Twilight Realm Series Finale: A Satisfying Conclusion

The last book in The Twilight Realm series was released earlier this year. It brings the series to a satisfying conclusion and brings all the characters together. While it is an easy conclusion to assume that the story was about everyone being strong. The theme was a bit more complex. A big part of the theme was the main characters learning to be vulnerable with those closest to them. This looked different for each character. However, this lesson gave them strength and unity needed to defeat the evil threatening the Twilight and Night Realms.

The Twilight Realm series started with an image of a girl with dagger tattoos on her forearms. These daggers would drop into her hands and she’d fight with them. If you’ve read any of my blogs, social media postings, or newsletter, you’ve heard this before. The Twilight Realm series was initially Zoe’s story. But more characters entered.

Since book one focused on Zoe and Nix. Book 1.5 focused on Yarissa. And book two focused on Zyanna and Daniel. Book three had to bring everyone together. But how? There were so many story threads that needed closure. The biggest question became: Will the four heroes unite to take down Nosh Dem who’s threatens the two realms. Will they find the familial bonds they long for?

It was a bit of challenge having to write from four points of view: Zyanna, Zoe, Nix, and Daniel. Each character needed their moments and full character arcs. Each character had their own area of conflict they brought to the story and something they had to work out. What was also interesting was the time gap between books one and three. Book two and three had no time gap.

Daniel begins the story. He’s fearful of his father, the king of the Night Realm, and fearful for Zyanna’s life. His father wants Zyanna as a bargaining chip in his schemes with the Twilight Realm. When Zyanna’s hurt, Daniel is forced to ask his brother-in-law, the Twilight Realm king, for help. Will he face his father and prove to Nix that he’s worthy of Zyanna?

For Zoe, she was conflicted about her feelings for Nix. She also felt an unrest about taking care of the orphans. She was hesitant to become a warrior because that was what her parents wanted for her. Her moment of decision comes when Nix asks her to join him in saving his sister in the Night Realm. Will she go? Will she stay? Will she fight?

Nix has spent his life hiding his identity and now as king, he has learned to put on a veneer. When the call comes to help his sister, he responds. But things aren’t as he expected or as easy as he’d hoped. To win the war, he needs to get along with Daniel. To restore his family, he needs to build a relationship with his sister. To avoid a life of solitude, he must win the heart of Zoe. Can he drop the practiced veneer and achieve his goals?

This series has always had strong female leads, so Zyanna had to come into her strength in the final book. One of the key elements of the final story was her magic. It had to play an important role in saving the Night Realm. But as she grows stronger, Daniel becomes more protective. The arrival of her brother, King Nix of the Twilight Realm, is no better. Zoe, who is everything Zyanna wants to be, offers Zyanna an opportunity to prove herself. Can Zyanna find her worth and value outside of her husband’s or brother’s approval?

In the end, I’m quite satisfied with the ending of the series. Twilight’s Curse introduced the conflict. Twilight’s Strength ended the conflict with starting to restore the evil that crept through the Night and Twilight Realm. Will there be more in this series? No. the series is complete, but I do have a few ideas for other stories in the neighboring realms. I’m curious to explore the Day Realm.

If you haven’t delighted in The Twilight Realm series, head on over to Amazon to check it out.

Review of The Water Spinner, by Jessie Chang

I recently just finished reading, The Water Spinner, by Jessie Chang. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read that had been sitting on my TBR list for far too long.

The story begins with Elmira, a slave and a water spinner. She comes from one of the four elemental tribes and has the ability to spin or summon water. Because of this, she is a sought after commodity.

The world building in this book was rich and it felt real, like the places, people, and magic exist. There were many cultures developed in the novel. Each was unique and complex but easy to understand throughout the course of the novel.

The pacing was moderate but there were enough bits of conflict that kept me returning to the story. The novel was had to put down. When I had to close the cover for things like sleep and work, I found myself thinking about the story. I was wondering what would happen next.

There was also a sweet romance that developed throughout the story. And while most of the plot was fairly predictable, there was a curiosity about how it would happen. These questions along with the desire for Elmira to win and use her power to bring balance was captivating.

The story finishes well with a hint of a potential sequel. I hope the author finds time in her busy schedule to let readers know how Elmira finds the lost tribe.

Until then, I hope you head on over to Amazon and get your copy.

