#the wizards of Kelslyn

[lsswanson]

Anton, the Great Wizard in vol #1 The Mist of Tarrowood from the series 'The Wizards of Kelslyn' and 'The Prophecy of Mekil'.

[lsswanson]

THE WIZARDS OF KELSLYN

There is a legend written in an ancient language of the Wizards of Kelslyn that tells of a time long ago when evil ruled the land. A PROPHECY WRITTEN IN RIDDLES. NEW POWERS COME TO LIGHT. CAN THOSE WHO LAY WASTE IN SECRET BE STOPPED. Nothing is as it seems in this adventure series of magic and intrigue. The Knights, The Wizards and the Crystal bearers MUST use all their resources as Secrets begin to unravel and the truth is uncovered.

[lsswanson]

THE MIST OF TARROWOOD, Vol 1 of the series 'The Wizards of Kelslyn' (on Wattpad) https://www.wattpad.com/story/311852078-the-mist-of-tarrowood-vol-1-of-the-series-%27the?utm_source=web&utm_medium=tumblr&utm_content=share_myworks&wp_uname=LSSwanson&wp_originator=qKMgnXUAfAyli8YWTv%2F0qr5ESpfOcRC5Gixn8%2FQ31jzKJLb%2BQtXvh6fQcVxXHwIztzTWNifRhjUO4w9CYIstMp48Kyrjtv8XcdEk8Hs3Zfu3N6XW1t0XchOpePRlcoN0 Set in the Animal Spirit Realm where a humans spirit lives in the physical form of their Animal Spirit. A legend written in an ancient language of the Wizards of Kelslyn tells of a time when evil ruled the land. A Prophecy written in riddles and an evil plan from 10,000 years earlier is uncovered. Can a devastated wizard rise against an Evil so calculating it's hard to imagine. Can those who lay waste in secret be stopped before they gain total control of all the realms and destroy Kelslyn, the good side of the Universe? Nothing is as it seems in this adventure series of magic and intrigue, with humor and romance. Vol #1 - What prowls in the eerie mist will make you shudder. Horrible growls and torturous screams are only the beginning in a series of strange events that lead Rev and Buddy into a world of evil, magic, and adventure when Rev is captured by an evil creature and is rescued by the grandsons of Anton, the great wizard from Kelslyn. Buddy defies fear to find his friend. Onsore, the evil wizard, uses a magic poison and an evil plan that began ten thousand years ago to destroy Kelslyn. Anton must regain his confidence and powers after the disappearance of his son. Rev and Buddy are brought to Tarrowood, an ancient Fortress and embark on a mission through the ominous Snakewood Trail that's under an unbreakable spell. The group treks through dangerous terrain and discover the horror of what evil will do for power. New friendships bond as the group gathers strength and trust in each other to withstand the evil that tries to stop them. Courage comes from within.

[lsswanson]

From Vol 4 of the series, 'The Wizards of Kelslyn'. Once the Dream Catchers are activated, they see what evil has hidden under the Snakewood Trail.

[lsswanson]

Anton, the Great Wizard, remembers who he really is. From the Prophecy of Mekil, written in riddles so only those chosen by the Major Crystal can understand the evil that is coming. From the fantasy series 'The Wizards of Kelslyn'

[lsswanson]

From the Prophecy of Mekil, The hiding of Rev. The series The Wizards of Kelslyn

[lsswanson]

From the Prophecy of Mekil, The Wizards of Kelslyn Series.

[lsswanson]

From the Prophecy of Mekil in the series, The Wizards of Kelslyn

[lsswanson]

An Angry Squirrel

This is one of the stories that gave me the inspiration to write my fantasy adventure series “The Wizards of Kelslyn”. As I trekked through the mountainsides of North and South Carolina the following was my experience one morning after a storm raged through the area.

The wind blew all night. My tent had sprung a leak at a prior campground so I was sleeping in my car. Actually, I slept better in my car. The storm had not bothered me through the night, so I was surprised to wake up and see all the extra debrie laying all over the campground and inside the forest. It made the gathering of wood for my fire a lot easier though.

