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The Gathering Storm is Now Available on Audio!
If you prefer audiobooks rather than ebooks or print, then I have good news for you! The audio version of my epic fantasy, The Gathering Storm, is now available! Fantasy Friday book recommendations will return after I have read more … { Read More }
Celebrate Read An Ebook Week!
Hello, my fellow bookworms! Read an Ebook Week is here! This exciting event from March 5-11, 2023 encourages readers to download books, either at a discount or even free at Smashwords! Included are my books, The Gathering Storm; … { Read More }
Fantasy Friday: Shadow’s End by Moira Katson
Welcome back to Fantasy Friday! (If you haven’t read book I (Shadowborn) and II (Shadowforged) and hate spoilers for the second one, please do not read the summary below). At last, Catwin and Miriel have chosen their own path, escaping … { Read More }
Noblebright Fantasy Giveaway
What is noblebright fantasy? I say opposite of grimdark. It does not deny the darkness or pretend it does not exist. Such tales can contain plenty of it, but like the realization that comes to Sam as he sees the … { Read More }
Fantasy Friday: The Ring Keeper by A. J. Park
Welcome back to Fantasy Friday! And do I have a treat for you! Caught between twin brothers, one courting demons and sorcery, the other the ruler of an empire protected by magic, Ana bears a ring of unknown powers, her … { Read More }
Stock Up on These Titles!
Another month, another giveaway awaits you! Besides my own book, The Gathering Storm, allow me to direct you to the great A. J. Park and her fantasies. War’s Ending is fabulous and The West Road is a wonderful short story … { Read More }
New Year! New Giveaway!
Ah, the wonders of the universe! Maybe within this vastness you will find some of your new favorite books. I am taking part in this giveaway to start the year off right. Enjoy! Let’s rock this year with more reading. … { Read More }
Fantasy Friday: Choice by L. A. Smith
Welcome back (at last!) to Fantasy Friday! I have a great one for you! The thrilling conclusion to The Traveller’s Path – a historical fantasy trilogy set in Dark Ages England! A young man’s shadowed destiny leads him to the past… where … { Read More }
Who Doesn’t Like Holiday Book Giving and Getting?
Definitely not me! I want nothing but books, pulled from my personally curated wish-list, so I know I am getting what I want and at the same time getting surprises because the list is so long I won’t know what … { Read More }
Fantasy Friday: Spellbound – Tales of Enchantment from Ancient Ireland
Welcome back to Fantasy Friday! Today I am recommending a delightfully written and illustrated children’s book from Celtic mythology by Siobhán Parkinson and Olwyn Whelan respectively. Why I love this book: These eight short stories are sure to enliven the … { Read More }
Fantasy Friday: J. D. L. Rosell Part 2
Welcome back to Fantasy Friday! And welcome back to the worlds of J. D. L. Rosell. Last time I reviewed A Fable of Blood and Omen in the Snow. I have finished the other short excerpts and am glad to … { Read More }
Fantasy Friday: J. D. L. Rosell
Welcome back to Fantasy Friday! J. D. L. Rosell is a prolific fantasy writer who I am just beginning to get into. I read A Fable of Blood and An Omen in the Snow, but not yet the other two, all of which you … { Read More }
New Trailer for The Gathering Storm! Have you read it yet?
Have you entered the storm yet? No? Maybe this trailer will make you want to drop everything and buy it! Only the strongest will survive the onslaught. Are you one of them? Battle with mighty heroes of old, as they … { Read More }
Fantasy Friday: Seeking the Lord of Middle Earth by Jeffrey L. Morrow
Welcome back to Fantasy Friday! Today we swerve a bit into a non-fiction book about one of the grandmasters of fantasy. J. R. R. Tolkien, the beloved author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, brings to his … { Read More }
Another Book Giveaway Awaits You!
