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cultivating-wildflowers · 4 years ago

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My reading goals for 2021

In honor of the fact that I already have 21 books on my TBR for 2021 (some of them books that I’ve been meaning to read for two years and more...) I wanted to share my two specific goals for reading, since they’re different from past years in that it’s not about numbers. In 2021 I want to:

Seek out newer, quality Christian fiction

Get to the nonfiction that’s been piling up around my house

The second is pretty obvious, so to expand upon that first point:

I want to intentionally seek out and read fiction from professed Christian writers whose works very likely reflect their faith. I’ve mostly avoided fiction marketed as by or for Christians for years because to me the majority of it tends to lack the standard of quality that “mainstream” fiction adheres to. Lately I’ve seen signs that this is changing (especially with a rising number of Christian fantasy writers and even a Christian fantasy/sci-fi publisher or two cropping up) so I want to investigate it for myself.

Plus, it’ll be nice to support fellow Christian writers.

What does this mean for my selection process?

I’m looking for writers who specifically state in their bios or on their websites that they are Christian, as opposed to it being some tangential fact you can only find in a random interview (e.g. Veronica Roth, Ally Condie).

For the first time ever, I’m utilizing publisher catalogs to find books (though I’m not look at a lot of the big-name Christian publishers). My starting point has been Enclave Publishing, since I like how they present themselves online and I like the apparent quality of the books in their catalog. I’m also looking through resources related to the Realm Makers conference, and to the Lorehaven website and podcast (Fantastical Truth).

I’m still mostly sticking to speculative fiction. It would take a lot for me to willingly curate a year’s TBR full of contemporary or historical Christian fiction, and even more for that list to be romance-centric.

Related to the above, I’m not specifically requiring that these books mention God or be allegorical, though it is nice to see how various writers approach this. (I still like Wayne Thomas Batson’s approach.)

I will probably have to buy a lot of the books on my TBR, or else work up the nerve to make requests through my library.

So here’s my 2021 TBR (so far):

Non-Fic

Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making* - Andrew Peterson

A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis

Lost Women of the Bible: Finding Strength & Significance Through Their Stories - Carolyn Custis James

Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis

Peace Child: An unforgettable Story of Primitive Jungle Teaching in the 20th Century - Don Richardson

Prophecies Of Pale Skin* - D.S. Phillips

Pure: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free* - Linda Kay Klein

Christian Fic

The Beast of Talesend - Kyle Robert Schultz

Brand of Light - Ronie Kendig

Child of the Kaites - Beth Wangler

The Electrical Menagerie - Mollie E. Reeder

Heartless - Anne Elisabeth Stengl

The House of DunRaven - Steven Thomas Lympus

The Innocence of Father Brown - G.K. Chesterton

King's Warrior - Jenelle Leanne Schmidt (the audiobook was just released!)

Mark of the Raven - Morgan L. Busse

Seventh City - Emily Hayse

Superego - Frank J. Fleming

Other Fic

The Silver Hand - Stephen R. Lawhead*/**

Re-Reads

The Silmarillion***- J.R.R. Tolkien

The Thief - Megan Whalen Turner

Since the whole goal here is to find some quality fiction I would happily recommend to others, I’m going to do my best not to slog through books that aren’t holding my interest, but I have a feeling I’m going to struggle with it this year. I tend to feel obligated to finish certain books and that obligation is always magnified when the author Christian.

The Thief will hopefully be my first read of the year (depending on what library books I still have after Christmas) because I’ll be marking it up and then sending it along to a friend to read, who will pass it to another friend, and so on throughout the year. By the end I will hopefully have indoctrinated at least one friend into the Queen’s Thief fandom. (I have five of my writing gals signed up so the odds are solid one of them joins me. Yes, I am ridiculously giddy about this scheme.)

*meant to read in 2020

** not 100% positive he’s a Christian author

***technically I’ve only ever got halfway through this book

#what's this? me using my tumblr for personal posts?#after *mumbles* years I suppose it was bound to happen #reading #book recs #I guess #books #2021 reading list #dunno if anyone cares but I feel like spewing my thoughts #will probably make a similar post on my actual blog #who knows #not I #mine

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tasksweekly · 5 years ago

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[TASK 179: PALAU]

There’s a masterlist below compiled of over 130+ Palauan faceclaims categorised by gender with their occupation and ethnicity denoted if there was a reliable source. If you want an extra challenge use random.org to pick a random number! Of course everything listed below are just suggestions and you can pick whichever faceclaim or whichever project you desire.