I started the fire and put on a pot of coffee when I noticed the forest was quiet. I grabbed my trail mix like I did every morning and began throwing it into the woods for the squirrels. This morning there were no squirrels, anywhere. There were no birds, either or any of the other creatures that dart through the woods in the morning. The quiet was eerie so I didn’t wander far, plus, I had a fire going and I hadn’t had my coffee, yet. Which I totally enjoy black when I’m camping. Let me add that I was the only one camping. Which happened a lot on this journey.

I drank my coffee and sat at the picnic table for a while without the fauna I enjoy. Granted the storm had broken a lot of branches and vines, and they covered the ground. But this is the forest. I didn’t think it really mattered. Nature would use the debris one way or another.

I noticed movement about twenty five feet into the forest. I watched as a large older squirrel ran across the ground and up a tree. He was alone. He then maneuvered through the branches until he was on a branch twelve feet off the ground in front of me. He stood in one place facing me and staring. He didn’t look away. Granted, neither did I.

What happened next has been embedded in my mind ever since. The Old Squirrel stood up on two legs and started chittering at me. It’s not just that he was chittering, he was moving his arms all over the place. Then he got on all four feet and paced back and forth across the branch. He never took his eyes off me except to turn and he kept the chittering going. I realized that he was cussing me out for the mess in the forest.

I was a little shocked. I interrupted him and pointed around as I said, “Wait, I didn’t do any of this. This happened while I was asleep.” He stopped pacing and stared at me again. Then he chittered something really quick, turned and left the same way he came. I sat there for a few minutes wondering if he would return.

A little later a Ranger came and told me not to hike that day. He said the wind had torn the forest up and trees that had not fallen all the way would be dropping throughout the day. He said I would hear them if I paid attention. I took a chair down by the lake and sat for a while. Every twenty minutes you could hear the loud thud as a tree finished its fall. It was the only sound in the forest the entire day.

[lsswanson]

BATTLING WRITER’S BLOCK

Writer’s block definitely sucks. We all go through it at some time or another. I want to share with you what works to bring me out of that frustrating feeling.

I pick words or a paragraph from what I’ve already written and choose a few words. Preferably, words I might use for the part I’m unable to focus on, but not necessarily. I have even taken paragraphs from a finished chapter and used words from there. Then I take those words and run them through a rhyming app or synonym and antonym app. I peruse what comes up. Sometimes you get a wide variety. I look at the definitions of words I don’t know, or reread definitions of words that catch my eye. I get the best result from the synonyms and antonyms. They seem to jar something in me that activates my creative mind and gets me rolling again.

Granted, sometimes I spend a good hour or so looking. I do take notes on words I would like to use at a later date, or words I would like to use as substitutes. The takeaway is that I always find a word or definition that will fit into the story line. Then my writer’s block is gone and I write without any inhibitions or hesitation. It works for me every time.

Another thing I do to cure writer’s block on a chapter book is look at pictures on Pinterest, Pixabay, or any other picture app. Since my chapter book runs like a movie through my head, looking at pictures that can be part of a scene seems to help. For example, when I was describing Tarrowood the Fortress, which is a magical tree, in the first volume of The Wizards of Kelslyn, I found that picking out certain pictures of trees on those apps would inspire me and help me create the scene I was looking for. Just seeing pictures of what would apply to my book helped out greatly. I would also look at pictures that could be printed at the beginning of an already done chapter. You can also just choose a theme like wizards, for example.

The time I spend doing the above works. Staring at the computer or sitting with a pen and empty paper, does not.

A little inspiration: “WE READ, WE RISE, WE TEACH, WE FLY, WE WRITE, WE SOAR!” The motto for my company, Sight Word Sally, where I write rhyming children’s books. 

Read the synonyms for soar and know that you are wonderful.

Let me know if this helps and what works for you. Have a great day and SOAR.