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I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Book Summary

In a small Western Queensland town, a reserved young woman receives a note from one of her vanished brothers—a note that makes her question memories of their disappearance and her father’s departure.

A beguiling story that proves that gothic delights and uncanny family horror can live—and even thrive—under a burning sun, Flyaway introduces readers to Bettina Scott, whose search for the truth throws her into tales of eerie dogs, vanished schools, cursed monsters, and enchanted bottles. Flyaway enchants you with the sly, beautiful darkness of Karen Russell and a world utterly its own.

Book Details

Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings
Published on July 28th 2020 by Tor.com
Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy
Hardcover, 176 pages
My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

 

FLYAWAY brings Gothic storytelling to the Australian shores where Jennings’ lyrical words, edged and thorny, will enchant you.

Clever use of nestled cautionary folktales entwines with an eerie mystery making this a scrumptious, albeit touched by elements of horror, fairy-tale read.

“Trees bled resin like rubies, sprouted goitrous nests, suspended cat’s-cradles of spiderwebs, spinning disks of silk.”

There is no need for haunted moors nor dripping Spanish moss. You won’t find crumbling castles here but what you will find is carnivorous shape-shifting beasts, creeping—feeding lantern bushes and enchanted wishing bottles.

“Battles, massacres, murder; bushrangers and lonely revenge; tales of whose last stand was on this knob of land, of what will catch the toes of children swimming unattended, of witches in the scrub waiting for the unwary, of loping beasts and whispering megarrities.”

Behind the bright sunlight, Jennings paints shadows and doubt, dilapidated cottages, and paths you do not want to stray from. Unsettling and beguiling at the same time.

“Once, somewhere between the Coral Sea and the Indian Ocean but on the way to nowhere, there was a district called—oh, let’s call it Inglewell.”

This is a short book, one that should be savored. An avian story that takes place in a small town called Inglewell where a young woman goes on a quest to find her missing brothers and finds out just how twisty and ensnared the townspeople’s lives are.

A dark, delicious, tangled story that you won’t soon forget. Lyrical and lush, Flyaway is simply enchanting.

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There’s something wicked in Burning Lake…

Natalie Lockhart is a rookie detective in Burning Lake, New York, an isolated town known for its dark past. Tasked with uncovering the whereabouts of nine missing transients who have disappeared over the years, Natalie wrestles with the town’s troubled history – and the scars left by her sister’s unsolved murder years ago.

Then Daisy Buckner, a beloved schoolteacher, is found dead on her kitchen floor, and a suspect immediately comes to mind. But it’s not that simple. The suspect is in a coma, collapsed only hours after the teacher’s death, and it turns out Daisy had secrets of her own. Natalie knows there is more to the case, but as the investigation deepens, even she cannot predict the far-reaching consequences – for the victim, for the missing of Burning Lake, and for herself.

Book Details

Trace of Evil (Natalie Lockhart #1) by Alice Blanchard
Published December 3rd 2019 by Minotaur Books
Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Police Procedural
Hardcover, 370 pages
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4 Stars

  Review

TRACE OF EVIL is the first book in the Natalie Lockhart series. It features a plucky new rooky detective and a murder mystery that takes place in a small, New England town where secrets abound.

This is a page-turning read filled with chilling atmosphere. Burning Lake is the perfect setting as Blanchard weaves a spine-tingling tale of witchcraft, murder, and dark history.

I love it when suspense thrillers feature remote, sleepy towns built upon a dark history. Back in the 1700s this picturesque town accused and convicted three innocent women of witchcraft.

Once hidden in shame, today, the town of Burning Lake embraces its magical roots and thrives on a tourist business of New Age boutiques and occult gift shops. It all feels very Salem like, mixing a touch of supernatural with suspense.

Detective Natalie Lockhart is a rookie detective in Burning Lake assigned a cold case of uncovering the whereabouts of nine missing transients who have disappeared over the years.

A murder of a beloved school teacher pulls her into a case which will go reach into the very heart of Burning Lake.

Blanchard transports readers into a world of black magic, buried secrets, and plot twists that will keep you entertained and guessing.

Natalie Lockhart is a spunky, new detective whose troubled past makes her both intriguing and relatable. There is a whisper of romance and plenty of moody atmosphere in this series opener.

I’m looking forward to continuing this series that hints at the supernatural while keeping the mystery grounded. Recommended to fans of Mystery & Detective and Police Procedurals looking for a new heroine to follow.

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I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Book Summary

A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut.
 
In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet's word is law, Immanuelle Moore's very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.

But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.

Book Details

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
Fiction / Horror / Occult & Supernatural
Published July 21st 2020 by Ace
Hardcover, 368 pages
My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

  Review

THE YEAR OF THE WITCHING conjures up a dark, supernatural fantasy about a young woman living as an outcast in a harsh, puritanical society who discovers her mother’s hidden legacy and the forbidden forest which calls to a growing power rising within her.

A bewitching tale of horror with a feminist twist — Salem meets The Handmaid's Tale

Henderson's debut crafts a dark, witchy, coming-of-age read that is equal parts frightening and enthralling.

Immanuelle is a fearless and resilient young woman who is trying to balance her spiritual life with that of being a woman of a different race who is shunned by the spiritual leaders of Bethel.

Henderson creates a complicated young, heroine torn between following the protocols of the Prophet and protecting those she cares about.

“She was born breech, in the deep of night. The midwife, Martha, had to seize her by the ankles and drag her form the womb. She slipped out easy, dropped limp into Martha’s arms, and lay still as stone.

Her name, she demanded, eyes sharp with moonlight. Give me her name.

Immanuelle, she finally bit it out like a curse. She will be called Immanuelle.”

I love the atmosphere created in this book. The story is suspenseful, its tones Gothic with a creeping sense of dread felt throughout.

I was on edge when reading about Immanuelle's first encounter with the witches of the Darkwood forest. The scenes of witchcraft and plagues are shocking and filled with visceral imagery.

“Immanuelle had always felt a strange affinity for the Darkwood, a kind of stirring whenever she neared it. It was almost as though the forbidden wood sang a song that only she could hear, as though it was daring her to come closer.”

The juxtaposition between the hedonistic supernaturalism of the forest and the stark spiritualism of Bethel really captures the essence of the story with Immanuelle caught between the two.

