Please give Kymber Rowean a warm welcome to A BIBLIO PARADISE! She’s in the year-long writing intensive, and the book we’re talking about today was released a few weeks ago. I’m delighted to have her here as a guest!

Devon Ellington: What was the spark of inspiration (no pun intended) for this story? And how did it grow from the original idea?

Kymber Rowean: Would you believe the first spark came from a childhood movie of a little known witch and a famous wizard? From there, I started tinkering with the idea of how this powerful couple would have to join forces against a greater evil while shifting through the different types of magic abilities at their disposal. The next thing I had to decide is if the protagonists were schooled or were gifted with elemental magic. Still not satisfied, I decided to play with fire or rather cold fire. I gave Kayla, the gift/curse of cold fire and created a powerful pair of brothers who could douse her flame. The protagonist came at a time when I was dealing with an emotional vampire who sucked the life out of my writing and that’s how the hag was born.

DE: Did you find any initial resistance to a menage story, rather than the more common two-person couple with a traditional HEA, or had you done market research before starting the story?

KR: When I first started compiling the notes of the story, I noticed that it lent itself to a ménage story, due to the nature of the magical roles. I settled in and researched some sites, which published ménages and never looked back.

DE: What kind of research did you need to do for the story? What kind of world-building?

KR: With Kayla’s talent, I wanted her to work in a field where she could use what’s considered a destructive force to help others and so began her career as a fire investigator. I read newspaper articles on fires and exploring a variety of websites, which dealt with fire investigation.

I wanted a town that offered a little bit of everything, horse country and a coastline large enough to boast a few sunken ships from the eighteen century. My witches needed a reason to settle and stay in Slone, Texas besides the acceptance of ménage relationship and gave them the responsibility of guarding a portal into the demon realm. I read a number of magic books and research a variety of protection spells, for that was the Ian and Duncan O’Rourke’s task, strengthen the wards on this side of the doorway.

DE: Is this a stand-alone, or will be see more of Kayla, Ian, and Duncan?

KR: The first book is a stand-alone, but I have feeling they’ll make their appearances as the hunt continues for the other pieces of the ‘the Goddess stone’ are sought. Besides, they are the curators of a gallery for magical items….

DE: . . .which opens the door to all sorts of future possibilities. Wonderful! What was the most interesting thing you learned about the process of fire investigation? The most surprising? The most disturbing?

KR: Probably the most surprising fact, I learned is that no matter how hot the fire burns or how destructive we believe the blaze is, forensic fire science can trace the fire back to its origins. For me, the most disturbing part is that I learned that many arsonists actually stand in the crowd watching the destruction of the fire oblivious to the danger they’ve caused. Another interesting fact in the investigation process is that police and other officials often search the crowds for familiar faces especially if there have been a series of fires.

KR: What are you working on now?

KR: I’m in the editing stage of the first book in series of eco-warriors who travel through time in effort to undo the sabotage that destroys the future. The first book is entitled Angel’s Wings and the government’s efforts to repair the atmosphere.

Blurb for WITCHES’ DUEL:
Fire investigator Kayla Flynn escaped the temptation of the O’Rourke twins a year ago, now she’s returned to Slone, Texas for the town’s annual Halloween Festival.

Mages Ian and Duncan O’Rourke have until All Hollow’s Eve to unite Kayla’s magic with their own, forming a ritual tri-bond and sealing the dimensional doorways they guard.

Can they stop the hag before she frees her master and has her revenge on the world?

http://www.extasybooks.com/witches-duel/

http://www.amazon.com/Witches-Duel-ebook/dp/B0064HJM3O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321764909&sr=8-2

Bio
Kymber Rowean lives in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois with her husband, daughter, son and his Golden Retriever.

Between her duties as DG–domestic goddess–and when the need arises and a happy event occurs she crochets baby blankets for expectant teachers and family members. She believes a family who cuddles and reads together grows with love.

Writing for her is like breathing, she can’t go a day without plotting, or working on one or more stories, whether it’s a devious villain, alpha males or heroines determined not to fall for their charms until they’ve earned their happy ever after.

