Three Fabulous Reasons To Love Kim Falconer's Books

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Kim Falconer

Kim is currently recovering from a hospital visit -- and although she will be back very soon, I'm standing in for her today. And can think of no better topic than 3 fabulous reasons I love her books.

Reason 1: Worldbuilding

Whether you know Kim as Kim Falconer or AK Wilder, I think there can be no question: from her Quantum Enchantment and Quantum Encryption series, through The Blood In The Beginning, to her current trilogy, the addictive Amassia series, Kim is a maestra of speculative worldbuilding.

 

In the Quantum Enchantment books (#1 is The Spell Of Rosette), Kim splices technology with magic, and romance with adventure. The story spans Earth and a parallel planet, Gaela, contrasting climate change and environmental degradation with the beauty and abundance of Gaela where the inhabitants have made different choices. 

The Blood In The Beginning also contrasts worlds, but this time the nitty-gritty of mixed marshal arts and (near-future) LA nightclubs are juxtaposed with a deep ocean realm, where readers meet Kim's supernatural Mar for the first time.

In the far-future, fantasy world of Amassia,  Kim (writing as AK Wilder) has produced another tour-de-force with a world that is steeped in magic, and where the ecology and landscape are colorful and traverse the tropical to colder climes. The societies, too, are culturally and ethnically diverse -- and once again, readers encounter the time-and-distance traversing realm of the Mar.

Amassia

Reason 2: Heroines

If you love stories with strong engaging heroines, then it's hard to go past Ava, the MMA-trained bouncer of The Blood in the Beginning, or Ash, the insightful scribe who holds her magic-wielding friends together through edge-of-the-precipice adventure in the Amassia books. 

With "best-supporting" characters like the enigmatic Kreshkali in The Spell of Rosette and Salila, the capricious and sometimes bloodthirsty Mar of the Amassia books, Kim's storytelling is made for readers who like their fantasy heroine-centric.

Salila

Reason 3: Action and Adventure

I was tossing up between adventure and romantic elements for my third reason. But although Ash's relationship with the handsome, mysterious, and kickass Kaylin is key to the Amassia series, and a tall man dressed in Armani, smelling of cologne and faintly of blood, kicks off the action in The Blood in the Beginning, fast-paced action and adventure are a hallmark of Kim's books.

Ash & Kaylin

In The Blood in the Beginning, when Ava's bouncer job turns dark she must run and fight for her life in a desperate contest with supernatural forces. 

Crown of Bones (Amassia #1) also delivers rapid-fire adventure when Ash and her friends' routine journey to a school for magic users (savants) becomes a breakneck flight across wild country, in which they must dodge armies and elude magical traps -- action that is far from over when reach their destination.

And the adventure continues in Curse of Shadows (Amassia #2) with pirate attacks and sea pursuits, savants and phantoms, magical traps and battles amid snowy wastes that make the story hard to put down.

Conclusion

 So there it is, dear Supernatural Undergrounders -- three fabulous reasons to love Kim Falconer's books. If you feel I've missed the best reason, feel free to let me -- and Kim! -- know with a comment. 

And if you want to discover more and support Kim at the same time, consider buying the book, requesting it at your library, and/or posting a review online -- or all three! :-)

~ Helen Lowe

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About Kim Falconer

Kim Falconer, currently writing as AK Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows as book 2 in the series. Currently, she is working on the third book, out in 2024.

Kim can be found on  AKWilder Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Throw the bones, read your horoscopes or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site

~*~

About Helen Lowe:

Helen Lowe is an award-winning novelist, poet, and lover of story. With four books published to date, she is currently completing the final instalment in The Wall Of Night series.

Helen posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural Underground, and tweets @helenl0we.

Gossip - More Than Meets the Eye

 

“You do not know me, and rest assured, you never shall.” — Lady Whistledown in
Netflix Bridgerton

Today I want to examine gossip by exploring its link to storytelling. Yes, even Fantasy Fiction can utilize this age-old human proclivity to talk about others behind their backs. Some novels even have plots that revolve solely around the revelation of such unverified "truths".

For the purpose of this post, I am defining gossip as talking or writing about other people's business in a sensational, judgmental and/or unverified way. In writing, it's easy to see the usefulness of this tool, but the question is, why do we do it in the first place? What's the fascination? 