At its core, this is a story of forbidden love, curses, and forgiveness. It is also an exploration of the abuse of power in its many available forms. A bewitching debut with an exciting new voice that captures the horror of old world witchery with a feminist twist.

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I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

Summary

Steel Magnolias meets Dracula in this ’90s-set horror novel about a women’s book club that must do battle with a mysterious newcomer to their small Southern town, perfect for murderinos and fans of Stephen King.

Patricia Campbell’s life has never felt smaller. Her husband is a workaholic, her teenage kids have their own lives, her senile mother-in-law needs constant care, and she’s always a step behind on her endless to-do list. The only thing keeping her sane is her book club, a close-knit group of Charleston women united by their love of true crime. At these meetings they’re as likely to talk about the Manson family as they are about their own families.

One evening after book club, Patricia is viciously attacked by an elderly neighbor, bringing the neighbor’s handsome nephew, James Harris, into her life. James is well traveled and well read, and he makes Patricia feel things she hasn’t felt in years. But when children on the other side of town go missing, their deaths written off by local police, Patricia has reason to believe James Harris is more of a Bundy than a Brad Pitt. The real problem? James is a monster of a different kind—and Patricia has already invited him in.

Little by little, James will insinuate himself into Patricia’s life and try to take everything she took for granted—including the book club—but she won’t surrender without a fight in this blood-soaked tale of neighborly kindness gone wrong.

Book Details

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
Fiction / Thrillers / Supernatural Fiction / Southern
Published April 7th 2020 by Quirk Books
Hardcover, 404 pages
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

  Review

THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB’S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES combines southern charm with 1990s horror. In this story, author Grady Hendrix pits middle-aged housewives, who share a passion for true crime books, against a vampire.

Nothing they have read before could prepare them for the real-life monster they are about to meet, nor prepare the monster for the discovery of just how badass southern ladies can be.

“I wanted to pit Dracula against my mom. As you’ll see, it’s not a fair fight.”

Like an overripe peach—sweet, gooey, and just about to go rotten, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires fills the senses with warm nostalgia and creepy-horror. I loved every moment of it.

“Sometimes she craved a little danger. And that was why she had a book club”

This page-turning, Southern Gothic literature was such a refreshing read, but don’t misunderstand me, this book packs as much gore and dark atmosphere as it does heartwarming female friendship.

“He thinks we are what we look like on the outside: nice Southern ladies. Let me tell you something…there is nothing nice about Southern ladies.”

This book is smart as well as it artfully imbues the story with elements of repression and racism. I was embarrassed and frustrated. Hendrix definitely weaves into the book the question of who really is the monster in the story, and there is more than one.

From southern etiquette and book club love to grisly cockroaches, rats, and vampirism—The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix was just the escape read I needed. It kept me on edge and put a smile on my face.

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I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Book Summary

A dragon shapeshifter and a healer with power over the earth fight a corrupt empire in this thrilling and deeply emotional romantic fantasy from the USA Today bestselling author of Radiance.

Magic is outlawed in the Krael Empire and punishable by death. Born with the gift of earth magic, the free trader Halani keeps her dangerous secret closely guarded. When her uncle buys a mysterious artifact, a piece of bone belonging to a long-dead draga, Halani knows it's far more than what it seems.

Dragas haven't been seen for more than a century, and most believe them extinct. They're wrong. Dragas still walk among the denizens of the Empire, disguised as humans. Malachus is a draga living on borrowed time. The magic that has protected him will soon turn on him--unless he finds a key part of his heritage. He has tracked it to a group of free traders, among them a grave-robbing earth witch who fascinates him as much as she frustrates him with her many secrets.

Unbeknownst to both, the Empire's twisted empress searches for a draga of her own, to capture and kill as a trophy. As Malachus the hunter becomes the hunted, Halani must risk herself and all she loves to save him from the Empire's machinations and his own lethal birthright.

Book Details

Dragon Unleashed by Grace Draven
Fallen Empire Book #2
Publishes on June 9th 2020 by Ace
Fiction | Romance | Sci Fi & Fantasy
My Rating: 4 Stars

  Review

DRAGON UNLEASHED is the second book in the Fallen Empires series and continues with another fabulous book filled with magic, danger, and a slow-simmering romance all set in a unique fantasy world.

If you are looking for fantasy-romance, that special blend of authentic world-building touched by magic, one filled with a captivating romance to love, then you really must try Grace Draven.

Readers are taken back to the same fantasy world first discovered in Phoenix Unbound. A world shadowed by a tyrannical empire ruled by an evil villainess bent on revenge.

Lush writing paints a world of deadly bazaars, enchanted barrows, earth magic, and a shape-shifting dragon.

In this book, we are taken from the mountainous steppes of Phoenix Unbound into the valleys and merchant city’s of the empire. A world of forbidden magic, markets selling sorcery, and a villainess named the Spider who spins a dangerous web of deceit.

Here, Draven transports readers into the daily life of free traders who travel in meandering caravans selling their wares, but in this world, it is rumored to be inhabited by the near-extinct Draga whose blood and bone are coveted for their magical properties.

Dragon Unleashed builds a layered, slow-simmering romance of friendship to lovers that packs plenty of emotions.

A dragon shapeshifter and a healer with power over the earth, Malachus and Halani, both, must keep their abilities and heritage secret but when they meet by accident and a mysterious artifact, a piece of bone belonging to a long-dead Draga, brings them together, they can’t deny their growing feelings despite the danger they present to each other.

Dragon Unleashed is filled with lush writing and an imaginative world setting perfect for building a fantasy romance between to characters that’ll be hard to soon forget.

Recommended highly to fantasy-romance readers and fans of Grace Draven books. I hope we have many more books in the Fallen Empire series to look forward to.

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I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

Book Summary

This breathtaking sequel to The Beholder will take you on a journey into a darkly sparkling fairy tale, perfect for fans of The Selection and Caraval.

When Selah found true love with Prince Torden of Norway, she never imagined she’d have to leave him behind. All because the Beholder’s true mission was a secret Selah’s crew didn’t trust her to keep: transporting weapons to the rebels fighting against the brutal tsarytsya, whose shadow looms over their next port of Shvartsval’d. A place Selah hoped she’d never go.

But gone is the girl who departed Potomac filled with fear. With a stockpile of weapons belowdecks and her heart hanging in the balance, Selah is determined to see the Beholder’s quest to its end.

