 I’m a happy landlubber. I grew up in Alberta, a landlocked province on the north-west edge of a vast continental prairie. My family weren’t boaters, nor were they into water sports like swimming or fishing.
My boating experience includes a handful of paddleboats, a couple of canoes, one outboard motorboat (all on lakes), a few ferries, and a gigantic cruise ship. I was in charge of none of them, though I helped pedal and row in the smallest of them. But I gave Caledon a centuries-long passion for the ocean and made them a race of master ship-builders living on a remote island in the middle of the North Sea. While writing the Dragon’s Fire Series, I learned a lot about boats, and although I have creative license under the genre “fantasy,” I like to stay close to reality where I can. Caledon’s formidable navy is the reason that Langdon and Zandor both founded their capital cities inland. The seagoing history of the Caledonian people gets its first in-depth details in Guardians of Caledon with the rumors about the Neach Gwynt, and Finnian’s building of the Lann Sciath. Both ships are speedy, with the latter sporting a double mast, a feature which did not become common in reality until the late middle ages. The former’s spectacular speed came from engineering; she lifted her bow out of the water when the wind hit her sails, scudding along with an upturned nose. Fast and maneuverable, Caledon’s warships struck fear into the hearts of her foes, and she ruled the seas around the island from the early 360s until the modern day. Each ship of significance in the stories has a name. Most of those names are Caledonian words specific to the ship’s role or the quirk that makes it stand out from the rest. In Book Eight, I have created a small rowboat and named it, too. Eahlu means “escape.” In Dragon’s Fire, the Suainydd patrolled the coasts for pirates. Her name means “tranquility.” In The Mystic’s Mandate, the Bwaydh, or “victory,” carried passengers east toward Zandor. And mentioned in Guardians of Caledon, one of three ships that landed on Caledon’s remote shores after fleeing a Roman invasion was the Saorsa, whose name means “freedom.” About a year after publishing Dragon’s Fire and a few months before releasing The Curse of Caledon, StoryShopUSA employed me to edit their book, A Most Excellent Pirate Adventure. This story is an updated re-release of a 1922 novel titled Blackbeard Buccaneer by Ralph Delahaye Paine. Paine knew his ships, and his naval vocabulary was beyond me, so I kept the dictionary to hand as I worked. Most people don’t read for pleasure with a dictionary alongside them, so I suggested to StoryShop’s executives that we include a handy glossary in the story. Writing it fell to me, partly because of the research I had already completed for the Dragon’s Fire Series. I won’t take up glossary composition as a steady part of my career. The assignment was less-than-thrilling, but I learned a lot while I was doing it! I now have a copy on my computer and in the novel by StoryShopUSA. Blame the glossary project if you find too many ship terms in my books for which you need a dictionary. I love watching Caledonian ships sail in my imagination, and I admire vessels in real life. Mostly, though, I’ll keep my feet on solid ground; I’m content to write about grand boats and the brave people who sailed them.
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Meet two more characters from The Mystic’s Mandate.
Captain Colin Grenleigh “I rarely eavesdrop on people’s prayers, but if you have a direct line to Morrigan, lad, say a good word for all of us, won’t you?” Birthdate: 1260 Age at the time of this story: 27-28 Physical Characteristics: 6’1”; 173 lbs; blond hair, blue eyes Colin is the grandson of Queen Ciara, the second-born of her youngest son. Raised in a wealthy home with every comfort and advantage, Colin visits Caledon Castle often throughout his childhood and youth. Aware of how distant his claim on Ampleforth’s throne is behind uncles, cousins, and nephews, Colin seeks to influence history through outstanding service in Caledon’s army. As a young man, he abandons his royal title for a military one. Life in the army tents is far different from the prince’s pampered upbringing, but despite his reputation as a scatterbrain, Colin adapts and moves up the ranks, earning promotions and honors with speed and bravery. Defending Ampleforth and the Black Cliffs from Langdon’s attacks is a never-ending and dissatisfying task as men and weapons dwindle, and the line never makes lasting gains in ground. Colin holds to his assigned position until the day his cousin, King Benedict, tells him to handpick a small team for a special mission. Though Colin views his assignment as hopeless, he seeks to fulfill the king’s orders without wasting time or manpower. An experienced commander should have little trouble checking items off a list and finding information, but daunting challenges face him, and unexpected surprises lurk within his unit. “I am tasked with the almost impossible: drive Langdon back from Ampleforth and reclaim the salt mines, lost to Langdon seventy years ago. The mission itself is not insurmountable, but Caledon has no forces to replace those I lose. No men. No horses. No weapons. No boots. Seven decades of war have decimated our resources. So