I am featuring my epic tale, The Gathering Storm, in another giveaway! If you have already read it and loved it, I hope, first, you will leave a review and tell me about it! Second, tell you friends about it … { Read More }
Fantasy Friday Book Recommendation: Call of the Storm Sorcerer by Susan Stradiotto
Welcome back to Fantasy Friday! A murdered empress. A missing emperor. Mairynne Evangale called them Mother, Father. The country mourns while rumors of unrest stir. The sorcery castes struggle for power and the casteless riot in the streets. Conflict … { Read More }
Fantasy Friday Book Recommendation: The Blades of Karik by Evan Oliver
Welcome back to Fantasy Friday! In a time of dragons, jarls and kings, immortal tales are told of bravery and valour… And on the Isle of Vrania, where seafaring and raiding are a way of life, no songs are sung … { Read More }
Fantasy Friday Book Recommendation: Shadowborn by Moira Katson
Welcome back to Fantasy Friday! “You, Catwin, no longer exist. You no longer have a fate of your own, a will of your own, or indeed a soul of your own. You will go where Miriel goes, you will watch … { Read More }
Fantasy Friday Book Recommendation: The Actkus Trials by D. T. Kane
Welcome back to Fantasy Friday! “Reading Books can get you killed.” In the land of Oration, magic is cast by reading aloud words of power from Spoken Books. Only a select few, the Speakers, are born with the ability to … { Read More }
The Sword of Glory
This sword was forged in the War of Darkness long ago. A mortal wielded it then to battle a terrible, immortal enemy. A mortal wields it again in the next book of The Storm Chronicles as the great adversary gains … { Read More }
The Face of the Enemy
Just a little tease of what those in The Gathering Storm and the subsequent books in The Storm Chronicles series are up against. This foe will be explored in much greater detail in the prequel, but you will have to … { Read More }
Another Book Giveaway!
I teamed up again with dozens of other fantasy authors to check out. If you have not grabbed your copy of The Gathering Storm, here’s another chance. Grab these August 1-31, 2022 – all for absolutely nothing! You may discover … { Read More }
Fantasy Friday: Wilding and Bound by L. A. Smith
Welcome back to Fantasy Friday with a treat – a double review! A young man’s shadowed destiny leads him to the past…and could change our world forever. On Halloween eve, a frightening encounter with mysterious creatures transports twenty-year old Thomas … { Read More }
Fantasy Friday Book Recommendation: War’s Ending by A. J. Park
Welcome to Fantasy Friday, a weekly review of books I absolutely loved and hope you will too! A courageous noblewoman. A mysterious horseman. A war that may destroy them both… As the king’s niece, Shalyrie can’t wait to explore her … { Read More }
Grab The Gathering Storm and More!
Enjoy this trailer for The Gathering Storm! If you haven’t already picked up your copy and this trailer makes you really want to, my book is part of an epic fantasy group promo showcasing many different authors that runs July 15-August … { Read More }
The Print Version of The Gathering Storm is Now Available!
Finally!! For those who like me wish to hold a book in their hands rather than a screen, I am excited to announce the hard copy version of The Gathering Storm is out at last! The first book in my … { Read More }
Want a free ebook of The Gathering Storm?
The ebook actually has been out since the end of February, but I’ve kept perfecting it as much as I could and now it’s finally really ready for your reading pleasure! The matching print version will be available soon from … { Read More }
Ready to Enter the Storm? Looking for beta readers!
Into the storm, he goes In the time of the One Darkness haunts his steps But Light he is, as the night meets the dawn In the time of the One Signs in the sky signal the beginning In the … { Read More }
Update on The Storm Chronicles
I hoped to have the first volume out by now, but I was still plugging away when my laptop decided to give up the ghost in the midst of all this. Thank God – the Writer of the Story as … { Read More }
High Praise for The Storm Chronicles!
Thrilled to receive this shoutout from my life coach about my upcoming fantasy series! If you want to find out yourself what made him so excited, sign up for Part 1 of the first book on my home page. “Very … { Read More }
Introducing The Storm Chronicles!