Book Details

The Boundless (The Beholder #2) by Anna Bright
Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy / Retelling
Published June 9th 2020 by HarperTeen
Hardcover, 512 pages
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars

  Review

THE BOUNDLESS is the second and concluding book in the Beholder series. This time it’s all about secret missions, rebel spies, and a ruthless adversary that Selah finds herself captive too.

Although I enjoyed all the romance and gorgeous landings in book one, The Boundless really gives more room for Selah to grow in her characterization.

Setting sail to Shvartsval’d to court another prince, she continues to aid her crew in a plot of rebellion but is captured by the tsarytsya’s army, where she finds herself indentured to the infamous Baba Yaga.

Forced into danger, we get to see a new side of Selah. Gone is the timid and shy girl. Fierce and even cunning, she does what it takes to survive.

There is romance and it is everything I could have wanted for Selah, but it is definitely in the background. Selah’s relationship with her crew, her feelings of betrayal, and her determination to make her own future is now the focus.

What I enjoyed most is the cat and mouse game played between the tsarytsya’ and Selah. Bright has given her readers a terrific villain and worthy adversary. Her knights and the scene with the game board is one of my favorites.

Overall, an entertaining conclusion to the series. I enjoyed seeing Selah learning to rely on herself and make her own choices, the romance did not disappoint, and the danger was definitely more intense this time around. Recommended to readers who enjoyed The Beholder.

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I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Book Summary

Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor, returns with The Angel of the Crows, a fantasy novel of alternate 1880s London, where killers stalk the night and the ultimate power is naming. This is not the story you think it is.

These are not the characters you think they are. This is not the book you are expecting. In an alternate 1880s London, angels inhabit every public building, and vampires and werewolves walk the streets with human beings in a well-regulated truce. A fantastic utopia, except for a few things: Angels can Fall, and that Fall is like a nuclear bomb in both the physical and metaphysical worlds. And human beings remain human, with all their kindness and greed and passions and murderous intent. Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of this London too. But this London has an Angel. The Angel of the Crows.

Book Details

The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison
Fiction / Fantasy / Historical / Sherlock Holmes
On Sale Date: June 23, 2020 by Macmillan-Tor/Forge
Hardcover, 448 pages 
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars

  Review

Set in an alternate Victorian London, THE ANGEL OF THE CROWS by Katherine Addison re-imagines classic Sherlock Holmes only this world is inhabited by angels, vampires, and werewolves. Here, a madman treads the streets at night named Jack the Ripper.

Classic elements of Sherlock Holmes set into a fantastical fantasy world inhabited by Angels, Vampires, and Hellhounds.

Here, in this alternate London, Sherlock Holmes is envisioned as an Angel named Crow. His character comes complete with huge wings and the astute observation and deduction skills readers would expect. Dr. Watson is played by the eccentric surgeon Dr. Doyle who is recently returned from the war and finds himself a flatmate and assistant to the sleuthing Crow.

Told from Dr. Doyle’s perspective, Addison weaves into the main plot Crow and Doyle aiding the Scotland Yard in the grisly Whitechapel murders. Their search leads them into the dark underbelly of London, searching for the identity behind the notorious serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.

Readers familiar with the classic storylines will find threaded among the plot such investigating cases as A Study in Scarlet and The Hound of the Baskervilles. Several storylines seem very familiar as you are reading, but then there are twists and turns that take that familiarity away.

This is a fun read with its Sherlock Holmes retelling and mix of supernatural elements combined with the Jack the Ripper mystery. Angels, Vampires, and Hellhounds—oh my!

Fans of the classic will enjoy the character dynamics and brewing friendship between the feathery Crow and eccentric Doyle. As each case takes our duo one step closer to Jack the Ripper's identity, readers will feel like they're within familiar stories.

An engaging plot and mystery round out the story. My only wish was for a better feel of the Angels and the Fallen's history. Fans of Holmes and Watson will find familiar storylines while the twists keep you on your toes.

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I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

Book Summary

Irréelle fears she’s not quite real. Only the finest magical thread tethers her to life―and to Miss Vesper. But for all her efforts to please her cruel creator, the thread is unraveling. Irréelle is forgetful as she gathers bone dust. She is slow returning from the dark passages beneath the cemetery. Worst of all, she is unmindful of her crooked bones.

When Irréelle makes one final, unforgivable mistake by destroying a frightful creature just brought to life, Miss Vesper threatens to imagine her away once and for all. Defying her creator for the very first time, Irréelle flees to the underside of the graveyard and embarks on an adventure to unearth the mysterious magic that breathes bones to life, even if it means she will return to dust and be no more.

Book Details

The Bone Garden by Heather Kassner
Illustrated by Matt Saunders
Published August 6th 2019 by Henry Holt and Co.
Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic
Hardcover, 288 pages
My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

  Book Review

THE BONE GARDEN is a gorgeously illustrated and hauntingly told middle-grade fantasy about a brave, young heroine made of magic, dust, and bone who just wants to be made into a real-life girl.

The atmosphere in this middle-grade debut is delightfully eerie, its pages are filled with graveyards, secret tunnels, a disembodied hand, two-headed bats, and lots of bones. You can hear the hum of bones, smell the graveyard dirt, and feel the powdery bone dust on your fingertips!

Brought to life by magic, Irréelle fears she’s not real and when she accidentally destroys her creator’s work, Miss Vesper threatens to unimagine her into nothingness.

Fleeing, Irréelle embarks on a desperate quest to discover “an unmarked grave that is very clearly marked” to discover mysterious magic that breathes bones to life and could make her into a living girl.

Irréelle is a wonderfully, imperfect young heroine made up of an odd assortment of bones who reminded me of Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton. You can’t help but love her sweetness and bravery.

This really is a sweet and heartfelt story about friendship set within some terrific atmosphere. The concept of bone magic and the adventure to be had within its pages is sure to make The Bone Garden appeal to young readers wanting a chilling read but not too scary.

Readers will be enchanted by the growing friendship between Irréelle, Guy, Hand, and Lass as they adventure in a land of graveyards and bones.

Overall, a lovely read that lends perfectly to reading aloud and with illustrations that enhance the story beautifully. The uneven execution in this debut is easy to ignore with its compelling atmosphere and mystery.

