Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Monique's a star!

Just thought to share with you that Monique (a great friend a voracious reader!) bought paperback copies of my work. YAY! Thank you, Monique!
Here's the photo posted - love it!


xxx

Fantasy Land


Friday, July 25, 2014

Who are the Kallanon?


Find out who or what the Kallanon are right now! Here is the prologue for The Kallanon Scales - have a read or listen to my narration, and when you have your copy, you may go direct to chapter one for an epic tale. Promise, this book has it all: great fantasy, some sci-fi, loads of emotion, intricate relationships, huge battles, destiny, runes and a ruined city that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat!!!!

Prologue

Iridescent, strong, with huge taloned hind legs, clawed forelegs and powerful tails, breathing fire, they were Dragons. Evolving a pair of leathery wings they mastered flight before they mastered speech. As flying Dragons they were unstoppable, but with speech and intellect they were conquering royalty. They were territorial, but their realm was limitless.
Down the evolutionary passages, mates to the royal Dragons drew breath. It transpired a female could fly from birth, while a male’s wings developed with maturity. This bred envy and distrust and led to the enslavement of the Dragonnes, female of the species.
Territories once believed sufficiently large for co-existence shrank with every male born. A Dragon was as nothing if not king of his domain. Brothers sparked the first skirmish and others noticed one brother gained what the other lost in death. Clashes erupted, escalated into battles and resulted in war. Greed overcame reason.
The Dragonnes advocated peace; it meant less than nothing. They went to war also and were victorious. The Dragonnes assumed power and engendered a sensible hierarchy. The Queen would have no territory; she would oversee the welfare of all. The males became the enslaved, although that was a state of mind for the Dragonnes treated them with respect.
The land renewed and life settled. Underneath resentment simmered and conflict loomed anew and came to pass, a bitter struggle. The Dragonnes won and adopted a new policy. One male in every five female births lived. Ruthless, but successful. Peace returned.
As time wore on the Dragons did not forget. They hankered after the kingdoms of old.
Other races were ignored. Where Dragons claimed territories not theirs, those races erred on the side of life and fled to undisputed regions, but they held in their grasp the means Dragons sought to rule. Sorcery. Dragons belched fire in glee and sobered to plan. They needed to learn this strange power, and strike.
The Dragonnes made it possible. They invited sorcerers to court, entranced by the spectacle of magic. Court was a graceful centre of learning and culture and the last war fled living memory; the sorcerers were wooed, among them the ever-curious Q’lin’la.
Mysteriously they began to disappear without a trace, one by one, without a whiff of foul play. They simply did not return to court. Dragonnes shrugged their gigantic shoulders and continued with the business of life. When the court emptied of all foreigners, they knew something was wrong.
The Dragons spent generations building a stronghold deep in the mountains of the homeworld, where a tiny fort was the only evidence. The rest was an intricate network in the bowels of the earth. There the kidnapped sorcerers were brought, one by one, and with rock between them and freedom, were effectively bound. To see again the sworn light of suns they agreed to train the Dragons.
Thus began the next phase in the turbulent history of the Dragon species.
*

Sorcery is a double-edged sword; it can never be wholly held. After immersion in the base principles, the acolyte attains the point of choice. Lumin or Darak. The Dragons chose the darak path. The bound sorcerers knew they would not again see the light.
The teachers died and their great cries pierced the bindings of the stronghold to be heard by their brethren elsewhere, before those cries were eternally silenced.
The Q’lin’la hastened to the court of Queen Abdiah, eighth of the title, to make her aware of the monstrous threat. Two Dragons crawled into her presence one morning, severely beaten, and told the tale of an underground fortress. She instituted an intense programme of sorcerical training, hastening it along despite Q’lin’la warnings about severity of pace.
The males amassed at their stronghold, from there to swoop across the plains. Initial attacks brought victory to the Dragons and they moved world to world strengthening their hold. The Q’lin’la fled to watch from a distance. As time passed the Dragonnes caught up in knowledge and began to fight back. Gradually the Dragonnes gained the upper hand … and then it changed.
In the Dragonne ranks the day of choice arrived and many set foot to the darak path. War erupted between them at a crucial time; the way lay open for the Dragons.
From afar the Q’lin’la cursed themselves and those like them; they engendered this war of sorcery. Worlds folded and nothing was held sacred. It was only a matter of time before nobility achieved in the past would forever be obliterated.
The Q’lin’la left that universe and consciously put aside knowledge of the doorway. They sealed the Dragon species in and left them to their fate, to remain warring in the dark, and chose life in a new realm.

They named the great reptiles the Kallanon. The Glittering Darkness.


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Lore Dragon graces a cover for the first time!

Yes, the little dragon you'll find inside each of my LORE books is on a cover! Yay!


See?!


We (my publisher and I) did a bit of tweaking and now the little dragon is there to celebrate the start of Lore of Reaume. A lovely touch, I think!

xxx

The secret of it - Walt Whitman


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Arcana Alphabet - E


Arcana Alphabet

E

Eagles

The Eagles are Guardians of the Dome, birds of normal size and agility. What sets them apart is their ability to communicate and the colour of their plumage. There are a few surprises in store for these birds, and not even the author saw it coming until it happened.



Eastern Ocean

As the name implies, the ocean east of Valaris continent. A well-sailed sea.

Eastern Range

Mountains at the coast in the east, below the Great Forest. An inspiring place. The Darak Or causes major damage to these glorious pinnacles.


Efur

Efur means ‘prophet’. He is a strange little creature living on Pendulim. He serves as guide to the Enchanter at one stage.

Emerald Sound

A natural deep-water in the south, a haunt for pirates.


Emleth Isthmus

The isthmus form one of two heads, the exit from Emerald Sound.

Enchanter

Magician, sorcerer, enchanter, it is in the degree of mastery. The Enchanter in Arcana is many things beyond the degree of mastery, and he is pivotal to the entire Lore series!

Ephnor


Strange little birds that inhabit the Three Gates (islands). When they move their feet make music. They cannot fly, or are afraid to, and are close to being sentient.



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The Writers' Retreat


Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Arcana Alphabet - D


Arcana Alphabet

D

Dante

Dante is Dantian’s brother, father of Mitrill, and lives on Ardosia, the Valleur world beyond the Rift, when The Lore Series commences.

Dantian

Dantian is Vallorin of the Valleur on Ardosia. His name means Rift Breaker.

Darklings

Soulless creatures of darak that wield sorcerous yellow swords. As a host together they are known as the Darkling Horde.


Dark man

The dark man in Lore of Arcana often comes forth in visions and dreams. His tale will stand forth soon!


Deities

Valarians (the humans of Valaris) call the Immortal Guardians, the Deities.

Dome

The gathering place of the Immortal Guardians, a magical dome that floats in space.


Dragon

Now this is interesting, for there are parallels throughout Lore of Arcana (and the series following) regarding the concept DRAGON. There is the Valleur Dragon, a symbol of leadership (and much more) and there is the Dragon ogive in the Dome … and- well, perhaps you should read it!!


Drasso

A historical creature of darkness. Drasso sought to annihilate Valaris and the legacies of that war still plagues Valaris to this day.

Dune cruiser

Valaris is post-tech, and one day a dune cruiser is discovered in an underground shelter …




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In love with souls