To read an article, click on the name below
It was after reading about this gravesite that I started looking for a series about a female warrior that could have been buried like this man was. When I didn’t find it, I began to write my own story which became the Legend of the Phyrex series.
England Before the Roman Invasion
Since my lineage come form the British Isles, I knew I wanted to pull from that area of the world to create my own society. I settled on around 44B.C.-ish (just before the Romans invaded successfully) because it was the iron age and I wanted my warriors to have iron weapons to fight with.
In Hampshire, UK is a village called the Buster Ancient Farm with multiple reconstructions of ancient dwellings based on UK archeological finds.
Celtic warriors were just as passionate about defending their people and lands as any other group has been throughout history. In this article is how they approached such battles.
This article is a little more in depth about the qualities of a “Celtic Warrior”, and how the term is actually a brod one describing many groups of people.
In Oslo, Norway a ship burial containing 2 women’s skeletons was uncovered. Full of many luxury goods and many other buried animals, this burial was one with some serious status.
Below are some of the strong modern, historical, and mythological women I used as reference material to build the character and attributes Valea comes to possess. Fighting against pre-conceived weaknesses, it’s their strength and boldness to do what they felt was right in the face of overwhelming odds that I found both fascinating and empowering. They didn’t always get it right, and were often killed for their efforts, but these women’s legacies have made an impact for one reason alone: they were willing to do the “impossible” even when their societies told them they couldn’t or shouldn’t.
To learn more about these remarkable women, click on each name below.
A British folk hero, Boudica, the Queen of Iceni, led an uprising against the invading Roman army. Her unwillingness to back down almost made Nero pull his troops out of Britain.
Esther stood directly in the line of danger, risking it all to save her people. Even with the odds stacked against her, she chose to make the difficult choice: freedom for her people or death for her.
While Mulan is often seen as a mythological character of Chinese folklore, or a character in a film, it is believed that she really existed. Her legend, real or imagined, lives on in the folk song “Ballad of Mulan.”
Jessi has redefined what is acceptable in the K-Pop industry. As a multi-talented performer, host, and public personality, she refuses to be defined by any other standards than her own.
Joan of Arc was a controversial figure even in her own time. Despite being labeled a heretic, and eventually killed for being so, she refused to back down from who she felt she was called to be.
Kelly Clarkson has achieved the status many people only dream of, but few ever attain. While making her way to the top, she has stayed both humble and honest, making her more endearing in an often unforgiving and unrelenting industry.
Known as an incredible performer the world over, Pink has consistently and continuously defied expectations. She has chosen to carve her own idea of what it means to be a woman in the music industry through her looks, her music, and her passions.
Queen Latifah has defined and redefined what it means to be a strong, hard-working, multi-faceted woman who is unwilling to settle. It’s her “tell me I can’t” attitude that has made her a legend.
Although Xena is a fictional television character, her development into a warrior with purpose and compassion, is something to admire. Embodying both strength and beauty, she became a symbol for many young women of who they could be.
Here are some of my favorite series. From imaginary worlds to new languages and incredible character arcs, these are the authors and their stories that have stood out and influenced me. I hope you take the time to read about each of them, and maybe you’ll fall in love with a new series too.
Click on the series names to find out more about them, or on the names of each author to go to their page.
In this series, I loved the world JR Ward created. It felt a “fantastic” while being just “real” enough to relate to, plus the characters are written incredibly well.
The Eragon Series, as this one is sometimes known, is something that caught my attention when I learned the author published the first book when he was just 19! Great story telling and world building make this one of my favorites.
The Lord of the Rings was the first series I read that I fell deeply in love with. From the languages to the characters to the epic battles, I was hooked. It is the reason I decided to challenge myself and create another language in my own series.
I picked up the first book, City of Bones, on a whim when combing through a book store many years ago. I was quickly hooked on the author’s ability to build a believable world while still having unbelievable scenes happening in it.
This series was dense and, at times, hard to get through, but so worth it! I loved that it showed the struggle of magic, and not just how wonderful it can be to be able to do things. Plus the main character, Azoth, has a wonderful character arc that draws you in and makes you stick around.
The Pellinor Series was another happenstance that turned out to be a great find. Once I read the first one, I fell in love with the dynamic between the characters, especially the siblings.
This is the longest and most intricate story line I’ve ever read. From beginning to end (37 primary books and 47 total works) it feels like Terry Brooks leaves no stone unturned and no story untold. Each character with a good story to convey gets their opportunity to step into the limelight and find their own way around.
Tessa Kinsla 