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Well, here we are in a new year. I'm not so sure there is anything different...but I have hope of better things to come. So, this post is all about my plans for 2021 at Castle's Story World. If you're interested in hearing about some of my future book plans, then read on.... 
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After a very long year, I've finally finished the first mini-series from The Chronicles of Alburnium. Perhaps you've read the White Road Chronicles series. This newest series of fairy-tale retellings all take place during an earlier time in the world of Alburnium. You'll meet Tarek's early family, along with a few other favorite Houses...and Beings. You'll also learn how Lord Darnel rises to power over the course of the extended series. The Lionheart Province is Leon and Kardia's story, Coming next will be the Phoenix Province which will be Rillion and Sterlyn's tale. (Don't worry, you'll meet them in Gold & Fire, so be looking out for them) For now, let's talk about the conclusion of the Lionheart Province - Gold and Fire. I'll also share a sneak peek of my favorite scene. Oh, and in case you didn't notice, the first two covers have been given an overhaul. What do you think of them?  I feel like running a contest. The prizes will be ebook copies of Blood & Water and Silver & Light. How many depends on the response I get. What do you need to do? Help me name a baby. Keep reading for more details. A Word of Caution... If you've not read Blood & Water and Silver & Light then you are about to venture into SPOILER ALERT territory. You've been warned.  Who doesn't love a good fairy tale? We think they are for kids, but I disagree. I think they are full of treasures for the one willing to look. I think that's why they are told again and again in various ways. For a couple of years, I've felt nudged to write some fairy tale retellings, and I'm glad that I listened to that inner nudging. Like parables, these old stories have a way of reaching through time with some hard truths that resonate even today.  Great News! I've decided to release The Faerie Trader on Amazon. Right now, it's on pre-order for only .99¢! This is a limited time offer. Once the book releases on April 23rd, it'll go up to $2.99 sometime that weekend. For those who haven't already subscribed to my Castle World Fantasy Newsletter, you can read the first chapter below. Or just click the picture to purchase your pre-order copy.   The Chronicles of Alburnium.
In Silver and Light, we find Kardia leaving the safety of her home village for the great unknown. She is determined to find the legendary path that leads to the White City of Aloblase, that she's only seen in her dreams, and read about in King Shaydon's Book Of Letters. Kardia doesn't make it far before she must stop for a rest and there she meets a most unexpected traveler... Kardia nestled deeper under her woolen blanket, breathing in the scent of damp earth and moss. She’d made camp beside a stream after venturing off the road she followed in her search for the King’s Highway. Hopefully, she’d find the road to Aloblase soon. She was running out of the few supplies she’d packed before leaving Goia, her childhood home. Her eyes, heavy from exhaustion, slowly closed. She’d almost drifted off when the sound of wagon wheels rolling over the dirt road caused her to sit up. A chill of fear raced down Kardia’s back. Hopefully, she was far enough off the road to not be spotted. Holding her breath, she waited for the traveler to pass. Her heart pounded like a drum in her ears. She curled her arms tighter around her chest and tried not to move. The clomping of hooves stopped. Something made a sniffing sound. Strange. Kardia tried to peer through the fern and brush toward the road, but the growing darkness of night made it too difficult to see more than gray shadows. “Hello in the woods,” a deep voice called out. Oh no! They knew she was there. But how? Kardia held perfectly still, not daring to breathe lest she make her position known. Silently willing them to leave, she tensed up, wondering if she’d get very far if she ran for it. Why hadn’t she left her boots on? If only her tired feet hadn’t hurt so badly when she stopped earlier. She’d not wanted to lose her toes like she’d lost her fingers. Despite the pain, she’d wriggled out of them. They were so hard to get on and off with her damaged hands. “I can smell you. Human, for sure. Are you hurt? I smell the scent of blood hanging about you. I can help…” the man moved off the edge of the road. It wasn’t footfalls she heard, but rather the clomping of…what exactly was she hearing? How did he… smell…her? Granted, she’d not tried to bathe yet. She’d hoped to find safe shelter before attempting that. The blood scent most likely came from her blistered feet. “I won’t hurt you, little human.” It sniffed again. Kardia reasoned that if it was calling her human, then it wasn’t. “Ah, there you are,” the stranger declared, his tone softening. Her heart threatened to pound right out of her chest. “If you’re hiding a weapon, you should know I’m a master fighter. I’m also much larger and stronger than you could ever dream of being.” Then he added, “Even if you were a grown human male. But rest assured, I intend no harm, so be a good little human friend and sit up slowly so we can talk.” She bolted to her tender bare feet. Stepping on the edge of a jagged rocked, she cried out from the sharp pain. Her foot misstepped and she started to tilt toward the stream. The creature-man darted forward and caught her by the arm. To her shock, he wasn’t dressed! His bare chest glistened in the dim light of the rising moon. His bearded face and wild hair came into focus. He towered over her by nearly two feet. Thick hair covered his lower arms. As she dared to lower her gaze, she found thick hair, or rather dark brown fur, covered the lower half of his body down to his hooves. Kardia blinked. She’d heard of the half human half goat men before. They were called…what? The part human and part horsemen were centaurs, she was sure. “Faun!” she exclaimed as the name slammed into her memory. “You’re a faun!” (From Silver and Light, chapter 1) January 16th is Appreciate Your Dragon Day. How did this day come about, you might ask? Well, it turns out that one of my favorite authors is behind this fun day! Back in 2004, Donita K Paul who wrote the Dragonspell series decided there needed to be a National Day set aside for these marvelous beasts. Crystal, from the White Road Chronicles series, and I both agree. So, in celebration of all things about dragons, I'd like to present some fun things in today's blog that's all about dragons. You can start off by clicking the picture of Alyra and Crystal below for a fun puzzle. Let me know in the comments how you did. Read on, and at the end, I have a special offer for you... UPDATE: Winner has been determined and I'll contact that person soon.  Click picture to be taken to a fun puzzle I'm so excited to finally be able to present a sample of the next Chronicles of Alburnium story-- Part two of the Lionheart Province. Click the Read More button for the first three chapters of Silver and Light. After you've read them, let me know what you think. Look for the release of the whole book in the next few days!!
 Archetype. It means an original pattern of which all other similar persons, objects, or concepts are derived, copied, modeled, or emulated. Basically, archetypes come from the basic personality types that make up all people. And we take those strong personality types to create our larger-than-life characters. I think, the more thought and planning one puts into developing a fictional character, by weaving in a few realistic traits, the more three dimensional of a character ends up coming alive on the pages. These are our Frodo's, our Aslan's, Harry's, Peter Pan's and I can go on. Those characters that stick with us, are unforgettable and so realistic that readers talk and think about them as if they were real people, indeed. Today, I'll go over some of the archetypes that are most popular. These are ones that have resonated most over the past generations of literature. 
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10 |
Author InfoJackie Castle is an author, artist and dreamer. She lives in Texas with her husband, two grown children and her dog, Banjo. She looks for the extraordinary in the ordinary in everything she experiences. Archives
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