Warded, excerpt no. 3
Edward strode down the hallway toward the conservatory, laden picnic hamper in hand, cinnamon sparks tickling the back of his mind.
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Warded, excerpt no. 2
Why yes, yes it is Fall!
Why yes, yes it is Fall! The beginning of the fall of empire (couldn't happen to a better one!) and the temperature and the leaves...
Seasons change and blogs along with them
On top of that, I've been so focused on keeping up with the blog that I haven't been working on my actual book. So, I'm going to change things up a bit from here on out.
Is it Fall yet?
Hi, everyone. When I said August was the speediest month ever, September decided to take it as a personal challenge.
Your Horoscopic Cat
Distracted again...cats, horoscopes, and AI, oh my!
Maneki-neko
Then I was reminded of Japan's Maneki-neko, and I decided, that's it. That's the folkloric cat I want to write about this week. So first off, what is the Maneki-neko?
Cats, cats, and more cats
Ok, it was only a matter of time before a bona fide cat lover like myself would devote an entire article to cats. Fine, this is really just an excuse to post a whole bunch of pictures of my cats.
September – Happy New Year to me!
Hi, everyone. I feel like August has been the super-speediest month yet! And September, being my birthday month is likely to bring even more (and hopefully productive) activity.
Warded - an excerpt
Decided to do something a little different this week. While I'm still working through my Lost & Found world origin story about a magical stag, I decided to share an excerpt from my current draft of Book 2, currently titled "Warded".
The Stag: Celtic vs. Indian
And as I’ve been working on L&F Book 2, I’ve also had a point of curiosity hopping foot to foot in the back of my mind. As I’m exploring the concept of avatars in my series, I’ve been wanting to explore the mythology around Pan-type guardians of nature.
Mermaids in Asian Stories
Inspired by our recent trip to the pool (1st time swimming since the beginning of this summer – thanks, global warming), I decided to “dive” (c’mon, had to do it) into researching merfolk in Asian folklore and mythology.
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August has arrived
This month’s recipe is the ultimate super tasty and refreshing treat in the summer – Salade Nicoise. Ironically, I’m not a huge fan of salad. Hated it as a kid. Eventually, though, I’ve come to appreciate the combination of certain flavors and textures, and how much better I feel after eating it.
animals
The Tiger's Tale
In the original and most later iterations, Shere Khan is a villainous tiger with an irrational hatred of humans. I often wondered why, though...With the colonization-birthed genocides in our present and in our history, the unjustly villainized has been top of mind for me. And so, the Tiger's Tale...
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Animals in Stories, Part 2
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Animals in Stories, Part 1
And it’s a lot more convenient telling a story about a wolf or an ox that may have a passing resemblance to a few people in your village than telling a story about a guy named Frank who seems to look and act remarkably like Frank down the road.
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July Already
In "cats + kids home for summer news," the cats aren't sure what to make of being on call for playtime pretty much 12 hours of the day. After Waffles was "disguised" as a stuffed animal, we made the kids watch "E.T." with us which has pretty much kicked off an '80's movies theme to the summer.
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Flying in Fantasy
What have our stories told us about mortals (not Gods) being gifted the ability to fly? Initially, my searches universally pointed to the story of Daedalus and Icarus, but their story isn’t one of magical gifts ...
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The Rooster and the Fox, Part 2
Where once had stood a proud, handsome rooster with lustrous feathers and striking gold crest, tottered a bloated orange ball of bluster. Ron’s vibrant plumage had dulled somewhat, and his thinning crest had very obviously been groomed to flop with an impression of volume.
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The Rooster and the Fox, Part 1
But now there was only this one rooster, this rooster named “Ron”. Now, as roosters went, he was a rooster that stood out. He had a fluffy golden crest of feathers that flopped over the side of his head. His feathers were orange, and his crow was loud.
newsletter
May is out and June is in…
Hi, everyone. It’s my first monthly update post – recapping the last month and highlighting what I’ve got planned for the next one.
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So Foxy!
In honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month, which is ending this week, I’m writing about one of my favorite animals with magical powers – the fox.
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There Be Dragons (part 1 of what will be many)
Growing up, I wasn’t all that into dragons. Pretty much every story I read as a young child had them rampaging across the European countryside, grabbing maidens off of stakes and hoarding them along with piles of gold and jewels.
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The Legend of the Warden Tree
Once there was a young man and a young woman, not quite grown, but not children either. They came from a good clan, not too large, but more than one family. The clan was well, and the people had all they needed. And when they didn’t, they traveled to find what they needed.