Book Review: Federal Bureau of Magic

I’m not sure how I found this series, but it is a super fun read. I do remember looking for cozy mystery-fantasy mixed genre, so it probably popped up in the search.

The basic overall plot is the main character, Eden Fury, returning to her home town of Chipping Cheddar to be an FBM (Federal Bureau of Magic) agent with her faithful hell hound Princess Buttercup. The only thing is she wants to be an FBI agent and she wants to stay as far away from her home as possible. She want to be human and leave her fury powers in Chipping Cheddar. But once home, the quiet cozy town that celebrates all things cheese doesn’t remain quiet for very long.

I fully enjoyed this series and am currently reading it for the second time. The main character is very likeable. There is a lot of subtle humor in the book centered around town’s dairy farming/cheese making history. The content is light and it is easy to get caught up in the story. And the romance is clean/sweet and slow-burn.

These cozy mysteries aren’t the typical someone is murdered and the main character, who is an amateur sleuth, figures it out with her friends and family. The unique twist is that the mysteries are always something related to magic or magical creatures and Eden who is very reluctant to ask her family for help or use her magical fury powers must do just that. She falls in love with a human and this mortifies her magical family who try to sabotage their romance.

The only downside to the series is I did find Eden’s family squabbles to be a bit much at times. The characters were very well developed and stayed true to who they were intended to be -evil witches. Eden, her mom, and her grandmother had a complicated relationship that on the one hand was very believable and poked at Eden’s character arc -her pride and righteous attitude. I can fully appreciate their place in the story, but wished some of the conflict had been toned down a little.

There are a lot of things in this book to keep the reader’s interest. And the series is complete with fourteen books! I don’t usually read such long series, but this one held my attention to the end. These books are available on Amazon, so check out the series and see if it’s right for you.

The Human Approach: Connecting the Reader with the Main Character

About two decades ago I attended a writing class where the teacher said the main character needs to be larger than life but also relatable. Since then, I’ve read numerous books on writing and they all say something similar. Main characters are the center of the narrative because essentially, the story wouldn’t happen without them. If Harry Potter wasn’t the ‘boy who lived’ and hadn’t been marked by Voldemort, then the books would have been very different. If Frodo had never received the ring of power from Bilbo, he would have lived a quiet life in the Shire.

At the start of every story there is something called the inciting incident. This propels the character into the initial conflict. The character then has a crisis of conscious where they usually resist what is being asked of them. And then a bigger conflict happens thrusting the unwilling participant into the storyline.

But there’s a delicate balance to all of this because no one wants to read about a character that’s too perfect; that becomes boring. The main character must have a human side, something that draws readers in, making them care about the character and root for the character’s victory.

When writing my characters and considering this human side, I pull from my own life or struggles I’ve seen others face. The character’s story doesn’t mirror another person’s life, but I try to draw in the human side by considering the emotions and thoughts. For example, in Hidden, Tully dealt with a lot of anxiety. Her anxiety stemmed from not knowing her true identity and that her real identity had been a secret her whole life. This is not my lived experience. However, when writing scenes where Tully faces anxiety, I considered moments in my own life where I felt anxiety and what that was like. I magnified those emotional reactions and responses for Tully. Throughout the story, Tully does learn the truth of her identity and the more she learns it, the less anxiety she has. One beta reader said it best: What Tully thought were flaws and a disease, were really her perfect design.

As humans, this is a struggle we face. When we’re young, we’re trying to figure out who we are and how we fit into this world. We can get caught in comparison traps. Or we try to change ourselves because society and people in our lives tells us it’s ‘wrong’. I’m a strong introvert and for years people tried to make me more extroverted. It is almost like society thinks introverts are bad and extroverts are good. Whatever. We’re just built differently. Introverts are not shy, but due to our unique chemical make-up, we approach life, people, and crowds differently. Introverts are amazing in one-on-one conversations and they like to dive deep when getting to know someone. Introverts are focused and highly social, we just do things differently than extroverts because we are designed differently.

Before this loses focus, back to the topic of humanizing main characters. My point is, by pulling on lived experiences people face, the writer creates a connectedness between the reader and the character. Consider some of your favorite main characters. What is it about these characters that you connected with?

Creating Believable Character Trouble and Redemption

It is said that the author’s job is to make trouble for their characters. And then the character must find their way out of the mess to become the hero. It is also said that the reader must care about the character. So now the author has a delicate balance.