Why We Gossip

Samantha Holder from the International University of Florida says, "Gossip has served as a survival tool since prehistoric times. In fact, the citizens of Ancient Greece relied on idle talk and rumors to determine which members of their community could not be trusted."

René Magritte - at the Atomium in Brussels, Belgium

But why?

Evolutionary biologists tell us that, as humans, we are hardwired to connect with a social group of up to 150 individuals. From where I'm sitting it seems like a lot. I sure don't have that many people in my life. 

I mean, how would I keep track of such a large clan?

One of the ways our ancestors managed to connect with so many others was to know their business. In other words, to gossip about them. By doing so, according to research, earlier humans reinforced community bonds, stimulating the prefrontal cortex (our ability to form complex relationships). All this was done by sharing information and expressing feelings. The results was to better understand the current social order. 

Add to all this, gossiping can light up the pleasure centres in the brain. ie, it's entertaining and fun. At least, it can be.

Gossip in the Modern World

With nuclear families, isolation and city dwelling vs agrarian communities, contemporary humans are hard-pressed to feel connected to 150 important others, save through a wider, parasocial circle. This includes politicians and leaders, celebrities on the big screen, small, and heroes in the sports/science fields. 

And of course, there are content creators on YouTube to follow. :)

When we talk about or gossip about these others in our life, we are fulfilling our drive to stay connected to the clan. 

Basically, we gossip to survive.

Gossip in Storytelling

Given this history, it seems quite natural for fictional characters to gossip about each other. When authors write such scenes, it  can provide the reader with one of four things:

Information (What's happening)

Insight (Why it's happening)

Interest (Entertainment!)

Instinct (Who the character really is)

As Cynthia Ozick says in The Novel's Evil Tongue:  Gossip is the steady deliverer of secrets, the necessary divulger of who thinks this and who does that, the carrier of speculation and suspicion. 

In this capacity, gossip becomes one of the writer's best tools. 

By using gossip in dialogue and plot, authors can inform the reader of many things without bogging down the narrative in information and description. As well, this kind of dialogue can help readers draw their own conclusions as opposed to being spoon-fed the story one bite at a time. 

Alice Sun can turn invisible, and oh
the secrets she learns.

Gossip can also introduce topics and ideas about the plot and characters without the use of backstory. To top it off, gossiping characters show something about themselves without needing the author to spell it out.

Here's an example from Crown of Bones

From Marcus's POV, he and his company ride through the rolling hills of Palrio on a dangerous journey to the Isle of Aku. Belair, an unknown peer who has just joined them, strikes up a conversation with the reluctant Marcus. 

Note what you learn about all five characters discussed in this snippet without even trying.

***

“They’re adorable,” Belair says, nodding to Samsen and Piper as they ride ahead, out of earshot.

“I guess.” Adorable? Why are we talking about this? 

“There’s a story there, I’ll wager.” Belair sounds more than a little curious. “She’s older than him, right?” He asks of Piper, but his eyes stay on Sam.

“I... ” I’d rather discuss anything else, training on Aku, his warrior phantom, navigating these enemy lands. 

Ash, who rides on my other side, clears her throat. The sound is a familiar one. It’s her way of telling me to be nice to our new company member, no matter that I resent him.  

I nod my head toward the healer. “Ten years ago, when Piper was sixteen, she’d just earned her orange robes…”

“That’s young.”

“It is, and well deserved. Anyway, she was in the hills behind Baiseen, gathering herbs when a band of Gollnarians cornered her.”

“They were far from home.”

“A scouting party. She was badly outnumbered.”

His brows lift. “What happened?”

“Samsen, thirteen at the time, was hunting nearby. He heard the fight and sent his phantom in.”

“Form?”

“Golden eagle, talons like grappling hooks. But by the time Samsen reached her, his phantom was pinned under a Gollnar winged-demon, and Piper was at the bottom of a ravine, her snake chopped in half, going to ground.”

           “How did they survive?” 

“He doesn't like to talk about it, but from what I gathered, Sam stayed in phantom perspective, in spite of his wounds. Fought them off. Killed or cut up every last one. By then, he was bleeding so badly he nearly died.”

Belair rests his eyes ahead as his face reddens. “Truely bonded to each other then?”

