I recently mentioned in an interview how precious readers are.
I’m an avid reader, art lover, and writer who writes because of what I read that readers love. Hmmm. I’m not sure what that means, but maybe you get the idea. Art through storytelling is a powerful thing. So, I can relate to how writers feel about this from all these perspectives.
Feedback from readers is honestly what the reward side of things is all about. Most of us write because we want people to enjoy our stories as much as we enjoy telling them.
I truly wish more readers would leave feedback. Reviews inform authors and readers alike and are invaluable in helping authors deliver better stories. I’ve recently experienced 1-star ratings with no words to back up that interesting viewpoint. I welcome all critical opinions. Tell me why the book deserves the lowest rating. Believe it or not, it helps me grow.
I’ve watched many Kindle Unlimited readers speed through all three of my books in as many days, so to me, that’s got to mean they enjoyed them. However, few leave ratings.
As for taking the time to write a review, those are rare precious gems. I’m sharing one of those Goodreads treasures here.
This is the week for romance, and The Starlight Chronicles is a great place to get some. Tigris Vetus is one year old at the end of the month, and I’ll be posting an Instagram Bookaversary giveaway next week!
Everyone at the Starlight thanks all their amazing visitors, too.
As do those from places a little more exotic…
Want to solve the anti-hero enigma of the swoony, ancient alien prince known as Aviel Enair, his three moons, and his planet, Anurash? Tigris Vetus delivers… while keeping you down to Earth with the roll-up-her-sleeves, no-nonsense Selena Aires as she concludes her journey.
So many fun sales this week. Keep scrolling for ways to shop. 😀
Happy New Year and thanks for your support!
Bears are supposed to live in the woods. Just not one who sends you to the moon.
Selena Aires
I promised my friend on his deathbed that I would find the place I was destined for. Neither of us had a clue what that meant, but searching for it after he’s gone helps me cope with my grief, and I pack up my art supplies and hit the highway. When I stop for gas in Quincy, Thomas is waiting for me—in spirit. So, I stay—and find my dream cottage with a studio and hiking trails out the back door, and a quaint old tavern called the Starlight with a cozy booth in the corner. I set out my sketchbook and pencils and get busy drawing faces—my way of getting to know people while I enjoy a beer.
It works. I’m making friends and filling my journal with the kind of diverse characters typical of a crossroads pub. But diversity doesn’t explain why the people coming to life on my pages are the stuff of fairytales. The most fascinating is Andras Johns, and I’m wondering more often whether the towering man who sets me on fire with one look is the prince in the story or the beast lurking in the woods.
Andras Johns
I’ve been the alpha of the North Star Pack for a long time. My policy? Never mix it up with a human. I can’t stand the idea of exposing a vulnerable species to the hazards of my job, and the hazards recently ramped up. But there’s a new face in town. A beautiful, human face. The first time Selena Aires gives me her smile, I smile back. It’s a mistake—and I know I’m done for, which is a problem because an alpha can’t break his own rules.
Meet a giant, smoking-hot cinnamon roll hero and a diminutive lovable kickass heroine in this paranormal romance with heart, medium spice, and a little bit of danger. *This is not a standalone.* The hazards and thrills ramp up in Book Two, Drago Incendium.
And there’s more. All five books by D. L. Lewellyn are $1.99 on Google Audio.Listen to this amazing example of Les Romances Des Trois.
Ursus Borealis and Les Romances des Trois are part of the #RomanceBookBlast on January 28!
Browse a 1000 romance books now and have a blast stuffing your eReaders.
For Apple Book Lovers, Click below for your free copy of Les Romances des Trois.
Three Novellas… Three enchanting settings and adventures… Three unlikely lovers finding each other along the way…
Experience sailing the Caribbean Ocean with a pirate captain and his mythical lovers in The Salty Pearl’s Reluctant Commander. How will Bastien Verdon deal with his superstitious crew and a vengeful god who wants what’s his? Next is Captured By the Hunted, a vampire hunter story that asks who is the hunted? Gedeon Kadar, a Scythian warrior turned vampire or a pair of mated dhampirs hunting vampires for the Oltalom Order?
Fate Sent Her Two immerses you in a contemporary farmhouse setting in coastal California. Maggie McConklin, a widow and well-known figurative painter, launches an ad for housemates to save her home. Adam and Greg answer the ad. Sparks fly the moment the gorgeous men step out of their classic Charger to find Maggie and her Blue Heeler, Sorcha, waiting on the porch.