Readers who love Marcy Kate Connolly, Claire Legrand, or Karen Foxlee are going to love THE BONE GARDEN. 

They say family always sticks together, but when you’re your dad’s only lifeline and the whole world—humans, dragons, and gods—wants you dead, “family bonding” takes on a whole new meaning. My name is Opal Yong-ae, and I’m in way over my head. I thought getting rid of my dad’s bad luck curse would put things back to normal. Instead, I’m stuck playing caretaker to the Great Dragon of Korea. That wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t such a jerk, or if every dragon on the planet wasn’t out to kill him, or if he were my only problem. Turns out, things can always get worse in the DFZ. When a rival spirit attacks my god/boss to turn the famously safety-optional city into a literal death arena with Nik as his bloody champion, I’m thrust onto the front lines and way out of my comfort zone. When gods fight, mortals don’t usually survive, but I’m not alone this time. Even proud old dragons can learn new tricks, and with everything I love falling to pieces, the father I’ve always run from might just be the only force in the universe stubborn enough to pull us back together. Get your copy now!

And thus Opal's journey comes to its grand conclusion! The final book in the DFZ trilogy, NIGHT SHIFT DRAGONS, is out today in audio and ebook! Some of you have already gotten your copies and binged, and I can't thank you enough!

I hope you all love this story as much as I loved writing it. Opal has been one of the most fun characters ever to write, even if she did leave me craving pancakes. Thank you for going on this journey with me! You are the best readers a writer could have!

For those wondering what's next, I'm working on a brand new series in a brand new world! You'll all get the details as soon as I'm sure the project will actually fly, but please know this is NOT my last book in the DFZ. I've already got a great idea for another book, so don't worry. We're not done with the dragons yet!

Again, thank you so so much for being my fans. Your enthusiasm and enjoyment is why I do this. Enjoy the book, and I'll be back soon with more!

Yours always,

Rachel Aaron Mother of Dragons Bethesda's Unpaid Intern
NIGHT SHIFT DRAGONS is the third book in the DFZ series. If you're new, start from the beginning with MINIMUM WAGE MAGIC! I promise you won't be sorry!

While we can certainly be forgiven for not seeing our personal wounds as jewels, our most powerful wounds often have as many facets and hidden depths as an exquisitely cut gemstone. They are sharp, with hard edges that not only reflect back light but distort it somewhat.

As writers, we know that our character’s wounds are some of the most fertile ground for creating a rich, fully realized protagonist. But before we can explore this with our characters, we have to understand it ourselves. And because we have all been wounded in some way—and those places are always tender—it can be uncomfortable to look too closely.

In order to use our characters’ wounds to full effect, we need to understand that wounds aren’t simply an attribute to be filled in on a worksheet. They are the rocket fuel for our character’s backstory, the backstory that drives their motivation and colors their world. It must be deeply organic to that character and so intricately woven into their emotional DNA that it distorts the way the see the world and themselves.

While everyone’s wounds are uniquely theirs, they are also universal in that they’re something we all share.  What differs is their nature, how we carry them, and the many—often unexpected—ways they shape us and our behavior.

Because of course the impact of any given wound isn’t limited to that initial injury. I was reminded of that last week when I was out walking and twisted my ankle. It was nothing serious, but by the time I’d limped around favoring it for a day or two, everything else was out of whack as I contorted my body to accommodate the injury.

Emotional wounds are just like that, only worse by orders of magnitude.

Even when we know our character’s painful past, we often don’t use it to full effect. We don’t manage to weave into the very essence of who our character is—because make no mistake, wounds fundamentally shape us, especially those incurred in childhood when we are so defenseless. With wounds of the heart or soul—the ones that violate some deep fundamental part—it is the repercussions of that initial wound that create the most scarring. The blame, the self-doubt, the suffocating shame, all serve as a way to cut us off from our core self.

Emotional neglect, a betrayal, a rejection, a lie, are all painful enough, but often become the lens through which we see ourselves. We accept that rejection. Believe that lie. Justify the betrayal due to something fundamentally flawed within us rather than the betrayer. Or worse, we don’t see it as a betrayal at all, but simple evidence of how flawed and unlovable we really are.

The emotionally abandoned child believes they are undeserving of love.

The abused believes they deserve the abuse, that love will always hurt and often comes coated in shame.

The child of addicts learns to fundamentally mistrust the safety and stability of the world around them.

The child raised in a religion that vilifies all human behavior will inevitably see themselves as sinful and unworthy.

Any kind of abuse—emotional, physical, sexual—is often the starting point for a long, twisted, distorted journey from our true selves. And our worldview takes shape around that bad information we’ve deduced because of it.

One of the biggest challenges we face as writers is how to hook our reader emotionally and forge a connection in those first few pages without becoming the literary equivalent of the stranger in the checking line, blurting out every gory detail of the drama of their lives without even having been asked.

The secret, I think, is to show or hint at the character’s contortions and defense mechanisms that have sprung up around that deeper wound. As readers, we’re trained to look for clues and hints, so we’ll spot those coping mechanisms and be intrigued—we’ll want to know why.

So as writers, we need to ask ourselves: In what ways does our character limp through the world? How do they favor that wounded place inside? What distorted belief do they cling to with both hands?  What ways do they disassociate from parts of themselves that brush too closely to that wound? In what ways do they wear their wound like a chip on their shoulder, insisting to the world it has made them tough, impervious to future wounding?

And why are these characters indelibly scarred by these events, when others might brush them off or take them in stride?

I believe the answer to that last question is that because for some, the psychic soil has been well prepared and cultivated—their soil broken down and covered in so much manure before the wound even shows up—that the individual is supremely susceptible to the final blow.

But what about characters who don’t have a tragic or traumatic event in their past?  What about lesser, garden variety wounds? The kind we acquire from the simple life lessons of growing older or growing up? Because the majority of the time, these shaping wounds are incurred early in life—either in our childhood, teen, or early adult years.

These less traumatic experiences still shape us, although to what degree will vary widely from character to character and will depend on things like the psychic equivalent of adrenaline, momentum, individual pain thresholds, and how cultivated the soil was.

We all have memories from our childhood, of playing with other kids, either on the playground or in the neighborhood, then taking a fall, skinning our knee or scraping an elbow. Chances are we bounced right up and kept on going, utterly impervious to any pain. At least until it was time to come inside and wash up for dinner. THEN we could feel that sucker throbbing and stinging.