we take them off the dead. Anything we can use. But the dead, while I can commandeer their clothes and weapons, cannot fight for me. And therein lies the worst of my dilemma. Our ranks are dwindling. Two weeks ago, I added a fifteen-year-old boy to my foot soldiers. A mere child! I am ashamed to rob cradles, but what else can I do? I need every man, or boy, I can get. The fear in the lad’s eyes when I told the men we would meet Langdon tomorrow smote me to the core. He will probably die. Like so many others. War. The glory and futility. When will it end?” Background Information: Caledonian Titles All the king’s children inherit the title of prince or princess. The spouse of the prince who will inherit the throne gains an equal title with full powers, so long as the blood royal lives. Courtesy titles are given to spouses of princes and princesses who will not ascend the throne—these hold little power but bestow a level of prestige upon the bearer. The hereditary title of the father will pass to his offspring, but courtesy titles are never handed down. When a noble marries a person who already possesses a title, the couple can claim the higher of the titles if they wish. If a lord marries a duchess, he can assume the courtesy title of duke. However, he might choose to keep his hereditary rank so that his title will pass to their children. The king or queen might bestow an honorary title on anyone who has engaged in outstanding acts of service. Men’s honorary titles get handed down to their children, an ongoing legacy worth striving for. The title of knight or lord is the most common honorary title for men, and a woman will receive the title of lady. The spouse of a person who earns an honorary title will receive a matching courtesy title. Titles, including hereditary titles, can be revoked for a variety of offences. If a person loses his or her title, any living or future spouses or descendants of his lose theirs as well. Langdon and Zandor observe the Caledonian customs regarding titles within their respective royal families and nobility. When the Republic of Caledon formed in 1876, titles became a badge of dishonor—a relic of bygone times and the tyranny of the monarchy. Those who held them ceased to flaunt them or to pass them on to their children. In the 1930s, a new law abolished any remaining titles, making every Caledonian equal. In the 21st century, some families still carried the royal surnames of Grenleigh, Bramston, and Zandor. Many of these could trace their lineage to a royal family, but bragging about one’s ancestry marked one as a snob. People who knew of royal roots and past titles in their families kept their knowledge to themselves. Caledonian titles in order of descending rank: King/Queen; Prince/Princess; Duke/Duchess; Earl/Countess; Baron/Baroness; Lord/Lady; Knighthood. Brigid Kerry “What is truth? Truth is perception. Who will you believe?” Birthdate: 1271 Age at the time of this story: 6-16 Physical Characteristics: 5’8”; 135 lbs; light brown hair, brown eyes The daughter of a Zandorian baron, Brigid knows the rules. She knows how to behave when her father takes her with him to the palace, though she can’t fathom why he does it. Grymwalde’s palace is the most boring place Brigid has ever had the misfortune to be, but when she’s there, she knows what to say to whom. And she only speaks when spoken to. But Brigid often wishes she could say and do what she wants, instead of following the prescriptions of her strict culture. When Brigid is eight years old, her mother dies, leaving her to the tender mercies of a procession of governesses hired to tend to the girl’s education and upbringing. Brigid’s best friend after her mother passes is her maid, Adine, whom she treats as more of a confidante than a servant. Brigid enjoys drawing with charcoal and painting landscapes. She would love to travel to Langdon’s mountains or Caledon’s cliffs to see more exciting scenery than Grymwalde offers, but while the nations are at war, she’s stuck at home. “Sit still. Be quiet. Mind your manners. Rules. Life is a bunch of rules. And the rules for girls don't allow for half so much fun as the rules for boys. See Prince Laurence over there, peeking through the door with that mischievous smirk? No one's making him sit still. He even winked and stuck his tongue out at me! But I have to sit here, silent. I'm cold, but I daren't move closer to the fire, for Father told me to sit here, not there. The room is full of men. How many? I can't tell. The torches cast strange shadows. There might be thirty men, or perhaps only five and twenty-five ghosts. Regardless, they all speak to each other, and never to me, as though I don't exist. I want to get up and run around the room, and shout, and dance, and laugh, but I sit, because I am expected to sit, and I don't get a say. I wonder if there's any way to make anyone hear me? Zandor is not a good place to be a girl.”  The Mystic’s Mandate involves a longer time-span than any other title in the Dragon’s Fire Series. Excluding the prologue, the book covers from 1274 to 1287. Some characters take part in the plot longer than others, so you’ll see a discrepancy in age spans throughout the sketches. Characters who are present from the start show a wider range of ages than those who join the story late or leave it early.