As a bonus to this diverse collection of sweeping, deeply romantic ménage à trois fantasy stories, enjoy Pinpricks: An Adult Fairy Tale. In its anthology appearance in Magick & Mystery by Dragon Soul Press, one reviewer said: “Superfast start. Very interesting premise. An unexpected joy.” Find out where a prince and three witches end up in a tale about choices, discovery, and questionable happy-ever-afters.
Meet Selena Aires, a petite artist with a sweet smile. Don’t let her size and disposition fool you into thinking she can’t take care of herself. Meet Andras Johns, a towering, tattooed biker… at first glance… Just don’t get lost in those honey jar eyes when you look closer.
Enjoy the two teaming up in a small California mountain town against ancient odds. Ursus Borealis is the sexy calm before the storm in an exciting three-part fantasy adventure. Won’t you give it a read and review?
I like to tell people when I’m being dramatic that I was born under the shadow of Mount Shasta. It’s fitting that my writing passion was fueled by a visit to McCloud, California, which sits at the base of this mythical 14,139-foot-high stratovolcano.
I’ve been chatting with Introverted Indies dark fantasy author Lucy A. McLaren who was a guest on my Spotlight in 2023. Our conversation got me remembering the start of my writing journey in 2020 when I met my folks in McCloud, a small mill town on Highway 89 near Interstate 5, one of many historical mill and mining towns in Siskiyou and Shasta counties. A few miles down the highway, you’ll find Burney Falls. another scenic wonder President Theodore Roosevelt called “the Eight Wonder of the World.”
That first story I was typing away on (in photo below) never got past the first few chapters, but what a perfect setting for a paranormal romance! I’m only just now appreciating how much I was affected by the atmosphere, which I believe was the glue that cemented my writing passion.
An article in Big Think aptly describes Mount Shasta as “[a] mountain [is] associated with so many otherworldly, paranormal, and mythical beings—in addition to long-established Native American traditions—that it’s almost like a who’s who of metaphysics.”
I was super glad I booked a bed and breakfast room at the charming McCloud Hotel. I highly recommend a stay.
Check out Where I Live for more beautiful areas and photographs.
I hope you enjoy these tidbits shared in this month’s email newsletter.
Never once have I failed to find the education I’m looking for on YouTube. I wanted to know more about Norse magic and runes and came across YouTuber and professor Dr. Jackson Crawford who teaches that very subject. Here is the first video I stumbled upon in my search about Seiðr Magic and Gender:
Dr. Crawford has an entire course on runes.
That led me to rune song, which led to compiling a playlist of reinvented primitive music… pulsing, haunting, magical shaman stuff, great for fantasy inspiration. The first is an album by Munknörr. The second is a performance by Heilung.
Heilung’s music is described as “Viking metal,” in this charming article in a New Jersey high school newspaper. Heilung uses traditional instruments from around the world, including a horse skin drum, a Hindu ritual bell, and a buffalo horn rattle. They also sing in multiple languages, primarily Old Norse, Old English, and Old Saxon. This song, Krigsgaldr, translates roughly to battle magic.
I’ll finish this piece with two Chronicle documentaries that are lengthy but well worth watching. The first is the history of the Celts. You might be surprised by their origins and insights into a complex, creative culture built upon salt trading.
The second documentary is a history of the Dark Ages told through the art left behind. One major takeaway from both documentaries is the skewed writings of the historians, namely the Romans, who had no compunction about spinning history in their favor.
Art tells a different truth.
So, if you got this far, you might still be wondering about the real meaning of barbarian. It’s covered quite well in the video above, and you probably already know it refers to uncivilized people. Simply, it means other; those who don’t speak like us (according to the “civilized” Romans, it was everyone who lived outside of the Roman Empire).
I’ll link you to the Oxford Classical Dictionary, which goes into the definition at length. and says in part: The term was a social designation rather than a legal status, but could inform institutions and actions and, within certain contexts, the differential treatment of groups, in which case it can be appropriately described as racial thinking.
I hope you enjoy these tidbits shared in this month’s email newsletter.
As you might imagine, magic systems are an important literary device in fantasy writing. Choosing the right level on the High to Low Magic spectrum is crucial to shaping the plot and driving the characters whether the system features big in the plot, or is merely a gossamer thread. Check out 7 Ways to Create a Spectacular Magic System For Your Novel at Writers Write.
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Hard and Soft Magic is another way to look at it as my go-to fantasy writing guru, Richie Billing, brings out. He explains how Hard Magic requires detailing the system’s complexity and all its nuanced rules, whereas soft magic lacks clarity and leaves more to the imagination.
