Characters drive the plot, and the way characters interact with the plot exposes their essence. Both are necessary to tell a good story that immerses readers in a world, be it a magical fantasy, historical fiction, a far distant future or a humorous situation. I strive to step beyond sentimentality and delve into real emotions with specifics and details.
A man and a woman must work together as equals to prevent sorcerers from waking an evil dragon who would terrorize the land while rival baronies plot civil war in a gender balanced world where women and men have the same rights, opportunities and authority.
The novel contains action, battles, political intrigue and magic, as well as diverse cultures, languages, lost legends, forgotten lands, epic poetry and music whose complete scores are found in the appendix.
Characters must discover their own inner strengths and overcome weaknesses while confronting themselves as much as outside forces.
The King is abducted by magical creatures and the Queen must hold the monarchy together. While she searches for the king, traitorous nobles raise an insurrection. The story draws the character across swamps, forests and deserts as new threats arise and, all the while, the evil dragon Baras could rise.
The relationships of the characters deepen as they must come to terms with maturing and growing apart while struggling with the memories of former lovers.
There are new characters and magical creatures. The book carries forward the traditions of diverse cultural elements in a gender balanced world that were established in the first volume of the Carandir Saga.
The final instalment in the epic fantasy series.
The imprisoned dragon prepares to wake and spread a rein of terror. The civil war rages as the traitorous baronies push close to the place while foreign forces invade from the south. Missions to seek help from allies are thwarted by the enemy.
A princess is tempered to return and face the forces of evil.
Artist Margaret Talbot has overcome prejudice, abuse and assault to become a magazine illustrator in the male dominated world of publishing in 1901, yet dreams of painting in oils. She suffers a stillbirth that nearly takes her life and travels to a small fishing village where she meets many people.
An older woman becomes a friend and mentor. Another woman accuses Margaret of being a witch. A man carries a cremation urn containing his wife's ashes and speaks to it as if she is alive. Everyone in the village speaks to the urn as well. One young woman named Sara sings nonsense song, skips and is confused by everyday objects. Margaret fears the woman once suffered a childhood trauma, but some in the village say that Sara is a selkie, a magical being from Celtic mythology who walks on the land as a human and swims in the sea as a seal.
Through the influence of the villagers, and Margaret's own self-determination, she strives to discover who she is and what she truly wants.
Artist Margaret Talbot has overcome prejudice, abuse and assault to become a magazine illustrator in the male dominated world of publishing in 1901, yet she dreams of painting in oils. She suffers a stillbirth that nearly takes her life and travels to a small fishing village where she meets many people, including a woman rumored to be a selkie from Celtic mythology, on her personal awakening to discover who she is and what she truly wants.
This illustrated edition contains twenty-nine Victorian era engravings to enhance the text.
A set of questions about the themes in the novel can be used for discussions in readers' groups.
Gold medal for Robots, Computers & AI
Silver medal for Sci-Fi Crime & Mystery
In a world of the near future, every person is linked to everyone else and vast databanks through The Connection, an immense network that carries information, thoughts and emotions. Few people leave their living quarters. Service robots bring people food, clothing and any other material item desired. People don't have to meet. They can tap into The Connection through a device implanted in the brain and share their lives as if they were standing next to another person who might be on the other side of the world. Cerbdramas transmit stories directly into people's minds as if they were a part of the action. The only place people gather are retro-resorts where periods of history are recreated.
Someone commits the most heinous crime of this perfect society by disconnecting from The Connection. Police detective George Chen has his link severed so that he can enter the underground world of crime undetected. George discovers a massive conspiracy, but not the one he is seeking.
Gold medal for Robots, Computers & AI
Gold medal for Space Exploration
Silver medal for Sci-Fi Crime & Mystery
Internationally award-winning author David A. Wimsett explores the consequences of different human actions and considers the ethical questions they raise in this set of speculative fiction stories.
Can someone get away with murder if they're rich and powerful enough? Are there moral implications to committing people to a life style in a new place without their consent? If time travel is possible, what would you change on the past? What is it to be human in a world where people no longer meet?
Each tale follows characters as they reach crises in their lives that can change their futures for good or ill.
Who really delivers presents on Christmas Eve? The truth may surprise you.
Santa is a Cat is a rhyming picture book that tells how Santa Claus has to be a cat. Who else could crawl up to rooftops or slide down chimneys so easily?
A powerful magician maintains the crops in his fields by commanding the winds to sow, tend and harvest them, but doesn’t realize it disturbs the animals living there. When none of those animals can decide what to do, a tiny ant, who the other animals ignored as too small and weak, steps up and uses her wits to solve the problem.