“Truely.” 

          “Ahh,” he exhales as if impressed and disappointed at the same time. “So be it.”

***

This snippet of gossip doesn't just reveal more about the characters, but it helps Belair, the new member, catch up to his companion's history and adjust how he might fit in. 

Like gossip in the real world, it allows him to feel more connected. 

How about you? Have you noticed this aspect of dialog in any recent reading? 

And authors? Have you consciously used gossip to shed light (true or false) on a character or situation?

I'd love to hear about it! 

Let's gossip!

xxKim

***

Kim Falconer, currently writing as A K Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows as book 2 in the series. Currently, she is working on the third book, out in 2024

Kim can be found on  AKWilder Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Throw the bones, read your horoscopes or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site 

Desire - More Than Meets the Eye

Lucifer asks what we truly Desire. 

Goals, Motivations and Conflicts

You've probably heard about character goals, motivations and conflicts, or GMCs. They are the cornerstone of strong writing, making the story ring true no matter the genre - Fantasy, Historical Thriller, Romance, Crime ...  

We are told that each main character, be they 'good' or 'evil' should have solid and believable GMCs, but looking deeper, we find that there is more here than meets the eye. We find out what it is that truly DRIVES them.

Enter the root of it all - DESIRE

It may not be obvious what that desire is, at least at first, but it is at the center of every thought, action and deed of all characters.

Lilith from Diablo IV - Does she want to destroy the Sanctuary or save it?
Either way, the core desire is to be eternal.

Why is Desire so Important?

From the Uphandashads it is said, 

You are your deepest driving desire. 

As is your desire, so is your will. 

As is your will, so is your deed. 

As is your deed, so is your destiny.

You are your deepest driving desire...

Desire motivates intentions, goals, actions and outcomes, for the protagonists AND antagonists (and for  us regular folk too).

Susan Sarandon in Enchanted

Good vs. Evil Doesn't Live Here

Some stories might rely on ideas like good vs evil to bolster their character's goals, but desire knows no such division. It is pure, in and of itself. The desire to 'feel safe' may translate into actions that seem to others as good or bad, worthy or unworthy. But these subjective notions are value judgements, not truths.

Take the example of the goal to win love. If it is driven by the desire to feel whole and complete, then the goals might seem like striving to connect, helping others. Take for example Snow White and her care for the dwarves and the woodsman's cabin. But if the desire is perceived as a liability, it could result in a character who plots to eliminate rivals, like the 'evil' witch with the bright red apple. 

Relationship to Desire

The GMCs will depend on the character's relationship to their desire. Do they accept and honor their deepest driving desire or do they push it away? Does the desire embarrass them? Uplift them? Enrage them? Do they even know what it is? This is where the true conflict of the story grows. The author may not make such truths obvious, but the scenes will infer them, even if they keep us readers guessing.

Take for example Arthur Conon Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. His main character's goal may be to catch criminals and solve crimes but his desire is found behind the cerebral challenge. The puzzle. The chance to 'solve' the problem. The deeper desire may be safety, achieved by discovering order in the chaos.

A modern take on Sherlock and Watson

Intention and Obstacles to Desire

In a Master Class on scriptwriting, Aaron Sorkin said the pace of the story, the authenticity of it, depends on two things: intention and obstacle. He gives the example of a road trip across the States. The intention is to get from New York to LA in a car. That's the goal, motivated, perhaps, by a meeting, audition or interview. But the desire? The fuel that drives everything forward? That might be the burning desire to expand one's horizons.

And for the story to work, there has to be an obstacle. They can't just get in the car and three days later arrive in LA on time. There must be challenges along the way. 

Maybe they only have two days to make it there on time. Or maybe, they don't have money for gas. The car could break down. They could even be abducted by aliens. Obstacles to achieving desires will keep the story, and characters, going.

In Crown of Bones, Ash's true desire is to experience communion with 
her phantom, the one she can never have...

Goals Change; Desires Remain the Same

A character's goals may change through the story as they grow and evolve, but the driving desire is like a core value. It remains the same. 

Again, in Crown of Bones, Marcus's goal is to control his phantom, but his true desire is to be worthy. Once he can control the phantom, his goal shifts to leading his companions back to Baiseen in time to protect the city. Once the city is safe, his goal is to collect the remaining whistle bones.... and on it goes but the desire, for him, is to achieve a sense of worthiness. That never goes away.

