Okay! Diving into Draft #3.
(Longer update still forthcoming, haven’t quite had time yet this week.)
~Ethelinda
Category Archives: Fantasy
TWoS Fun Fact #7
Birds are very important to the Suomilen people, who see them as being blessed by the Winds. They are not tamed or kept as pets, since to cage one is a grave sin. However, it is quite common in Suomen to plant trees or build perches and houses for birds, and to leave out food and water for them.
The Suomilen people rank different kinds of birds into a hierarchy of sorts, with ground birds that can only fly a little bit (such as pheasant or grouse) as Lesser Birds. If it is considered acceptable to hunt and eat any birds, it is the Lesser Birds, and some in Suomen would still consider that a sin. On the other end of the hierarchy are the Great Birds. These are any species that show a true “mastery” of flight (master of the Winds and air), usually meaning great maneuverability and/or the ability to soar through the sky for extended periods of time. The Great Birds include all of the raptor species, as well as gulls and swallows.
~Ethelinda
Review: Princess Retribution by Elaine Tipping
(“A graphic novel” from the Reading Challenge)
I have enjoyed Elaine Tipping’s art and comics for quite some time, and her latest graphic novel, Princess Retribution, was a very welcome addition! As usual, the art was great, and I especially enjoy her character and clothing designs. Add to that the fact that there is a fun story to go with it, and I’m very glad I was able to contribute to her Kickstarter to support this book! (I’ll cut for minor spoilers.)
TWoS Fun Fact #6
The second draft of The Wizard of Suomen was officially finished at 11:16pm on June 4, 2015. It was 157,000 words, totaling 342 pages in a Microsoft Word document.
~Ethelinda
TWoS Fun Fact #5
Suomen has been settled for 361 years when the war with Galviren begins. Galviren has been settled for 577 years.
(Read: timelines are helpful and fun!)
~Ethelinda
TWoS Fun Fact #4
The number four is very important to the Suomilen people because of their beliefs in the Four Winds. They often structure things around multiples of 4 (their week is 8 days, and there are 4 weeks in each month, traditionally there are 4 Brigades in the Royal Army, etc.).
~Ethelinda
TWoS Fun Fact #3
The Suomilen people celebrate the beginning of the new year on the Spring Equinox, as a combined New Year/Festival of Winds celebration. Traditionally, it lasts for four days.
~Ethelinda
TWoS Progress Update
I just finished the second draft of The Wizard of Suomen! 😀 😀 😀
I’m going to do a line-edit on paper before sending it to my editor, and then there will definitely be more edits to make, but at least I will feel like I’m sending a decent draft!
…
I’m really excited! 😀
~Ethelinda
Review: Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman
(“A book published this year” from the Reading Challenge)
So, this is technically a review of Shadow Scale, but out of necessity it will also talk about the preceding book Seraphina. Expect spoilers for both books!
I loved both Seraphina and Shadow Scale! Seraphina was one of my “grabbed it randomly off the library shelf because it looked interesting” finds that worked out well – I was hooked about ten pages in. They are set in a fantasy world in which two sentient species – humans and dragons – are struggling to coexist. The first book is set entirely in the country of Goredd, where forty years of uneasy peace between the humans and the dragons is teetering. Seraphina herself is a musician in Goredd’s court…and secretly a half-dragon. Continue reading
im/mortal: Revelry
Cold and damp seeped in around the shutters as the chill winter wind lashed rain harder against the front of the little inn. The few travelers who had not yet sought their beds upstairs huddled well away from the outside wall, hunching over half-empty tankards and pretending that the glow of the fire was enough to ward off the dark and cold that pressed heavily against the worn wooden walls.
Muirne had wrapped herself in a second shawl and eyed the guttering lanterns near the door with resignation as she finished wiping up the bar. It was noticeably colder on that side of the main room, and she was in no hurry to go over even long enough to replace the candles. Still, maybe more light would make the room less dreary than it was, so the innkeeper sighed and moved to fetch spare candles.
The knock that came on the door just as she reached for the first lantern was not expected. Nor was it the desperate pounding she would have anticipated from a traveler still caught out in the storm. Instead, it was firm, assured, steady. Continue reading
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