Tag Archives: Authors

A to Z – X is for Xenophile

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A xenophile is someone who is attracted to foreign people and cultures. That’s me. I love meeting new people from different countries, trying new food and learning about different places. The more exotic, the happier I am. The idea of people from other worlds is particularly appealing, which accounts for my love of fantasy and sci fi. I can totally get behind meeting elves and fairies and folks from other planets – as long as I’m not slated to be on the menu anyway.

There are so many wonderful fictional and mythological races, it would be really hard to pick only one. However, if I could choose only one, I’d pick the dragons from the Anne McCaffrey novels. I fell in love with this series years ago. Her vision of dragons is awesome and has been the ultimate image when I think of dragons. Imagine a dragon that you could communicate with and ride and be friends with.

And, yeah, this could have easily come under “wishes.”

Overall, there are tons of cultures I’d like to explore…here on Earth as well as fictional. Some day, my friend…some day.

 

What will  tomorrow’s word be? Come back for the letter “Y” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

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A to Z – W is for Wishes

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Wishes and dreams are an important part of my life. They are what let my imagination soar into new skies and worlds. Most of them are unrealistic and I think that’s okay. I know they are just daydreams and don’t expect them to come true. But without them, I think life would be boring. And without them I doubt I’d be able to write, let alone create my version of the world in my books.

When I was a kid, I had a great imagination. It led me into theatre and the arts, as I mentioned back on “I” day. These days I make it a point to wish for something silly or unrealistic – big or little doesn’t matter. It’s my way of playing pretend, but I think  we have all done this at one time or other. Planned what we would do if we won that big lottery or what our yard would look like with bright flower pots and flowers or even grass.

A yard full of grass is one of those wishes I won’t give into because I live in the desert and maintaining it is a bigger pain than it’s worth. I can always go to the park if I need to see grass, but there are days I wish had a yard of grass instead of rock. Sometimes it”s just the little things. 🙂 Of course, now if I won that lottery? A yard…definitely a yard.

 

What will  Monday’s word be? Come back for the letter “X” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

 

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A to Z Challenge – V is for Victory

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I love victories. Little ones, big ones. Accomplishing something I’ve worked hard at or gotten something I’ve wanted for a long time. Or just doing some little thing correctly that has eluded me – like when I play online games and finally succeed at something.

Today I had one of my bigger victories. For a long time I’ve been looking to rescue a small, female toy poodle. I’ve had my friends looking, too, and it’s been a futile search. But last night I heard from the breeder where I bought Chloe. And she had a perfect little girl!

Meet Cienna (CeCe), age 4.5 months, cafe toy poodle, weighs 3.5 pounds. She is already responding to her name, and has made herself right at home. Of course, I took both Tréa and Chloe to meet her before I actually bought her. Tréa even reached over and gave her a kiss – a big deal for Tréa because she tends to ignore other dogs. The three are already friends – no territorial issues.

So this is today’s victory – a tiny, soft bundle of love named Cienna.

 

Cienna settling in

 

 

What will  tomorrow’s word be? Come back for the letter “W” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

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A to Z Challenge – U is for Unicorn


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I’ve been in love with the idea of unicorns for decades…literally. The magical aspect of this mythical creature was too much for me to resist. For years I collected unicorns and still have a small collection. Of course, this predates my love affair with dragons, but not by much.

Since the mythology on unicorns dates back even before the Greeks, it’s easy to speculate that there may have been a real animal for them to be based on. Modern unicorns are graceful horses with spiraling horns, said to have all sorts of magical properties.

The legends have varied over the years, but the attraction for these lovely creatures is still there. I hope that somewhere in some mystical, hidden valley somewhere, these graceful animals exist. For me, pretending they exist somewhere makes our world a little brighter.

 

What will  tomorrow’s word be? Come back for the letter “V” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

 

 

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A to Z Challenge – T is for Thulukan

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Okay so another obvious one. But one of the things I remember as a kid was when our enormous family all got together for barbecues and dinners. I remember chasing fireflies with my cousins, while adults sat and chatted on the back patio, eating steak and hamburgers and watermelon. And sneaking sips of my Uncle John’s bourbon and coke. You can read more about that in my post Mint Juleps and the Time Machine.

I tried to capture that feeling with the Thulukans. La Fi’s husband is Erik Thulukan, III, but started calling himself Thulu at a young age and it stuck. While La Fi has only her grandmother, Nana Fae, Thulu has this gigantic family. One brother, two twin sisters and a large assortment of cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

Their Saturday afternoon barbecues are an important part of the family dynamics. It’s where La Fi got her nickname. It’s where she met her best friend, Ally, Thulu’s cousin and Ally’s friend Lynda-Jean, who figured so prominently in Relics. 

When I write those barbecue scenes, my own memories of summer nights out in the backyard, running and yelling with my cousins bring back the smells of fresh-cut grass and the ease of a simpler time. I wanted that for my series – a respite from the chaos that surrounds Thulu and La Fi.

 

What will  tomorrow’s word be? Come back for the letter “U” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

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A to Z Challenge – R is for Reo

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One of my fave characters to write is Reo Malone, aka Brandy Malone. Reo is an empath, telepath and psychic whose abilities make for an impressive track record. Hiding in plain sight with a show at a 5 star hotel in San Francisco, Reo masquerades as the delightful chanteuse, Brandy Malone. The wildly popular show covers magic and singing, with Brandy weaving her way through the audience and those who come for help.

But one of the things I love most about Reo is that when the show is over his work just begins. Shedding his alter ego, he wanders through the seamier sides of San Francisco helping those he can. Using his abilities and his dynamic personality to help those who need it most, he makes a difference where he can.

Reo is one of the most popular characters form The Thulukan Chronicles, and I hope to one day tell more of his stories.

 

What will Monday’s word be? Come back for the letter “s” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

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A to Z Challenge – Q is for Quest

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I like quests. I do a lot of them when I play MMOs (online games with other people). In fact, those gaming quests probably influenced my writing. Each book and story I’ve written has quests/mysteries to solve. But there are other influences as well.

I particularly love reading books that have group quest story lines. The Lord of the Rings hooked me on those when I was back in college. There’s just something about a bunch of diverse people banding together to accomplish a goal that appeals to me. Judging by the popularity of group quest books, I’m not alone in my love affair with them. To name every one of those books/series that I’ve read and loved would take forever. Suffice it to say there have been hundreds.

One of the more recent ones that caught my attention is Robin Hobb’s Rain Wilds Chronicles. That has the added attraction of dragons, so it’s a double win for me.

So whether I’m reading about them or actually doing them in a game, quests have a special place in my heart.

 

What will Monday’s word be? Come back for the letter “R” in the challenge.

Be sure to check out the rest of the cool blogs in the challenge!  A to Z Challenge.

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