As Willa Cather says in the Song of the Lark, “The world is little, people are little, human life is little. There is only one big thing — desire.”

So tell me, do you know what you truly desire?

xxKim

***

Posts in the 'More Than Meets the Eye' Series

Book Titles

The End

Backstory

Environment

Styling Characters

Desire

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Kim Falconer, currently writing as A K Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows as book 2 in the series. Currently, she is working on the third book, out in 2024

Kim can be found on  AKWilder Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Throw the bones, read your horoscopes or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site 

Book Titles

Another in the More than meets the eye series...

Rabelais présente Gargantua - Wikimedia Commons

Francois Rabelais, a 16th Century writer, cautioned against reading too much into a title. He said, [A book’s] title is usually received with mocking laughter and jokes. But it's wrong to be so superficial when you're weighing [a writer's] work in the balance.’ Good advice, especially nowadays when titles sell books. It pays to consider them carefully. 

But if that's true why are there so many weird titles? 

We can agree that the purpose of the title is to attract, intrigue and compel potential readers to pick up the book and buy it. It’s the headline, the very first sentence and it needs to hook the reader. That said, it can't be clickbait where the title has nothing to do with the story. Titles want to sound good—to roll off the tongue—but not be overly predictable or clichéd. 

A good title can have double meanings, though it’s best to be careful there. For example, Mouse Work’s 1995 title, Cooking with Pooh is questionable. Catchy can work, like Big Boom’s If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start with Your Legs but that’s not quite the style speculative fiction readers are drawn to.

Other Considerations

 Now A Place of Magic

Titles have to fit on the book cover. I’m not sure how Crown got Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam squeezed together with the author, Pope Brock, and a billygoat (I’m serious - check the image!) but they did. 

There are definitely rules to follow for selecting titles. Some writers ignore them, to their great success: 

Rule one—don’t use a proper name in the title. Like, um, Harry Potter? 

Rule two—don’t use words like Bane, Barbarian, Bard, Battle, Book, or Crystal. Like Jenifer Fallon’s bestselling Chaos Crystal? 

Rule three—don’t use adjective-noun titles. Like Sara Douglass’ bestselling Twisted Citadel? 

Rule four—don’t use needless complexity. Like, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? As in, the bestselling SF by Philip K. Dick! I will admit that Blade Runner works better for the big screen.

Rules aside, there is a website where you can put your title to the test. This program generates the odds a title has of becoming a bestseller. If it’s accurate, my book #3 in the Amassia Series will sell a zillion copies! However the Da Vinci Code shows only a l4.6% chance of being a bestseller, so maybe take it with a grain of salt. 

The Working Title w/t

Working Titles (w/t) are often named organically, like pets. Book #1 of my Quantum Enchantment Series, The Spell of Rosette was just ‘Rosette’ for years. She got ‘The Spell’ as the story matured. Book #2, Arrows of Time was eventually named for the narrative structure, but for the first year of edits it was called The Winged Lion. A little bit like George Orwells book first called The Last Man in Europe. 1984 does have a better ring. More recently, Crown of Bones's w/t was Phantoms of Aku before that was nixed.

The bottom line is, no matter what you name your book as you write it, the publisher, you or marketing will likely give it another twist. For example, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter was firsts The Mute. Prometheus Unbound became Frankenstein. Catch 22 was first, wait for it, Catch 18. Treasure Island's w/t was The Sea Cook, and Gone with the Wind was Tomorrow is Another day. 

I asked my author friends to chime in on their title experiences and Merrie Defestano told me about one of her amazing novels. It's the one featuring Maddie MacFaddin (“Mad Mac” to fans of her bestselling magical stories). Maddie spent a blissful childhood summer in Ticonderoga Falls and that's where she wants to be when her adult life is falling apart... But is it really all so safe?

This title was first published by HarperVouyger as Feast - Harvest of Dreams, (see image above) but the latest edition is a revisioning of the story titled A Place of Magic released through Ruby Slipper Press. If you read the first paragraph, you will not be able to put it down. I promise!

Another author friend, Zena Shapter, has a title coming out in May
called When Dark Roots Hunt, but that was not always the book's name. Originally it was called Ruin of Shade. 