Science has also shown that pain thresholds within the same person vary depending on how stressed our systems are. When we are under chronic stress, our body produces a lot more of some chemicals and fewer of others. The reformulation of our brain chemistry intensifies pain response—both physical and emotional.

So even if the story you’re writing does not involve characters with large traumatic wounds in their past, common everyday wounds can be equally fertile ground for deepening character.

• Why does a character have a gambling problem?
• A shopping addiction?
• Why are they terrified of clowns? Cats? Blimps?
• Why do they feel the need to be perfect?
• So competitive?

Each of those behaviors could be fueled by either a traumatic wound or a common every day one. It is the tone and theme of your story that will decide which it should be. Or rather I should say, it is the nature of your character’s wounds that will determine the tone and theme of your story.

We are often our own worst enemy—there is no denying that. Many writers feel that their character is his own antagonist, and that is likely true. Our desperation to avoid acknowledging our wounds, to avoid awakened that old pain and our deeply held beliefs about the nature of that pain are often an enormous component of getting in the way of our own happiness. It is hard and scary to look that deeply inside and reorient our world view, even it if ultimately frees us. It is scary to be thrust back into the same powerlessness and vulnerability we had in that moment. That is why we need stories to show us how.

Some of our character’s most transformative moments will come from facing those wounds, freeing themselves from the weight of them, and beginning the healing process. And of course, the stories we write aren’t about the wounds—but how we can overcome them.

We need stories to show us that being wounded or broken doesn’t lessen our character’s—or our own—humanity in any way. It is, in fact, what make us deeply human. The best stories show us that having been wounded doesn’t mean we are less than, or broken beyond repair, or unworthy. Instead, they illuminate all the different shapes wounds can take and the many different paths to healing that await us, if only we have the courage to look.

Do you know your character’s defining wounds? Can you brainstorm three to four ways these wounds create behaviors that readers can see on the page?

 

(Originally published on Writer Unboxed April 13, 2018)

Hey everyone!

This post is a little different from my usual. First up, NIGHT SHIFT DRAGONS is still coming out May 5 in audio and ebook, so hooray! But I'm not actually here to talk about my books today. I'm here to talk about yours.

In addition to being wonderful people with amazing taste in fiction, I know a lot of you are also writers/creative types. Or maybe you just like reading books! Whatever your passion, the last few months have probably been really, really hard on you. I know they've been suck for me, and I'm lucky enough to have a job that keeps me at home all the time anyway.

Staying creative and productive is always hard, but never so much as in times like this. That's why I've teamed up with a bunch of other writers for CONQUERING THE WRITING BLUES, a free online writing conference about staying productive and inspired even when the world is falling apart. There are 25 interviews with a new one emailed out every day starting tomorrow plus a ton of free writing books and other goodies.

Just to be clear: this is a totally free project. I make no money off sign-ups. I just feel very passionate about this topic and wanted to do something to help combat the despair I see in my writing communities. To this end, I've also written a free essay on my website on the same topic called Shining On When the World Is Dark that you can read right now, no extra anything required.

Soap box! I am on you!

Anyway, if you're feeling down and in need of some inspiration, or if you just want to hear a bunch of really cool writers and publishing industry people talking shop, give CONQUERING THE WRITING BLUES a try. My interview goes up this Sunday, and you can see all the other writers on the main site. I just hope you have as much fun listening I had doing the interview, because creativity and writing are my favorite topics ever. Seriously, do not get me started I will talk FOREVER.

Thank you so much as always for being my readers. You folks are the ones who keep me going more than any others when times get tough, and I appreciate you more than words can say. Thank you SO MUCH and see you May 5 for Opal's final book!

Yours,
Rachel Aaron

They say family always sticks together, but when you’re your dad’s only lifeline and the whole world—humans, dragons, and gods—wants you dead, “family bonding” takes on a whole new meaning.  My name is Opal Yong-ae, and I’m in way over my head. I thought getting rid of my dad’s bad luck curse would put things back to normal. Instead, I’m stuck playing caretaker to the Great Dragon of Korea. That wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t such a jerk, or if every dragon on the planet wasn’t out to kill him, or if he was my only problem.   Turns out, things can always get worse in the DFZ. When a rival spirit attacks my god/boss with the aim of turning the famously safety-optional city into a literal death arena with Nik as his bloody champion, I’m thrust onto the front lines and way out of my comfort zone. When gods fight, mortals don’t usually survive, but I’m not alone this time. Even proud old dragons can learn new tricks, and with everything I love falling to pieces, the father I’ve always run from might just be the only force in the universe stubborn enough to pull us back together.
NIGHT SHIFT DRAGONS comes out in  Audio, Ebook, and KU on May 5!  Preorder your copy now! 
I know it's been a hard few months for everyone and I'm sorry this took so long, but the wait is finally over. NIGHT SHIFT DRAGONS, the grand conclusion to the DFZ trilogy, comes out in audio, ebook, and KU on May 5!

Yes, that's Yong on the cover. Yes, they look like a K-Drama. Yes, Opal has a crickety crazy scheme. Yes, there's food. Also ambitious spirits, Heartstriker cameos, Nik's past finally revealed, and tons more! I crammed in pretty much everything you could want from a DFZ book, and it's all coming your way in less than a month!

And for those of you who prefer to listen to your books, the audio is releasing the same day as the ebook! And for you peeps who like paper books, I've got good news for you too! Print editions for MINIMUM WAGE MAGIC and PART-TIME GODS are done at last and will ALSO be launching on May 5!

*happy dancing*

Thank you all so much for going on this roller coaster of a series with me. I am so darn happy with how this book came out, and I hope the conclusion of Opal's story will bring you as much joy as it's brought me. Thanks you so much as always for reading and listening and being your awesome selves. I hope you'll add this last book to your lists, and I can't wait for you to read the story!

Thank you as always, and stay healthy!

Rachel Aaron Introverted Cave Dweller Social Distancing Champion
NIGHT SHIFT DRAGONS is the third book in the DFZ trilogy. If you're new, start from the beginning with MINIMUM WAGE MAGIC! I promise you won't be sorry!

 

Hoping to find an ally from the convent, Sybella instead discovers yet another initiate who has been misled and misused by the former abbess of Saint Mortain. But with long held secrets exposed and allegiances revealed, Sybella must form an uneasy trust borne of desperation to combat enemies at the French court who would have them branded as traitors and heretics.

