Things I Want to See More In Steampunk (Plus: Mechanical Heart Book Birthday!)

Hey'a, everyone! So, in a turn of events that I didn't actually realize until yesterday (mostly due to preparations for The Midnight Show's release), today marks the one-year anniversary of Mechanical Heart's publication! As I did for Blood in the Snow, I'm putting the ebook version up for free from today until the ninth — and, yes, I made sure I set the promotion on the right book this time. If you haven't read Mechanical Heart, or if you just don't have the ebook, I invite you to go pick it up and check it out!

Much as I love the steampunk genre, there are some things that I think could be done better and some things that I think authors haven't explored as much as they could or should. And since most of the main characters of Mechanical Heart are all about finding things that could be done better or explored more, I thought that I'd use today's post to spotlight some of those things.

Things I Want to See More in Steampunk

1. Non-European locations. A lot of steampunk — I'd even say most steampunk — takes place in some kind of modified Europe, usually the United Kingdom, usually London. But focusing everything on one continent, one country, one city, limits things way more than it should. Why not expand? Steampunk is all about exploration, after all. What does it look like in a modified India, China, or Australia? Plus, the steampunk age overlaps nicely with America's Wild West era — why don't we see more books taking advantage of that? After all, the one book I know of that does (Shannon Hale's Calamity Jack) is pretty awesome. Let's get some more of that going on.
2. Non-Earth locations. While we're expanding and exploring, why not take a page out of Jim Butcher's book and leave Earth behind altogether? Steampunk is most commonly thought of as a historical fantasy or historical sci-fi crossover genre, but there's no reason it has to be. What might steampunk look like in other worlds or other planets? Or if you're really set on having some Earth influence here, well, steampunk portal fantasy might not be a thing yet, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be.
3. More actual adventures. I don't know if this one makes sense to anyone else, but: a lot of steampunk is very focused on political and social intrigue and spying and secrets and so forth. Which is great! I love that! But I do think there are other stories to be told, and I think that you can have proper adventures within the steampunk genre. I mean, Jim Butcher did it in The Aeronaut's Windlass. Heather Dixon more or less did it in Illusionarium. Brandon Sanderson did it in his second Mistborn trilogy, especially The Bands of Mourning. So other people should be able to do it in other stories. This one could possibly also be translated as "You keep telling me there are airships, but no one ever goes anywhere or does anything in them. Fix that." (Actually, it might already be fixed, but if it is, tell me where the books are, please and thank you very much.)
4. Speaking of Jim Butcher and airships: more stories that properly take advantage of the existence of airships. Otherwise known as: more airship pirates, airship captains, and airship battles, please and thank you very much. Again, for all that steampunk keeps insisting on airships, I have found very few books that actually capitalize on the potential that you have with airships. That goes double for airship pirates. And, look. Maybe this is somewhat influenced by the fact that I've been binge-reading Schlock Mercenary in my spare time (and some not-so-spare time), and it's definitely influenced by the fact that The Aeronaut's Windlass is one of my favorite steampunk books ever, but please give me more books in which well-written, daring airship battles legitimately can be and are a thing. (Seriously. Please.)
5. And on that note, more stories that really lean into the science part of steampunk's sci-fi origins. By which I mean, stories where the science and gadgets of the steampunk world are more than just set dressing. I'm looking for stories where the main characters are actually involved and interested in the innovation of the world and where the science is a major part of the plot. And, yes, I know some of these already exist — Mechanical Heart is, in many respects, one of them — but I don't think I've found nearly enough of them.

What do you want to see more of in steampunk? Any recommendations of steampunk books that fill some of these holes? Please tell me in the comments! And don't forget to pick up your free e-copy of Mechanical Heart, if you haven't already!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)

Dragon Types That We Don't See Enough

Hey'a, everyone! This week's post topic comes courtesy of my lovely roommate, who suggested it when I said I was going to write a dragon-themed post this week. (Why dragons? Yesterday, if you missed it, was Dragon Appreciation Day! I celebrated by posting pictures of my cute dragon stuffies on social media and writing a D&D episode featuring a dragon that most of my players appreciate quite a bit.) Today we're talking about dragon types and interpretations that we'd like to see more frequently in books and other media. I'm including some wished-for dragon types from my roommate, some from me, and some from both of us. Of course, if I'm putting it on this list, it's safe to assume that I'd like to see it more often too, so . . .