When I asked her why the change she said, "I decided the title was too abstract for readers without first knowing the world. I also then changed some terminology in the book to make it more accessible for readers. In comparison, the title ‘When Dark Roots Hunt’ both evokes the book’s exotic ‘other’ world, and hints at the action and menace to come..."

I love it, and totally agree! It's a fantastic read you'll hear more about soon.

Does anyone have a good ‘title story’ to tell? Is there one that particularly compels or repulses?  Comments welcome!

xxKim

Posts in the 'More Than Meets the Eye' Series

Book Titles

The End

Backstory

Environment

Styling Characters

Desire

***

Kim Falconer, currently writing as A K Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows as book 2 in the series.

Kim can be found on  AKWilder Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Throw the bones, read your horoscopes or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site 

 

What Makes A Hero #10 -- Camaraderie & Characters

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Introduction

Well, here we are, at the conclusion for the What Makes A Hero? in Fantasy series – but I’m also delighted to be welcoming my friend and fellow Supernatural Underground author, Kim Falconer (currently writing as AK Wilder) to ensure this final post rocks. J

 

AK Wilder @ the Amassia series

In addition to last month’s Calm and Chaos post (What Makes A Hero #9) I also featured a post from another series (Having Fun With Epic Fantasy) that highlighted the Band of Brothers in myth, legend – and, of course, Fantasy fiction!

Last Kingdom: an archetypal "band of brothers"

Camaraderie and a diverse cast of characters are key to any band of comrades-in-arms – but I also really value the camaraderie of our “happy…band” of fellow authors here on Supernatural Underground.

And characters, of course, lie at the very core of our authorial wheelhouse – so I could see no better way of concluding the series than having Kim join me to discuss our characters and the qualities that lead them to answer the heroic Call.

Answering the Call...

So welcome, Kim – with Curse of Shadows (AMASSIA #2) on the very cusp of being released (December 6 is the hot-hot-hot date, folks!) I’m really looking forward to hearing more about your wonderful characters today!
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AK Wilder & Characters from the "Amassia" Series

Helen, I am so happy to be included in the final “What Makes a Hero” post. It’s an honour to contribute my thoughts on this most engaging topic.

Ash, a hero of the Amassia series

I love how, through the course of your blog series, you’ve covered so many aspects of the Hero and how these qualities might be expressed, subtly, consistently, sporadically, aggressively. There are a multitude of heroic styles out there in the Fantasy genre and I am fascinated by each one!

As a writer, I have created different kinds of heroes, those with flaming swords and egos to match, all the way to the unsung, undervalued, and shy. In the Amassia series, (Crown of Bones and Curse of Shadows) diverse heroes have emerged, and as you say, Helen, they are born out of circumstances, upbringing, personality, necessity and, well, magic. 

The most obvious of my Amassia series heroes is Marcus Adicio who was raised for the task. He readily answers the call, facing enemies and rallying his companions at every turn. But on the inside, Marcus struggles with a darkness he is in no way prepared to face. And because of all that is expected of him, he finds it near impossible to ask for help. 

And then there is Ash, not trained to be brave or wield charisma like a weapon, but to listen. She is a recorder whose ideas are often passed over for her lack of status and magical prowess. But because she won’t give up—though like Myr in Daughter of Blood, she is often terrified—Ash finds the courage to act on her convictions, and convince others to do the same. She is the moral compass of the group, at least thus far.

Ash & Kaylin (Ooh-la-la...)

Kaylin, the mysterious sailor, demonstrates all the outward qualities of heroism, fearlessness in the face of untenable odds, superior skills and strength, but what is he hiding? With all his secrets, it’s hard at times to know whose side he is actually on!

And I must mention my favorite character to write, Salila, who, truth be told, is an anti-hero for most of the story, serving her own needs and desires with guile and subterfuge, until she finds something worth fighting for. Something of the heart. There is nothing more glorious than to watch a hero be born. 

Salila

Helen Lowe & Characters from "The Wall Of Night" Series

Ash, Marcus, Kaylin, & Salila – they’re a great band, Kim—together with sidekicks such as the healer, Piper, and (the underestimated, I suspect) Tyche in Aku. I think we’re all looking forward to rejoining their adventures!