Some mistakes cannot be fixed—that is Genevieve’s growing fear. Though she may have been a fool, she is no coward and will do whatever it takes to set things right and ensure her Queen’s—and Sybella’s—safety. It will take all of Genevieve’s strength of will and cunning, along with Sybella’s willingness to embrace her growing power. But even that may not be enough.

Plans fail, fragile loyalties are tested, and bridges burn in this riveting conclusion to the Courting Darkness duology. Here, the Daughters of Death finally embrace the full depth of their power—and try to make whole that which has been broken, including themselves.

 

Want to read more? You’re in luck! My publisher is providing an e-sampler of the first eleven chapters. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it! (And if you get so excited that you feel like pre-ordering the book–be sure to save your receipts! There will be a pre-order gift. Details coming soon!)

Leylia’s secret could unite them all or lead them to an eternity of undeath. After the loss of Bastion, everyone who’s not a zombie has holed up in FFO’s sole remaining safe haven: the lowbie town of Windy Lake. But the undead armies never rest, and it’s only a matter of time before the Once King’s forces come to crush what’s left of life in this world. But Tina, James, and the rest of the players are facing a crisis of their own. After so long in this world, their human bodies are dying on the other side. If they don’t find a way home soon, they may have nothing to go back to. With time running out in two worlds, Tina and James face a horrible choice: do they spend their final days looking for a way to get back to their old bodies, or join the NPCs to fight for their new ones. But just when things look impossible, James learns a secret that might change everything. Only one catch: to pull it off, they’re going to have to fight one raid boss no one, not even Tina, has ever beaten. The Once King.  Get your copy now in ebook, Kindle Unlimited, or Audible audio! All adventures have to end sometime, but wow, have we got an ending for you! The final book in the Forever Fantasy Online trilogy, THE ONCE KING, is out today in ebook and Audible audio edition! HOORAY!

What is SB hiding? What did Leylia tell James? Can the Once King even be beaten? Just how OP are Stonekin anyway?!?! I hope you're ready to find out, because we are at max DPS, baby! (Details per second.)

Terrible jokes aside, it's been a hell of a ride! Travis and I can't say how proud and happy we are to finally give you the book we wrote this whole series to reach. THE ONCE KING is my personal favorite of the trilogy, and I really hope it will be yours too! Thank you so so much for reading and listening, and we both hope you love the story!

(And if you haven't read the FFO series yet, now's a great day to start! Pick up the first novel in ebook, audio, or on KU and see what all the hype is about! Even if you're not a gamer, I promise you won't be disappointed!)

Thank you for being the best fans ever, and I'll see you soon for the final DFZ book, coming early next year! Keep reading!

Yours always,
Rachel Aaron and Travis Bach Hoarders of Epic Loot
THE ONCE KING is the third book in the FFO trilogy. If you're new, start from the beginning with FOREVER FANTASY ONLINE for some GamerLit that's actually lit!

Introducing THE ONCE KING! Available in ebook and audio November 12!

Leylia’s secret could unite them or lead them to an eternity of undeath.
After the loss of Bastion, everyone who’s not a zombie has holed up in FFO’s sole remaining safe haven: the lowbie town of Windy Lake. But the undead armies never rest, and it’s only a matter of time before the Once King’s forces come to crush what’s left of life in this world.  But Tina, James, and the rest of the players are facing a crisis of their own. After so long in this world, their human bodies are dying on the other side. If they don’t find a way home soon, they may have nothing to go back to.  With time running out in two worlds, Tina and James face a horrible choice: do they spend their final days looking for a way to get back to their old bodies, or join the NPCs to fight for their new ones. But just when things look impossible, James learns a secret that might change everything. Only one catch: to pull it off, they’re going to have to fight one raid boss no one, not even Tina, has ever beaten.  The Once King. Pre-order your copy now! 

I know it took forever, but the third and final Forever Fantasy Online book is finished and coming out in audio and ebook on November 12!

I hope you're ready for answers and boss fights, because wow did we pack a lot into this book! Travis and I are both super happy with how we ended the series, and we can't wait (CAN'T WAIT) for you all to read it!

As you can see, the ebook is already up for preorder, but the audio edition should be releasing on November 12 too! Print is in the works as well, so whatever version you like, you'll get! Thank you to everyone for sticking with us through this crazy love letter to MMOs, and we really hope you enjoy THE ONCE KING!

See you again on launch day, and until then, keep the DPS high!

Yours always,

Rachel Aaron and Travis Bach Keepers of DKP Benevolent Loot Council
THE ONCE KING is the third and final book in the FFO series. If you're new, start from the beginning with FOREVER FANTASY ONLINE. We promise you won't be sorry!

Finally! A little under a month after the ebook release, the second novel in my DFZ trilogy, PART-TIME GODS is now out in audio book from Audible.com!

Life in the magical mess of the Detroit Free Zone is never easy. When you're laboring under the curse of a certain prideful, overbearing dragon, it can be down right impossible.    My name is Opal Yong-ae, and I'm a Cleaner. Thanks to the supernatural bad luck that turns everything I do against me though, these days I'm more of a walking disaster. Getting rid of this curse is the only way to get my life back. Unfortunately, dragon magic is every bit as sneaky and deadly as the monsters behind it, and just as hard to beat.   But I've never been one to take her doom at face value. Cornered doesn't mean defeated, and in an awakened city that rules herself, dragons are no longer the biggest powers around. Get your copy now on Amazon or straight from Audible.com!
My narrator Emily Woo Zeller did an amazing job as always. Also, if you already bought the ebook, the audio edition is only $7.49 on Amazon, which is a steal.  It's a great production, and I really hope you'll give it a try! Thank you as always for being my readers/listeners, and I hope you love this next chapter in Opal's story! Yours always, Rachel

What is this? A new DFZ novel?!

Ta daaaa!
No, this isn't a cover reveal or a pre-order announcement. The second DFZ novel, PART-TIME GODS, is legit out. Right now. Today. 