Email : kimberrowe@gmail.com
Website : http://www.loredreamer.com

Midnight Enchantments: Sharon Shinn
by Devon Ellington

Sharon Shinn’s writing enchants me in a way few other authors manage. I picked up WRAPT IN CRYSTAL at one of my favorite bookstores in Niantic, CT a few summers ago. I thought it looked interesting. I picked it up when I got home. When I put it down, several hours later, I was completely disoriented and shocked to find myself in the apartment. I’d lost myself in her world so completely that my home surroundings felt unfamiliar.

I got my hands on as much of her work as I could. MYSTIC AND RIDER had recently come out; I grabbed it and gobbled it up. Quests and love and magic and politics. What could be better? It remains on my list of top ten favorite books of all time. The opening chapter is one of my favorite chapters of all time — even though she tells it through the viewpoint of a character we don’t meet again in this book. And the second book in the series, THE THIRTEENTH HOUSE — the ending breaks the romance genre convention (where her books are usually shelved, even though they’re fantasy) in a heartbreaking way, and yet, there is no other way the book could have ended and been true to the characters. I bawled for a couple of hours when I finished it, but for the right reasons!

I’m fond of all the TWELVE HOUSES books, and the stand-alones I’ve read so far. I’ve read some of the Samaria series (where Archangels and humans co-exist), and whenever I hear she’s included in an anthology, I rush out to get it (which has introduced me to some terrific new-to-me authors).

TROUBLED WATERS is her latest release, so of course, I pre-ordered it and read it almost as soon as it arrived on the doorstep. Shinn’s characters are filled with love and growth and intelligence and compassion, even when the world has dealt them a rough hand. Their hearts are always larger than their situations and obstacles, and that is central to their success. Shinn peoples her dynamic, vibrant worlds with complex and fascinating characters. Immersing yourself in one of her worlds is one of the most satisfying experiences you can have as a reader.

–Devon Ellington publishes under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction, and teaches writing both on-line and in-person. Visit her website here.

I’m really pleased to introduce you to Mary Abshire, whose latest release is LOVE CONQUERS ALL EVIL. Mary was kind enough to take the time to answer some questions, and share excerpts from the book with us:

Devon Ellington: LOVE CONQUERS ALL EVIL is the fourth novel in your series. What inspired the series? Can they be read out of order, or do they have to be read in order?

Mary Abshire: Well, I suppose inspiration came from books I read. I wanted a strong, yet very conflicted female as my protagonist. I love vampires, but I didn’t want to write solely about them. So I thought about what I could write that would be different. I hadn’t read any books about half-demons with special abilities. Good start, I thought. The whole good vs. evil topic is one of my favorites. So as I considered how to incorporate good vs. evil in my books and what kind of special trait to give my protagonist, I came up with the idea she could send souls to hell. She thinks she’s destined to go there because of her demon blood, and it will take someone special to convince her otherwise.

Can they be read out of order? Yes. I’ve had a few reviewers read them out of order and said they were fine. I try to write them as stand alones, or at least mention parts so the reader doesn’t feel as if they’ve totally missed something.

DE: I love that Alaska has “no vampires.” What made you choose that direction? Does that make things easier or harder for Drake?

MA: I chose Alaska because 1. They are on the run; and 2. It was the least likely place vampires would look for her. Vamps don’t like the cold because, well, they are cold. Naturally, Drake has a difficult time with the climate, but he has his honey to warm up to.

DE: How do you find your “life by day” feeds into your writing life? Do you get inspiration from working frustrations that you then play with and expand into paranormal, or do you use the writing as a complete escape?

MA: Writing is a complete escape for me. I work for the government and it’s pretty stressful. I did use part of my job responsibilities from a previous position and incorporate them into Jessie’s job, or rather, the human job she had in Indianapolis.

DE: Do you have a regular writing process/schedule to stay on track that you’re willing to share with us?

MA: The last month has been very different for me. Previously, I did have a routine schedule. I’d write in the evenings and on the weekends. Lately, I haven’t had time to write much. I’m hoping my schedule will return to nights and weekends in November. As for the process, I make up chapters in my head as the story develops. I always have the basic plot. Then slowly, I work out the details.