Any questions can be sent here and all tutorials have been linked below the cut for ease of access! REMEMBER to tag your resources with #TASKSWEEKLY and we will reblog them onto the main! This task can be tagged with whatever you want but if you want us to see it please be sure that our tag is the first five tags, @ mention us or send us a messaging linking us to your post!

THE TASK - scroll down for FC’s!

STEP 1: Decide on a FC you wish to create resources for! You can always do more than one but who are you starting with? There are links to masterlists you can use in order to find them and if you want help, just send us a message and we can pick one for you at random!

STEP 2: Pick what you want to create! You can obviously do more than one thing, but what do you want to start off with? Screencaps, RP icons, GIF packs, masterlists, PNG’s, fancasts, alternative FC’s - LITERALLY anything you desire!

STEP 3: Look back on tasks that we have created previously for tutorials on the thing you are creating unless you have whatever it is you are doing mastered - then of course feel free to just get on and do it. :)

STEP 4: Upload and tag with #TASKSWEEKLY! If you didn’t use your own screencaps/images make sure to credit where you got them from as we will not reblog packs which do not credit caps or original gifs from the original maker.

THINGS YOU CAN MAKE FOR THIS TASK - examples are linked!

Stumped for ideas? Maybe make a masterlist or graphic of your favourite faceclaims. A masterlist of names. Plot ideas or screencaps from a music video preformed by an artist. Masterlist of quotes and lyrics that can be used for starters, thread titles or tags. Guides on culture and customs.

Screencaps

RP icons [of all sizes]

Gif Pack [maybe gif icons if you wish]

PNG packs

Manips

Dash Icons

Character Aesthetics

PSD’s

XCF’s

Graphic Templates - can be chara header, promo, border or background PSD’s!

FC Masterlists - underused, with resources, without resources!

FC Help - could be related, family templates, alternatives.

Written Guides.

and whatever else you can think of / make!

MASTERLIST!

Brenda Bari (1979) Palauan, Chamorro, Italian - model and bodybuilder.

Sha Merirei / C. Merirei Ongelungel (1983) Palauan - radio host, podcast host, Miss Palau LGBTQ 2014, and artist.

Geana Stark (?) Palauan, Mexican, Unspecified White - model and makeup artist.

Sistah Lubei / Lubei Cavin (?) Palauan - singer.

Jenelle Iwang (?) Palauan - singer.

Lisa Sandei (?) Palauan - singer.

Christy Sakaziro (?) Palauan - singer.

F - Athletes:

Jennifer Anson (1977) Palauan - judoka.

Peoria Koshiba (1979) Palauan - sprinter.

Carissa Subris (1982) Palauan - high jumper.

Ngerak Florencio (1983) Palauan - sprinter.

Nicole Hayes (1984) Palauan - swimmer.

Avon Grace Mazo (1987) Palauan - sprinter.

Anastasia Kikuharu (1988) Palauan - weightlifter.

Evelyn Otto (1989) Palauan - swimmer.

Amber Yobech (1991) Palauan - swimmer.

Maria Gibbons (1993) Palauan - swimmer.

Ruby Joy Gabriel (1994) Palauan - sprinter.

Marina Toribiong (1994) Palauan - canoeist.

Keesha Keane (1995) Palauan - swimmer.

Osisang Chilton (1996) Palauan - swimmer.

Dirngulbai Misech (1997) Palauan - swimmer.

Ayana Rengiil (1999) Palauan - tennis player.

Roylin Akiwo (2000) Palauan - swimmer.

Maura Ngirmechaet (?) Palauan - sprinter.

Joy Kukumai Ueki Uong (?) Palauan - canoeist.

Hila Asanuma (?) Palauan - volleyball player.

Jacqualine Ngirdimau (?) Palauan - canoeist.

Maleah Umerang Tengedik (?) Palauan - javelin thrower.

Zoya Renguul (?) Palauan - table tennis player.

Debra Ann Toriboing (?) Palauan - canoeist.

