Recent content by Lorna Smithers

I'd possibly take some inspiration from existing cultures and how they use magic. Such as the curse tablets found at the temple to Sulis, a goddess of a sacred spring at Bath Bath curse tablets - Wikipedia Or the Second Merseburg charm invoking Odin Merseburg charms - Wikipedia You'll see that...

If you're interested in reading my essay I've just published it on my blog here - If Someone Came Back From Time

I recently posted an article on my blog looking at a scene in Test of the Twins by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman where Caramon Majere travels forward in time to an apocalyptic future, sees it as the consequence of the ill-doings of his brother, Raistlin, and manages to make repairs. It...

That was my breaking point too! The gnome was called Gnimsh (I think!).

Thanks for your reply. They got me through some toughish times too. I hated high school and didn't fit in and my solace at dinnertime was avoiding all the other kids by hiding in a corner of the library reading Dragonlance! It's really fascinating what you say about the kid thinking Raistlin...

I first read the Dragonlance books (the Chronicles trilogy and Twins trilogy and some of the surrounding novels) when I was at high school twenty years ago. I've recently returned to them and found the first one, Dragons of Autumn Twilight almost unreadable because the plot was so cheesey and...

I like the idea of the wizard putting a spark into the young girl's hand and giving her the opportunity to start a new life in other world. Isn't this something all of us could wish for? I think there's something deep and interesting there. I'd be intrigued to know the girl's background and...

I find reading is really helpful from both an analytical and inspirational perspective. It helps me get a grip on how other authors handle descriptions, character development, plot, first person and third person narratives, and also to find out what moves me - what excites me and makes me want...

Yes, I think dreams are definitely meaningful and bound up with our hopes and fears and with possibilities for the future. I've had dreams of what might my represent my hopes and fears. I'm currently writing a book about an ancient British god called Gwyn ap Nudd who is a ruler of Winter and...

I've had a few experiences of lucid dreaming but the realisation I'm in control has too often brought with it the consciousness 'I'm in a dream' and woken me up :(

I've written a couple of articles - one on ancient British dreaming traditions Dreams in Brythonic Tradition ? Dun Brython and another on Nodens, an ancient British god of dreams (the nursery rhyme name 'Land of Nod' derives from Nodens) Nodens and the Serpents of the Deep ? Signposts in the...

Yes, absolutely. For me magic comes from the dreamworld. It's a place where the logical rules of this world break down and where magic can happen. It's where our best ideas and inspiration come from. Your dragon dream sounds really fascinating. I've had dragon dreams too. Dragons seem to speak...

I recall having more intense dreams quite a long time ago after having blue cheese before going to bed, but that was before I became lactose intolerant. I've found alcohol, certain types, and amounts, affects dreaming. Wine tends to wipe me out, but certain craft beers with lots of different...

I recently read and was blown away by Robin Hobb's Assassin's Fate and was so impressed by this finale to her long series I have started re-reading the Farseer Trilogy again. I'd be interested to hear whether anybody else has enjoyed her interlinked series featuring Fitz and the Fool and the...

Here are some books on fairies, mainly focusing on the Celtic traditions (particularly Welsh), that have been useful to me: Diane Purkiss, Troublesome Things, (Penguin 2001) Katherine Briggs, The Fairies in Tradition and Literature, (Routledge, 1967) John Rhŷs, Celtic Folklore: Welsh and...