Maygan Moore “Cowards! All of you! If you don’t go, I will!” Birthdate: 1267 Age at the time of this story: 7-20 Physical Characteristics: 5’7”; 148 lbs; auburn hair; brown eyes The fourth generation of a Mystic family, Maygan has been steeped in the Order’s lore and tradition since birth. Her father, Derrick Moore, was working to become a High Priest, but died of typhoid before he attained the position. Her mother, Johna, is a knowledgeable herbalist. Maygan is gifted with visions: images of the past and the future that no one else can see. The High Mystics admire, even envy, Maygan’s abilities, but she dislikes the visions—seeing what others cannot makes her uneasy. Urged to follow in her ancestors’ footsteps, Maygan studies hard to attain a high standing among her people. A quiet and compliant child, Maygan has a stubborn streak she conceals from others. She despises the Mystics’ home in the caves, and suffers from a breathing disorder on account of the smoky, stale air. Though comfortable with the darkness of the dragons’ lair, Maygan craves the light and longs to return to the way things were before the war. Her intelligence and determination earn her an enviable ranking in the Order at a young age, but her hatred of a Mystic prophecy and her frustration at the Order’s pacifist stance drive Maygan to take the future into her own hands. “Caledon has been at war my entire life. And it will be at war for the rest of my life, and far longer still. How do I know? The gods reveal things to Mystics that they don’t share with other people. We live in the dragon’s lair, in the dark, like moles. Caledon battles to keep Langdon away from the Black Cliffs, losing soldiers by the day, but will the able-bodied men hiding in the caves take up arms to defend their king and country? No! Because we are all brothers, the Archmystic says - us and our enemies. We do not make war against our own blood. Cowards! Langdon would kill us without a second thought - payment of an old debt. And we wait here for them to come, priding ourselves that we are higher than they - more noble - more enlightened. What a crock. I’m tired of sitting here, waiting to die. It’s time we took control of this situation and used our powers to alter our history and our future. The cost will be high, the Archmystic says, but history stole my tomorrows before I was born, and I want them back. I will restore my future or die trying! After all, what’s the point of living if there’s nothing to live for?” Background Information: The Mystics Caledon’s elite religious leaders have held a place of importance since the nation’s founding in 358. The common citizens hold the Mystics in awe as worshippers of the Dragon’s Fire, keepers of Caledon’s history, and predictors of its future. Mystics preside over marriage and death rites, possess vast knowledge of herbal medicine, and serve as advisors to the king. The Mystics prefer to keep their secrets within the “family.” An outsider’s chances of being accepted into the Order are greater if he has a relative who is part of the group. Women will not gain admission to the Order unless they are born into it, with one or both parents already in places of prominence. To acquire an official rank in the Order, an applicant must complete ten to fifteen years of study. A high-ranking position, such as High Priest, Ovate, or Archmystic, requires twenty years or more. The successful candidate will master:
Laurence Zandor “I can’t abide stupid people. Brainless heads hit the ground far faster than intelligent ones.” Birthdate: April 20, 1270 Age at the time of this story: 7-17 Physical Characteristics: 6’1”; 165 lbs; brown hair, brown eyes Great-grandson of Adrian Zandor, Laurence has been groomed from infancy to take the Crown of Zandor and overthrow Caledon. A series of traumatic childhood events scar the young prince, leaving him burdened with a secret he dare not share for fear of his life. Laurence withdraws emotionally, attempting to stamp out his feelings altogether. Upon the death of Laurence’s father, a succession of regents governs for the prince until he is old enough to take the throne and impact Zandor in unprecedented ways. He rules with a stern fist, but underhanded deals threaten his authority, and he clings to power by a narrow thread. Counsel from his wife and his regent conflict, and Laurence finds himself caught between two warring forces within his house, while fighting to hold on to his throne and his sanity. “They call me the King of Zandor, but I have no power until two years from now, when I will be old enough to wear the crown. Until then, the Regent makes decisions. Oh, he consults me, but he can override me on a whim, so what’s the point? Once I have all the power, Zandor will see what I’m made of. A lot of things are going to change around here - starting with the removal of every trace of Caledon from Zandor’s laws. It’s time I made this nation a powerful entity, not a shadow of Ampleforth, pining for the castle on the cliff. The weight of the crown is a tremendous responsibility - one that I anticipate and dread at the same time. But nothing could instill such a burden as the secret I’ve carried for the past seven years. This secret fills my every waking thought and my nightmares. If I reveal the secret, I will die, like everyone else who possessed this knowledge. I am haunted, taunted by knowledge I can never share with anyone, yet somehow, I must, or the consequences to the island of Caledon will be severe indeed.” Fergus Ulliac “Have you considered who will take your throne if something happens to you?” Birthdate: 1249 Age at the time of this story: 28-38 Physical Characteristics: 5’11”; 220 lbs; brown hair, brown eyes Fergus is the son of King Adrian’s closest advisor. He works as a palace bookkeeper, with an eye to gaining proximity to the throne and the ear of the king. A wizard with numbers, he holds the royal purse strings and a position of great trust. Fergus knows how to manipulate others to better himself, and how to ingratiate himself to those in prominent positions. Biding his time to claim a higher position, Fergus presents himself and the books with flawless perfection whenever required. Events combine to position Fergus in an optimal place to serve young Prince Laurence, and they forge a friendship that will have long-lasting implications for Zandor and the Crown. “A wise king surrounds himself with many trustworthy advisors. After all, no one should make decisions that affect nations and hundreds of thousands of people without proper counsel. But some counselors get closer to kings than others. My family has been that counselor to the rulers of Zandor for nigh on seventy years now. It’s an excellent position to occupy. One would have to try very hard to irritate the king enough to be banished from his side - with the proper balance of praise, fawning, and sage advice, one’s position is secure. So many envy the king’s place - his wealth, his comforts, his power. What they don’t realize is that the power doesn’t belong to the one who wears the crown. The power belongs to the master behind the scenes who controls the strings.” Join me in May for more characters and background information for The Mystic’s Mandate! Book Four, The Brigand’s Promise, until now, held the title of Toughest Book in the Series to Write, primarily because I made the villains the protagonists. It also contained a giant plot hole which plagued me for months and required me to introduce a new character in the fourth draft. Now, Book Seven, The Mystic’s Mandate, has stolen that dubious honor.
