Detours on the Road to Camelot
September 16, 2025 • No Comments
If you want to see what society is worried about, look at the bestseller list. A scan of best-selling fiction reveals our current anxieties and fantasies. Who are our heroes? Are we looking for white hats? Or are we in one of those phases where a tattered gray hat holds the most fascination?
Stories have always been like that—we concoct the legends we need in the moment. When I wrote the Camelot Reborn series, I kept that in mind as I scanned the source material I referenced. Arthurian legend has many attractions, but consistency is largely absent.
One FAQ is whether King Arthur and Camelot really existed. What we know is sketchy at best. There’s some thought that Arthur might have been a fifth-century Welsh warlord who may or may not have led a miliary expedition in France, but take that with an ocean’s worth of salt. It’s enough that Arthur is the folkloric equivalent of a Swiss army knife with a persona for every occasion.
Scholars refer to the vast body of Arthurian legend as “The Matter of Britain.” The earliest mentions are in Celtic literature, but the first fulsome text is the Historia Regum Britanniae (aka History of the Kings of England) by Geoffrey of Monmouth. This fanciful account appeared around 1136 AD and established the framework of Arthur’s story as we know it. Here we find Merlin, Guinevere, Sir Kay the seneschal, and Excalibur (though Geoffrey calls it Caliburn). Geoffrey’s work is all about Britain’s heroic antecedents and Arthur’s job here is to be royal and mighty. Interestingly, Lancelot is missing.
For good old Lance, we turn to the Frenchman Chretien de Troyes, who wrote a twelfth-century cycle of stories about Arthur and co. At the time, courtly love was trending. This involved an Unattainable Lady ™ who is infinitely desirable but unapproachable (probably because she’s married to someone else) and therefore the Suitor Who Burns With Passion™ is doomed to deliciously painful yearning. Kind of like a love triangle that got run over by a spiteful unicorn. There is poetry. Thank heavens there were no movie channels.
Anyway, this is where Lancelot’s doomed love for Guinevere enters the picture. Not all the early Lancelot stories feature this romance, suggesting he predates de Troyes as a figure in medieval legends. That said, there are other constants among the various works about him: Lancelot was raised by a supernatural female (the Lady of the Lake, who appears as Niniane or Nimueh or even a mermaid), and he rescues assorted ladies in distress. No doubt there’s a knightly quota of damsel-rescuing required. It’s worth noting that in this Gallic version of the story, Arthur (English king) is a third wheel and Lancelot (hot French knight) is the man of the hour.
As time goes on and the bloom of courtly love fades, Lancelot becomes a troubled character. The darker parts of his legend—the betrayal of Arthur, the destruction of Camelot, guilt and madness—are later additions. Much of this material comes into English literature via Malory’s Morte d’Arthur. When we get to later authors like Tennyson, it’s clear what was once seen as romantic if unrequited love has become morally compromised. Only the purest of the pure, Galahad, succeeds in the Grail Quest whereas reprobates like Lancelot fall by the wayside. For the record, I always found Galahad vaguely irritating.
When I came to write Enchanted Guardian, I kept with the less angsty versions of Lancelot—the rescuer, the true friend, and the man who owed allegiance to the Lady of the Lake. Not that he doesn’t have problems—it wouldn’t be a compelling story otherwise. For one thing, there’s not much call for knights in the twenty-first century. At least, not until the dragon shows up.
Mermaids in the rain
August 10, 2025 • 1 Comment
The mermaids have left. Maybe the rain will bring them back, or maybe we need better snacks. Then again, 
I’m cautious about what they consider good eating.
It’s time I thought more about creatures of the deep, or even denizens of the shallows. The rain pounded on the skylight this morning in an all-too-brief reprieve from the drought. In years past, I’ve considered the Pacific Northwest summers too wet and dreary, but these days I take the sun for granted. It’s the drooping garden that reminds me the elements need balance, and that water needs our full attention.
It’s the element that embodies birth, dreams, and emotion. Creativity. Mystery. Drama. I don’t write about it as much as I could, although it has made a splash here and there (pun intended).