 Dragon Types That We Don't See Enough

1. From my roommate and I: Asian-style dragons. Asian-type dragons, like a lot of Asian fantastical beings, are tragically underused in literature. I know they're featured in the Invisible Library series (yet another reason I love those books) and that's the only one I know for sure. But I feel like there's a lot of untapped potentials there . . . and I feel like certain authors (*cough*KyleRobertShultz*cough*) could have a lot of fun with interactions between Asian and Western dragons if they showed up in the same series.
2. From my roommate: More human-shaped dragons. In the sense that they're dragons that can take on a humanoid form as well as their dragon form but they still act like dragons and they're not under a spell or whatever. (And yes, I have told her about Invisible Library and the Afterverse.) This is actually a pretty fun trope, one I've used in a few of my yet-to-be-published books, and I agree that it's rather underutilized. (At least, outside of sketchy fantasy romance novels . . . And, on that note, I'd like more of these human-shaped dragons to be not primarily objects of desire or desiring after other characters . . . can they just be friends with their non-dragon companions? Please?)
3. From me: Dragons in more personalities and archetypes. At the moment, I feel like dragons get typecast a lot. You have the Kilgarrahs (ancient mentors who mostly give advice in varying degrees of crypticness), the Saphiras (loyal and dedicated companions who provide support and offer to eat antagonistic people), the Smaugs (villains of immense villainy), and the Celestes and Gymns (can be large or small but aren't on the same level as a human character). You do sometimes get dragons who play other roles, but those are comparatively rare, and I'd like that to change.
4. From my roommate and I: Dragons with unusual and non-traditional hoards. Ok, yes, Jessica Day George did this and did it super well, but why is no one else doing it? Give us a literal book dragon. Give us a dragon who hoards blankets, the softer and cozier the better. Give us a dragon who hoards replica dragons, everything from statues to paintings to stuffed animals. As my roommate suggested, give us a dragon who hoards emotions or experiences and whose hoards' physical element seems to have no unifying factor because everything is connected to something bigger than itself. Or give us a dragon who has an obsession in place of a hoard. There are so many things you can do with this and no one is doing it. It's tragic.
5. From my roommate and I: Intelligent pocket dragons. Look. We want all the other stuff on this list, yeah. But what we and everyone else really want? Tiny, brilliant, imperious dragons. Dragons that can fit in your pocket or ride on your shoulder but can think and communicate with all the devious, mischevious intelligence of a Saphira or a Smaug. Miniature grumpy librarian dragons. Mischevious dragon companions who get way too excited over puns and wordplay and riddles. The dragon equivalent of Bard Eanrin. Please, someone, make it happen.

What types or interpretations of dragons would you like to see more frequently? And have you read any books that feature dragons in the ways my roommate and I would like to see more of? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade) 

AUs I Wish Were Real: Movie & TV Edition

Hey'a, everyone! So, like many people, I really enjoy the concept of AUs. I think that a well-executed or well-conceived AU demonstrates how well people know particular characters (which is why I like to come up with AUs of my own stories as a character development exercise), and sometimes you can use AUs from a particular fandom as a jumping-off point for a completely new story. Plus, sometimes it's just fun to imagine how a story would be different if a particular thing changed. Today, I thought I'd talk about some of my favorite AU concepts, both ones I've come up with on my own and ones I've seen elsewhere.

