Desperate Barabrians Are Back!

Hello all. I just wanted to let you know that I have a new short story posted for your fun reading on my website. It is called Desperate Barbarians, a semi-comic fantasy adventure about two barbarian sisters. It was first published by Aberrant Dreams webzine in November 2006. I hope you enjoy the fun and mayhem. My other short story, "Dragon Toast," can still be read on my my website. It was first published in print by a magazine called Fantasy World Geographic in June 2005. But it lives on through the wonder of my website. So, sit back and enjoy the tale. More will be coming. I also have a brand new story coming out through Mystic Signals this August called "The Forest Paradox." I will update you with more details later. Have a great week and think of fantastic things!

Monsters and Moving

Hello Familiar's Tale fans. I am finally resettled in new home in Seattle. I love it here and am trying to find way around. Moving is chaos-full of horrid little monsters. I prefer the fantasy monsters-not the real ones that take forever to deliver your stuff. But that is over now.

I have a new short story that will be in the August issue of Mystic Signals. It is called the Forest Paradox. Have fun reading and let me know what you think. I will get more details on post them on blog.

My poor editor Joe has promised that he will get me the last chapters of "Tree of Bones" to me soon. I cannot wait for second novel to be in print.

Well, more soon, but now I am off to write more stories. I just wanted everyone to know I was not eaten by trolls.

Sorrow, Seattle, and Rainy Days

Hi Familiar's Tale Followers!
These last few days have been chaotic. Moving to Seattle, which makes me happy. Packing up house for move, insanely not happy. And what is it with the dust bunnies? Are they mutating and breeding at an accelerated rate? They are everywhere. Plus oddly, it has been rainy here in Concord, California. Usually it is dry as a bone after February and growing quite hot by May. It has been cool and rainy-which I love, but still strange. Perhaps another global warming sign where the earth is trying to get our attention, but alas, no one is listening.
Also, one of my favorite artists, Frank Frazetta, died, which is very sad. Too many of my favorites are passing on. Sigh. He will be missed. I often dreamed he might do a cover for one of my books when I am a famous writer. I admired his skill and imagination and depth.
Anyway, I am writing stories and brewing new ideas. When this move is done I must focus. My publisher, poor Joe, will be in limbo until we are settled and can unpack the computers. Then those last couple chapters for polish can come my way so we can get Tree of Bones to the printer. I know I keep promising, but have faith my friends, it will be released soon. Well, I must sign off for now, but when I write my blog again, I shall be in wonderful Seattle. Oops, where did I pack my umbrella?

Chaos and Chocolate and Seattle!

Okay I know I have not been around my peeps, but things have been very busy. Things are hopping in Familiar's Tale land. Down to polishing of last couple chapters with my editor and also finished final edit on my short stories that are included in the new Aberrant Dreams anthology-2 of my tales are in this collection of short stories which will be released very soon. The two short stories in the anthology are "The Wizard's Apprentice" and "The Trouble with Witches." Am excited. My poor exhausted publisher, Joe Dickerson, will get me the last pages for Tree of Bones soon. The book has been completed forever, but anyone in the publishing field knows there are periods of patience needed. My publisher does the work of ten men and we fight the good fight to keep small publishing house afloat in world of powerful big publishers. I know I have said book is coming soon and it is-I promise. You will love the new book Tree of Bones-full of our favorite heroes and evil doers, plus new heroic characters and bad guys-some with fur, some without. My publisher Joe says his favorite new character is Grimm Darkrunner. Oh I want my book to be released so I can talk about more of them. But it is coming soon. I promise.
Now, the other reason for my chaos is I am moving to Seattle at the end of May. I cannot wait! My husband and I are very enthusiastic about this new adventure. Also, we will both be at the Steamcon convention in Seattle later this year. We have been invited and are very excited. We do not know which panels we will be on yet, but we are looking forward to it. My husband and I are also working on 2 new Steampunk stories which I cannot talk about yet. They will be in both novel and short story format and will have a great cats of characters we have designed and created for these two different stories.
In the meantime, please check out the new addition to my website-my older short stories that have been published will now appear in in my website for my fans and friends to read-about one each month. Each story has been previously published in a magazine or webzine, but all rights have been returned to me. This month it is one of my favorites, "Dragon Toast." Enjoy the tale and I will return soon.

