The origins of this week’s story prompt photo are a little muddy in my memory. I know I took it on a family walk during lockdown 1. Okay, that’s not true — at this point the lockdowns blur together somewhat, but I think it was the first one. I’m mostly sure that it was inContinue reading “Tree-Forge”
Tag Archives: magic
Faltha’s Celebration
Way back when I first wrote Summer Sorcery (in that no-one-else-gets-to-see-ever first draft) I imagined a backstory scene with Faltha and Malachite. There’s a nod to it on p125, but the book didn’t need derailed with the plot-irrelevant personal history between two important but ultimately secondary characters. However what made it into the book plantedContinue reading “Faltha’s Celebration”
Pocket Dragons
Once upon a time I made computer games. Well, tried to anyway, the venture never really got off the ground. A lucky escape, all things considered, although I didn’t think it at the time. One of the games that I was looking at involved dragons. I’ve always found 3d modelling to be easier with aContinue reading “Pocket Dragons”
Iron Dragon
I’m confident that the dragon in question is steel, rather than iron. We saw this beauty at the Scottish Wild Foods Festival earlier this year. I’m not entirely sure why Tir na nog has a massive fire-breathing metal dragon. Now that I think about it a better question is: if you can have one, whyContinue reading “Iron Dragon”
The Kelpie
Apparently I took this photo in September 2013, which seems like a long time ago. Being one of our more famous landmarks, I’m sure the content needs little introduction as being one of the two giant kelpie sculptures. They really are quite something to see in person, so if you’re into mythology at all andContinue reading “The Kelpie”
The Goblin Gate
This week’s image is from a recent walk in the woods from Cambo house in North East Fife through to the Kingsbarn Distillery. If you’re ever in the area I can thoroughly recommend it. The estate has a bit of everything from walled gardens and cafes to woodland trails. Staying in the house is entirelyContinue reading “The Goblin Gate”
Gateway
Back to Parc Güell in Barcelona this week. But first a bit of a confession: I’m not really that into architecture. It’s not that I dislike it or anything, and Parc Güell was definitely a sight to see. The whole place was a mixture of wild colour schemes and fluid curving shapes. Not a straightContinue reading “Gateway”
The Witch
Another walk in the woods this week. Since visiting the Wild Food Festival in September we’ve been noticing far more mushrooms when we’re out and about. A clear case of observational bias — it’s not as if fungus populations have exploded in response. So I saw this bracket fungus in the woods and grabbed aContinue reading “The Witch”
Magic in The Wizard and The Imp, and other stories.
As with many fantasy stories, magic is at the heart of Summer Sorcery (and the rest of The Wizard and The Imp series). Like most elements in story-craft, magic is something of a double-edged sword. Undoubtedly it is an excellent way to inject wonder into a tale, and wonder is one of the main currenciesContinue reading “Magic in The Wizard and The Imp, and other stories.”
The Spell
This photo is dragged from the archives from a trip to Spain a million years ago. As I recall it, having spent a lovely morning in Parc Güell, our objective became to get lost in Barcelona. My thinking has always been that you see more of a place when you’re hopelessly lost. It ‘s aContinue reading “The Spell”
Brandon Lim 