Epic or High Fantasy is often termed Heroic as well, and The Wall of Night series is firmly in that quadrant of the Fantasy ’verse. Malian, the central protagonist, is very like Marcus in that she has been raised to shoulder her duty, to lead, and to answer the heroic Call without complaint. She is coolheaded, clever, and unquestionably courageous. Or as Faro, one of the younger characters in Daughter of Blood expressed it:

“She was full of cleverness and secrets…Twisty, he thought.”

 

Unlike Marcus, the challenges Malian must overcome arise less from internal darkness as from the war-without-end she’s fighting, and the dysfunction of her own society – although both present plenty of ethical dilemmas she must overcome, along with smiting the various “big bads” that haunt her path.

Arguably, "Daughter of Blood" is Kalan's book

It would also be fair to say that circumstances make opting out difficult for either Malian or Kalan, the series’ second lead. Although not raised to lead, like Malian, he’s always aspired to be a champion—and where Malian sometimes struggles with ethical dilemmas, Kalan—like Ash, but also Myr in Daughter of Blood—has a strong moral compass. He’s also kind and naturally chivalrous, and no less smart, or brave, than Malian, but in a much more openhearted way.

As Faro reflects, he “is always bright, like the sun.”

 

The second post in the Heroes series addressed the part circumstances play in making a hero—and this is very true of Orth, who plays a heroic part in the defense of a bridal cavalcade in Daughter of Blood. Orth is a physical giant and able warrior, but his part in The Gathering Of The Lost (WALL #2) and earlier in Daughter, make it pretty clear he’s also cruel and a bully. He also hates Kalan.

Yet when the chips are down for the camp, it’s Orth who turns the tide against capitulation—because he knows what he would do once an enemy surrendered—and is in the forefront when holding the final breach. He’s unquestionably brave, and entirely because of circumstances and the survival imperative, answers the Call and rises to the Challenge.

Or as Kalan puts it:

“He…could and would acknowledge that Orth had fought ferociously to the end—”

 

For his deeds, if not his motivation, Orth would be remembered as a hero in the songs and stories of the cavalcade’s defense.

The WALL series has a large cast of point-of-view characters, from Raven, whom one reader dubbed an “international man of mystery”, to Asantir (“Kickass-antir” according to another reader), and including Faro, our embedded observer quoted above, and Myr, whom Kim likened to her own Ash – definitely the “crown of good company” for both characters. 

There’s Rowan Birchmoon, who has left home and people for love, but also to save her world; and a herald pair that have answered the Call long before the story opens and sacrificed almost everything to do so. So, too, has a ghost, keeping watch over a Cave of Sleepers—because as it tells a young Malian:

“My dear…it is not that I am old. I am dead. I died a long time ago, so that they might live.”

 

All “sorts and conditions” of heroes, whom we hope readers will enjoy reading about as much as we enjoy recording their adventures – but I’m going to close with Kim’s words, which I feel encapsulate our post today, and the series. J

Conclusion

Be it the call, courage, circumstance, challenge, charisma—all the qualities that go into a hero—each can be mixed in an infinite variety of ways, creating someone unique and engaging to lead us on our next step of the journey. ~ Kim Falconer

 ~*~

About the Authors

Kim Falconer:

Kim Falconer, currently writing as A K Wilder, has released Crown of Bones, a YA Epic Fantasy with Curse of Shadows coming out December 6, 2022.

Kim can be found on  AKWilder Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Throw the bones, read your horoscopes or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site

.

 

~*~

 

Helen Lowe:

Helen Lowe is an award-winning novelist, poet, and lover of story. With four books published to date, she is currently completing the final instalment in The Wall Of Night series.

Helen posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural Underground, and tweets @helenl0we.

~*~
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Previous "What Makes A Hero?" Posts:

January: Looking Forward To An Heroic 2022

March: What Makes A Hero -- and The Call

April: What Makes A Hero #2: Circumstance

May: What Makes A Hero #3: Commitment 

June: What Makes A Hero #4: Courage

July: What Makes A Hero #5: Challenge

August: What Makes A Hero #6: Charisma

September: What Makes A Hero #7: Chivalry 

October: What Makes A Hero #8: Clever – or Clueless?  

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November: What Makes A Hero #9: Calm & Chaos