New Short Story News!

Hello there! Am thrilled to announce that I have a new short story coming to print soon. I have not written a short story in a while, so this is a good thing. I forgot the thrill of acceptance you get when a short story is accepted. The tale is called, "The Forest Paradox" and will appear in the print July 2010 edition of Mystic Signals. It is a story about a witch besieged with many personal problems, including helping a village with a cursed forest, her former lover, a warrior with commitment issues, and a younger brother witch-it is a comedy with darker edges. I cannot wait to see it in print.
Speaking of short stories, I am planning on posting my older short stories that have been previously published to my website soon on a rotating basis. My wonderful web designer, Sally Hoss, will be helping with this. Am planning just one or two at a time. More on that later.
My publisher has promised we will soon polish up the last few chapters on Tree of Bones, book two of a Familiar's Tale, now that the print anthology for Aberrant Dreams is almost ready to go. I have two short stories in that anthology so I am very excited about that too.
So, for now I am busy with new another new short story and writing more chapters of Fires of Rapiveshta. Life is busy. But I can handle it-especially if I have access to drobba.
And coffee....lots of coffee.

Good Riddance

After reading horrific article in which an actor I formerly admired brags about killing wolves-his movies are not only banned from my DVD collections now -but I shattered the DVDs into many pieces. Not even worth taking to used DVD store for trade. I am appalled and disgusted. I always find it strange that so-called outdoors men take such pleasure in killing wild animals. I also find it disturbing. We should respect nature and its wonders.

The Demon Code

Here's my rule about creating supernatural creatures in a story-make up your own rules. Just stick to them.
It would be very easy to research some mythological data and use these monsters, gods or demons in a usual way. Use just those same old boring perspectives. But how much fun is that? You must free your writing mind to all kinds of possibilities. Go beyond your perspective of religion, the supernatural or demons of your own upbringing. Research other cultures and histories. Study different ancient religions and philosophies. Read other novels of the types of fantasy or horror or science fiction that interest you.
You need to do this to stretch your mind.
I like making up my own dark gods and demons, good gods, monsters, spirits. After all, I am the creator of my fiction fantasy universe, so I do what I feel works best for me and my story arcs. Remember these things are also part of the flesh that makes up the culture and society of the characters. It's all important.
But when it comes to the demons and scary stuff-that is where I have the most fun. I decided to make my goblins a mortal demon race, ugly and wiry with buggy eyes. They have little intelligence, but are vicious fighters. Just the sort of thing the bad guys would hire for their armies. My trolls are stinky and stupid, but a terror of strength and power. My wicked Obsydia, whom you shall soon see as the reigning evil in the soon to be released Tree of Bones novel, is the most classical of my dark creations. She is an evil goddess who can also be seen in my short story, The Bloodstone Queen, still available to be read at Aberrant Dreams webzine. Obsydia is half mortal and half god. She is stunning in her beauty-hair of living shadow, silver-eyed, pale of skin and red lips. Very fairy tale, but deadly. She will serve, along with Koll the Sorcerer, as the chief adversaries in my Familiar's Tale series.
Poor Runa and Mellypip will have their work cut our for them.
I create a template and stick to it when I make up my evil gods and demons. It's my own personal demon code. I name them, flush out what they look like, give them strengths and weaknesses, full background and relations, all the stuff that gives stability in my fiction world. I have used the images and ideas from my study of mythology and legends, and then I adapt them to something new. It is a kernal that grown from my imagination and polished with words. There is a wealth of material out there to be scavenged-so there is no excuse. But there is responsibility-a writer must be consistent. Once that is established you can let your imagination go wild.