My protagonist, Maygan, did not exist at first. The initial idea for Mandate followed a lead character from Zandor, Brigid. Several plot attempts fizzled at the midpoint of the story—no climax or resolution, just a sad ending after a narrative of history. That wouldn’t do at all. I relegated Brigid to a secondary and created Maygan, who would reach a satisfying conclusion and whom readers could root for. I rewrote the plot, and while still not pleased with it, began the first draft, figuring that the story arc was decent, and I would fix the details later. The first draft was like pulling teeth. Maygan felt and worked like a last-minute addition. The other characters were uncooperative. My three “bad guys” were vying for the role of “Villain Supreme,” none of them willing to take a backseat to the others. The story was dark and rambling, and the extensive timeline plagued me. Upon completion of the first draft, I wrote yet another plot, attempting to crystalize the key points of the story so I could hone it and shorten it. The monstrous first, second, and third drafts reached more than 122k words—close to the size of The Curse of Caledon. Curse has the story to carry such a weighty length. Mandate was just long. Subsequent drafts attempted to whittle the word count while intensifying the story, strengthening the characters, and making the narrative make sense. I couldn’t shorten the time span, but I worked on making the passage of years easier to follow. After five drafts, the story had come together at last. The characters were cooperating, and I knew them well. So began editing and more killing of the word count. In one infamous pass, I dropped over 12k words from the manuscript, losing none of the important elements of the story. By the time my editor got the manuscript, I had worked it down to 103k words—the length of Guardians—and I was pretty proud of it. He made me cut two words from the very first sentence. Then followed more cuts: repetition, dragging scenes, character inconsistencies… damn, I thought I had found all those! The story came together with our joint effort, and The Mystic’s Mandate is now a book I am proud of at 91,287 words. I hope nothing ever snatches its title of Toughest Book in the Series to Write, because I’m not sure I’ll survive another manuscript like this one! Book Seven released November 5th. Do you have your copy yet?  I never expected to become a fantasy writer. As a child and teen, I wasn’t allowed to read or write fantasy books, except for the Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. Fairy tales, myths, and legends were taboo. My parents insisted that my books—on my shelf or in my head—be realistic and preferably religious.
In fourth grade, a creative writing assignment for Halloween revolved around the usual topics: ghosts, witches, haunted houses. I wasn’t permitted to dabble in such subjects, so I wrote a story about a plane crash. Everyone died. Suitably grim, I hoped. My teacher was less than impressed, and she wrote in my report card that I had “no imagination.” I had an imagination. When I wrote stories for myself, I could see my characters, and they talked to me. But when I told my parents that, their reaction was negative in the extreme, and I learned to keep the vibrant world in my head a secret. In my forties, I discovered that I have a condition called hyperphantasia, or an overactive imagination. This explains the high-definition imagery in my mind and my ability to perceive places and people in my field of vision, superimposed on reality. Hyperphantasia also explains how real my characters and fictional worlds become to me. When I imagine a scene, I see and hear everything, and with less intensity, experience tastes, textures, and smells. The constant images and incessant internal dialogue in my brain are exhausting, especially when I try to process all of it alongside reality. Writing helps to keep the ideas in manageable order! But as a child, I concealed all that, thinking something was wrong with me. In my late teens, I started writing historical fiction. A novel I wrote in my early twenties, Fool’s Gold, was published online by Reconciliation Press circa 2000. Many years later, when I began the Dragon’s Fire Series with what became the second title, The Rose of Caledon, I intended to produce more historical fiction. It bothered me, though, that I had set the story in a made-up land, instead of placing my characters in England or Ireland. A third of the way through Myrhiadh’s War, when James and Myrhiadh came up with the plot for Dragon’s Fire, a hint of magic crept into the book. I loosened the reins on my imagination that I’d stifled for so long and let it run. I love writing fantasy. The Dragon’s Fire Series is low-fantasy, or magical realism. Through it, I’ve discovered who I am as a writer, and to a great extent, who I am as a person. I’m learning to embrace my imagination instead of viewing it as a disease or even a curse. The novel I mentioned earlier, Fool’s Gold, will be re-released in print at a later date. An editor who went over the text, having never met me or had any interaction with me, commented, “She would make an amazing fantasy writer!” Such a comment 20 years ago would have terrified me. When I wrote Fool's Gold, I didn't dare let my imagination take over, but the editor noticed it, just the same. The Dragon’s Fire Series has taught me to embrace who and what I am, and to appreciate how fun a soaring flight of unhindered imagination can be. I hope my fourth-grade teacher reads them.  (The following post appeared in a four-part series on Instagram.)