Out of the west, shall he come from the narrow entrance, Into of the storm, shall he go In the time of the One Darkness shall haunt his steps But Light shall he be The sword of the One shall … { Read More }
Pity for a Creature As Dark As Darkness
The meeting of Bilbo, the dreadfully and fearfully lost hobbit, and Gollum, a creature “as dark as darkness” (Hobbit 88), their riddle-game and what happens after Gollum loses are among the most iconic scenes of children’s literature. But how many … { Read More }
The Legacy of Tolkien and the TCBS: A Light to the World: The Call Heard and Answered
At the ‘Council of London’ held by the Tea Club and Barrovian Society in December 1914, J. R. R. Tolkien and his three dearest friends spoke of the call they felt to bring beauty and meaning back into a world grown … { Read More }
Harkening to the Horns of Hope and Love: What The Lord of the Rings Teaches Us For Today
Hope and love are dominant themes in The Lord of the Rings. These are two of the most desperately needed virtues today in a world entrenched in a culture of death, despair, and lust, due to the instant and 24 … { Read More }
Arthurian Elements in Reepicheep’s Journey
There are many Arthurian elements in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but what is at the heart of it all is Reepicheep’s quest to reach Aslan’s country, an even better place than the Avalon Arthur travels to. Geoffrey of … { Read More }
Guardian Angels of the Quest: Frodo, Sam, and the Valar
Sam is Frodo’s guardian angel on the Quest, but he is not the only one. The Valar also play instrumental roles in aiding the Ring-bearer and his friends during the War of the Ring and beyond. So vital is their … { Read More }
Arthur’s Audacious Dream
Why does the tale of Arthur and his knights still resonate with its readers centuries after its first introduction? It ends in the tragic defeat of the King, with the deaths of nearly all of his men, and his dreams … { Read More }
The Value of Family in Malory’s Le Morte Darthur
Sir Thomas Malory placed great importance on the role of the family in his rendering of the Arthurian legends. For good or ill, familial ties in Le Morte Darthur have tremendous impact on men and women and those around them. … { Read More }
Creation and Sub-Creation in Narnia and The Timeless Halls
C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien varied greatly in their conceptions of the secondary worlds they fashioned. Lewis focused on the creative power of God to call into existence an entire world out of nothing. Tolkien chose to … { Read More }
Eucatastrophe, Fate, and Free Will in the Life of Beren and Lúthien
Welcome to my site, Gazzolo Creative! After Beren avenges his father’s murder and spends years as an outlaw, he climbs the Mountains of Terror and sees the land of Doriath from far away. “There it was put into his heart … { Read More }
Nienna, Lady of Pity and Mercy, and the Fall of Sauron
I finished my Master’s Degree at Signum University! I highly recommend anyone interested in pursing their Tolkien studies in a scholarly manner to consider attending some classes here. You do not have to be there to pursue a degree. You … { Read More }
The Beginning of Stories
As long as we could speak and realize we had a mind and intelligence and a need to explain to ourselves and to others the world around us, we have told stories. For things we have not understood like the … { Read More }
More Than Memory: Death as Eucatastrophe in ‘The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen’
In the fullness of time, Aragorn and Arwen come to their parting after many long years together. Unlike his Númenorean ancestors who were poisoned by the deceits of Sauron and grew to fear death so greatly they did anything they … { Read More }
The Powerful Realm of Faerie
J. R. R. Tolkien speaks of a subject close to his heart in his lecture and essay, “On Fairy-Stories.” He approaches this not just as an admirer or literary critic but as an author of such himself. He had a … { Read More }
Echoes of Middle-earth in The Chronicles of Prydain
Lloyd Alexander uses many figures from Welsh mythology to give voice to some of the greatest characters in The Chronicles of Prydain series. Some are merely names he fleshed out to have lives in Prydain they did not have at … { Read More }
The Role of the Narrator in Tolkien and Lewis
The voice of the narrator is similar in both The Hobbit and the Narnia books and used wonderfully well to draw readers into the tale. They talk directly and indirectly to their audience, offer advice, use words that speak of … { Read More }
A Short Reflection on Myths and Reality
There is such power in story-telling! Visionaries, seers, bards, poets, playwrights, and novelists have harnessed this vast resource for as long as man has existed. What a crowd we are part of. What shoulders we stand on. I am proud … { Read More }
Frodo’s Sacrifice
Ah, March 25, that most glorious of days! Here is an excerpt from my book, Chosen: The Journeys of Bilbo and Frodo of the Shire. In Frodo’s devotion to the mission entrusted to him, he gives a wonderful example of … { Read More }
The Consolation of Fairy-Stories
In his wonderful essay “On Fairy-Stories”, J. R. R. Tolkien states three things fantastical stories bring us: recovery, escape, and consolation. In our shattered world, we need them all. We need to see anew everyday things that we do not … { Read More }
The Value of Myths
From early days, man defined himself and his world through stories. The mind and heart travel further along their hidden roads and secret passageways than a body does down the modern superhighway. The places reached are brighter and darker than … { Read More }
The Importance of Being Bilbo
An excerpt from Chosen: The Journeys of Bilbo and Frodo of the Shire: Gandalf recounts in the unfinished tale “The Quest of Erebor” how the twin threats of Sauron and Smaug greatly troubled him. He thinks a trip to the … { Read More }
Photo: Irish landscape by Bernadette Rohan