Ikelau Misech (?) Palauan - swimmer.

Pkngey Otobed (?) Palauan - canoeist.

Barbara Gbewonyo (?) Palauan - triple jumper.

Holly Yamada (?) Palauan - volleyball player.

Jaqueline Keri Telli (?) Palauan - sprinter.

Pauleen Kumangai (?) Palauan - canoeist.

Christina Wicker (?) Palauan - sprinter.

Felicia Saburo (?) Palauan - long jumper.

Elsei Diane Tellei (?) Palauan - canoeist.

Corrine Hideos (?) Palauan - hammer thrower.

Dannette Ricky (?) Palauan - sprinter.

Chandis Cooper (?) Palauan - shot putter and discus thrower.

Halley Eriich (?) Palauan - singer.

Kendall Titiml (?) Palauan - singer.

Tim Sameke (?) Palaun, Fijian, I-Kiribati, New Caledonian - singer.

DJ Darxide (?) Palauan, Tongan, Papuan New Guinean, Solomon Islander, Fijian - DJ.

Walker Miner (?) Palauan - model.

Darren Clift (?) Palauan, Japanese, Unspecified White - singer.

M - Athletes:

John Tarkong (1965) Palauan - wrestler.

Toni Illilau (1969) Palauan - footballer.

Mohoshin Miah (1973) Palauan - footballer.

Russel Roman (1975) Palauan - sprinter.

Malakai Bitu (1976) Palauan - footballer.

Christopher Adolf (1976) Palauan - sprinter.

Edward Kenic (1978 or 1979) Palauan - archer.

Brandon Giramur (1981) Palauan - archer.

Charles Reklai Mitchell (1982) Palauan - footballer.

Jesse Tamangrow (1982) Palauan - sprinter.

Leif Toribiong (1984) Palauan - footballer.

Elgin Loren Elwais (1985) Palauan - wrestler.

Armando Canseco (1985) Palauan - footballer.

Florian Skilang Temengil (1986) Palauan - wrestler.

Nicholas Mangham (1986) Palauan - weightlifter.

Sergio Ngiraingas (1988) Palauan - footballer.

Leon Mengloi (1989) Palauan - sprinter.

McGee Mereb (1989) Palauan - footballer.

Robert Victor Bishop Jr. (1990) Palauan - footballer.

Scott Skebong (1990) Palauan - footballer.

Christopher Ongrung (1991) Palauan - archer.

Stevick Patris (1991) Palauan - weightlifter.

Edson Ngiraiwet (1991) Palauan - volleyball player.

Dougwin Franz (1991) Palauan - javelin thrower.

Youri Ito (1992) Palauan - footballer.

Dims Tewid (1992) Palauan - footballer.

Joe Carlos (1992) Palauan - footballer.

Francis Tkel (1992) Palauan - sprinter.

Mac Sasao (1992) Palauan - footballer.

Jimmy Jonas (1992) Palauan - footballer.

Cristian Nicolescu (1993) Palauan - wrestler.

Shawn Dingilius-Wallace (1994) Palauan - swimmer.

Mechesengel Roman (1994) Palauan - footballer.

Skarlee Renguul (1994) Palauan - wrestler.

Christian Etpison Nicolescu (1994) Palauan - footballer.

Rodman Teltull (1994) Palauan - sprinter.

Mavrick Faustino (1994) Palauan - weightlifter.

Dexter Decherong (1995) Palauan - footballer.

Bligh Madris (1996) Palauan - baseball player.

Jarvis Tarkong (1996) Palauan - judoka.

Gwynn Uehara (1997) Palauan - sprinter.

James Dydasco (1998) Palauan - wrestler.

Paulus Ngirngesechei (1998) Palauan - footballer.

Noel Keane (2002) Palauan - swimmer.

Reagan Sidoi (?) Palauan - baseball player.

Conrad Rdechor (?) Palauan - sprinter.

Kalson Dulei (?) Palauan - baseball player.

Donovan Helvey (?) Palauan - high jumper.

Ryon Gaines (?) Palauan - sprinter.

Antonio Ngiralmau (?) Palauan - baseball player.

Marcus Hangaripai (?) Palauan - sprinter.

William Mgirakelau (?) Palauan - triple jumper.