I never submitted Dragon’s Fire to an agent, but went straight to self-publishing. I’ve been writing stories since first grade and submitting manuscripts to publishers from the age of thirteen. Back then, I didn’t need an agent, since many reputable companies took submissions from authors. Self-publishing was not yet a popular or affordable thing. I sent out paper manuscripts with self-addressed, stamped return envelopes. I first tried to publish a cliché horse story titled Never Tamed. The manuscript included everything: the wild black stallion, the young teen girl he’d do anything for, the snotty rich neighbor girl with the fancy horse, the threatening, aloof owner of the big stable, the impossible horse race... It’s embarrassing. My stack of rejection letters grew while I kept writing, kept learning, and kept submitting new material. At fifteen, I changed tack and wrote a mystery. That flopped. I was too young to weave anything that would appeal to readers older than ten, and I didn’t write or pitch the manuscript as middle-grade fiction. At sixteen, I tried my hand at a young adult novel of friendship and high school angst. Friendship bracelets were all the rage for teen girls in the late 80s and early 90s, and I titled my story The Friendship Bracelet. It was about long-distance friendships, new relationships, body image, eating disorders, and self-mutilation, told from the point of view of a plain-Jane main character plucked from a big city and dumped into a rural town and its high school where everyone else had known each other since kindergarten. After several rejections, I got a letter. Not a big, thick, returned manuscript, addressed in my handwriting, but a letter! I envisioned my published book before I even opened the envelope. The letter from a submission editor read, “I love this story, and I want to present it to the senior editing team at our next meeting, but I’m embarrassed to say I’ve lost your manuscript. Would you be so kind as to print and send it again at our expense? I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” I printed and mailed another copy with a bill and a thank-you note. For the next several weeks, I lived on a cloud, convinced that if one liked the story, the rest would, too. But after a time, that thick envelope I had learned to dread appeared in the mailbox. It contained my manuscript, a cheque for printing and mailing costs, and another letter from the editor who loved my book. “In this case, we thought the book didn’t quite make it to a publishable level, but it was really quite good, about as good as a book can get and not actually get snapped up. Only a minority of the books we evaluate are as polished as yours. Thus we hope our rejection will not discourage you and that you will keep writing. We suspect you have before you a promising future as a writer.” I was crushed. I cried for days. Then I sent the story out again. No one else ever picked it up. I moved on, wrote new stuff, and the book died in a realm of outdated floppy disks and dog-eared, yellow pages. In my early twenties, I produced a saga of slavery and the Underground Railroad. I shipped off a query and some sample chapters (via the internet!) The prompt response came. “We’re sorry, but at 160,000 words, this manuscript is beyond our capacity to publish...” But this time, the editor included feedback. “We see point of view issues, consistency problems, telling instead of showing, and an overwhelmed plot, but we see a lot of potential in you as a writer. Would you be willing to consider...” Warning bells clanged in my head. Scam! They’re going to ask for money to publish something! Run far, run fast! But no. This publisher asked if I would work for them, producing writing to their specifications, in exchange for one-on-one mentoring. The man offering worked as a teacher of creative writing besides running his publishing house. He asked for no money. I gambled only my time. Best decision I ever made. I worked with and for my mentor for five years, studying the craft of writing, learning to edit on-the-job, and writing historical fiction for children and young adults. I even made some money. This honest little company was the best thing that could have happened to my writing career. I gained the equivalent of a college education in creative writing and editing, published several short stories and study guides, and released a full-length novel titled Fool’s Gold online (no longer available.) I was a step closer to my dream. Someone had seen value in my work and published it for people to read. I was so happy! Then motherhood hit, and the demands of babies swamped the writing. I knew things would get worse, not better, and in 2002, I resigned my position to focus on the challenges of being a homeschooling mom. Fourteen years passed. I flexed my writing muscles by composing a creative Christmas letter every year. I taught my kids grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and critiqued their writing assignments, trying desperately to remember that they were children, not clients. In the summer of 2016, I couldn’t hold back anymore. Even though I knew the writing urge would consume me, I gave in and started the Dragon’s Fire Series. I loved the entire experience. I felt like I had found Me again after losing her somewhere in the diapers, dishes, and disasters. Nothing I’d written before had been so fun—my first accidental foray into fantasy (more on that next month). With each new story, the books got better. When I decided to publish the series, I considered seeking an agent but ruled against it. I didn’t want to put myself through the wringer again: the research, the querying, the endless strings of rejections, the trials of hoping today might be the day. Publishing is a subjective field. Your book has to be exciting and well written, and you need a generous dose of luck to hit the right editor on the right day. I was having fun writing these books, and I didn’t want to kill that. These stories mustn’t die like The Friendship Bracelet in a stack of rejection letters and a crush of broken dreams. I wanted to share them. If they sold, great, if they didn’t, no harm done. So I self-published. Readers love them. It’s still my dream to do traditional publication one day. I’ve got a manuscript in the works that I might send to agents over the next year or two. On social media, I call it my Naughty Pleasure: a standalone, young adult novel with a unique twist that I think may sell very well. But until then, I sit with my feet up on my coffee table, running my little publishing empire, and editing for a new publishing house and some freelance clients. I’ve got readers between the ages of nine and 84 begging for more, and I’m happy. That’s what matters.  Some writers don’t plot. I am a confirmed plotter. I think that having a well-thought-out plot before beginning a book is almost always essential. Why?
