Category Archives: Recommendations

My Inspiration: Elizabeth Kerner

24 Monday Nov 2014

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It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, and I definitely didn’t want to forget about Elizabeth Kerner, so here we go!

song in the silence dragons fantasySong In The Silence is the book that had a great impact on me. I’m not sure I can pinpoint what exactly it is that impacted me, or even why I love this book so much, but I’ll give it a shot.

I love her dragons. Yeah, that seems like a good place to start. I’m picky about my dragons. To me, dragons are the incarnation of all that is fantasy; they should be magical, powerful, and intelligent. I do like dragons of all stripes, but to me, they’re not truly dragons unless they’re those three things. Unfortunately, not many writers seem to agree with me. There’s a veritable plethora of dragons that are just big beasts, or are entirely evil, or who are completely unmagical. I’m not saying that those writers are wrong… they’re just not my kind of dragons.

In the Song In The Silence universe, dragons fulfill my criteria, so this makes for a happy Stephanie. :D

But Kerner does more than that. She builds a thorough, detailed world. It’s Order versus Chaos, good versus evil, in a very structured fashion. There are clear boundaries set for what can and can’t be done, and who can do it. There’s history, but she manages to keep these details from overwhelming the story. The characters and the story are the most important parts of her novel. I fell in love with her characters and her world.

I don’t know if I’ve done her book justice here, but I definitely recommend Song In The Silence. The two sequels are also very good: The Lesser Kindred and Redeeming The Lost. Love fantasy? Love dragons? These books are for you.

My Inspiration: Meredith Ann Pierce

19 Monday May 2014

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So awhile ago I said I planned to do a few posts on my favorite authors. Now, that fell somewhat by the wayside for awhile, but I’ve finally gotten around to one! There are many wonderful things about this author’s books, but what inspires me about her writing is how beautiful it is. She has a way of storytelling that conjures the most vivid imagery.

In particular, I’m talking about her Firebringer Trilogy. It includes Birth of the Firebringer, Dark Moon, and The Son of Summer Stars.

I’m not usually one to pay any attention to endorsements on books, but when I was writing things, one on the back of Birth of the Firebringer caught my eye. Booklist says, “The language is poetic, with wonderful rhythm and sweeping images…. The world is a compelling one, and Jan is a dramatic hero.” Honestly, Booklist hit it on the head with that one.

The Firebringer Trilogy is about a unicorn prince named Jan as he grows from a rebellious colt to the prophesied leader destined to return them to their true homeland. The whole “unicorn” thing might make it sound like a chick flick, but it’s honestly not. There’s too much adventure and action, from battles with gryphons and wyverns, to capture by fierce enemies and struggles for freedom. The books have also always struck me as being very spiritual, but on a level that supports and propels the story rather than weighing it down.

The books are small, but honestly, the story is epic. If you want to be completely swept away into another world, I very much recommend these books.

My Inspiration: Mercedes Lackey

02 Monday Dec 2013

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All writers are readers; it just goes with the territory. And I have been reading for as long as I can remember. When I first started learning to read, I devoured everything in site. It didn’t take long before my reading level was far beyond what my age suggested it should be. In fact, I remember reading books with sex scenes (not like erotica, but still) before I really understood what was going on. I just went flip, flip, flip- oh good, we’re back to the story. My voracious reading continued until university, when unfortunately my reading lists took over and I didn’t read much for pleasure anymore. Even so, I expanded my mind in new ways, with different kinds of reading and learning.

But for me, the most memorable author is Mercedes Lackey with her Valdemar series. I started with Arrows of the Queen and I was completely enchanted by her characters and her world. Who wouldn’t want an amazing animal companion of human intellect who loves you to the depth of your being. I have to admit, those Companions were a big draw for me, but so was her character-focused writing in those early books. Alberich is still my favorite character of… yes, I think ANY book, ever. His book, Exile’s Honor, came a little later in the series, but it has become my favorite by far. And it wasn’t just the characters – Mercedes Lackey has built an incredibly vivid, magical world for her characters to live in. Everything from the geography and the mix of cultures and races, to the carefully crafted system of magic, to the unique creatures that roam her world, all work to draw the reader in.

I have to admit though, I am a far greater fan of her earlier works that her more recent ones. But such is life – things change, and her writing has changed. She has expanded in new directions while I remain curled up, snuggling her old books, much beloved. Of all the authors that I’ve read, she has probably had the greatest impact on my own writing. She has an immersive, straight-forward style that discards fluff in favor of moving things along. Her imagery is vivid without taking 6 pages to describe something (I’m looking at you, Tolkien). She has her flaws, sure, but I recommend her books to anyone who loves fantasy. Start with Arrows of the Queen, like I did – it was her first book and one of her best, in my mind. Maybe you’ll fall in love with her characters and her world like I did.