Nimueh, the Lady of the Lake in Enchanted Guardian is a water fae and a perfect symbol of the element. She has lost her capacity for emotion and to heal, she returns to her lake and is reborn anew—amid big feelings, high-stakes romance, jealousy, redemption, and drama. There is nothing small or quiet about water elementals.
After all, what is adventure without the high seas? In the Corsair’s Cove series, pirate Daniel Blackthorne faces a ticking clock—either he plays cupid or dies a final death. And in Shatter, there is Captain Maxwell Stokes of the ghost ship Solitude, locked in an inexorable struggle with the Sea King. This is another tale of rebirth and transformation in the most fundamental sense. And sea monsters. And hot dudes with tridents. And fish and chips.
But the Dark Forgotten series—in all its citified glory—is bereft of watery creatures. They can’t skulk about on street corners like a vampire or even a wolf. The backyard swimming pool is too small for a kraken, and selkies require at least a beach, preferably with unsuspecting sailors to torment.
Yet, the urban landscape should be big enough for all the elements, including the cauldron of creativity, rebirth, and dreams. Maybe it just takes a little more work, a little digging to hit the wellspring of the unconscious that feeds all that feeling. Maybe we just need to listen more closely to hear the mermaids singing over the downtown traffic.
Perhaps I can hear them after all, in the sound of the rain.
Mysterious Mysteries
April 28, 2025 • No Comments
The newbie author is told to a) write to market and b) develop a unique brand and c) pray that these two directives do not collide in a shower of exploding adverbs. How is it possible to be unique and replicate a niche trend at the same time?
I’ve pondered this for a while. As a rule, I write a mashup of paranormal romance, steampunk, fantasy, and a pinch of horror. It’s all the niches at once and definitely not written to market. However, after the first 20+ books, my writing style doesn’t change much from book to book. My voice is solid, even if my marketing sense is on a bender.
That said, every so often I get a bright idea to try something new. Most recently, I thought I’d try writing a classic mystery. Properly. Following an outline, and all that. It was time to learn new chops.
Hunting down a cheat sheet with the requisite outline made sense. Writerly how-to can be gold or complete twaddle, but a basic series of plot beats was easy to adapt to the characters and setting I had in mind. In fact, the structure felt comforting while I was trying something new.
What I wasn’t prepared for is the amount of up-front detail a mystery requires. Not only did I have to know exactly how the murder happened and who did it, but also the suspects and their means, motive, and opportunities. On top of that, I have to keep a running record of what’s been revealed and to whom. All writing has its difficulties, but mysteries require monumental attention to detail. So far, I’m loving it.
What’s the same is all the things that make my writing my own: character development, setting, theme, and the quirky madness that lurks within my mental landscape. I think that’s the answer to the paradox of niche and brand—know your own writing so well, so intrinsically, that you can pour it into varying containers without changing its essential nature. And if the container feels wrong, discard it. The writing comes first, every time.
Trying different tropes and genres can be tricky for new writers. It’s easy to be a chameleon at that stage. I used to sound like the author I’d just read and had to avoid certain voices lest they creep onto my pages. Even now, I avoid Dickens unless I’m writing a period piece.
So, to go back to the writing advice at the top of this piece:
- Know what piece of the marketplace you’re aiming for. Know the tropes, expectations, and structure of the genre.
- Know who you are as a writer and think about how well that niche will work for you. Remember that you can adore something without having to write it, but the reverse is hard to pull off.
- Try it and see how it works. Make magic. If it’s not for you, there are a million other genres and sub-genres to check out. Smash a few together and make something new.
That’s as close to advice as I’m qualified to give. Oh, and watch out for exploding adverbs.
Fast and Easy Rhubarb Muffins
May 24, 2021 • No Comments
Even if you’re not a baker, these fast and easy rhubarb muffins are a go-to for any occasion. The topping looks fancy, even if it’s no-fuss, and the buttery flavor of the pecans makes the topping rich but not oily.
Rhubarb is one of the first treats to appear in the garden. It was used as a tonic in the old days, probably because it offered a shot of fresh vitamins after a long winter of dried or canned foods. Although we don’t need spring tonics in quite the same way, we still love our rhubarb pies and preserves. This recipe has a fresh, sweet and sour quality that makes it one of my favorite muffins. It’s light enough that it is almost but not quite dessert.