Every writer has his or her own method for plotting. There is no right or wrong way to construct a plot, so long as it ends up following the basic plot diagram pictured here. However, I know some tried and true tricks that consistently result in exciting books. The Dragon’s Fire Series has gotten some rave reviews, including: captivating; shocking twists; gripping, fast-paced stories; thrilling. Plotting is a skill I fine-tuned with my mentor about 25 years ago. He taught me:
No matter what genre you are writing, every story follows the same basic form: beginning, middle, and end. Each part contains certain elements that contribute to flow and drive the action forward. The beginning must introduce a conflict of some sort—the protagonist must have a problem to resolve. A novel is not a memoir. The story must have direction and purpose. The middle, or rising action, must show the steps the protagonist takes to solve his problem, building interest and excitement all the way through. The end begins with the climax—a battle, a turning point, the most exciting part of the book. Does the protagonist win or lose? The story must then resolve satisfactorily. Your ending can be happy, sad, or something between, but the plot should conclude in a way that doesn’t leave the reader hanging, wondering what comes next. There’s a difference between leaving readers wanting more and leaving them feeling cheated because there should have been more! Finish this story, even if you leave some dangling threads for a sequel. Following a formula in writing a plot can be stifling to creativity. It’s no fun to shove your story into a box. The first step in plotting is to outline your story in point form. You don’t have to start at the beginning or work in chronological order. Write down whatever you’ve got and build on it. Once you have the beginning, middle, and end outlined, you can flesh your plot out. Look for these key elements: 1.) Does your plot have an interesting/exciting hook? Grab your reader’s attention on the first page. 2.) Does your main character have a clear task or goal to achieve? 3.) Do you present that task or goal early in the story, preferably within the first chapter? 4.) Does your rising action follow a logical progression? It should build gradually, providing motivations for your protagonist to continue his journey and increasing tension as you head toward the climax. 5.) Is the climax exciting? Does it pay off everything you’ve built up during the story? Does your main character achieve his goal through his own merits? 6.) Does your story conclude reasonably quickly after the climax, providing a satisfying ending? If your story is missing any of these things, tweak your plot until it includes all the elements. Subplots should drive the main plot forward and tie smoothly into the ending. If they don’t, they probably don’t belong. A fun element that I usually like to include is a plot plant. A plot plant is an almost-unnoticed element of the story that comes into play in a big way during the climax. A plot plant should appear early in the narrative without much fanfare so that the reader accepts its presence without paying it much attention. (E.g., Dorothy’s ruby slippers in The Wizard of Oz.) I also like to write an exciting, direct conflict between protagonist and antagonist toward the “end of the middle” of the story. For excitement and tension, this scene is almost climactic. At the end of it, things are usually looking bad—the villain has taken the upper hand and shoved the protagonist into a corner. It’s the point of no return. The protagonist is on an inexorable path to the end. Once I’ve written down my story ideas, I check it with the plot framework for all the points I’ve listed above. What if the story doesn’t plug into my “master outline” correctly? In that case, I’ll change the order of events or strengthen my conflict or climax. Sometimes something is missing, so I add new ideas and scenes. Sometimes I’ll discover that an element I like doesn’t fit the story and needs to go. But after some tweaking, I end up with a plot that employs every essential component of great storytelling, makes logical sense, and makes me excited to start writing! And then my characters change it. Your plot will change as you write your story, though the essential elements should still be present. You'll add things, and you'll take them away. Plots aren’t prisons. Use them as a road map. Explore, create, and have fun doing it! My original plan for the Dragon’s Fire Series was five books. Books One through Five tell a complete story, and the series could have finished there.
But I was having too much fun in Caledon, and I wanted more! Readers did too. I was getting lots of questions.
Books Six through Ten are going to answer all those questions and more. Book Six, Guardians of Caledon, goes back in time to introduce a plot gimmick that will weave through the next five stories. Each of the new tales will interconnect with each other and with the first five books, enriching storylines and bringing commoners to the forefront as main characters. Some of them you will have met before, and others will be entirely new. Books Eight and Nine will be set in 1587 and 1603, respectively. The series will culminate with a grand finale in Book Ten that will tie everything together and finish things with a spectacular bang! The dragons, Aderyntan and Cythraul, are coming back for one more fantastic appearance before the end of the series. Don’t ask me how I’m going to do that, because—spoilers. With the cover and title reveal for The Mystic’s Mandate behind me, I’m looking forward to sharing the back cover copy and a sneak peek at the first few pages of the book. Set in the late 1200s, Book Seven tells an exciting story, details some relevant history, and gives more depth to several characters mentioned in previous titles, including Ciara Muerren, Adrian Zandor, King Laurence, and Ian Gadara. The Mystic’s Mandate contains numerous spoilers for earlier books, so make sure you’re caught up on the series before Mandate launches this fall! Thank you for joining me on this adventure. A book without readers is never complete. Meet some more characters from Book Six.
