Most stories don’t arrive fully formed. They begin as a name, a setting, or the faintest glimmer of an idea, then grow one decision at a time. But every so often, a story appears almost complete. Rainmaker was one of those rare exceptions. Here’s how it came to life—and why, years later, I finally gave it the cover I’d always imagined.
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Some of the most fantastical settings aren’t found in fantasy novels—they’re right here on Earth. A single photograph of Seljalandsfoss in Iceland is a reminder that nature often creates landscapes so extraordinary we’d hesitate to put them in fiction for fear readers wouldn’t believe them. It’s a lesson that Peter Jackson understood when bringing Middle-earth to life on film.
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How do astronomers know the exact moment of the summer solstice? The answer is both less mystical and more magical than you might think. From ancient stone circles to modern orbital calculations, the solstice marks a precise celestial moment that has inspired myths, festivals, and fantasy stories for thousands of years.
How Do They Know When the Solstice Is? Read More »
The Veilwardens have spent generations maintaining the portals between Terra and Aethryn, certain that the balance between the worlds must be preserved at all costs.
But what if the balance isn’t what they think it is?
In Quieting, old assumptions begin to crack, strange events grow harder to explain, and Riva Thorn finds herself questioning truths she has always accepted.
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Fantasy readers often trace the genre back to Tolkien, but fantasy’s history is far stranger and more varied than many realize. Long before epic quests and dark lords dominated the shelves, writers such as Lord Dunsany, George MacDonald, H. Rider Haggard, Arthur Machen, and Hope Mirrlees were exploring dream kingdoms, lost worlds, fairy realms, and mysteries lurking just beyond reality. Join me on a journey down the forgotten paths of fantasy and discover what the genre looked like before Tolkien’s road became the main highway.
What Fantasy Looked Like Before Tolkien Won Read More »
Why do fantasy characters keep trusting the fae when centuries of stories warn them not to? The answer isn’t stupidity—it’s hope. The fae offer solutions when no one else can, promise the impossible, and often appear as beautiful, fascinating beings who seem to understand exactly what a person needs. In this post, we’ll explore the surprisingly human reasons characters continue to trust the fae, despite all the risks.
Why Do Characters in Fantasy Fiction Keep Trusting the Fae? Read More »
Thirty years after A Game of Thrones changed fantasy forever, it’s worth asking what the genre gained — and what it may have lost along the way. From the rise of grimdark and political fantasy to sprawling epic series and morally compromised heroes, George R. R. Martin’s influence is impossible to ignore. But as fantasy readers increasingly rediscover wonder, heroism, and adventure, has the pendulum finally begun swinging back?
Thirty Years Later: What Game of Thrones Did To Fantasy Read More »
What happens when fantasy creators stop feeling like ordinary authors and actors and begin to resemble legends themselves? From Tolkien’s mythic life story to Christopher Lee’s astonishing wartime history and larger-than-life presence, fantasy fandom has a habit of turning its creators into part of the mythology. On Biographer’s Day, we take a look at why fantasy readers love biographies almost as much as they love dragons.
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Today is Lost Sock Memorial Day, and fantasy readers know perfectly well that socks do not simply “go missing.” Somewhere beyond the washing machine lurks an unseen kingdom of fae creatures, goblins, or possibly liberated house elves, all conducting mysterious business with our unmatched footwear. After all, fantasy has immortalized swords, crowns, rings… and at least one very important sock.
Lost Sock Memorial Day and the Great Fantasy Sock Conspiracy Read More »
The veil is thinning again. After the Quieting, the first main story in The Veilwarden Chronicles by Taylen Carver, is now available for pre-order. Hidden portals. Unstable magic. A world built on dangerous balance—and the first signs that balance may be failing.
After the Quieting Is Now Available for Pre-Order Read More »