DE: What is your favorite thing about the writing life? The most frustrating?

MA: My favorite thing about writing is writing. I love to just write and get the ideas out of my head and flowing into words on the screen. I have so many ideas. What’s frustrating is the lack of time to write, and the editing process. Yes, I’m grateful when it’s over because the books are always better. But the editing process is usually down to the wire and trying to decide what to do that is best can be frustrating. Should this be cut? Do I need to rewrite this scene or chapter? Do I add to improve clarity? Do I change this in three places within the book? Always things to think about. But edits are necessary and do improve the quality of the book. It’s good to have an editor’s insight.

Thanks, Mary! And now, an excerpt from LOVE CONQUOERS ALL EVIL:

“So now that I’m here, what will you have me do?” I asked.

“That is a good question. What shall I do with you?”

I glanced over my shoulder at him. In Jeremy’s image, I could look at him and
not feel any emotion. When he appeared as Drake, my heart ached.

“I could keep you here as my personal slave, which intrigues me, or I could
send you back,” he said.

My lower lip quivered. Both options made me want to vomit. Bottom line, I’d
never see Drake again. I didn’t care what happened to me anymore. Stripped of hope
and the man I loved, nothing could cheer me up.

“I admit, you are a valuable asset to me in the living world. However, the longer
I stare at your beautiful body, the more I want to keep you for myself.”

“I don’t care what you do with me. Just decide,” I said, staring at the tranquil
sea. Decide and let me move on.

He chuckled. “Jessie, you are one of my favorites. I can sense the fight still
within you. I like that.”

A dark shadow loomed from above, drawing my attention away from the
conversation. Shielding my eyes from the bright sun, I glanced up and found a massive
pair of wings in the sky. I peered closer. The wings connected to a man’s body. Holy
shit!

The winged man dropped like a cannonball from the sky to the beach. He
smacked the ground hard, creating a tremor that made my teeth chatter. The glasses on
the counter shook, spilling tea over the rim of one of them.

“What the . . . .” I said softly.

“Indeed,” the devil said. He passed me and headed for the winged man.

I ran to catch up, staying off to the side of the devil. My feet slipped in the sand
and I flung out my arms, trying to keep from falling. A few feet ahead, the man kneeled
on one knee with his head down. His large brown wings contracted toward his body.
Where on Earth, er—hell, did such a creature come from?

The winged man slowly lifted his head and rose. He had short, blond hair shining
in the sun. Muscles graced his bare arms and chest. A pair of tight pants covered his
lower extremities and legs. I marveled at his large size. Even without his wings spread,
he was a robust creature, and well over six feet in height. Something else I noticed
about him. He had a soft sheen around him, a glow that magnified his beauty.

Buy Links:
Noble Romance Publishing Website
http://www.nobleromance.com

Amazon Kindle ASIN# B005HZKEK4
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Conquers-Evil-Catchers-
ebook/dp/B005HZKEK4/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1

All Romance Ebooks
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-loveconquersallevil-594251-
139.html

Bio:
By day, Mary is a government employee. At night, she’s a Paranormal
Romance and Urban Fantasy Author. She lives in Indianapolis with her
loving husband, witty daughter, and ridiculous cat.

Her interest in dark, mysterious, and dangerous creatures started in her
youth. Sci-fi and horror shows were her favorite. During her teenage years,
she read every Anne Rice book available, had a plethora of pen-pals she
wrote to, and enjoyed 80’s new wave music. In her early twenties, she
dabbled with writing, but never pursued it as a career. Fifteen years later,
she decided to write again. After writing a few full-length novels, she came
to the realization that she couldn’t stop. What started as an interest grew
into love, and is now an addiction.

She is a Pro Member of the RWA, a member of ESPAN (Electronic Small
Press Authors’ Network), Savvy, and the Paranormal Romance Guild. She
enjoys reading, writing, and chatting with others who have similar passions.
On occasion, you can find her at a trance club.

Love Conquers All Evil is the fourth novel in the Soul Catcher series.
Mary’s urban fantasy novel, The Awakening, is scheduled for release
January 2012 from Lyrical Press.

