Category: Non-fiction

March Challenge – Introduce Yourself

by Diane, posted in Non-fiction

I’ve accepted a March Challenge on Instagram, but I’m not on there often, only once-a-month often, so I thought I’d do the challenge here on my blog. The challenge is to write on a particular subject each day. On March 1st, I’m to introduce myself.March Challenge

Introduce Yourself

I’m Diane Lynn McGyver. I’m a fantasy writer. I was a teen in the 80s, so I’m a fan of 80s rock, but I also love country music, Newfoundland music (yes, it’s a thing), Scottish music and Gaelic music. What is my favourite song? That’s a tough one. There are many. At the moment, my favourite slow song is “Heaven” by Bryan Adams. My favourite fast song is “Drinking Again” by Luke Bryan.

That’s me on the left in a place that has always felt like home.

I can’t remember when I started writing; I’ve always done it. In elementary, I filled Campfire Notebooks with stories. I wrote my first full novel in my late teens by pencil in a coil notebook. I still have it. It was horrible, so I pulled it out about 15 years ago and did major rewrites. Not much of it survived. It turned into Shadows in the Stone, book 1 of the Castle Keepers series.

Why do I write fantasy novels? Fantasy contains many elements I admire: magic, swords, sorcery, thieves, honour, castles, horses, dwarfs, hauflins, quests, travel. Anything can happen in a fantasy story, and I get to control it.

My books contain many elements and my characters meet many challenges, but the overall theme of all my novels can be boiled down to two things: home and true love.

Home has always been special to me, and while I sometimes live where it doesn’t feel like home, I always know where true home is.

I don’t want to believe in true love, but my soul mate keeps reminding me he’s there, regardless if we are together or not.

Besides writing, my favourite pastime activities are hiking, boating, fishing, camping, playing cards, and hanging out with family and friends just shooting the … breeze.

Where would I like to be in ten years? Living near the ocean with my soul mate, writing a little each day and admiring the completed Castle Keepers and Mystical series sitting on my book shelf. Yeah, that sounds like a good destination.

Winter in the Land of Ath-o’Lea

by Diane, posted in Non-fiction

Winter, or as they call it in the Land of Ath-o’Lea Forstig and Wintertide, is a rough time to be travelling The Trail. The group wakes up covered in snow on more than one occasion, and the wind whips into their face while they’re riding.

While writing a scene, I always have to be aware of the weather. The big question is: Is there snow on the ground? It can change everything.

For example, a scene in Revelation Stones, book 3, has Isla wearing a cape that makes her invisible. She arrives through a portal and steps outside to learn where she is. The snow complicates things:

Continue reading “Winter in the Land of Ath-o’Lea” →

Food for the Trail that Lasts a Long Time

by Diane, posted in Essay, Non-fiction

Travelling Food

At the moment, my characters in Healing Stones (Castle Keepers Series: Book 4) are travelling through Yikker Wood. They left Inglenook about two weeks ago, and they won’t reach a settlement to buy supplies for another three days.

This means they must carry all their food in packs or saddle bags on their horses. They could hunt, and they may resort to that, and they’ve picked mushrooms along the way to add to their dwindling supplies.

Starting Out

For several days after they left Inglenook, they ate biscuits, bacon, eggs, bread and meat, but those perishable goods are gone after 14 days. This is the point where I scramble to find food for them to eat, so they won’t starve.

Continue reading “Food for the Trail that Lasts a Long Time” →

Winter is the Night

by Diane, posted in Non-fiction

Sun shineWhen I was young and snow covered the ground, I walked into the woods and listened. The stillness fascinated me. It was as if the world had stopped, as if I were the only one walking Earth.

Is there night when snow is upon the ground? Is there darkness? I don’t ever recall it being too dark to explore. It seemed as though the snow lit the forest and provided enough light to mark my way.

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Inviting Flyers to the Garden

by Diane, posted in Non-fiction

Bird FeederBirds in the garden offer many benefits. Their songs brighten the dullest morning, and it’s great fun to watch them grow, play and search for food. They also eat their share of pesky insects and bugs.

Bird feeders are one way to encourage birds to visit the backyard. Homemade and store-bought feeders attract birds equally as long as they can reach the seeds they’ll eagerly gobble-up. If a feeder is maintained through winter, it should be continued through summer. Birds become dependent on it while feeding hungry hatchlings.

Hummingbirds love red flowers, including red tulips and red daylilies, but not everyone can keep enough red flowers in bloom to feed these active birds. This is where feeders come in handy. Various types, including ones that stick to windows, are available.

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Cultivating the Land Centuries Ago

by Diane, posted in Non-fiction

PloughPeople have been farming for centuries. In the beginning, work was done by hand with simple tools. As the world population continued to grow and people began living in cities, the market for food increased.

Crofters began inventing tools and small machines to do the work faster with less effort. This increased their output without having to hire as many hands to work the farm. The use of iron in the machinery added strength and longevity.

Below is a cultivator which was used in the early 1800s. It would have been pulled behind a horse, oxen or similar animal. The small wheel in the front would have helped get it from one place to another, but I wonder if it was left on once it was hooked into the harness gear. It would have easily fetched-up on stones and hard lumps of soil, making work more difficult than need be.

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The Holder and the Crusher

by Diane, posted in Non-fiction

This device has a long history. It’s a tool used by cooks, magic maidens and healers. Thousands of years ago, the Aztec and Maya used a similar utensil made of basalt for cooking. Evidence reveals Native Americans created mortars in bedrock and used a pestle to grind acorns and other nuts.

The mortar is a strong bowl, or as history has shown, an indent in a hard surface with the capability to hold material. The dimension of the vessel varies, ranging from the size of a dessert bowl to a barrel. It’s usually made of hard wood, ceramic or stone.

Continue reading “The Holder and the Crusher” →