Author Archives

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Destiny Governed their Lives

Destiny Governed thier LivesDestiny Governed their Lives is a short story starring Catriona Wheatcroft, the sorceress in Shadows in the Stone fantasy novel. When the novel begins, she’s twenty-eight years old, but in the short story, she’s only seventeen.

Catriona is young, impulsive and believes she knows everything. Mmm, sounds a little like me when I was seventeen. I wasn’t, however, an apprentice studying with a sorceress who practised powerful spells. I also didn’t live in Maskil with the constant threat of an evil wizard creating terror on the streets. If I had, I might have done the unthinkable, too.

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My tea mug comes from Newfoundland

NewfoundlandI love tea. It’s one—no, it is—my most favourite drink in the world. I like rum, cranberry juice, gin and wine, but I love tea. I love it so much that if I couldn’t make a good cup where I lived or have one shipped in, I’d move. I think I might survive a week—maybe seven days—without tea if I had one of my other likable drinks or hot chocolate, but that’s pushing it.

Coffee doesn’t factor into the equation.

Tea drinkers—I’ve found—are often in search of two best things: the best type of tea and the best vessel in which to drink it from.

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News Flash: I’m a Featured Author at RG2E Gifting Ebooks!

Diane Lynn McGyverReader’s Guide to E-Publishing is one of those sites that if you’re a reader, you’re missing out if you don’t visit often or subscribe to the posts. A host of wonderful writers talk about their books and their writing life, and they either have their ebooks available for free, low prices or gift ebook copies to lucky readers. Sometimes, free swag gets thrown into the giftaway basket, so you never know if you’ll walk away with an ebook or an ebook, bookmarks, cards and other goodies.

Today I’m a feature author at Reader’s Guide to E-Publishing. Check out my post and get a chance to receive a gift copy of my ebook Pockets of Wildflowers, my first romance novel.

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Outside the Silence

Diane Lynn McGyverJulianne lay still, fearful any noise she’d make while adjusting her weight would be heard by others in the building. A single movement of her hand or foot sounded as if a band of bagpipers passed through on their way to battle. Each breath remained even, each inhale and exhale controlled so as not to arouse suspicion that she did not yet sleep.

She supposed as a child, sleeping in a soft, pillowed bed felt normal. Although the sounds of her childhood room went unremembered, she imagined they had comforted her on her way to dreamland. But those sounds had not touched Julianne’s ears for more than a decade.

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Rambling Dreams or a Science Fiction Story in the Making?

Diane Lynn McGyver - Science FictionAn earth-shaking crash and shrieks of terror behind Delia shattered the beautiful day. She whirled to find a ten-foot, silver robot blasting buildings with the weapon attached to his arm. For a moment she stood frozen in shock. Where had this mad man come from, and what was he doing on a busy street in Halifax?

The sleek machine appeared to have no specific target; it fired at buildings, vehicles and anyone who came within its sights. Smoke, fire, debris and bodies quickly littered the street.

A firm tug on Delia’s hand snapped her back to her senses. She looked down at her nine-year-old son Jack who stared at her with big eyes. The movement of the robot shook the ground and propelled her into motion. She tightly gripped Jack’s hand as they raced along the sidewalk.

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The Land of Ath-o’Lea Map

Diane Lynn McGyverThe map of Ath-o’Lea has been in the making for years. It’s changed many times since its conception, but the one thing that remains the same is my idea of what makes the land where my Shadows in the Stone characters live special to me.

After all that time spent creating the map, I still don’t feel it’s finished. I want it to look better. As an overall map for The Castle Keepers series, it’s useful because it shows Maskil in relationship to the sea and places mentioned in the first novel (Midway Keep, Ellswire, Pogwa Mountains, Petra), as well as places introduced in the second book, Scattered Stones (Tigh Na Mare, Glentosh, Titterton, Wardlow).

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Exploring the deepest part of the ocean in grade ten.

Diane Lynn McGyverIn grade ten, our English teacher assigned a weekly writing assignment. I know most students didn’t embrace this intrusion to their brains, but as a budding writer, I did. A few months ago, I discovered my old writing journal from that year. Below is one of the essays I wrote.

The Old is Brand New

Would it not be exciting to travel around the world discovering all sorts of things that have been mysteries buried for thousands of years? Archaeology would definitely be a great area to be in. Just to travel all over the world into ancient tombs and long forgotten lands is enough to fill my life. But actually digging up the remains of extinct animals or exploring unexplored caves would be icing on the cake.

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Mutated Blood Lines Excerpt

Mutated Blood Lines - Diane Lynn McGyverExcerpt from the short story, Mutated Blood Lines…

Autumn watched the dust swirl into the air. The narrow drive to her cottage was drier than usual. Rain was expected, but hesitated to fall. As the Jeep sped toward her dwelling, she released a calming breath. She heard a thump behind her and footsteps fade into stone. Alone, she organised her thoughts and prepared her defence for when her younger sibling arrived.

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Pockets of Wildflowers Bloom

Pockets of WildflowersThe first few paragraphs of my romance novel, Pockets of Wildflowers, scheduled for a fall 2012 release…

The temperature dropped suddenly, and I felt an urgency to escape the approaching storm. Dark, swirling clouds descended and became increasingly closer to my perch on the small hill behind the farmhouse. I glanced at the barn. All the animals were secure.

The wind whipped around my legs, and I felt the first spots of rain beat against my tanned skin. The breeze lifted my dress, shaping it like an open umbrella. I held it in place, fearing the increasing wind would lift it over my head and blind me to the path to safety. I could watch the storm no longer; I had to go!

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