Tag: writing

Lord Valmour Elfren

by Diane, posted in Castle Keepers Vignettes, Fiction

Lord Valmour ‘Val’ Elfren

Elf, lord of Aruam Castle, first appeared in chapter 05 of Shadows in the Stone

Spicy aromas filled Lord Valmour Elfren’s senses. His eyes squeezed shut, he imagined the kitchen of his youth spilling forth delectable foods that would carry him through his day. He reached for a long, narrow loaf of bread, twisted around itself and sprinkled with green spices and smelling of garlic.

The hunger sensation intensified, and he squeezed the bread tightly, searching for his siblings, who if they appeared would snatch it from his hands and run. He bit into the warm, fresh bread and savoured the taste. A sound startled him, and he held the bread tighter, squeezing it in his grip for fear it would be stolen.

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Zipporah Sanderson

by Diane, posted in Castle Keepers Vignettes, Fiction

Captain of the Guard Zipporah Sanderson

Human, captain of the guard with Aruam Castle guard, first appeared in chapter 4 of Shadows in the Stone

The door opened, delivering an icy wind into the guard house. Zipporah Sanderson shivered. The captain of the guard was ill dressed for the frigid weather.

“Sir.” Sawney closed the door and brushed snow from his shoulders. “It’s brisk out there.”

“With the clouds breaking and a clear sky ahead, it will be a colder night.” Sanderson fastened his vest. He required more layers before starting his rounds.

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Alaura of Niamh

by Diane, posted in Castle Keepers Vignettes, Fiction

Alaura of Niamh

Hauflin/human, healer, born in Petra North, lived in Maskil, first appeared in chapter 1 of Shadows in the Stone

A voice shattered the stillness of the night. Alaura of Niamh pressed against the stone structure and waited, drawing her cloak around her. The village of Inishmore existed on the edge of Forest of Caucy. The inhabitants were humans and elves and a mixture of both races interbred. Its history of archaic magic and secrecy hadn’t brought Alaura to its cobblestone lanes. Instead, the stories of a half-elf who had once been imprisoned at Blackvale Castle lured her to the isolated location.

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Gaven Darrow

by Diane, posted in Castle Keepers Vignettes, Fiction

Gaven Darrow

Dwarf, owner of Forest Bakery and Herb Shop first appeared in chapter 11 of Shadows in the Stone

The waggon swayed gently as it passed over the ruts in the road. Gaven Darrow peered ahead, scanning the waysides as he entered Goshen. The small village rested far from Linden Lake where many moons ago bandits attacked from the trees and beat him near death. That day he had lost a sweet little girl to thieves.

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Welcome to McGyver’s Realm

by Diane, posted in Uncategorized

Blogging is a way to connect with readers; it’s a way to share information about the worlds in my stories and the occasional side trail I take in my writing. I’m often struck with an idea or a scene or an item I wish to explore further. Through this blog, I’ll share these with you.

I love visiting museums and old places and trying to figure out how life was like back then. Oftentimes, life back then is life in traditional fantasy. This means an author needs to know what a blacksmith does and the name of his tools. They might need to know how to make soap or why their character shouldn’t use matches to light a fire.

Sometimes I become fascinated by what if and ramble into the shadows to explore. What if the power went out…for ever? How would people adapt? What if it didn’t rain for a year? Who would survive? What if the oldest tree could talk? What could it tell us about history?

I hope you enjoy the snippets I post, and I hope they enrich your stories as they have mine.

Welcome aboard.

Diane Lynn McGyver