Muse Food – Fairy Houses And Other World Building Hints
When the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I visited Iceland, we were fascinated by the fairy houses, tiny homes crafted by humans for the hidden folk.
In a story, structures like that would be a strong hint we weren’t in a purely human world. It is a hint of magic, of the paranormal, of the unknown.
And hints like these are powerful in storytelling and for worldbuilding.
Because a much beloved story technique is to, at first, make a world seem like the reader’s world here in present day Earth. That is comfortable. It is relatable. The reader can focus on the characters.
Then we slowly introduce the unusual world-specific elements, pushing the reader out of their comfort zones.
Little hints such as fairy houses or a clockwork-like clicking sound deep in a forest or upside down rain are great ways to start this transition.
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Visiting A Botanical Garden In Akureyri, Iceland
Akureyri, Iceland is a fairly small and extremely walkable town.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I spent a good portion of our time there exploring the Botanical Gardens, which are absolutely gorgeous.
There were so many flowers and many were bright colors like vivid purples or deep blues. The bees were buzzing. The birds were singing.
There were displays of older farming equipment like tractors placed throughout the gardens. And charming little buildings.
It is well worth a visit.
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Muse Food – Guard Geese And Other Unlikely Protectors
(The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I spotted this guard goose in Iceland.)
When I was a kid, our family lived on what people would today call a homestead. We had geese on this plot of land and we would refer to them as our guard geese. These birds would chase away and peck the living daylights out of anyone foolish enough to come close to our property. They would protect themselves AND us.
Last year, in my current home, we had what we referred to as guard bees. Yellowjackets built a hive in our eavestrough by the front door. They knew the Dear Wonderful Hubby and me and would tolerate our presence. But lord help anyone else who dared to knock on our door.
(grins)
Unlikely protectors can intrigue readers, whether that protector is a guard goose or a dainty-looking, ladylike heroine or an easy-going hero who acts decisively when his loved ones are threatened.
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Waterfalls In Iceland
If you love to see gorgeous waterfalls, Iceland is your place.
(smiles)
These are merely some of the waterfalls situated within easy walking distance from the small town of Grundarfjörður, a site not especially known for waterfalls.
Every stop we made in Iceland had at the very least one beautiful often-glacier-fed waterfall near it.
Many can be seen by the road. And there are usually paths if you wish to hike closer to them.
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Isafjordur Culture House i.e. Public Library, Iceland
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I drop in on public libraries wherever we travel and one of the prettiest in the world is the Isafjordur Culture House i.e. Public Library in Iceland.
Each room is different and designed for readers. There are window reading nooks, comfy cushioned wingback chairs, lovely displays and a couple beautiful meeting spaces.
The Isafjordur Culture House was built in 1924-1925 and served as a hospital until 1989. There’s a wonderful little display of older hospital equipment and supplies (a must-visit for lovers of the Mills & Boon Medical series).
It is, of course, free to enter. And the staff were friendly. (smiles)
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Kerid Volcanic Crater, Iceland
One of the stops on the Golden Circle Tour the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I took in Iceland was Kerið Volcanic Crater.
This is exactly what it sounds like – a volcanic crater. But it has been filled with water and now hosts a spectacular lake. The colors and contrasts are amazing.
There are two main hikes visitors can do. We can hike around the top of the crater. The Dear Wonderful Hubby did this one. And we can hike around the lake at the bottom of the crater. We ran out of time to do that one.
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Muse Food – The Struggle
(These gorgeous flowers in Iceland are growing where very few flowers could – amidst bare rock during harsh weather.)
One of the (many) reasons we love romance novels is
because the heroes and heroines (and everyone else) have to FIGHT to secure their romantic happy ever afters.
It’s difficult. There are mistakes, pain, and, in my stories, sometimes decapitations. (grins).
The heroes and heroines have to somehow navigate situations such as the dark moment, where every hope of happiness seems to be lost.
An easy romantic happy ever after is boring. It isn’t believable. It is unsatisfying and a dang short story.
We NEED the struggle.
Give that to your characters.
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Grieving What We Lose While Appreciating What We Still Have
(This is one of the many gorgeous rooms in Isafjordur Public Library in Iceland. This library is a must-see for book lovers!)
I don’t talk about this much but…
The book banning/shadow banning makes me VERY sad.
I love reading steamy stories and diverse stories and stories that cover a wide range of experiences. I also love writing steamy stories and diverse stories and stories that cover a wide range of experiences.
It saddens me that we have people telling us what we can read and write and experience.
If this makes you sad too, know that it is OKAY to be sad, to miss what we have lost. It is OKAY to grieve the losses of these freedoms.
Feeling sad is a human response.
It is the RIGHT response.
Take time and feel your feelings.
I will be doing the same.
I will also be noting the happinesses, the joys we have left.
And I will savor those MORE. I won’t take them for granted. I’ll enjoy them with my whole heart, knowing how special and rare and, perhaps, fleeting they are.
(smiles)
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Will A Book Be Banned?
(There are SO many gorgeous rooms in Isafjordur Public Library in Iceland. This is one of them.)
Books are being banned or shadow banned (not banned outright but it is VERY difficult finding them or accessing them at booksellers, on social media, etc) in the US AND the UK, two of the largest English-language romance countries.
This includes many of my published stories.
This makes it almost impossible to cover production costs. And there isn’t much hope of covering other costs like…food and electricity.
My secret writing project, however, has no on- or off-page sex. It doesn’t have traditional cuss words.
Under today’s environment, this SHOULD mean this story won’t be banned or shadow banned.
But two years ago, NONE of my stories were banned or shadow banned.
This is how quickly the writing environment is changing.
There are no guarantees my secret project won’t be banned in the near future.
My advice to writers is…
Ensure the story you are writing gives you joy. THAT is the only thing right now you can control.
My secret writing project is giving me great joy.
(smiles)
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Gullfoss, Iceland
One of the stops on the Golden Circle Tour the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I went on in Iceland was the Gullfoss, a beautiful waterfall near Reykjavík.
There is a great viewing platform really close to the parking lot. (This is where we took first photo on this post.)
If you want to get super close to the waterfall, there’s an easy trek down to it. We got a bit wet on this trek but dried off quickly in the wind.
I loved how the Hvítá river has carved huge crevices in the rock. Water is SUCH a powerful force.