Tutii Chilton (?) Palauan - archer.

Lantz Ngiramengior (?) Palauan - baseball player.

Elias Aguon (?) Palauan - table tennis player.

Melngis Andre Uchel (?) Palauan - baseball player.

Shaquille Teltull (?) Palauan - sprinter.

Avery Amos Olkebai (?) Palauan - baseball player.

O'Quinn Sakuma (?) Palauan - canoeist.

Blaluk Conseko Anthony (?) Palauan - baseball player.

Texxon Taro (?) Palauan - volleyball player.

Lieb Kubek Bells (?) Palauan - baseball player.

Malcolm Gaymann (?) Palauan - judoka.

Rodrick Aquino Blanco (?) Palauan - baseball player.

Kingsley Ngirmidol (?) Palauan - volleyball player.

Joab Kanai (?) Palauan - sprinter.

Herman Alfonso (?) Palauan - baseball player.

Galileo Saiske (?) Palauan - hammer thrower.

L'Amour Lansang Arurang (?) Palauan - baseball player.

Jacques Stills (?) Palauan - sprinter.

O'leary Wataru Ise (?) Palauan - baseball player.

Richard Madrekewet (?) Palauan - sprinter.

Dillon Meriang (?) Palauan - table tennis player.

Anthony Singichi (?) Palauan - sprinter.

Carter Smau Kahue (?) Palauan - baseball player.

John Stills (?) Palauan - sprinter.

Royce Elbuchel Sadang (?) Palauan - baseball player.

Filomena Ngirabedul (?) Palauan - pole vaulter.

Samuel Saunders (?) Palauan - table tennis player.

Christopher Kenty (?) Palauan - hurdler.

Raynold Bkudasu Sadang (?) Palauan - baseball player.

Joynal Mize (?) Palauan - sprinter.

Dmitri Villanueva (?) Palauan - weightlifter.

Brook Kinz (?) Palauan - sprinter.

Isimang Tillion Smus (?) Palauan - baseball player.

Douglas Schmidt (?) Palauan - sprinter.

Christopher Carlos (?) Palauan - volleyball player.

Jersey Lyar (?) Palauan - sprinter.

#palauan fc #poc fc #underused fc #fc list #rph #task: 179 #task: palau

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tabloidtoc · 6 years ago

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Us, January 21

Cover: Meghan Markle -- Her Side of the Story

Page 2: Red Carpet -- Rita Ora

Page 4: Who Wore It Best? Teresa Palmer vs. Margot Robbie, Kristin Chenoweth vs. Brooke Burke, Alessandra Ambrosio vs. Emily Blunt

Page 6: Please don’t wear leather

Page 8: Please don’t wear leather

Page 10: Loose Talk -- Sarah Hyland on working out, Dax Shepard on his birthday, Chrissy Teigen on getting hit by Leslie Jones’ umbrella. Emma Stone on her year off, Lindsay Lohan on Cady Heron

Page 13: Contents

Page 14: Hot Pics -- David and Victoria Beckham

Page 17: Mark Wahlberg, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas, Trevor Noah, Serena Williams

Page 18: Bold Lipstick -- Lily Collins, Tracee Ellis Ross, Hailey Bieber, Gigi Hadid, Bebe Rexha, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Chloe Grace Moretz

Page 20: Stars They’re Just Like Us -- Heidi Klum and Tom Kaulitz, Sting, Scott Caan

Page 21: Ed Westwick, Lucy Hale

Page 22: Golden Globes -- Best Dressed -- Gemma Chan, Saoirse Ronan, Lupita Nyong’o

Page 23: Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Regina King

Page 24: Love it or hate it? Lucy Liu, Rosamund Pike, Lili Reinhart, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Emma Stone, Alison Brie, Lady Gaga

Page 25: Pony tails -- Kristin Cavallari, Halle Berry, Laura Harrier

Page 26: Golden moments -- Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk

Page 27: Jim Carrey and Ginger Gonzaga, Gina Rodriguez and Taraji P. Henson, Carol Burnett and Amy Adams, Idris Elba and daughter Isan

Page 28: Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell, Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg, Patricia Clarkson and Mahershala Ali, Chadwick Boseman and Danai Gurira and Lupita Nyong’o and Michael B. Jordan

