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Welcome to my place in the blogosphere!
feel free to explore the Flight Deck and check out my books and website.
Then fasten your seatbelts, sip a glass of something sparkling and let's chat awhile!
I hope you'll stop by again for guest authors and spotlights from time to time.

Beloved Enemy joined Starquest and Children of the Mist to continue the Destiny Trilogy and I'm thrilled to announce was shortlisted for the R.N.A. RoNA Awards 2017, awarded 2nd Runner up in the RONE Awards 2017 and was the winner in the SF/Fantasy category of the 'Best Banter Contest'.

Thursday 8 June 2017

SFR Brigade showcase The Destiny Trilogy


Once a month the Science Fiction Romance Brigade authors showcase snippets from new work, WIPs, cover reveals or other fun things. 

I'm thrilled that the third book in my Trilogy 'The Destiny Trilogy' is a finalist in the RONE Awards (You might just have noticed the  shiny badge in the left hand sidebar  :) (and thanks again to everyone who voted for my book, I feel so honoured and humbled to have got through to the final round.

I love graphics and playing about with them. I'm no expert on Photoshop but I'm gradually learning!

I thought I'd post a a few  pictures I 'manipulated' as background images when I was writing the stories, more for inspiration for myself than anything else, although I do occasionally include them in things like blog posts! The map was drawn using a programme which unfortunately I no longer have access to but I found it very useful for keeping track of my characters' movements.

Map Of Niflheim
Niflheim appears in both Starquest and Children of the Mist and was named by the fictional settlers of this cold and mainly inhospitable planet, from the mythical Norse land of cold and snow.  Parts of it are more temperate though, and suitable for human habitation. Here is a description from Starquest, when  the heroine first sees the chief settlement Gladsheim:


Gladsheim (Starquest
and Children Of The Mist)
Gladsheim is set around the sides of a deep valley. The area in the centre comprises a long, narrow ornamental lake, flanked by mosaic paving with fountains and flowering shrubs. The jagged mountains, which form the walls of the valley, are so high I could scarcely see their snow-covered peaks, which made a sharp contrast to the soft lines and curves of the buildings below. I was surprised to see flowers everywhere, pushing themselves out of the snowy ground as prolifically as anything growing in a more temperate climate.

My first impression of the various dwellings themselves was that they were so graceful they appeared as if the slightest breeze would blow them away. The tall spires and turrets of many of the structures made it look like a scene from a fairy tale, such as the ones pictured in the holobooks I watched as a child. They must have been constructed or overlaid with the same substance as the walls of the caves, since they glowed with a similar soft luminescence, without the need for additional lighting. 


Niflheim (Starquest and Children Of The Mist)
The young Nifl lad, who had ridden with us, came forward to lead the ponies away and Gullin gestured to Dahll and me to follow himself and Tamarith. A high, delicate bridge spans the lake, and as we crossed it, it produced a low, musical sound, like little tinkling bells. The shining metal from which it is constructed flashed and sparkled with many colours in the reflected light from the buildings, reminding me of the Rainbow Bridge of Scandinavian mythology. Ranged outside the houses were small groups of Nifls, obviously curious about us. They stood politely aside to let us pass, and some murmured soft words of greeting.


And finally, this is my impression of Robigo, in Beloved  Enemy. The planet shifts and changes but most of the areas where Cat and Kerry find themselves are pretty hot and bleak - quite a contrast to Niflheim!
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6 comments:

  1. Congratulations again on the RONE Final - very cool! Really enjoyed this post with the photos and the excerpts. A fun thing to do for the monthly hop!

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    1. Thanks so much Veronica, surprised and honoured with the final! So glad you enjoyed the excerpt and pictures.

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  2. Love your descriptions. I usually get lost or bored in lots of detail, but I felt happily lost in the world you painted.

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    1. Thanks Janie, so kind of you and I'm so happy you enjoyed the descriptions.

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  3. Congratulations, Hywela! Such exciting news, and a beautifully written excerpt, too. Well deserved. :)

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  4. Hi Lea, sorry to be slow replying. Than you so much for your kind words, so glad you enjoyed the excerpt, and yes I thrilled to be a finalist, very exciting.

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