Where to find Mary Abshire:
http://www.maryabshire.com
http://www.facebook.com/mary.abshire
http://www.goodreads.com/maryabshire
http://twitter.com/maryabshire
http://www.linkedin.com/in/maryabshire
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/maryabshire/
http://www.maryabshire.wordpress.com

Midnight Enchantments: Ciara Griffin
by Annabel Aidan

I picked this book up on a whim: WICKED GAME by Jeri Smith-Ready. I wanted an urban fantasy read; I wasn’t sure what to pick up. I saw this, I thought, hey, music, double-con, could be fun. I was looking for brain candy after a stressful few weeks, and I found something with more substance than expected.

Ciara Griffin’s lived her life as a con. Now, she’s trying honesty as a policy. She gets a job at a radio station. Only the DJs are vampires, and they’re stuck in whatever era they were turned. They know the music from their era, but the station’s going down the tubes, and Ciara has to figure out how to save them. Her plan — the ultimate double con by using honesty — yeah, they’re vampires, that’s why they work at night, only you know there’s no such thing as vampires, right? — works so well that some older vampires are getting tetchy. And a nervous vampire is a dangerous vampire.

I’m kind of vampire’d out. I admit it — so many vampires, so little time, and I don’t believe they’re all that sexy. But this book had a really fresh and unique take on the genre, and the characters were interesting enough to make me give a damn. It was a lot of fun, and it made me want to read more of her work.

Plus, she has both cats and a retired racing greyhound, which make her A-okay in my book. Yeah, I’d like Ciara to take up some more of my shelf-space!

For more information on this and Jeri Smith-Ready’s other work, visit her website.

–Annabel Aidan  writes romantic suspense with a hint of magic. She 
publishes under a half a dozen names in both fiction and nonfiction. She 
spent over twenty years working behind the scenes on Broadway, in film and 
television, mostly working wardrobe. Her plays are produced in New York, 
London, Edinburgh, and Australia. If you run towards her undoing buttons, 
she will tear off your clothes and flip you into something else — and then 
read your tarot cards. Visit her on the web at 
www.devonellingtonwork.com/annabelaidan.html and explore her worlds. 
 

Midnight Enchantments: Tim Powers
By Cerridwen Iris Shea

Remember Compuserve Forums? That’s how long it’s been since the first time I read a Tim Powers novel. I was on a readers’ forum in Compuserve, and I wanted an interesting book, something unlike anything I’d ever read before. One of the other forum members, knowing I read tarot cards, suggested Tim Powers’s novel LAST CALL, where one of the major plot actions is high stakes poker using tarot.

I loved the way Celtic mythology of the Fisher King wove within the urban fantasy context set, in all places, Vegas. I love the way tarot wove through it. I couldn’t put it down — I read it straight through. The magic within the book had its own momentum. You couldn’t see how Scott could win against these odds, and yet couldn’t bear him to lose.

It’s one of those books I’ve been afraid to re-read in the intervening years, afraid I won’t love it as much as I did the first time I read it. The breathless joy with which it captured me might never be recreated. But I know it’s in a box downstairs, waiting to be unpacked in the new house, and I know, when I finally unpack it, I’ll re-read it.

Quite a few years passed before I read the other books in the trilogy, EXPIRATION DATE and EARTHQUAKE WEATHER. I enjoyed them, but none of the others packed the punch to me of LAST CALL.

I’ve read many of his other novels through the years. THE STRESS OF HER REGARD, with a premise of Byron and Shelley dealing with vampires, and THE DRAWING OF THE DARK, about a struggle between Muslim and Christian magicians were my favorites. DECLARE, on the other hand, just annoyed me. I felt like he was hitting me over the head with a religious two by four, and I didn’t like it. And then I felt guilty about the reaction, because I’d always held his work in such high esteem.

You can learn more about LAST CALL and Tim Powers’s other work here.