Check the blurb:
Life in the magical mess of the Detroit Free Zone is never easy. When you’re laboring under the curse of a certain prideful, overbearing dragon, it can be down right impossible. My name is Opal Yong-ae, and I’m a Cleaner. At least, I used to be. Thanks to the supernatural bad luck that turns everything I do against me, these days I’m more of a walking disaster. Getting rid of this curse is the only way to get my life back. Unfortunately, dragon magic is every bit as sneaky and deadly the monsters behind it, and just as hard to beat. But I’ve never been one to take her doom at face value. Cornered doesn’t mean defeated, and in an awakened city that rules herself, dragons are no longer the biggest powers around. Get your copy now in ebook and Kindle Unlimited! 

So why the surprise drop? Well, if you follow me on Twitter, you already know that our entire family just up and moved from Georgia to Colorado! It was a super happy adventure, but, as with all good adventures, the rest of my life kind of fell apart during the move, including the launch schedule for this book. 
-_-

But I wasn't going to let a small thing like my entire life being in boxes keep a sequel from you guys! PART-TIME GODS was ready to go, so I said screw it, we'll do it live! Just think of this as my own, much smaller, much less organized version of a Beyonce Lemonade drop. Happy summer of books, everyone!

EDIT: AUDIO BOOK UPDATE!! Wow, you guys love audio books! The outcry for an audio release date has been fierce, and I don't blame you a bit! I just heard back from Audible that the production schedule for DFZ 2 was actually delayed due to schedule conflicts with my narrator, Emily, and I was never informed. 

Oh well, mistakes happen, but the good news is that I've confirmed the audio edition will come out on July 2, 2019! That's less than a month away!! Not what I wanted, obviously, but it's not too bad.

In the meanwhile, the book is out in KU and ebook right now! I hope you love this surprise trip into the DFZ as much as I loved writing it, which was a LOT. It's a super fun sequel, and I can't wait for you to read it!! 

As ever thank you SO MUCH for being part of my crazy dragon world. I couldn't do any of this without you! Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy PART-TIME GODS!

Yours with many books,
Rachel Aaron High Priestess of Detroit DFZ Clean-up Crew
PART-TIME GODS is the second book in the DFZ series, which is set in the same universe as my Heartstrikers books. If you're new, start from the beginning with NICE DRAGONS FINISH LAST or MINIMUM WAGE MAGIC. I promise you won't be sorry!

Today's the day!


The sequel to our gamer novel FOREVER FANTASY ONLINE is here! LAST BASTION comes out TODAY in ebook and audio!
Bastion was supposed to mean safety. It was supposed to mean a break from fighting for their lives and a chance to talk to someone who might actually know what’s going on. Access to their gold and some beer would have been nice, too.  They got none of those things. When Tina and James arrive in the capital, they find a city on fire in more ways than one. Players and non-players hunt each other in the streets, while the king who controls the city’s all-powerful artifact cowers from the chaos in his castle. Desperate to warn somebody about the Once King’s coming invasion, James wants to try to talk to the king anyway, while Tina just wants to meet the royal portal keepers who might be able to send them home. It shouldn’t be hard to get an army of the world’s best-geared players through one city, but when they discover that the captain of the Royal Knights has been massacring low-level players in revenge disguised as justice, James and Tina will have to decide what is more important: the lives of their fellow gamers, or the stability of this world’s last great city. Both choices deserve a champion, but with the Once King’s armies closing in, taking the wrong side may doom everyone to an eternity as slaves to the Ghostfire.  Get your copy now! Only $4.99 or free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers!
It's almost summer, and you know what that means! Rachel and Travis release books!!

We've got a whole lot of awesome coming for y'all in 2019, and to kick it off, today's the day the long awaited (and just long in general) sequel to our first gamer novel FOREVER FANTASY ONLINE is finally released to the world! LAST BASTION is out right now in both ebook and audio format!

As always, print editions are lagging a little behind. We're in the process of moving both our print production company and our actual house, so things are chaos, but I promise you print is coming for both FFO and my DFZ series. And speaking of the DFZ, the sequel to MINIMUM WAGE MAGIC should be out this summer as well! It's a summer of books!!

My New Release mailing list is always the first to know when the release date goes up, so if you're not already a subscriber, sign up now and be cool! It's free, I only mail you when a book is coming out, and you get a list exclusive Heartstrikers short story. It's win all around!
Anyway, we really hope you love LAST BASTION! And for those of you who haven't given our gamer novels a try, I hope you'll change your mind. It's basically a Fantasy epic with modern characters and a whole lot of action and drama. Also, both books are available for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers, so I hope you'll give book 1 a go. I promise you wont' be disappointed!

As always, thank you so so much for being our readers! You folks are the ones who make the magic possible, and we can't thank you enough. Travis and I hope you enjoy LAST BASTION, and I really can't wait to announce the next DFZ book!

Thank you again, and we'll see you soon!

Yours always,
Rachel Aaron and Travis Bach Spawn Camping Loot Hoarders Opportunistic Treasure Enthusiasts
LAST BASTION is the second book in the FFO series. If you're new, start from the beginning with FOREVER FANTASY ONLINE! I promise you won't be sorry!

As I wrote Dark Triumph, I wanted to be sure and populate the book with some of the colorful characters from the Middle Ages that I had come across in my research, and yet it had to feel organic to the story and not wedged in there.

As Sybella and the wounded knight were racing through the countryside, trying to escape pursuit, I had to do some serious thinking as to who they would actually run in to, and of those people, who would help, who would hinder, and who would turn them in in a heartbeat for a reward. Since they would need to slip into the forest to evade capture, I decided to draw from those who lived in the forests or obtained their livelihood from the woods, and settled upon a group of charcoal burners.

Oddly, it is often the outcasts in society who are most accepting of other outcasts. Their very disenfranchisement sometimes makes them more willing to challenge the status quo or thumb their nose at rigid authority. While charcoal burners were not (probably) true outcasts, they did keep to themselves somewhat, confined by their livelihood to dwelling in forests and tending their charcoal fires rather than living in cities or villages.

In the middle ages, one of the most efficient fuels at the time was charcoal. Coal itself was rare and difficult to mine with their technology, but charcoal could be made through the slow burning of wood, then stopping the process before the wood was fully burned to ash. Charcoal burning was a tricky thing, requiring fairly esoteric knowledge of how to build the fire pits just so, how to pile the wood so it wouldn’t burn too quickly, and how to read the smoke to discern when the charcoal was ready. There were a number of occupational hazards, primarily involving collapsed fire pits and burns. It was also an occupation full of hazard, for a stray spark or ember could start a conflagration in minutes.