AUs I Wish Were Real

1. A Merlin AU in which Merlin, Arthur, Morgana, and Gwen all have magic and are just running around trying increasingly desperate methods to hide it from one another, Uither, and everyone else. Eventually, Gwen finds out about everyone else because she's actually not completely oblivious (unlike the Pendragons), but she may or may not actually tell anyone. Gaius knows, probably, but everyone makes him swear not to tell anyone else. And at least one of the knights figure it out, but watching these four idiots run around trying to figure out how to solve Camelot's problem of the week without letting anyone figure out how they're doing these increasingly impossible things is amazing entertainment, so whoever knows just quietly helps hide it from Uither and has a good laugh over it.
   
   
2. An Avatar: The Last Airbender AU in which the elements are controlled via dance instead of martial arts-esque moves and so every time there's a fight, it's basically a dance battle with bonus element-throwing. This AU comes about entirely because 90% of Zuko's fighting moves look like breakdancing as it is, so they barely have to change anything there. And, let's face it, watching Zuko and Aang have a dance battle every couple episodes for two seasons would be hilarious.
3. A Marvel AU in which people actually communicate during Civil War, realize "Ok, many of us are overreacting" and proceed to work through their differences and not break up the team. Bonus points if this gives Tony enough energy to actually think about how he handles his sort-of-mentorship with Peter and gets his act enough together to be a proper mentor, thereby making all the IronDad headcanons more reasonable. (Seriously, though: I love IronDad headcanons and short fics on Tumblr, but there's so little grounding for them in the actual show that they feel more like AUs themselves.) Double bonus points if this leads to any variation on this post; triple bonus points if it leads to a variation on this one.
4. Another Merlin AU: Merlin, instead of being a peasant from some town I don't remember, is Arthur's half-brother. He still acts as some kind of attendant to Arthur, because he's more or less illegitimate and it's inconvenient to have a half-brother lounging around with no actual job, but it's less "servant" and more "advisor and future steward" or something similar. He still has magic, which he uses to get himself and Arthur in and out of trouble, but in this case Arthur figures it out early on and is thus much less hostile to magic in general. (Arthur still struggles with reconciling his father's attitude and his own knowlede, but yeah.) And, of course, the various villains try to pin stuff on Merlin, implicating that he's trying to clear his way to the throne, but Arthur, at least, knows better. 
   
   
5. I feel really bad for wanting this, but: an Avatar: The Last Airbender AU in which Aang doesn't survive the hundred years and, through a series of undefined events, Zuko ends up being the Avatar. I am a big fan of "the person you were looking for was you all along" plotlines, at least when done well. And Avatar!Zuko would be a goldmine for both really interesting internal conflict and comedy not based in secondhand embarrassment. I did actually find one fic that follows this premise, but it had Zuko figure it out too close to the start of the fic, and also the writing quality wasn't great, so I ended up not reading more than a chapter. Tragic. (That said, I may end up taking this AU concept and reworking it into an original story, so, yeah. We'll see what happens.)

Do you enjoy reading and imagining AU concepts? What are some of your favorites? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)

Five Books Whose Sequels I Need IMMEDIATELY

You know the feeling. You finish an amazing, epic book. You're in love with the characters, the plot, the world, everything. You might even say you want to marry the book, if you're the sort of person who says that kind of thing. You dash to your computer, leave your Goodreads review, and then look for the sequel — only to discover that it isn't out yet. Or, worse still, there's no sequel planned.

It's a tragedy, it is. No two ways about it.

I, like most of you, have experienced that feeling many times. In fact, I'm experiencing it now as I write this blog post. And, obviously, the best way to deal with book-related frustration is to complain on the internet where other people can commisserate with you. So, here we go: five books whose sequels I'm desperate for — but have no chance of getting any time soon.

Five Books Whose Sequels I Need IMMEDIATELY

1. The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher. This is the book that set off this post; I've been meaning to read it for absolute years, ever since Jenelle Schmidt recommended it to me. Honestly, I ought to have read it sooner — except then I would still be waiting for the sequel now. The ending practically promises more adventure, and there's no way the characters wouldn't have more even if the ending wrapped everything up with a neat bow and a perfectly satisfying conclusion, but the sequel doesn't even have a release date. This is absolutely unfair and should be remedied immediately. (And while we're at it, maybe a book or two about Captain Grimm before this story begins? Or a short story or two, at least? Captain Grimm is the best.)

