Last time I talked about the city of Thrynn, which is the setting for most of The Shield Road. This week I thought I'd move away from locations and talk a bit about the Bladekin, the organisation that Talfrin, one of the recurring characters, belongs to. The basics: the Bladekin are an ancient order, founded… Continue reading The World of ‘The Shield Road’: The Bladekin
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The World of ‘The Shield Road’: City of Thrynn
Over the next couple weeks, I'm doing a series of blog posts delving into some aspects of the fantasy world from my book, 'The Shield Road'. You can click here to learn more about the book itself! The world of 'The Shield Road' The Shield Road is a collection of short stories about adventurers, and… Continue reading The World of ‘The Shield Road’: City of Thrynn
Was Brutus Really An Evil Traitor?
Today is the Ides of March; the day Julius Caesar was assassinated. He'd been called to a meeting of the senate, and when he arrived, they assassinated him. While over sixty people were involved, they were organised by one man: Marcus Junius Brutus. Caesar was said to have muttered the now-famous line, et tu, Brute?… Continue reading Was Brutus Really An Evil Traitor?
Review: ‘In Order To Live’ by Yeonmi Park
Before I start, I need to say: this book contains references to sexual, verbal and physical assault, and covers distressing events and potentially dark topics. It's a book about life in, and escape from, North Korea - and Yeonmi set out determined to tell every part of her story. It won't be for everyone. I… Continue reading Review: ‘In Order To Live’ by Yeonmi Park
Identity, Community, and Barriers Between Us
Someone recently asked me if there is such thing as the 'Writing Community.' The #WritingCommunity is how many of us got where we are now. We jumped on follow trains, tag games and hashtags to build large follower counts, hoping to build an audience for ourselves. Along the way, we learned that most of those follows are completely useless, because you'll never interact with them.
Three Basic Rules For Mapmaking
You may have heard by now that I make maps. I've made dozens of them at this point, so I've learned a few things. I wanted to share a couple of basic ways to make your maps look more realistic and unique. I use the word 'rules,' but these aren't hard and fast, iron-cast laws… Continue reading Three Basic Rules For Mapmaking
A Different Way To Do Borders in Fantasy
If you know me at all, you'll know I draw a lot of maps. That's actually how I make my living. I've seen dozens and dozens of them - from sketches that people send to me to maps I look up when I'm trying to learn a new style. Lord of The Rings has no… Continue reading A Different Way To Do Borders in Fantasy
Pen Pals?
I recently started thinking about letter writing, and how antiquated it is that you can send a letter to someone else in a different country, and that country's postal system just delivers it, without you having to pay them. Of course, you have to pay extra to your own postal service, but once it's gone… Continue reading Pen Pals?
The Italian Winemakers Who Once Controlled England’s Money
This was a bit of a rabbithole I fell into while researching for my latest 'What Happened 700 Years Ago' column. It's a fascinating story, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. It's the 1270s. London is starting to grow: it will soon become the financial hub of northern Europe, but… Continue reading The Italian Winemakers Who Once Controlled England’s Money
Would Gandalf Be A Good King?
Would Gandalf be a good king? Like many questions about Lord of The Rings, you could answer this a hundred different ways - and honestly I think it depends on what scenes you focus on and which role Gandalf is playing, because he does several things across the books. (source: blackgate.com) So I want to… Continue reading Would Gandalf Be A Good King?
Dewi Hargreaves 