This is My World

Author, Editor, Designer, Musician, and sometimes Illustrator. #dragonage

[nerinedorman]

My rendition of the old Norse folk song "Helvegen", with all honours due to Wardruna, where I heard their version first. I have translated the English translation of the lyrics into Afrikaans. Because I need to make my life interesting (read: challenging).

[nerinedorman]

Look, Cameron Johnston is on my insta-buy list, but he already had me with "a gender-flipped Die Hard set in a mysterious castle". So, The Last Shield pretty much checked all my boxes as I read it. First off, our main character, Briar, is not some young slip of a thing who's going to save the world while making goo-goo eyes at some shadow daddy. She's an older, stubborn-as-heck warrior – a commander of the elite Shields whose task it is to protect the lord of Sunweald and guard the stronghold – a structure that's rather ancient and may well have a secret or three buried deep. Secrets that are, in my opinion, better left undisturbed.

But here's the rub. Briar's not young. She's got a gamey knee, and she's no longer at the peak of her physical fitness. In fact, she's pretty darned close to retirement. And while she's had a pretty good track record keeping her charges safe, she's well aware of her own shortcomings. Even if she will do her utmost not to admit this to anyone – which at the start of where we meet her in the story, we see is to her detriment.

I don't want to hie off into spoiler territory, and the tagline of this book pretty much already tells you that shiz will be sailing south in a big way, what I can tell you is that *any* of Cameron's novels will have a) plenty of humour, b) oodles of ultra violence, c) a cracking pace, and d) meticulous research. 

It's the latter that I really do appreciate – he knows his weapons and tactics. He creates a believable world that feels plausible, even if we're dealing with the supernatural. As a woman fantasy reader of A Certain Age, I appreciated reading a strong female lead who works around her physical handicaps and relies on her experience, her sheer determination and stubborn will, and her wits. Briar is up against what appears to be an insurmountable obstacle, with multiple foes who are stronger and better armed than her, and yet she doesn't let that stop her. Yes, her knee is killing her, she's uncomfortable most of the time, but she's also gosh-darned unstoppable. She's also a frigging good role-model for a young king-in-waiting who doesn't end up going full Joffrey. (And thank goodness for that.)

Anyhow, this was a cracking good read, with action, mystery, and magic aplenty, in a setting that recalls themes of the European Bronze Age. 100% recommended for lovers of sword-and-sorcery fantasy with a side order of dark humour.

[nerinedorman]

I'm talking up one of my older works today. I will admit freely that Anne Rice and Vampire: the Masquerade both played huge parts of informing my early love of the vampire in fiction. So yeah, if you like those two things, you're likely gonna love this one.

Yes, an audiobook is available, too. I was lucky enough to get that for this one.

I'll also add that this is the Big Book Deal that got away. I was shortlisted for an open subs call by a publisher I really wanted to be published by, and sadly they changed their minds after half a gazillion years of keeping me waiting. But it was still quite a rush.

While I don't know if I'll ever return to writing vampires as protagonists any time soon, I loved everything about writing this story, and it was a source of great comfort to me.

[heraldofthenug]

Visit Original Link

Gareth David-Lloyd reading Solas's letter to Lavellan ('Notes from the Inquisition').

Original audio from Kala Elizabeth (I just enhanced the audio and added the music from the end of Veilguard).

[nerinedorman]

Right in the vhenan...

[ratbagjasper]

DA Kiss Week Day 4 - Famous Landmark (Redcliffe Castle)

Post-game, Dawes and Harding go to visit Ferelden. I imagined a lookout with a statue of Andraste looking out over the town (yea they're kissing on the statue har har har)

[nerinedorman]

It's always lovely getting character art done – thank you, @parselyroux (over on IG)! This is Rahash, the mad god from The Splintered Fool series by me and Toby Bennett. You can pick up book one over at Amazon for some seriously unhinged swords-and-sandals fun.

[estherkelldraws]

“They call me the Dread Wolf… what will they call you when this is over?”

[doriandotexe]

Solas - Dragon Age: Veilguard

[nerinedorman]

I've been a huge fan of Jacqueline Carey's writing since basically forever, and fell irrevocably in love with courtesan and spy Phèdre nó Delaunay the instant I read Kushiel's Dart. These days I suspect the books will likely fall under the banner of romantasy, but this was fantasy romance way before that term was every coined. I've been wanting to return to this alternative historical fantasy setting for years, so when Carey announced that she was writing the story from Joscelin's point of view, I was all over it.

Oh, Joscelin. [swoons]

If you know, you know.

Joscelin is a warrior-monk sworn to celibacy, so it's easy to imagine that he's less than thrilled when he's tasked with minding a courtesan, of all people. And Phèdre has a habit of finding herself in the midst of all manner of intrigue. As if her sensuality wasn't enough to drive the poor dear man to distraction.

I still intend to read the first three books back to back again. What I love about Carey's writing is that it's lush, filled with twisty intrigue, and plenty of sensuality that doesn't override the plot. She's built a fascinating alternative to Europe here that strikes me as having an almost gothic-baroque feel to it, for lack of better description.

Alexandre Dumas might be frowning at me right now. I don't care. This has the flavour of one of his stories, but with a bit more spice and less waffling.

At any rate, I remain forever one of Carey's minions, and the world of Terre d'Ange will never lose its glamour for me. Horribly biased, I know, but I will always recommend these books.

[nerinedorman]

More exercises in mark making. I'm not so much interested in a finished piece this week as I am in figuring out light and shadow and proportion. There's a level of urgency to working in set 25-minute bursts which gives me a level of focus.

[nerinedorman]

These films got me all hot and bothered when I was a wee lass.

[estherkelldraws]

Spring and Autumn, love and loss

[nerinedorman]

Felt like doing a messy oil study today. I feel like I slightly terrified myself going into an unexpected flow state.

[mimi-maru]

the god of rebellion, circa 2010

A gift for @luzial and her newest one shot: Geltberg 🪩

[the-upper-shelf]

Solavellan commission for @wxlfski ^^

[nerinedorman]

I'm a huge fan of The Great Courses series of lectures that are available on Audible – they most certainly tickle my need for tertiary education while also providing me with a valuable source of research for my own world building as a fantasy author. The Pagan World – Ancient Religions Before Christianity by Hans-Friedrich Mueller is a hefty offering of lectures that covers a range of ancient civilisations, including ancient Egypt, India, Mesopotamia, Greece, and of course, Rome.

Perhaps the most important part of this lecture, I feel, goes to show how embedded the ancient religious practises were in the state. Having been raised in a primarily Christian community as the default setting, it was good for me to gain an appreciation of the structure of non-Christian religions within a functioning society – especially in terms of the law and morality. It's also fascinating to see how modern religions have been shaped by those that have gone before, and how even if the religions change, there's much that stays the same. Funny that...

Mueller structures his lectures with impeccable detail, including speculation about the various mystery cults, divination (I found the discussion on augury fascinating). Some might find him a bit long-winded, but I stepped away from this feeling highly enriched. I recommend this to anyone who wants a slightly deeper dive that will help understand the mind of ancient humans while offering a broader historical context for Indo-European culture.

[nerinedorman]

So this was a study for lighting and form. It's far from perfect but I think I've learnt something from the exercise. This is Ash from my Those Who Return duology.