Page 29: Emily Blunt, Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Borstein, Richard Madden and the Fiji Water Girl Kelleth Cuthbert

Page 30: Behind the Scenes -- Taylor Swift, Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton

Page 31: Chrissy Metz and Hal Rosenfeld

Page 32: Hollywood Moms -- Jessica Alba doesn’t take her life for granted

Page 34: Love Lives -- Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Lauren Burnham are expecting a baby girl

Page 35: Nikki Bella and Artem Chigvintsev have been going on for a while, Demi Lovato and Henri Levy are happy and healthy, Karrueche Tran and Victor Cruz are the real deal

Page 36: Rami Malek is very into girlfriend Lucy Boynton, Jake Gyllenhaal and Jeanne Cadieu are pretty serious, Sylvester Stallone is guinea pig for Jennifer Flavin Stallone’s Serious Skincare products

Page 37: Padma Lakshmi and Adam Dell are better than ever

Page 38: Jennifer Garner ready for a ring from John Miller

Page 39: Patti Stanger is clairaudient, Kevin Spacey’s day in court for indecent assault and battery, Jenelle Evans’ side of the story

Page 40: Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik are done, Presley Gerber’s DUI made mom Cindy Crawford furious, stars who said sorry after subpar performances -- Tiffany Haddish, Wendy Williams, Fergie, Rita Ora

Page 41: Madonna’s butt implants, VIP Scene -- Antoni Porowski, NeNe Leakes, Allison Janney, Snoop Dogg, Jenna Fischer and Lee Kirk, Daniel Radcliffe, Nicole Scherzinger, Kate Walsh, Kesha

Page 42: What’s in my bag? Miranda Kerr

Page 43: Britney Spears quits Vegas for her dad, Jen Harley threw an ashtray at Ronnie Ortiz-Magro during a fight, The Masked Singer is a hit

Page 44: Cover Story -- Pregnant Meghan Markle under attack

Page 48: Katie Holmes betrayed by Jamie Foxx

Page 50: How Ariana Grande survived the worst year of her life

Page 52: Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. -- the secret to their 16-year marriage

Page 54: The Bachelor Colton Underwood

Page 56: Style -- Olivia Culpo, Lupita Nyong’o

Page 58: Beauty -- Blunt Cut -- Olivia Wilde, Jourdan Dunn, Malin Akerman, Sandra Bullock, Kiki Layne, Emma Roberts

Page 59: Lucy Hale, Dua Lipa, Dakota Johnson, Gemma Chan

Page 60: Winter TV -- A to Z -- The Village, I Am the Night, Deadly Class

Page 61: Teen Mom 2, Chicago Fire, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Whiskey Cavalier

Page 62: The Enemy Within, Proven Innocent, Big Brother: Celebrity Edition, Grammy Awards, The Fix, Maroon 5 at the Super Bowl halftime show

Page 63: Roswell, New Mexico, The Other Two, The Walking Dead

Page 64: The Passage, Friends from College, Rent: Live, True Detective, Fam

Page 65: American Idol, The Oscars, Sex Education, Survivor, Constance Zimmer in A Million Little Things

Page 70: Fashion Police -- Kourtney Kardashian, Felicity Jones, Kesha

Page 71: Laverne Cox, Katy Perry, Kaia Gerber

Page 72: 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me -- Gina Rodriguez

#tabloid #meghan markle #duchess meghan #ariana grande

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magicalwildlifeknittingthing · 4 years ago

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February is Fantasy Month - A Fantasy Linkup

February is Fantasy Month – A Fantasy Linkup

Hello everyone, I hope you’re having a lovely morning/afternoon/evening! This month of February (albeit late), I will be taking part in a fun linkup/challenge/event hosted by Jenelle Schmidt! It is called February is Fantasy Month, and, in this ‘surprise’ post, I’ll be answering some questions/prompts that Jenelle created! You can click here to visit her original post, if you’d…

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#fandom #fantasy #fantasymonth #februaryfantasymonth

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jamesquinlanmeservy-author · 5 years ago

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Cover Reveal For An Echo of the Fae by Janelle Leanne Schmidt

(The cover art/design was done by the amazing Savannah Jezowski with Dragonpen Designs.)