The author wants to make the main character’s trouble and the ‘escape’ from trouble relatively believable. It is easy to create impossible situations for a main character, but the escape must be plausible. It is too easy to trap a character in a room without a door, and then at just the right moment, a door suddenly appears. That is boring. The character has done nothing to earn that victory.

And for the audience to care about the character, the character must have certain relatable redeemable characteristics. To a certain degree, the main character is larger-than-life. They do things that a regular human can’t do. Consider some of the action scenes in movies. A normal human can’t stay awake for such an extended time without consequences. Or some of the fight scenes where the hero walks away. Our bodies just aren’t made to take that much abuse. And in a story, there must be a reason why the main character is fighting. There are people they care about or innocent people in trouble they must save. And caring about these people provides the redemptive qualities the hero needs.

In my book, The Original, Colin is a vampire who doesn’t care about vampires, he doesn’t care about humans, and he certainly doesn’t care about the shifters. But then one drives into his territory and he’s faced with a decision: Do I care about her and try to protect her? Or do I leave her to her fate? Throughout the story, the reader is provided with a backstory that gives reason for Colin’s reluctance to get involved.

Colin’s character doesn’t care. So as the author, I had to find a way to redeem him for the audience. I also had to find a reason to make him care. (SPOILER) I also had to find a way to make him care or want to get involved. There were a few ways I did this. Colin was frustrated with the vampire community and specifically his cousin who led the community. His cousin had broken Colin’s rules too many times and Colin decides it’s time for change. This starts him on his path to redemption.

I won’t share the ending as that would be too much of a spoiler, but Colin’s battle, one that he’s been fighting for centuries, is finally won.

Twilight’s Princess: A Compelling Love Story in the Night Realm

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t read Twilight’s Princess and you don’t like spoilers, wait to read.

In a previous blog, I mentioned that the whole inspiration for Twilight’s Princess actually came from her daughter, Nazira. I imagined King Phoenix’s niece coming to the Twilight Realm confused and upset because she just learned that her father, the king of the Night Realm wasn’t her father. This took me to her parents, Daniel and Zyanna.

Twilight’s Princess begins with Zyanna knowing nothing of her past. And in one day, her life and everything she thought she knew was proven false. After discovering she’s pregnant, she questions her relationship with Taven, and then finds out he’s cheating on her. At home, she learns she’s the lost princess of the Twilight Realm and her mother is really her nurse. Now she must flee to the Twilight Realm with a spy her brother sent for her, but the crown prince, Daniel, of the Night Realm discovers her identity and asks to escape with her for his own reasons. As they try to leave the city, they’re captured and taken to the Night Realm’s king (Daniel’s father). The next day, she’s forced into an engagement with the crown prince who doesn’t love her. And so begins their love story.

This story was a lot of fun to write and the push and pull between Daniel and Zyanna made for interesting plot moments. Like any ‘stuck together’ trope, how could these two characters fall in love? Daniel clearly loved someone else and Zyanna wanted to escape.

The first issue was getting the characters to notice each other. Daniel is a bit of a rescuer. He realized that Zyanna was hiding something and wanted to protect and help her. He found her when she ran away from the palace and covered for her. Then he started the dance lessons which gave them time to plot their escape but also get to know each other. He finds Zyanna is a woman of grace and after growing up with a manipulative, controlling father, he feels there is finally someone in the kingdom he can trust.

Now that Zyanna was spending time with Daniel, she couldn’t help but notice that he was a much better man than Taven. She saw that he was lonely and she quickly became his confident. As a result, she was conflicted about leaving him alone in the Night Realm with a cruel king, Daniel’s father. And can she trust him with the news of her pregnancy?

But a forced engagement wasn’t enough. The king learned of their plans because he has spies (The Unfortunate) everywhere, so a wedding was arranged. Daniel still promised to help Zyanna escape but now neither wants to leave the other though they haven’t revealed their growing feelings yet.

As the writer, Zyanna’s and Daniel’s love story was a gentle tug-of-war. There were so many elements between Zyanna and Daniel. It was like they were two sides of one puzzle and as the story progressed, the pieces between them fit until the picture was completed.

And Nazira? She grows up with two very loving parents not realizing Daniel isn’t her father until one day… and her story begins.