The Starlight Chronicles falls on the lower end of this spectrum, which is typical for writers with romance as their overarching genre. But even we must be serious about our magic system as we develop the plot, flesh out the logical details, and strive to make our fantasy elements vibrant no matter that the bulk of the magic is left unsaid. It still comes through. Readers must have enough believable substance to become immersed as much as they need captivating settings and compelling characters.
I want to nudge my current work in progress (my spinoff story for dragon shifter Michael Elliott) higher up the scale. Elliott’s dragon will be a major character and Onyx needs a backstory. To that end, after creating my antagonist and giving Spero his opening scene, I’ve taken a break from writing and turned to research.
Spero hails from a long line of Nordic witches who use rune magic. The runes are etched into his skin as a means to access and control their power. That’s both a painful handicap and a super strength, which will come out in interesting ways in the story. Suddenly, my mage’s backstory became paramount and needed much more work.
This epiphany led me down fascinating historical paths involving runes, the sagas written in them, their use in incantations, their songs. So, I pulled out long-neglected knitting and crocheting projects and stitched away while watching YouTube videos on Norse Mythology, Viking history, and the Dark Ages, including nuggets like the real meaning of the word barbarian. I also learned the surprising origins of the Celts and how they spread through Europe and competed with the Roman Empire in art, culture, and wow, even chariot racing!
My latest YouTube video is up! Enjoy a video teaser on my new release with an audio clip from Les Romances des Trois on Google Play Audio. Enjoy! And please like and subscribe. You never know what tidbits I might come up with next.
Advance Listen – Les Romances Des Trois – I promise you will be pleasantly surprised by the excellent AI narration. Give Google Audio a try with this audiobook offer in advance of the digital publication.
Three Novellas… Three enchanting settings and adventures… Three unlikely lovers finding each other along the way…
Experience sailing the Caribbean Ocean with a pirate captain and his mythical lovers in The Salty Pearl’s Reluctant Commander. How will Bastien Verdon deal with his superstitious crew and a vengeful god who wants what’s his? Next is Captured By the Hunted, a vampire hunter story that asks who is the hunted? Gedeon Kadar, a Scythian warrior turned vampire or a pair of mated dhampirs hunting vampires for the Oltalom Order?
Fate Sent Her Two immerses you in a contemporary farmhouse setting in coastal California. Maggie McConklin, a widow and well-known figurative painter, launches an ad for housemates to save her home. Adam and Greg answer the ad. Sparks fly the moment the gorgeous men step out of their classic Charger to find Maggie and her Blue Heeler, Sorcha, waiting on the porch.
As a bonus to this diverse collection of sweeping, deeply romantic, MMF fantasy stories, enjoy Pinpricks: An Adult Fairy Tale. In its anthology appearance in Magick & Mystery by Dragon Soul Press, one reviewer said: “Superfast start. Very interesting premise. An unexpected joy.” Find out where a prince and three witches end up in a tale about choices, discovery, and questionable happy-ever-afters.
Three Novellas… Three enchanting settings and adventures… Three unlikely lovers finding each other along the way…
Experience sailing the Caribbean Ocean with a pirate captain and his mythical lovers in The Salty Pearl’s Reluctant Commander. How will Bastien Verdon deal with his superstitious crew and a vengeful god who wants what’s his? Next is Captured By the Hunted, a vampire hunter story that asks who is the hunted? Gedeon Kadar, a Scythian warrior turned vampire or a pair of mated dhampirs hunting vampires for the Oltalom Order?
Fate Sent Her Two immerses you in a contemporary farmhouse setting in coastal California. Maggie McConklin, a widow and well-known figurative painter, launches an ad for housemates to save her home. Adam and Greg answer the ad. Sparks fly the moment the gorgeous men step out of their classic Charger to find Maggie and her Blue Heeler, Sorcha, waiting on the porch.
As a bonus to this diverse collection of sweeping, deeply romantic, MMF fantasy stories, enjoy Pinpricks: An Adult Fairy Tale. In its anthology appearance in Magick & Mystery by Dragon Soul Press, one reviewer said: “Superfast start. Very interesting premise. An unexpected joy.” Find out where a prince and three witches end up in a tale about choices, discovery, and questionable happy-ever-afters.
Enjoy A Free Chapter – Captured By the Hunted
Evy Blakemore
Our vampire stalker kept to his shadows and let us pass him on the stairs, and I wondered why. If we weren’t on such a sensitive mission, I would have confronted him. Part of me deep down would kill to know what his company meant, maybe even suspected what it was. Even as I focused all my senses on the belfry and my mate above me, the idea of challenging our watcher sent shivers down my spine. But now was not the time for distractions.