Book Blurb:

Echo enjoys the peace and solitude of the Faeorn forest, regardless of how strange spending time in the “haunted” wood seems to others.

But on the cusp of her thirteenth birthday, the discovery of a family secret reveals why Echo has never been drawn to the sea like her mother. This discovery shakes the foundations of her world and sends Echo on a quest, not merely into the forest, but into the heart of the fae-lands themselves, to rescue the sister she didn’t know existed.

Elves, dragons, and fairy courts will put Echo’s wit and resolve to the test. But with time running out for her sister, will Echo even be able to save herself?

A fairytale adventure perfect for fans of The Secret of Roan Innish and The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

Endorsements:

“Enthralled by the terror, charm, riddles, and beauty of a richly depicted fae world, I devoured this marvelous book in two sittings! Readers of all ages will love Echo, a heroine strong in her weakness, clever and resolute amid her doubt and fear. An Echo of the Fae is sure to satisfy lovers of adventure and faery!” — J.M. Stengl, author of The Faraway Castle Series

Author Bio:

Jenelle first fell in love with stories through her father’s voice reading books aloud each night. A relentless opener-of-doors in hopes of someday finding a passage to Narnia, it was only natural that she soon began making up fantastical realms of her own. Jenelle currently resides in the wintry tundra of Wisconsin—which she maintains is almost as good as Narnia—with her knight-in-shining armor and their four adorable hobbits. When she is not writing, she homeschools said hobbits and helps them along on their daily adventures… which she says makes her a wizard.

Follow Jenelle around the interwebs to get news about latest releases and her writing adventures:

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

GOODREADS

NEWSLETTER SIGN-UP

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL

Excerpts (if you choose to share an excerpt, please choose just one to share, thank you!):

My earliest memory returns often in my dreams. My mother’s soft smile caresses me as she bends down to kiss my forehead, my own tiny hand reaching up and trying to capture a lock of her long red-gold hair between clumsy fingers that refuse to obey my wish. A soft, sweet humming fills the memory, a tune that is both dear and yet unfamiliar. Eyes filled with love gaze down at me, and a gentle laugh, a man’s laugh, fills the room. Strong arms encircle us both, my mother and me, and I know I am perfectly safe. Perfectly loved.

Another sound permeates the memory: a rhythmic, rushing, liquid sound I do not recognize, but which fills me with a deep longing that threatens to burst out of my chest and leave me completely hollow. In the dream, it is merely a subtle noise in the background, but when I wake I feel a desperate need to find its source. Sometimes the longing clutches me so tightly that it leaves me gasping, desperately sucking in each breath as if through a narrow reed, my lungs screaming as though they have forgotten how to breathe the very air I need to survive.

It is rare to have a memory from such a tender age, especially one so vivid. And yet, that moment is locked in my thoughts with perfect clarity. During the day it grows distant and faded, but it has haunted my sleep in full, vibrant detail each night for nearly thirteen years.

So why is it that the face in my dreams is wholly unfamiliar to me? Why is the mother from my memory a stranger?

***

Echo sat on a salt-smoothed boulder, her knees pulled up to her chin, watching the other village children playing along the beach. Some of them traversed the shore collecting shells in wicker baskets. The braver ones waded out into the water, splashing and swimming in the gently rolling waves. A shudder coursed through her. Even if it were not early spring and the waters were warmer, nothing would induce her to go any closer to that surging surf and those unfathomable depths. Who knew what untold terrors the placidly sparkling surface concealed?

A cluster of girls stood in the wet sand where the waves lapped about their ankles, baskets swinging from their arms, the foaming water swirling at their feet. She imagined ghostly, watery hands reaching out to capture them, pulling them beneath the surface, deeper and deeper until all memory of light and warmth was long forgotten.

***

She lay still, listening. All was quiet in the house below. Or was it? A voice filtered through the hammering rain—Dadai’s deep rumble, and then Mamai’s treble answered, though Echo could not make out the words. Another rumble of thunder, and beneath its rolling bass, she could just pick out the higher-pitched creak of the front door opening.

Quietly, so as not to alert her parents, Echo crept out of her bed, dragging her quilt with her, and tiptoed to her window that looked out over the front of the house. Before the open front door, she could make out a faint rectangle of light on the ground below. Gusts of wind buffeted the cozy house, and she squinted into the pelting rain to see who might be going out. Then the hinges creaked again and the light disappeared, plunging the outdoors into darkness once more.