As I continued to research charcoal burners, I came across a curious mention of the Carbonnari, a branch of Italian charcoal burners. They started off as a guild, as many medieval trades did, and developed into an organization or brotherhood similar to Freemansons, only with their charcoal burning trade being at the center of their rituals and organizations. While their organization and political involvement was most evident in 19th century Italy, it is believed the groups’ origins began in the middle ages. When I learned they had a French counterpart called the Charbonnerie, I knew I’d found my outcasts.

As a writer, a dozen questions immediately went off in my mind. Who were they? What would compel them to become political and engage themselves in the affairs of the kingdom? How would they make those decisions? And, most importantly in a world populated with patron saints, whom would they worship?

Any deviation from normal church doctrine in the middle ages was rigorously opposed, so it made sense to me that they would worship someone not approved by the church, one of the older gods who’d not make the transition to patron saint.

Dovetailing nicely with this was my personal fascination with the concept of the Black Madonna. There are various theories for the origin of the Black Madonna, whether it was simply the color of Jesus and Mary’s skin before Renaissance artists reimagined them as fair skinned and blonde, or an origin that spoke to possible African roots. There is some speculation that the huge popularity of the cult of the Virgin Mary in the middle ages was a redirecting of earlier earth/mother goddess worship.

But interestingly, over the years I’d also run into mentions of the Black Artemis, rumored to have been worshipped by the Amazons, or Black Demeter, the aspect of the earth goddess when she was in deep mourning for her daughter Persephone. I took all those threads and swirled them around until I had the Dark Matrona, the unsanctioned aspect of Dea Matrona, the former earth goddess now patron saint. I decided that her darkness would be of a more spiritual nature, not unlike the Egyptian god Osiris, for in the Egyptian pantheon, black was not only the color of the underworld, but regeneration as the rich dark silt from the Nile river allowed them to grow their crops each year, and so black was also the color of regeneration, which dovetailed nicely with the book’s themes of finding hope in the darkness.

 

While the Nine Old Gods of Brittany are my own invention, they were built on a number of historical, geographical, and ancient theological precedents, so I thought I’d share some of those here for those of you who are curious to know what my inspirations for world of His Fair Assassin were.

As the Catholic Church struggled to gain acceptance among people who were reluctant to let go of their own pagan beliefs, it made a conscious decision to actively subsume those beliefs into Christianity, white washing and Christianizing them along the way. They felt it would make it easier for people to accept the new religion if they could recognize parts of their old beliefs in it.

Brittany was also home to the last remaining group of druidesses, called the Gallinezae, who were said to possess mysterious power. Additionally, Brittany had nine bishoprics, or districts, that were based on the nine earlier Celtic tribes who inhabited the land.

Since Brittany was originally inhabited by the Celtic tribes, I built the mythology of His Fair Assassin on a Celtic foundation. It’s also important to note that I drew from Continental Celtic roots for my mythology rather than the Irish Celts.

Trying to accurately recreate any Celtic beliefs is tricky however, because the Celts themselves did not create any written record of their beliefs or practices; it was all passed along through the oral tradition. In fact, druids in training were required to study for twenty years in order to learn all their lore and history by committing it to memory.

Consequently, nothing of the Celtic religion or spiritual beliefs and practices was written down until they were invaded by Rome. In addition to viewing the Celts practices with scorn, the Romans often interpreted other pantheons according to their own, thus a mother goddess must be equated with Zeus’s wife Hera, or a god of the Underworld with Hades, etc. This Interpretatio romana colored everything we knew about Celtic practices up until fairly recently when improved archaeological techniques and methods began revealing a more complete and accurate picture. The funny thing is though, by the middle ages the myth and folklore of these earlier Celts would have been very much written over and ‘tainted’ by the Romanization of those myths, so that those living in the 15th century would have been more familiar with this Romanized version. Since I set the story in that timeframe, I wanted to be true to that worldview rather than our own, more knowledgeable one.

Here is a list of the Nine Old Gods of Brittany along with their Roman/Greek or Celtic influences/inspiration:

Saint Mortain – god of death. The Celtic equivalent to Dis Pater, the Romanized Celtic god of death, with some similarities to the Welsh Arawn. Greek and Roman counterparts would be Pluto and Hades, but the Celtic Dis Pater had other aspects to him that tied him to older beliefs that enveloped not only the underworld, but the entire cycle of life and death. Also inspired by the Breton figure of personified death, the Ankou.

Dea Matrona – Gaulish mother goddess, responsible for the earth’s bounty. Similar to the Celtic Anu or Ana.

Saint Amourna – daughter of Dea Matrona and one of the twin goddesses of love. Amourna is the gentle aspect of love. The Celtic pantheon had no goddess of love per se, so she definitely has aspects of Aphrodite or Venus. However, the idea of twin sister goddesses representing the dual aspects of love was my own invention.

Saint Arduinna – daughter of Dea Matrona and goddess of love’s sharp bite, protector of virgins. There was a Celtic goddess Arduinna who was a goddess of the forest. Boars, highly revered by the Celts, were sacred to her. Similar to the Gallo-Roman Diana.

Saint Mer – goddess of the sea. While there is no known Celtic god of the sea, there were many deities of springs and lakes, most of whom were goddesses so I decided to make the deity of the sea in my world in keeping with the feminine representations the Celts seemed to favor.

Saint Camulos – god of battle and warriors. Wears a corona of oak leaves and ram’s horns. The Romans equated him with Mars, but I also drew slightly on the cult of Mithros.

Saint Brigantia – goddess of wisdom; brought medicine and healing knowledge to mankind. Based on the Celtic goddess Bridget, who is one of the most widely known pagan goddesses to have become a saint. Her Greek and Roman counterparts would be Athena and Minerva.

Saint Cissonius – god of crossroads and travelers. I took the Celtic Cissonius, god of trade, and expanded on it a bit.

Saint Salonius – god of mistakes and patron saint of bastards. Ah, this is my most historically tenuous god. I have always been a fan of the trickster god who appears in so many pantheons, and I saw a fleeting entry on the Wikipedia Celtic Gods and Goddesses page that reference Salonius, god of mistakes. Alas, when I later went to reference it, the entry was gone and I couldn’t even find it in the Google cache search. Although it seems fitting that my god of mistakes might have been born of one of my own.