We’d come to the top of the stairs at last and took the final step through the hatch into the round tower. The smell of decay permeated the chilly darkness. The most dangerous vampire we’d ever been assigned hid somewhere in these shadows—sleeping. Our job was to make sure he never woke up.
At first glance, the open-air chamber appeared empty until my eyes adjusted, revealing a few cupboards and chests tucked in the curve of the far wall. The weather, constantly blasting through the high arched windows, had swept away any debris. Not even cobwebs shimmered from the beams.
Robert motioned me to edge around the east side of the perimeter while he did the same on the west where he carefully inspected the sagging, damp furniture. We studied every detail on our way to the farthest window where the majority of the feeble daylight trickled in with the waning sun. We had no idea what form Lord Barath slept in thanks to his very old magic. He could be a tiny mouse or bat, a wolf, or in some hideous demon form. Occasionally, we were confronted with multiple decoys.
The powerful ones were excellent illusionists.
From our meeting point, we scanned the room again before walking a straight line through the center back to the stairway opening. I pinched my nose to show Robert I smelled our quarry. The vampire was definitely in here with us. I pointed to the broken floorboards. We couldn’t pry at them or stomp around and test for hollow spots for obvious reasons, so Robert ran his keen vision along the floor for clues while I looked up… And just in time.
Shadow and sharp yellow teeth filled my vision. The sly vampire had been a tiny spider and now hung from a man-sized gossamer strand. Robert yanked me out of the way just before Lord Barath could latch onto my neck. In the same move, my partner arced his blade up and cut the strand, and we dove into a roll, aiming for the wall behind the stairs.
Our blades rang out as we lurched into position. I strained to see anything moving, but it was as still as ancient castle ruins should be… until low, menacing laughter crawled up the walls. The demon spoke. “The Oltalom Order has sent another hapless duo to end me. Look how well that worked last time. I heard you coming before you crossed the threshold. Are you prepared to die, children?”
“Last time?” Robert said. “You mean three hundred years ago during your last rampage when hunters trapped you as a bat in a silver-lined cage? You’re getting long in the tooth old man. Why don’t you show yourself and find out which of us will die.” Detached laughter rumbled over the floorboards. Then, the ancient vampire obliged us.
Swords ready, we turned towards the whoosh of air overhead. The dangling wraith sprang back into the rafters and vanished. Silence ensued. We watched and waited. We were prepared for the demon lord to swing at us again like a pendulum at high velocity, but we didn’t expect him to change to a dragon mid-swing.
I froze and gaped at the huge, spiny midnight-black creature bearing down on us with luminescent, jagged teeth and red glowing eyes. Robert reacted much better than I and pierced the beast’s chest under its wing. The dragon let out an ear-splitting screech.
“Run, Evy!”
“What!”
“He’s growing bigger. I’m going for his head, but if I miss, you need to be gone!”
“No! We do this together!” The dragon was growing so fast that soon we would have no room to maneuver. I pushed Robert toward his side of the room. “Leap with me!”
We sprinted in opposite directions away from the dragon. I kicked off the granite wall on my side, spun in the air, and landed on the scaled back. Robert landed behind me, wrapped his arm around my middle, and swung his sword against the beast’s neck. It pierced deep despite the dragon’s armor. I went for the other side. Two deep wounds, a few chunks flayed off, but we would have to hack for a week to get through the massive neck.
The beast howled but kept growing, and soon we were being smashed against the rafters. One broke across the glistening serpentine head, lodging a giant sliver through his eye, and still, the beast pushed his way to the top, taking us with him, his laughter sounding too much like Lord Barath.
Robert shielded me from the splintering beams, and I felt his inhalation above my head right before his warm blood sprayed the side of my face.
“Robert!”
“Hang on, Evy. He’s taking off! Are you ready to fly?”
“Oh my god!” I screamed as we broke through the tower, chunks of stone and copper tiles falling away behind us. The dragon flapped its huge wings, nearly rocking us off of him, before launching into the air and coasting away from the castle.
Robert hugged me to him with one arm and kept his other arm out of sight, making me fear the worst. “Don’t let go, Evy, even if I fall. Do you hear me?” I couldn’t answer that… I didn’t want to think about it.
Frigid air slammed into us as we broke through a black cloud. Beyond it, green, rolling land speckled with scattered villages swept away from the medieval Balkan castle to the Aegean Sea. We were aloft on the back of a dragon!
Just when that mind-boggling reality sank in, Lord Barath’s laughter rippled through the air and died out, and the beast dropped out from under us, disappearing in a puff of smoke.
We were falling… and the ground was a long way down.
By D. L. Lewellyn 