If you haven’t started the Twilight Series, then check it out on Amazon.

The English Teacher’s Magic: Tea and Lothair

Does a writer use the real world to inspire their writing? The simple answer is, yes! But is creative writing an accurate reflection? Or does the writer re-tell the experience?

Those are good questions and I’d say the answer depends on the author. Personally, my writing tends to step away from lived experiences. The world around me is certainly inspiring and The English Teacher’s Magic is definitely a good example since my career as an English teacher was the catalyst.

If you’re curious about some of the aspects of Tea (Pronounced: Tay-ah) and Lothair’s love story and where the idea came from, I’d have to tell you about two of my students. In 2009, I started a new teaching position at a local university. At that time, we had a huge influx of students from Saudi Arabia as the government was sponsoring their young people to study abroad. In one of my classes, there was a young guy (I’ll call him Mohamed) from Saudi Arabia who was single; most of the young men and women were.

A few semesters passed and I found myself teaching Mohammed again at a higher level. Only this time, he was considering engagement. In no way am I an expert on Saudi customs around arranged marriages, but I certainly learned a lot. When Mohammed felt ready for marriage, he told him mom and she began the search. Thankfully, she didn’t need to search far as the young lady (I’ll call her Sarah) she had her eye on was their next door neighbor. In fact, Sarah had been her student, so Mohammed’s mom knew Sarah well.

During the semester, Mohammed had to leave a few times for stages of the engagement process and celebration. It was rather interesting. (Again not claiming any level of expertise.) I grew to understand that once a couple was engaged, they could spend time together and decide if they were a right match. And then, if all went well, usually about a year later the young couple got married.

For the Fae culture and Tea and Lothair, I emphasized the engagement ceremony. The idea was certainly inspired by Mohammed and Sarah’s story, but as the author, I made the engagement ceremony unique to the Fae culture and played with the bonded mates trope. Tea and Lothair’s love story was a lot of fun to write and I enjoyed weaving in re-interpreted elements of engagement culture in Saudi Arabia.

There was something beautiful about watching the love story unfold between Mohammed and Sarah. Fun fact, a year later, I got to teach Sarah and eventually met their first child!

I hope you enjoyed this little peak into the inspiration behind Tea and Lothair’s engagement ceremony. And if you haven’t read The English Teacher’s Magic yet, consider checking it out on Amazon.

Fairy Tale Retellings: Preserving Tradition While Adding Uniqueness

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. -Oscar Wild

Do you agree or disagree? This quote is often used to justify copying. Perhaps someone says it as a form of comfort. Or perhaps it is said it to explain motives.

It’s a popular expression and to a certain extent very true. When studying drama in high school, the teacher showed us how stories as old as time were repeated throughout the ages. One of his example was Pygmalian by George Bernard Shaw which became My Fair Lady, a musical adaption by Alan Jay Lerner. The teacher went on to show stories that were hundreds and even thousands of years old that had a similar story-goal to ‘re-make’ a woman with no or little social graces into a woman who fit perfectly into high society.

Fairy tale re-tellings are super popular and they have been told and re-told for centuries. As mentioned in a recent post, fairy tale re-tellings are a new project in my publishing goals. The books will still stick to my brand of fantasy, urban/high, sweet/clean slow-burn romance, and strong female leads. The princesses represented in the books will either save the kingdom, or be a major part of saving the kingdom. The prince or male love interest will be more involved in the story as well.

So what part of my stories will hold to the original stories? In researching and in some cases (where possible) reading the original stories and then reading the stories throughout history, I hope to learn as much as possible about the original tales. In doing this, common elements rise to the surface. Even when the story has been gentled over the centuries, usually the key concept of the original story remains.

While holding to the key concepts and elements of the original stories, I am re-working the tale into something that is unique. My most recent work has been a Rapunzel retelling. I’m planning for this novella to come out this fall. (More details to come soon.) The main elements I held on to were the tower and the hair. There were other key ideas I played with, but those two are the strongest. I had a ton of fun writing the tale and the main character.

Are there fairy tales you love? What are the elements you connect with?

Mastering Narrative Payoff: Balancing Revelation and Surprise

Have you ever considered the work that goes into creating a tapestry, a hand woven rug, or blanket? I enjoy crochet, but that’s nothing to the intricate weaving of fine threads into beautiful patterns that grace our walls, floors, or even ourselves. The finely crafted pieces is made of uncountable threads twisted and folded together.