–Cerridwen Iris Shea wrote for Llewellyn Worldwide for sixteen years. She writes the Merry’s Dalliance Pirate Fantasies, and teaches workshops all over the world. This is her busy season. Visit her website: www.cerridwenscottage.com

Midnight Enchantments: Terry Pratchett’s Death
by Devon Ellington

I adore Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels. Not only do they fill me with true delight, I think he’s one of the most brilliant social satirists we have. He takes his alternate, well-built universe, makes it reflect enough familiarities so we’re not entirely lost, and then shows us the absurdities of many of our assumptions and prejudices. He uses humor to make us pay attention.

A friend from a writing class gave me MORT for my birthday one year. She couldn’t believe I’d never read Terry Pratchett. In MORT, a kid named Mort who never really fit in, becomes Death’s apprentice. I was next guided to WYRD SISTERS, which gets some of its inspiration from MACBETH, and from there to MASKERADE. MASKERADE makes fun of many things, including taking digs at PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, CATS, and MISS SAIGON. I read it backstage between cues when I was working on MISS SAIGON, and I laughed so hard and so loud they were ready to drive me to Bellevue when the curtain went down! And from there, I just read whatever Discworld novels I could get my hands on, as fast as I could get my hands on them.

One of the most persistent characters in the Discworld novels (and in all our lives), is Death. Death is quite a character — thoughtful, resourceful, intelligent, kind when appropriate, gets the job done. AND HE ALWAYS SPEAKS IN CAPITAL LETTERS. One of my favorite novels in the series is HOGFATHER, where Death steps in to take over when the Hogfather (a Discworld variation on our Father Christmas) disappears. His genuine puzzlement when he sits down and takes small children on his lap to hear their wishes for Hogfather Night and how that does not go well, is both touching and hilarious.

Death is logical. Death knows when our time is up. Death likes a good conversation as much as the next fellow. Death does not suffer fools gladly. Death is practical. Death has a sense of humor, albeit a (ahem) deadly one.

Personifying Death the way Pratchett does makes the inevitable more palatable, somehow. The method of your personal death may not be particularly pleasant, but Death is there to give you a hand up to your next destination. The destination is determined by the way you’ve lived your life, and what you BELIEVE you deserve, but you are not alone. And so many of us don’t want to die alone.

Death will always win. But sometimes he likes to put his feet up by the fire and have a cuppa, just like anybody else.

Find out more information on Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels here.

–Devon Ellington is a full-time writer, publishing under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction. Her latest release, under the Annabel Aidan name, is the romantic suspense, ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT, available in print and digital versions from Champagne Books.

Midnight Enchantments: Diana Bishop & The Family Homestead
by Devon Ellington

There are so many wonderful elements in Deborah Harkness’s A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES it would be hard to pick my favorite. I love that Diana is a scholar, and she’s immersed in research and searching for a lost manuscript. All elements that book lovers everywhere fantasize about. It felt like the best bits of POSSESSION (a novel I adore) beautifully melded with urban fantasy.

Diana is smart, resourceful, witty, caring. All the things we want and need in heroines we admire. She’s put aside her magic because she wants to earn her place with her non-magical abilities. She wants what she achieves to be her achievements, and not “just magic.” Yet it is only as she accepts that she is the magic and the magic is her — there’s no separation, she has to accept her whole persona — that she truly blossoms. It’s not JUST that she falls in love with Matthew, a man worthy of her, in spite of the whole complication with him being a vampire and all. It’s that she accepts the power within as part of her, not separate from her, and then she can truly grow.

My favorite part of the book, however, is the Bishop house. The family homestead that adds and subtracts rooms in preparation for guests. The house that LIVES, along with certain spirits residing within it. The house is its own entity. It is a character, not just a location. It is humanized, personified, a character in its own right. What better way to truly demonstrate the effect that environment has on character?

It gives a whole new meaning to a term I often use in class, “emotional geography.” The house thinks, feels, intuits, acts, much like a person does. Yet it is a house. We talk about the “vibe” or the “feeling” of a house or a home — this house take it to an even more tangible and extreme level.

Diana is wonderful and inspirational, and I can’t wait to see what she and Matthew do next. But the HOUSE is my favorite character in the book!

You can find out more about Deborah Harkness and the book on her website.

