I sit before the fire and think – J.R.R. Tolkien

I hope this poem from The Fellowship of the Rings brings some 'connection' to anyone feeling sad this week.

It was a dark and stormy night ... How important are first lines?

Many writers turn themselves in knots about this one. The golden rule of writing dictates the first line must grab the reader. This seems like common sense, but it also sounds like a bucketful of pressure! Really? A book MUST hook readers with the first line?

Must a book grab you from the very first line?

Who gets your vote – Sauron or Cersei? (The intriguing matter of politics in fantasy)

Everyone's either talking about politics, or trying to avoid talking about politics. It's a tricky subject. One that can bring on a rash. I know. I'm still itching from a recent dinner party (yes, sometimes I attend these sophisticated soirees – very adult of me) in which a political discussion got rather heated. That well-regarded rule 'never talk about religion or politics' is there for a good reason it turns out.

But there is one place where politics is safe and infinitely intriguing to contemplate – in the world of fantasy fiction.

Politics in fantasy – so intriguing!

Review of 'The Blood-Tainted Winter' by T.L. Greylock

In Midgard, the king is dead and a gathering is convened to choose the successor. Raef is forced to staunch his desire to discover new lands and must attend the gathering with his father, Lord of Vannheim. When murder disrupts the search for a new king, war breaks out and Raef burns with a new desire: a thirst for revenge.

"You know as well as I the rumours of battle in the northern lands, of foul betrayal and cursed blood."