Through the driving rain, a hint of movement drew her attention to a shadowy figure crossing the yard. Echo strained her eyes, but she could not make it out. Then, a flash of lightning, another, and another, lit the sky in quick succession. Echo caught her breath. Walking through the storm, hair long and flowing unbound around her in the tempest, her skirts fluttering in the wind, Mamai walked heedlessly into the rain toward the tip of the peninsula. Echo stared out the window, willing another lightning bolt to scatter the darkness. When it came, she saw her mother descending the rocky stairs that led to the beach. Her head soon disappeared below the cliffside, out of Echo’s view.

Her head spun as she leaned her elbows on the windowsill. Where had Mamai gone? Why could she possibly need to be out in such a storm? No houses lay that way, so it couldn’t be a sick neighbor. The docks were on the other side of the peninsula, and anyway, if there were a problem there, it would have been her father who attended to it. The mystery of it lay heavy on her thoughts as she awaited her mother’s return.

But she did not return.

Echo’s eyelids grew heavy. She struggled to keep them open, propping herself up in an uncomfortable position in an attempt to stay awake, but eventually she succumbed to the insistent embrace of sleep.

***

Do the fae read books? Echo wondered suddenly, and voiced the question before she had time to consider whether or not it might be rude.

“We don’t read about life; we live,” Malilia replied. “And we learn, not from reading, but from living.”

“That’s beautiful,” Echo said. “And yet… hollow.”

Malilia arched an eyebrow. “Hollow? What is in your books that is so wonderful?”

“Everything!” Echo enthused, warming to the topic. “Why, in books you can be anyone, go anywhere. There’s a freedom to reading unlike anything else. When you read, it makes you think differently about the world and your own life, and sometimes it helps you understand what’s going on around you by showing you a different perspective. And… well… there’s beauty to be discovered in books, more real and more true because it’s only limited by your own imagination. And besides, it’s…. it’s just… fun!”

Malilia grew thoughtful. “This is something you care about.”

“Yes.” Echo felt a little embarrassed. She did not usually speak so forcefully. “I like reading.”

“I can tell.” Malilia’s eyes twinkled with amusement.

***

“You dare steal from the King of the Winter Court?” The voice reverberated through the air, its sheer, palpable power pushing Echo to her knees. The lantern dropped from her nerveless hand and clattered on the ground.

Echo bowed her head respectfully, racking her memory for every snatch of folk-tale she had ever heard about the Winter Fae or the Dark Host. “Forgive me, my lord,” she whispered. “I did not intend to steal from you. I merely seek to save the life of my sister.”

She heard soft footfalls approach across the sable ground but she did not dare raise her eyes, not even when she felt the touch of hot breath on the back of her head.

“You smell of truth.” The voice sounded puzzled. “Rise, seeker.”

Echo stood, wincing at the pain in her feet. But that thought fled with the rest as she came face to face with the largest tiger she had ever seen.

Upon reflection, it was the only tiger she had ever seen. But she was reasonably certain that, should she ever see another, it would be quite different from the monstrous beast that confronted her now.

Her eyes were even with his shoulders, and he stared down at her from his impressive height, his long whiskers twitching inches above her face. His fur was utterly black, the color of coal. Instead of stripes, Ritioghra’s—for it could only be Ritioghra—body was covered in swirls and whorls of gleaming blue, the same color as the Everflame. His eyes gleamed like two massive stars of an identical shade, and he gazed down at her with an expression of ferocious curiosity. He was utterly terrifying and utterly beautiful.

Terror coursed through her veins like ice, but the light of intelligence in his eyes gave her courage. “For-forgive me, my lord.” Echo gave a wobbly curtsy.

The tiger stretched with a lazy nonchalance. Every line of his long body rippled with power and strength, like the unstoppable force of a river about to burst its banks.

Cover Reveal For An Echo of the Fae by Janelle Leanne Schmidt Cover Reveal For An Echo of the Fae by Janelle Leanne Schmidt (The cover art/design was done by the amazing Savannah Jezowski with Dragonpen Designs.)

#Cover Reveal

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