 

2. Masque by W.R. Gingell. Yes, I'm still yelling about this one. In this case, Gingell did wrap just about everything up with a neat bow and a satisfying conclusion — but I want more. Specifically, I want an entire spinoff series about Isabella and Lord Pecus solving mysteries and being happily (if adventurously) married and working as a proper team instead of sneaking around each other — except, of course, when one of them decides that the situation is absolutely too dangerous for the other to be involved in, but the other knows better and shows up just in time, and then the first one admits that it was for the best and it's a good thing the other showed up. (I really like that trope, ok?) Anyway. That's all I want — well, that and more about Melchior and Annabel, and Poly and Luck, but that's not so much to ask, is it?

 

3. Illusionarium by Heather Dixon Wallwork. I love Heather Dixon's writing, but she has a habit of writing a story and then not writing sequels to it, or even spinoffs, and so even though you're in love with the characters, the one book is all you get. And that's not so bad when the book is Entwined and it ends with everyone in their happily-ever-after (even though you're fairly certain they could manage a few more adventures), but when the book is Illusionarium and there's no chance whatsoever that the characters didn't find more adventure? Then it's immensely frustrating, especially since there's next to no chance that the author will ever do anything about it.

 

4. An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson. How long has it been since I raved about this one? (A fair while, I think — which is somewhat surprising, given how amazing it is.) Anyway. Once again, there is no way whatsoever that Isobelle and Rook don't have further adventures after the story ends. No storming way. And while there are plenty of ways that a sequel could go wrong, I am confident that Rogerson could make it go extremely right. Also, I love this book and this world and these characters and I need more of it, please and thank you very much. I have heard rumors about a sequel . . . but now I can't find where I heard them, and so I might just have imagined them.

 

5. The Sky Riders by Christopher Hopper. What is it with steampunk novels that don't get sequels? I've been waiting for the second Sky Riders book since 2013 — and, I'll admit, I've pretty much given up hope for a sequel. Now that Hopper's finally writing again, he's working on a sci-fi book that . . . ok, it looks interesting, but it's not a Sky Riders sequel. But this was one of my first introductions to steampunk, and it used to be one of my favorite books, I'd love to see it get some resolution, especially since it ends on a cliffhanger.

What books do you need sequels for immediately (or at least in the very near future)? Please tell me in the comments! Also, have you read The Aeronaut's Windlass, and if so, who's your favorite character? Thoughts on the book in general?
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)

Magic Mirrors Tour: Overpowered: The Awesomeness of Biblical Retellings

Hey'a, everyone! It's Day Five of the Magic Mirrors blog tour, and today we have another Bible-inspired retelling of Snow White . . . but instead of being a sci-fi/fantasy/dystopian reimagining of two tales, this one sets Snow White in the context of the Old Testament era. I beta-read this book, and I absolutely loved it for multiple reasons, but especially for this setting. Other than the Books of the Infinite series, I don't think I've encountered another fantasy book that uses an ancient Israel or Israel-inspired setting for its stories. And, y'know, that needs to change . . . and, in usual form, I'm going to share why I think that. But first (you know the drill), a bit about the book and author.

About the Book

After a blood crime sends Taliyah bat Shammai running from her home, she flees into the hill country. Yet the hills are no place for a woman traveling alone. Strange dreams of talking jackals and mysterious mists are the least of her worries—for she knows that the Avenger of Blood will be following close behind her.

Barred from the Refuge by the circumstances of her crime, Taliyah thinks that her best chance of survival may lie with Cypress and his band of mercenaries: giant Cedar, hardened Thorn, boasting Vine and tidy Fig. Unsure whether to stay or go, Taliyah is reassured by the arrival of a young man with a mysterious past and cardamom-colored eyes. Something tells her that he is a man she can trust. Yet when a new king rises at the city of the Dawn, Taliyah and the seven criminals are called to fight a battle they cannot win. Will the outlaws stand fast in the face of certain death? Can Taliyah ever find safety again? Even escaping the battle may not save her… for the Avenger is still coming.