Rhubarb Muffins
Preheat oven to 400F
Sift dry ingredients and set aside:
3 ½ cups of white flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Mix in a large bowl:
2 cups of buttermilk
3 eggs
1 ½ cups of brown sugar
½ cup melted butter
3 tsp vanilla extract
Stir in 3 cups of fresh, finely diced rhubarb. Then add in dry ingredients a bit at a time until the mixture is combined.
Spoon into greased muffin pans and top with a generous dusting of:
Topping
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup of granulated sugar
½ cup of pecans
I throw the topping ingredients into a food processor and grind to a crumble. Leftover topping goes well over fresh fruit. I keep thinking it might be nice to add chopped candied ginger in the mix, so if anyone tries it let me know if it’s a winner.
Bake about 25 – 30 minutes and cool on a rack. These rhubarb muffins are excellent fresh. They can be frozen, but after that are best warmed before serving.
We’ve only just begun
February 10, 2019 • No Comments
I remember the first e-reader I owned. It was a lovely red Sony thing that became obsolete almost before I figured out how to use it. That beautiful toy was like a lot of the publishing world in that moment—an industry founded on physical art was suddenly forced to reinvent itself in electrons. Everywhere one looked, awkwardness ensued.
As much as I loved that Sony, I don’t identify with it. Unlike my barely-cordless friend, as an author I was able to adapt and carry on. And as antiquated as my traditional publishing roots may seem to some, I value the lessons I learned along the way.
My first published book came out it 2006, but before that I wrote for newspapers and magazines. The best and most brutal of editors, in my opinion, work in print journalism. You write fast and you write concisely. If you can’t tell a story in 300, 800, 1000 or however many words are allowed, you don’t get any more freelance assignments. Do or die. Miss the cut-off for filing your piece and you don’t get paid. It’s a bit like boot camp for paragraphs.
I’ve also had the privilege of working with some amazing fiction editors, and that kind of coaching is priceless. Some were gardeners, shearing and pruning to shape the, um, abundance I presented. Others taught me to plot, build worlds, and dig deep for emotion. They all had a lesson for me, however delightful or dire, and I value every one.
I learned about that side of the writing business, too. I learned to pitch, to pick my battles, and to negotiate with other publishing professionals.
Indie publishing deals with the same things, but the approach is a little different. I can’t say what it’s like coming to indie first, because that wasn’t my experience. What I do know is that I’m incredibly grateful for a solid training in the craft. However, unlike that Sony, I’ve had to evolve. However excellent a foundation I had, I’ve had to keep on learning, and learning, and learning.
Because it’s a new year
January 14, 2019 • No Comments
There’s a lot in the news that makes us think things never change, and certainly not for the better. But not everything HAS to be this way. Imagine a world without war, or kings, or those who have or have not.
I’m a fan of the archaeologist Marija Gimbutas, who has (literally) dug into the history of neolithic Europe (6500 to 4500 BC). This is my simplification of the picture she paints:
The folks who live here in the late Neolithic period are mostly farmers, although there are craftsmen (like potters) and traders. Tools are primarily flint. They keep dogs, sheep, pigs, goats, and cattle. The village is formed of concentric circles of houses with common areas in the middle. There is no big, fortified house for a chieftain. Instead, the larger buildings house communal gathering places and some of the bigger families. Inheritance and marriages are organized along the female bloodlines. Some members of those large families are the priestesses of the village, and small temple sights are scattered among the houses.
At the end of their lives, the townspeople are buried with grave goods signifying their role—tools of their trade, or ceremonial accouterments. Craftsmen are honored, both male and female alike. There are no separate houses or burial grounds for the rich. This suggests a level of economic equality.
Most significantly, there are no fortifications, weaponry, or evidence of war. There are no signs of territorial aggression.
This is the culture that builds huge megalithic stone and wood structures. There are graves, such as at Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland. There are also stone circles or henges at Avebury and Stonehenge in England. The henges are particularly interesting, since these structures are communal property, not designed for the elevation of a single individual or dynasty. Construction required significant dedication and labor. Avebury, by one estimate, required 1.5 million person hours. Talk about collaboration!
