Sorchia's Universe

Today’s Novel Magic guest, Jean M. Grant, takes us to Scotland where she delves into the magic and lore of a mystical land. Finding the Mystic in Scotland’s Lore by Jean Grant Scotland is a magical place. Sweeping moors and meadows, craggy mountains, eerie castles rich in history and lore, kilted men, brogue-accents. Ahh…I fell in love a few decades ago thanks to Julie Garwood and Diana Gabaldon (of Outlander fame). The setting in A Hundred Kisses takes my hero and heroine on a journey across the Isle of Skye and the sea separating the Hebrides and mainland, and then on to the Isle of North Uist. The best way to research? Go there! My trip to Scotland and this awe-inspiring region was nothing short of remarkable and fed my imagination. My story takes place circa 1300, so alas, there are no kilts, but there was plenty of superstition, intrigue, and magic in this time period. Myths and customs abounded and were rooted in stories of faeries or “sith,” witches, creatures, and people...

Novel Magic returns from summer vacation with a little peek at how SciFi/Fantasy author Hywela Lyn got inspiration for her planet Niflheim from myth and reality. Read on for a quick primer in Fantasy Worldbuilding. THE REAL LIFE INSPIRATION FOR MY PLANET NIFLHEIM by Hywela Lyn One of the most enjoyable aspects of being Science Fiction/Fantasy Romance writer (Apart from developing the relationship between the hero and heroine) is world building. Of course there is a certain amount of world building involved in all writing, but as a Science Fiction or Fantasy writer one gets to actually invent new alien worlds and let one’s imagination run riot. Sometimes, though, the inspiration for such worlds can come from somewhere much closer to home  –  in my case, my native Wales. I used to live on top of a high Welsh hill, overlooking the sea and mountains. The view I had from my home was the sea to the west, and to the north, a mountain range, with several ranges of mountains beyond. Welsh ...