-- Loosely inspired by the tale of Snow White, this Christian fantasy novella is set in a magical version of ancient Israel. 135 pages (33,000 words) plus 65 pages of bonus features including cut scenes, a bonus short story, author interview, and more. For ages 12 and up.

About the Author

Kathryn McConaughy is a Christian fantasy author. She studied at Geneva College (as well as at sundry other institutions of higher education), where she pursued the goal of learning as many ancient languages as possible. She is the author of “Guardian of Our Beauty,” an ancient Near Eastern Sleeping Beauty tale from the anthology Five Magic Spindles. Kathryn lives in an apartment in Maryland and will probably remain there until the building collapses under the weight of her dissertation materials.

Why Biblical Retellings Are Awesome (And We Totally Need More of Them)

1. They're outside the traditional medieval setting. This isn't an advantage unique to Biblical retellings, but it's still pretty great. Eventually, you want a non-European-medieval fairy tale, and Israel-inspired stories fit that bill splendidly.

2. If the story is set in historical Israel in the actual OT era, it's super fun to try to recognize things. This is one aspect that I really love about Overpowered. It's set in the time period of the book of Judges, and seeing how the author wove that into the story was really cool. But the author also knows a ton about the language and culture of the era, and she used more Hebrew terms as opposed to the modern words, so figuring out the exact place and era was a little more challenging and therefore a little more rewarding.

3. They give new perspective on familiar stories . . . in more ways than one. I mean, that's the whole point of a retelling — the whole point of fantasy in general: that it gives you a new perspective and a new look at a story or idea. And setting your novel in the Old Testament or New Testament era can give you a new perspective not just on any fairy tales you happen to retell but also on that particular era . . . at least if you do your research right.

4. You can weave in cultural legends. Outside of the actual religion, Jewish culture has some pretty interesting folklore, at least based on what I've heard. (Overpowered uses a little of that, which is pretty cool.) And if you expand your view a little, so do the other cultures of the Biblical eras. This could be interesting, though challenging, to weave into a real-world setting, or it could provide some inspiration for an awesome fantasy world.

What do you think? Do you want to read more Biblical-era inspired retellings and retellings set in the actual Biblical eras? Please tell me in the comments! And, as always, remember to check out the rest of today's posts and enter the giveaway!
Thanks for reading!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)

Blog Tour Stops: October 29

Knitted By God's Plan: 7 Reasons to Read

Light and Shadows: 5 Reasons to Read

Dreams and Dragons: The Awesomeness of Biblical Retellings

The Language of Writing: Sneak Peek!

Heather L.L. FitzGerald: Character Spotlight - Fig

Literature Approved: Review

Reality Reflected: Review

Keturah's Korner: Review

The Labyrinth: Character Spotlight - Taliyah

Unicorn Quester: Character Spotlight - Yotham

Selina J. Eckert: Guest Post - Inspiration for Overpowered

Dragonpen Press: Guest Post - What is Overpowered?

 

Or find the full list of stops here.

Magic Mirrors: For Such a Time As This: Why We Need More Cross-Genre Fiction

 

Hey'a, everyone! Day four of the Magic Mirrors tour brings us For Such a Time as This by Heather L.L. Fitzgerald. This retelling blends Snow White and Esther with fantasy, sci-fi, and dystopian elements, which is a combination I never saw coming but am super excited for. That crossover of genres is one of the things I'm most excited for about For Such a Time as This, especially since I wish I knew of more cross-genre fiction in general. I'm going to tell you why in a minute . . . but first, a little about the book and author.

About the Book

Queen Vashti the Fair is not only the wife of King Xerxes, she is also—secretly—an enchantress. But thanks to Haman’s flirting she now has a new distinction: deposed. While Vashti loses perks like her holographic trousseau, Haman continues to enjoy his position as second in command, much to Vashti’s vexation.