My point? We tend to think of great big monuments built by kings and pharaohs, but these megaliths were put in place by a peaceful society of Stone Age farmers and craftspeople. This went on for thousands of years, until warrior tribes conquered Europe and put their kings in place. After that, people began building fortifications instead.
Corsair’s Cove Orchard: The Complete Set
November 30, 2018 • No Comments
The Corsair’s Cove Orchard series is now available as a complete set in paperback. This includes all three novellas and both short stories in this series, which is a respectable 396 pages of the quirky town, its ghosts, and the characters I, as one of the authors, forget aren’t real people. Here’s the back cover copy:
Let Corsair’s Cove draw you home again …
Corsair’s Cove has a reputation for being one of the most haunted places in the Pacific Northwest. Back in Prohibition days, it was a roaring hive of rumrunners, flappers, money, and betrayal. Big Tom Macfarlane and Marigold Mayhew met in the old apple orchard, loved hard, and died young, but their story isn’t finished. Because some betrayals have consequences that echo down through time … and demand the kind of resolution that only true love can bring …
That same apple orchard has now been sold to the local carpenter to make a home for his bride—and has become a bone of contention. Who knew that the cider apple that made Joe Johannsen’s family famous during Prohibition—an apple thought to be extinct—would still be growing there? When Joe and Siena Panati discover the secret recipe hidden in plain sight, will it mean their future—or will it tear their friendships apart? Then Sam Wilson’s return to the Cove for an antique car rally triggers a series of ghostly visitations. The last thing he needs is for Marigold’s ghost to reveal herself to Haley Struthers, the botanist who discovered the apples. But Haley has something very real to be afraid of, and only Sam can help her. It all comes to a head when Lora Trelawney returns to the Cove. With the help of Spike the bartender, she discovers that some secrets aren’t meant to be kept … even from herself … and love is the only way that the Cove’s Jazz Age secrets will ever be resolved …
Readers have fallen in love with Corsair’s Cove, its small-town atmosphere and quirky characters. The Reading Café called the Chocolate Shop novellas “swoon-worthy love stories sure to sweeten your life.” The Orchard series simply raises the bar—giving you stories as tasty as a slice of homemade apple pie!
Gifted: the Dark Forgotten
November 4, 2018 • No Comments
So I’ve promised to do something new in the Dark Forgotten world for a long time, and here we go–an all-new Christmas novella featuring many of the characters from the novels. I hope you enjoy it! It’s available right now on Amazon and in KU, and I hope to get a print available very shortly.
Who says the holiday season is just for humans?
For all the holly-jolly times, family gatherings are complex no matter who—or what—you are. When you’re hunting for the latest “it” toy to stuff a stocking, it doesn’t matter if you’re alive or Undead, fanged or furry—you’re just as desperate to be the cool dad. And then there are the family grumps who never send cards, the ones who eat all the good candy, and those who drool and dig up the neighbor’s yard.
No, the Yuletide Season isn’t for the faint of heart—and sometimes it’s downright demonic—but holiday miracles make it all worthwhile. Chance encounters and unexpected forgiveness remind us that joy doesn’t come in a gift-wrapped box.
This novella from the Dark Forgotten world catches up with favorite characters for a fresh take on the holidays. Those visiting the world for the first time will understand why Chicago Tribune called it “simply superb.”
Grab this book and return to the world of the Dark Forgotten. Santa Claws is waiting!
Into the Orchard …
September 12, 2018 • No Comments
This week sees the release of Secret Vintage by the esteemed Rachel Goldsworthy, which is the first novella of the Corsair’s Cove Orchard Series (yay!).
Releasing a book is a funny thing – the act itself is brief, and it’s easy to forget the months of work that went into writing it. With the Cove stories, there’s also the planning sessions (in this case, a super-intense session last spring) and follow up group calls (still ongoing).
On top of all that are the research moments. This summer I visited the Merridale Cidery, which has not only a very nice restaurant but a delightful orchard that invited wandering. Here is some of what I found …
Percy the Peacock is a terrible flirt – and his livelier cousins play a part in the story!