And good stories are made up for intricately placed threads that an author twists together, strategically places, then hides and reveals at just the right moment. If an author does their job well, the reader is left satisfied. The most challenging aspects of this process is deciding how much to share and when to share it in the overall story; it’s an art form. If key pieces are over overshared, the payoff isn’t enjoyed by the reader because the reveal was obvious. If under-shared, the payoff feels contrived. Finding the correct balance is a huge part of careful plotting.

What does ‘payoff’ mean? It’s the moment in the book near the end where everything comes together. When a book is opened, the first few lines and pages are meant to hook the reader. As the reader continues to explore, the story is revealed. Consider a mystery, the story begins with someone being killed. Then everything in the story is primarily about finding who killed the person and why. The author must delicately and quietly drop clues that aren’t too obvious to the reader so that when the killer is revealed, the reader is both delighted by the revelation and gently surprised because it makes perfect sense. While most obvious in mysteries, the same payoff is in all genres. In romance, it’s the couple finally getting together. In fantasy, it’s Harry Potter being revealed as the final Horcrux.

So how is this created? There are some basic guides out there like subtle mentions every ~40 pages. While a useful guide, this can be too obvious to readers. A huge part of satisfying readers is creating a story where a reader becomes lost in the narrative. The reader organically picks up key pieces that leave them guessing, curious, and wanting to find out how everything works out for the main character. Then when the payoff comes, the reader wasn’t expecting it, but because of the subtle gems placed throughout the woven narrative, the reader can say, ‘of course! That makes perfect sense’. So there’s no secret to this principle. Rather, it’s instinct and evaluating feedback.

Think of some of your favorite stories where the payoff was especially satisfying. How did the author work the narrative?

The Mirror Moment: A Reflection

Originally published in 2014, James Scott Bell wrote a book about writing called, Write Your Novel from the Middle. Bell, a crime/thriller writer who tends to lean towards courtroom drama, came up with the idea when reviewing numerous books and movies. He recognized a pattern that took place in the middle of all these stories. The main character essentially had a ‘mirror moment’ where they looked at themselves, their situation and had to decide what their next steps would be and the changes they needed to make in order to ‘win’.

I confess that while I’m not a fan of James Scott Bell’s genre, his books on writing have been very useful. Learning to identify the Mirror Moment has been tremendously helpful as an author. According to Bell, finding the Mirror Moment can help with determining theme as well as what the main character struggles with in the story which helps when developing the character arc.

Does the mirror moment mean the main character looks at themselves in the mirror? No. They can, but the mirror moment is more about the character looking internally. The character practices self-reflection with regard to their circumstance and out of that internal processing, the character will determine a new course that usually falls into what James Scott Bell says is an either/or change.

  • Growth to become a different person
  • Growth to become stronger to survive

I have two favorite mirror moments in my books. The first is in Hidden where Ciaran, who’s been ignoring a traumatic event of his childhood must face it to go forward. In this case, he goes to the place where his Uncle died. The moment is too long to share here. My second favorite mirror moment takes place in Realm of Choice and Life. Not only is it the mirror moment for the book, but it is also the mirror moment for the series.

I left Naila’s shop and walked down the rain-soaked street. It was quiet and serene with cool fresh air and a light mist coating my face. Moisture soaked into my shoes, but I didn’t care and laughed. In the reflection of a window to a restaurant, my face was spotted and streaked from the water.

Only a month ago, I knew who I was. Or I thought I knew. But now… Who was I? Human? Fae? English teacher? Was I what Rose wanted? Patrick? Lothair? My students? Scattered pieces of me intersected with the lives of others like the drops of rain that ran down the windowpane and then into each other. But underneath the rain, was my reflection.

Living up to everyone’s expectations was impossible. I wasn’t trying to please everyone, but in the midst of trying to do my best at work and build relationships, I was losing sight of myself.

I shook my head at the thought. I wiped the rain-spotted reflection with my hand and saw the complete me underneath. A small smile crossed my lips.

I was enough.

Both these books are available on Amazon if you are interested in checking them out.

The Mirror Moment is a moment of reflection that the main character has at a pivotal time in the story. Consider some of your favorite books or movies, can you spot the mirror moment?