Mordecai was once a soldier in the king’s private guard, but has since carved out a self-sufficient life for himself and niece Esther. Although citizens are required to have an identity chip for governmental transactions, he and Esther live off the grid and out of big-government’s greedy reach.

Or so he thought.

When Mordecai’s old nemesis, Haman, turns up demanding Esther’s participation in the king’s upcoming beauty pageant, Mordecai arranges to have her transported to the Vale of Seven Dragons for protection. But not before Esther’s charm makes her a target on Vashti’s radar, as Vashti seeks to undermine the outcome of Xerxes’ hunt for a new queen.

Esther is caught between loyalty to her uncle and fear for her future—whether in the care of dragons or in the palace of the king. Will she be brave enough to embrace her destiny, wherever that may be?
Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads

About the Author

Award winning author Heather L.L. FitzGerald writes from her home in Texas, while dreaming of being back in the Pacific Northwest, where she grew up. She is drawn to stories that become good friends--friends you want to revisit--the kind you wish to keep close. Those are the type of novels Heather aspires to write, ones worthy of delicious coffee and a lingering relationship.

The Tethered World was a finalist and The Flaming Sword won the 2017 OCW Cascade Award for Speculative Fiction. So far in 2018 The Genesis Tree has become a finalist for a Realm Award, Selah Award, and an OCW Cascade Award.

Heather's a member of ACFW, Manent Writers, and CAN.

Find her online at: Website || Goodreads || Facebook || Twitter || Newsletter || Instagram || Amazon

Why We Need More Cross-Genre Fiction

Ok, let's get something straight right up front: I have nothing against normal, unblended genres. However, I think that not exploring cross-genre fiction closes off a whole multiverse of unique stories, worlds, characters, and more.

See, here's the thing about "pure" genre fiction: after a while, people just start telling the same story in very similar ways. That's not to say that you can't write unique stories within straight fantasy; just the opposite. Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive, Kendra E. Ardnek's Rizkaland Legends, and Jaye L. Knight's Ilyon Chronicles all fit solidly into specific fantasy subgenres (epic or high fantasy, portal fantasy, and low fantasy, respectively), but no one would accuse them of being cliche or unoriginal. 

However, cross-genre fiction encourages authors to take a new look at whatever basic story they're trying to tell, just like Heather takes a new twist on the tale of Snow White. Whether you blend genres, you create new elements and angles for your story. Brandon Sanderson's first Mistborn book is a great example of this. At its most basic level, Mistborn is just another Overthrow the Evil Empire storyline, with a bonus Chosen One trope hanging out in the background. However, its combination of fantasy, dystopia, and heist genres provide the foundation for all the twists that make it so epic and memorable.

Combining genres will affect all areas of a story, as authors take basic plots, character types, props, and aesthetics from each genre and combine them in unique ways. However, the first and biggest area that combined genres effect is usually the setting. For Such a Time as This, for example, combines sci-fi technology, dystopian conditions, and fantasy magic to create its setting. And Mistborn takes the dreary landscape and strict hierarchy of dystopia, the magic and some technology of fantasy, and the urban environment of heist stories to make Scadriel. And all the other story elements, particularly character and plot, are built on the foundation of those settings.

And, of course, cross-genre stories can just result in some fun situations. If you have magic and high-tech elements in the same story, how do those interact? Do the scientists get mad when magic-users mess with their experiments? Or, if you have a contemporary fantasy heist story, how does your team of thieves deal with a security force that includes dragons, mind-readers, and future-readers? No matter what genres you combine, the possibilities are endless.

What do you think? Are you a fan of cross-genre fiction? Are you excited for For Such a Time as This? Please tell me in the comments! After that, make sure you check out the rest of today's tour posts and enter the giveaway, if you haven't already.

Thanks for reading!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)

Blog Tour Stops: October 29

Knitted By God's Plan: 7 Reasons to Read

Light and Shadows: 5 Reasons to Read

Dreams and Dragons: The Awesomeness of Biblical Retellings

The Language of Writing: Sneak Peek!