–Devon Ellington is a full-time writer, publishing under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction. Her latest paranormal suspense, ASSUMPTION OF RIGHT, is available under the Annabel Aidan name from Champagne Books.

Midnight Enchantments: Jane True
By Devon Ellington

I had no intention of buying TEMPEST RISING. I was in the bookstore, I’d used up my gift card, I HAD my stack, thank you very much.

And then I saw the cover.

Totally unique. Totally different from the dark and sometimes dour covers of urban fantasy. Even when they’re well-done, they can start to look the same when you look at a whole wall of them.

Not this one. Swirls of blue and pink and purple.

I picked it up. Hey, it took place in Maine! I have family in Maine, I enjoy Maine, there’s not much outside of Stephen King that’s written about Maine. And it’s about a half-selkie. Not a 3,445th vampire novel, or the 657th werewolf novel. I was starting to hit my fill of even the good ones, and REALLY sick of the not-so-good ones. A selkie. A water creature. Yeah, there was a vampire and a shifter, etc., but the protagonist was a half-selkie. Who lived in Maine. And the book had a cool cover, and the copy sounded like there might even be some humor in it. Not just snark, but wit. Charm. HUMOR.

So I bought it, and I was embraced into Nicole Peeler’s delightful world of Jane True.

Another bright woman who’s compassionate and loyal to her friends. Another misfit, who finds her place the bigger picture by learning and accepting her heritage.

One of the things I find interesting about the evolution of female characters is where they get their power. Years ago, it was from external sources — be it a husband or inheritance, or the cinder girl who turns out to be a princess. As women claim their power, the characters now find the power from within. They aren’t claiming externals. They bring forth internals. They grow, develop, learn, experience. They still quest — albeit differently from male characters. They have companions and obstacles. But they are now, as male characters often do, finding that the power resides WITHIN, not without, and has to be honed and trained and cajoled and controlled and celebrated. In fact, once they stop fearing inner power and trying to over-control it, once they celebrate it and let loose, they achieve their goals and needs.

Fictional characters or not, there’s a lesson in there for all of us.

Learn more about Nicole Peeler’s delightful Jane True series on her website.

–Devon Ellington publishes under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction. She is a full-time writer and sometime teacher. Her website is www.devonellingtonwork.com

Why Real Women Love Urban Fantasy Women
By Cerridwen Iris Shea

It wasn’t called “urban fantasy” in the 1990s and even early 2000s. Mercedes Lackey’s Diana Tregarde books were filed under “fantasy/scifi”. Yasmine Galenorn’s Chintz N China series and Rosemary Edghill’s Bast Books were shelved in mysteries.

None of these women were your typical heroines, and not just because they worked with magic as part of their normal, every day lives. They weren’t waiting around for some man to rescue them — they rescued themselves. They solved problems more than creating them (how often do you see “heroines” in cozies do something stupid just so “the guy” can come in, call her stupid, and then have sex with her?), they accepted magic as part of themselves and part of their lives. They had jobs and friends and families and heartache and LIVES. They didn’t just sit around and do hocus-pocus — they dealt with the same sorts of things my friends and I dealt with, too. Plus the whole demons and vampires and fae and stuff.

As someone who was just entering the Craft, I wanted to read books about women who knew more about the Craft than I did, and had integrated it into their lives. Sure, I enjoyed high fantasy, sword and sorcery, created worlds. But I also wanted to see someone in similar living conditions, with similar issues, someone who was better and more knowledgeable and all that. Someone who worked to live an integrated life instead of a fractured one. Who might not always succeed, but put in the effort. And who could also kick ass when it came to demons and vampires and fae and stuff I was relieved I never had to deal with!

I knew these women were FICTIONAL. I knew the stories were FICTION. It’s not like I was going to take the novel out on a dark and stormy night, pretending it was a grimoire. I’m not a moron, and I’m not delusional. But the way that Nancy Drew inspired me when I was eight and nine and ten and on to explore my curiosity about the world — and she had friends and family and a life, too — these fictional women also inspired me.

They inspired me to search through the sludge and find my best self. And work on that.