Marcus, Son of Berend “Sorry to disappoint you, but I think anything would be better than becoming your next meal.” Birthdate: 755 Age at the time of this story: 24 Physical Characteristics: 6’0”; 168 lbs; brown hair; green eyes Marcus is the son of a nobleman from the continent, tasked with captaining the voyage of the Valknut, a merchant trading vessel. Upon his return, with his holds full of gold, Marcus will gain the hand of the Grand Duke’s beautiful daughter, Claudia, and become an advisor to the king. Such a place at court is coveted and difficult to attain, but the best part about it, in Marcus’ view, is that it will be dry. Marcus hates being wet. A privileged upbringing allowed Marcus an excellent education and plenty of sporting activities such as riding, swordplay, and sailing. Brave and energetic, Marcus was often found with his timid friend, Julius, lurking in his shadow. He met Claudia at a party at the Grand Duke’s home about six months before the Valknut sailed and won her affections despite other, wealthier suitors vying for her hand. Determined to prove his merit to both the king and his future father-in-law, Marcus mapped out a bold trading route for the Valknut. He was returning home from a successful voyage when the storm struck that would change his life and fortunes forever. “My opportunity to captain the merchant ship, Valknut, was a golden one. Her route was long and daring, the perfect chance to prove my merit to King Jannik. A bold journey of exploration and a return to port with my holds full of foreign treasures would secure me a high place in the king's court and the hand of the Grand Duke's beautiful daughter, Claudia. My future was secure. Our journey went smoothly: we mapped, traded, made a considerable profit, and set sail for home. But then the storm hit. I'd never experienced a worse one. My crew and I barely kept the Valknut afloat. We lost our bearings completely, and we were forced to throw much of our precious cargo overboard to lighten the vessel. Everything was soaked. I hate being wet. And I had the horrible premonition that something big was stalking the ship... By the time the storm let up, we had lost several crew members, and the Valknut was battered and bruised. Our best hope was to find land to repair the vessel and reorient ourselves. We drifted aimlessly and came upon the most inhospitable coastline I have ever encountered in all my days at sea. We hoped to find a harbor, but the monsters found us first. I don't know how I'm going to explain this to the king. If I ever get home. Caledon. Curse Caledon!” Background Information—The Continent “The continent” is mentioned several times throughout the series, initially as a vague place from which ships don’t dare to venture to Caledon, and then as a trading partner and source of royal spouses. I always had Europe in mind, and a specific European city gets its first mention by name in The Curse of Caledon. Marcus is from the continent. European languages and borders were in a state of flux in 779, and obviously, nothing like they are today. Marcus comes from a nation on the north coast of Europe, which has a good dose of Roman influence prevalent in the culture. The Valknut’s trade route encompassed the shores of modern Denmark, Norway, and Scotland before she was blown off course, beginning Marcus’ adventure and unwelcome state of wetness. King Jannik “You tell me lies. Everyone says there is no Caledon.” Birthdate: 706 Age at the time of this story: 73 Physical Characteristics: 5’11”; 157 lbs; gray hair, blue eyes The king of Marcus’ unnamed European nation, Jannik took the throne at the age of 34. Progressive and bold, his reign has been one of exploration and aggressive trading, as well as forceful military action. Jannik has expanded his borders substantially since becoming king, absorbing small tribes and nations, enslaving or enriching them to best benefit him. Jannik loves stories. His favorites involve a mystical land named Caledon, said to be guarded by dragons and inhabited by races of faeries, giants, and monsters. The greatest of these tales are those of the Dragon’s Fire—a legendary marvel of tremendous value that would grant magic powers to whoever possessed it. In 744, when Jannik had been king for four years, a band of tradesmen returned home after everyone thought them dead. They claimed to have seen an island called Caledon. They brought a man who could not speak their language, delirious with infection from a bad wound, who they said came from the place they had sojourned. Jannik executed most of the returning band, refusing to believe their stories, for all the legends say that no one leaves Caledon alive. The remainder recanted. But the injured stranger, nursed back to health and held prisoner in the dungeons, learned to speak Jannik’s language and began communicating with him about Caledon. Jannik sent an exploratory mission to search based on the man’s description of Caledon’s location. They found nothing. Disappointed, Jannik kept the prisoner alive so that he could tell more stories, and always wondered what the truth was. “I like hearing stories. There's a fellow in my dungeon who can tell stories like no other. He probably figures that if he keeps me entertained, I won't have him executed. There's some truth in that. He tells me stories of a place called Caledon: an island shrouded in mist and guarded by fierce storms. And dragons. Of course, there are many stories of Caledon, but this fellow speaks as though he's been there. Which is nonsense. All the legends say that one's chances of finding Caledon are slim to none and that if you are unfortunate enough to land there, you will never leave alive. My prisoner tells me stories of the Dragon's Fire: a mystical light, visible only from the water after dark. The Dragon's Fire holds strange powers, and 'tis said that were it ever to leave the dragons' lair, the entire island of Caledon would be destroyed. Nonsense, all. But he speaks as though he genuinely believes it. If only I could find someone to corroborate his stories, perhaps it might be worth sending an expedition to try to discover this elusive place. Again.” I will not be posting character sketches for Book Seven until after its publication. So, I will come up with something different for the blog next month! See you then! I started this blog series with my dragons, Aderyntan and Cythraul, who play a significant role in this book. You can find that post in the September 2019 archives.
