end.

The plot also turns our expectations on end—repeatedly. I couldn’t keep track of how many times, I said to myself, “Oh, wait. That’s the good guy and that’s the bad guy… no, it’s the other way around!” I love this kind of twisting, turning story where the characters aren’t just good or evil, but human and flawed.

There are some awkward phrasings and word choices throughout, and even some spelling and grammatical errors, but these are few and far between. Mostly, this novel is polished and professional-looking. I’m really looking forward to reading the sequel and finding out what happens to Brin.

Darkness and Death

Yeah, I know the post title is a little morbid; it's the title of today's piece, which isn't really all that morbid. I swear.
Someday, I'm going to make this into a novel. If I can just stop procrastinating...



"When darkness and death
Come upon us,
One who is two shall save us.
Eyes as the day,
Hair as the night;
No evil shall escape his might.
He bears the mark of one and two
Left and right upon his back..."

So it was written in the sacred writings of Lumilune. It was only a fragment, like most of the verses, yet it held great meaning. One day, great trouble will come upon the land. However, a saviour will rise.

Some didn't believe. There are always those who don't believe. Many people think the Guardians are only a story for children and magic is merely illusion. Although misguided, they are not so wrong - or so dangerous - as those who follow Tansa. The Tansans are best avoided. They only cause trouble.

Regardless of belief or disbelief, the prophecy was true . And when the Tansan armies of Saybol the Dark and his black-cloaked ally who called himself Death attacked the people of Lira, many who did not believe began to wonder...

Middle Earth Hallelujah

Like Red Tights, this is another imitation, this time of the poem/song Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen.

Middle Earth Hallelujah

I heard there was a Ring of gold
That Frodo bore and no Man could hold,
But you don't really care for stories, do you?
It goes like this, with Elf and Man,
Dwarf and Hobbit with a plan--
And ancient Wizard praying Hallelujah.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Your will was strong, but you couldn't stand -
You slipped the Ring upon your hand;
Its beauty in the firelight overthrew you.
He leapt upon you, teeth and claws;
He took your finger in his jaws
And as he fell, you breathed a hallelujah.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

I did my best - I almost turned;
It wasn't by my will it burned.
I've told the truth; I didn't come to fool you.
And now, because it ended right,
I'll stand beneath the starry light
With nothing on my lips but hallelujah.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

-Esther Spurrill Jones