The genre’s grown and shifted. Now we have part-humans and shifters and vampires and all kinds of urban fantasy women who kick ass. They’re still inspirational. Why? Because I’m older, the stakes are higher, and I might not be dealing with a personified demon that way Corine Solomon does in Ann Aguirre’s books, but I’m dealing with metaphorical demons as I try to find a good, ethical way to navigate in an often wildly unethical world.

These women are not perfect. But they are smart, resourceful, learn quickly, give a damn, have compassion and humanity even if they’re not always or fully human. They remind me that life is what I make of it. They remind me that, no matter how bleak it seems, there is always a choice. They remind me that, even if you can’t see the endgame, or know you’re going to win it, there are small victories along the way, moments with those you love, who make it all worthwhile.

Cerridwen Iris Shea wrote for Llewellyn’s calendars and almanacs for sixteen years. She also writes the Merry’s Dalliance fantasy pirate adventures. She teaches tarot workshops, and is thrilled to finally have her own herb garden and still room. Find her on the web at www.cerridwenscottage.com. This is her busy season.

Midnight Enchantments: Diana Tregarde
by Devon Ellington

Diana Tregarde was out there kicking paranormal ass and taking names before it was even called “urban fantasy.” I read them in the late 1990’s and just loved them. Here was a practicing urban witch who was also practiCAL. She was much more relatable to me than some swanning princess in a fantasy tower somewhere, riding a horse,wielding a sword, and having to worry about a political marriage. Diana lived in a Manhattan that, while it wasn’t exactly MY Manhattan, was recognizable, to an extent — until it wasn’t. Diana was practical and resourceful and smart and funny and loving and compassionate. You’d want her for your best friend and rejoice in having her as a neighbor, even if meant run off from slimy things that go bump in the night. You just ward your apartment a little better, that’s all! When the books were reissued a few years ago, a dear friend gave them to me for Yule. I didn’t leave the house for three days — I stayed warm and cozy, gobbling up the books and enjoying them more than ever.

Diana was also one of the first kick-ass heroines who could genuinely fall in love, yet still maintain feelings for and care about an ex. It was very rare, at the time, that female characters were “allowed” to do that by publishers. In most circumstances, the ex would have had to be a total loser, and we’d wonder why Diana got together with him in the first place. OR, the new love would be a total loser, and we’d wonder why Diana didn’t go back to the ex. That’s the way it worked for most female-centric fiction in those days. Lackey refused to cave in to those kinds of pressures with Diana. She made Diana memorable and sympathetic, and made both past and present loves the same. You could truly BELIEVE that Diana could love each of these men for very different reasons, and that each man was worthy of the relationship at the time.

She was — and is — one of my favorite characters in fiction. Whenever I feel the world is too much with me, or lacks good — I can settle in with one of her adventures, be reminded that there are still plenty of good people, and a lot of them are dealing with Bigger Bads than I have to!

I remember six books, but I can only find three titles in various bibliographies, so maybe I read them in different formats. I see references to three stories in MZB’s Fantasy Magazine, so maybe I mis-remember those short stories as books. I knew Lackey decided not to write more adventures for her, and was saddened by it. However, it’s a writer’s right to write whatever she wishes. Lackey had other stories to tell. Good for her!

I was angered when I heard that she received threats by so-called “fans” for discontinuing the series. Those are not fans; those are bullies. There is no place for such creatures in the landscape of literature. They are the true demons in our world, and “poof” — it’s up to the rest of us to make sure they don’t get the attention they crave or the opportunities to do harm.

I did a little happy dance when Diana showed up last year (this year?) in TRIO OF SORCERY. It was an early story, set in Harvard, while Diana was in college. But yeah, there was my girl, learning and caring, and damn, it was good to see her again!

She’s the kind of person who brightens your day just by being a part of it — even as a fictional character. Kudos to Mercedes Lackey for creating her, and then letting us experience life through her eyes!

You can learn more about these books and Lackey’s MANY others at her website.

–Devon Ellington publishes under a half a dozen names in both fiction and non-fiction, and particularly loves urban fantasy. She is presenting this weekend at the WriteAngles Conference in Mt. Holyoke, MA. Her webiste: www.devonellingtonwork.com.