Heather L.L. FitzGerald: Character Spotlight - Fig

Literature Approved: Review

Reality Reflected: Review

Keturah's Korner: Review

The Labyrinth: Character Spotlight - Taliyah

Unicorn Quester: Character Spotlight - Yotham

Selina J. Eckert: Guest Post - Inspiration for Overpowered

Dragonpen Press: Guest Post - What is Overpowered?

 

Or find the full list of stops here.

Fantasy Beings I Want to See

Now, don't get me wrong: I love dragons as much as the next girl. I mean, I've got a collection of stuffed and figurine dragons, half the books on my shelves involve dragons in some way, and I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to them. And elves and elf-like Fey and dwarves are all pretty awesome too. But why is that so often all we see? There's so many other beings in myths and fairy tales who deserve a spot in the stories of this era- and today, I'm going to spotlight some of my favorites.

Fantasy Beings I Want to See More Of

1. Griffins. Granted, as the lesser-known fantasy creatures go, griffins (or, if you prefer, gryphons) don't have it too bad. They're not entirely unknown, and there are some pretty awesome books that feature them. However, they're still pretty under-represented in fantasy. A Goodreads list of the best griffin books has 66 books, while the "Best Books With or About Dragons" list contains 540 books. Yeah. Big difference. So, why don't we see more griffin-riders? More noble griffins allying themselves with the heroes in order to defeat the villain, not out of any love for the hero but out of their own pride and hatred of that villain? More baby griffins acting sort of like baby birds and sort of like kittens and generally being adorable? Am I the only one who thinks this would be awesome?
   
   
2. Selkies. So they're basically seal shapeshifters? Except different? And I'll take that over mermaids any day, thank you, and not just because seals are adorable. (And yes, I know about The Little Selkie and it's on my to-be-read list, but I want more.) A lot of the mythology about selkies seems to be tragic, which makes sense- selkies would work really well in a torn-between-their-own-people-and-the-humans plotline- but I think you could work out a happy ending as well. (Oh, and the picture above is from The Song of the Sea, which is an Irish animated film about selkies that I want to watch so much. Go watch this music video from it and you'll understand why.)
   
   
3. Kelpies. They're carnivorous water horses, y'all. Carnivorous water horses. Why is this not a thing? Imagine it: the heroes are short on time, rushing to get to the villain's castle in time, and then- Oh, hurrah! One of them spots a small herd of horses by the lake! And what's this? The horses seem to be friendly! They must have been tame at one time! The most impulsive one swings astride and- Oh, dragon's teeth BAD IDEA! On the other hand, imagine the character who can actually ride one of them? It'd be a sure sign of just how awesome (or terrifying) he is.
   
   
4. Banshees. I know of one book- Jackaby- that used banshees really well, in my opinion, but why don't more books? They've got a lot of potential. Imagine an army (either attacking or defending) sending out banshees to wander among their enemies, singing their terrifying songs, as a form of psychological warfare? Imagine a young banshee trying to escape the negative stereotypes of her race, working as a healer and always able to know if a patient can be saved or not. Imagine a banshee villain who plays up the reputation for all it's worth. Why is none of this a thing?
   
   
5. And now, for something completely different: the ittan-momen. Ok, so first, let me say that Japan has some really weird and creepy legends. (I know this because, in trying to remember the name of this thing, I ended up reading about some of the freakier ones.) Second of all: the ittan momen. According to various sources, it's a possessed roll of cotton that flies around and occasionally strangles or suffocates people. Why? I don't know. Who came up with this? I don't know that either. Why do I know about it? Writing research. I didn't end up using it at the time because it didn't fit the situation, but I really want one of these to show up somewhere just so people (including the characters) can be all "What the pumpernickel why does this even exist?" with me.