Book Six in the Dragon’s Fire Series is the first of five companion novels. It launches a new set of characters on an exciting, interconnected adventure. Set in 779, it is the first in the series chronologically. However, the books should be read in numeric order to avoid spoilers. Teifi an Gren Leigh “They’re after the fish!” Birthdate: 761 Age at the time of this story: 17/18 Physical Characteristics: 5’7”; 130 lbs; wavy blond hair; blue eyes Teifi lives with her older brother, Patrick. She enjoys making up songs and attending dances, and she loves dragons. As a child, Teifi spent a lot of time outdoors. Well-schooled in avoiding Cythraul, she admired Aderyntan and played in the fields and woods around Empelfirth. Teifi has always wanted to learn to read, a skill denied to women of her class. When her brother aspires to join the Mystic Order, Teifi is fascinated by the books he brings home. She tries to decipher words based on the illustrations within. Life as her brother’s housekeeper is lonely and dull, and Teifi is not a fan of housework. With Patrick gone all day, and her married friends busy with their homes and families, Teifi craves excitement and fun. Something new. But ships don’t sail to Caledon, for fear of the dragons. “New” seldom happens. She knows that her brother would like to get her married off. However, most men consider her too old and irresponsible to make a good wife. “Most people don't like dragons, but I do. Generally, I like dragons better than people. They've got more even temperaments. You always know where you stand with a dragon. It loves you, or it doesn't, and if it doesn't, it will either eat you or set you on fire. People are a lot less predictable. Folks think I'm odd because I'd rather sit on the cliffs and watch dragons than marry and rear some man's brats. I'm a washed-up spinster at 17, you know. Most of my friends married three or four years ago, and people pity me—or despise me—for being alone. I live with my older brother because my Da died in the plague a few years back, and I had nowhere else to go. Patrick would like to see me wed; he lost his wife in the same pestilence that took Da, and he says he'll never find another so long as she has to share her hearth with me. He can't seem to make any woman understand that I'll happily relinquish the home fires. I don't want them. Maybe they object to my presence at all. We do only have one room... I make up songs, and I love listening to stories—‘twould be better could I read them, but few people in Empelfirth can read. Patrick can, but he refuses to teach me—says the Archmystic wouldn't like it, and I'm better off minding the house, anyway. I don't fit in here. Ships never come to Caledon, at least, none have in recent years. Foreigners fear our dragons. Sometimes I wonder whether I might find someone more like me if only I could sail away from here and discover new places. But nothing changes. I'm stuck. Dodging house chores by day, and running off to the harbor dances in the evenings. No one ever asks me to dance, but I can hear the music and the stories. It's far livelier than staying home where Patrick pores over his books and scolds me if I make the slightest noise. I'll stay out as late as possible tonight. And maybe come home the long way…” Background Information—Empelfirth Empelfirth means “large harbor.” The Caledonian pronunciation is (EM pel fairth). The original settlers gave the area its name when they landed on Caledon’s shores in 358. Over time, the pronunciation was Anglicized to Ampleforth, and the city, Caledon’s capital, grew from a rough village to a thriving, modern metropolis. Empelfirth lies in a valley at the edge of a vast harbor, with cliffs rising on either side. The castle is situated south of the town, and the Mystics and the Sacred Cliffs to the north. A series of streams from the cliffs connect and form a small river feeding the harbor, which is deep enough for ocean traffic. The beach at Ampleforth is long and sandy/pebbly, allowing for shipyards and space for recreation. From Caledon’s inception, the harbor has been the site of markets and entertainments; storytelling, music, dancing, and social interaction. The larger the settlement grew around it, the safer the beach became for such activities, as the dragons, naturally wary of humans, do not tend to venture into settled areas. Patrick an Gren Leigh “Aderyntans are everywhere. What is one less?” Birthdate: 752 Age at the time of this story: 27 Physical Characteristics: 5’10”; 162 lbs; wavy blond hair; blue eyes Patrick is Teifi’s older brother. He was saddled with his sister’s care when the plague hit Empelfirth in 774, killing their father and Patrick’s wife of four years, Tara. Patrick is studying to earn a place in the Mystic Order, aspiring to higher things than fieldwork. His position with the Mystics is precarious. As he has no Mystic blood or background, he must study hard, learn his lessons well, and behave acceptably. Teifi's eccentricities, careless mannerisms, and incessant desire to learn to read could ruin him. If Patrick gets kicked out of the Order, he will have to return to the fields. Patrick’s position within the Order grants him a modestly comfortable life. Rent and food are covered, and a Mystic rank guarantees a degree of respect and fear from the townspeople. Patrick wants to find another wife, but no one is eager to share a home with his sister. "‘An Gren Leigh’ means ‘of Green Meadow.’ It's a surname carried by many of the serfs who labor year-round on Lord Galwell's estate. My da and granda worked there, as did every man in my family line for as far back as I know. It's backbreaking work. Rain or shine. Six days a week. I wanted better. After I married Tara, I went against my da's advice, left Galwell's employ, and sought to train as a Mystic. They say, "Once a serf, always a serf," but the Mystics must have seen promise in me, for they let me join them. Learning letters and understanding their spells and potions was as exhausting as fieldwork but in a different way. I always knew how precarious my position was since they had taken me on as a favor. I have no Mystic bloodlines. I work hard to please them. Everything was going well. Tara and I were ready to move to the Mystic village so I could immerse myself in the practice when the plague hit Empelfirth. My beautiful Tara died in agony, and nothing I knew could help her. My da died, as well, leaving my sister, Teifi, to my care. She had no one else. She was thirteen, then. She should have been married, but Da had spoiled her. She looked like my ma, you see, and Ma died birthing her. Teifi was his pet, and he let her run wild over the hills, indulging her passion for dragons, of all things, instead of making her learn skills that would make someone a good wife. So I'm stuck with her. She's seventeen now, and still, no one will have her. Worse, no woman will have me, for no one wants to live with my eccentric little sister! Worst of all, the Mystics don't approve of her behavior, and she's liable to get me thrown out of the Order. I love my sister, but if she destroys everything I've worked for, the gods help me, I won't be responsible for my actions.” Once again, my post has gotten too long, so we’ll meet two more characters from Guardians of Caledon next month! |