What are some fantasy beings that you'd like to see more often? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)    

Stories I Want to Write (Sometime)

So, I sort of didn't manage to mention this earlier, but I finished Fight Song! I wrote the final words a week ago, in the not-quite-an-hour between breakfast and my first class of the day. I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out; it'll need some editing, but it's not bad. I hope to start editing it around the end of the month, and I'll probably post it on here as I do.

For now, though, I'm taking some time to focus on editing Destinies and Decisions, including writing in an additional subplot at the advice of a friend. (By the by, I'm writing it on EverNote on my new phone. I love my new phone, for the record, especially since it has a keyboard large enough for me to type pretty comfortably. And EverNote has italics, which is a stupid thing to be excited about, but I used to have to write in Notepad if I wanted to write on my phone, and so there were no italics and that made it hard to write anything.) Anyway- besides working on old projects, I'm also thinking about new ones. True, I don't think I'll start a new story for a while. But the more excited I am for the story when I start it, the better it'll go. And, tonight, I thought I'd share some of my ideas with y'all.

Stories I Want to Write (Sometime)

1. A story where the rebellion is actually the wrong side . . . and the characters don't realize it until it's (almost) too late. I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but rebellions and revolutions in fantasy books almost always seem to be more American than French, at least as far as I've seen. If the revolution isn't considered a good thing, that's generally because it was sparked by an outside force- generally a Dark Lord- and the main characters almost always see that it's wrong right off. But I think it would be interesting to have characters get caught up in a revolution that seems like a good idea at the start, but quickly takes a turn for the worse. How would they react? How far would they go? Would they realize what was going on? How long would they try to justify the leaders' actions? And what would they do when they couldn't justify those actions any longer, assuming they reach that point?
2. A fantasy-murder mystery with a hearty dose of political intrigue. This would undoubtedly be heavily influenced by the Queen's Thief series, since that's where I got the inspiration. Well, technically, I got the inspiration from a daydream that partially came out of the series, but still. I actually have a bit of random scribbling that could be easily turned into chapter one, if I should so desire. The main reason I haven't written this is that it would take a great deal of planning and plotting and research, all things which are more than a little bit intimidating to me right now.
3. A superhero slice-of-life story or series of one-shots. I got the idea for this last semester, I think while I was chatting with some of my friends about what superpower we'd each want . . . It would be sort of like the Teenage Superhero Society, but with more emphasis on daily life and less emphasis on Becoming Heroes and Defeating Villains- things like a telepath being lazy and using her powers to pull the bag of chips to her, or a time manipulator freezing time right before a test so he can scan his notes one more time, or a telepath wrestling with the temptation to cheat on that same test. You get the idea. Basically, I just want to write about what teenage/college-aged supers do when they're not, y'know, being heroes. The problem is that there would literally be no plot which is why I should probably just write a series of one-shots and leave it at that, but my brain generally doesn't work that way. (Actually, this could extend to urban fantasy slice-of-life in general, not just superhero, but the point remains.)
4. Evil Rapunzel. What if the witch or fairy or whoever imprisoned Rapunzel wasn't the villain? What if she had a really good reason to take Rapunzel from her parents- a reason that had to do with protecting the world? What if Rapunzel wasn't actually imprisoned as young as the story says at all; what if she was imprisoned later on, for a very legitimate reason, and the story we've all been told is something she made up? What if all that's true? And then- what happens when a well-meaning prince stops by and helps her escape?
5. A Between Two Worlds sequel focusing more on Kate's sister. I have some idea of what I'd do for this. Like Between Two Worlds itself, what I'm thinking would be drawn from random daydreams- these ones mostly based on combination between a webcomic I read a while back and Heather Dixon's Entwined- but while I know some things, I don't know enough to pull it off. Like, I know that a lot of the conflict will stem from Ella missing Kate and feeling left out of all the adventures and making a few bad choices as a result of that, and I know a considerable amount about the villain, but I still need something to tie all the pieces together. Also, it would be a rather darker story than Between Two Worlds was, so I'm not sure if I'm ready in that respect either.

What about you? What do you think of my ideas? And what are some stories you'd like to write but haven't gotten to yet? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)